Chronograph Watches · Page 120

Photo Report: The Watches And Action From The Monaco Legend Fall Auction

We're back with some of the best watches and moments from the outstanding auction/friendly vintage watch meetup that is a Monaco Legend Group event.

Hands-on - The Funky Glashütte Original Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date Golden Bay and Ocean Breeze

There are only so many square-shaped timepieces that we dare call contemporary classics. Yet, the watches in the Seventies collection from Glashütte Original, first presented by the Swatch-group-owned brand in 2011, are worthy of the title and the praise. Unfortunately, the current Seventies line-up is limited to only 11 variations of the Chronograph Panorama Date, […]

eBay Finds: A Hard to Find Enicar Diver, a Zodiac in Great Condition, and an Iconic Midcentury Alarm Watch

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 Girard Perregaux Chronograph  Starting this week off strong with an unusual vintage Girard Perregaux chronograph complete with boxes and papers. The large square steel case has some honest wear, but is unpolished and exhibits the original brushed finish. The elapsed time bezel has a few marks but is otherwise in good shape. The blue dial with three white subdials is a beauty and in great condition. The hour and minute hands are bright red and the chrono seconds hand is white, giving the watch a bold and colorful look. The watch is powered by the workhorse Valjoux 7736 manual wind movement, the same movement found in vintage Heuer chronographs among other brands. To top it all off, the watch comes complete with the original inner and outer boxes, and the guarantee and instruction booklets.  View auction here Vintage Zodiac Seawolf Automatic  Here’s a beauty that you do not find often in this condition. This vintage Zodiac Sea Wolf is a real stunner. This no-date model with the metal bezel is one of the fist generations of Sea Wolf and honestly are usually found in very worn condition. This example is super clean, with an unpolished steel case and the bezel has almost zero ...

Opinion - Our take on the Swatch x Blancpain Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms

A few months ago, Swatch and Blancpain introduced the Swatch x Blancpain Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms. Yup, quite a mouthful. It’s effectively the follow-up of the Moonswatch, which can be seen as Swatch’s take on the Omega Speedmaster. We didn’t cover it on MONOCHROME for obvious reasons (it’s a quartz watch…) despite being a huge […]

Shop Spotlight: Inspired By ‘The Most Beautiful Race In The World,’ Three of Chopard’s 2023 Mille Miglia Classic Chronographs Have Just Arrived In The Hodinkee Shop

The latest iteration of the luxury brand's signature retro racing chronograph is marked by its smaller size, more streamlined dial, and the introduction of the brand's lustrous "Lucent Steel" alloy.

Alan “Hammer” Bloore collection at Sotheby’s Important Watches achieves US$1.6 million

From John Player Special Daytonas to Hammer Panerai, Zach explores Important Watches results.The post Alan “Hammer” Bloore collection at Sotheby’s Important Watches achieves US$1.6 million appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Interview - IWC Creative Director Christian Knoop on the New Amsterdam Boutique, the Performance Chronograph & More

We were recently invited to join the festive reopening of the Amsterdam Boutique of IWC Schaffhausen. Nestled in one of the most luxurious high streets in our nation’s capital is a haven where you can fully immerse yourself in the wonderful world of IWC. Step inside, and you can discover the brand’s various collections in […]

Staff Picks: The Best Complicated Watches Of 2023

Chronographs, world timers, moon phases, grand comps, and (somehow) even more. 2023 was a complicated year.

First Look - The Lebois & Co Heritage Chronograph now in Discerning Black & Gold

Just a couple of weeks ago, we brought you news on the new Airain Type 21 and the updates for the Type 20. Now it’s time to focus on sister-brand Lebois & Co for a new and admittedly very handsome edition of the Heritage Chronograph. Both brands are owned and managed by Dutchman Tom van […]

Introducing the Alpina Alpiner Extreme Chronograph

Experts and Collectors Weigh in on the Return of Universal Genève

Early yesterday morning, news broke in the watch world that was both surprising, and felt inevitable. Universal Genève, the highly regarded and historic Swiss brand that has been effectively dormant for years, will be revived and relaunched by the same ownership team currently steering the ship at Breitling. While the news of Universal finally getting a high profile relaunch isn’t exactly shocking (reviving heritage brands shuttered during the Quartz Crisis has been a favorite pastime in the watch industry over the last decade), we weren’t expecting the Breitling connection. The news (and reaction to it) speaks both to the great affection the community feels for the Universal Genève brand, and to the strength and financial turnaround of Breitling under Georges Kern’s tenure.  Universal Genève has a long and rich history, and has grown significantly in esteem in recent years. They were part of an explosion of interest in vintage watches that began more than ten years ago, but unlike other brands that benefited from increased attention on historic vintage pieces (Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Audemars Piguet among them), Universal Genève doesn’t exist as a modern watchmaker in a meaningful way. For that reason, there’s always been a mystique to the brand that can’t really be replicated. We can, and do, compare vintage versions of Submariners, Daytonas, and Royal Oaks to their modern equivalents, and can thus relate to these watches through a modern context or l...

Introducing - The Wildly Reflective Surfaces of the Zenith Defy Extreme Mirror

Camouflage dials have been a big hit in the past couple of years, and we’ve covered several combat-ready models. Zenith pushes the camouflage concept to the extreme, giving its Defy Extreme a radical makeover with a reflective mirrored surface. Undoubtedly the boldest take on its high-performance 1/100th-of-a-second chronograph, the latest manifestation blends into its surroundings […]

Missed Review: The IWC Mark XVII

I’ve had an admiration for IWC’s watches for a long time, and have owned multiple Pilot’s Chronographs and an Aquatimer over the years, but until recently I’d never spent a significant amount of time with a watch in their storied Mark series. These simple pilot’s watches are core to IWC’s history and the perception of the brand, and historically represent an entry point into the catalog for collectors. Die hard IWC fans have long debated the “best” of the Mark watches. Head over to any internet forum or comments section where watches are discussed amongst enthusiasts, and you’re certain to find people debating the finer points of date window placement, case thickness, and diameter across the breadth of Mark watches over the years.  I acquired a Mark XVII from a local collector friend recently. This is a watch I’ve experienced on a nearly monthly basis at watch meetups over the last few years, and I’ve always said to this friend: Let me know if you ever decide to sell it. We all have a watch like this in our orbit, right? There might be an actual commandment against coveting, but in this hobby it’s fairly normal to stake a claim for something you want that a friend has in their possession. Well, we reap what we sow. Said friend decided to let his Mark go, and after some (internal) deliberation, a deal was struck, and I quite unexpectedly owned one of the objectively strangest watches IWC has made in the last few decades.  The thing is, the Mark wat...

Breaking News: Breitling Acquires Universal Genève

Breitling has just announced the acquisition of Universal Genève, a once-storied brand famous for its Polerouter and Compax chronographs but that was dormant for years. Breitling will pay CHF60 million for the brand, but in tranches with CHF20 million upfront and the balance over the next five years. The acquisition marks the first step in chief executive Georges Kern’s ambitions of building a watchmaking group, which will presumably go public. According to Mr Kern, Universal will be revived by a new team and run independently of Breitling, though it is almost a certainty Breitling will bestow upon its sister company some of its in-house movement know-how. A sleeping beauty Since 1989, Universal Genève has been owned Stelux, a Hong Kong watchmaking group focused on the affordable end of the market. The company’s primary business is the lucrative distribution of Seiko in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, while its City Chain stores specialised in low-priced watches. Stelux owns a handful of other Swiss brands, including Solvil et Titus and Catena, none of which are premium brands as Universal might possibly be. Although Universal attempted several halfhearted comebacks, particularly in the 1990s, the brand has gone nowhere for some time, making it a relatively easy turnaround given the starting point. Commenting in the takeover announcement, Breitling chief executive Georges Kern says, “Rebuilding a brand with such a rich narrative is not a quick endeavor-it is a meti...

Insight: The Breguet Cal. 728 of the Type XX Chronograph

With roots in 1950s French military-issue chronographs, the modern-day Type XX Chronographe was originally released in the mid-1990s and is now’s trademark pilot’s chronograph – and also the brand’s entry-level complication. Originally utilising Lemania-based movement in prior generations, the Type XX was entirely revamped, inside and out, with the unveiling of the Type XX Chronograph 2057 and 2067 earlier this year. While the aesthetics have been revised, the most notable upgrade in the new-generation Type XX is a brand-new movement, the cal. 728. The cal. 728 is a high-frequency movement running at 36,000 beats per hour that employs a novel patent-pending flying mechanism as well as an inventive reset system. The release of a completely new, in-house chronograph movement is uncommon, especially one with novel innovations that went under the radar. In fact, the cal. 728 is arguably one of the most sophisticated and advanced modern-day chronograph movements, putting it alongside the Audemars Piguet cal. 4401/4409 and Rolex cal. 4131. As a result, the cal. 728 deserves a closer look. Controlled return The cal. 728 is actually two related movements: the cal. 728 is an automatic, flyback-chronograph movement with three registers for elapsed seconds, minutes, and hours that is inside the three-counter Type XX ref. 2067, while the cal. 7281 is a two-counter version of the calibre found in the military-inspired Type XX ref. 2057. The most novel component of the cal. 728 ...

Zenith Introduces a Conceptual Take on the Defy Extreme with a New Reference Sporting a Highly Reflective Mirror Finish

An idea that we return to frequently around here is the ability of Zenith, moreso than just about any other Swiss brand with a lengthy, complex history, to straddle the line between heritage and pushing forward with daring, contemporary designs. Think of almost any other brand with roots dating to the late 19th or early 20th century that is still making watches, and chances are they focus largely on paying respect to the past, or they have moved on and iterated in some way. Zenith, on parallel tracks, does both, and I think one of the reasons they’re able to do that so successfully is that pushing the envelope aesthetically is part of their heritage. The Defy line is the most obvious example of this, and with this new Defy Extreme reference, Zenith continues to define what it means to be a Defy in the first place with a bold new take on their high spec chronograph that is as much sculpture as it is horology.  The Defy Extreme Mirror, as the of the watch would imply, is all mirrored surfaces, creating a unique and highly reflective effect that is actually almost the antithesis of what we’ve previously seen from the Extreme line. This, after all, is Zenith’s most hardcore sports watch, and is frequently seen in rugged, blacked out cases made from tech forward materials. The Defy Extreme Mirror, however, is stainless steel, and has been given a mirror polish on every surface that is meant to evoke the appearance of chrome. It’s objectively decorative, but the highly ...

A Week in Watches Ep. 69: Seikos, Sea Shells, Flybacks, and More!

On this week’s episode of A Week in Watches, we have news from Furlan Marri, Arcanaut, Baltic, Oak & Oscar, and Seiko. Furlan Marri returns to its roots with a new chronograph, but this time with a high-end mechanical chronograph movement. Arcanaut debuts two new watches in the D’Arc Colors line, one featuring a very unexpected dial material. Baltic adds some gold to existing models, and they look killer. Oak & Oscar team up with a local Illinois whiskey brand for a very cool collab. And, finally, Seiko debuts some new, and very nice, mechanical chronographs. This episode was sponsored by Artem and their new HydroFlex watch strap. Crafted with a premium FKM rubber base and layered with their signature synthetic embossed material, “HydroFlex” is water-resistant, flexible, durable, and comfortable immediately out of the box, with no break-in period. Artem Straps The post A Week in Watches Ep. 69: Seikos, Sea Shells, Flybacks, and More! appeared first on Worn & Wound.

Hello, Newman: A Collector Looks Askance at the Cult of the Paul Newman Rolex Daytona - Reprise

For watch lovers, the name “Paul Newman” is associated first and foremost with Rolex, and in particular with a subset of that brand’s Daytona watches with specific dial characteristics, including a recessed outer seconds track and subdials that feature block-shaped hashmarks and Art Deco-style Arabic numerals. But what does this nickname mean for these references on the vintage market? And what does GaryG think about it?

The Zenith Defy Extreme Mirror is a high-tech love letter to chrome

The most advanced chronograph in the brand's line-up gets a fully reflective makeover.The post The Zenith Defy Extreme Mirror is a high-tech love letter to chrome appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Rare Asprey Rolex Daytona and more up for grabs now at Sotheby’s Fine Watches online auction

From a purple Daytona to an Advanced Research Patek Philippe - Zach brings you the inside scoop.The post Rare Asprey Rolex Daytona and more up for grabs now at Sotheby’s Fine Watches online auction appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Introducing - The Frederique Constant Highlife Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar in Steel with a Closed Dial

This year marks the 35th anniversary of Frederique Constant, and there is plenty to celebrate. With 31 in-house calibres under its belt, including complications like the tourbillon, perpetual calendar, flyback chronograph or the advanced Monolithic Oscillator, the brand founded by Dutch couple Aletta and Peter Stas and now in the hands of Citizen Group has […]

Up Close with Furlan Marri x Auro Montanari x Revolution Swiss-Made Mechanical Flyback Chronographs

Being the first Furlan Marri with a mechanical chronograph movement, we also want to focus on the beautiful dials and just the fact of the amount of attention to detail given to individual pieces. These pieces all come with the elevated inner dial which is brushed nicely to finish, accompanied by the pulsation indicator chapter […]

First Look - The New Alpina Alpiner Extreme Chronograph

The Alpiner Extreme collection is Alpina’s take on the hyper-popular category of sports watches with integrated bracelets. Relaunched in 2022 with a robust cushion-shaped case and a textured dial, the first model took many by surprise with its regulator dial, a throwback to a popular and massive 48mm Alpina model known as the Avalanche Regulator […]

Bulgari’s Aluminium Chronograph Gets a Gran Turismo Makeover

Bulgari recently joined forces with the publisher of Gran Turismo, the bestselling video game known for its realistic portrayal of motor racing, in a pop-culture collaboration that diverges from its past partnerships with artists or architects. The result is the Bulgari Aluminium x Gran Turismo Special Edition that’s based on the brand’s signature rubber-and-aluminium chronograph. And alongside the watches, the collaboration has also spawned the Bulgari Aluminium Vision GT concept car, which is fully playable in the game.  Initial thoughts  Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, Bulgari’s Creative Director, has made known his admiration for Japanese arts and culture. This inclination is evident in the brand’s Octo Finissimo collaborations, several of which were collaboration with notable creative personalities from Japan, including architect Tadao Ando. So it’s not a surprise that he has extended the exploration of Japanese culture by calling on the Sony division that created one of the world’s bestselling video game franchises. Bulgari’s creative director Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani with Japanese gaming designer and Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi. Image – Bulgari The choice of the Aluminium collection as the platform for the special edition is logical, given the sporty nature of the model and the use of aluminium in motor racing. Though the two models retain the same case and bracelet as the standard version, the distinctive feature lies in their racin...