Time+Tide
"You can't make an integrated bracelet watch without doing something interesting with the bracelet," says Ming Thein... and that's what he's done.The post The 56.00 Starfield is exactly what you’d expect of MING’s first integrated bracelet piece appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Audemars Piguet’s Code 11.59 has spent much of its life living in the shadow of the Royal Oak, but the latest 38 mm iteration suggests the collection might be finding its footing. The smaller Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Selfwinding 38 mm refines the line’s distinctive case architecture with more convincing proportions, slimmer leather straps, and richly textured embossed dials. Neither overtly sporty nor conventionally dressy, the 18k rose gold Code 11.59 positions itself as a modern dress watch with real character that is quite convincing on the wrist. Initial thoughts It’s no secret that the Code 11.59 lives in the shadow of AP’s flagship product, the Royal Oak. In the seven years since its debut, the Code has yet to have its breakout moment. Many may remember the troubled launch of the collection, which met with an unnecessarily negative response from the market. But there’s a thin line between love and hate, and AP has been steadily improving the proportions, textures, materials, and complications over the past few years, and the tipping point could be imminent. The Code claims the middle ground in the false dichotomy between dressy and sporty, which makes it difficult for casual enthusiasts and collectors to fully understand. The 38 mm size, now with a new strap design, helps position the Code more concretely in the the dress watch camp, where its 9.6 mm thickness and 30 m water resistance rating feel more appropriate. Despite the criticism that’s been l...
Hodinkee
A new look to a classic, very hot watch from Vacheron Constantin.
SJX Watches
Audemars Piguet (AP) has updated the coveted Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Openworked, which makes its debut on the next-generation perpetual calendar platform that debuted last year. The new calibre allows for individual adjustment of each calendar indication using just the crown – no stylus (or toothpick) necessary. The first outing for the skeletonised version of this class-leading perpetual calendar is in titanium, with mirror polished accents in scratch-resistant Palladium BMG and pops of rose gold on the dial and case back, though more colourways are sure to come in due time. Initial thoughts The latest generation of the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar is arguably AP’s strongest product. It is heir to the archetypal integrated bracelet perpetual calendar sports watch, which, until recently, was held back to some extent by what had become a dated movement. In fairness, the same can be said of its obvious competitors from Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin. That changed in 2025 when the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar was upgraded with the AP’s latest perpetual calendar movement, a significant release befitting the brand’s 150th anniversary year. The calibre 7138 introduced individual correction of the date, day, month, and moon phase using only the crown, allowing for quick adjustment without tools and with greater flexibility, and support for more indications, than existing solutions. And while we already understood the movement’s clever functionality, it rema...
Worn & Wound
Do you remember that scene in The Ten Commandments when Charlton Heston’s Moses walks down the mountain with those giant stone tablets? I’m pretty sure the first commandment on his list was “EVENTUALLY, ALL WATCH BRANDS MUST MAKE AN INTEGRATED BRACELET SPORTS WATCH!” Does that sound right? I could be misremembering some of the finer details of the film, but I’m pretty sure that’s a thing that happened. Because eventually, as we continue to discover month after month, year after year, all brands do try their hand at an integrated bracelet sports watch. Even the ones you might not expect. Like Ming. Today, Ming introduces the 56.00 Starfield, their first integrated bracelet sports watch. Perhaps it’s a little shortsighted of me to suggest that we couldn’t have expected something like this from Ming. In a lot of ways, it’s exactly the kind of watch we should expect, because one of the ideas that really seems to drive the brand is solving big design challenges. Integrated bracelet sports watches have a natural aesthetic appeal in the way form a continuous line all around the wrist. The challenge is in making them feel special and unique. The “good” integrated bracelet sports watches tend to all have a somewhat similar appearance simply because there are only so many ways you can accomplish the most basic goals of a watch like this without going completely off the rails. Ming’s stated goal with the Starfield was to make a watch more comfortable to we...
Hodinkee
A new bracelet design seeks a stress-free, perfect fit. No screwdriver required.
Monochrome
Independent watchmaking rarely stands still, but Horologer MING has made a habit of using evolution rather than repetition as its driving force. Since the brand’s founding in 2017, Ming Thein and his team have mastered light, form and restraint, while also pushing technical boundaries behind the scenes. With the recent launch of the fifth-generation design […]
Time+Tide
It was a tough spot, but after combing through photos just minutes after the stellar performance, we've got the scoop on Bad Bunny's AP.The post Bad Bunny rocks new stone dial Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch during Super Bowl LX halftime show appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Fratello
If you’ve listened to Balazs and me on Fratello On Air, you’ll know that I have a huge crush on Parmigiani Fleurier. Specifically, the Tonda PF 36mm is on my radar, but if my wrist were larger, today’s watch would be a likely candidate. Specifically, the brand has introduced the Tonda PF Micro-Rotor Agave Blue, […] Visit Introducing: The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Micro-Rotor Agave Blue to read the full article.
Fratello
Vacheron Constantin unveils a new Overseas Tourbillon model with a captivating deep red sunburst dial. The aperture at 6 o’clock provides an unobstructed view of the tourbillon regulator, with the 22K gold peripheral rotor allowing light through the case back’s sapphire display. This model is the third iteration of the Overseas Tourbillon in a Grade […] Visit Vacheron Constantin Introduces A New Overseas Tourbillon In Titanium With A Deep Red Dial to read the full article.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
A broke watch snob’s take on why the Audemars Piguet 38mm Royal Oak Chronograph finally makes sense, even if ownership is never on the table.
Monochrome
Perpetual calendars are, without a doubt, an integral part of Audemars Piguet’s history, and the Royal Oak has carried its strand very convincingly since 1984. With the introduction of the Royal Oak Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar Openworked powered by the new Calibre 7139, AP signals a clear generational shift. Released alongside a Code 11.59 counterpart, which […]
SJX Watches
Having celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2025, Audemars Piguet (AP) has kicked off 2026 with a slate of new models, including one of the most complicated watches in its history. But it was a simpler watch that that generated the most buzz at the glamorous launch event in the Swiss alps: the Neo Frame Jumping Hour, which is both a new watch and the beginning of a new collection that replaces the [Re]master series. The Neo Frame is a regular production wristwatch in 18k rose gold inspired by the Pre-model 1271, a historical AP reference from 1929. Though rooted in the Art Deco era, the Neo Frame is an eminently modern watch with a novel case and dial construction and the brand’s latest-generation automatic movement. Initial thoughts The name Audemars Piguet is nearly synonymous with that of its signature product, the Royal Oak. While many brands would probably trade their entire catalogues to have a single hit like the Royal Oak, AP has sought to diversify its product line up with the introduction of collections like the Code 11.59 and the short-lived [Re]master series. Despite these efforts, the Royal Oak family remains AP’s commercial engine, making the introduction of a new collection, anchored by a rectangular jumping hours watch, especially notable. The jumping hours complication seems to be enjoying renewed interest among collectors, which makes release of the Neo Frame feel timely. But up close and on the wrist, it doesn’t look or feel like anything else on t...
Worn & Wound
I have what you might call a love/hate relationship with Audemars Piguet. They are, without a doubt, makers of some of the finest watches in the world. Objectively speaking, there’s a level of craft involved with the production of AP watches that is hard to match at the scale at which they operate. Every Royal Oak I’ve ever handled feels like a perfectly made thing without any compromises. I honestly can’t say the same about equivalent watches from other brands in the so-called Holy Trinity. And yet, there’s so much baggage with Audemars Piguet in our current watch culture. I wrote about it here, specifically as it relates to the Royal Oak and how it has become a signifier of wealth and status that has overshadowed watchmaking and watch culture. I find this flex culture to be a huge turn off, and the way AP seems to lean into it, by producing more and more varieties of Royal Oak, some with mini sculptures of Marvel characters on the dial, to be a signal that they’re a willing participant in the watering down of their brand. But then Audemars Piguet will go ahead and release something beautiful that is not a Royal Oak and I’m reminded that derisively referring to them as The Royal Oak Company (something I’ve done frequently over these last few years) is ultimately unfair. Earlier this week, as part of a larger drop that included several exotic Royal Oaks, a pocket watch, and more, AP launched what might be one of the riskier watches they’ve introduced in...
Monochrome
Launched in 2021, the Tonda PF collection introduced a new vision of contemporary haute horlogerie built around restraint, proportion and what CEO Guido Terreni calls “private luxury”, watches designed to be lived with rather than constantly replaced. Among the first models was the Tonda PF Micro-Rotor, a slim automatic watch with a date display. The […]
Deployant
Parmigiani releases a new version of their super popular Tonda PF Micro-Rotor in an Agave Blue dial, with two expressions.
Hodinkee
AP trades frosted cases for stone dials on these 23mm, quartz-driven pieces.
Monochrome
The trend for stone dials has had a bandwagon effect in the watch industry, with players, small and large, succumbing to the temptation of adorning their models with exotic stones and even slivers of meteorite. However, like Piaget, Audemars Piguet got a head start in the field, with stone dials on its ultra-thin dress watches […]
SJX Watches
Audemars Piguet (AP) debuts a trio of new perpetuals calendars, led by the first open-worked version of brand’s cutting edge perpetual calendar launched last year with the skeleton cal. 7139 inside the Code 11.59 and Royal Oak. And rounding out the trio is the first all-ceramic Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar powered by the cal. 7138. Initial Thoughts The open-worked version of AP’s latest-generation perpetual calendar movement arguably does most justice to a clever movement that is one of the most notable such movements on the market. While there was little visual difference between solid-dial versions of AP’s new perpetual calendars and the preceding versions, the open-worked examples are less similar, at least up close, as the perpetual calendar works are so clearly different. The new open-work dial givers owners a look at what is going on under the hood as they adjust the calendar, which I see as a significant value add given the unusual and innovative mechanics. While AP could have been more daring, the last year’s crop of Royal Oak Perpetuals were good looking watches. The new pair, in both Code 11.59 and Royal Oak formats, look nearly identical from an arms length to their predecessors. The open-worked models are mostly monochrome, the Code 11:59 is rhodium-plated white gold with a black ceramic mid-case while the Royal Oak is titanium with polished Palladium 500 bulk-metallic glass (BMG) accents and rose gold dial furniture. Neither break new ground for the b...
SJX Watches
Audemars Piguet (AP) updates the Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph 38 mm with a new manufacture calibre, sapphire display back, while slightly tweaking the iconic design – and retaining the price of its predecessor. The new cal. 6401 comes with welcome quality-of-life improvements such as a longer power reserve and instantaneous date without tradeoffs in wearability, beat rate, or even cost, making this compact chronograph one of the most sensible and compelling offerings in the Royal Oak line. Initial Thoughts AP debuted the first Royal Oak chronograph in 1997 and it was powered by the Frederic Piguet cal. 1185, a landmark movement for automatic chronograph design. Now, nearly three decades later, AP is a true industrialised manufacture, and the cal. 1185 has been replaced with the new cal. 6401, a modern movement that with meaningful upgrades under the hood. This also comes with some minute tweaks to the dial and a crowd pleasing display case back, while the case and bracelet remain as excellent as always. Laudably, this comes without a significant price increase, with the new Royal Oak Chronograph 38 mm in steel costing only 3.6% more than its predecessor. New Engine AP’s new cal. 6401 is a solidly-spec’ed movement despite being small and thin for a modern chronograph. It’s wide and taller than the Frederic Piguet cal. 1185 but only slightly. It is 27 mm in diameter (up from 26.2 mm) and 5.7 mm tall (up from 5.5 mm) though even with the addition of a sapphire ...
Fratello
After using a relatively common Frederic Piguet movement for almost 30 years, Audemars Piguet now introduces the 6401, an in-house automatic chronograph caliber. It offers higher accuracy, greater reliability, and a more refined appearance. The brand’s 38mm Royal Oak is the first model to feature the new movement. You can choose between a stainless steel […] Visit Introducing: Three 38mm Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronographs With A New In-House Movement to read the full article.
Monochrome
Vacheron Constantin’s Overseas luxury sports watch family is now in its third generation, but its roots trace back to the 222 model of 1977. A well-represented collection with complications and straightforward time-and-date models, the Overseas is widely acclaimed for its attractive design, high-end finishings, in-house movements and versatility. In 2019, a tourbillon was added to […]
SJX Watches
Ahead of its much anticipated Watches & Wonders return, Audemars Piguet (AP) has reached deep into its archives for what in past years would have been a [RE]Master model. But now AP has renamed its vintage reissues, and it is the Neo Frame Jumping Hour that takes inspiration from a similar guichet model from 1929. This perfectly timed launch comes at a time of renewed interest in the digital display format. Initial thoughts Each time an established brand launches a completely new collection, the public response can be either positive (think Rolex Land-Dweller) or underwhelming. AP has come face-to-face with this in the past with the Code 11.59, which was bold but not well received initially (though much of the early criticism can be chalked up to cynicism). That experience hasn’t stopped the brand from continuing to diversify its portfolio away from the Royal Oak, and the latest effort capitalises on the growing interest in guichet watches. In doing so, AP reimagines an obscure piece from its own past, adding strong touches of modern design to create something with a more distinctive visual identity than one might expect from a simple jumping hours watch. Though the Neo Frame nomenclature might take a while to enter the vernacular, the guichet design feels like it’s coming to market at the right time. Ironically, the sleek profile of the Neo Frame’s case looks much like a sports smart band - albeit much glossier. Specifically, the way the polished black face connec...
Monochrome
Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak Offshore, also known as The Beast, muscled its way onto the scene in 1993 as a beefier and bolder version of its famous sibling, the Royal Oak. Drawing its inspiration and name (offshore) from the world of powerboat racing popular in the 1980s, the ROO family expanded, and in 2010 surfaced […]
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