Watch brandsWatch wikiWatch videosVariousWatch calendarSaved articles
PopularRolexOmegaPatek PhilippeAudemars PiguetTudorGrand SeikoCartierSeiko

Dress Watches · Page 40

2,344 articles · Page 40 of 98
Up Close: Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre Antimagnétique “Only Watch” SJX Watches
May 3, 2024

Up Close: Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre Antimagnétique “Only Watch”

The two most important examples of independent watchmaking in Only Watch 2024 are arguably the stealthy F.P. Journe Chronomètre Furtif Bleu and the Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre Antimagnétique, each a significant creation of a leading watchmaker of his generation (and interesting enough, both are sports watches). Inspired by mid-20th century explorer’s watches that were magnetism-resistant, the Chronomètre Antimagnétique (RRCA) is an elegant but robust watch with a stainless steel case and an entirely new calibre equipped with an indirectly-driven centre seconds with a hacking, zero-reset mechanism. In its Only Watch form, the RRCA is a unique watch but also a prototype for a new line of elegant sports watches. NB: The watch pictured is a work in progress that is not entirely finished so the dial is a prototype and the movement is not perfectly clean. It will be delivered in a perfect state to the eventual owner. Initial thoughts Many of the RRCA’s details bring to mind mid-20th century “sports” watches. Not the sports watches we know of today, but rather the water-resistant Patek Philippe watches made in the 1940s and 1950s for gentlemen sportsmen and adventurers. This reflects with Rexhep Rexhepi’s respect for traditional Geneva watchmaking, which is also expressed in the RRCC but in a different manner. The RRCA subtly marks a new direction for Rexhep Rexhepi’s aesthetics. It’s clearly a thoughtful evolution of the RRCC. While the RRCC is a dress watch, ...
Read article
Hands On: Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon 150th Anniversary SJX Watches
May 2, 2024

Hands On: Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon 150th Anniversary

You can never be too rich or too thin – a quote attributed to Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, but it might as well have come from Piaget, which just debuted the thinnest tourbillon wristwatch in history, the Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon 150th Anniversary. Covered in-depth at launch, the AUC Tourbillon is just 2 mm thick, including the case and crystal; that makes the watch thinner than a Swiss five-franc coin. While its record-breaking dimensions are headline-grabbing, it’s the watch’s overall design and ergonomics that make it look and feel almost miraculous on the wrist. The AUC Tourbillon next to the five-franc coin; it’s also slimmer than the two-franc coin, and equivalent to about 20 sheets of A4 printer paper Initial thoughts Record-chasing, whether in terms of thickness, weight, water resistance, or complications, is a common theme in the watch industry, but the results are often gimmicky and impractical. When I heard that Piaget would be introducing the thinnest tourbillon in history, I rolled my eyes. But my perspective changed as soon as I picked up the AUC Tourbillon, a moment that stands out in my memory as a highlight of Watches & Wonders 2024. The watch is thin, of course, but the immediate impression is one of substance; it feels far more substantial than it looks. This is in part due to the M64BC cobalt alloy case, the extreme rigidity of which makes the watch’s 2 mm thinness possible. Furthermore, the ergonomics of the case, which is...
Read article
Hands-On: The Cartier Tank Américaine In Platinum With A Salmon Art Deco Dial Fratello
May 2, 2024

Hands-On: The Cartier Tank Américaine In Platinum With A Salmon Art Deco Dial

The months leading up to Watches and Wonders are exciting ones in the Fratello office. Every week, we receive new teasers and press releases. This year, there were also a lot of brand-organized previews. That’s great because the more we know upfront, the better we can inform you, our readers, about these new watches. However, […] Visit Hands-On: The Cartier Tank Américaine In Platinum With A Salmon Art Deco Dial to read the full article.
Read article
Cartier Tank Watch: The Ultimate Guide Teddy Baldassarre
Apr 30, 2024

Cartier Tank Watch: The Ultimate Guide

The Cartier Tank is one of the most influential and recognizable luxury watches in the world, as well as being one of the few truly iconic timepieces whose appeal is truly unisex: Cartier Tank watches are beloved by both men and women and worn in a diverse array of sizes, colorways, and variations on the original watch’s classical shape and dimensions. Throughout its prestigious history, the Cartier Tank has evolved in ways that are both subtle and revolutionary and has appeared in forms of which many of us might not even be aware. Here is a guide to the modern Cartier Tank collection and a bit of background on each model.   While it is today better known as one of the world’s leading jewelers, Cartier’s roots are in the art of horology. Its eponymous founder, Louis-Francois Cartier (above, 1819-1904), was an apprentice to master watchmaker Adolphe Piccard before founding his own company, at the age of 28, in Piccard’s Parisian workshop in 1847. Several generations of family ownership would follow, and Cartier’s watches, and eventually its jewelry, cultivated a worldwide audience and an esteemed client list that included aristocrats and crowned heads; Britain’s King Edward VII famously dubbed Cartier “the jeweller of kings and the king of jewellers.”  In the early 20th century, during the third generation of family ownership, Cartier produced some of its most epochal timepieces under the creative direction of Louis Cartier, grandson of Louis-Francois, who...
Read article
A New Limited Edition from Massena LAB and Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo Pays Tribute to a Classic Worn & Wound
Apr 30, 2024

A New Limited Edition from Massena LAB and Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo Pays Tribute to a Classic

Phillips, along with Bacs & Russo, has recently unveiled the 1952 Observatory Dial Limited Edition. This watch was created in partnership between three industry leaders: Phillips Watches, William Massena from the horological concept studio Massena LAB, and the award-winning independent watchmaker Raúl Pagès. The result is a watch that encompasses each collaborators’ unique talents, while building a watch that melds past and present seamlessly. Drawing inspiration from the legendary Observatory-grade Patek Philippe Ref. 2458 wristwatch, originally crafted in platinum for collector Joe Ben “J.B.” Champion, Jr. in 1952, this watch pays homage to horological history. Notably, the original timepiece set a record in 2014 as the most valuable time-only wristwatch ever auctioned, solidifying its iconic status. Despite its vintage influences, the 1952 Observatory Dial Limited Edition has a distinctly modern essence. Building upon the technical foundation established by Massena LAB and Raúl Pagès in 2022 with the Magraph Limited Edition, this collaboration introduces a 38.5mm × 10mm stainless steel case housing the manual-wind, proprietary caliber M690. This movement is a refinement of Massena LAB’s inaugural movement, features sub-seconds at 9 o’clock and hand-decoration (including hand finished anglage on bridges and plates) overseen by Swiss craftsmen under Pagès’ direction.  Embracing a love for vintage timepieces and the narratives surrounding them, the colla...
Read article
Hands-on – The Patek Philippe Alarm Travel Time 5520RG Ups Its Elegance with a (sort of) Two-Tone Case Monochrome
Apr 29, 2024

Hands-on – The Patek Philippe Alarm Travel Time 5520RG Ups Its Elegance with a (sort of) Two-Tone Case

While pilot-style watches have now found a comfortable niche within the modern Patek Philippe catalogue, the introduction of the Calatrava Pilot Travel Time 5524 in 2015 sparked more than just curiosity: it stirred a veritable commotion. Many were taken aback, feeling it was a departure from the typical Patek Philippe aesthetic. The design, markedly different […]
Read article
Sunday Morning Showdown: Grand Seiko SLGW003 “Birch Bark” Vs. Chopard L.U.C XPS Forest Green Fratello
Apr 28, 2024

Sunday Morning Showdown: Grand Seiko SLGW003 “Birch Bark” Vs. Chopard L.U.C XPS Forest Green

It’s Sunday morning, so it’s time for another Sunday Morning Showdown. After two battles featuring Rolex and Tudor, it’s time to move on to something else. This week, we put two classic dress watches up against each other. Both came out at Watches and Wonders, and both impressed journalists and watch fans alike. Robert-Jan’s pick […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Grand Seiko SLGW003 “Birch Bark” Vs. Chopard L.U.C XPS Forest Green to read the full article.
Read article
#TBT Visual Glory With The Must De Cartier Tank Art Deco Ref. 1616 Fratello
Apr 25, 2024

#TBT Visual Glory With The Must De Cartier Tank Art Deco Ref. 1616

Next year will mark 30 years since Cartier released the Must de Cartier Tank Art Deco. Maybe I should feel embarrassed that I don’t recall ever seeing it before. But the moment I spotted it last week, I instantly fell in love. If it weren’t quartz and in the ballpark of €10,000, it would be […] Visit #TBT Visual Glory With The Must De Cartier Tank Art Deco Ref. 1616 to read the full article.
Read article
All of the New Portugiesers from IWC Worn & Wound
Apr 23, 2024

All of the New Portugiesers from IWC

One of the prevailing narratives to come out of Watches & Wonders 2024 was that it was, across the board, a pretty quiet year. That may have been true for some, but others, like IWC, came to play. A good portion of the attention IWC got this year was (justifiably) directed at the new Portugieser Eternal Calendar that Zach Kazan introduced a few weeks ago, but that watch was far from the only Portugieser IWC brought to Geneva this year. The Portugieser is not the first watch that springs to mind for most of us when contemplating IWC - far more likely would be some sort of Pilot’s Watch or, more recently, the Ingenieur - but it has been, at times subtly, possibly the most important collection in the IWC catalog. I know so many collectors for whom the Portugieser was their first nice watch, and it is a model I continue to see in the wild, especially in cities like New York or London where people still routinely wear suits to work. IWC, like Rolex, is a brand that prefers evolution over revolution when it comes to its designs - one only has to look at the slow transformation of the Pilot’s Watch for evidence of that. The last few years have seen the brand slowly tinkering with the Portugieser line, bringing it up to date and refining what was already a great watch to make it better. This year, they continued that process and introduced a slew of new models and colorways, all of which come together to make up possibly the best lineup of Portugiesers ever assembled. Co...
Read article
A Visit to Patek Philippe Rare Handcrafts 2024 SJX Watches
Apr 22, 2024

A Visit to Patek Philippe Rare Handcrafts 2024

Just ahead of the public unveiling on April 13, Patek Philippe debuted 82-strong Rare Handcrafts 2024 collection at its Geneva salon during Watches & Wonders. Made up of Dome Clocks, pocket watches, and wristwatches, it is the largest such release in the brand’s history. Unlike the most recent Rare Handcrafts collection that was country-specific, the 2024 collection continues with the typical diversity of the annual line-up with motifs as varied as the techniques used to render them. While natural themes figure prominently, less traditional themes like classic American automobiles and surfers, like the Calatrava ref. 5089G-129 “Morning on the Beach” (pictured above), are explored as well. While only a subset of the 82-piece collection is on display at the Patek Philippe Salon – and open to the public till April 27 – a few pieces stand out from the rest. Calatrava ref. 5089G-148 “American Beauties”, one of several depicting 1950s American cars Dome Clocks One of the themes of the 2024 collection is “Gardens of the World,” and among the most striking is the Dome Clock ref. 20151M-001 English Garden. Decorated with cloisonné enamel that contains nearly 50 m of gold wire, the English Garden offers a charming composition featuring a stately home in the country. Dome Clock ref. 20151M-001 English Garden Dome Clock ref. 20151M-001 English Garden Patek Philippe also drew inspiration from across the pond, with American themes featuring prominently. Among this sub...
Read article
Editorial: Observations and Takeaways at Watches & Wonders 2024 SJX Watches
Apr 17, 2024

Editorial: Observations and Takeaways at Watches & Wonders 2024

Watches & Wonders 2024 just closed its doors earlier this week, and as usual attendance was up. Visitors increased 14% over last year, reaching some 49,000. It certainly felt more crowded, though sentiment was muted. Glamour, however, was delivered by the visits of Gisele Bündchen and Kylian Mbappé at IWC and Hublot respectively. Interestingly, there seemed to be fewer notable independent watchmakers walking around the halls then before, perhaps reflecting their success (which means they needed to meet clients). Gisele Bündchen sporting the new Portugieser chronograph. Image – Watches & Wonders Destiny On the topic of people, the inevitable questions about who’s going where were circulating as usual. When will Cartier’s Cyrille Vignernon retire and who will replace him? Will there be management changes at the LVMH watch division with Frederic Arnault in charge? Insiders have some idea and the rest of us will have to wait. Questions were also asked about brands, specifically smaller players with mixed fortunes – whether they will be sold or simply shut down, like Rebellion was a few months ago. There is of course the perennial sale of Parmigiani, but that isn’t really news – the brand has been quietly on the market for years with no takers. Some brands might have been lucrative exits for their owners a year ago, but now the discussion about a dimmer fate reflects the palpably normalised watch business. Where the outlook is always bright. Image – Watches & W...
Read article
The 12 Best Luxury Dive Watches for 2026 Teddy Baldassarre
Apr 16, 2024

The 12 Best Luxury Dive Watches for 2026

There are dive watches that you wear to go diving and there are dive watches that you wear - well, maybe afterward, to the country club where you go to talk about diving. It is this latter category that we’re focusing on with this list - so-called “luxury” dive watches, timepieces that still offer all the functionality and toughness one requires of a diver (all of the watches listed come in at 200 meters or more of water resistance) but do so at a higher level of elegance than elevates them from tool watch to dress watch - i.e., precious metal or exotic-material cases, extra complications, exclusive designs, artisanal executions, or a combination of the above, all of which account for their accordingly lofty price points. Here are a dozen that qualify. Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver Price: $30,500, Case Size: 42mm, Thickness: 14.2mm, Water Resistance: 300m, Crystal: Sapphire, Movement: Automatic Audemars Piguet Caliber 4308 Audemars Piguet added a purpose-built dive watch to its Royal Oak Offshore collection of boldly styled sport-luxury timepieces - which spun out of the original, classic Royal Oak series - in 2010. The Royal Oak Offshore Divers feature 42mm cases that are integrated not into metal bracelets (like those of the core Royal Oak models) but into sleek, sporty rubber straps suited for underwater submergence. The cases are water-resistant to 300 meters and the dials, with the hallmark “Mega Tapisserie” textured motif, host a pair...
Read article
Just Because – The Battle for the World’s Thinnest Watches (incl. Video) Monochrome
Apr 16, 2024

Just Because – The Battle for the World’s Thinnest Watches (incl. Video)

Some of the standout highlights of the 2024 Watch Week in Geneva undoubtedly revolved around ultra-thin watches. Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC now reigns as the world’s thinnest mechanical wristwatch, boasting an astonishing 1.70mm profile. Meanwhile, Piaget clinched the record for the thinnest tourbillon ever with its Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon, measuring a mere 2mm! […]
Read article
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Duometre Line Makes a Triumphant Return Worn & Wound
Apr 15, 2024

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Duometre Line Makes a Triumphant Return

When I say Jaeger LeCoultre, you say Reverso! Or Memovox! Or maybe Polaris! Or something to that effect. The point is that Jaeger LeCoultre, JLC to the cool kids, has a few iconic models immediately associated with its vaunted Maison. But the archives run deeper and into stranger horological territories. At Watches & Wonders 2024, JLC refreshed a lesser-known and appreciated line of watches epitomizing its watchmaking chops: the Duometre. First launched in 2007 with a chronograph, the Duometres presented a novel solution to an issue that concerns all watches with complications, that of the complications taking power out of the movement to function, thus decreasing the accuracy of the timekeeping and potentially power reserve. While a lesser issue in date complications, chronographs notoriously wreak havoc on a movement’s amplitude due to the power draw. But, JLC found a solution– to have separate barrels and gear trains for timekeeping and everything else, linked by the escapement. Hence, “duo.” The resulting watches and calibers are dramatic, to say the least. The movements are massive and ornate, with pronounced barrels on one side. To wind the movement, you turn the crown one way and then the other, like a ratcheting system, winding both barrels. Dial side, the duo concept is further played out with the hour and minutes displayed on a decentralized smaller dial to one side of the larger dial and the complication on the other. The seconds, however, is displayed a...
Read article

Comments 2

  1. Anonymous
    the whole point of a dress watch is that it disappears on your wrist. precious metal cases, minimal dial, two hands. that's the formula.
    1. Anonymous replying to Anonymous
      totally agree on the invisibility factor, but i'd push back on "two hands only." a good three-hander with a clean dial still disappears just fine. it's really about restraint, not the hand count.

Leave a comment

All comments are reviewed before they go live. Email is for our records only - it's never published.