Hodinkee
Hands-On: All It Took Was A New Dial To Make The Black Bay GMT Stand On Its Own
After years of standing in the shadows of its big brother, the Rolex GMT-Master, Tudor steps out into the spotlight.
Hodinkee
After years of standing in the shadows of its big brother, the Rolex GMT-Master, Tudor steps out into the spotlight.
Worn & Wound
Breitling revealed their modern Super AVI collection in 2021 at an airstrip in Dallas, with actual war planes and pilots on hand. We brought you live coverage right here, and as nice as we found some of the designs, the cases themselves, which clocked in at 46×15.9mm, were a tougher pill to swallow. In an attempt to address this, Breitling has introduced a new Classic AVI family into the collection, which features a more wrist-friendly 42×14.7mm case at the expense of the GMT complication found in the Super AVI family. Further still, within this release is a 41mm ref. 765 1964 Re-Edition that stays true to old school form both inside and out. The new Classic AVI watches bring the same design language we saw in the Super AVI, which itself is a reference to the Breitling reference 765 from the early ‘50s, a watch that earned the nickname “Co-Pilot” for its usefulness to pilots of the time. The Super AVI watches featured designs that drew inspiration from iconic WWII planes, and the Classic AVI collection makes use of the same schemes to great effect. This includes the P-51 Mustang, Vought F4U Corsair, Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, and Mosquito planes, which are each represented in the 4 different colorways. The newest AVI watches use the Breitling Caliber 23, which is their modified Valjoux 7753. This means the pricing is also considerably more attractive than the Super AVI collection, with prices starting at $5,800 for leather strap equipped watches, and $6,200 if you pre...
Hodinkee
Lasers, ceramic, and travel – these watches have it all.
Time+Tide
In March this year, Premier League footballer Rico Henry was in a London hotel when he somehow managed to lose his Rolex. The watch had apparently fallen out of his pocket. When Henry discovered that his Rolex GMT-Master II ref. 126715CHMR was missing, the Brentford left-back was understandably distraught. But when he checked with the … ContinuedThe post Had a watch stolen? Use this Premier League footballer’s tactic to get it back… appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
Omega releases three new worldtimer watches to update their 2023 Seamaster Aqua Terra collection. One in titanium and two in steel cases.
Revolution
Revolution
We’re up to episode 50 of A Week in Watches! This week we’ve got several new releases with little in common other than being new. That’s fine by us though. First up is the brutal Ollech & Wajs 8001, their first integrated bracelet sports watch in 50 years. Then we have a Bremont testing instrument turned watch. After, we check out two new offerings from Aera, one in blue the other in gray. And finally, Omega dropped some new Aquaterra worldtimers that are worth knowing about. This week’s episode is sponsored by Whatnot, a live-stream auction app where you can buy and sell unique items. Come join the Windup Watch Shop for their first stream on Tuesday, April 23rd at 5PM Eastern, where they will be showing and selling various items from the shop. Follow this link to sign up for Whatnot and get $15 in credit toward your first purchase. The post A Week in Watches Ep. 50: Omega’s Got the Whole World in their Hands appeared first on Worn & Wound.
SJX Watches
After covering the notable in the upcoming auction of an impressive single-owner collection, we now turn to the highlights in Christie’s main sale, Important Watches. Made up of 159 lots, the sale encompasses a remarkable line-up of Patek Philippe timepieces, from the quirky and historically important, like the brand’s smallest-known repeater, to the contemporary and magnificent Sky Moon Tourbillon ref. 5002R featuring a special-order black dial. Important Watches (lots 2201-2360) begins at 1:00 pm on May 26 – the catalogue is available here. But the most significant watch in the sale is undoubtedly the ref. 2523 world time with a cloisonné dial depicting the North American continent, one of three known to exist. Given its importance and value, the ref. 2523 will be sold as the sole lot in a dedicated auction. The ref. 2523 will be sold at 7:00 pm on May 28 – more can be found here. The ref. 2523 with a cloisonné dial Lot 2306: Patek Philippe Pocket Watch with the Smallest Known Repeater Compact yet exceptional, this Patek Philippe pocket watch dates to 1888 and is just 24.5 mm in diameter. According to Christie’s, this pocket watch is smallest known minute repeater ever made by Patek Philippe. It was most likely commissioned by a Spanish or Latin American customer, as indicated by the margins on the movement in Spanish. This pocket watch has a white enamel dial with Roman numerals in black for the hours and oversized minute numerals in gilt print. Several hai...
Revolution
SJX Watches
Having concluded its Geneva sales that included an F.P. Journe thematic auction, Christie’s will soon open its spring sale season in Hong Kong. The auctioneer’s watch offerings include an impressive line-up of watches assembled over two decades by an Asian collector. Christened The Ultimate Collection, the selection is composed of 107 timepieces – almost all modern – ranging from Rolex to F.P. Journe. Although the watches are diverse, the collector’s keen eye can be discerned. The catalogue includes classic must-haves like various examples of the Rolex Daytona and GMT-Master II, but also rare and special watches from F.P. Journe as well as possibly-unique Patek Philippe Rare Handcrafts. We round up nine notable picks from the sale, including the headline lots from F.P. Journe – a Chronomètre à Résonance “RTA” with a mother-of-pearl dial and the Tourbillon Souverain Coeur de Rubis. The “Coeur de Rubis” dial Other highlights including a Patek Philippe Dome Clock that was originally owned by Jean-Claude Biver of Hublot and Blancpain fame, along with uncommon variants of the landmark Lange 1, including the Lange 1A and ref. 101.027X. The Ultimate Collection takes place on May 26 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) – the catalogue is available here. Lot 2537 – F.P. Journe Centigraphe Souverain Anniversaire “Hong Kong” In 2016, F.P. Journe marked the 10th anniversary of its first ever boutique (which was in Tokyo) with the ...
SJX Watches
Omega expands the Seamaster Aqua Terra Worldtimer collection with one in steel and an all-new model in titanium. Dressed in restrained colours of greys or greens with gilded accents, the new pair combines modern styling with a traditional, Cottier-style world time. Initial thoughts Though superficially similar to earlier versions of the Aqua Terra travel watch, a close examination reveals notable differences between the new models and their predecessors. The titanium model is executed in shades of grey and black, save for a gilded, relief world map, giving it a striking appearance that elevates the world time concept. In contrast, the map motif feels more integrated into the design on the steel models, allowing the map to recede into the background resulting in a more low-key appearance.. The new models are priced slightly higher than their predecessors, with the steel on strap starting at US$10,200 and about 10% more for the titanium. Compared against the competition, the Aqua Terra Worldtimer is one of the few world time watches at that price point – most are either pricer or less expensive – and its quality certainly justifies its price premium over comparable watches from Frederique Constant or Montblanc for instance. Eye-catching colourways Omega’s latest Aqua Terra Worldtimers continue the brand’s sporty reinterpretation of the classic complication invented by Louis Cottier. The dial features a relief map of the Earth as seen from the North Pole, ringed b...
Time+Tide
Three new configurations for the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Worldtimer Titanium makes its debut in the collection, new green dial for stainless steel, all use coloured ceramic bezels for the first time Titanium model is US$2.6K more expensive than the original steel, new steel models US$1K more expensive due to new bezel and 18K moonshine gold … ContinuedThe post Omega revisits the Seamaster Aqua Terra Worldtimer with new titanium and steel models with coloured ceramic bezels appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
Last year, Seiko celebrated their 10 year anniversary of the Astron GPS Solar collection by totally revamping its dial design with a dual time subdial configuration and constructing the case and integrated bracelet system out of titanium. The idea behind the refresh was to pave the way for a new generation of Astrons with a more fluid approach to how the watch is designed while still maintaining its signature features. To kick off this brand new decade of Astron GPS Solars, Seiko looks to continue its contemporary trend by debuting a series of watches sporting an off-center subdial design and angular case while keeping its bedrock solar GPS movement at its core. The cornerstone features of the Seiko Astron GPS Solar are its 3X and 5X series movements that are capable of automatically adjusting the time based on your current GPS coordinates. The new Seiko Astron GPS Solar in particular, houses their Caliber 3X62, equipped with 6 months of power reserve on a full charge, an accuracy rating of +/- 15 seconds per month and a host of other timing applications. As long as the dial is exposed to the sun, the Caliber 3X62 automatically connects to a GPS satellite twice a day to provide accurate time based on your current location. If for any reason the has not seen the light of day, a built-in smart application allows the Astron GPS Solar to remember the time of the last manual connection and attempts a following GPS connection. In ‘Power Save’ mode, which is enabled when the ...
Worn & Wound
Omega began teasing a new watch on their social media channels in the last few days, and while it was immediately pretty clear we’d be getting a new Worldtimer of some sort, the finer details were very much left a mystery. The existing Worldtimer has become a bit of a cult favorite since its release. It has a truly useful complication, and a dial that is undeniably stunning when you see it in person. The representation of earth as viewed from above the North Pole is a worldtimer trope, and there are a lot of ways to execute it, but few brands give you the detail that Omega can. That said, the watch has always been a little on the large side, and a new colorway is always welcome. Speculation ensued that a smaller version of the Worldtimer might be hitting boutiques, but what we got instead is a material change, along with a hard lean into green, which might no longer be the color of the moment, but seems to suit this particular watch just fine. What we have in this release is actually a trio of new watches: two references in stainless steel (one on a bracelet, the other a strap), and a completely new version of the watch in titanium. Let’s tackle the steel watches first. These follow the same 43mm format as the existing Worldtimer (the Seamaster Aqua Terra Worldtimer, to be more precise), but substitute the familiar blue dial for one in a PVD coated green. The dials here have a light sun-brushed finish, and dial accents (hands and hour markers) are in Moonshine Gold. ...
Time+Tide
No matter how exquisite the finishing, how innovative the escapement, or how beautiful the colour of the dial, unfortunately these days the worth of a watch can be far more literal in the eyes of the broader marketplace. Outside of the scope of die-hard watch geekdom, a watch is only alluring as its value on … ContinuedThe post First 2023 Rolex novelties hit the secondary market – where does the new GMT Master II sit? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Teddy Baldassarre
In a watch world increasingly populated by bolder and more eye-popping colorways, watches with white dials remain, for many, the epitome of elegance and understated style. White dials, in the estimation we used to compile the following list, are distinct from the more commonly seen “silvered” or “silver” dials, some of them with textures that enhance their three-dimensional appeal or matte finishes that impart to them an appealing sense of solidity. Scroll down to discover 25 of our favorite white-dial watches - as always, covering a wide array of price categories, and styles from dress to diver to pilot to GMT (no chronographs however; white “panda” dials with black subdials is a separate list). Mondaine Classics Swiss Railway Watch Price: $275, Case Size: 36 mm, Lug Width: 18 mm, Crystal: Mineral, Water Resistance: 30 m, Movement: Quartz Ronda 513 Founded in 1951 in Solothurn, Switzerland, Mondaine is a family-owned watch manufacturer that exudes pride in its essential Swissness (as evidenced by its logo, which incorporates the national flag. Mondaine’s signature product is also distinctly Swiss in its inspiration: the simply named Classics collection, the first of which was launched in 1986, derives its clean, ultra-legible, Bauhaus-flavored aesthetic from Switzerland’s distinctive (and notoriously accurate) railroad clocks. Based on the enduring design by Hans Hilfiker for the Federal Swiss Railways clock in 1944, the watch captures minimalism in...
Time+Tide
Some of the most iconic models in the history of horology became so because they offered something unique. A new case design or a new concept, that was then transferred to new types of watches. Take Rolex for example. The brand developed the Submariner and then adapted the case and dial design to make a … ContinuedThe post Jack Mason develops a new collection comprising a GMT and a diver appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
Seiko welcomed the Sharp Edge series back in 2020, and the watch has gone on to welcome some of our favorite Presage watches in the process, with last year’s GMT being a particular favorite. The broad, angular case with a distinctive fall off around the wrist is joined by the asanoha dial pattern to present a wholly unique experience within the Presage range. This week, Seiko welcomes a pair of new references to the Sharp Edge family, which open the dial to reveal a new 6R5J 3 day automatic movement within. The movement echoes the same updates we’ve seen rolled out across the 6R range, providing a small bump to the power reserve. The new Sharp Edge watches are indeed what you’d call ‘open heart’ designs, with an aperture directly over the balance wheel placed to the 9 o’clock side of the hand stack. It’s not quite that straightforward here, as there is a bridge layered over the view that recalls the very pattern seen on the dial, the asanoha, or ‘hemp leaf’ motif is rendered across the circular opening, adding a bit of visual continuity with the rest of the dial and presenting a slightly more interesting take on the open heart concept. Two dial colors are on offer here: a light option called shironeri (SBP415), which represents unbleached white silk; and a deep blue option called aitetsu (SPB417). The blue dial fades to darker tones at the dial’s perimeter, but both dials are rather dynamic thanks to the inset pattern offering plenty of surfaces...
Time+Tide
The new Ball Engineer Roadmaster Pilot GMT Hulk comes with a green-on-green colour scheme, a quick-set date, and a true GMT caliber It has a compact case of 40mm made of lightweight titanium The new Roadmaster Pilot GMT Hulk is limited to 1,000 pieces GMT watches are becoming increasingly popular, and brands big and small … ContinuedThe post The Ball Engineer Roadmaster Pilot GMT Green offers a unique take on a true GMT appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
The rise of the affordable “true” GMT continues to be a strong trend in the microbrand arena, as more and more ready new watches sporting the Miyota 9075. This caliber is beginning to feel like a true game changer in the space, allowing brands whose bread and butter are sub $1,000 watches to offer a much sought after complication that consumers would previously have to spend many times that amount to acquire. The latest entrant in an increasingly crowded marketplace for these watches is an old favorite of ours: Zelos. Zelos watches have always represented value, whether we’re talking about divers under $500 or a Swiss tourbillon with a case made from exotic titanium alloys. Their watches have a colorful, materials oriented style that places a high value on texture and provides their customers with something unique. For this first batch of GMTs, which are part of the Mako line, each option is quintessential Zelos, meaning that even the most conservative watch in the group is still pretty memorable. Of the three new GMTs that make their debut today, the most simple is the Mako 300M GMT Frost, which appears at first to be a stark white dial, but is actually fully lumed, so when the lights go out and the lume is completely charged, the entire dial glows, with the “black lume” hands and hour markers standing in relief. The orange arrow in the GMT hand and a bit of text in the same shade are the only additional colors found on the dial, which is somewhat unusual fo...
Worn & Wound
“Just a Minute” is one of our video segments where we take you through the ins and outs of some of our favorite products in just a minute! We’ve been doing this format for quite a while and our followers keep asking for more so here we are! Today, we’re taking a quick look at the “True” GMT offering from BOLDR Supply Co; the Odyssey Freediver GMT. A great piece from a trusted brand that has quite a bit to offer. “Just a Minute” is one of our video segments where we take you through the ins and outs of some of our favorite products in just a minute! We’ve been doing this format for quite a while and our followers keep asking for more so here we are! Today, we’re taking a quick look at the “True” GMT offering from BOLDR Supply Co; the Odyssey Freediver GMT. A great piece from a trusted brand that has quite a bit to offer. The post Just A Minute with BOLDR Supply Co’s Odyssey Freediver GMT appeared first on Worn & Wound.
Worn & Wound
Why start a watch brand from the ground up if you inherently have a keen eye for defunct brands with a legitimate history and product design substance that present-day enthusiasts can easily get behind. It’s a playbook we’ve seen exercised occasionally within the past decade, but in recent years, it seems like a go-to strategy implemented by those with incredible foresight, time and time again. I hope you don’t mistake this as complaining. As much as I love seeing a brand release something completely new and refreshing, I am overjoyed by seeing bygone brands properly getting resurrected. It’s a phenomenon we’ve seen with the likes of Aquastar, Vulcain, and Wolbrook Now what do these brands have in common? Well for starters, they were all revived around the same time frame, beginning in 2019 (Wolbrook). Brand heritage, as well as name recognition seems to be another trait at their core. For Aquastar, you have their charming divers famously worn by Jacques Cousteau and his crew during countless expeditions in the 1960s. With Vulcain, how could we not think of the Cricket and its historical ties to the United States presidency. And as for Wolbrook, well, you have a brand history that has a connection to the dawn of the space race, hypersonic rocket-powered jet testing and the first man to ever step on the moon, Neil Alden Armstrong. Wolbrook’s latest release is the X-15 Skindiver Worldtimer and is a tribute to one of the watches that Armstrong wore during his stor...
Worn & Wound
The SF Windup Watch Fair is closer than ever! If you’ve been following along, you know Windup is growing fast. This year, we are returning to the same venue in San Francisco and doubling the floorplan, meaning more watches, more live events, more accessories, and a whole lot more in general. There will be hundreds of watches, watch accessories, and EDC items on display to try on and purchase. You don’t want to miss it. As a reminder, here are the key event details: Terra Gallery – 511 Harrison Street, San Francisco, CA 94105 Friday, April 28: 12PM – 6PM Saturday, April 29: 12PM – 6PM Sunday, April 30: 12PM – 5PM Free and open to the public Here’s a sneak preview of just some of the watches from our Lead Sponsors you’ll be able to get your hands on at Windup this year. For a full roster of presenting brands, scheduled events, and a product showcase, head to windupwatchfair.com and join our email community. Accutron Accutron has built a name in innovation and exploration. Offering the world’s first fully electronic watch in 1960, Accutron changed the way the world told time. In 1962, Bulova produced the Accutron Astronaut, a 214-based GMT timepiece with a 24-hour rotating bezel, secondary 24-hour hand and hack function. Originally made for high altitude CIA spy plane missions in conjunction with emerging NASA rocket technologies, it also found commercial success. Accutron is proud to bring back the 1968 “T” version of the Astronaut model, featuring a di...
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