Chronograph Watches · Page 113

Worn & Wound

Feb 18, 2024

A Week in Watches Ep. 74 - A Great Week for Fans of Titanium (and the Grand Seiko Snowflake)

Welcome to episode 74 of A Week in Watches! Another solid week of releases, this one is dominated by one brand that just can’t stop, and the most noble of metals – titanium. There’s a new brutish military diver from the mil-spec nerds over at Tornek-Rayville, some crystallized dress watches from Baltic, a simply handsome titanium chronograph from Zenith, and a ton of stuff from Grand Seiko. Like, a ton. Check it out below, and please like and subscribe if you haven’t already! This week’s episode was brought to you by the Windup Watch Shop and the new Formex x Worn & Wound Essence Sector 39 Chronometer Limited Edition. The first collaboration between the two brands, its sci-fi-inspired style will stand out in any collection. Head over to WindupWatchShop.com to check them out, as well as accessories, EDC, clocks, and more. The post A Week in Watches Ep. 74 – A Great Week for Fans of Titanium (and the Grand Seiko Snowflake) appeared first on Worn & Wound.

Read article

Quill & Pad

Feb 18, 2024

Why I Bought It: Collector Quentin R. Bufogle and his 2006 Omega De Ville Chronoscope Chronograph

If you would've told Quentin R. Bufogle six months ago that he'd pass on a Breguet Type XX in favor of an Omega, he might've thought you were crazy. What changed his mind? Granted that in terms of sheer aesthetics, it ticks all the right boxes for him. But there's much more to it.

Read article

Hodinkee

Feb 17, 2024

Introducing: Sinn Updates Its Classic 103 Chronograph With A Hand-Wound Movement

For the first time in 20 years, the 103 is going manual again.

Read article

Fratello

Feb 17, 2024

Introducing: The Limited-Edition Sinn 103 St Ty Hd - A Stylized, Hand-Wound Version Of A Classic

The Sinn 103 is one of the oldest models in the brand’s catalog. It is a classic pilot’s chronograph that has been around since the 1960s. Today, the 103 is equipped with an automatic movement. However, some early versions came with hand-wound calibers. This latest limited edition follows that template. Let’s have a closer look. […] Visit Introducing: The Limited-Edition Sinn 103 St Ty Hd - A Stylized, Hand-Wound Version Of A Classic to read the full article.

Read article

Fratello

Feb 16, 2024

Fratello’s Top 5 Rolex Watches With Discolored Dials - Featuring A Datejust, An Explorer II, A Cosmograph Daytona, And More…

Another Friday, another Top 5! After last week’s Chinese New Year watches, it’s time to look at some production errors, specifically discolored dials. Paying extra money for a production defect seems like a crazy thing to do. In the world of Rolex, however, this is far from an uncommon phenomenon, with dials like these sometimes […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 Rolex Watches With Discolored Dials - Featuring A Datejust, An Explorer II, A Cosmograph Daytona, And More… to read the full article.

Read article

SJX Watches

Feb 16, 2024

Breitling Collaborates with Victoria Beckham on the Compact Chronomat 36

Breitling has just launched the Chronomat 36 Victoria Beckham, a limited-edition variant of its 36 mm sports watch that was conceived together with footballer David Beckham’s wife. The Victoria Beckham edition is essentially the standard model with new dials that feature the “VB” logo as the second hand counterweight, and also engraved on the case back and clasp. Notably, the model range includes a (very) pricey yellow gold model, a first for the current Chronomat. Initial Thoughts Breitling relaunched the Chronomat with the retro Rouleaux bracelet, giving it something of an integrated bracelet design. Though the fad for such sports has faded, but the Chronomat remains an attractive option among its competitors, particularly the chronograph version with the in-house B01 movement. The Victoria Beckham edition doesn’t change much of the standard model, other than dial colours and the use of yellow gold. Rather than a watch catered to enthusiasts, it is clearly is more of an effort to enlarge Breitling’s audience, which is clearly mostly male and oriented towards larger watches. This new launch instead tries to target fashion-forward women and Victoria Beckham fans. That said, it does look quite stunning in yellow gold, especially with the peppermint dial. Granted, all iterations would look better without the Victoria Beckham logo, which are fortunately subtle for the most part, but the emblems are a necessary evil in a collaboration. The steels versions start at US...

Read article

WatchAdvice

Feb 16, 2024

INITIAL THOUGHTS: Zenith Goes Green With The New Chronomaster Sport - Live Pics

In Partnership: Zenith unveiled their latest Chronomaster Sport at LVMH Watch Week last month, and we’ve had a first-hand look at the new edition. LVMH watch week has been and gone for another year, and being in Miami, many of the brands under the LVMH banner went with a decidedly green theme. Maybe this was just a coincidence as there seems to be a range of green watches being released this year. Zenith was no exception and this year, not only did we get a Titanium Chronomaster Sport, but we also were introduced to a new all-green Chronomaster Sport. Yes this is similar to the Aaron Rodgers version, but without the Aaron Rodgers embellishments. Essentially it’s the standard Chronomaster Sport, but green! View this post on Instagram A post shared by Watch Advice (@watchadvice) Whilst this isn’t a review per sè I’m going to let you know how this feels and looks on the wrist. Hey, I’ve had a chance to have this for the week to play with it and give it a good test drive, so what better way to showcase this release than with live pics and on the wrist with a first-hand account? Plus I’ll say this now, this piece had me a little smitten with the way it looked and felt on my wrist. The new Zenith Chronomaster Sport Green When released a few years ago, the Chronomaster Sport was accused of being a bit too close in looks to the Rolex Daytona. Now this was mainly due to the fact that it was released in both a black variant and white variant, had a similar case and brac...

Read article

Worn & Wound

Feb 15, 2024

Baltic Unveils the New Prismic Collection

One of the real pleasures of being involved in this hobby is being surprised when a brand you thought you had a good understanding of completely subverts expectations. I like it when watch brands genuinely seek to try something different and new (even if it doesn’t work). It’s so easy, especially once you’ve tasted success, to keep doing the same thing over and over, repeating a successful formula. But a brand that takes risks is inherently more interesting, and I always find myself drawn to those outlier watches – it’s almost as if they have something to prove, and I find that endearing.  Baltic’s latest, the Prismic, falls into that category for me. And that’s not to say that Baltic hasn’t surprised us before by taking a left turn unexpectedly. I don’t think anyone expected them to unveil a perpetual calendar for Only Watch, for example.  But I don’t think even the most forward thinking watch enthusiasts had something like the Prismic on their bingo card. Baltic, a brand known primarily for their interpretations of a classic sports watch aesthetic, has gone and made something that nods more to jewelry than the divers and racing chronographs they’ve made to this point.  According to Baltic, the Prismic is a watch inspired by geometric shapes and how light refracts through a prism. The end result is a dress watch with quite a bit more bling than we’re accustomed to seeing from Baltic. This is a watch that’s designed with an aesthetics rather th...

Read article

Monochrome

Feb 15, 2024

First Look - Baltic Gets Dressy and Refined with the new Prismic Collection

A still relatively young brand that has always infused vintage flair in its watches, Baltic and its founder, Etienne Malec, have a keen eye for design and retro charm. Whether it’s a classic dive watch, a pair of sector dial watches with stepped bezels, a chronograph for classic car racing or a Calatrava-styled watch that […]

Read article

SJX Watches

Feb 15, 2024

Dior Revives the Chiffre Rouge Chronograph

In the midst of a resurgence that makes it both one of the biggest and fastest growing luxury brands, Dior nonetheless has a barely-there presence in the watch segment – particularly in mechanical watches – despite having offered watches since 1975. This contrasts with its peers like Chanel, Hermes, and Louis Vuitton, all of which have invested significant resources into making serious watches, particularly compilations and métiers d’art offerings. Now Dior is embarking on an overhaul of its mechanical watch offerings by returning to the Chiffre Rouge, a model first unveiled in 2004 that was distinguished by an asymmetrical case accentuated by a red crown or pusher at four. More streamlined and almost monochromatic, the Chiffre Rouge Black Ultra-Matte Chronograph has a black-coated, 41 mm case containing the Zenith El Primero movement. Initial thoughts The Chiffre Rouge stood out as a memorable design model from the 2000s, although its mechanics were rarely serious. The earlier chronograph models, for instance, relied on either ETA or quartz movements. Dior also never made a real effort to upgrade the model, so it was mostly perceived as a “fashion” watch. The redesign gives the Chiffre Rouge more appeal, as it retains the original, distinctive styling but with a definitely superior movement. That said, I would have done away with the date window at four for a clean geometric-patterned dial. The key feature of the new chronograph is the Zenith El Primero, which ...

Read article

Worn & Wound

Feb 14, 2024

Sinn Unveils their Spring Novelties, Including a Manually Wound 103 Chronograph and New HYDRO U50 Divers

Sinn dropped their Spring novelties this morning, an event that’s always of keen interest to hardcore watch enthusiasts. Sinn is one of our favorite brands for a whole number of reasons, but I’ve always felt that part of their appeal is in their somewhat elusive, “if you know, you know,” nature. Part of that is the fact that they have a single American distributor, and don’t have the flashiest social media presence. In the US, they still seem very German and are truly a brand for connoisseurs. If you see someone wearing a Sinn, you know that they sought it out, and that it might not have been easy to find.  Sinn’s pattern for novelty releases over the last few years seems to be to release a mix of modern tool watches and vintage throwbacks simultaneously. This year’s vintage throwback is a manually wound chronograph, the 103 St Ty Hd. The 103 is their core chronograph model, the simplest and arguably least fussy, and has been made in a huge number of variants over the years. This new version has a steel case and old-fashioned acrylic crystal, and a panda-style dial layout with red accents.  Fans of the 103 will notice immediately that the 12, 6, 9 (with day/date at 3) layout from previous 103 references is missing, a result of the manually wound Sellita SW 510 M powering the new watch. Here we get a classic three register, no date dial in the same familiar 41mm case. This is Sinn’s first manually wound 103 in 20 years, which should make the release of the...

Read article

Teddy Baldassarre

Feb 13, 2024

Breitling Top Time Watch Guide

When you think of James Bond watches, the first models that likely come to mind would probably be from Omega, or Rolex, or - depending on which Bond era you prefer - maybe even Seiko. But one of the most memorable wristwatch scenes in Bond’s cinematic history has a Breitling as its star.   In 1965’s Thunderball, the fourth movie in the popular series starring Ian Fleming’s Agent 007, star Sean Connery spends most of his screen time wearing the same watch that he wore in his previous three outings as Bond: a Rolex Submariner Ref. 6538, now known by many collectors as the quintessential “James Bond Rolex.” However, in one key scene, Bond swaps out the Submariner for another watch: a heavily modified Breitling Top Time Ref. 2002, a steel-cased, black-dialed chronograph with two white subdials, applied baton hour markers, and a tachymeter scale surrounding the dial. (The actual watch is pictured above, sans strap, photo via Christie's.) In the movie’s fictional universe, the watch - one of many gadget-packed timepieces assigned to Bond by MI-6 weapons supplier Q throughout the film series - is also equipped with a built-in Geiger counter; Bond uses it to track a cache of stolen nuclear warheads hidden deep underwater by his adversaries from the criminal organization SPECTRE.  The watch was the only Breitling ever worn by any James Bond actor on screen - though, interestingly enough, another Breitling, a Navitimer 806, also appeared briefly in Thunderbal...

Read article

Worn & Wound

Feb 13, 2024

Citizen Unveils New Attesa Hakuto-R References Inspired by the Moon

The moon holds a special place in the watch world. It represents a certain sense of adventure, the furthest place man has ever visited outside of our world. The Omega Speedmaster and the Bulova Lunar Pilot may be the only watches that can claim to have actually visited the lunar surface, but countless other watches pay tribute to Earth’s only natural satellite. Citizen represents one of the few brands with lunar watches that also have some real space exploration cred to boot, and its new limited edition Attesa models continue the watchmaker’s partnership with Hakuto-R, a Japanese lunar exploration mission. Citizen has released three new Attesa Hakuto-R models in anticipation of the program’s latest attempt at an unmanned mission, which will occur later this year. When the lunar lander touches down on the moon’s surface, it’ll be doing so with Citizen’s proprietary Super Titanium as one of the components. That same titanium was used to make the cases of the latest Attesa Hakuto-R watches. With colorful dials that evoke the moon’s surface, the new Attesas are immediately eye-catching. Underneath the dials, the pieces are powered by the Citizen 4950 Eco-Drive movement, which gives the watches an impressive battery life thanks to their ability to charge from any natural or artificial light. The new models all also feature Eco-Drive Atomic Timekeeping, which uses radio transmitters to automatically update the time and date if any time is ever gained or lost. One o...

Read article

Monochrome

Feb 13, 2024

Tudor Predictions 2024 - The Potential Return of the Tudor Oysterdate Big Block Chronograph

A few days ago, the MONOCHROME team delivered our yearly forecast of potential launches for the 2024 Rolex Collection. As always, we try our best to guess what the Crown will be presenting at the watch industry’s largest fair, Watches and Wonders. While trying to imagine and design these potential Rolex models, we also started […]

Read article

Fratello

Feb 13, 2024

Pre-Owned Spotlight: Two Omega Speedmasters And A Spacemaster

Omega has increased the price of its Speedmaster models quite significantly in the past few years. While one could buy the classic Moonwatch for less than €5,000 not even that long ago, the models with a sapphire front and back crystal are rapidly approaching the €10,000 mark. Granted, it’s not the same watch that it […] Visit Pre-Owned Spotlight: Two Omega Speedmasters And A Spacemaster to read the full article.

Read article

Hodinkee

Feb 12, 2024

This Week In The Shop: Four Of Our Favorite Reverse Panda Dial Chronographs

And, we're breaking down the heritage models that inspired them.

Read article

Worn & Wound

Feb 12, 2024

Watches and What Else: Nathan Bobinchak of Oak & Oscar on Perfecting Home Audio

This month I had the pleasure of speaking with Nathan Bobinchak, Head of Watchmaking for the independent brand Oak & Oscar. Nathan is a former journalist and TV news writer turned watchmaker, with an obsession for finding the best way to experience sound through home audio setups.  Watches  “I had my midlife crisis at 26.” Nathan delivers a dry joke as he recounts his career shift from local TV news, to his decision to go to watchmaking school. Specifically, Nathan attended The Litiz Watch Technicum, a watchmaking school outside Lancaster, PA that was founded in 2001 by Rolex. After graduating from Litiz, Nathan worked for a shop in Connecticut, eventually moving to Chicago at the beginning of 2020 and landing the job at Oak & Oscar.  “I first got into Oak & Oscar with the Jackson. The Jackson is a very cool chronograph with the Eterna 3916 movement in it. It’s a very neat, super complicated, pretty movement. It has a column wheel and flyback chrono…just very cool.” Nathan explained to me that in modern watchmaking you do a lot of the same things, but said he was fortunately certified to work on watches like the Rolex Daytona, as he has a lot of fun servicing chronographs. “I can go on all day about the art of lubricating a chronograph. That is some nerdy stuff. It’s like paint drying.” I was interested, so I asked him to expound. “The only thing that makes watches hard to work on is the user. We knock them, move them around, a movement will run grea...

Read article

SJX Watches

Feb 12, 2024

Zenith Introduces the Chronomaster Sport Titanium

Zenith has just taken the covers off the Chronomaster Sport Titanium, essentially a lightweight variant of the bestselling sports chronograph. Entirely in brushed and polished titanium, the new Chronometer is powered by the El Primero 3600 and like most sports chronographs today, available with either a matching titanium bracelet or an integrated rubber strap. Initial thoughts The Chronomaster Sport Titanium doesn’t do anything new in terms of styling – the design still remains derivative of the Rolex Daytona – but it feels good in the lightweight alloy. The watch has the large size required of a sport chronograph, but is easily wearable thanks to the lightness. As an accessible alternative to the Daytona, the Chronomaster Sport is not particularly interesting in steel, but more appealing in titanium. Granted, it retains the same design, but the titanium case and bracelet give it a tangibly different feel. Of all the Chronomaster Sport iterations, this is the most appealing, particularly since it’s the only variant dressed in low-key, monochromatic colours. The grey hue of titanium complements the palette, with the tri-colour sub-dials in shades of grey being a clever touch. The Chronomaster Sport Titanium is priced at US$11,800 on a bracelet and a bit less on a strap. It’s priced comparable to other Zenith models with the same movement, and broadly speaking a good value proposition as far as sports chronographs go, with the Daytona being about 40% more expensive...

Read article

Monochrome

Feb 12, 2024

First Look - The Dazzling Gem-Set Zenith Chronomaster Sport

Any serious watch buff is familiar with the story of Zenith’s El Primero high-frequency automatic chronograph calibre of 1969. Fast-forward to the 21st century, and Zenith’s iconic movement ticks on thanks to upgrades and ever-higher frequencies to track elapsed times. A variant of the brand’s famous Zenith Chronomaster – itself a descendant of the iconic […]

Read article

Quill & Pad

Feb 11, 2024

New Release: Louis Moinet Impulsion Onyx: Monopusher Chronograph - Flying Tourbillon with Black Onyx open dial

The Louis Moinet Memoris chronograph was the first watch to put the chronograph mechanism fully visible dial side. Now, Louis Moinet has added a flying tourbillon to their monopusher column wheel chronograph and called it Impulsion.

Read article

Hodinkee

Feb 11, 2024

Back In Stock: It's GP Ice Race Time And We've Got The Porsche Design Chronograph 1 GP To Celebrate

This is a limited edition of 250 that embodies the famed race, and there are only a few left.

Read article

Worn & Wound

Feb 9, 2024

More New Watches Celebrating the Year of the Dragon

This Chinese zodiac assigns an animal to represent each lunar new year, cycling through the 12 animals who according to myth came down from heaven to help the Chinese people celebrate the spring. This year is the year of the dragon, which promises to bring good fortune and strength-and, of course, year of the dragon special edition watches. Worn & Wound has already covered some of the best ones out there, but one article (and even two) isn’t enough to cover them all. The IWC Portugieser Chronograph might be the most beautiful year of the dragon watch to come out thus far. The wine colored dial with gold numerals and hands that just ooze luxury, and pays tribute to the Chinese new year on its movement, which features an intricately carved gold dragon rotor. The watch comes with a black calfskin strap, but the rubber strap in a wine that matches the dial provides a stunning complement. IWC has done a few Chinese new year models in the past-this one is far and away the best. The brand’s year of the rabbit had a similar wine and gold coloring, but lacked a two-subdial chronograph complication like the year of the dragon. 2022’s year of the tiger was a chronograph but as a three-subdial chronograph with day and date windows, the dial just feels crowded and lacks the more elegant simplicity of this year’s model. And the metal work on the dragon rotor blows away the last two years’ animal rotors. Tag Heuer uses the inverse color scheme of the special edition Portugi...

Read article

Deployant

Feb 9, 2024

New: Chopard Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph French In Lucent Steel™

The Chopard Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph French Limited Edition In Lucent Steel™ is a tribute to the legendary race that inspired the collection. This watch combines elegance, performance and passion in a design that evokes the French tricolor. Press release with commentary in italics. New: Chopard Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph French In Lucent Steel™ TheRead More

Read article

Monochrome

Feb 8, 2024

Hands-on - The Union Glashütte Belisar Chronograph Speedster Limited Edition in Electric Blue

Union Glashütte is a brand that must enjoy a remarkable reputation among a specific group: German vintage car enthusiasts. The company has established longstanding partnerships with events like the ADAC Deutschland Klassik tour and renowned German car rallies such as the Paul Pietsch Classic, the Silvretta Classic, and the Sachsen Classic rally. Recognised for its […]

Read article