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Seiko Prospex Speedtimer SSC947 Jul 8, 2024

Introducing the Seiko Prospex Speedtimer SSC947, a Chronograph About as Close to the Classic “Pogue” as We’ve Seen

For years, Seiko fans have been clamoring for the return of the Pogue. From all corners of the internet, enthusiasts never let an opportunity to request a reissue of Seiko’s classic sports chronograph go to waste. The Pogue, otherwise known as reference 6139-6002, is legendary, famous for being on the wrist of NASA astronaut Col. William Pogue on his flight to Skylab. The watch in question was among the first automatic chronographs and issued in a variety of colorways, but it’s Pogue’s mustard yellow dial with a red and blue bezel that is the most collectible, and certainly the Seiko chronograph most of us picture in our mind’s eye when we think “Seiko chronograph.” For reasons the community can no doubt speculate on endlessly, Seiko never has relaunched the Pogue proper, but they’ve come about as close as they ever have with their latest release, the Prospex Speedtimer reference SSC947. We’ll examine the elephant in the room right upfront: this is not a mechanical chronograph, so is perhaps not the true heir to the Pogue legend. What we have in the SSC947 is a new entry in Seiko’s popular and quite good lineup of solar powered sports chronographs. We’re pretty big fans of these watches, which offer a ton of vintage inspired style and endless practicality in a package that’s extremely approachable. The retail price is $700 for watches in this collection, and they’re sized at a versatile 41.4mm. The special sauce with the Speedtimers is really in the...

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Jul 7, 2024

Roundup: The Summer Sale Edition - Last Day Deals

The Roundup is the Windup Watch Shop’s weekly rundown of the latest and greatest watches, accessories, EDC, and other gear. We’ve curated a selection to fit everyone’s style and budget. This week’s theme is our Summer Sale which ends TODAY! Hit the links below to learn more and pick something up. The Roundup is the Windup Watch Shop’s weekly rundown of the latest and greatest watches, accessories, EDC, and other gear. We’ve curated a selection to fit everyone’s style and budget. This week’s theme is our Summer Sale which ends TODAY! Hit the links below to learn more and pick something up. The post Roundup: The Summer Sale Edition – Last Day Deals appeared first on Worn & Wound.

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Christopher Ward Citizen Fortis G-SHOCK Oris Jul 7, 2024

A Week in Watches Ep.84: What’s Old is New Again

The summer slowdown is kicking in. New releases are down to a trickle, and pretty soon, Europe will just close for vacation, leaving us American media up to our own devices until they return at the end of August for Geneva Watch Days. This week we have one update to a much-loved line by Baltic, a new complication from Ochs Und Junior that is either really confusing or just not well explained, and then a new, smaller version of one of Vero’s most popular watches. Next time, we’ll be recording in Windup Watch Fair Chicago, which should promise some new and fun things. This week’s episode is brought to you by Windup Watch Fair Chicago, which is preparing to kick off on July 12th. Eindup Chicago is heading into its third year and will feature over 40 brands, including Christopher Ward, Citizen, Fortis, G-SHOCK, Oris, and many more. Located at Venue West in West Town, it’s sure to be another exciting year. Learn more at Windupwatchfair.com The post A Week in Watches Ep.84: What’s Old is New Again appeared first on Worn & Wound.

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Hamilton s production company It’s Jul 6, 2024

Watches, Stories, & Gear: IWC Watches in an Upcoming F1 Film Starring Brad Pitt, One Year of Threads, and What the “The Bear” Gets Right About Working in Restaurants

“Watches, Stories, and Gear” is a roundup of our favorite content, watch or otherwise, from around the internet. Here, we support other creators, explore interesting content that inspires us, and put a spotlight on causes we believe in. Oh, and any gear we happen to be digging on this week. We love gear. Share your story ideas or interesting finds with us by emailing info@wornandwound.com. IWC Watches Featured in F1 Movie Starring Brad Pitt  If you’re a movie fan, you’re probably already looking forward to the still untitled Formula One movie coming next year starring Brad Pitt and directed by Joseph Kosinski. It’s Kosinski’s big follow up to Top Gun: Maverick, one of the most successful movies ever made by just about any metric, so anticipation is high. The film is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Plan B Entertainment (Pitt’s production company) and Dawn Apollo Films, which is Lewis Hamilton’s production company. It’s that bit of information that has had some in the watch world speculating about a possible IWC tie-in, and this week we received official word from the brand that they will in fact be involved in the project. According to IWC, several models from the Pilot’s Watches collection will be featured on the wrists of different characters.  The partnership underscores a strong relationship between IWC and the world of Formula 1 racing, particularly with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas team. IWC has been the Official Engineering Partner of the team since...

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Zodiac Jul 5, 2024

eBay Finds: A Vintage Zodiac in Great Condition, a Pair of Cool Bulovas, and a Classic Seiko Chronograph

eBay Finds is back! This bi-monthly installment will feature a selection of watches currently listed on eBay that have caught the eye of editor Christoph McNeil (@vintagediver). If you come across any hidden gems on the ‘Bay drop us a note at info@wornandwound.com for potential inclusion! Unbranded Yachtingraf Vintage Chronograph First up this week is this killer vintage unbranded version of a Yema Yachtingraf chronograph. The original Yema is a cult classic and highly sought after. This no-name  example may lack a name brand, but it has all the style of the original. Including the unique big-eye sub-dial look with the red white and blue elapsed minute dial as well as a date window at 6 o’clock. The steel case looks to have been polished but still looks nice, and the black count-down bezel is in great shape. Seller states the hands were professionally relumed. The watch is powered by a Valjoux 7734 manual wind movement that the seller states has been serviced and is working perfectly. View auction here Seiko “Pogue” 6139-6002 Automatic Chronograph  And here we have a true classic, a vintage Seiko 6139-6002 yellow dial “Pogue” chronograph. Seiko put out a multitude of 6139 variations, but this is definitely the most recognizable with the bright yellow dial, the same as Col. Pogue wore on his journey to Skylab. This example is super clean, and looks to be original to my eye. The dial and hands are clean and devoid of any black funk on the lume, and the “Pep...

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Maurice de Mauriac Jul 5, 2024

Maurice de Mauriac Introduces the Rallymaster III, Inspired by the Lawn Courts of Wimbledon

I don’t know about you, but after seeing Challengers, I’ve been on a tennis kick lately. Having discovered the sport late in life, I’m now ravenously consuming all things tennis. So when I heard that Maurice de Mauriac has partnered with Racquet Magazine for the next iteration of their Rallymaster, I had to take a look. Like previous models, the Rallymaster III combines vintage elements with a clever eye for details, thanks to designer Carlton DeWoody’s playful touch points throughout the watch. With Wimbledon being the inspiration for this model (previous points of reference included Roland Garros and the US Open), there is a level of retro charm to this one that carries the theme throughout the watch. Most notably in this new reference, we have an olive-green dial that’s reminiscent of lawn courts and the use of 18-carat gold, giving the watch an overall elegant finish while still being playful. I’m particularly fond of the tennis ball indices and the seconds sub-dial at 9 o’clock, which features 20 second increments (the traditional tennis serve time). Finally, playing into British design language, DeWoody incorporates tan-colored straps to complete the ‘green over tan’ look, a favorite among British vintage and luxury car enthusiasts. Of the overall design, DeWoody says, “I aimed to bridge past and present, reinterpreting classic design with a contemporary lens. The colorful sub-dials and patterning of yachting and racing dials were the perfect insp...

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Monta Jul 5, 2024

Monta Adds a GMT Complication to the Noble Collection with the New Noble Voyager

Monta has announced an upgrade to their popular Noble collection today with the Noble Voyager. This new watch expands on the Noble concept, which is an old-fashioned luxury sport watch with distinct refined details that place just a click outside the “tool watch” category, by adding a GMT complication. This, of course, makes complete sense for a sports watch that was conceived to go anywhere. Now, when you go there (or, anywhere) you’ll be fully able to monitor an additional time zone.  The execution here is quite subtle, and unless you were really searching for it, it would be easy to miss the GMT complication entirely. Monta has chosen to make the 24 hour hand a skeletonized clone of the local hour hand rather than a more traditional long hand with a broad arrow tip, or something of that nature. This helps to keep the Noble Voyager’s dial clean so that the drama of the lightly textured dégradé dials (in green or blue) remain intact. This was always my favorite design element of the original Noble, and I’m glad to see that Monta has held this over from the time and date versions of the watch. Besides the additional hand and a 24 hour scale at the dial’s perimeter, this is still very easily recognized as a Noble.  The Noble Voyager’s case has nearly the same dimensions as the time and date model, measuring 38.5mm in diameter and 47mm lug to lug. The difference comes in the case height measurement, which is 10.7mm on the Noble Voyager compared to 9.7mm on ...

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Zenith Defy Skyline Gets Jul 4, 2024

The Zenith Defy Skyline Gets the White Ceramic, Skeleton Dial Treatment

I’ll be upfront here: I love the Defy. All the Defys. I’ve said many times to many people that the Defy is probably my favorite sports watch line of all time. It’s certainly my favorite corner of the Zenith catalog, and vintage Defy references are some of the coolest you can own, and somehow still represent a great value compared to comparable sports watches from other brands. To me, these watches have historically been exactly the right combination of avant-garde design and sports watch functionality. A Defy, unlike a Submariner, for example, can be both an art piece and an everyday wearer. They are also consistently interesting from a materials perspective, particularly when they get into colored ceramic, as they have with the newest Defy introduced today, a successor of sorts to one of my favorite watches from last year.  The Defy Skyline White Ceramic Skeleton is in some ways a predictable, natural evolution of the current generation Defy. It takes the ceramic case and bracelet we saw in last year’s black model, turns them white, and gives us the skeleton dial treatment that debuted early last year. It’s a similar trajectory to the Defy Classic releases from several years back, which started in titanium, with colorful skeletonized ceramic versions to follow.  This new reference is a little different though for how it plays with contrast. Against the stark white of the case and bracelet, we get a skeletonized blue dial and a movement in a matching shade. Tha...

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Breitling Pay Tribute Jul 4, 2024

New Avenger Chronographs from Breitling Pay Tribute to the United States Naval Academy

Since the 1930s, the Breitling name has been synonymous with aviation, and its watches are the preferred choice for pilots worldwide, from commercial to military aviation. To commemorate its 140th anniversary of pioneering accomplishments, Breitling is introducing three new Avenger Chronographs paying tribute to the United States Naval Academy and three legendary test squadrons. Each edition showcases the squadron’s unique emblem and color scheme, reflecting its heritage and valor with striking design and uncompromising functionality. The Dust Devils VX-31, based in the desert landscape of China Lake, California, will feature assertive red and black colors. This squadron is at the forefront of U.S. naval test flying, pushing aviation to new frontiers. The Bloodhounds VX-30 are experimental test pilots of the highest order, stationed at Point Mugu, California. They push the limits of naval aviation to advance its capabilities. Their colors will be understated gray and yellow. Patriotic blue and yellow will be used for the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It is America’s flagship institution for naval training. Established in 1845, it has consistently produced top-notch leaders for the global naval community. Powering this new series is the Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01. Known for its strength and complexity, this movement offers approximately 70 hours of power reserve, a five-year warranty, and the respected COSC certification. The display case bac...

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Baltic Adds New Watches Jul 4, 2024

Baltic Adds New Watches to their Micro-Rotor Collection

Three years after the debut of the MR01, Baltic has updated their popular micro-rotor movement powered dress watch line in a big way. The new MR Roulette collection, which debuts today, offers a new take on the platform with a slightly more casual, sector dial inspired layout. Coming on the heels of the Prismic collection, a series of watches that drew intense reactions in all directions, the MR Roulette feels like a return to the aesthetic that made Baltic the brand they are today, with modest vintage cues, a mixing of textures, and an enticing price point.  The MR Roulette is built on the same foundation of previous micro-rotor powered watches in Baltic’s catalog. It has a 36mm steel case with a flat, vertically brushed bezel and lugs that are brushed in a complementary circular pattern. The case is accented with tasteful polishing on the bezel wall, and measures an easy to wear 44mm from lug to lug. If you’ve ever tried on the original MR01, you know that this case truly wears like a vintage watch, not only its proportions, but it has a light and airy quality to it as well. It measures just 9.9mm tall, but feels thinner because nearly 2mm of that height is taken up by the domed hesalite crystal.  The new dials are available in salmon, silver, blue, and black variants. All but the black feature a grained background paired with two brushed sectors: an interior track for the hours, and an exterior track for the minutes. The running seconds subdial is off-center, cove...

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Christopher Ward Citizen Fortis G-Shock Jul 3, 2024

No Spoilers! Preview the Watches of Windup Watch Fair Chicago 2024

After two fantastic Windup Watch Fairs in New York and San Francisco, it is almost time to return to Chicago! Whether you’re attending the third annual Windup Watch Fair in Chicago or you’ll be observing from afar (@wornandwound on Instagram), the event is free and open to the public thanks in large part to our lead sponsors: Christopher Ward, Citizen, Fortis, G-Shock, and Oris. These brands continue to walk the walk around building a strong enthusiast community. They also make great watches.  Venue West – 221 N Paulina St, Chicago, IL 60612 Friday, July 12: 12PM – 6PM Saturday, July 13: 12PM – 6PM Sunday, July 14: 12PM – 5PM Free and open to the public Head to the Product Showcase on the Windup Watch Fair site to see and shop even more of the great watches that will be on display this year in Chicago. With the Fair a little over a week away, we have another fantastic showcase of brands from around the globe and local to Chicago. Below, check out some highlight pieces our Lead Sponsors have been focusing on this year.  Like any good preview, don’t be surprised if some of them have even more to offer when the fair arrives. Christopher Ward Christopher Ward is an Anglo-Swiss watchmaker with a simple aim: to put premium quality watches within the reach of everyone. Founded in 2004, the company prides itself on combining traditional Swiss watchmaking techniques with contemporary English design. Models like the Bel Canto, Trident, Sealander, and The Twelve are a...

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Anoma Jul 3, 2024

[VIDEO] Hands-On: the Anoma A1

The age of the circular watch has ended. The mid-century divers, chronographs, and Calatravas are out. Ok, not really, but it looks like shaped, asymmetric, and sculptural watches are the next coming trend. Kicking this new era off have been a few releases ranging from the high-end and exclusive by Berneron to the mid-tier and provocative by Toledano + Chan to the relatively accessible yet exotic Anoma, whose first watch I’ve had the chance to spend some time with. On June 6th, 2024, Anoma Watches launched the A1, an asymmetrical, triangular-shaped watch with an appealing, soft look. Like a weathered pebble of polished steel, the A1 mixes a sense of mid-century watch and industrial design with a modern sensibility, preventing it from feeling like a pastiche recreation. Well-sized at around 38mm and with a vibrant blue dial with a green tint, it’s a memorable launch from a new brand. In the video below, I discuss the brand, the context of the A1’s launch, the design, and what it’s like to wear it. As this is the only shaped watch I’ve ever worn for any period, it was an interesting experience. At first, it was a bit jarring, perhaps, but its quirky charm won me over. With collectors, new and old, having more choices and easier access to watches than ever, brands need to offer something that will stand out yet not be just a novelty. With the A1, Anoma has achieved this, at least in my opinion. Priced at £1,300, or about $1,650 USD, the Anoma A1 is available for pr...

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Boldr During Our Summer Sale Jul 3, 2024

Stay Cool With ADPT & Boldr During Our Summer Sale Event

The Windup Watch Shop benefits from having two trusted brands adjacent to it; Worn & Wound, and ADPT. In its more than a decade of existence, Worn & Wound has been a trusted watch editorial source. ADPT (All Day, Purpose, and Terrain) hit the scene in 2017, bringing to customers the only American-made Nylon Strap. The Windup Watch Shop benefits from having two trusted brands adjacent to it; Worn & Wound, and ADPT. In its more than a decade of existence, Worn & Wound has been a trusted watch editorial source. ADPT (All Day, Purpose, and Terrain) hit the scene in 2017, bringing to customers the only American-made Nylon Strap. The post Stay Cool With ADPT & Boldr During Our Summer Sale Event appeared first on Worn & Wound.

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Tudor Black Bay Ceramic “Blue” Jul 3, 2024

The Tudor Black Bay Ceramic “Blue” for the Visa Cash App RB F1 Team is Here

One of the continuing small surprises of the watch landscape over the last few years is Tudor’s building of new relationships with professional athletes and sports teams. David Beckham, of course, has been an ambassador for years, but in a relatively short period of time Tudor has established relationships in pro sailing (Alinghi Red Bull), rugby (the All Blacks), cycling (the Tudor team was actually founded back in 2018), and F1 racing. Over time, these partnerships have produced watches, and today we get the latest example, a Black Bay Ceramic with a blue dial made for the Visa Cash App RB Formula One team. The Black Bay Ceramic is one of the most under the radar Black Bays in the collection. It’s the only modern Tudor sports watch in ceramic, and up until today was available only with a black dial that complements its black ceramic case. It’s perhaps most notable though as the answer to a trivia question: what is the first Tudor to have a movement with METAS certification? When this watch was released and it was the only one in the collection with this designation, it was a truly odd thing. Tudor has since filled out their METAS line a bit, so it’s no surprise that the new Black Bay Ceramic Blue is also METAS certified.  To match the Visa Cash App team’s livery, the watch has been produced with a bright blue dial. Eagle eyed F1 fans have already spotted the watch on the wrists of team members, so it’s not a complete surprise to see it here. It obviously giv...

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Ressence Gets into Jul 2, 2024

Ressence Gets into the Full Lume Dial Game with the Type 5 L

If you’ve spent any time on the watch internet over the last few weeks, it should be no surprise that it’s dive watch season. Hardly a day goes by right now that some new dive watch doesn’t pop up on our radar, or come across our Instagram feeds. Now - with the release of the Type 5 L - Ressence has joined in, harnessing the sheer awesomeness of copious lume to make what may be the coolest version of their Type 5 diver yet. When the Ressence Type 5 was first released in 2015, it was unlike anything else on the market. With its bulbous architecture, oil-filled case, and signature Ressence Orbital Convex System (ROCS) displaying the time, the Type 5 was about as fun as a watch could get. The Type 5 L pushes it even further and is a nice reminder that dive watch design doesn’t have to be static - there are still plenty of pages in the dive watch playbook to explore. On a technical level, the Type 5 L is exactly the watch we’ve seen over the last near-decade, but the technical side of things only tells part of the story. What sets the Type 5 L apart is its fully luminous dial. Without the glow, the Type 5 L looks awfully similar to the gray Type 5G from 2017. It shares the same 46mm wide, 15.5mm thick grade 5 titanium case; the same ETA 2824/2 calibre modified with a ROCS 5 module and magnetic transmission showing hours, minutes, and running seconds (plus oil temperature for good measure); and the same 100 meter water resistance. But it’s a whole other story ...

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Jul 2, 2024

ochs und junior Introduces the Luna Sole, their Lightest and Thinnest Watch Yet

ochs und junior has released the latest in their line of celestial-inspired watches, this time with a movement and complication ten years in the making. To look at it, the luna sole couldn’t be anything besides an ochs und junior and uses a series of rotating discs to convey the relative position of the moon, sun, and earth. When I was first getting into watches in the early 2010s, the watch industry - in particular the Swiss watch industry - was experiencing a very real bout of homogeneity. Coming out of the recession, and with the real boom times still ahead of them, it felt like brands were (mostly) looking to play it safe and ride out the stormy weather. ochs und junior was one of the first brands I came across that was, in a big way, playing their own game. While the luna sole is a pure expression of that approach, it’s also the thinnest and lightest ochs und junior we’ve seen yet, and demonstrates a clear evolution from the early days of the brand without sacrificing any of the brutalist industrial design the brand is known for. The luna sole measures in at 40mm across and 9mm thick, with a lug-to-lug barely longer than the diameter of the watch. More to the point, the grade 5 titanium case is light - the watch head without the strap is only 40 grams, about the equivalent of a handful of quarters. Inside the luna sole, you’ll find a modified version of the ETA 2892, initially conceptualized and designed by ochs und junior founder Ludwig Oechslin a decad...

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Marathon Jul 2, 2024

Marathon Celebrates Canada Day with a New Limited Edition GSAR

When we think of Marathon’s watches, usually we tend to conjure images of hardcore tools designed for military service. The brand has made a name for itself as a supplier of military units, and the watches sold to civilians tend to reflect the sober designs you’d expect for such purpose built timepieces. But every once in a while, Marathon gets a little whimsical and likes to have a little fun, and they’ve done that this week with the release of the Arctic Red Maple GSAR and an accompanying limited edition, both of which pay tribute to Canada, the longtime home of Marathon’s headquarters.  The Arctic Red Maple GSAR is a white dialed take on the brand’s popular GSAR model, which most would agree is the brand’s core tool watch. GSAR stands for “Government Search and Rescue,” and the watch itself is a hearty hunk of steel with a 41mm diameter. The GSAR is currently available with both quartz and mechanical movements, but the Arctic Red Maple variants are both powered by a Sellita SW200. The “Red Maple” refers to the red maple leaf on the dial, a well known bit of Canadian iconography. These watches were officially released yesterday, July 1, which is Canada Day for our neighbors to the north, who are celebrating the country’s 157th birthday.  The limited edition release seen here is known as the ADANAC Arctic Red Maple GSAR Limited Edition, which distinguishes itself from the non-limited variant with the printing of “ADANAC” on the side of the case...

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Jul 1, 2024

Opinion: Maybe One Group Controlling All the Major Luxury Brands Would Be Bad?

It’s been a slow few months in the watch industry. Not at all uncommon in the summer, and we haven’t even hit the real sleepy months yet, when most of Europe goes on holiday and American watch media is confronted with the reality that we’re working a beat that doesn’t really exist for a short period of time. But there was real news last week: Bloomberg reported that LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault owns a (small) personal stake in the Richemont Group, his closest rival in the luxury goods space. Once the news broke, many began to speculate. Hey, it’s a slow summer – speculating is what keeps us awake. Could this be a sign that LVMH is positioning itself to buy the Richemont Group? Could that even happen? What’s the actual point of antitrust laws anyway?  Bernard Arnault There’s no actual indication, of course, that Arnault wants to purchase Richemont. The holdings, according to Bloomberg, are part of a larger portfolio of Arnault family investments that include many publicly traded companies. No comment as of yet from Richemont or LVMH, although as many outlets are reporting, LVMH has a history of buying an interest in their rivals.  We live in a world where insane wealth becomes more insane every year, so it’s not a huge mental leap to think that Bernard Arnault, who on any given day might be the world’s wealthiest man, could have eyes on getting even richer. Taking an ownership stake in Richemont would almost certainly do that. It likely already has – Ric...

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Jul 1, 2024

Our Five Summer Sale Event Favorites

As we approach the Fourth of July, our Summer Sales Event is in full swing. We’re offering a variety of special deals and gifts with purchase, along with our standard free domestic shipping. To help you make the most of this event, we’ve highlighted five of our top picks from the sale. As we approach the Fourth of July, our Summer Sales Event is in full swing. We’re offering a variety of special deals and gifts with purchase, along with our standard free domestic shipping. To help you make the most of this event, we’ve highlighted five of our top picks from the sale. The post Our Five Summer Sale Event Favorites appeared first on Worn & Wound.

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Hublot Releases Jul 1, 2024

Hublot Releases the Classic Fusion in an “Essential Grey” Edition

You know the old philosophical question about the tree falling in the forest without anyone there to hear it? The new release from Hublot, a pair of Classic Fusions that make up the third installment of their “Essential Grey” collection, has me thinking of a similar question that could be aimed at the watch community: if a Hublot is reserved and muted, is it still a Hublot? Obviously, of course it is. But my personal interest in the brand is so geared toward their more experimental side, a release like this really flies under the radar. As a point of fact, however, the Essential Grey releases are a very big deal in the Hublot collector community, and this one ought to prove every bit as popular as the prior two.  For the uninitiated, the Essential Grey watches in Hublot’s catalog are an annual release of a watch in a simple grey colorway, always sold through a single channel and always focusing on a single model. It only happens once a year, so it’s a drop that Hublot fans eagerly anticipate. Previous Essential Grey releases included versions of Big Bang Unico and Spirit of Big Bang. This year, Hublot steps away from the bombast of those watches, opting for a watch that is meant to remind collectors of the brand’s origins.  The Classic Fusion is Hublot’s most straightforward watch, and the watch most closely in tune with the brand’s past. It’s a model that’s often used to explicitly connect the Hublot of the 1980s to the Hublot of today, as it did with ...

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Timex es were Jul 1, 2024

Vero Updates the Open Water with a Smaller Case and New Colors

What was your first watch? Not your first mechanical watch, not your first nice watch, but actually your first watch. If you’re around my age, I’d hazard a guess that it was probably something fun. Neon Shark watches, bright G-Shocks, and outdoorsy Timexes were the thing on my playground growing up, and it’s a recipe that still works just as well approaching (or beyond) 30 as it did approaching 10. All this is to say that colorful and waterproof is a recipe for success, and one brand that really gets this is Vero. I don’t exactly remember the first time I crossed paths with a Vero, but I do remember the minty green dial standing out against the stark black bezel, and that I found myself pretty taken with their line of colorful dive watches from the get. It’s an interest I haven’t really shaken, and one only compounded by the latest iteration of their signature dive watch, the Open Water, now in a  38mm case. The big headline here is a series of subtle refinements to the Open Water model, all of which add up to a stark evolution of Vero’s flagship diver. To look at the new Open Water 38 in isolation, one might be hard-pressed to call out many of these changes but put the old and new models next to each other, and the difference will be clear.  The most visually dramatic of these changes is the shift from a black DLC finish on the bezel to a boldly colored Cerakote treatment. A stark black bezel has been a key visual hallmark of the Vero Open Water, so moving...

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Grand Seiko Boutique I’ve always had Jun 30, 2024

Photo Report: Assembling Caliber 9SA4 at the Grand Seiko Boutique

I’ve always had a fascination for peeking behind the curtain. Whether it was tearing apart broken electronics, rebuilding car engines, or opening the caseback of my first Seiko, I’ve always wanted to see and know how things work. As I’ve gone deeper into the horology rabbit hole, I’ve become more interested in the physical process of assembling a movement. While I can watch any number of YouTube videos, there’s something special about seeing it done in person, especially when you get to watch a Grand Seiko Watchmaker at work. Last week, I was invited to Grand Seiko’s boutique for a live assembly of their new 9SA4 movement, a high-beat, manually wound high frequency movement featuring Grand Seiko’s proprietary dual impulse escapement and 80 hours of power reserve. If you’d like to learn more about the 9SA4 and how it was created from the 9SA5, Zach Kazan covers that in detail here. This event was hosted at Grand Seiko’s Madison Avenue boutique (we celebrated the grand opening of this boutique in March, click here for the recap article) which features a gorgeous open concept main level, and an intimate lower level they’ve dubbed “The Cellar”. Unlike any cellar I’ve ever been in, this lower level features multiple lounge spaces, a full bar, a dedicated presentation space and, of course, plenty of watches. You’ll also find various items of cultural significance from the towns surrounding the Grand Seiko Studio Shizukuishi, which inspire the design o...

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Jun 29, 2024

Watches, Stories, & Gear: L’Epee Sold to LVMH, the Strange History of Pink Lemonade, and the Nosferatu Trailer

“Watches, Stories, and Gear” is a roundup of our favorite content, watch or otherwise, from around the internet. Here, we support other creators, explore interesting content that inspires us, and put a spotlight on causes we believe in. Oh, and any gear we happen to be digging on this week. We love gear. Share your story ideas or interesting finds with us by emailing info@wornandwound.com Our First Look at Nosferatu It’s been a bit of a slow movie year (blame it on last year’s strikes, or a lingering sense left over from the pandemic that you can catch whatever you want once it’s streaming) but things might be picking up toward the back half of 2024. One of the most anticipated new releases of the year drops on Christmas day: a new version of Nosferatu directed by Robert Eggers, maker of The Lighthouse and The Northman. Eggers is one of the most exciting filmmakers of his generation, and is known for an insane level of adherence to period detail. The first trailer for Nosferatu looks very promising indeed. Intense, scary, dark – exactly what we’d expect from Eggers.  The Grant Stone Edward Boot in Black Suede  Much of the country is struggling with a seemingly never ending heatwave, but believe it or not, boot season is right around the corner. Now is a great time to plan for the crisp weather ahead, and Grant Stone just introduced a great new option if you’re in the market for a simple black boot. The Edward is described by the brand as a classic service...

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Jun 28, 2024

Micro-Brand Digest: Exciting New Sports Watches, a Canadian Brand Inspired by Architecture, and a Former Modder Hits Kickstarter

Welcome to the Worn & Wound Micro-Brand Digest, a semi-monthly roundup of all the new micro-brand news we’re following, from concepts that show promise, to Kickstarter launches to restocks, and everything in between. Small independents, and affordable micro-brands spurred the creation of Worn & Wound over 10 years ago, and they still drive our enthusiasm in a big way. Here’s what’s caught our eye this month. If you’ve come across a project you think qualifies, hit us up at info@wornandwound.com for inclusion. Monarte Watches Monarte Watches founder Domen faced a dilemma. He wanted a durable dive watch that also had a dressy look so he could wear it to work or for a night out, not just for sports and weekends. After conducting his research, he discovered that the only “hybrid” watches that truly met the requirements were extremely expensive. As a result, he reached out to the online watch community to gather their input and preferences. From this collective effort, he believes he has devised a solution, the Monarte Squid, a highly versatile and capable dive watch adorned with numerous little details that enthusiasts adore. Let us get the elephant in the room out of the way, shall we? Only the original guilloché dial was crafted by hand-operated lathe, and all subsequent dials were CNC machined to replicate it as closely as possible. This cost-saving manufacturing process in no way diminishes their ornateness or splendor. You would be hard-pressed to find more i...

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Hamilton Jun 28, 2024

Into the Elements: Hamilton and the Khaki Field Expedition

The Hamilton Watch Company stands as a venerable name in horology, renowned not only for its timepieces, but also for its deep-rooted connection to military history. Established in 1892 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Hamilton quickly made its mark by producing pocket watches that were instrumental in both civilian and military spaces. During World War I, Hamilton became a primary supplier of timepieces to the U.S. Armed Forces, earning accolades for their reliability and design. This role continued into World War II, when Hamilton halted their production for civilian use in order to focus on supplying Allied forces with standard issue wrist watches – watches that became indispensable to soldiers and aviators alike. The company’s commitment to military excellence culminated in the creation of the iconic Hamilton Khaki Field line, a collection that pays homage to its heritage while meeting the demands of modern adventurers in its specifications. Inspired by the rugged timepieces worn by military personnel, the Khaki Field collection blends classic military aesthetics with contemporary functionality. The Khaki Field Expedition launched last year, and their 41mm and 37mm options highlight the brand’s move into inclusive sizing options. These watches are characterized by their durable stainless steel cases, legible dials, and the notable bidirectional compass bezel which allows its users to find their bearings using the sun. Their accessible price point also lends them to be...

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Jun 28, 2024

Great Summer Deals - Including 25%Off Starts Now!

School is out, and the sun is shining. So get your summer right with our Summer Sale event. For a limited time only, we’re offering up to 25% off some of our most popular watches, clocks, accessories, straps, and EDC items. You’ll even find a few items we very rarely discount on the site. School is out, and the sun is shining. So get your summer right with our Summer Sale event. For a limited time only, we’re offering up to 25% off some of our most popular watches, clocks, accessories, straps, and EDC items. You’ll even find a few items we very rarely discount on the site. The post Great Summer Deals – Including 25%Off Starts Now! appeared first on Worn & Wound.

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Longines Introduces Jun 28, 2024

Longines Introduces a New Titanium Version of the Pilot Majetek

Last year’s Pilot Majetek was one of the strangest releases of the year. Longines has long been incredibly skilled at raiding their own archives – they are perhaps better at this than any other brand – so when they come up with a new vintage reissue, everyone takes notice. The Majetek felt like Longines flexing a little, going a century into the back catalog to show contemporary collectors a vision of the pilot’s watch from a much earlier time. It’s something that only Longines could, at least in a way that feels credible. The Majetek was a surprise hit, so Longines is doubling down this year with a new version of the watch, one that might feel a little more modern to some while still retaining all of the most important vintage cues.  The Pilot Majetek Pioneer Edition is a limited edition version of the old-school pilot’s watch in titanium, with a muted matte black dial that matches the tone of the case nicely. Titanium, in theory, should make this case considerably more wearable. It’s 43mm and wears every bit of that measurement, so a significantly lighter case material ought to be a very different wearing experience.  The key features of the watch remain intact. The coin-edge bezel still rotates a small arrow that can be used for rudimentary timing applications. While we think of this type of bezel as being mostly associated with dive watches, the intended functionality here was to time the duration of an entire flight. Longines was an early pioneer of th...

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Bell & Ross Expands their BR 03 Jun 27, 2024

Bell & Ross Expands their BR 03 Dive Watch Collection

Bell & Ross has significantly expanded their lineup of BR 03 divers this week, launching a total of five new references in the collection of sports watches inspired by aircraft instrumentation. The BR 03 line has been the subject of many incremental upgrades over the past year, and just as we saw with the pilot’s watches, these divers seem to be operating under the philosophy of “less is more” when it comes to making changes in the lineup.  The BR 03, and Bell & Ross square watches in general, have always been a bit of a cult object, loved all out of proportion by their fans. The divers are a particularly strange subset within the product line. The “pilot” and “diver” aesthetics rarely match up, but there’s something almost logical here about an overbuilt, square watch designed to get wet. Somehow, we can take the instrument cluster aesthetic inspiration out of the equation once we’re told we’re dealing with a dive watch. What we’re left with is my favorite type of Bell & Ross: something that’s just simply and deeply strange, a watch that feels like it shouldn’t exist but has an obvious appeal anyway.  The 42mm divers introduced this week come in five variants, which, as you’d expect, progress from fairly banal to positively strange. There are three steel references with white, blue, and black dials. These, as you can probably surmise, are the more straightforward watches in the collection. They have the same general appearance of an aviation ...

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Louis Erard Jun 27, 2024

A New Collaboration Between Louis Erard and Alain Silberstein is Meant to Make You Smile Everyday

The last time we brought you news of a Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein collaboration, it was one of their most ambitious efforts to date, a Swiss tourbillon coming in under CHF 16,000, which brings a different angle to Louis Erard’s stated goal of making luxury watchmaking accessible. When that watch was released, Louis Erard promised additional collaborations to follow, and today we see the next step in their partnership. The Louis Erard x Alain Silberstein Smile-Day adds a new colorway to a fan favorite format, and shows that there’s still gas left in the collaboration tank.  The Smile-Day is a stand-alone version of the “La Semaine” concept that we’ve seen Louis Erard and Silberstein experiment with a few times now. This watch essentially takes a day-date complication and replaces the “day” with a series of smiling emojis. It doesn’t actually help you keep track of the calendar, but it’s a fun and whimsical idea, and has always felt like a great match to Silberstein’s playful use of color and shape. The wearer is invited to adjust the “day” to the emoji that most fits their mood, or perhaps the emoji that most fits the mood they want to be in.  Previous versions of this watch have appeared with black and drab green dials, but this has a very different personality with a light gray dial. It’s complemented by light blue hour markers and a matching oversized minute hand, with a red hour hand and bright yellow seconds hand. As with earlier exampl...

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Oris or want Jun 27, 2024

Our Summer Sale is Kicking Off!

We’ve just started our Fourth of July sale and can’t wait for you to browse the site and get your hands on the latest and greatest from your favorite brands. With discounts as high as 25%, you’re sure to find the next part of your collection. But that’s not all to look forward to. In addition to the limited time deals and free domestic shipping, we’ve activated some great Gift With Purchase offers this Holiday. Whether you’ve had your eyes on that Oris or want to add a next-level G-SHOCK to your collection, here are three items to sweeten your purchase. We’ve just started our Fourth of July sale and can’t wait for you to browse the site and get your hands on the latest and greatest from your favorite brands. With discounts as high as 25%, you’re sure to find the next part of your collection. But that’s not all to look forward to. In addition to the limited time deals and free domestic shipping, we’ve activated some great Gift With Purchase offers this Holiday. Whether you’ve had your eyes on that Oris or want to add a next-level G-SHOCK to your collection, here are three items to sweeten your purchase. The post Our Summer Sale is Kicking Off! appeared first on Worn & Wound.

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