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Worn & Wound · Page 7

3,021 articles  ·  Page 7 of 101
eBay Finds: Full Sets from Angelus and Longines, Plus a Rare Vintage Seiko Worn & Wound
Longines Plus Feb 13, 2026

eBay Finds: Full Sets from Angelus and Longines, Plus a Rare Vintage Seiko

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. Vintage Longines Admiral  Leading off this week we have a stylish vintage Longines dress watch. The 35mm yellow gold filled case is a classic round style with simple, straight lugs and a steel back. The case is unpolished, with nice crisp edges. The silver dial looks fantastic, with slim arrow markers and no pesky date window and sword style hands. The original crown is signed with the Longines winged hourglass logo as it should. The watch comes on the original Milanese mesh bracelet with a signed buckle. Very elegant and classy look overall. The watch comes with the inner and outer boxes as well as the instruction and warranty booklets. The case is a front-loading type and there are no pictures of the movement, however the watch runs well per the seller. View auction here Vintage Omega Geneve Dynamic  Next up is a wild and unique vintage Omega Geneve Dynamic. This watch is about as pure 1970s funk as it gets! The 41mm wide horizontal oval case is superb and unpolished, with sharp edges and the original brushed finish. The crazy original strap doesn’t attach to lugs, instead it has a big hole in the middle that sits up against the case and is held on by the retaining ring on the bac...

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Review: The Leica ZM 2 (and M-11 D) Worn & Wound
Feb 13, 2026

Review: The Leica ZM 2 (and M-11 D)

If you ever find yourself in the fortunate position of reviewing watches, you’ll quickly start compiling a mental list of the watches you’d like to see, wear, and spend time with. It’ll be a long list, and no matter how many watches you try, it’s not a list that will ever get shorter. I’ve been doing this for a few years now, and one watch that has always been near the top of my list was the Leica ZM 2, a passive GMT watch made to a high standard from - and there’s no other way of putting this - a camera company. Unfortunately, the ZM 2 has managed to continually elude me. That is, until now. There’s plenty to say about the ZM 2, but before we get into this too deeply, let’s get two things out of the way: First, I’m not sure it was a good move for Leica to rename its flagship watch so soon after launch. It’s confusing for the consumer, and a bit annoying to anyone trying to cover the watch. So, for clarity’s sake, let me say that the ZM 2 is the same watch launched under the L2 name a few years ago, and it’s the same watch that was reviewed under that name by other outlets. It’s a confusing move, one that has, I think, made it slightly harder for the ZM 2 to grab a foothold than it otherwise might have been. Which is a bummer because (and this is my second point): This watch is great, full stop. I loved wearing the ZM 2, and I would happily own this watch should I ever find myself in a position to do so. I know some will question Leica’s thi...

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The COSC Introduces the New Excellence Chronometer Certification Worn & Wound
Tudor as well as other Feb 12, 2026

The COSC Introduces the New Excellence Chronometer Certification

The Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC, the body responsible for certifying watch movements as Swiss chronometers) has just announced a new chronometry standard that will be rolled out over the course of 2026. The news comes at a time when the COSC has some competition for timekeeping certifications, most notably the METAS certification (which first requires a watch movement to be COSC certified) used by Omega and Tudor, as well as other certifications provided by the brands themselves.  The new COSC certification is being framed as an additional level of certification that will accompany the familiar “Certified Chronometer” tag that is seen on the dials and paperwork of millions (literally) of watches that have been put through the COSC paces over the years. The new “Excellence Chronomenter” certification provides an additional layer of guarantee of reliability that goes beyond simple accuracy. As a refresher, COSC certification certifies the movement is working at an optimal level, not a fully cased watch. To achieve a Certified Chronometer certification, a movement must show average accuracy of -4 to +6 seconds per day over a 15 day period, tested across 5 positions and 3 temperatures.  The Excellence Chronometer certification tightens the accuracy threshold from a spread of 10 seconds in total to 6 (-2 to +4 seconds per day). It also adds metrics for magnetic resistance and power reserve verification in fully cased watches. According to the COS...

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Windup Watch Fair Returns to Dallas for the Second Year in a Row Worn & Wound
Christopher Ward Junghans Feb 12, 2026

Windup Watch Fair Returns to Dallas for the Second Year in a Row

The Windup Watch Fair is heading back to Dallas, TX and this year, it’s getting even better. After an incredible turnout in 2025, our biggest year ever for Windup Watch Fairs, we’re returning to Dallas for the second year in a row and expanding from a two-day show into a full three-day weekend, March 13–15. Once again, we’ll be taking over the Hickory Street Annex, a beautifully restored 1921 Gulf Oil distribution center whose two-level industrial space blends historic character with modern finishes, creating the perfect backdrop for a celebration of watches and watch culture.   Hickory Street Annex 501 S Second Ave #200, Dallas, TX 75226 Friday, March 13: 12PM – 6PM Saturday, March 14: 12PM – 6PM Sunday, March 15: 12PM – 5PM Free and open to everyone No registration necessary This year’s Dallas Fair will feature more than 40 brands, led by our headline sponsors Christopher Ward, Junghans, and Oris. Christopher Ward is known for blending modern British design with Swiss watchmaking precision, delivering high-quality mechanical watches that punch well above their price point. Junghans brings over a century of German watchmaking heritage to the fair, celebrated for its clean Bauhaus-inspired aesthetics and timeless minimalist design. Oris rounds out the trio as one of Switzerland’s leading independent watchmakers, respected for its purpose-driven mechanical watches and strong ties to aviation, diving, and motorsport. Each brand will be showcasing its lates...

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Baltic Closes Out the MR Collection with a Moissanite Bezel Limited Edition Worn & Wound
Baltic Closes Out Feb 12, 2026

Baltic Closes Out the MR Collection with a Moissanite Bezel Limited Edition

I have a very clear memory of the time period around the launch of the Baltic MR01 collection, the first in their ongoing series of micro-rotor powered dress watches. It felt like a turning point for the brand, who up until then was really known as a heritage inspired sports watch microbrand. The MR series was a real left turn, and there was excitement around it across the watch community. The use of a micro-rotor powered automatic movement in a watch well under $1,000 was completely novel, and it signaled that Baltic had ambitions well beyond iterating on classic sports watch DNA. The intervening years have proven that out, as the brand no longer occupies such a narrow niche. If you had told me in 2021 that only a few years later my favorite Baltic would be their take on a cocktail watch, complete with stone dials, I never would have believed you.  The new MR Moissanite closes a chapter for Baltic. We’re told this is the final MR to be released in the current format, and that a refresh is coming. If that’s the case, Baltic has chosen to close out this incarnation of the MR with its most ostentatious execution to this point. The two dial variants seen here each feature bezels set with baguette cut moissanite gem stones, linking these watches in style and philosophy to the 1970s inspired Prismics linked above.  Moissanite, for the uninitiated, is a lab grown diamond alternative first introduced in the late 1990s. It has many physical qualities that are very similar to...

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Citizen Introduces the Promaster Land GMT Worn & Wound
Citizen Introduces Feb 11, 2026

Citizen Introduces the Promaster Land GMT

So vast and varied is the Citizen lineup, that it’s easy to miss new releases, even when they definitely shouldn’t be missed. It’s that breadth and diversity of models that make Citizen such a storied brand, and two new Promaster models are fresh on the scene to add even more flavor.  The Promaster Land GMT touts travel-ready capabilities of the Promaster Air GMT, but focuses it on grounded robustness instead of pilot task-managing. All of that sounds complicated, but really boils down to aesthetics, materials, and sizing. With two dial color options, the Promaster Land is burly and simple, but bold enough to catch some attention on the wrist. Both models feature a 39.5mm stainless steel case with a fixed 24-hour GMT bezel, giving the watch a muscular, no-nonsense silhouette, whether on the provided bracelet or strap. Even numbers receive the numeral treatment on the bezel, with indices marking the odds. The crown sits at 6 o’clock, matching the date window, and providing a standard, balanced profile that appears almost soft, given the dimensions of the case, and the typeface used.  The two dial colors reflect the practicality-first design ethos of the Promaster Land: red and blue, or reference BJ7150-50W and BJ7150-09L respectively. Both feature the same detail accoutrements, with large, effortlessly visible white numerals and hour, minute, and second hands, and a yellow, arrow-tipped GMT hand. A relatively subtle minute track circles the dial, but doesn’t dra...

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Hands-On: the Jack Mason Strat-o-timer GMT Frontier Worn & Wound
Feb 11, 2026

Hands-On: the Jack Mason Strat-o-timer GMT Frontier

There are two types of watch reviews I particularly enjoy writing. One is a review for a watch that is truly bonkers. Something either outrageously expensive, avant-garde in its design sensibilities, off the beaten path and kind of rare, or some combination of all of the above. These are the types of watches I personally gravitate towards as a collector (well, not the outrageously expensive part, but the rest of it) and I find that typically I have an awful lot to say about them. It’s fun to write these reviews because it feels like I’m sharing my actual enthusiasm for something in a really pure and direct way.  The other type of review I like to write is for watches that are basically on the opposite side of the spectrum when it comes to my taste. It’s a challenge (if not necessarily fun in the same way) to write about a watch that brushes up against my own biases. It’s a useful exercise as a writer to evaluate something that is outside of your wheelhouse and comfort zone. And it certainly makes for better and more interesting copy than writing about a watch that is simply generic, neither a challenge to your taste or something you’d plunk down the credit card for to purchase yourself.  The new watch from Jack Mason is, for me, decidedly in that second category, a watch that I can tell from one photo is objectively nice and will have a strong following among enthusiasts, but is just not the type of thing I typically go for. The new Strat-o-timer GMT Frontier i...

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Opinion: I Stopped Buying Watches – The Grass Isn’t Greener Worn & Wound
Feb 11, 2026

Opinion: I Stopped Buying Watches – The Grass Isn’t Greener

There is nothing more effective than the swap of a digit on the calendar to send the whole world into self-reflection mode. As we collectively adjust to a six that replaced a five, many of us have the best intention of making changes that stick around long enough to see that six turn into a seven. Personally, I find there is no better exercise to guide new resolutions than to take stock of the old ones. Non-watch related, dry January turned into dry 2025, and I’m down two links (normal people measure progress in pounds, but bracelet size has become my preferred watch nerd metric). I resumed progress on that half-finished MBA that’s been hanging over my head, and I spent more time playing board games with my kids than the year before. Watch-specific, after five years of constant buying and selling, I decided to go an entire year without purchasing any new watches. Even though it was a lofty goal and one that collectors seeking change often fantasize about without following through, I actually managed to spend 2025 without a substantial #NWA  (new watch announcement) post on Instagram. In full transparency, I did pick up a couple of cheap vintage quartz pieces. But us watch enthusiasts have clever ways of rationalizing why certain purchases don’t count (I think we can all agree G-SHOCKs fall into this bucket), and I’m pretending like those pickups don’t exist. After all, neither were “new” and one has already found a new home.  During this prolonged period of...

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Timex Unearths a Forgotten Cinematic Cult Classic with the Q Timex Red Vega 1978 Reissue Worn & Wound
Timex Unearths Feb 10, 2026

Timex Unearths a Forgotten Cinematic Cult Classic with the Q Timex Red Vega 1978 Reissue

When I began writing my most recent article on the original Timex Q Nebula a month ago, I had no idea how timely its release would be several weeks later. My article hit the website on January 29th, and less than a week later, Timex announced the reissue of this model with the Red Vega moniker. While I had initially claimed in my work that I was the creator of the “Timex Vega” nickname, I will gladly concede my very small and inconsequential victory to Timex, knowing they must’ve brainstormed this name many months before I did. At this rate, I’m just happy to see this watch finally receive the proper reissue treatment. Let’s talk about its design and specs. First, of course, is the dial. The nebula pattern on the example featured in Timex’s promotional shots of the watch is phenomenal. With sharp edges and a bright red hue, it’s well executed and packs a vibrant punch. I haven’t heard if the dial design will vary between examples, so be on the lookout as other photos emerge to see if there are any differences in pattern. The 38mm brushed and polished stainless-steel case looks great from all angles and helps keep the case almost as interesting as the dial and crystal. Oh yeah, how did I not mention the crystal yet? These reissues will feature multifaceted acrylic crystals similar to those offered on the original 1978 model––a very welcome and unique touch.  Having the unique perspective of a historian who’s done an ample amount of research on this sp...

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Five Watches I’m Looking Forward to Seeing at British Watchmakers’ Day 2026 Worn & Wound
Feb 10, 2026

Five Watches I’m Looking Forward to Seeing at British Watchmakers’ Day 2026

For the third year in a row, the Worn & Wound team will be heading to London in March for British Watchmakers’ Day. This event, in a very short period of time, has become one of the premier events on the watch enthusiast community’s calendar. A total of 48 UK based brands will be exhibiting at this year’s event, and just like last year we expect there will be collector gatherings and meetups both planned and more informal happening throughout the weekend across London. This, of course, is just a thing that happens when watch collectors converge as they will on March 7. As has been the case over the last two years, a big part of the story of British Watchmakers’ Day is likely to be the limited edition releases presented by brands and made available for sale on the day of the event. This year, 26 brands are expected to launch limited editions that you can purchase and take home with you as a memento of the big day. For the first time, the event organizers have stipulated that any limited edition launched on the day of the show be made in an edition of not more than 50, a move to protect the exclusivity of these releases to show attendees and to ensure that all of the LEs collectively amount to something genuinely limited in scope. We will of course have coverage on the ground in London when the show gets underway, including live photos and social media coverage of as many limited editions as we can get on our wrists. But for now, here are five British Watchmakers’ ...

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Precious, Not Pretentious: Introducing the Niton Prima Worn & Wound
Cartier Feb 9, 2026

Precious, Not Pretentious: Introducing the Niton Prima

The great thing about watches is that, although they all essentially do the same thing, plus or minus some bells and whistles, there are an infinite number of ways to achieve it. Whether through form, function, or fashion, cleverness finds a way. I’ve been looking at watches for almost my entire life, but professionally for 15 years, and I can still be surprised and excited by a new release. It’s part of what makes this industry so great to be a part of. But, this isn’t about me; rather, it’s about a watch that both surprised and excited: the Niton Prima. Niton (pronounced nee-tone) is an old and obscure brand name revived by two veterans of the watch industry, Leopoldo Celi and Yvan Ketterer, who combined have several decades of experience in design, production, and marketing. Originally founded in 1919, Niton was known for its movement manufacturing and for supplying to brands such as Patek, Cartier, and Chopard. It was also one of the largest producers of movements with Geneva Seal certification. A certification dating to 1886, among its many requirements, which cover everything from reliability to finishing standards, are that movements are assembled, adjusted, and cased in Geneva. credit: Bonhams In 1928, Niton registered a jump-hour design with a distinct display, placing the hour window above separate minute and seconds sub-dials, much like a regulator. Featured in wrist watches and pocketwatches, it’s this complication, identified by Leopoldo and Yvan as ...

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Introducing the Ming 56.00 Starfield, the Brand’s First Integrated Bracelet Sports Watch Worn & Wound
Ming Feb 9, 2026

Introducing the Ming 56.00 Starfield, the Brand’s First Integrated Bracelet Sports Watch

Do you remember that scene in The Ten Commandments when Charlton Heston’s Moses walks down the mountain with those giant stone tablets? I’m pretty sure the first commandment on his list was “EVENTUALLY, ALL WATCH BRANDS MUST MAKE AN INTEGRATED BRACELET SPORTS WATCH!” Does that sound right? I could be misremembering some of the finer details of the film, but I’m pretty sure that’s a thing that happened. Because eventually, as we continue to discover month after month, year after year, all brands do try their hand at an integrated bracelet sports watch. Even the ones you might not expect. Like Ming.  Today, Ming introduces the 56.00 Starfield, their first integrated bracelet sports watch. Perhaps it’s a little shortsighted of me to suggest that we couldn’t have expected something like this from Ming. In a lot of ways, it’s exactly the kind of watch we should expect, because one of the ideas that really seems to drive the brand is solving big design challenges. Integrated bracelet sports watches have a natural aesthetic appeal in the way form a continuous line all around the wrist. The challenge is in making them feel special and unique. The “good” integrated bracelet sports watches tend to all have a somewhat similar appearance simply because there are only so many ways you can accomplish the most basic goals of a watch like this without going completely off the rails.  Ming’s stated goal with the Starfield was to make a watch more comfortable to we...

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A Hands-On Comparison of the Omega Speedmaster Black and White, White Dial, and Classic Moonwatch Worn & Wound
Omega Speedmaster Black Feb 6, 2026

A Hands-On Comparison of the Omega Speedmaster Black and White, White Dial, and Classic Moonwatch

There are certain “easy wins” with watch enthusiasts that brands rely on. Put a line of red text on a black dial diver, and you’ll get some smiles. Add a micro-adjust to your clasp, and you’ll avoid some angry emails. Drill your lugs, and… well, I at least will be excited. And when it comes to chronographs, a sure-fire way to get some attention is to invert your sub-dials. Yep, though it has been done countless times, “panda” dials still get the thumbs-up from us nerds. So, it was no surprise that the recently released “Black and White” Speedmasters (which, to those of us from NYC, brings to mind a certain iconic cookie before a watch dial) were received with much excitement. Take one of the most celebrated watches in production, give it a dial treatment that is hard to mess up, and, unsurprisingly, you have a hit. Well done, Omega. Yeah, the Speedmaster Black and White is very nice looking To make matters more exciting, despite the many, many, many versions of Speedmasters over the years, Pandas are not common among them. I’m no Speedy scholar, so my internal reference archive isn’t complete, but having been the occasional Speedy customer, I know that pandas were few and far between, usually limited, or precious metal, and rarely a “reverse” or “evil” panda (white sub-dial on a black surface) in form. That this new model is available in steel and not limited actually makes them special, by not being special. The dilemma, if you can call it th...

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Oris and Worn & Wound Celebrate the Big Crown Pointer Date “Bullseye” at a Packed Brooklyn Showroom Event Worn & Wound
Oris Feb 6, 2026

Oris and Worn & Wound Celebrate the Big Crown Pointer Date “Bullseye” at a Packed Brooklyn Showroom Event

Despite frigid temperatures outside, the Windup Watch Shop showroom in Brooklyn was buzzing with energy as Oris and Worn & Wound hosted an evening dedicated to one of the brand’s most beloved new releases: the Big Crown Pointer Date “Bullseye.” Fans, enthusiasts, and first-time Oris buyers alike packed the space, turning a cold winter night into a warm celebration of independent watchmaking.   Representing Oris for the evening were VJ Geronimo, CEO – The Americas; Josh Shanks, Director of Marketing and Communications – North America; and Megan Hines, Marketing Coordinator. Their presence gave attendees direct access to the people behind the brand, creating an atmosphere that felt both intimate and entertaining.  Guests were treated to extensive hands-on time with the full Oris collection, with special attention naturally focused on the the Big Crown Pointer Date “Bullseye.” The watch drew a steady crowd throughout the night, with attendees eager to experience its striking dial and classic proportions in person. Professional wrist shots were available to everyone, and a steady rotation of guests took advantage of the opportunity to capture studio-quality photos with their favorite pieces. In keeping in theme with the hero watch of the evening, guests were also invited to try their luck and making a Bullseye-of the dart variety. The Worn & Wound crew took special interest in this activity in particular. The evening also had its share of Oris merch and mater...

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Urwerk Introduces the UR-100V LS Ceramic Worn & Wound
Urwerk Introduces Feb 6, 2026

Urwerk Introduces the UR-100V LS Ceramic

The Urwerk UR-100 has become one of my favorite designs in high end independent watchmaking. Whenever I encounter one (a rare event given the brand’s annual production of just around 200 watches total) I’m blown away by the way it distills the essence of the brand into a completely wearable, compact, package. I’ve always been a fan of the Urwerk philosophy, but until I tried on a UR-100 I always felt the watches themselves might be too ungainly or oddly shaped for me personally. There’s something about this case though, mostly its impressive thinness, that makes it feel like a “normal” watch on the wrist but still something otherworldly when you look down to check the time. That, to me, feels like a sweet spot.  The latest from Urwerk brings a new watch into the UR-100 lineage with the UR-100V LS Ceramic. This is effectively a new variant of the original UR-100V LS (short for “light speed,” which we’ll get to momentarily) that appeared in 2024. The new watch features a white ceramic case, a first for the brand and more complex than it first appears, and the same whimsical ideology of its predecessor, and many other Urwerk watches, which are all in one way or another a commentary on timekeeping itself.  All Urwerks (well, almost all) share a common wandering hour satellite time telling mechanism that has become their calling card. It’s actually a rather mechanically elegant way to tell the time, basically with a wandering hour “pointer” to a fixed ...

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IWC Introduces a Pair of Limited Edition Pilot’s Watches in Collaboration with F1 Driver George Russell Worn & Wound
IWC Introduces Feb 5, 2026

IWC Introduces a Pair of Limited Edition Pilot’s Watches in Collaboration with F1 Driver George Russell

Recently, over the course of a brutally cold weekend here in Concord, NH, I rewatched last year’s F1, the Brad Pitt vehicle that is essentially a very long advertisement for the sport for which it is named. It’s a fun movie, and even though it was made for giant screens and deafening surround sound systems, it played just fine at home as a fairly standard sports movie. I had been wanting to give the film another look as it was recently nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards (a bit of a surprise to most observers) and figured it was time to see how it stood up to a repeat viewing. The answer is that it’s still really enjoyable popcorn fare, but my one real reservation is in the almost nonstop product placement.  IWC watches factor heavily into the texture of the film itself. If you look closely, you can see a watch or the IWC logo in more scenes than not. It speaks to the importance of the relationship between IWC and F1, so I was not at all surprised when I learned that IWC’s first big novelty release of the year would be a pair of watches representing a collaboration between the brand and F1 driver George Russell, who races for the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS team, which IWC has had a longstanding relationship with.  Unlike previous watches IWC has released as part of their partnership with Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS, this one is tied to a specific driver. Rather than the teal color highlighted in those earlier watches, these feature a more traditional blue hue, ...

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A New Batch of Worldtimers from Farer Have Arrived Worn & Wound
Farer Have Arrived It’s hard Feb 5, 2026

A New Batch of Worldtimers from Farer Have Arrived

It’s hard to keep track of all the watch trends that come and go over a calendar year, and while it’s not been as smoking-hot-popular as skin divers and GMTs, the worldtimer complication has been enjoying some time in the sun recently. Joining the herd is the Farer World Timer 2026 Collection, which beefs up an already-impressive (and early to the trend) lineup with three new colorways. In fact, the Farer World Timer was first launched in 2019, well before recent additions that have piqued the watch world’s interest, and it’s that confident backlog that has allowed Farer to introduce three new pieces with a level of design refinement that other relative newcomers may lack.  Before we dive into the new colorways, let’s get the basics down: each Farer World Timer sports a 39mm 316L stainless steel case (and varying finishes depending on the model) with an impressive 11mm of thickness, and a democratic 45mm lug-to-lug measurement. One crown, inset with a Farer “A”-embossed bronze cap, sits at the 3 o’clock position, while the other, wearing a World Timer marque, rests at 10 and operates the outer rotating bezel. The crowns, domed sapphire crystal, and exhibition caseback ensure a decently robust 100 meters of water resistance. Inside, a Sellita SW331-2 Elabore movement should guarantee reliability, accuracy, serviceability, and a 56-hour power reserve. A bespoke Farer rotor is color-matched to the central 24-hour disc on the dial.  Speaking of that disc, it...

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Audemars Piguet Introduces the Neo Frame Jumping Hour Worn & Wound
Audemars Piguet Introduces Feb 5, 2026

Audemars Piguet Introduces the Neo Frame Jumping Hour

I have what you might call a love/hate relationship with Audemars Piguet. They are, without a doubt, makers of some of the finest watches in the world. Objectively speaking, there’s a level of craft involved with the production of AP watches that is hard to match at the scale at which they operate. Every Royal Oak I’ve ever handled feels like a perfectly made thing without any compromises. I honestly can’t say the same about equivalent watches from other brands in the so-called Holy Trinity.  And yet, there’s so much baggage with Audemars Piguet in our current watch culture. I wrote about it here, specifically as it relates to the Royal Oak and how it has become a signifier of wealth and status that has overshadowed watchmaking and watch culture. I find this flex culture to be a huge turn off, and the way AP seems to lean into it, by producing more and more varieties of Royal Oak, some with mini sculptures of Marvel characters on the dial, to be a signal that they’re a willing participant in the watering down of their brand.  But then Audemars Piguet will go ahead and release something beautiful that is not a Royal Oak and I’m reminded that derisively referring to them as The Royal Oak Company (something I’ve done frequently over these last few years) is ultimately unfair. Earlier this week, as part of a larger drop that included several exotic Royal Oaks, a pocket watch, and more, AP launched what might be one of the riskier watches they’ve introduced in...

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W Worn & Wound
Worn & Wound
Feb 4, 2026

Out of Office: Exploring the Sundance Film Festival and Utah’s Wasatch Mountains

My very first date with my now-wife was a Sundance documentary. We were college students and managed to get into the film with student-priced tickets after waitlisting for a few hours armed with a deck of cards, in the cold of Park City, UT. Since then, one or both of us have gone to the Sundance Film Festival nearly every year. The post Out of Office: Exploring the Sundance Film Festival and Utah’s Wasatch Mountains appeared first on Worn & Wound.

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Affordable Vintage: the Longines Grand Prize Worn & Wound
Longines Grand Prize Longines Feb 4, 2026

Affordable Vintage: the Longines Grand Prize

Longines is a storied and well-respected Swiss watch manufacture that formed in 1832 and has continued uninterrupted to this day. From the first wrist chronometer in 1911, to groundbreaking flyback chronographs in the 1930s, to the world’s first hi-beat wrist chronometer in 1959, Longines holds their own in the watchmaking world.  My favorite period for watches is the 1950s through the 1970s and Longines was one of the top accessible brands during that time. In 1954 Longines began a marketing strategy of product families, launching the Conquest line of watches. In 1957 they introduced the Flagship line, adding to what would become a large group of watch families, many of which are still made today. Other lines that came later include the Admiral, the Ultra-Chron and the Grand Prize. The Grand Prize line was named in honor of the multitude of watchmaking awards and honors that Longines had accumulated over the decades. It was a relatively short-lived family, produced from about 1958 to 1964 according to my research. I have found that the majority of Longines watches produced during these decades were all fairly equal in quality and craftsmanship, with most of the differences in the families being design related. The Conquests were rugged and sporty, on par with the early non-diver Omega Seamaster watches. The Flagship series were dress watches, while the Admiral line was a mixture of both. The Grand Prize family were pretty much all thin, elegant everyday type dressier w...

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The Dawn of Heuer Dive Watches: How A House of Chronographs Saved Itself By Embracing The Depths Worn & Wound
Piaget Feb 3, 2026

The Dawn of Heuer Dive Watches: How A House of Chronographs Saved Itself By Embracing The Depths

Few other watchmakers enjoyed as much success and cachet as Heuer, especially during the fervent 1960s and 1970s. Not only had it launched one of the world’s first automatic chronographs, but it pushed the envelope on modern design with midcentury-cool chronographs like the uniquely square Monaco. Heuer was riding high on the glamor of Grand Prix: the Heuer shield was as indelible to the backdrops of Monza and Le Mans as Ferrari, Porsche, and McLaren themselves as the official timekeeper of Formula One.  But, inevitably, the quartz revolution came for Heuer. Jack Heuer was the third-generation CEO of the company that bore his name, and he had been a savvy marketer, personally hawking chronographs to drivers like Jo Siffert and Nikki Lauda. By the 1980s, however, he found himself backed into a corner, and in 1982, he was forced to sell the company to Piaget and Lemania-a humiliating low point in his life, as he recounted in his autobiography.  Yet, before he departed, he gave Heuer one saving grace. In 1979, he commissioned Heuer’s first dive watch, the Professional Series. At a trade show Jack had overheard a brief conversation about the unreliability of existing dive watches, and he aimed to emulate Rolex’s success with the Submariner and Sea-Dweller. (Incidentally, Rolex owned half of Heuer’s stock market shares, and nearly took over the company around this time.)  Photo by Blake Rong Heuer had spent the decade building an electronic timing division, which b...

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Traska Introduces their First Chronograph Worn & Wound
Rolex Feb 3, 2026

Traska Introduces their First Chronograph

While the news today is dominated by big releases from Holy Trinity brands that will be nearly impossible for mere mortals to see in person, let alone buy, Traska has what feels like an antidote, or at least a cleansing breath when it feels we’re being flooded with watches that fall into the dreaded “hype” category. Their first new watch in nearly four years is also their first chronograph (conveniently named, the Traska Chronograph) and it applies much of the brand’s ethos into a platform that we’re honestly surprised they hadn’t pursued to this point.  If you need a refresher on Traska, we invite you to read up on Venturer GMT, which Griffin reviewed recently here. While this is a look at one specific watch, Griffin gets to something about how we understand Traska, which is that they produce watches that are part of a long lineage of purpose built tools. The word “Rolex” is invoked multiple times in that Venturer review not because Traska has a connection to that brand’s current status as the most well known luxury object in the world, but to a previous state when watches were prized for their simplicity and usefulness. Rolex made great leaps from the middle of the last century onward simply by standardizing a design language for sports watches that has become definitional to the category at this point, and I think what Traska is doing with a commitment to using steel hardening treatments and offering other points of value in every watch while adhering...

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Vacheron Constantin Introduces a New Titanium Tourbillon with a Deep Red Dial Worn & Wound
Vacheron Constantin Introduces Feb 3, 2026

Vacheron Constantin Introduces a New Titanium Tourbillon with a Deep Red Dial

One thing I loved about graduating from a relatively small district in rural Pennsylvania is that it wasn’t necessarily like the high school experiences I saw reflected in television. Due to the general population at my school never hitting above 200 students, cliques were permeable and caste systems were divided more by how often you had class with the same people versus, say, any general interests. While we are led to believe that high school is a microcosm of real life, and that people can generally be categorized by such surface-level things like hobbies or intelligence, I think my upbringing has allowed for me to see that one thing can contain multitudes. Because of this, I’d hate to box the new Vacheron Constantin addition to their Overseas Collection, a titanium tourbillon model, into one category or the other. It’s sporty and technical – or, if we’re keeping with the high school theme– a jock and a geek. Now that I’ve beaten that analogy to death, we can go onto the specifics of this latest reference from the Swiss watch brand. From a design standpoint, it has all the hallmarks of Vacheron Constantin design language: clean lines, a classic silhouette, and a balance of keeping it traditional without being boring. Even so, the design’s deep red sunburst dial, visible tourbillon movement, and use of titanium add just enough of an update to the collection to be notable. Of course, these aren’t all for aesthetiques. The use of Grade 5 titanium and an u...

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Monochrome Teams up with Angelus for their Latest Montre de Souscription Limited Edition Worn & Wound
Armin Strom Feb 2, 2026

Monochrome Teams up with Angelus for their Latest Montre de Souscription Limited Edition

One thing that we’ve learned quite clearly over the last decade or so is that there are a lot of different ways to release a limited edition watch, particularly a collaborative limited edition. Our friends over at Monochrome have a particularly interesting way of doing it, with their Montre de Souscription series, which makes limited edition watches available on a “subscription” basis, a throwback to a very old way of selling watches. This is essentially the offer of a pre-order with money down, that allows the watchmakers to begin working on the pieces to be sold later. The concept has evolved and become quite common, but in the early days of watchmaking this was the only way that fine watches could be made and that everyone involved could make a living at it, so the term has come to evoke classical watchmaking in a very real way. For their part, Monochrome has chosen to work with some very esteemed and similarly old-fashioned independent brands since this series launched in 2020, including Habring (twice), Armin Strom, and Czapek.  Last week, they debuted the latest MDS series watch, the Montre de Souscription 5 x Angelus Chronographe Tachymètre. This is a new spin on the Chronographe Télémètre, a watch that was among our favorite debuts at Watches & Wonders last year. As you might guess from the name, the new piece made with Monochrome switches out the telemeter scale on the chronograph for a tachymeter.   There are other little changes as well, but the mos...

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Watches, Stories, & Gear: Magic Mushrooms, New EDC, and one of the Simplest Tools We’ve Ever Seen Worn & Wound
Jan 31, 2026

Watches, Stories, & Gear: Magic Mushrooms, New EDC, and one of the Simplest Tools We’ve Ever Seen

“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. The Global Travel Stash from Matador  Here at Worn & Wound, much of the team is gearing up for what will be a rather intense season of travel. Between trade shows, Windup, and maybe even some personal travel (imagine that!) a lot of us are thinking about where we’re going and what we’ll be bringing along with us to make those trips as smooth as possible (but honestly, we don’t need much of an excuse to think about the gear side of things).  To that end, a new piece of kit from Matador caught our eye recently. The Global Travel Stash is a low profile, weatherproof carry solution meant to house your most important travel essentials. Things like cash, credit cards, your passport, keys – all the little things that you absolutely need to keep secure. The Global Travel Stash is also RFID blocking and can be carried like a wallet or around your neck or even as a cross-body “bag” if you’d prefer. Check it out at the Matador website here. The retail price is a very reasonable $49.  The Leatherman OPNR  We love a ridiculously simple everyday carry solution, and the new OPNR from Leatherman is about as straightforward as it gets. This extremely minimal keychain ...

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