Quill & Pad
Over the 20-odd years that GaryG has been buying “serious” watches, he has purchased more pieces bearing the Jaeger-LeCoultre brand name than any other, by far. Within the Jaeger-LeCoultre pantheon, one watch sub-group stands out for him: the Reverso. Between his wife and he, they've bought a total of seven Reverso models. Given that, why add another? In this instance, the Reverso Tribute to 1931?
Worn & Wound
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.
Monochrome
Five years ago, Kari Vouitilainen‘s atelier unveiled an exciting evolution of the brand’s signature time-only Vingt-8 series, the Voutilainen 28TI model with an inverted calibre. The 28TI (Titanium Inverse) watch, with its sumptuous detailing and delicate decoration, brought to the fore movement components that were previously visible through the sapphire caseback, allowing an impressive display […]
Hodinkee
The brand's time-only line gets a new, relatively affordable take on a captivating dial.
Monochrome
You thought all dive watches were the same round watch topped by a unidirectional bezel with a classic time-only display over a black dial, right? Well, Benoi?t Mintiens from Ressence is here to prove you wrong. Not all dive watches need to look like a Submariner or a Seamaster. Not all dive watches need to […]
Fratello
Diver’s, field, and pilot’s watches are among the most popular variations in the time-only-watch universe. While Circula already covered the first two, now with the ProFlight, it also ticks the last box. Although unmistakably derived from Circula’s ProTrail, this ProFlight model immediately impresses with its modern pilot’s watch face. It’s probably thanks to a quirky, […] Visit Hands-On With The New Circula ProFlight Blue to read the full article.
Quill & Pad
Independent Chinese watchmaker Qin Gan has over thirty years of experience in antique watch restorations and has crafted numerous prototype watches with complex features such as flyback, tourbillon, automaton, and repeater mechanisms. He now launches his second model under his own brand, the sublime Pastorale II.
Hodinkee
Plus, a cutting-edge and impressively thin offering from Bulgari along with a lovely and classic Carrera from Tag Heuer.
SJX Watches
Seiko’s Presage Craftsmanship Series is all about dials finished with traditional artisanal techniques from urushi lacquer to enamel matched with affordable price tags. That continues with the Presage Craftsmanship Arita Porcelain Dial SPB445, a time-only watch with a 24-hour indicator. Initial thoughts The Presage Craftsmanship models in general are easy to like because they have classic styling, affordable prices, and unusually fancy dials for the price point. The SPB445 is exactly that, but visibly improved over earlier generations of the model. The dial is a little bit more elaborate with a recessed sector that delineates the chapter ring for the hours, while the case has been reworked to be more refined in terms of style. It’s still a fairly thick watch relative to the design at 12.5 mm high, but the new case helps with that. The only thing I would change is the 24-hour indicator, which isn’t really useful and interrupts the clean layout of the dial. At US$1,900, the new Presage is priced almost identically to the equivalent model from four years ago – despite the upgrades – and remains a good value proposition. An affordable artisanal watch The dial in the SPB445 is a bright, nearly-pure white porcelain with a clear glaze layer on top that is known as hakuji. Seiko once again turned to Shingama Kiln, a porcelain maker established in 1830 that’s still run by the founding family. Located in Arita, a town on Kyushu historically known for its fine porcelain,...
SJX Watches
The recent debut of the Escale Time-Only was actually the second instalment of the design’s revival. Earlier this year, Louis Vuitton presented the Escale Métiers d’Art “Cabinet Of Wonders”, also time-only but with exceptionally elaborate dials decorated in a variety of artisanal crafts – all executed in-house at La Fabrique du Temps (LFT), the brand’s Geneva manufacture. The “cabinet” is a trio of watches with dials featuring Asian motifs inspired by a collection of tsuba, or Japanese sword guards, owned by Gaston-Louis Vuitton, the grandson of Louis Vuitton. Ranging from enamelling to marquetry to hammering, the dial decoration is intricate and three-dimensional. From left: Koi’s Garden, Dragon’s Cloud, and Snake’s Jungle Initial thoughts Like the Voyager Flying Tourbillon Plique-à-Jour, the Cabinet of Wonders is a tangible realisation of LFT’s swift buildup of an in-house métiers d’art workshop that encompasses enamelling, engraving, and guilloche. The métiers d’art workshop is just one facet of Louis Vuitton’s ambitious, wide-ranging development of its watchmaking division, a project that is still a work in progress but advancing at a pace rapid enough that it will go far quickly. The dials are lavish, complex, and finely executed. Although they are each decorated with a variety of techniques, the different textures, colours, and styles complement each other perfectly. The quality of the work is comparable to that of Van Cleef & Arpe...
Monochrome
Retter isn’t a brand that many are familiar with as its first watch launched only a couple of years ago, the 22 Automatic. It was a solid first effort with the always popular integrated sports watch aesthetic, but the follow-up Mistral is a more mature and elegant dress watch, with a truly ultra-thin case (a […]
Worn & Wound
A little over a year on from the release of the DB Eight, De Bethune is following up the mono-usher chronograph with two new variants, each in gold, and each of which offers a welcome look back at the early days of the brand. De Bethune is a brand well-versed in the avant-garde. The name alone tends to conjure images of remarkably blue tourbillons with spring-loaded lugs, and other sci-fi-esque watches. In the last few years, De Bethune has become well known for pushing the boundaries of watchmaking in both a technical and aesthetic sense - they even sent a watch to (near) space on the wrist of Michael Strahan. If you’re only familiar with De Bethune thanks to watches like the DB28 Kind of Blue Tourbillon or the DB28GS Yellow Submarine, looking back at the early days of De Bethune might come with a bit of a surprise. Early De Bethunes stood out not because of any outrageous architecture or wild case finishing, but rather thanks to a refined - and very traditional - look, backed up by the technical prowess of Denis Flageollet, the brand’s founder. The DB8 was one of these early, very traditional watches. Though still identifiable as a De Bethune thanks to its bullet lugs and three-part case, the DB8 was (in most senses) a very traditional take on the concept of a mono-pusher chronograph dress watch. The new DB Eight is a fitting follow up to that watch, holding on to much of the original’s concept and charm, but with each and every detail refined and update...
Hodinkee
Plus a classic dress watch from Patek and a gorgeous time-only option from Grand Seiko.
SJX Watches
Louis Vuitton is steadily rebuilding its watch collecting, reorienting the offerings towards more designs with thoughtful details and decoration. Having already redesigned the Tambour, the brand now debuts the Escale Time-Only Automatic. Returning to a case design that’s been in the Louis Vuitton catalogue for well over the decade, the new Escale is a no-frills three-hander with discreet references to the brand’s trunks incorporated into the aesthetic. Initial thoughts I’ve long been a fan of the Escale case – we covered the Escale Worldtime over a decade ago – because it is simple, distinctive, and wears well. The signature Escale models in the past, however, were world time models with extravagantly multicoloured dials. The aesthetic was typical, over-the-top Louis Vuitton. I liked them, a lot in fact, but they were not for everyone, and certainly not easily legible. The new Escale, on the other hand, is a practical watch that is legible but thoughtfully designed with discreet details that evoke Louis Vuitton’s trunks. It retains the same case but with a discreet, three-hand dial. Extravagant it is not, but it has wider appeal. Inside is the same LFT023 found in the Tambour, so movement-wise it has the same strengths and weaknesses. The movement is thin and attractively styled, but could do with more refined details, like the regulator index for instance. Though not perfect (or entirely in-house), the LFT023 compares well against the ETA 2892 found in the ori...
Hodinkee
A quartet of dress watches complements last year's Tambour update to form the foundation of the new Louis Vuitton watch lineup.
Monochrome
With the launch of the Tambour integrated luxury sports watch last year, Louis Vuitton introduced a whole new strategy for its watch division. No more linked to fashion, the brand wants to be part of the higher-end watchmaking league, thanks to its manufacture, La Fabrique du Temps. Now, it’s time for the second step, with […]
Fratello
On the 10th anniversary of the Escale collection, Louis Vuitton introduces its new Escale Time-Only Automatic watch with caliber LFT023. Four new references are available, each with a 39mm case in rose gold or platinum and a leather strap. Louis Vuitton Escale Many of us, including yours truly, have been craving more new dress watches. […] Visit Hands-On With The New Louis Vuitton Escale Time-Only Automatic to read the full article.
SJX Watches
RGM Watch Co. recently bestowed an artisanal touch on its time-only Model 25 with the “Birds of America (Glossy Ibis)” with a mother-of-pearl dial featuring a miniature painting that reproduces a drawing from John James Audubon’s famous book of the same name. Notably, the Birds of America is also equipped with an ETA calibre upgraded by RGM to have a power reserve that’s 30% longer. Initial thoughts RGM was historically a guilloche specialist – notably the brand does traditional engine turning in house – so the Birds of America is a logical diversification that continues the brand’s speciality. Though the artisan responsible for the miniature painting is unnamed, the dial is impressively rendered with a skilful depiction of the bird. The details of the ibis are practically as vivid as in Audubon’s illustration. Interestingly, the Birds of America is not merely a stylistic exercise. A significant feature is the upgraded ETA 2892 inside that has a 53-56 hour power reserve, a significant enhancement over the standard 44 hours, which was achieved with in-house upgrades according to RGM. This release is priced at U$17,900, and comparable commissions depicting others birds from Audubon’s book will cost similar. It’s more affordable than comparable watches from established Swiss brands, making it a relatively good value proposition. After Audubon The latest release is based on a plate depicting the glossy ibis in The Birds of America, the landmark work by...
Worn & Wound
Seiko has announced a new addition to their King Seiko lineup, and it’s their most radical release yet. Okay, maybe radical is a bold word choice for what is essentially a line of simple, sedate, and elegant dress watches, but this reinvention of the tonneau-cased King Seiko 45KCM offers us our first glimpse at what a King Seiko lineup may look like beyond the shadow of the King Seiko KSK. If you’ve been paying any attention to King Seiko since the marque was relaunched in 2020, then a lot of the details here will come as no surprise. In many ways, this latest launch follows the same recipe as other recent King Seiko releases, and in particular shares a lot in common with last year’s SJE089/SJE091 King Seiko KSK update. As I mentioned up top, the new King Seiko KS1969’s big differentiator comes in the form of an elegant tonneau case. I’m a big fan of this case shape, which often offers a tremendous ratio of wrist presence for wearability (just ask anyone who’s ever worn a Doxa Sub300). The new King Seiko is presented in somewhat of a Goldilocks size, with a diameter of 39.4mm, a thickness of 9.9mm (though I’m unclear on if this includes the box sapphire crystal), and a lug-to-lug of 43.6mm. Seiko also claims that the watch has a low center of gravity which, paired with the curved case, will keep the watch close to the wrist. All of this should make the KS1969 incredibly comfortable for a wide range of wrists. The vintage-inspired multi-link brick bracelet has...
Fratello
Today, we’ll look at a charming little Omega CK976. It’s a lovely watch on the outside, but the inner workings are just as notable if not more so. This tank from 1939 is equipped with the caliber T17, a movement worthy of a place in anyone’s vintage collection. When considering vintage Omega watches and their […] Visit Vintage Watches: The Omega CK976 With A Glorious T17 Movement to read the full article.
Teddy Baldassarre
In an era when the line between what is a sports watch and what is a dress watch have been blurred substantially, the presence of Roman numerals on your watch’s dial is one of the last reliable hallmarks that identify it as a timepiece meant for dressing up, not down; a watch designed with classical elegance in mind more so than robustness or even optimum legibility. Of course, Roman numerals in general are rarely encountered in most people’s modern lives, the annual naming and marketing of Super Bowls being the rare exception. Thus, watches with Roman-numeral dials are relatively rare in the horological wild as well, albeit still occupying an appealing niche embraced by many watch manufacturers as well as by an avid core of enthusiasts. Here, we’ve tracked down 18 that are on the market in 2024; as per our usual format, they’re spotlighted in ascending order of price and represent a wide range of price points. Orient Bambino Day-Date Price: $410, Case Size: 40.5mm, Thickness: 12.6mm, Lug to Lug: 46.5mm, Lug Width: 21mm, Crystal: Mineral, Water Resistance: 30 meters, Movement: Automatic F6B22 Often under the radar of American watch consumers and overshadowed by its larger Japanese brethren, Citizen and Seiko (which with it shares a corporate connection through Epson), Orient has been making value-oriented watches in Japan since 1950. The Bambino, Orient’s dressy gents’ model, offers simple three-handed options and a handful of “quiet” complications, like th...
Worn & Wound
Hodinkee and Parisian concept shop Merci have just released the Merci Instruments Beaumarchais H02 Limited Edition for Hodinkee for their second collaboration together. You’re undoubtedly familiar with Hodinkee, but for those uninitiated to the Marais-based store, Merci embodies Parisian chic while offering a curated selection of products ranging from home goods to fashion. Through its subsidiary brand, Merci Instruments, the company combines a lighthearted approach to watchmaking with an eye towards the past for inspiration. The design of the Merci Instruments Beaumarchais H02 Limited Edition reflects a vintage aesthetic reminiscent of 1940s dress watches. Unlike traditional round or square cases, this watch features an octagon-shaped frame, adding a modern twist to its classic inspiration. The 36mm case exhibits multiple layers of depth, with a brushed steel rehaut, an anthracite grey hour track, and a vertically brushed center. Notable design details include the blue-painted seconds hand and the NYC and Paris markings at the 6 o’clock position. The watch is completed with an 18mm Honey Brown leather strap, which softens the angular features of this watch. The Beaumarchais H02 is equipped with the ultra-thin Miyota 9039 automatic caliber, which offers a 42-hour power reserve and ensures the 36mm case remains a sleek 9.8mm thick. The stainless steel 316L case is durable and water-resistant up to 10 ATM while the watch is also equipped with a sapphire crystal, making...
Hodinkee
Introducing The Merci Instruments Beaumarchais H02 Limited Edition For Hodinkee - A vintage-inspired dress watch designed to be worn every day. Available now in the Hodinkee Shop.
Revolution
Question, suggestion, or just want to say hi? Drop a note.
Comments 2