Nostr notes by WatchBench

Watches, Stories, & Gear: A Touchscreen Macbook, A New ...

2026-10-31T20:39:59Z

Watches, Stories, & Gear: A Touchscreen Macbook, A New Porsche Collab, and Zenith’s Uncertain Future

Porsche x La Marzocco 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Collection
It’s well established that I’m not a car guy. And it’s also well established that I have the palate of my Midwestern forebears, meaning gas station coffee is just fine by me, thank you very much. But when it comes to design, I’m a bit of a snob, looking to both Porsche and La Marzocco as the pinnacles of who I’d want to be, had life and a trust fund turned out differently for me. Put those two together and – mein Gott – all I can say is mamma mia.
The two brands are teaming up for a second time, this time taking inspiration from the Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7. The centerpiece is a limited-edition version of La Marzocco’s Linea Micra espresso machine, available in historic Porsche color combinations including Grand Prix White and Green and Tangerine and Black. Carrera RS lettering, the historic Porsche logo and a cup rail shaped after the car’s famous ducktail spoiler carry the reference through the machine.
There’s also a matching Pico grinder, along with a smaller collection of coffee accessories and apparel in the same RS 2.7 colors. The collection is available now through Porsche’s online store with prices ranging from $59 to, ahem, $7, 911.
Major Changes Could Be Coming to Zenith
Not very often in this little space of mine do I get to write about hard-hitting watch industry news, but a report from Revolution caught my eye this week.
According to reporting cited by Revolution from Le Temps and Business of Fashion, around 100 jobs at Zenith’s Le Locle headquarters are currently at risk, roughly half of the workforce there, along with another 100 roles internationally. The brand has begun formal negotiations with employees, with no final decision expected before mid-November. Zenith is also expected to cut back the number of collections it produces and close its retail operations until 2029.
Where this leaves Zenith is still unclear, but with job cuts on the table and its retail network expected to disappear for several years, there are still plenty of questions about what comes next for the LVMH-owned company.
Sigma FP2
Not only is “brick with a heart of gold” what I want engraved on my tombstone, it’s also a pretty good way to describe the new Sigma FP2, according to Chris Niccolls of PetaPixel.
The $2,199 FP2 gets a new 24.5-megapixel full-frame, partially stacked sensor, improved autofocus, faster shooting and a tilting rear display. Sigma is still leaning heavily into the modular side of the camera, with mounting points across the body for grips, an EVF and other accessories. For video, it can shoot 6K open gate, while photographers get bursts up to 20 frames per second.
Preorders are open now, with the Sigma FP2 set to go on sale November 11.
Instagram Is Testing 90-Minute Videos
Having an almost medical-grade need for validation, you’d think I would have pivoted to video a long time ago. But luckily for you, I’ve been steadfast in my decision that my visage is best left to photos. I like to think that when I post, it’s a farm-to-table approach: rustic, a bit ugly, but made from the heart, versus the overproduced Reels of husbands pranking wives and moms monetizing their kids for personal gain. I don’t know, call me old-fashioned.
And now, oh brother, here we go. According to TechCrunch, Instagram is testing a new video format called Features that will allow creators to upload videos up to 90 minutes long. The platform is also testing “Clips as Reels,” which lets creators cut shorter Reels from those longer videos and link viewers back to the full version. Instagram previously tried its hand at longer video with IGTV before shutting it down, but Adam Mosseri says the company is giving the format another shot after initially resisting the idea.
I can tell you now, I have no interest in watching anyone tell me how to dress, what sprezzatura means, where to shop in Miami or how I should be organizing my kitchen for a full feature-length movie. But if you do have 90 minutes to spare, why don’t you go watch Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, The Lion King or Fantastic Mr. Fox instead?
Apple MacBook Pro with Touch
Can we all agree that the iPhone Duo was a bit of a flop? Or, at the very least, that the novelty wore off a little too quickly for what Apple was probably hoping would be its next big thing. Maybe the company can redeem itself with the new MacBook Pro, the first in its laptop range to support a touchscreen.
The new 14- and 16-inch models get a tandem OLED ProLED XDR display with a 10-to-120Hz refresh rate, along with a slimmer and lighter body and Dynamic Island in place of the old notch. M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are under the hood, while Thunderbolt 5, Wi-Fi 7 and approximately 24 hours of battery life. The display also supports Adobe RGB for the first time on a MacBook Pro for all you designers and photographers out there.
Preorders are open now, with prices starting at $2,899 and with a release date of November 6.
The post Watches, Stories, & Gear: A Touchscreen Macbook, A New Porsche Collab, and Zenith’s Uncertain Future appeared first on Worn & Wound.

https://wornandwound.com/watches-stories-gear-a-touchscreen-macbook-a-new-porsche-collab-and-zeniths-uncertain-future/

#zenith #marzocco #carrera #sigma #collection #revolution #grandprix #lineamicra #prixwhite

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The Petrolhead Corner – Carrozzeria Castagna Milano Turns the ...

2026-10-31T17:22:35Z

The Petrolhead Corner – Carrozzeria Castagna Milano Turns the Alfa Romeo Giulia into the Giulia Q, a Stunning Two-Door Roadster

What do you do when a car manufacturer doesn’t build the car you want? For just about anyone of us, it means moving to another brand or hoping your preferred manufacturer introduces something that scratches your itch down the line. However, if you’re into the coachbuilding business, or have the funds to enlist the help […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/the-petrolhead-corner-carrozzeria-castagna-milano-giulia-q-roadster-italian-coachbuilding/

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The ABCs of Time – The History of German Watchmaking The ...

2026-10-31T16:01:36Z

The ABCs of Time – The History of German Watchmaking

The miniaturisation of clock towers to portable time wasn’t a Swiss innovation – it all started in Germany thanks to locksmith and clockmaker Peter Henlein in Nuremberg at the start of the 16th century. These first “pocket watches” were soon referred to as Nuremberg Eggs, as many had round, bulbous shapes like an egg. They […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/abcs-of-time-history-of-german-watchmaking/

#peterhenlein #abcs #nurembergeggs #swiss

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The Third Louis Erard x Vianney Halter Collaboration is So Close, ...

2026-10-30T22:45:00Z

The Third Louis Erard x Vianney Halter Collaboration is So Close, and Yet, So Far

I’ll keep it simple: when someone says “Vianney Halter,” the first thing that comes to mind is the Antiqua. Okay, well, that assumes you are a watch nerd who knows who he is, but if you are, an image of this bizarre, visually challenging, yet brilliant watch should appear in your mind’s eye. A perpetual calendar spreads across three decentralized portholes with riveted frames that cut through the central body’s perimeter; it’s a relic from another dimension. It’s also a late-1990s design, predating the modern era of haute horology, making it a truly important artifact of independent watchmaking.
And it’s ultra-rare, with a production of just over 100 units in total. All were in precious metal, and one recently set a record at auction, fetching over a million USD. This isn’t surprising, as Mr. Halter’s name has gained new relevance in the last couple of years through collaborative launches. At the last two Geneva Watch Days, watches bearing his name were likely the most talked-about launches. In 2025, he teamed with Behrens to release the KWH, an unexpected design with a peripheral “snake” time display that the brand continues to manufacture in different case materials. Though five-figure, it’s actually one of the more accessible Halters available.
While unique and exciting, the KWH speaks to a wholly different aesthetic than the Antiqua, which is why this year’s GWD launch, the Bvlgari Octo Finnissimo Dual Time x Vianney Halter, was so exciting. Though highly limited and priced to match, the watches merged the Octo’s brutalism with the Antiqua’s nautical sci-fi aesthetic with surprising success. The watch was nothing short of stunning, putting Mr. Halter’s unique design language back in the spotlight.
Typically, this story would end with our appetites whetted for something that was never meant to be obtainable, but not this time. Enter Louis Erard and their approachable collaborations. Erard has a history of working with Vianney Halter that predates this recent resurgence. Their first collaboration was a regulator in 2020. An intriguing design with a heavily layered dial, it emphasized the typographical elements of Vianney’s work and his hand designs, but left out the distinctive gauge-like case elements of the Antiqua. In 2024, they teamed up again with a design that began to scratch that itch.
Another regulator (Louis Erard is known for using the complication/layout), these 43mm all-metal creations had the rivets, indices, grained surfaces, and distinctive crowns that evoke the Antiqua design, but still didn’t go the full monty. The missing element was portholes or individual dials for each function. Given the fixed positioning of the hands of the regulator design, especially the central minutes, as well as the standard case (which they had modified with a different bezel), that was likely not within the realm of possibility. It was a gorgeous watch nonetheless, and is actually still available in a monochromatic variant.
Jump forward to right now (October 2026), and Louis Erard and Vianney Halter have gone the extra mile with the Futur Antérieur, creating the most Antiqua-esque watch possible while keeping a semi-approachable price point, though not without one peculiar decision along the way. One of the two biggest roadblocks in the previous designs was the case, so this time, they went all out and designed a new one from the ground up. With a central cylinder, portholes at four and ten, articulating lugs, and contrast rivets around the perimeter, the DNA isn’t abstracted; it’s there, though calling it Antiqua Jr. is perhaps too on the nose. Assembled from 67 components and made of steel, it measures a reasonable 38mm in diameter and 8.85mm thick, though it is hard to say how that accounts for the portholes. With the articulating lugs, that should wear very nicely, despite the strange shape.
As for the dials, the window at four contains hours and minutes, while the window at ten shows the seconds. The dials are layered and textured in a way that speaks directly to the Antiqua, and they feature heat-blued hands in the same style. No reinvention, no interpretation. This is really meant to bring a semblance of that watch to a new generation. And that brings us to the second roadblock: what movement could they use for such a layout? Well, the answer is either quite clever or bafflingly silly: they used two small movements.
The two crowns are a dead giveaway, but under each dial is a Sellita SW100. These automatic movements are only 17.2mm in diameter; thus, they can be nestled within what are essentially two independent watches. The rest, I suppose, is empty space or solid metal (hopefully the latter for heft). Watches with two small, independent movements are a thing, but typically both tell the time. Here, it is merely the illusion of a single movement, and the ability to “hack” an unattached seconds hand.
Yeah, that’s really weird. Perhaps it’s funny? Quirky? Ingenious? I can’t decide, especially given the price tag (which I’ll mention shortly). This is literally a dual-time watch with functionality removed for aesthetic effect. It looks great, but is fake, in its way. One dial could have had two hands, the other three. One dial could have featured an hour index, the other minutes, to create the effect, at least, of two scales. Perhaps they could have modified one movement to be 24-hour instead of 12 (likely easier said than done, but still). My guess is that they feel the “quirkiness” factor wins out given the watch’s aesthetic.
At 4,950 CHF, which, with tariffs in the US, is about $6,757 (at the time of writing), I’d prefer function, even at the cost of the illusion. Yes, this is a four-figure watch that gets you about as close to a high six- to low seven-figure watch as many of us would ever come, and frankly, it’s gorgeous, but you’re paying for two Swiss-made mechanical movements, and only using one (ok, if you were really trying you could maybe make some argument about resonance, but that would be a very long stretch). Another option I wish they had considered is a compass. That would have fit thematically and have possibly cost less too.
At launch, there are two versions of the Futur Antérieur: one with silver dials and a blue ostrich leather strap, and the other with contrasting 1N gold-toned dials and a black ostrich leather strap. They are priced the same and limited to 178 pieces per color. Like the Alain Silberstein titanium line and the Konstantin Chaykin “Unfrogettable” models, I imagine Erard will keep producing new versions of the Futur Antérieur, given how far they went to develop the new case, but that is just an assumption.
Final thoughts. I owe much of my taste in watches to the Antiqua. In the late 90s, one was on display at what was the Tourneau Time Machine on 57th in Manhattan. I have distinct memories of admiring it through the glass as a teen when I would visit the shop with my dad. I had never seen anything like it and was enamored. These days, I own two watches with very uncommon “porthole” designs: the Seiko Sportura SLQ009 kinetic chronograph and the Otsuka Lotec 7.5. I also love watches with decentralized dials in general. I think this all goes back to the Antiqua.
I want to love the Futur Antérieur. I want to feel the need to make a bad financial decision and buy one. I know I will never own an Antiqua and am ok with that. I like the previous Erard x Halter collab, but at 43mm it’s too big for me. The Futur Antérieur should be the one I run to. It nails the look, but I also know that gimmicks get under my skin. When I’ve owned watches that felt too novel for their price tags, I’ve ended up selling them, and I don’t think I could get over having a movement that’s just used to make a seconds hand tick. Louis Erard
The post The Third Louis Erard x Vianney Halter Collaboration is So Close, and Yet, So Far appeared first on Worn & Wound.

https://wornandwound.com/the-third-louis-erard-x-vianney-halter-collaboration-is-so-close-and-yet-so-far/

#vianneyhalter #louiserard #yet #collaboration #kwh #octo #bvlgariocto #octofinnissimo

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Remember You Must Die: 12 Skull Watches to Keep Your Mortality in ...

2026-10-30T21:58:54Z

Remember You Must Die: 12 Skull Watches to Keep Your Mortality in Check

While the idea of a skull watch might sound like a kitschy Halloween-themed novelty, they actually run deep in horological history, dating back to pocket watches of the 17th century in the memento mori tradition of reminding you of your own mortality. However, these were not the skull dial timepieces we think of today but instead “form” watches that, like the name states, take a shape beyond a traditional round timekeeper. In the case of the skull form, they typically shared a similar blueprint with the jaw unhinged, exposing the dial on the underside or roof of the mouth. Today, we see many watchmakers continuing in this tradition, shifting away from form watches and extending the imagery to dial designs, some of which are achieved by simple painting while others more closely echo the form watches with sculptural elements – here are a dozen of them.
Bell & Ross Laughing Skull
Bell & Ross steps out of its aviation roots with a series of skull watches adopting the skull and crossbones motif also known as the Jolly Roger. Here, the brand takes its signature square watch case to lay the foundation for the design, which extends across the dial and bezel. The piece comes to life thanks to a mechanical jaw automaton that moves up and down to mimic laughter when you wind the watch.
Bomberg Edge Skulls Mosaic
For Bomberg, the skull motif is not just a one off for a special edition collection – its core imagery featured prominently across several of the brand’s major lines like the Bolt-68 Neo, BB-01, and Skull Rider collections. These stylized skulls and sugar skull designs are a direct tribute to Mexican traditions, like Dia de Muertos or the Day of the Dead. While a number of the designs lean into the moody and dark nature of the skull, others fully embody the colorful spirit of Mexican culture like this mosaic version.
Chopard L.U.C Skull One
Chopard is another brand with a tradition of honoring the Dia de Muertos or the Day of the Dead. Using the Salon Internacional Alta Relojeria Mexico (SIAR) watch fair in Mexico City as a launch point for these specialized designs, Chopard has produced a number of models using the skull as a centerpiece while showcasing the brand’s high-end hand-engraving and micro-painting, alongside the technical prowess of its ultra-thin L.U.C mechanical movements.
Corum Bubble Skull Tourbillon
At the turn of the new millennium, the late Severin Wunderman purchased Corum and launched the Bubble watch. This was one of those designs that radically disrupted traditional Swiss watchmaking with an avant-garde approach. As a Holocaust survivor, Wunderman developed a profound, lifelong preoccupation with mortality, the fragility of life, and traditions of the Day of the Dead. In line with these principles, a stylized skull was featured on one of the very first Bubble dials at launch. Since then, the brand has released numerous ‘skull’ Bubbles, like this tourbillon that places the complication right inside the open mouth.
Fiona Kruger Petit Skull
Fiona Kruger is another watchmaker who shares in this ethos, exploring the themes of time, mortality, and the celebration of life. This connection is largely informed by her childhood growing up in Mexico where the Dia de Muertos celebrations showed her skull motifs could be colorful and joyful tributes to life and memory. As she made her way into the horological sphere as a watchmaker, she became equally inspired by the historical 17th century memento mori timepieces. The culmination of these connection points throughout her lifetime has made the skull a central theme of her designs with the Petit Skull collection encompassing many iterations on the form.
Hermès Slim d’Hermès C’est la Fete
Hermes is no stranger to a slew of whimsical illustrations throughout its wares and watches. Among this imagery, the horse motif is one of the brand’s strongest recurring motifs and takes on an array of iterations. Perhaps one of the most unique is in the Slim d’Hermes C’est la Fete featuring a skeleton horse and rider. Like many of the Maison’s designs, the inspiration started with one of its scarves showcasing a design by a Japanese artist and illustrator named Daiske Nomura with a skeletal horseman in a tailcoat and top hat. Hermes went on to adapt the scene down to the scale of a watch dial using a combination of miniature enamel, paillone enamel, and engraving.
Hublot Classic Fusion Skull Tourbillon
Hublot has never been a brand to shy away from a bold design. So, it comes as no surprise the skull has shown up in its offbeat watches. The motif has been used a few times across the brand’s catalog. What particularly stands out about the Hublot Classic Fusion Skull Tourbillon is the juxtaposition of multiple interpretations of the skull concept. Here, the brand has cleverly employed a skeletonized dial with the skull tourbillon along with bone-shaped bridges and plate.
HYT Skull
HYT offers a unique take on the skull thanks to its one-of-a-kind fluid-filled design approach. The brand has iterated on the motif in a few editions. While most of its timepieces have a circular glass capillary to indicate the hours, with the HYT Skull the brand has engineered the tubes to trace the outline of the skull shape with eight bends. Completing the look, the right eye of the skull displays the power reserve indicator while the other eye contains the constant seconds in a rotating disc.
Louis Vuitton Tambour Carpe Diem Minute Repeater
Like Hermes, Louis Vuitton is known for playing with illustrations throughout its collections and extending to its line of timepieces. While not a frequently recurring theme, the skull has made a couple appearances over time. One of the most memorable is the Tambour Carpe Diem Minute Repeater, which offers a juxtaposition of memento mori and the idea of seizing the day. What sets this model apart is its animation when the minute repeater is activating, causing the jaw to drop, revealing the words “carpe diem” that give the watch its name.
Mr. Jones The Last Laugh
When it comes to brands with highly expressive and illustrative dial designs, Mr. Jones is at the top of the list. So, it seems only fitting the skull has made its way into a few of the brand’s models. Spanning beyond intricate depictions and use of bold color, The Last Laugh is a standout interpretation thanks to its combination of the motif brought to life with technical prowess. Here, the upper teeth display the hours via a jump hour mechanism, while the lower teeth show the minutes. With the model’s jump hour feature, the top teeth flip exactly on the 59-to-00-minute shift. In addition, the skull’s eye sockets feature mirrored surfaces, letting you see your own reflection in death’s gaze.
Ressence x Alain Silberstein Type 1 REV “Carpe Diem”
Along with Louis Vuitton, Ressence and Alain Silberstein teamed up to explore the interplay between the concepts of mortality and seizing the day. The composition of the model merges Ressence’s space-age fluid mechanics with Silberstein’s iconic Bauhaus-inspired primary colors and geometric shapes. The marriage of the two watchmakers’ DNA brings to life the design’s inspiration from Philippe de Champaigne’s famous painting “Vanitas Still Life with a Tulip, Skull and Hour-Glass.”
Richard Mille RM052 Skull Tourbillon
Like Hublot, Richard Mille certainly has a reputation for instantly recognizable and avant-garde timepieces. Within these audacious designs, we’ve seen the skull theme used on a few occasions. For the RM052 Skull Tourbillon, the brand takes a similar approach as Hublot pairing skeletonization with the skull motif. Here, within the frame of the classic rectangular Richard Mille case shape, the skull forms the actual skeletonized baseplate and bridges of the movement, with the jaws holding the tourbillon cage.
The post Remember You Must Die: 12 Skull Watches to Keep Your Mortality in Check appeared first on Worn & Wound.

https://wornandwound.com/remember-you-must-die-12-skull-watches-to-keep-your-mortality-in-check/

#skull #skullwatches #bubbleskull #laughingskull #dead #skulltourbillon #skullsmosaic #chopard #rosslaughing

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First Look – Closer Than Ever to the Antiqua, the New Louis ...

2026-10-30T21:20:49Z

First Look – Closer Than Ever to the Antiqua, the New Louis Erard x Vianney Halter Collab

Geneva Watch Days is always a treat, but 2026 held two collaboration surprises for the MONOCHROME team, both involving maverick French watchmaker Vianney Halter. Bulgari’s collaboration with Vianney Halter produced a bold Antiqua-inspired Octo Finissimo Dual Time. The second, revealed to us as a sneak preview by Manuel Emch, was Louis Erard’s Futur Antérieur. Marking […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/louis-erard-x-vianney-halter-futur-anterieur-antiqua-inspired-collab-review-price/

#vianneyhalter #louiserard #haltercollab #newlouis #firstlook #dualtime #finissimodual #octofinissimo #futuranterieur #manuelemch

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Recapping Fossil Signature’s Launch at Windup Watch Fair NYC ...

2026-10-30T20:44:52Z

Recapping Fossil Signature’s Launch at Windup Watch Fair NYC 2026

Fossil’s new Signature Collection made its debut at Windup Watch Fair NYC 2026, with a behind-the-scenes film, a Q&A with Senior Creative Director Ryan White, and the first chance to get the watches on the wrist in the Fossil Signature Lounge.
Fossil is taking a fresh swing at enthusiast watchmaking with Signature CS-1, a new collection built around thoughtful design, elevated materials, and Swiss craftsmanship. Launched at Windup Watch Fair NYC 2026, the collection brings Fossil’s distinctive design sensibility to a new premium watch platform. And we got to kick things off with a morning dedicated to the people who matter most: the watch enthusiasts who showed up ready to see what it was all about.
A week before the fair, we shared a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the Fossil Signature Collection, filmed at Fossil’s Dallas headquarters with Ryan. We also extended an invitation: come watch the film with us, here from Ryan directly, and get your hands on the watches before the rest of the fair got underway.
The Screening
Before Windup opened its doors on Saturday and Sunday, we gathered for the premiere of our short documentary, tracing the collection from its first spark of inspiration to the finished pieces. Seeing it on a big screen is one thing. Seeing it in a room full of people who care about how watches get made is something else entirely.
The Q&A
Next, our Head of Partnerships, Kyle Snarr, sat down with Ryan for a conversation that picked up right where the film left off. The Signature Collection was designed with enthusiasts in mind, so it was only fitting that enthusiasts got the floor. Ryan fielded every question with the same candor he brought to our conversation in Dallas.
The Fossil Signature Lounge
From there, we headed upstairs to the Fossil Signature Lounge for a morning reception and the main event: the Signature Collection, in the metal, for the very first time. Photos and video can only take you so far. Wrist time is where a watch makes its case, and this collection made it convincingly.
The enthusiasm was impossible to miss, and it went both ways. Visitors tried on pieces, traded opinions, and sipped on morning mimosas. The Fossil team, who’ve lived with this collection for a long time, got to finally watch people meet it for the first time. You could see how much that meant to them.
Meet the CS-1
The watches doing the talking belong to Fossil Signature’s new CS-1, short for Case Study One. The name takes its cue from California’s mid-century Case Study House program, when architects set out to rethink the modern home through simplicity, honest materials, and timeless design. Fossil brings that same experimental spirit to the wrist.
The one we keep coming back to is the 38mm Three-Hand Date Automatic. Inside is a Swiss Sellita SW200-1 with a 41-hour power reserve, and through the exhibition caseback, you can watch the custom Fossil Signature rotor spin. Up front, there’s a record-textured dial, faceted markers beneath domed sapphire, and 100 meters of water resistance.
Looking for more complications? Fossil Signature has you covered. The 42mm Master Calendar Chronoquartz runs a Swiss triple-date chronograph movement and features a minted caseback. The Signature Collection’s logo is a triple diamond mark pulled right out of Fossil’s original logo lockup, but this time plated in gold, and standing as a triple diamond seal of quality.
The Fossil Signature Collection is a bold new chapter for Fossil, and watch enthusiasts showed up to read the first page. That’s about the best review a collection can get on day one. If you couldn’t make it, the film is the next best thing. You can also explore the full CS-1 Collection at fossil.com.
One more thank-you to Fossil for a fantastic partnership, to our team for pulling off a launch that ran like clockwork, and to all of you for showing up early and staying curious.
Images from this post:
The post Recapping Fossil Signature’s Launch at Windup Watch Fair NYC 2026 appeared first on Worn & Wound.

https://wornandwound.com/recapping-fossil-signatures-launch-at-windup-watch-fair-nyc-2026/

#fossilsignature #fairnyc #signaturecollection #ryan #ryanwhite #directorryan #creativedirector #seniorcreative #lounge

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Hands-on – The O&HoraPictor Smoked Ocean Volcano Grey ...

2026-10-30T20:06:33Z

Hands-on – The O&HoraPictor Smoked Ocean Volcano Grey Explores Enamelling, at a Fair Price

While O&HoraPictor might be a young brand we only discovered recently, our first experience with one of their watches left us very content with what they have to offer. The brand takes the centuries-old tradition of enamelling and gives it a new spin with fresh textures and colours, at attainable prices. This isn’t a revolutionary […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/hands-on-review-o-horapictor-smoked-ocean-volcano-grey-enamel-dial-sellita-sw200-specs-price-live-pics/

#enamelling

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Hands-on – Up Close and Personal with the Splendid De Bethune ...

2026-10-30T18:50:48Z

Hands-on – Up Close and Personal with the Splendid De Bethune DB25 Digitale

De Bethune is, without a doubt, one of my favourite independent watchmakers. And I’m not the only one on the MONO team who feels this way. I love the bold, futuristic design paired with incredible refinement, the almost philosophical approach of Denis Flageollet, the experimental work done on materials, the astronomical inspirations, and the sheer […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/de-bethune-db25-digitale-jumping-hour-review-price/

#digitale #bethune #denisflageollet

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Interview – Giving Artisans and Young Watchmakers a Platform ...

2026-10-30T17:25:51Z

Interview – Giving Artisans and Young Watchmakers a Platform – In Conversation with Baudouin Van Es of Tad Kozh

When Baudouin van Es set out to establish Tad Kozh, the goal was not simply to produce another limited-edition luxury timepiece. Instead, it was conceived as an incubator for heritage craftsmanship and a springboard for the next generation of independent watchmakers. By pairing independent manufactures with master artisans – giving those craftspeople full artistic carte […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/giving-artisans-and-young-watchmakers-a-platform-in-conversation-with-baudouin-van-es-of-tad-kozh/

#tadkozh #baudouinvan #giving #instead

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Farer Introduces the Stratton II Moonphase Maybe “trend” was ...

2026-10-29T19:35:04Z

Farer Introduces the Stratton II Moonphase

Maybe “trend” was always the wrong way to frame the watch industry’s collective obsession with stone dials? I don’t know about you, but I certainly feel like we might have reached a point where the stone dial is essentially just another colorway. Just as brands are expected to offer dials in blue, black, and white, perhaps we’ve reached that point where it should just be expected that they’ll offer an option (or several) in stone as well.
I like the look of a stone dial, but I admit I’m getting quite bored of seeing them invade my inbox on a daily basis. This is the perspective of a guy with a very particular view on all the stone dial action. I’m not a casual observer. I work in the industry and I see, at least to some extent, how the nuts and bolts of the business works, and at the moment brands are simply cashing in on an unprecedented interest in stone (and mother of pearl) dials. Stone dials were never actually “rare” but they felt special before this boom because they were so infrequently used. Access to these dials is now virtually unlimited and, presumably, pretty affordable. So the rush continues, to the point I think where it’s just a static part of our ecosystem.
And it’s that environment in which the newest member of the Farer Moonphase collection arrives. This is the Stratton II, the latest edition of what Farer says is their most popular moonphase model.
The centerpiece (literally) of the Stratton II is a new moonphase disc made in Switzerland by the firm AJS Productions. AJS uses a unique process using precision laser etching to create a photorealistic image of the moon for the dial of the Stratton II. According to Farer, multiple layers of paint and Super-LumiNova are etched into the disc, which is just 6mm in diameter.
When it comes to the representation of the moon for a moonphase complication, people tend to have strong preferences. There are basically three ways to depict the moon: an accurate to the eye representation like we see here with the Stratton II, a whimsical take like you’d see with Naoya Hida (think a smiling or winking moon and you get the idea), or a completely abstract moon, where the heavenly body itself is not depicted on the dial (ochs und junior comes to mind here).
Personally, I favor a whimsical take, so I’m not exactly predisposed to a design like this. But I will say that a photorealistic moon makes a ton of sense on this watch thanks to the stone dial being used. Farer is using black Eisenkiessel here, a type of quartz stone with prominent iron compunts that run through the material to give it texture and some drama. The stone takes on a gold-brown hue, which is a great match to the gold tone dial and moonphase disc.
The Stratton II’s cushion case measures 39mm in diameter and 11.8mm thick. It’s relatively short from lug to lug, at 45mm. Water resistance is rated to 50 meters, and the watch runs on the Sellita SW288-1, an Elaboré Grade movement with around 45 hours of power reserve.
As fatigued as I am with the onslaught of new stone dials coming to market, I have to give credit to Farer for at least pulling together a coherent design that doesn’t feel dashed off or slapped together. Even though it’s not to my own specific taste (like I said, give me a smiling, cartoon-like moon, please), it’s abundantly clear that someone took their time in designing this watch, and thought through all of the critical details.
The Farer Stratton II has a retail price of $2,175. Farer
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Introducing – Citizen Brings Damascus Steel and Forged Carbon ...

2026-10-29T18:54:30Z

Introducing – Citizen Brings Damascus Steel and Forged Carbon to a new Series 8 GMT

With its Series 8 collection of mechanical watches, Citizen has been delivering rather impressive models over the years, with the GMT collection being possibly the most appealing of them. Not only is it powered by a true GMT automatic movement (something rare in this price range), but Citizen has dared to bring singular designs, colours […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/citizen-series-8-gmt-damascus-steel-and-forged-carbon-nb6092-01e-introducing-price/

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What is a Microbrand? What is a microbrand? I think about this a ...

2026-10-29T18:14:52Z

What is a Microbrand?

What is a microbrand?
I think about this a lot, never more than in the days and weeks after a Windup, and particularly the days and weeks following the New York City version of our fair, which is the largest and most diverse in terms of the types of brands represented. We often hear people describe Windup as “the microbrand show” or something similar. Not in a pejorative way, necessarily, but as a way to distinguish it from an event like WatchTime (which is more focused on traditional luxury brands) or IndiesNYC (which, yup, is focused on “indies,” another hard to define term when you step back and actually try).
I don’t have an answer for what a “microbrand” actually is. Defining it gets more complicated when you consider all of the other small niches that pop up in the space. Terms like “micro-indie” and “challenger brand” have been thrown around a lot in the last few years, seemingly as an attempt to subvert a negative connotation with the microbrand moniker. But these terms have their own issues. Micro-indie implies, at least in how this publication has used it, that an element of the watch has some handmade craft or traditional watchmaking techniques behind it, but maybe uses a shortcut (like a case made in China, or an off-the-shelf movement) to save money. Not all brands and makers want to be seen as making compromises, even though essentially everyone short of, I dunno, Roger W. Smith and Philippe Dufour are making something about the process a little bit easier on themselves.
Challenger brand is a term with some potential, but it implies, I think, that a brand desires growth in a way I’m not sure all do. Who is the micro or indie brand “challenging” exactly, and for what? I don’t think most of these brands, even the most ambitious and successful, actually hope to compete directly with the largest conglomerate owned watch brands. They aspire, I think, to be an alternative, not to overtake or replace.
Microbrand has always been a label that’s somewhat elastic, both in how it’s applied and how it’s perceived and metabolized by the watch community. No doubt that when you use or hear the term, it conjures something. Depending on when you entered the hobby, or what your initial experiences with a microbrand were like, it might imply a particular design aesthetic or level of workmanship.
To me, what the microbrand label has come to represent more than anything is the connective tissue of the community itself. That’s the side effect of a catch-all term – it wraps everything into one group. Overall, I think that’s a positive for the watch space in the sense that so much of the success any one brand experiences hinges on the entire market rising. Watch collectors interested in microbrands, it seems, want variety and breadth of choice. One microbrand leads to another, and another. To be interested in one microbrand doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be interested in another, but it does mean you have a certain level of curiosity, and perhaps a predisposition to discovering and embracing a small maker. When a brand embraces the label of a microbrand, they are identifying with so many others, entering an enthusiast community, tacitly acknowledging we’re all in this together.
And that’s why, I admit, it bothers me a little when I see a brand actively reject the “micro” designation. I mean, I get it – no one wants to feel small. But a look around the Windup fair and similar events reveals an enormous, and inclusive, community that is greater than the sum of its parts. There was a time when “microbrand” was often used dismissively, to minimize the significance of a brand, a watch, or the community itself. That attitude still certainly exists in small pockets here and there, but it’s not a mainstream view. When the term is used today, I almost always hear it in a positive context, and as a way of tying a brand or a watch to the people who take part in the hobby.
What’s most interesting to me is that the terminology we use to describe these brands – micro, indie, or something else – no longer really has much to do with how the brand actually operates as a business. A decade ago, the use of the term microbrand likely would have you thinking of a very specific type of small watch brand, operating on a small scale, run by a single person (or maybe two or three), using Kickstarter or other crowdfunding platforms. Today, microbrands cover a huge range of price points, production methods, and sometimes incorporate traditional and increasingly ambitious watchmaking craft. The label means a lot more culturally than it does in describing a business, not that it was ever particularly sufficient for that anyway. Paradoxically, as this language becomes less useful to articulate how a brand actually operates, it becomes more meaningful in how it describes the communities that take part in the hobby.
The conversation then, about what it means to be a microbrand, isn’t really about size, or the number of watches being produced. And it’s not even really about price, although certainly once you start hitting a price point where most would consider a watch a luxury purchase, the term begins to lose some utility. What it’s actually about is an ethos, and identifying yourself with a movement and a culture. Maybe it’s the Windup hangover talking, but I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that the microbrand boom has been one of the most consequential and beneficial periods in our hobby in a generation. Why wouldn’t a brand want to be a part of that?
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Introducing – The Habring² x SJX Chrono Felix Perpetual ...

2026-10-29T15:32:24Z

Introducing – The Habring² x SJX Chrono Felix Perpetual “Star”

Our friends at SJX, the Singapore-based watch magazine founded by journalist Su Jiaxian, are back at it with yet another collaboration watch with Habring², the Austrian independent watchmaker (and one of the best-kept secrets on the indie scene). And how can we blame them, as we also did 2 projects with them (MdS1 and MdS4, […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/habring2-x-sjx-chrono-felix-perpetual-star-introducing-price/

#sjx #jiaxian

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Introducing – The New Norqain Wild ONE Skeleton X-Lite ...

2026-10-29T14:13:10Z

Introducing – The New Norqain Wild ONE Skeleton X-Lite Turquoise

At just 45 grams in weight, strap included, the Wild ONE Skeleton X-Lite is Norqain’s most advanced sports watch to date. It weighs next to nothing, but it is also built to withstand a proverbial beating if needed. The Norteq case, as well as the movement’s construction, are designed to withstand impacts of at least […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/introducing-norqain-wild-one-skeleton-x-lite-turquoise-limited-edition-sports-watch-specs-pics/

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Introducing – Glashütte Original Unveils the New Senator ...

2026-10-29T13:29:53Z

Introducing – Glashütte Original Unveils the New Senator Aventurine Collection

Glashütte Original’s Senator collection is largely defined by classic German watchmaking conventions and the brand’s signature Panorama Date. However, the manufacture has also used the Senator to showcase its more artistic side, with hand-painted Meissen porcelain dials. Joining the brand’s Atelier commissions is a new time-only duo of Senator models in precious metal cases with […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/glashutte-original-senator-aventurine-art-deco-blue-and-aventurine-art-nouveau-green-introducing-price/

#glashutteoriginal #collection #panoramadate #german #atelier #however

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First Look – Bell & Ross Blazes a Red and White Trail with ...

2026-10-29T11:32:01Z

First Look – Bell & Ross Blazes a Red and White Trail with the BR-05 Chrono Snow Rocket

Since its introduction in 2020, the Bell & Ross BR-05 Chrono has appeared in quite a few different guises. The Green Steel brought a bright green dial into the mix, as well as mechanical updates. Then there was the A523, created with the Alpine Formula One team, or the Patrouille de France edition. The new […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/bell-and-ross-br-05-chrono-snow-rocket-edition-ski-theme-review-price/

#snowrocket #whitetrail #rossblazes #chronosnow #firstlook #bell #alpineformula #greensteel

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E.C. Andersson is Back with the Cpt, their Take on a Dress Watch ...

2026-10-29T03:31:10Z

E.C. Andersson is Back with the Cpt, their Take on a Dress Watch (Sort Of)

Last month, the Swedish brand E.C. Andersson caught our attention with the release of the Timepod, a funky square watch with a unique detachable lug system. Zach Weiss and I were both pretty taken with it and even discussed at some length on the podcast. This is a brand that is appealing not just for their quality and design aesthetic, but their unique approach to manufacturing and watchmaking, making many components in-house in their own studio, and sometimes coming up with solutions to problems that don’t actually exist (that’s watchmaking in a nutshell in 2026).
Their latest effort, the Cpt, is pitched as something a little more traditional than the Timepod or the Mytilus, the watch that initially made me take notice of the brand. The Cpt is described by E.C. Andersson as “Our take on a dress watch, sort of.” That last clause is doing some heavy lifting. This is a watch that straddles stylistic lines between nautical inspiration and midcentury dress watches but clearly retains E.C. Andersson’s core aesthetic, which at this point is pretty well defined by things like dial texture, and the shape of indices, which are more suggestive and abstract than traditional hour markers.
The Cpt comes in a compact 36.5mm case that measures 8.5mm tall, not including the boxed sapphire crystal, another hallmark of the brand. The case is designed to be robust yet elegant, and has a full 100 meters of water resistance. In photos, it doesn’t present as a tool watch, and has a mix of brushed and polished elements that make me think the Cpt could be pretty versatile depending on things like strap pairings and your choice of attire.
The Cpt is made in two dial variants, Midnight Blue and Bright Silver. Both feature applied markers that effectively point to the cardinal positions but are elongated to cover a wider expanse of the dial’s perimeter. There’s a minute track just outside of these markers for precision. It’s a simple and relatively minimalist design, but thanks to the nature of the applied markers there still appears to be quite a bit of depth to these dials.
E.C. Andersson notes that the Cpt’s components are manufactured by their production partners, which is a shift from the Mytilus and Timepod, which they machine in their own facilities. They do state that regulation of the movement is done in-house (it’s a Miyota 9039 with 42 hours of power reserve).
The Cpt is priced at $995, but unfortunately both variants are sold out at the moment. Only 45 pieces in each dial variant were made. Prospective customers are able to sign up on the E.C. Andersson website for notifications of restocks.
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#cpt #andersson #take #sort #both #brightsilver #midnightblue

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The Pulsar “Adventurer” 7T62-X084: A Tool Watch Taken to the ...

2026-10-29T01:35:39Z

The Pulsar “Adventurer” 7T62-X084: A Tool Watch Taken to the Next Level

I’ve never claimed to be much of an outdoorsman, but it never hurts to keep a few rugged and utilitarian watches in the watch box. Even a leisurely stroll in a local park can warrant the wear of a tool watch; it feels fitting to be prepped for whatever the outdoors may have in store. The Pulsar 7T62-X084 is a watch few have seen and even fewer have owned. I spent hours hunting down any information I could gather in preparation for this deep dive article, quickly realizing this model is in desperate need of a nickname––a canon event in the life of many Seiko watches. I’d like to coin the “Adventurer” moniker in hopes of making future discourse regarding this watch a bit easier to find in forums and on social media. For all the tool watches Seiko and Pulsar have offered over the years, I was shocked to find that no other model has ever borne that nickname. With its fresh new name picked out, let’s take a deep dive into the X084’s many functions and discover why it’s one of the most underrated Pulsar models the company has ever produced.
The Adventurer’s History and Variants
Because online information on the X084 is incredibly scarce, I’ll use expired auction listings, blogs, and other assorted photographs to build the most comprehensive history I can. Using Seiko/Pulsar’s serial-number coding methods, most, if not all, of the examples I’ve found were manufactured in 2005. For those unaware, the coding formula doesn’t provide enough information regarding the decade, only the last digit of the year. This would mean, upon first glance, one might think this watch was either released in 1995 or 2005. Using the history of the 7T62 movement, which was introduced by Seiko in 2002, it’s clear the X084 was released somewhere around 2005. I can’t find any other examples from ’04, ’06, or any other year for that matter, so I suspect this specific model likely had quite a short run of production.
The U.S. and potentially European markets received two variants of the X084 model: one in military green, and the other in black. The Japanese market got the same models but under the Alba branding. They also received an additional blue colorway that is even more rare than its already uncommon counterparts (shown here by a dealer in Indonesia). From what I can tell, these models were offered on the color-matched nylon two-piece band my example has, a color-matched leather bund strap, or a bracelet. For durability’s sake, I think the nylon band is a more suitable pairing.
Functionality and Aesthetics
Let’s get the elephant out of the room and mention the X084’s massive sizing right off the bat. The main portion of the case measures in at around 43mm, but the eyelet bump-out pushes the sizing to almost 47.5mm in diameter. This isn’t a watch meant for every wrist, but there are many who would be surprised at how easy they can pull it off. Finding replacement bands or bracelets is thankfully a relative breeze because of the watch’s 22mm lug width. I’ve paired mine on a Miltat bracelet in the past, adding even more heft to an already large piece (when you’re already down the bulk rabbit hole, you might as well stay awhile). I find the watch’s overall design to be well executed, especially its symmetry. My only gripe is the static, non-rotating bezel that I will never be a fan of. It makes any watch feel cheaper than it is, regardless of actual price or brand. Thankfully, however, the X084 has plenty more functionality up its substantial sleeves.
The 7T62 movement has always been highly touted as a workhorse of the Seiko catalog. Its plastic components are known to wear away over time, but its availability on the used market ensures a movement swap will be easily obtainable to even the most amateur of watch collectors. Getting down to the meat and potatoes of the watch’s specs, the movement offers a calendar, a 60-minute chronograph, and an alarm function. One of my favorite parts of the 7T62 (and predecessor 7T32) is the implementation of two hands for the alarm function. It’s a minor characteristic, but one that makes alarm setting far more fun and precise. The movement’s overall accuracy of +/-15 seconds per month is equally as impressive now as it was when first released. Its application here is more than welcome, as a timepiece made for outdoor escapades requires a trusty movement to power it.
Examining the actual case of this model reveals the real fun bits the Adventurer has to offer. That eyelet I mentioned before is something I’ve hardly seen in the watch design space. Though I haven’t found official documentation explaining what its intended use is, a loop to tie a lanyard or paracord is the most probable answer. One Reddit user pointed out the eyelet could be utilized in tandem with the reflective case back to aim light reflections at airplanes in emergency situations––everyone loves a good two-for-one opportunity. Below the crystal sits an inner compass bezel that is rotatable via the crown at 10 o’clock. Perhaps the X084’s most unique design characteristic is the flip-top magnifying lens. It slightly enlarges the dial for easier viewing, though its use in magnifying small print or even starting fires in direct sunlight is what makes it a much-appreciated feature. I’ll admit I don’t plan on sitting stationary for several minutes hoping to catch a piece of paper on fire with this magnifying lens and watch, but hey, the option is there.
Buyer’s Guide and Conclusion
I highly recommend adding a Pulsar Adventurer 7T62-X084 to your collection if an example is found on offer. At the time of writing, there are four examples listed for under $200 on eBay: three in the green colorway and one in black. The original bands may not be of much importance to every collector, especially with the 22mm lug width, but be on the lookout for the color-matched straps in case they are of any interest. Again, movement-wise, the 7T62 should serve the average wearer quite well with proper upkeep and cleaning. Always be on the lookout for cheap, working Seiko and Pulsar models that utilize the 7T62 movement, as parts and movements are always encouraged to keep on hand.
The Adventurer is a watch unlike any other in most any collector’s watch box. Its functionality and aesthetics, paired with its exceptionally low price point compared to similar tool watches of its type, make it an enticing piece to keep an eye out for. I sourced mine years ago in a low-priced eBay listing entitled “Green Pulsar Men’s Watch,” so hope is always out there that another example will pop up for a song as well. Always remember: one man’s basic watch is another man’s prized rarity. The joy of collecting seldom-seen and weird watch models from well-known brands comes from their “if you know, you know-ability.” The X084 is no exception, offering a fantastic value proposition to any collector interested in owning such a utilitarian and unique wristwatch.
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#tool #adventurer #seiko #history #even

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First Look – The Girard-Perragaux Laureato Fifty Three Gold ...

2026-10-28T19:09:19Z

First Look – The Girard-Perragaux Laureato Fifty Three Gold Bridges, with New Gold Accents

Girard-Perregaux released the Laureato collection in 1975 to meet the growing demand for integrated-style sports watches. Debuting just three years after the 1972 blueprint for the genre, it remains one of the earliest examples of a luxury sports watch. Following the classic time-and-date Laureato Fifty released to celebrate the watch’s 50th anniversary in 2025, Girard-Perregaux […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/2026-girard-perragaux-laureato-fifty-three-gold-bridges-permanent-collection-review-price/

#laureatofifty

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Introducing – The New Vacheron Constantin The Legend of the ...

2026-10-28T12:08:47Z

Introducing – The New Vacheron Constantin The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac “Year of the Goat”

According to the Chinese zodiac, the Lunar New Year in February 2027 will usher in the Year of the Goat, the eighth animal of the twelve-year cycle. To mark the occasion, Vacheron Constantin pays tribute to the Year of the Goat with two watches that unite technical ingenuity and artistic craftsmanship. A sophisticated hands-free display […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/vacheron-constantin-metiers-dart-the-legend-of-the-chinese-zodiac-year-of-the-goat-2027-introducing/

#vacheronconstantin #chinesezodiac #newvacheron #goat #lunarnew #legend #february

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First Look – The Laurent Ferrier Grand Sport Tourbillon Iceberg ...

2026-10-28T08:09:30Z

First Look – The Laurent Ferrier Grand Sport Tourbillon Iceberg

While the more compact and more accessible Sport Auto and Sport Traveller are often seen as the cool kids on the block, we tend to forget that the whole integrated sports watch style at Laurent Ferrier started with a far more complex and larger watch, the Grand Sport Tourbillon. Born from Mister Ferrier’s passion for […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/laurent-ferrier-grand-sport-tourbillon-iceberg-titanium-integrated-sports-watch-review-price/

#sporttourbillon #grandsport #laurentferrier #sporttraveller #mister

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Sinn Announces their Autumn Novelties It’s finally autumn (even ...

2026-10-27T21:45:26Z

Sinn Announces their Autumn Novelties

It’s finally autumn (even here in California), which means changing leaves, tasty hot beverages, and a smattering of new Sinn novelties. Like the coziest cafe array of apple ciders, hot chocolates, and pumpkin spice lattes, this latest trio of pieces from the German independent are as diverse as they are classically Sinn-flavored. You may not be surprised by the clean and efficient designs that the brand is known for, but Sinn has a rather colorful surprise up their sleeve—read on to find out more.
556 I FAZ II Green and Orange Limited Editions
Love your watches simple and tactical, but want a little more color on the wrist? The new 556 I FAZ II may be for you. Made in collaboration with respected Sunday newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), it comes in two appropriately fall-flavored colors—orange and green—but maintains the reliable pilot watch legibility and functionality to keep the design subtle and professional. The stainless steel and satinized case has a diameter of 38.5mm with a thickness of 11mm (including the sapphire crystal), making it solid but not big, which should bode well for the vast majority of wrist sizes. In classic Sinn fashion, the dial is kept free of distraction, with just the Sinn logo at 12 o’clock, and a date window at 6.
The dial itself is crisp electroplated silver to match the off-white hue of newsprint, providing excellent contrast with the orange and green accents respectively. Depending on which color model you choose, the indices and hands will bear outlines in said color, while a matching textile strap brings extra pop. Leather straps are also available, with the green edition sporting a matching hue; the orange model, somewhat disappointingly, only offers gray if you opt for the leather. A hardy Calibre SW200-1 movement beats inside, giving these 556s a long history of Sinn reliability and serviceability, all visible through an exhibition caseback. Each model is limited to 100 pieces. The retail price is $2,370.
105 Eintracht
Looking for something a little more obviously German? If you’re also a football fan, you’re in luck: the new 105 Eintracht model pays homage to the storied Frankfurt club, while sticking close to the utilitarian appeal of a classic Sinn tool watch. It measures in at 41mm in case diameter, 11.9mm in thickness, and 46.5mm lug-to-lug, giving it a strong presence that isn’t overly beefy. The stainless steel case is finished in matte black—a Sinn signature look—and matches the bezel, which is additionally TEGIMENTed, meaning this 105 will be an excellent rugged everyday carry choice given its strong resistance to scratches and damage.
Inside, a Calibre SW200-1 movement is visible through an exhibition caseback. The bidirectional bezel provides a 60-minute scale, and a clever link to football: the 45-minute half period is highlighted in contrasting red. It’s a cheeky touch that’s more subtle than the obvious Eintracht logo at 6 o’clock, though said logo is classic and classy as far as club badges go, meaning a casual fan or non-football enthusiast can still enjoy the aesthetics of the watch, especially on the sporty provided textile and rubber straps. The Eintracht Edition is limited to 500 pieces, though, and I would wager that all 500 of those will go to supporters of both the club and its Frankfurt watchmaker neighbor. The retail price is $3.260.
140 A S Anniversary Space Chronograph Limited Edition
Fear not, whimsy haters—Sinn hasn’t abandoned their stalwart no-nonsense tool watch aesthetic. The 140 A S Anniversary edition takes the iconic chronograph and ups the technical specifications, starting with the Sinn SZ01 chronograph movement, the defining feature of which is its proprietary center-mounted 60-minute stopwatch hand with a jumping minute indication, meant for lightning-quick and clear recorded time readings. The minute scale around the diameter of the dial rounds out the timekeeping functions, and both it and the stopwatch hand are luminescent.
The watch is meant to celebrate the 65th anniversary of Sinn, and the anniversary of the D1 Spacelab mission of 1985, on which physicist and astronaut Reinhard Furrer wore a Lemania 5100-powered 140 S with an impressive and iconic self-winding mechanical chronograph that functioned reliably, even in zero gravity. It was a vital part of Sinn’s watchmaking history, and they look to continue that legacy with the new Anniversary Edition.
The most eye-catching feature of the 140 A S is its stark black finish: the stainless steel case features a combination of polished and satinized finishes and sports TEGIMENT technology, making it extremely scratch-resistant. Additional identifying Sinn features like D3-system protection on the push buttons and crown, and Ar-Dehumidying tech keep the watch from fogging or bogging down in low pressure or particularly humid environments, with obligatory water resistance up to 100 meters.
Stylistically, the 140 A S is classically Sinn. 44mm in case diameter, 15.5mm in height, and 46mm lug-to-lug, it’s not a small watch, and the equally busy dial affirms its purpose as a real tool, not just wrist candy. Still, it bears white subdials at 6 and 9 o’clock, contrasting with the black dial, and the seconds and stopwatch hands provide pop with their warm yellow hue. The date window is tucked away at 3, flanked by the SZ01 movement and Ar logos. It’s a beautifully organized layout that oozes functionality, but not at the expense of legibitilty—a Sinn hallmark. The 140 A S Anniversary Space Chronograph is limited to 300 pieces. The retail price is $6,980. Sinn
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#sinn #novelties #autumn #faz #orange #green #german #allgemeinezeitung #calibre #eintracht

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First Look – The New Nomos Club 38, a Fan’s Favourite Gets a ...

2026-10-27T17:36:03Z

First Look – The New Nomos Club 38, a Fan’s Favourite Gets a Larger Variant

While the Tangente hand-wound undoubtedly remains the most emblematic watch you can get from Nomos, and one of the most accessible models too, there’s another fairly priced option from the brand that has long been a fan’s favourite: the Club. A simple, fresher, sportier take on the brand’s watchmaking and design codes, it was launched […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/2026-nomos-club-38-collection-review-price/

#club #fan

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Does Harry Styles’ Latest Corp-Core Costuming Tell Us Something ...

2026-10-27T17:04:03Z

Does Harry Styles’ Latest Corp-Core Costuming Tell Us Something About the Staying Power of Classic Watchmaking?

I hail from the boyband era. NSYNC was not my first concert but my second, following the Spice Girls. However, the allure of the pop group seems to fade with age. By the time One Direction came around, I had graduated from college, and my musical tastes had shifted to bands like Vampire Weekend, The 1975, and Chvrches. Now, a decade since the quintet dismantled, the concept of an ensemble seems nearly obsolete in the age of Gen Z and Gen Alpha. So, perhaps Justin Timberlake and Harry Styles had the right idea to branch out on their own, become solo artists, and evolve not just musically but in other forms of self-expression.
Circling back to first concerts, I recently took my 10-year-old niece to hers at Harry Styles’ Madison Square Garden residency. Like any good watch nerd, I immediately noticed a timepiece on his wrist during the show and could vaguely ID the model – something simple, classic, and square, perhaps a Cartier. Turns out I was right – I did a quick search, and the internet confirmed it was not just a Cartier but a vintage one at that – an 18-karat gold Tank Louis on a black leather strap to be exact.
If you’ve been unable to escape the Harry Styles fandom over the years, you’re well aware he’s known for his audacious, colorful, and flamboyant looks that defy gender norms – think glitter, pearls, and feather boas, literally – something you might pair with a watch from an independent like Moser or Studio Underd0g. Yet, at his New York City residency, his choice of watch was not the only thing that was simple and classic. His entire look was totally different – restrained and understated coupled with a more subdued color palette.
After the show, I couldn’t get the costuming and choice of watch out of my head, and I went down a rabbit hole, trying to make sense of what seemed to be a drastic shift in self-expression. I soon found a term the kids these days are calling corp-core (short for corporate core). Apparently, this is a new fashion trend that reimagines the traditional 9-5 business attire into something more everyday.
What’s even more fascinating to me is that the pivot to corp-core for this residency came from the brain of Styles’ longtime stylist whose name also happens to be Harry – Harry Lambert – a man who has been pivotal in growing the musician’s bold and gender-fluid wardrobe over the course of Styles’ career. I had to know more. So, I began researching Lambert more broadly and found that his approach often incorporates elements of contrast and nostalgia while challenging traditional menswear rules by mixing classic vintage pieces with more trendy modern ones from emerging designers, which we see in Styles’ costuming like Stefan Cooke, JW Anderson, and Talia Byre.
The spiral in my brain continued – I got to thinking about a question from someone in the Worn & Wound community on a recent Q&A episode of the podcast. The person identified themselves as a casual dresser, which they believed excluded them from being a dress watch kind of person – this begged the question, how could they incorporate a dress watch into this kind of lifestyle and personal style. The resounding answer from Zach Kazan, Taylor, and me was that these hard lines and delineations between dressy and sport (to put it in watch terms) have largely blurred. I didn’t know it at the time, but I think we were talking about corp-core or at least a similar line of thought.
This extends to broader fashion as well. Look at denim, which evolved from workwear into high fashion. Look at workplace dress codes, which have largely evolved from business attire to business casual. I think this corp-core movement is doing the same thing. It’s unbuttoning classic suiting (pun intended) in a fresh and carefree way. It’s transforming some of menswear’s most familiar silhouettes, like the suit, which bears centuries of associations. It’s uncovering new possibilities in garments that already carry cultural meaning. Isn’t this precisely what the industry is trying to do with traditional watchmaking? To retain the core principles and essence that have laid the foundation for this industry for hundreds of years but in a way that doesn’t take itself so incredibly seriously? In a way that makes us think and rethink about what a watch can be?
Let’s come back to Cartier as a case study. While the brand has plenty of traditional round models throughout the history of its catalog alongside totally abstract models like the Crash, Cartier has long been synonymous with the square case shape of the Tank. Something interesting about the Tank that (in my opinion) people don’t talk about enough is that since its inception in 1917 – nearly a century before the movement to define watches as gender neutral – it’s largely been treated as a unisex watch. Today, I would go so far as to say the Tank is one of the most popular watches among women. It’s no coincidence that Styles and Lambert chose this particular “simple and classic” model among all the relatively similar options out there – be it more quietly, it’s a perfect fit for the musician’s androgynous personal style.
Styles is not the first to bring renewed cultural relevance to the Tank beyond its broader significance in the watch industry. The model has been worn by many notable individuals over the years, but the one I’d like to draw particular attention to is Andy Warhol who in fact wore a nearly identical model to Styles: an 18-karat gold Tank Louis on a black alligator strap. Again, I feel this is no coincidence. Like Styles, Warhol was known for bold self-expression through his personal style with a notable mix of classic and avant-garde elements like pairing more traditional suiting with opulent so-called feminine accessories like diamond necklaces. Were he alive today, I think he might be a fan of corp-core.
So, if you’re still with me on this journey sparked by Harry Styles’ attire and wrist game during his latest residency, you may be wondering about the takeaway from all this. What comes to mind for me is one of the biggest concerns within the watch industry in the past few years: the anticipation of Millennials and later Gen Z beginning to hold the most spending power in the coming decades. As a Millennial, I’m acutely aware I’m part of the last generation to have experienced the so-called analog world before the internet, cell phones, social media, and so on. I understand why a literal analog industry would be unsettled about their fate being in the hands of digital age consumers.
If movements like corp-core continue to take shape in the zeitgeist thanks to pop-icons like Styles, I believe new generations will continue to think and rethink about what classic styling – from suiting to watchmaking – means to them in the particular place and time in which they’re living. I believe they will always have an opportunity to shape the way a model like the Tank is understood culturally – to give a familiar design new relevance.
The post Does Harry Styles’ Latest Corp-Core Costuming Tell Us Something About the Staying Power of Classic Watchmaking? appeared first on Worn & Wound.

https://wornandwound.com/does-harry-styles-latest-corp-core-costuming-tell-us-something-about-the-staying-power-of-classic-watchmaking/

#harry #classic #harrylambert #spicegirls #like #genalpha #vampireweekend #cartier

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Introducing – The Moritz Grossmann Hamatic, now with Black ...

2026-10-27T16:28:44Z

Introducing – The Moritz Grossmann Hamatic, now with Black Enamel Dial

Moritz Grossmann continues to celebrate the 200th anniversary of its founder, Carl Moritz Grossmann (1826-1885), a key figure in Glashütte’s rise as a powerhouse of German watchmaking. After releasing seven anniversary models this year, the brand is launching a second celebratory edition of its unique Hamatic watch, powered by a pendulum-style hammer weight. Although the […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/moritz-grossmann-hamatic-enamel-black-dial-limited-edition-introducing-price/

#moritzgrossmann #carlmoritz #hamatic #german #glashutte

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First Look – Elka Watch Co. Launches a Vintage-Looking Series ...

2026-10-27T15:07:55Z

First Look – Elka Watch Co. Launches a Vintage-Looking Series with the “Tour des Chavannes”

Despite reviving a defunct Dutch name, the young microbrand Elka Watch Co., Hakim El Kadiri’s project, is now firmly rooted in Swiss heritage. El Kadiri went to the point of creating a surprising pair, combining a Neuchâtel-based single malt whisky and a special edition of his minimalist watch with an amber-toned dial to match. And […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/elka-watch-co-launches-a-vintage-looking-series-with-the-tour-des-chavannes/

#firstlook #elka #kadiri #launches #hakim #swiss

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The Connection Between Watches and Cars Beyond Racing There are ...

2026-10-27T09:52:09Z

The Connection Between Watches and Cars Beyond Racing

There are many crossovers between watches and other spheres, from diving and broader sports to exploration of the skies and outer space. Possibly one of the most poignant and deeply rooted connections is between watches and cars. This link largely traces back to early automobile racing and the need for precise speed and distance calculations.
Pocket chronographs with tachymetric scales and specialized dashboard-mounted chronometers became standard equipment. The popularization of the wristwatch went on to evolve this relationship, allowing race car drivers to calculate lap times and average speeds directly on their wrists. This is where we saw the birth of models like the Omega Speedmaster, the Heuer Autavia and Monaco, and the Rolex Daytona. It would be a bit later until we saw the debut of the chronograph we’re here to discuss today – but more on that later.When it comes to cross-industry partnerships, I would go so far as to say the one between watches and car racing is one of the most significant – and lucrative. The Monaco and the Daytona have gone on to bear additional significance because of their wearers, bringing the models out of the racing world itself and into the pop culture zeitgeist with actor Steve McQueen sporting the Monaco in the film Le Mans and actor and racer Paul Newman sporting the Daytona. Thanks to these associations, these models have gone on to achieve millions if not tens of millions of dollars at the auction block, with the Paul Newman Daytona setting the record for a vintage watch and becoming the so-called holy grail of collectible chronographs as well as arguably skyrocketing the Daytona collection as a whole into one of the most highly sought after in the market.
Outside of the hype around watches and racing, there’s actually a much deeper connection between watches and cars as well as their collecting communities. I remember first being made aware of some parallels in my early days entering the watch industry. When I tried to explain this wild world I was getting into, I often found myself describing the technical complexity of watches in the context of cars – the movement is like the engine, I would tell my friends and family, but imagine how impressive all that engineering and mechanics is on a small scale! I got my start in watches in the pre-owned market, which looked vastly different in 2012 than it does today. One of the first things I was told by my employer was that watches were just like cars when it comes to value – the minute you “drive them off the lot,” they depreciate. When it comes to watch collecting, we’ve increasingly seen this is not always the case, but it remains the reality of car collecting. Candidly, this has made me respect car collectors even more – they are not in it for the money, and it’s really all about the passion and dare I say nerdery.I experienced this passion and nerdery firsthand at the Audrain Concours of Elegance in Newport, Rhode Island – I also experienced the common values between these two worlds of cars and watches. I was brought to the event by its presenting partner who you likely know well: A. Lange & Sohne (which might give you a hint to the aforementioned chronograph we’ll unpack). In the time I’ve known the brand’s CEO, Wilhelm Schmid, I’ve come to realize he’s really a car guy – this is where he got his start. His dad was a car dealer, and this informed his early appreciation for both design and mechanics. Schmid tried his hand at being a mechanic, but it was short lived, and he went on to university instead. Yet, he quickly found himself back in the automotive world after graduation, first at what is now known as British Petroleum (BP), where he eventually became the Global Account Manager for BMW. It comes as no surprise his next role was at BMW before eventually shifting out of the car space and into watches as the CEO of A. Lange & Sohne for nearly 16 years.
However, the relationship between A. Lange & Sohne and cars is not the typical approach many watchmakers take – there is no brand partnership with a specific maker, no co-branded watches, and no car paint on the dial. Instead, it is that deeper shared ethos. “In the 90s when the brand was being rebuilt, you must remember there was really no plan – no archives to refer back to,” Schmid explains. “At this time, probably the strongest expression of German quality was Mercedes – closing a door of a Mercedes, both the sound and the feel is very solid, very specific,” he continues. “Mr. Blumlein, the co-founder who helped revive the brand with Walter Lange, said that whenever someone touches one of our watches, puts on one of our watches, that is the feeling he wanted to create. So, it was never about emulating the design of the car,” Schmid stresses. “It was about imparting the same values and experience.”
A. Lange & Sohne’s work with the Concours of Elegance began years later with that same foundation of shared values. It started in 2012 with a single event, the Italian Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este at Lake Como and has since expanded to three total events including the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace and the Audrain Newport Concours d’Elegance. “This value system translates to the concours events,” confirms Schmid. “Our value system is the craftsmanship and skilled people that work on watches, the many hours that go into every watch. It is our interesting history – a family company gone for 40 years, then coming back. Of course, there is our very strong design language – very German design language – of legibility and robustness,” he continues. “The cars at the concours are exactly about these same three things. You needed very skilled people to build them in the first place, and now, you need very skilled people to keep them on the road. They all have a great history, and they have a design that is as appealing today as it was when they were new. These are the common denominators we share.”
There is another inextricable link between cars and watches – the chronograph – and when it comes to chronographs, A. Lange & Sohne is one of the most significant brands in the history of the complication. “Even by today’s standards, many people still feel it is the benchmark for the chronograph,” Schmid emphasizes. The brand’s work in the realm of chronographs traces back to 1999. That year, A. Lange & Sohne became the first brand to serially produce a chronograph caliber built entirely in-house from the ground up as opposed to the standard, outsourced modular add-ons or modified ebauche movements used at the time. This caliber made its debut in the brand’s Datograph. “Did you know I saw the Datograph before it was launched when I was working for IWC?” asks Tony De Haas, A. Lange & Sohne’s Director of Product Development. “I was in Schaffhausen, the headquarters where Blumlein had Les Manufactures Horlogeres (LMH) with IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, and A. Lange & Sohne,” he continues. “I was going to give my notice to go to Renaud & Papi, and when I went to Mr. Blumlein’s office, he was wearing the prototype of the Datograph – I had never seen anything like it.”When A. Lange & Sohne entered its renaissance just five years prior to the launch of the Datograph, three of the four inaugural models debuted the brand’s now instantly recognizable and signature outsize date, inspired by the iconic clock built in 1841 for the Semper Opera House in Dresden – a clock Ferdinand Adolph Lange helped create. “The brand was forced to lower the two subdials of the chronograph because of the outsize date,” De Haas explains. “You can’t put them at the same level in the middle because of the units disc of the outsize date just passing next to the minute counter. So, there was no other solution than to create their own movement that could accommodate this layout. But the decision to make the chronograph movement was not just a practical one,” he clarifies. “You must understand at this time, the industry was still crawling out of a deep hole from the quartz crisis – the industry was not expecting another brand, especially from Germany, to come to market. Mr. Blumlein knew the brand needed to differentiate,” he continues. “This is why from the beginning A. Lange & Sohne built its own movements, which was revolutionary right after the quartz crisis – most brands used base movements because it’s an investment to build a movement from scratch and things were too uncertain to put in that time and money.”
While the design of the Datograph collection has changed, most significantly with the introduction of the Datograph Up/Down in 2012, that revolutionary movement architecture of the original has largely continued to serve as the foundation, even with the upgraded power reserve. In addition, A. Lange & Sohne has built on this chronograph design, incorporating additional complications beyond the trademark outsize date and the power reserve indicator introduced in the Up/Down. One of the most notable came in 2006, six years prior to the transition to the Up/Down configuration. That year, the brand launched the Datograph Perpetual. As the name suggests, this model incorporated a perpetual calendar into the design. Now, on the 20th anniversary of the model and on the significant day of October 24 – the date of the brand’s official rebirth and presentation of its initial collections in 1994 – A. Lange & Sohne unveils the next evolution of the Datograph Perpetual.For the newest incarnation, you have a 950-platinum case in contrast with a black dial set with baguette-cut diamond hour markers, each applied by hand. The in-house chronograph function lays the groundwork with a classic column-wheel design. However, this time, we have a flyback chronograph, making it possible to stop an ongoing measurement and to start a new one with the activation of a pusher. The functionality extends with the addition of the perpetual calendar, which displays the date in the signature outsize date window at 12 o’clock as well as the day of week in a concentric circle within the small seconds register at 8 o’clock and the month within the inner circle of the register for the minute counter of the chronograph at 4 o’clock, maintaining the symmetry of the Datograph design while still remaining highly legible – one of the core tenants of the brand.
Tucked at 6 o’clock, you’ll find the moonphase complication. All of the calendar indications as well as the moonphase display can be jointly advanced with the rapid-correction pusher at 10 o’clock, protected by a safety mechanism to prevent inadvertent activation. In addition, they can also be separately adjusted with individual recessed correctors. This packed design fits into 41mm and is powered by the manually wound L952.1 caliber made up of 556 individual parts, 223 of which fuel the calendar mechanism. The model is topped off with an integrated five-row platinum bracelet secured with a deployant buckle.
For more information, including pricing, head over directly to A. Lange & Sohne.
Images from this post:
The post The Connection Between Watches and Cars Beyond Racing appeared first on Worn & Wound.

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#daytona #cars #racing #paulnewman #omegaspeedmaster #heuerautavia

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Ralph Lauren Launches New Western Cushions in a Smaller Size, and ...

2026-10-27T08:42:23Z

Ralph Lauren Launches New Western Cushions in a Smaller Size, and the New Nautical Collection

Every so often, I find that I need to talk about the watches of Ralph Lauren. It’s possible, I think, that the Ralph Lauren brand is one of the most underrated, misunderstood corners of watchmaking. Most casual and even not-so-casual observers probably assume that Ralph Lauren watches are “fashion watches,” and it makes a certain amount of sense why they’d reach that conclusion. While many of the watches in their collection flirt with the fashion watch moniker, there’s a lot of interesting design and watchmaking happening at the higher end, and I’ve always found it fascinating how their watches complement the extremely established aesthetic of the brand. Ralph Lauren is so omnipresent in culture, the mention of the name immediately conjures something in the mind’s eye, and a lot of the watches do a remarkably good job of reflecting that.
Two recent Ralph Lauren releases have caught my eye in the last few weeks, and they’ve flown mostly under the radar to this point, which I think is a shame. First up, the new Nautical collection. These are 42mm stainless steel watches that are not exactly divers or sport watches, but take their inspiration from marine chronometers and other instruments you might encounter on a ship. This is underscored by the weathered brass finish (a PVD treatment) to the case and bracelet. I normally have mixed feelings about the application of faux patina, but I can’t deny that I love the look of a weathered case, apparently whether it’s natural or applied simply to create an aesthetic effect.
There are two dial options, one in off white and the other in black. The dial layout recalls the brand’s 867 collection of dress watches, which uses a mix of Roman and Arabic numerals. Also in common with that collection is the use of a high end movement made by Piaget, the automatic RL514 in this case. The new Nautical collection watches retail for $12,000. That’s an expensive proposition to be sure, and there are many, many great options if you’re shopping for a watch in the $10-$15,000 segment. What I think this watch offers is a clarity of vision and intent that is hard to find. It’s not generic, so if the style and inspiration resonate, there won’t be much else on the market that really exists as a comp. Whether that’s worth the price tag is of course a more personal question.
The other recent release from Ralph Lauren that is, to me, even more interesting, is a new batch of watches in the brand’s Western series. The Western watch is a point of fascination for me (and others, it’s been called the “greatest American watch ever made” by Instagrammer @watchopinions, which is an amazing take even if I don’t fully agree with it). The new Western Cushion 38mm is a scaled down version of the watch from the 42mm watch, but it still features the hand engraved silver case and, in these initial variants, dials in black lacquer, off-white, and turquoise stone.
The new Western watches feature the same RL514 calibers found in the Nautical pieces, and leather straps embossed with motifs inspired by the American west. These watches are quintessentially “not for everyone,” obviously, but I’ve always been a fan for the way they lean into such a specific, possibly imagined vision of the American Southwest, something Ralph Lauren has been trading in for years.
The new Western Cushion 38mm watches retail for $26,000 in white and black, and $29,000 in turquoise. Ralph Lauren
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The post Ralph Lauren Launches New Western Cushions in a Smaller Size, and the New Nautical Collection appeared first on Worn & Wound.

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#ralphlauren #smallersize #laurenlaunches #newnautical #nauticalcollection #westerncushions

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Hands-on – Wren’s Unexpected Take on the Integrated Sports ...

2026-10-26T17:43:49Z

Hands-on – Wren’s Unexpected Take on the Integrated Sports Watch, The Vessel

If you’ve recently been following the buzzing micro-brand scene, you’ve probably heard about NYC-based brand Wren. Founded in 2024 by Craig Karger, who’s also behind Wrist Enthusiast, the brand has, for now, exclusively produced vintage-inspired dive watches. And yet, only two years after its creation, the brand has decided to revise its design language entirely and […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/wren-vessel-meteorite-integrated-steel-sports-watch-review-price/

#integratedsports #unexpectedtake #vessel #wren #craigkarger #wristenthusiast

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Introducing – The Full-White Hautlence Sphere Series 5 Since ...

2026-10-26T14:18:43Z

Introducing – The Full-White Hautlence Sphere Series 5

Since the Sphere’s introduction in 2023, Hautlence has offered its unconventional creation in different colours, materials, and case executions. The blue-toned Sphere Series 1 established the collection’s signature multi-axis jumping hour, followed by the black-and-grey Series 2. The Sphere Series 3 came in a more compact titanium case with purple accents, while the Sphere Series […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/introducing-full-white-hautlence-sphere-series-5-multi-axis-spherical-display-price/

#sphereseries

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Introducing – The 417 ES x 0260 x BAIT Chronograph, the Vintage ...

2026-10-26T13:40:50Z

Introducing – The 417 ES x 0260 x BAIT Chronograph, the Vintage Racing Hanhart that Never Was

The 417 ES Chronograph by Hanhart is one of the defining models in the German brand’s history, introduced in 1954 as a pilot’s chronograph for the German armed forces: robust, reliable and legible. The stainless steel version, designated 417 ES, which also happened to be one of Steve McQueen’s favourite watches off-screen, became the foundation […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/hanhart-417-es-x-0260-x-bait-chronograph-39mm-vintage-racing-introducing-price/

#vintageracing #racinghanhart #baitchronograph #stevemcqueen

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Introducing – Warm Autumnal Colours for the Rado DiaStar ...

2026-10-26T12:32:46Z

Introducing – Warm Autumnal Colours for the Rado DiaStar Original Skeleton

Although Rado is synonymous today with high-tech ceramic watches, it got a head start in innovative materials with the launch of its DiaStar model in 1962. Made from brightly polished tungsten carbide sintered under intense heat, it was the world’s first scratch-proof watch. A child of its time, the futuristic flying saucer case featured a […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/rado-diastar-original-skeleton-autumn-collection-pdv-gold-r12166159-r12159309-introducing-price/

#rado #althoughrado

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Industry News – Audemars Piguet Launches The Watch Keepers, Its ...

2026-10-26T11:24:04Z

Industry News – Audemars Piguet Launches The Watch Keepers, Its Online Platform for Certified Pre-Owned Watches

The concept of Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) isn’t new to the watch industry, but it has gained quite some momentum in recent years, in particular when Rolex launched its own service, now known to be a significant revenue generator for the Geneva-based brand (USD 590 million in 2025, already more than that as of September 2026, according […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/audemars-piguet-launches-the-watch-keepers-its-online-platform-for-certified-pre-owned-watches/

#cpo #usd #september #rolex

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Buying Guide – Softening the Square with Six Cushion-Shaped ...

2026-10-25T12:03:52Z

Buying Guide – Softening the Square with Six Cushion-Shaped Watches

With the vast majority of watches being perfectly round, and a good chunk of them being square or even rectangular, there’s an in-between way to stand out from the masses. Shaping the exterior helps you get noticed, and you can take things in many directions once you dare to step outside your comfort zone. Some […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/buying-guide-cushion-shaped-watches-hamilton-panerai-tag-heuer-h-moser-and-cie-timex-gerald-genta-specs-price-review/

#watches

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The Petrolhead Corner – The Return of the BRM P351 Group C ...

2026-10-24T17:53:23Z

The Petrolhead Corner – The Return of the BRM P351 Group C Prototype

Sometimes, a racing car that looks very promising on paper never gets the chance to shine and reach its full potential. Rule changes, troubled development stages, reliability issues during its maiden races or even car manufacturers going bust midway through a project – it’s all part of the fascinating world of motorsports. One such car […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/the-petrolhead-corner-brm-british-racing-motors-p351-group-c-le-mans-prototype-weslake-v12/

#brm #rule

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Introducing – The Return of the Full-Platinum Bracelet on a ...

2026-10-24T16:45:44Z

Introducing – The Return of the Full-Platinum Bracelet on a Limited A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual

Like a few other high-end watch brands (AP, VC, PP…), A. Lange & Söhne has its fair share of ultra-collectable watches. The elusive steel Lange 1 is one of them. The Grand Complicatio,is anothern ultra-rare, ultra-complex watco. But you might be surprised to know that one of the most desirable items by A. Lange & […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/2026-a-lange-sohne-datograph-perpetual-black-diamond-dial-platinum-bracelet-limited-410-136e-introducing/

#datographperpetual #sohnedatograph #lange #bracelet #limited #grand

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The ABCs of Time – A Comprehensive Guide to Chronometer ...

2026-10-24T15:34:25Z

The ABCs of Time – A Comprehensive Guide to Chronometer Certifications and In-House Quality Seals

Watchmakers have chased precision since the dawn of portable timekeeping in the 16th century, but it wasn’t until the late 17th century that watches became accurate enough to support minute hands. A single hour hand was the norm for over a century, as accuracy was off by hours per day, but thanks to the balance […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/abcs-of-time-comprehensive-guide-to-chronometer-certifications-and-in-house-quality-seals/

#abcs

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Watches, Stories, & Gear: Leica’s Latest Collaboration, ...

2026-10-24T15:01:14Z

Watches, Stories, & Gear: Leica’s Latest Collaboration, Fujifilm’s Future Growth, and an Oura Ring Upgrade

Leica Q3 43 Formula 1 Edition
It’s no secret that we’re big fans of Leica around these parts and, while I’ve never seen a single race, I think there’s something – dare I say it? – sexy about Formula 1. Combining the two into a new collaboration feels very much up my alley.
The first release from the new Leica and Formula 1 partnership is a special-edition Q3 43. Carbon fiber appears on the wireless-charging handgrip, thumb rest and soft-release button, while the body uses a black Microvelour covering inspired by racing steering wheels. Red accents show up on the controls, and the F1 logo appears on both the top plate and lens cap. A co-branded rope strap is included as well.
Under the hood, it’s still the Q3 43, with its 60MP full-frame sensor and fixed 43mm f/2 lens. Leica has also created an exclusive Formula 1 Leica Look through its FOTOS app, adding more contrast and saturation for shooting around the track and paddock.
The Leica Q3 43 Formula 1 Edition is available now via Leica for the low, low price of $9,950.
Fujifilm Expands Instax Production
Oh, God, to be a teenager in the early 2000s and discovering Polaroids, 500 Days of Summer and Urban Outfitters. What a time to be ALIVE! While I’ve made a tiny little career for myself by posting photos online, I miss the tactility and charm of a proper instant photo. Well, it seems I’m not alone.
Fujifilm just announced another $19 million investment in Instax film production in Japan, with new production lines beginning to come online in spring 2027 and full operation expected by spring 2028. The company expects that to increase its Instax film capacity by about 20% over fiscal 2026 levels, with total capacity set to be roughly 70% higher than it was in fiscal 2022. Fujifilm also sold its 100 millionth Instax camera and printer last year, nearly three decades after the format first launched in 1998.
I have to imagine at least some of that demand comes from people wanting something a little more tangible after spending all day in the hellscape of AI slop, influencer slop, and political slop that the internet has become.
The Ringer is Pushing Substack
A few of The Ringer’s biggest names are writing again…just not really for The Ringer. Sean Fennessey, Zach Lowe, Tom Pelissero and Bryan Curtis have all recently launched newsletters on Substack instead of publishing through The Ringer’s website, which has made reporters like those at Defector ask the question: why aren’t these newsletters living on The Ringer itself?
Two things I found odd about this are that each writer has set an individual price rather than publishing under one umbrella account with Fennessey, Lowe and crew contributing to it. Secondly, Lowe has already amassed more than 24,000 subscribers since launch, with paid subscriptions costing $10 a month. So there is obviously an appetite for the work, and people willing to pay for it. Why wouldn’t The Ringer want to take advantage of that traffic and subscription revenue itself?
In any case, Defector couldn’t get much of an answer out of anyone involved. But in a sense, this might be another response to the increasingly strange media landscape, with brands trying to figure out where written work fits and maybe – just maybe! – writers getting a little more of the pie, too.
In any case, I’d be remiss to not plug my own Substack, which you can follow here. It’s free and not nearly as good as any of the other writers mentioned above, I can promise you that.
The James Brand Lumen Collection
I’ll shortly be leaving the ol’ farm behind for city life (well, Pittsburgh, anyway), which means I have very little use for most of the tools I own. But there was a time when I had a flock of chickens and spent hours in the barn with them instead of sitting hunched over a desk, as you would find me now.
In any case, that doesn’t mean I don’t still look for the perfect knife for simple jobs around the farm. The James Brand’s new Lumen Collection gives five of its existing EDC designs a new set of colors, including the Helton, Palmer, Redstone, Madison and Elko, each with delicious little names like Buttermilk, Butter, Raspberry, Sherbet (also all great chicken names, if you ask me).
Prices start at $39, and the collection is available now via The James Brand’s website.
Simon G. Smart Ring Jacket
At first, I was going to file this one under “Now I’ve seen everything,” but then I thought about it and decided it’s actually quite a good idea. I don’t use an Oura Ring, partly because I find them a bit too utilitarian (and partly because it feels like a Billy Evans-adjacent accessory for anyone who has seen You Can See Everything). In any case, should my fitness journey take me further down the wearables rabbit hole, I’d at least want mine to look nice. And the best way to look nice, I find, is to disguise all my flaws by hiding away in something expensive. The same should hold true for my Oura Ring.
Simon G. Jewelry’s Smart Ring Jacket is designed to fit around an Oura Ring, adding a 14k gold and diamond exterior while leaving the tracker itself in place. The design uses .11 carats of natural diamonds and gives the Oura a much more traditional jewelry look without replacing the device – or interfering with the underlying functionality – underneath.
The post Watches, Stories, & Gear: Leica’s Latest Collaboration, Fujifilm’s Future Growth, and an Oura Ring Upgrade appeared first on Worn & Wound.

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#futuregrowth #ringupgrade #ouraring #latestcollaboration #leica #formula #gear #stories #fujifilm #instax

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eBay Finds: a Vintage Hamilton Masterpiece, Funky Finds from ...

2026-10-23T21:15:13Z

eBay Finds: a Vintage Hamilton Masterpiece, Funky Finds from Seiko and Timex, and More

eBay Finds is back! This bi-weekly 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 Hamilton Masterpiece
First up this week is this super clean and sharp vintage Hamilton Masterpiece dress watch. The 33mm yellow gold filled case is crisp and unpolished, with stylish slim lugs. The caseback is engraved with a presentation award for 25 years of service to the Presque Isle company in 1980. The silver dial looks pristine, with applied gold stick markers and lume filled gold dauphine hands. Time only with no date, just clean, simple goodness. The winding crown is original and signed with the Hamilton “H” logo. The manual wind Hamilton caliber 832 movement is clean and runs well per the seller. The watch comes on a stylish leather strap that looks great on it.
View auction here
Vintage Seiko 5 Actus
Here’s a nice chunky vintage Seiko 5 Actus sporty watch. The 41mm round case is unpolished with sharp edges and the original brushed finish. The dial is a silver/champagne color with cool hour markers and unusual hands. They are both steel with black and lume inserts, but the hour hand is really broad, which gives it a somewhat unique look. There is of course the ubiquitous day/date window at three o’clock. The small crown is recessed into the side of the broad case at 4 o’clock. No movement pictures but the watch runs well per the seller. It comes on a leather strap that is decent, but I think I’d find a nice steel mesh bracelet or something for it.
View auction here
Vintage Waltham
Next up is a really nice little vintage Waltham. The 33mm steel case is in great shape and looks unpolished. The dial is the hero here, with a wild concentric circle texture that you really don’t see too often. The outer track is raised and smooth, with carved out hour markers. The lume filled steel sword hands are clean, and there is no date window to mess up that crazy dial texture. The dial is in great condition, with a printed Waltham name and lot below the 12. There is no picture of the 17 jewel manual wind movement, but it runs well per the seller. Neat piece that really stands out.
View auction here
Vintage Seiko Quartz 3803-7050
This vintage Seiko 3803-7050 quartz watch has a fantastic space-age look and is in excellent condition. The case has a hooded lug design, with razor sharp edges and the original mix of brushed and polished finish. There are some tool marks on the battery hatch on the back. There is a matching original Seiko bracelet on it that compliments the case perfectly. The dark dial looks to be black or charcoal or maybe brown? Seller doesn’t state the color and I’m color blind so judge for yourself! There are large applied steel markers and nice broad hands along with the standard day/date window at three. Seller states the watch runs well, this would make a great grab and go piece that has lots of vintage style.
View auction here
Vintage Timex Marlin “UFO”
Here’s a unique one for you, this vintage Timex Marlin “UFO”. It has a unique 36mm rectangular chrome plated cushion case that has a cool pebbled finish and looks unpolished. The dial is a beautiful deep sky blue, with a lighter blue outer track with painted lume stick hour markers and white stick hands to match. There is a date window at 3 o’clock. The watch has a domed acrylic crystal that adds to the UFO look. The watch comes on a complimentary Milanese mesh bracelet that looks so good it might be original! No movement pictures but the watch runs well per the seller. Very cool piece that will stand out.
View auction here
Vintage Enicar Chronograph
Going to finish off this week with a bang with this fantastic vintage Enicar chronograph! This one is rare, and is an absolute beauty. The 36mm steel case is perfect, unpolished with sharp edges. The caseback engraving is nice and bold as well. The black dial looks original and in mint condition, with three black subdials, small steel hour markers and nice broad steel hands. The crown is original and signed with the Enicar Saturn logo as it should. The watch even comes on the original Milanese steel mesh bracelet with Enicar signed buckle, a rare treat. This gem is powered by the venerable and highly desirable Valjoux 72 manual wind chronograph movement. The movement is clean and shiny and runs well per the seller. This one isn’t going to be cheap, but it’s going to be worth every penny if you are looking for a vintage Enicar chrono!
View auction here
The post eBay Finds: a Vintage Hamilton Masterpiece, Funky Finds from Seiko and Timex, and More appeared first on Worn & Wound.

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#hamiltonmasterpiece #vintagehamilton #vintageseiko #timex #ebay #waltham #seller

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Introducing – Chinese Brand Atelier Mephalie Launches its ...

2026-10-23T18:54:38Z

Introducing – Chinese Brand Atelier Mephalie Launches its Minute Repeater Collection, Priced to a Tenth of What Europe Does…

Let’s have a quick overview of minute repeaters recently launched. Gérald Genta Geneva Minute Repeater: about CHF 320,000. Piaget Polo Minute Repeater: about EUR 400,000. Bulgari Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater 37mm: EUR 195,000. And while we can continue this list forever, you won’t be able to find much under EUR 150,000 (at least for new […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/introducing-chinese-brand-atelier-mephalie-launches-its-minute-repeater-collection-priced-to-a-tenth-of-what-europe-does/

#minuterepeater #genevaminute #eur #polominute #finissimominute #gentageneva #octofinissimo #geraldgenta #chf #piagetpolo

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Oris Introduces the Kelp Forest Limited Edition At my rather ...

2026-10-23T18:19:32Z

Oris Introduces the Kelp Forest Limited Edition

At my rather hippie-dippie public elementary school, the entire student body performed an ocean conservation-themed musical number every year in a school-wide assembly. We decorated hats for different ocean ecosystems, and music was provided by a local band that had certainly shared a smoke with Steve Miller back in the day. It was my favorite event of the school year and while each grade level performed their own song, I most remember the “California Sea Otter” song assigned to fourth graders: a surfer-inspired romp through California kelp forests and the critters within. If you’re yelling, “get back to watches” at the screen right now, don’t worry—Oris has your back. In tune with their history of ocean conservation-benefitting models, the new Kelp Forest Limited Edition Aquis Date diver finally gives the spotlight to one of the under-appreciated and most vital aquatic biomes.
Oris is no stranger to beefy dive watches, and the Kelp Forest Edition is based on the brand’s excellent Aquis Date model, with a 41.5mm case diameter. It boasts a properly robust 300 meters of water resistance and a unidirectional bezel, giving it legitimate diver pedigree beyond just the style. A screw-down crown and sleek tapered three-link bracelet with brushed and polished finish make it an elegant but heavy-duty piece. The Oris Calibre 733 movement inside allows for a day-date function and 41 hours of power reserve. It’s a properly beefy beast at 12.9mm of thickness and 49mm lug-to-lug width, but the Aquis Date has always been a doer rather than shelf candy. Still, Oris offers many colorful models, with the Kelp Forest being the latest to take the all-business template and give it some thematic flair.
Taking direct inspiration from the verdant shades of the kelp forest, the bezel is a lovely deep green, while the hands and indices are outlined in gold and coated with Super-LumiNova for visibility. The star of the show, though, is the dial—3D-printed and textured, it bears shades of green and gold to mimic the movement and color variation of kelp beneath the waves. It really is an evocative pattern, and instantly calls to mind its source of inspiration, which is a feat not to be sneezed at in a horological market oversaturated with ocean-themed dive watches. It’s refreshing, literally and figuratively, to see a diver tackle a theme that is undeniably aquatic, but not blue. And it’s not just for show: kelp forests are incredibly vital for the world’s oxygen supply, and are sadly being drastically affected by climate change. The Kelp Forest Edition aims, like Oris’ other conservation-themed watches, to bring attention to a massively impactful but oft-forgotten corner of the world ecosystem. “Underwater deforestation” (or the removal of kelp from the seabed by its roots) is an incredibly harmful practice being pursued in kelp forests across the world, from New Zealand, to South Africa, to Chile. By partnering with conservators like Oris ambassador and underwater photographer Francis Perez, the brand hopes to not just bring awareness to the damage being done to our oceans, but also inspire people to take a real stand in protecting vulnerable ecosystems like kelp forests across the world.
An engraved caseback caps off the Kelp Forest Edition, with a relief of a kelp cluster and a number plate denoting the limited run of 1000 watches. It’s a dignified final touch on a timepiece that means a little more than just its form or function. The Oris Aquis Date Kelp Forest Limited Edition is available now, and retails for $2,950. Oris
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#kelpforest #forestlimited #limitededition #aquisdate #oris #stevemiller #seaotter #oriscalibre

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Just Because – More Than Timekeepers – Diving with Doxa in ...

2026-10-23T17:45:31Z

Just Because – More Than Timekeepers – Diving with Doxa in the Gulf

There is a tendency to see watch collecting as a solitary pursuit. One imagines a lonely man sitting in a dank den, admiring his collection and spot-shining his timepieces with a polishing cloth before donning his sleeping cap and retiring to bed at 7pm. It has only recently occurred to me that watches, and the […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/more-than-timekeepers-diving-with-doxa-in-the-gulf/

#because #gulf #doxa

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Introducing – Fresh Versions of the Frederique Constant ...

2026-10-23T16:33:58Z

Introducing – Fresh Versions of the Frederique Constant Classics Heart Beat Moonphase Date

Frederique Constant expands its Classics collection with fresh interpretations of the Heart Beat Moonphase Date. First introduced in 2014, this signature timepiece unites a poetic moon phase display and pointer date with the brand’s iconic “Heart Beat” aperture – an innovation the Geneva Manufacture pioneered in 1994 to showcase the mechanical balance wheel. More than […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/fresh-versions-of-the-frederique-constant-classics-heart-beat-moonphase-date-introducing-price/

#heartbeat #beatmoonphase #frederiqueconstant #moonphasedate #fresh #genevamanufacture #first

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First Look – Certina Brings Fresh Coloured Accents to the DS ...

2026-10-23T15:31:45Z

First Look – Certina Brings Fresh Coloured Accents to the DS Action Diver 38mm Black

Certina’s DS Action Diver is an accessible, practical dive watch, available in several sizes, materials and colours. The collection was updated in 2025, receiving enhanced shock resistance and new material combinations. This year, Certina adds two more versions of the DS Action Diver 38mm, in black PVD-coated cases with contrasting orange or teal details. The […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/certina-ds-action-diver-38mm-black-pvd-orange-teal-2026-review-price/

#actiondiver #black

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You’re Invited to a Colorful Evening with Baltic at the Windup ...

2026-10-22T23:27:16Z

You’re Invited to a Colorful Evening with Baltic at the Windup Watch Shop’s Brooklyn Showroom

On Thursday, November 5th, you are invited to join us at the Windup Watch Shop Showroom for a special (and colorful) event with our friends at Baltic.
Baltic Special Event
Windup Watch Shop Showroom
Brooklyn, NY
November 5, 2026
6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
RSVP HERE
Étienne Malec founded Baltic in Paris in 2016 after his interest in watches grew from his late father’s collection and the journal in which he documented the pieces he owned. The brand’s name references Malec’s family roots along the Baltic coast of northern Poland, while its watches look primarily to designs from the 1940s through the 1960s, but with a bit of a modern twist. These influences run throughout a collection that has grown from time-only watches and chronographs into divers, GMTs, worldtimers, and dress watches.
Join us in our Brooklyn Show room for a night celebrating the watches of Baltic. And best of all, the Baltic team will be there previewing a brand-new line of never-before-seen watches, where both color and texture are front and center. Attendance is limited for this unique and intimate event, so be the first to RSVP!
Come and enjoy fine food, drink, and watches with Worn & Wound and the Baltic teams. Please register here for further information.
See you there on Thursday, November 5th for this special event!
The post You’re Invited to a Colorful Evening with Baltic at the Windup Watch Shop’s Brooklyn Showroom appeared first on Worn & Wound.

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#colorfulevening #shopshowroom #brooklynshowroom #baltic #invited #eventwindup #november #specialevent #etiennemalec #thursday

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Breitling, at Long Last, Adds Manually Wound Navitimers to the ...

2026-10-22T19:57:57Z

Breitling, at Long Last, Adds Manually Wound Navitimers to the Core Collection

Breitling fills a big hole in their Navitimer collection today with the release of a pair of watches that feel like concerted efforts at engaging the watch enthusiast community. The new Navitimer B09 Chronograph 41 and the Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute are not limited editions, but part of the brand’s core collection, their presence there will surely please a wide swath of longtime Breitling fans, particularly those interested in vintage Breitling, and classic chronographs more generally.
It’s somewhat hard to believe, but until today, Breitling did not have a manually wound Navitimer in their permanent collection. The hand wound B09 movement used in the Navitimer has been used in a handful of limited and special releases in the past, but it feels like the brand is really plugging a gap here with a manually wound version of what is arguably their most iconic watch.
According to Breitling, this new version of the Navitimer is inspired by versions of the watch worn in the 1960s by race car drivers Jim Clark and Graham Hill, who were also pilots and would have been able to make use of the Navitimer’s slide rule bezel in flight. This is a watch that, at least in a contemporary context, straddles the line between the automotive and pilot watch worlds, and has been embraced by both cultures (which admittedly overlap a fair amount).
The Navitimer B09’s case measures 41mm in diameter and is available with either a black or blue dial with white subdials, a classic “reverse panda” execution. There’s no date, for a clean traditional and enthusiast friendly look. The case measures 13mm tall, which is a bit thinner than automatic versions, and the difference will likely be easily felt on the wrist.
Potentially even more interesting to deep Breitling enthusiasts is the release of the Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute. This version of the Navitimer was conceived for space travel, specifically Scott Carpenter’s Mercury-Atlas 7 flight. The Cosmonaute features a 24 hour display, which was thought to be an easier way to read the time for an astronaut in flight. This is the first time a modern Cosmonaute has been part of the brand’s core collection after a series of well received limited editions.
Like the standard Navitimer, the new Cosmonaute features a manually wound movement, this one with a date display positioned in the 6:00 subdial. The case is the same size as the Navitmer, and has the same dial configuration options. Also of note, these new watches feature the classic “Twin Jet” Breitling logo on the dial, in gold, a nice, knowing nod to the brand’s history.
More information the new Navitimers from Breitling can be found on their website here.
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#navitimer #corecollection #manuallywound #addsmanually #breitling #cosmonaute #chronograph #grahamhill #jimclark

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Review: the Gagà Laboratorio Aqualab Writing about the Gagà ...

2026-10-22T18:48:39Z

Review: the Gagà Laboratorio Aqualab

Writing about the Gagà Laboratorio Aqualab has proved a difficult task. A tutor once told me to keep the structure of any article, report, or document simple: tell them what you’re about to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you’ve told them. As I sit to translate my thoughts onto screen, I struggle with both the introduction and summary parts. The longer I spend with this interesting piece, the more difficult it becomes. Gagà Laboratorio describe this watch as “extend[ing] its vision into the world of diving watches, interpreting this category through its distinctive design culture and its contemporary understanding of luxury lifestyle”, and although it encompasses both the function of a dive watch and the refinement of a luxury timepiece I find it tough to pin down exactly what the Aqualab is.
On a personal level, I either like a watch, or I don’t. I’d either be happy to buy it, or I wouldn’t. Writing about a watch causes me to think more objectively, and evaluating against an archetype is a good way to do that. The fact that I struggle to pigeonhole the Aqualab is a stumbling block. But here goes…
Considering the dial separately from the case, or even the strap, feels a little spurious as the overall design flows strongly throughout. Nonetheless, that’s what I’m going to try to do, starting with the time-telling functions. As you’ll no doubt spot at the very first glance, the Aqualab doesn’t make use of ordinary hands. Hours, minutes, and seconds are all displayed, but all are unconventional to varying degrees. Hours are shown via a rotating disc visible through an aperture in the top half of the dial. The readout, aided by a thin red line, shows the current hour, or which two hours we are currently between.
The minute hand has two parts, both fairly small. The first part is a diamond shape, bordered in red, and sitting above the central gray part of the dial with static markings. There’s another section to the minute hand, connected by a clear portion, which is read against the internal rotating dive bezel. With the bezel aligned and in sync with the standard dial markings, this gives an additional reference point to read the time against. If the bezel has been rotated for measuring elapsed time, the outer part of the minute hand can be read against this second reference point. Even the second hand is a little unconventional. Although not immediately noticeable in photos, the whole of the central decorated cap rotates with the seconds hand.
When reading the time, there’s lots going on. I have found the hour window at the top is often enough – I can tell at a glance if it’s nearly five o’clock for example. However, finding the minute hand for a more accurate measurement is a separate task. The curves, colors and finishes present on the dial push forward the Aqualab’s luxury credentials while slightly inhibiting its function. I hold the same opinion on the beautiful double-domed sapphire crystal, which creates some trippy distortions. This version of the Aqualab is one of three, and is the tamest of the trio. The teal blue ‘Aquamarine’ and black/yellow ‘Anthracite’ colorways have more impactful dials, but having spent two weeks with the silver variant, I think that it offers enough character already.
The case of the Aqualab continues the visual themes seen in the dial and crystal. The soft and annular dial components continue through the large brushed steel fixed bezel, and then to the elliptical main case body. Polished soft bevels flank each side of the case, and echo some of the polished dial embellishments. Perhaps my favorite viewing angle of this watch displays the full 15mm height of the watch from the top of the dome to the slightly downturned lugs, and brings back memories of the 1986 movie Flight of the Navigator. The reverse of the watch features a solid, screw-down case back engraved with the Gagà Laboratorio logo.
Given the 44m diameter, and the thickness mentioned above, it’s no surprise that the Aqualab dominates a 7-inch wrist like mine. With crowns at either end (one sets the time, the other controls the internal rotating bezel), it’s the lug to lug length which may be too big for some. Despite the size and weight, I’ve found the watch very easy to live with on my wrist. The fitted rubber strap is angled steeply down from the lugs, with the overall effect being a continuous curve instead of a protrusion only on top of my wrist. Gagà Laboratorio use HNBR for the strap, which feels similar to FKM rubber but offers better tensile strength and resistance to wear over time. The curved indentations on the strap continue the rounded theme that is shown throughout the watch. Given that the Aqualab is restricted to proprietary strap options, it’s a relief the look and comfort both hit the target.
Powering the Aqualab is the La Joux-Perret caliber G100. This Swiss made automatic movement beats at 28,800bph and offers an impressive 68-hours of power reserve once fully wound. Although the watch can also be wound via the crown at 12, this is slightly awkward due to its position (in relation to the watch, and to the strap). The unidirectional self-winding of the G100 is efficient, although much like Miyota 9-series calibers, the rotor’s free-spinning in the non-winding direction is noticeable. There’s no date display on the Aqualab, and no date-setting position through the crown. The second crown provides free and easy rotation of the internal timing bezel. Unlike the time-setting crown, I’ve had no problems operating while on the wrist – usually by sliding my thumb left or right where the watch meets the strap. Although the crown doesn’t lock into place, I haven’t noticed any unintentional movement throughout the day.
My time with the Aqualab has been split across two different experiences. One comes from the futuristic case lines, flowing further through the crystal and the dial. The case shape also offers remarkable comfort on the wrist. The other experience is of a visually domineering watch filled with eye-catching, but distracting, elements steering it away from being a functional diving tool despite the timing bezel and 200m water resistance. It’s that second part which leads me back to my difficulty in summarising this watch. There’s no doubt that in some ways it is much, much more than a diving watch with an internal bezel, but at the same time it also falls short. For a non-diver such as myself, I could certainly find a place for the Gagà Laboratorio Aqualab in my rotation, but I can understand if it fails to tick too many boxes for others.
The Aqualab is available to purchase directly from the brand’s website, priced at €3,900 CHF plus any import fees.
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#gagalaboratorio #laboratorioaqualab #hours

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Interview – Jiro Katayama, Founder of Otsuka Lotec, on the ...

2026-10-22T18:14:02Z

Interview – Jiro Katayama, Founder of Otsuka Lotec, on the Creation and Future of Japan’s Coolest Indie Watch Brand

If you’ve been reading MONOCHROME regularly or have been following the evolution of indie watchmaking in recent years, the name Otsuka Lotec should be familiar to you. In only a few years, the steampunk-inspired, industrially-designed collection has reached impressive worldwide recognition, while still being extremely difficult to buy overseas – a classic case of JDM-only […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/interview-jiro-katayama-founder-of-otsuka-lotec-on-the-creation-and-future-of-japans-coolest-indie-watch-brand/

#jirokatayama #otsukalotec #coolestindie #brand #founder #japan

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Introducing – Ochs und Junior Releases its Perpetual Calendar ...

2026-10-22T15:34:58Z

Introducing – Ochs und Junior Releases its Perpetual Calendar Holiday Edition 2026

Most high-end perpetual calendars are fragile creatures composed of hundreds of components, delicate levers and springs. The problem with many is that they are susceptible to damage, especially if the crown or pushers are manipulated during the watch’s date-change cycle. Master watchmaker Ludwig Oechslin tackled the problem with the Perpetual Ludwig, developed for Ulysse Nardin […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/introducing-ochs-und-junior-perpetual-calendar-holiday-edition-2026/

#ulyssenardin #ludwigoechslin

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Introducing – Maurice Lacroix Refines the Aikon Automatic ...

2026-10-22T14:40:56Z

Introducing – Maurice Lacroix Refines the Aikon Automatic Chronograph for its Tenth Anniversary

Introduced in 2016, the Aikon collection has become a cornerstone of Maurice Lacroix’s catalogue, combining an integrated design with sporty details and accessible Swiss mechanics. Initially available with quartz movements, the collection added automatic versions in 2018, including the Automatic Chronograph. Now, ten years after the Aikon’s debut, Maurice Lacroix revisits its automatic chronograph with […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/2026-maurice-lacroix-aikon-automatic-chronograph-updated-smaller-case-introducing-price/

#tenthanniversary #mauricelacroix #lacroixrefines #automaticchronograph #aikonautomatic #swiss #initially

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Introducing – The New Doxa SUB 200T Afterglow Brings Us Sunset ...

2026-10-22T13:49:07Z

Introducing – The New Doxa SUB 200T Afterglow Brings Us Sunset in Naples

Doxa has long used colour to distinguish its dive watches, with bright orange, turquoise, yellow and deep blue among the signature shades of its SUB collection. The new SUB 200T Afterglow adds a new one: a pink sunray dial inspired by the brief period after sunset when the sky above Naples, Florida, takes on shades […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/introducing-doxa-sub-200t-afterglow-exquisite-timepieces-napels-florida-sellita-sw200-pink-limited-edition-specs-price/

#naples #sub #sunset #florida

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Louis Erard Introduces the Dia De Los Muertos Black We’ve ...

2026-10-21T22:42:10Z

Louis Erard Introduces the Dia De Los Muertos Black

We’ve arrived at the time of year where we can finally highlight my favorite seasonal watch niche. Skull watches, most often created to underscore the philosophy of memento mori (an acknowledgement of our mortality) tend to pop up in October to coincide with Halloween and Day of the Dead celebrations. This is a watch design rabbit hole that has snuck up on me over the years, but if you think about it, it makes a certain amount of sense that a skull represented on a dial surface could be an interesting platform for a variety of craft techniques. We’ll have a (long) list of some of our favorite skull watches on the website a little later this month.
But today, we’ll focus on the latest addition to the skull watches canon, the Louis Erard Dia De Los Muertos Black. This is a fairly straightforward skull watch, with a bold and colorful skull clad in floral motifs dominating the dial. This limited edition (only 10 are being made) has a black coated case and black dial, which feels appropriate and also properly frames the colorful skull.
The floral motifs on the skull are recessed, and the brand’s own images suggest a skull design with subtle depth when explored closely. The brand’s logo is blended into the skull at around 12:00, and the name of the brand appears across the skull’s teeth at 6:00. A total of 6 color transfers have been placed on the skull applique, with the dominant tones being white, gray, orange and yellow. The hands are pear shaped and anthracite plated.
All of this is housed in a stainless steel case that has been sandblasted and coated with a black PVD treatment. The case measures 42mm in diameter. I am mixed on the choice to go with Louis Erard’s larger case on this watch. On the one hand, it allows for a larger and more imposing representation of the skull, which is arguably what you want in a statement piece like this. On the other hand, 42mm is going to size many out of this watch and will be a nonstarter from the jump. Of course, only 10 are being produced, so this might not actually be of much concern to the brand – it seems likely they’ll be able to easily find 10 skull watch connoisseurs who will be interested in adding this to an esoteric sub-collection (we all have them, right?).
The Dia De Los Muertos Black is powered by Sellita SW261 automatic movement with 38 hours of power reserve. The watch is mounted to a black leather strap with tone on tone stitching and a quick release spring bars built in.
The retail price on the Dia De Los Muertos Black is CHF 3,490. More information can be found on Louis Erard’s website here.
Images from this post:
The post Louis Erard Introduces the Dia De Los Muertos Black appeared first on Worn & Wound.

https://wornandwound.com/louis-erard-introduces-the-dia-de-los-muertos-black/

#losmuertos #muertosblack #louiserard #skull #dia

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To Carry and To Keep: The Tudor Watches of Warriors “In times ...

2026-10-21T21:50:35Z

To Carry and To Keep: The Tudor Watches of Warriors

“In times of war or uncertainty there is a special breed of warrior ready to answer our nation’s call. A common man with uncommon desire to succeed… I am that man.”
–U.S. Navy SEAL Code
A Note
Writing about the military – especially those who served our nation in the U.S. Armed Forces – is something I consider to be an honor, and it’s a responsibility I take seriously. The risk of sensationalizing or exploiting veteran experiences for media or corporate gain is too great and happens too frequently to leave that acknowledgement unstated. My respect for and personal relationships with the military population sometimes leads me to be overly cautious in my approach to these subjects to protect the privacy of the individuals or the institutions with which they are affiliated. Some experiences are off the record, and that is okay. The spirit of the story remains.
I also want to acknowledge that discussions of military history can be divisive. I am a U.S. military historian by training and that shapes how I think and write. But my perspective is just a small percentage of the many globally nuanced lenses that can be applied to this topic. The watch world is international, diverse, and certainly strong enough to withstand the contributions of many – even if our conclusions differ.
I am a civilian. After leaving school, I had the good fortune to work as a liaison to the U.S. Office of Veterans Affairs. Because of my educational background, I knew the facts and figures that allowed me to put accounts of my colleagues’ service into context. I was inducted into the unique conventions of military humor (decidedly not HR-approved), taught how to execute a perfect parachute landing fall (“PLF” to those in the know), and eventually, sometimes trusted as a confidant for memories that will burden the veteran for the rest of their life. I’d read the history books and it helped me understand. But the veterans had actually been there. They’d written the books.
Military service and the bonds of that particular kinship have their own language and culture. Those of us who haven’t experienced the same moments can build conversational understanding and forge the sinews of connection with some practice. But we’ll never be able to speak that language with fluency. I say all of this to help share my personal perspective on the ethics of a non-veteran discussing duty, sacrifice, and courage.
To write about watches is to write about those who wear them and the stories they choose to share. The truest meaning of those stories belongs, in the end, to those who lived them.
A New Way of War
John F. Kennedy didn’t know it, but he was living through the defining year of his presidency, and one of the most globally decisive moments of the twentieth century. It was 1962, and for thirteen days the world held its breath as it teetered on the precipice of nuclear destruction. A peaceful resolution that ended with the reduction of armament in Cuba and Turkey was a humanitarian victory, but one that was juxtaposed by the quiet expansion of America’s martial footprint in Southeast Asia.
However, the nature of warfare was changing. The First and Second World Wars are classified by historians as “total war(s),” in which a nation’s entire industrial and human capital are brought to bear against an enemy. But the invention of the nuclear weapons that put an end to further hostilities in 1945 altered the trajectory of warfare as it had existed since the dawn of time. No longer could nations unleash their full potential. If they did, the majority of the planet – and its many squabbling societies – would be snuffed out like a flame.
War had changed and the U.S. Armed Forces had to change with it. Covert operations became a primary way for the military agenda to continue through other means. After all, you couldn’t step on political toes if your hypothetical forces never left behind footprints… right? To that end, President Kennedy authorized the creation of a new type of elite force designed for maximum flexibility and multi-domain capability. Their missions would be high-stakes and their conditioning would render them unbreakable. The Navy SEALs had been born.
The Early SEALs
The first SEAL Teams were formed around 120 personnel from the famed Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT), affectionately known as the “Frogmen.” The nickname – derived from their minimal gear, rubber swim fins, and stealth swimming abilities – belied their serious purpose: to chart beaches and clear underwater obstacles to provide mission-critical intel and safe passage for the amphibious landing forces who would follow them.
They took their lessons from the Second World War. In the Pacific Theater in 1943, Allied troops sustained staggering casualties in Tarawa as dense coral reefs prevented landing craft from approaching the shore. The lack of prior information about these obstacles proved deadly, as thousands of troops from the 2nd Marine Division trudged half a mile through chest-deep water under a barrage of Japanese fire. An estimated 75% of the first wave were killed or wounded in action. To the present, it remains one of the bloodiest engagements in U.S. Marine Corps history.
Today, Navy SEALs pay homage to their UDT roots and keep the bravery of their ancestors top of mind. Though nearly defenseless – armed only with fins and a dive mask – these early warriors led countless attacks on enemy shores. A bronze statue named the Naked Warrior stands just minutes from the Naval Special Warfare Center in Coronado, California, serving as a reminder to all BUD/S students of the hallowed lineage that awaits those on the other side of the Trident.
The first equipment of the 1960s SEAL Teams was assembled from both military and civilian channels. While the Navy slowly worked to outfit the units with their necessary supplies, Lieutenant Commander Roy Boehm took matters into his own hands. The first executive officer of SEAL Team Two, Boehm had been approved to buy materials on the open market, and archival records show he did so liberally. A purchase order shows 125 Tudor Oyster Prince Submariner ref. 7928 were procured directly from the brand’s New York City office and shipped to the Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek in Virginia in December 1962. The first Navy SEAL watch was a Tudor.
Coronado Calling
Last month, I flew to San Diego to get an inside look at the Navy SEALs and the history of their relationship with Tudor watches. We heard firsthand accounts of BUD/S training, Hell Week, and the extreme physical and mental fortitude of the 20% who succeed. We learned about the Teams’ core values, ran a mile on the same beach, and saw the repository of equipment used by decades of SEALs in the 10,000 sq. ft. museum that opened last year. Above all, we learned that the only easy day was yesterday.
The Navy SEAL Museum San Diego (NSMSD) traces the history of U.S. Naval Special Warfare from WWII through the modern era and offers a variety of experiences to visitors. From virtual simulations of diving vehicles and hostage rescues, to exhibits featuring uniforms, rebreathers, and weaponry, guests can get a sense of the proud heritage and legacy of the Navy SEALs.
The highlight of our event was a private panel with two SEALs who were instrumental in the Apollo 11 Recovery Program. The panel was moderated by New York Times bestselling author Jack Carr, a SEAL himself. We were joined by John McLachlan and Robert ‘Bob’ Rohrbach, both of whom were featured in Tudor’s 2025 video Splashdown: The Unspoken Legacy of Naval Frogmen in Early Space Exploration. The men were reuniting for the first time since 1969. They were kind enough to answer questions about their time as SEALs and their bond with their Tudor watches.
Another New Guy Gets a Watch
A Tudor watch was part of the standard kit issued to each new SEAL.
Rohrbach noted with some sarcasm about the process, “it was a very involved ceremonial thing. You walk up to the supply officer, put your hand out, and he put a watch in it. That was it. There was no glory. It was… it was just another new guy gets a watch.”
McLachlan agreed, recalling, “it was very anti-climactic. ‘Here’s the watch, here’s your life jacket, here’s your KA-BAR. See you around.’”
Yet there was, at the same time, an acknowledgement of the way a watch was set apart from other pieces of equipment. In the Navy, the term “surveyed” refers to the process by which materials that have been lost, damaged, or destroyed are officially removed from the command’s inventory records.
When reflecting on leaving Active Duty, Rohrbach recalled, “I had to turn the watch back in. So I went up to Supply and the supply officer looked at me and said, ‘well, what are you doing?’” The officer told Rohrbach to meet him around the back of the building after a few minutes.
He continued, “the door’s open, and he’s holding a watch… he said, ‘it’s surveyed. It’s no longer useful, so you might as well keep it.’” Rohrbach was following protocol, but perhaps the supply officer understood the flexibility of orders in the name of nostalgia.
When asked about other pieces of gear that held meaning, Rohrbach noted, “we could keep our swim fins… and greens and uniforms. But the watch was the most special thing.”
McLachlan echoed the sentiment. “The watch was the special thing.”
Watches and War
The theme of timekeeping in war isn’t a unique one in our space. In fact, it was this very relationship that served as my catalyst for becoming a watch enthusiast. It remains baffling to me that throughout history the chaos of battle was kept temporally organized by such a small and mechanically delicate object. It can’t protect its wearer in any way or bring harm to an enemy, yet it has an immense bearing on the outcome of a conflict. If one expands the scope beyond pure logistics, the watch becomes a symbol of mortality in combat: a talisman for those who had more time – a bleak omen for those who had less.
Tudor watches were pieces of gear, just like the objects in the museum preserved behind glass. They were tools engineered to perform a function. They were designed to execute their job so flawlessly they were forgotten by the warrior wearer who devoted their full attention to the matters of the mission. But in discussing the issued Tudor watches with the SEALs on the panel, it became clear this wasn’t the full picture. A duality seemed to exist. A watch was simultaneously a tool and more than a tool. It was designed with utility in mind, and made for the mission. Yet, keeping the issued watch for decades after separating from service – passing that watch along to children and grandchildren – suggested the watch was also made meaningful by the mission.
McLachlan and Rohrbach wore their Tudors while executing the Apollo 11 splashdown recovery. After a job well done, the men of UDT 11 were flown to Chicago to celebrate and be celebrated. The men of UDT 12 were preparing to deploy. McLachlan remembered, “the night of this ticker tape parade, I was taping up grenades and filling our magazines with ammunition to do our first stop in Vietnam the next day.” The country was rejoicing in a spectacular milestone of innovation, but the UDT/SEALs still had a war to fight. The end of one mission brought the start of another.
A Continued Relationship
For nearly three decades, to be a Navy SEAL was to wear a Tudor watch. After Boehm’s purchase of the Tudor Sub on the open market, the watch became standardized for both SEALs and UDTs. A 1965 handbook authored by Lt. Thomas Dunne, codifies the connection, stating:
“The wristwatch used in the team is waterproof and pressure proof. It is used for computing duration of water operations, for computing bottom time and decompression stops, and for controlling rates of descent and ascent. The Diving Supervisor and a member of each swim pair must have a watch for any diving evolution.” [emphasis mine]
A Tudor Oyster Prince Submariner ref. 7928 is pictured next to the text.
On an episode of Hodinkee’s Talking Watches, Philip ‘Moki’ Martin reflected on his SEAL graduation in 1965, stating, “I was so proud to receive the big watch. I watched all the Frogmen and SEALs and they all had the big Tudors… The first day you graduate you get issued your – it’s called a water bag with all your clothes and everything – and then you get your watch. You get your Tudor.”
Tudor watches were regularly featured in the records of deliveries to the U.S. Navy supply system through the 1970s and 1980s, with watches still being issued to newly graduated SEALs into the 1990s.
Never Out of the Fight
Multiple decades later, the watches still serve as connections to Rohrbach and McLachlan’s past service. McLachlan noted, “it’s fun to check the time… it feels good to look at the watch and remember everything that’s gone before.”
Rohrbach gifted his original Tudor to his son, but had been reunited with it shortly before our event at the museum. He recalled, “I put it on… and then I started to have these memories flooding my brain of all the fun times I had wearing this watch. It just felt so comfortable. It was like nothing had ever happened: I was back in my mid-twenties. Then I tripped and realized I’m not in my mid-twenties.”
While McLachlan and Rohrbach’s watches live out their next chapter on a wrist, Moki Martin’s Tudor Sub now resides at the Navy SEAL Museum in San Diego. As I picked it up, feeling the nylon and observing the rotation of the cracked compass, I thought about Moki, John, Bob – and the thousands of men they represented – navigating the dense jungles of Vietnam. I thought about them continuing on to missions the rest of the nation might not know, understand, or ever be able to fully appreciate. I imagined the bittersweet feeling of separating from service after experiences of that magnitude. Settling into new lives, time with family, and growing older. I thought about the watch – there for it all.
Just another piece of gear. So much more. Tudor
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The post To Carry and To Keep: The Tudor Watches of Warriors appeared first on Worn & Wound.

https://wornandwound.com/to-carry-and-to-keep-the-tudor-watches-of-warriors/

#watches #military #armedforces #navyseal #notewriting #sealcode #war #newway #warjohn

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Introducing – Yema’s Ambitious new Spacegraf Heure Siderale ...

2026-10-21T18:01:13Z

Introducing – Yema’s Ambitious new Spacegraf Heure Siderale Tourbillon Volant Limited Edition

Yema’s Millésime series represents the most elaborate example of its watchmaking ambitions, offering French manufacturing and complications rarely encountered at this price level, in limited production series. Following last year’s Superman Tourbillon Millésime CMM.31, the brand introduces a very different creation for 2026, potentially its most ambitious to date: the Spacegraf Heure Sidérale Tourbillon Volant. […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/yema-spacegraf-heure-siderale-tourbillon-volant-millesime-2026-limited-edition-introducing-price/

#spacegrafheure #tourbillonvolant #yema #tourbillonmillesime #french #siderale #superman #following

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First Look – Tissot Pumps Up and Opens Up the PRX for Damian ...

2026-10-21T17:09:27Z

First Look – Tissot Pumps Up and Opens Up the PRX for Damian Lillard

The PRX is one of Tissot’s defining collections, offering an accessible take on the integrated design inspired by the 1970s watches, with contemporary proportions and mechanics. The popular concept takes on a different form with the new PRX Skeleton Damian Lillard Special Edition. Created with the NBA player known as “Dame Time”, this second PRX […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/first-look-tissot-prx-skeleton-damian-lillard-special-edition-eta-unitas-6497-burgundy-pocket-watch/

#damianlillard #skeletondamian #prxskeleton #specialedition #dametime #nba

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Introducing – The Mexican-Themed Chopard L.U.C Full Strike Día ...

2026-10-21T16:18:42Z

Introducing – The Mexican-Themed Chopard L.U.C Full Strike Día de los Muertos Edition 13

Chopard continues its tribute to Mexican culture with the thirteenth interpretation of its L.U.C Full Strike. This latest one-of-a-kind “Día de los Muertos” creation pairs one of the manufacture’s most technically accomplished watches with an elaborate dial depicting a calavera, the stylised skull associated with the celebration of life and remembrance. The 2021 version of […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/2026-chopard-l-u-c-full-strike-dia-de-los-muertos-edition-13-introducing-price/

#fullstrike #losmuertos #dia #chopard

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First Look – The Goddess Returns to Villeret on the Minerva Exo ...

2026-10-21T15:28:47Z

First Look – The Goddess Returns to Villeret on the Minerva Exo Tourbillon Skeleton Limited Edition

The Minerva Exo Tourbillon Skeleton marks the manufacture’s transition to a standalone brand structure, dropping the previous dual Montblanc branding to focus entirely on its own heritage. Limited to just 18 pieces in rose gold, the watch reveals incredible details of the hand-finished, skeletonised calibre M18.69, combined with classical design elements like the agate cameo […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/minerva-goddess-returns-to-villeret-on-the-minerva-exo-tourbillon-skeleton-limited-edition-18-ref-137551-review/

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Hands-On: Exploring Film Photography with the Nodus Obscura II ...

2026-10-20T19:26:40Z

Hands-On: Exploring Film Photography with the Nodus Obscura II

When you’ve been using the same camera and lens for literal decades, it can be hard to push yourself creatively and get out of your own habits. Shooting in all conditions becomes muscle memory, and even the trickiest shots can start to feel like just another snap of the shutter. So what is a hobby photographer to do? Well, if you’re me, you use the exposure gauge on the new Nodus Obscura II to challenge your idea of “correct”, and re-learn the act of shooting film in the process.
Let’s rewind a bit, first. Nodus is a Los Angeles-based microbrand established in 2017 who specializes in purpose-built watches. That may seem like a nebulous thing to claim as your hallmark, but it basically comes down to this: all Nodus watches are assembled, regulated, and tested in Los Angeles, and are intended to perform their stated function (or functions) at the highest degree, rather than offering a myriad of complications that could muddy a piece’s “purpose”. Their lineup consists of divers, pilot and sport watches, and GMT units. The star collection, though, is their Design Lab series, where the brand showcases watches designed and built in collaboration with other creators or brands. These watches push Nodus’ aesthetics, and introduce even more hyper-niche categories and use cases. The most innovative of the Design Lab watches is, of course, the Obscura II collaboration with Beers and Cameras.
Image: Nodus
The first Obscura watch introduced Nodus’ patented exposure gauge bezel in 2025, with the Obscura II releasing in 2026 with tweaked specs and aesthetics. The model I received for review is the brushed steel version, which contrasts smartly with the matte black of the exposure gauge bezel. It’s not a small watch by any means, measuring in at 40mm across the bezel in case width and 47mm lug-to-lug, with a chunky 11.7mm in thickness. Still, the dimensions are handsomely dressed up with the 20-16mm tapered steel bracelet, which gives the watch a much dressier feel than its black DLC counterpart.
New for the second interaction of the Obscura is an updated dial design that does away with the Beers and Cameras logo at 6 o’clock, replacing it with minuscule “Obscura” text instead. It makes the watch more subtle for those who aren’t a part of the “worldwide photography meet-up group”, and are purchasing the watch simply for its unique function. Also new is the fume finish of the dial, which gives the black a depth that was missing in the original—very important for darker watches, whose details may be lost in shadow—as well as a grainy texture that Nodus claims is meant to evoke the silver halide crystals of film grain. It’s an effective change, and it certainly gives the Obscura II a more handsome and elevated look over its predecessor. On the technical side, the bezel has been refined to allow for smoother movement and more consistent action, important when adjusting it to compose your shots.
Image: Nodus
That’s where the wholly unique marquee complication of the Obscura II comes in: the exposure gauge bezel, inspired by “Sunny 16” analog exposure meters of yesteryear. Like most analog hobbies in our current age of digital enshittification, film photography has exploded in popularity, and the old Canon AE-1s and Minoltas with beer can lenses are being dug out of attics and put back to work. What has been lost over years of reliance on digital exposure meters and live displays on DLSRs, though, is the art of tweaking camera and lens settings. There’s no option to shoot in RAW with film, and even if you make darkroom adjustments, you can only get so much detail out of a poorly exposed roll. Before later film cameras (like my Canon Eos Rebel from the late 1990s) incorporated easy-read digital light meters into their viewfinders, most photographers made do with separate exposure-metering tools, usually handheld and fiddly devices that required dexterity to juggle at the same time as your camera. Instead of paying another small fortune for an original handheld meter, or opening a web browser while shooting to calculate the “Sunny 16” rule (more on that later), Nodus has taken advantage of another analog tool that can be easily worn out in the field: your wristwatch. It’s a deceptively simple tool that makes a whole lot of sense for a small group of the right people, and while it’s initially daunting to take a leap of faith and trust your watch bezel over your viewfinder when shooting (and taking up valuable frames of that roll of Portra you splurged on), it’s equally creatively rewarding.
So, I set out to test my own skills and perhaps rekindle a little bit of that inspiration juice that I’ve been missing over the last few years. I actually first learned most of my photography basics while shooting film, as I was privileged enough to attend a public high school with a full darkroom and dedicated photography program. While I still consider myself a casual hobby photographer, I did properly study the full gamut of essential skills, like F-stop, ISO, shutter speed, and more. Thankfully, you don’t need even that most basic of framework to use the Obscura II’s exposure bezel; all you need to know is what “speed” (ISO) of film you are shooting, and what lighting conditions you’re in.
Kodak films have long been my favorite, mostly for their naturally warm hues, which help make the foggy San Francisco landscapes and colorful vintage cars that I mostly shoot look a little more vibrant. Before COVID-era film stock price booms, I shot mostly Portra 400, but now mostly lean on the far cheaper and almost as good Gold 200; for my Obscura II test, though, I splurged on my beloved Porta 400. The 400 here refers to the “speed” of the film, or the ISO you need to set your camera at—basically, it’s your camera’s sensitivity to light. Higher numbers mean brighter shots, but also more grain, allowing you to shoot in darker conditions, whereas lower numbers are more ideal for brighter situations and produce darker images to balance that out. Typically, a camera’s ISO setting will be in the 100-200 range for sunny outdoor conditions, 400-800 for overcast days, and 1600 and up for indoor shots or nighttime conditions. It’s only one part of the “exposure triangle”, though, with shutter speed and aperture (F-stop).
If you’re already confused, don’t panic—it’s actually much simpler than it seems. All you need to know to start using the exposure gauge is what ISO your film is. In my case, I am using 400 speed film, so I set the bezel to 400 by rotating it until the white shield icon is even with 6 o’clock, where the 400 speed indicator rests along the minute track. Next, you check your environmental conditions; in my case, since I live in San Francisco, it was a typical August afternoon, meaning overcast and slightly darker than usual at 5pm. Thankfully, Nodus accounts for both overcast and sunny conditions, with two separate rows of shutter speeds around the bezel. Overcast is on the top (or inner) row, indicated by the little cloud icon, so I was focusing on those numbers. The final step is to take another peak at the minute track, where the F-stop markers lie between 12 and 6 o’clock. Check what F-stop you are set to on your camera, and line it up visually with the bezel to see what shutter speed is correct for your settings and conditions.
My first challenge came here, when I realized that my fairly low-spec Canon Eos Rebel with a basic kit lens only accommodates an F-stop down to 4, whereas the Obscura II shows numbers all the way down to 1.4. Different cameras and lenses allow for wider or smaller apertures, so while the Obscura II will help you with your shutter speed, you need to have some basic knowledge of apertures to pick the correct F-stop. The Obscura II includes a decently wide range of F-stops to play with; lower numbers mean a larger aperture, letting in more light, and larger numbers represent a smaller opening, better for bright conditions. I pulled on my ancient knowledge of aperture, and selected a fairly middling and forgiving 5.6, situated at the 2 o’clock position on the minute track, to start. Looking over at the bezel, I saw that this indicated a shutter speed of 8000 for my conditions. I began snapping, taking several photos at the settings denoted by the Nodus, and several with my own eye and the digital light meter built into my camera, for comparison.
What I found while experimenting was that the Nodus exposure gauge consistently produced slightly darker images than I would normally come up with, but that consequently helped the shadows pop a little more, leaving me with slightly higher contrast. Obviously, style is subjective, so whether or not that is more or less to your liking is up to you—what isn’t subjective, though, is that the Obscura II’s simple exposure gauge just works. There was minimal fiddling needed, and even the most novice of film photographers can find easy answers to, “what is ISO or F-stop?” with a simple Google search, meaning the barrier to entry for use as an everyday carry tool is refreshingly low. You can also experiment, purposefully setting your shutter speed higher or lower than the gauge’s recommendation to darken or brighten your image as desired. I did just that over the course of two weeks, snapping photos at several car shows while playing with the gauge to see what it could inspire me to change about my normal shooting routine. And while the results may be only noticeable to me at first glance, the experience made me pay far more attention to my trusty old Canon than I had in over a decade. I’d been so used to my tried-and-true settings—the ones that assured that the photo would come out clear every time, but perhaps not compelling from an artistic standpoint—that I’d forgotten what fun it is to throw your safety net away and start over as a novice.
Aside from the admittedly narrow niche that the exposure gauge bezel offers, the Obscura II is still a handsome and robust watch in its own right. The matte black of the bezel, crown (at 3 o’clock), and dial contrast crisply with the white numerals and markers, while the striped white and light blue seconds hand evokes darkroom exposure test strips. The bezel’s grip is constructed of CuAI5 bronze with black DLC coating, exemplifying the under-the-radar upscale touches that Nodus watches tend to champion. Inside it all is a TMI NH38 caliber movement that promises a decent 41 hours of power reserve, 100 meters of water resistance, and most importantly, a reliable and serviceable core for non-photography-related timekeeping duties. Top it all off with blue anti-reflective coating on the underside of the box sapphire crystal, and you have a watch that takes its aesthetics as seriously as its functions.
My initial test shots were certainly boring from a photography standpoint, but they were incredibly informative for the rest of my time with the Nodus Obscura II, and I will admit that very few watches have grabbed me as quickly as this one has. If you are a professional photographer, the gimmick may seem too simple to justify purchasing a whole watch for, but the novelty of carrying a proper, usable exposure gauge with you everywhere you go is enough for me, and likely for most hobbyists. The Obscura II combines two analog darlings, film photography and horology, and creates something that exceeds at both. I had a blast and felt cool as hell while using it, and if you can deal with wearing a heavier-than-average watch and want to turn your love of photography into a functional conversation piece, the Obscura II may be the watch for you.
The Nodus Obscura II is available on the company’s website, and retails for $650 and $725 for the brushed steel and black DLC options respectively. Nodus
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The post Hands-On: Exploring Film Photography with the Nodus Obscura II appeared first on Worn & Wound.

https://wornandwound.com/review/hands-on-exploring-film-photography-with-the-nodus-obscura-ii/

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Introducing – Oris Aquis Date Kelp Forest Limited Edition Oris ...

2026-10-20T18:10:06Z

Introducing – Oris Aquis Date Kelp Forest Limited Edition

Oris supports environmental causes through its watches, like the Aquis Date Yangtze Jiangtun or the New York Harbour limited editions, participating in projects dedicated to protecting marine ecosystems and bringing attention to issues beyond watchmaking. The new Aquis Date Kelp Forest Limited Edition is made with Francis Pérez, the award-winning underwater photographer and long-time Oris […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/oris-aquis-date-kelp-forest-limited-edition-introducing-price/

#kelpforest #datekelp #aquisdate #forestlimited #limitededition #dateyangtze #oris #yangtzejiangtun #yorkharbour #francisperez

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The Vaer x Topo x W&W Solar Hiker Returns for 2026 The Solar ...

2026-10-20T16:50:31Z

The Vaer x Topo x W&W Solar Hiker Returns for 2026

The Solar Hiker returns for 2026 with two new colorways, updated straps, and a new custom carrying case. A triple-brand collaboration between Vaer, Topo Designs, and Worn & Wound, the Solar Hiker brings together expertise in watchmaking, outdoor goods design, and storytelling. Built for adventure, it combines the legibility of a classic field watch with the durability of a dive watch, all powered by the sun. Limited to 1,200 pieces.
The post The Vaer x Topo x W&W Solar Hiker Returns for 2026 appeared first on Worn & Wound.

https://windupwatchshop.com/pages/the-vaer-x-topo-x-w-w-solar-hiker-returns-for-2026

#solarhiker #hikerreturns #topo #vaer #topodesigns #wound #worn #limited

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Introducing – The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Moon, now ...

2026-10-20T16:22:02Z

Introducing – The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Moon, now in an Elegant 36mm Pink Gold Case

When thinking about the most emblematic watches produced by Jaeger-LeCoultre, some might, of course, mention the Reverso or the Memovox immediately. That said, the Master collection must be included in the list, whether we’re talking about the Master Control collection that debuted in 1992, or the more recent, more elegant and more slender Master Ultra […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/the-jaeger-lecoultre-master-ultra-thin-moon-now-in-an-elegant-36mm-pink-gold-case/

#pinkgold #thinmoon #masterultra #elegant #reverso #control

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Portrait – Tested Beyond Endurance – A Conversation with Aldo ...

2026-10-20T12:51:21Z

Portrait – Tested Beyond Endurance – A Conversation with Aldo Kane about Bremont Watches

Aldo Kane, an expedition leader, former Royal Marines sniper, and television adventurer, has spent the better part of a decade as a Bremont ambassador, putting the brand’s watches through volcanoes, jungles, oceans and mountains. We talk about how the relationship began, why he prefers a simple mechanical watch to a wrist computer, and what eight […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/tested-beyond-endurance-a-conversation-with-aldo-kane-about-bremont-watches/

#aldokane #watches #royalmarines

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Hands-on – The Lebois & Co Heritage Small Seconds, Three ...

2026-10-20T10:16:24Z

Hands-on – The Lebois & Co Heritage Small Seconds, Three Ways to Wear Vintage Elegance

Founded in 1934 and revived by Dutch entrepreneur Tom van Wijlick in 2014 (who is also behind the return of Airain and its Type 20/21 pilot’s chronographs), Lebois & Co has gradually built its contemporary collection with watches inspired by the brand’s historical catalogue. Following the Heritage Chronograph, the Heritage Small Seconds takes a simpler […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/lebois-co-heritage-small-seconds-chronometer-review-price/

#heritagesmall #smallseconds #heritagechronograph #type #dutch

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First Look – The new Renaud Tixier Monday Skeleton Renaud ...

2026-10-20T09:23:29Z

First Look – The new Renaud Tixier Monday Skeleton

Renaud Tixier is an independent brand born from a partnership between Dominique Renaud, the veteran inventor and co-founder of movement developer Renaud & Papi, and Julien Tixier, a talented young master watchmaker. Working from their high-complication workshop, the formidable duo is determined to rethink seven core horological principles, with seven watches named after the days […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/renaud-tixiers-monday-skeleton-micro-rotor-review/

#renaudtixier #julientixier #dominiquerenaud #papi

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Ode to a Legend with the Hublot Classic Fusion Tributo Hublot is ...

2026-10-19T22:11:01Z

Ode to a Legend with the Hublot Classic Fusion Tributo

Hublot is a brand that has long endured scrutiny for its bold and out-of-the-box approach to watchmaking, and frankly, I’ve never quite understood why the industry and the collector sphere has relentlessly put the brand under fire. In many other instances, brands have been revered for being a disrupter, so why not Hublot?
The inaugural design that launched the brand back in 1980 was the first to combine a precious metal case with a rubber strap, laying the foundation for what the brand now calls the “Art of Fusion.” However, you have to understand that at the time, this was both risky and revelatory – rubber straps weren’t nearly as prevalent as they are today, and pairing one with a precious metal as opposed to stainless steel was unheard of.
Now, we see rubber straps in most brands’ repertoires often combined with a precious metal. So, in fact, Hublot set the standard for something that was once audacious but now commonplace and considered totally “normal” (whatever normal really means) – maybe we should give Hublot a little more credit and not be so quick to judge.
Today, we are fully celebrating that model that started it all – at the time, called the Classic Original and now known as the Classic Fusion with the aptly named Tributo. Beyond the innovative combination of materials, the original composition established some specific design codes, including the porthole shaped case with 12 prominent screws securing the bezel framing a plain and totally minimalist dial. While undoubtedly modern, there is still something classic about its clean lines, timeless and versatile color palette, and surprising simplicity. The new Classic Fusion Tributo reprises many of these same elements.
First and foremost, we have the juxtaposition of the precious metal case in both yellow and white gold with the black rubber strap. For the contemporary interpretation, the case is slightly upsized from the original 36mm to 38mm. I love the restraint Hublot took with this sizing upgrade. If you look at the rest of the brand’s catalog, it’s filled with watches offering commanding, oversized builds. Here, Hublot has really stayed true to the original proportions while placing equal attention to adapting them to the styles of today.
Other important details remain true. The twelve slightly domed bezel screws keep their original function. The black dial is stripped of indices, and time is indicated simply by the angle of the hour and minute hands. There are only three carefully chosen elements on the dial. First, you’ll find a color-matched black date window tucked at the traditional 3 o’clock position exactly as intended in the original design language. Then, there’s the Hublot “H” and full brand name at 12 o’clock. Lastly, you’ll notice the MDM signature opposite at 6 o’clock, providing a direct link to Hublot’s founder Carlo Crocco and the original MDM Geneve signature seen on the very first Hublot. It also carries double meaning, celebrating a cause close to Mr. Crocco: the Main Dans la Main Foundation, which supports humanitarian and educational projects aimed at improving the lives of vulnerable children and communities in need. As a tribute to the founder’s values, CHF 100,000 will be donated to the organization alongside the launch.As the final cherry on top, the strap even maintains the integrity of the original with the deliberate omission of the One Click system to preserve the watch’s DNA. However, internally, everything changes. What was originally a quartz watch in 1980 now houses an automatic Manufacture movement. A self-winding architecture delivers approximately 60-hour power reserve thanks to an optimization of the gear train. Built around an open-worked oscillating weight shaped as the iconic Hublot “H” and visible through the sapphire caseback, it reflects Hublot’s technical evolution and watchmaking prowess of today.
The Hublot Classic Fusion Tributo duo makes their grand entrance today, each with a price tag of $30,100. For more information, head over directly to Hublot.
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The post Ode to a Legend with the Hublot Classic Fusion Tributo appeared first on Worn & Wound.

https://wornandwound.com/ode-to-a-legend-with-the-hublot-classic-fusion-tributo/

#classicfusion #fusiontributo #hublot #classicoriginal #first

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Ressence Debuts a Fully Blued-Out Version with Its New Type 10 ...

2026-10-19T21:19:43Z

Ressence Debuts a Fully Blued-Out Version with Its New Type 10 Dark Night

We know the trend of all black watches well – what was once a novelty has now become a regular part of most catalogs, so perhaps we can no longer call this a trend but an industry staple. I think the monochromatic concept really works on many different levels.
It can make a watch ultra stealthy and discrete. For some models, it just looks sleek and sexy. For others, it can actually serve to bring out the best in the design. On the other end of the spectrum, we have models with so much tone on tone on tone – lacking any contrast through materials or textures – you can barely read them. These watches have understandably undergone some scrutiny. However, I find it a cheeky commentary on the fact we don’t really need our timepieces for any utilitarian purpose, and a color palette can simply be a design choice.So, in typical Ressence fashion, we have a twist on the all-black aesthetic with a deep blue hue the brand is calling Dark Night. If you’re familiar with Ressence, you know the brand is anything but motivated by trends – the opposite. This is a brand who literally came into being by asking the question, what if someone were to build a blueprint for a watch for the first time today without any constraints of what a watch should look like?
The result was the Ressence Orbital Convex System (ROCS) offering human-centric readability with a layout engineered to look and process like a two-dimensional digital screen lacking traditional hands or a crown. Instead, the entire dial and its subdials rotate like satellites around a central axis, and winding and time setting are handled via the caseback, which rotates like a dial. This structure has laid the foundation for many editions, which leads us to the Type 10 Dark Night or DN that joins the lineup today.
Here, the monochromatic color scheme contributes to the inherent fluidity of the design where the case continues into the strap; the sapphire follows the form of the case; and the dial appears to rise towards its surface. Circling back to the palette, the case, dial, and integrated rubber strap share the same deep blue tone: Dark Night. The polished, 41.5mm Grade 5 titanium case has a hard DLC coating in the same hue for further continuity, while the sapphire blends into the shape of the case thanks to the oil-filled dial where hours and minutes are displayed alongside a second time zone, a 120-second runner that doubles as a shock absorber, and a color-coded oil temperature indication inside the hour disc all across one continuous graphical surface.
However, continuity wasn’t the only goal – clarity was of equal importance. With that in mind, particular attention went into the minute track. Its 24 titanium segments alternate between small, sandblasted inserts filled with luminous paint and larger, linearly brushed surfaces. The direction of the brushing shifts by 30 degrees from one segment to the next, so each catches the light differently. As the wrist moves, light travels around the minute track in subtle facets, bringing an otherwise continuous surface to life.Powering the new Type 10 DN is Ressence’s in-house designed RW-04 self-winding caliber, configured specifically for the Type 10 and visible through its caseback. It consists of 252 components and offers a 60-hour power reserve through two barrels. Altogether, from the case to the movement within, the Type 10 is lightweight, measuring just 82 grams.
This limited edition model of just 100 pieces makes its debut today and carries a price tag of CHF 45,000 (approximately $54,200 at the time of publication). For more information, head over directly to Ressence.
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https://wornandwound.com/ressence-debuts-a-fully-blued-out-version-with-its-new-type-10-dark-night/

#darknight #type

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Introducing – A new Gold Tone for the Armin Strom Mirrored ...

2026-10-19T17:36:01Z

Introducing – A new Gold Tone for the Armin Strom Mirrored Force Resonance Zeitgeist 1665 3N

The Mirrored Force Resonance by independent watchmaking brand Armin Strom is, without a doubt, one of the most fascinating watches of recent years. Its spectacular movement builds on an idea first explored in 1665, when Christiaan Huygens observed the synchronisation of two pendulum clocks: resonance. First unveiled in 2016, Armin Strom refined the century-old concept […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/a-new-gold-tone-for-the-armin-strom-mirrored-force-resonance-zeitgeist-1665-3n/

#mirroredforce #arminstrom #forceresonance #christiaanhuygens #first

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Introducing – H. Moser & Cie. Pioneer Cylindrical ...

2026-10-19T15:03:16Z

Introducing – H. Moser & Cie. Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton Aventurine Saquon Barkley Edition

H. Moser & Cie. has a particular way of approaching high complications, often combining elaborate mechanics with pared-back design – think Moser’s perpetual calendars. The Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton, introduced in 2022, was quite different; it featured a complex skeletonised movement, housed in the robust steel case of the brand’s sportier collection. For its latest […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/h-moser-cie-pioneer-cylindrical-tourbillon-skeleton-aventurine-saquon-barkley-edition-introducing-price/

#cylindricaltourbillon #tourbillonskeleton #pioneercylindrical #cie #moser

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Introducing – The Semi-Openworked Version Watches V0201-TH, now ...

2026-10-19T10:50:19Z

Introducing – The Semi-Openworked Version Watches V0201-TH, now on Kickstarter

Version Watches is a young independent brand founded in 2024 founded by a feminine duo, Cybèle Vigneron and Carla Lafranchini. Version creates Swiss-made watches that are classic with a twist, exploring the idea of transparency and suggestion through its signature semi-openworked dials. The brand now comes with its second collection following the V01-LLC that reached […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/the-semi-openworked-version-watches-v0201-th-now-on-kickstarter/

#versionwatches #carlalafranchini #cybelevigneron

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Introducing – Union Glashütte brings the More Compact Belisar ...

2026-10-19T10:00:35Z

Introducing – Union Glashütte brings the More Compact Belisar Chronograph Speedster 2026

Founded in 1893 by Johannes Dürrstein in the Saxon town of Glashütte, Union Glashütte set out to make high-quality German watchmaking accessible to a wider audience. Today, part of the Swatch Group, the brand combines traditional craftsmanship with distinctive design and value for money. Its affinity for classic cars is captured in the retro Belisar […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/union-glashutte-brings-the-more-compact-belisar-chronograph-speedster-2026/

#unionglashutte #belisar #johannesdurrstein #swatchgroup #german

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Buying Guide – Six Effortlessly Cool Watches Below EUR 2,500 ...

2026-10-18T17:55:33Z

Buying Guide – Six Effortlessly Cool Watches Below EUR 2,500

Working in the watch industry for well over a decade by now, I hardly get nervous about watch prices. Sure, sometimes it baffles the mind how much watches can cost, and from time to time it’s hard to justify even, but a price is basically just a number by now. That doesn’t mean I have […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/buying-guide-affordable-watches-quantum-earthen-and-co-hamilton-mat-watches-sicura-o-horapictor-price-specs-review/

#eur #sure

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Watches, Stories, & Gear: Heritage 1854’s Makeover, An ...

2026-10-17T20:36:12Z

Watches, Stories, & Gear: Heritage 1854’s Makeover, An Archive of Movie Posters, and Luggage-Inspired Eyewear

Reelizer
I think part of the reason that I spend $100 a year on my Criterion membership is solely because I was roped in by their box sets at Barnes & Noble in my youth and haven’t recovered. And while I’m constantly complaining I never have time to watch movies anymore, I can’t seem to cancel it. Sometimes, I’ll just scroll through the library to see the little thumbnails of movies I may never watch, more interested in the design that captures the essence of the film than, say, that underground Czech comedy or whatever the hell Criterion is highlighting this month.
But, at least, it seems I’m not the only one who loves the posters as much as the movies. Reelizer is a personal archive of movie art curated by designer and developer Roger Erik Tinch. The site currently includes 225 works spanning posters, screenprints, illustrations, physical-media packaging, apparel, books and other pieces from across film culture. Everything can be searched by film, artist or collection, with individual entries crediting the artists and labels behind the work.
You can view the entire collection here – and I’d love to know which one is your favorite from the library.
Heritage 1854 Gets a Makeover
What can I say? I’m on an archive kick lately. First Reelizer and now this. Heritage 1854 is a vintage Timex resource covering watches from 1949 through 2000, created by collector Ark Zaydman as a place to document the watches themselves alongside original catalogs, advertisements, movement information and repair material. We first wrote about the site when it launched back in 2021.
Heritage recently got a new layout and several updates. You can browse by year or model, search original Timex catalogs, look through movement guides and parts information, or use the identification tool to help pin down a watch from its markings. There’s also a repair registry and a journal covering Timex history and releases.
Explore the site for yourself here.
Getty Images Is Going Private
Getty Images is preparing to go private after announcing a restructuring agreement that will see the company file for an expedited Chapter 11 bankruptcy process in the coming weeks. The move comes after its planned merger with Shutterstock fell apart earlier this year, with Getty also facing heavy debt and increased competition from AI-generated imagery.
Once the restructuring is complete, affiliates of the Getty family and Koch Equity Development will own the company, with up to $533 million in new equity being committed as part of the deal. Getty says its day-to-day operations will continue as normal throughout the process. The company had roughly $2.1 billion in debt as of June 30, while its shares have fallen about 99% since it returned to the public markets in 2022.
I just hope this doesn’t ruin my dreams of having the Getty Images logo plastered across a photo of me at some fancy fashion party. A lifelong goal of mine.
RIMOWA x MYKITA Eyewear
Look, I can’t help it. Try as I might, I just love what RIMOWA puts out. It’s chic, industrial and (dare I say it?) sexy. With TÁR being my favorite movie, RIMOWA is extremely TÁR-adjacent and, by God, that’s enough for me to tell you all about its latest release with MYKITA.
The two German brands have continued their eyewear collaboration with a new group of frames that brings RIMOWA’s aluminum-heavy design language into MYKITA’s world of lightweight, technical eyewear. There are new additions to both the Heritage and Visor lines, including rounder optical shapes, an all-black aviator and a slimmer wraparound shield style.
The frames are handmade at MYKITA HAUS in Berlin and are available now, with prices starting at $790.
Kakusu Watch Box
A couple weeks ago we highlighted the Type 6 Strongbox, and now we’re back with even more storage options for you, folks! This time, it’s the Kakusu Watch Box, a collaboration between the team behind the Form & Function podcast and RSM Watch Straps.
The project started with Toyo Steel’s T-320 toolbox, with a custom EVA interior designed to hold six watches and a spring bar tool. The watches sit upright inside individual compartments, with additional foam inside the lid to keep everything in place when the box is closed. Two versions were made for the collaboration, with Form & Function getting a matte, bead-blasted titanium grey finish and RSM opting for military green.
Be sure to check both out and go ahead and pick one up for me while you’re at it. Christmas is just two months way, you know.
The post Watches, Stories, & Gear: Heritage 1854’s Makeover, An Archive of Movie Posters, and Luggage-Inspired Eyewear appeared first on Worn & Wound.

https://wornandwound.com/watches-stories-gear-heritage-1854s-makeover-an-archive-of-movie-posters-and-luggage-inspired-eyewear/

#makeover #archive #heritage #posters #watches #getty #movie #timex #criterion #reelizer

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The ABCs of Time – The History of Chinese Watchmaking, From ...

2026-10-17T15:14:20Z

The ABCs of Time – The History of Chinese Watchmaking, From Reverse Engineering to a Growing Indie Scene

China was very late to watchmaking, with its first wristwatch debuting in 1955, while Japan had a domestic pocket watch in 1895 and its first wristwatch in 1913 (respectively Seiko’s Timekeeper and Seiko’s Laurel). Both Swiss and British watchmaking go back to the 16th century, for context. That said, China now produces more watches than all […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/abcs-of-time-history-of-chinese-watchmaking-from-reverse-engineering-to-a-growing-indie-scene/

#watchmaking #abcs #seiko #china #bothswiss #laurel

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The Petrolhead Corner – The New Porsche Mission S, An Ode To ...

2026-10-17T11:02:46Z

The Petrolhead Corner – The New Porsche Mission S, An Ode To The Sports Car

With the 918 Spyder already more than a decade behind us, it’s about time Porsche developed a new super- or even hypercar, don’t you think? After a lengthy teasing campaign, it has just revealed what such a car might actually look like, and although technical details are quite sparse for the moment, the new Mission S […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/the-petrolhead-corner-porsche-mission-s-design-concept-911-gt1-959-carrera-gt-918-spyder/

#car

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Introducing – The Bell & Ross BR-03 Space Mission Brings ...

2026-10-16T22:47:35Z

Introducing – The Bell & Ross BR-03 Space Mission Brings the Earth and Mars to the Wrist

Earth, the Moon, Mars, and a spacecraft… Sounds like Christopher Nolan is cooking up another mind-bending film, but it is actually the new Bell & Ross BR-03 Space Mission. Following the BR-03 Astro from 2025, this new edition has a dial that takes the concept of space-time rather literally. The watch has no conventional hands. […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/bell-and-ross-br-03-space-mission-introducing-price/

#spacemission #missionbrings #ross #bell #mars #wrist #christophernolan #moon

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Enthusiast Spotlight: Mountaineer Piotr Ma Takes on Marathon’s ...

2026-10-16T21:28:00Z

Enthusiast Spotlight: Mountaineer Piotr Ma Takes on Marathon’s New Titanium GSAR

The post Enthusiast Spotlight: Mountaineer Piotr Ma Takes on Marathon’s New Titanium GSAR appeared first on Worn & Wound.

https://wornandwound.com/enthusiast-spotlight-mountaineer-piotr-ma-takes-on-marathons-new-titanium-gsar/

#gsar

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Monta Introduces a Pair of Limited Editions to Celebrate their ...

2026-10-16T18:36:33Z

Monta Introduces a Pair of Limited Editions to Celebrate their Tenth Anniversary

For their tenth anniversary, Monta has released a pair of limited editions paying tribute to the Swiss watchmaking town of Neuchâtel, where every Monta from the earliest days of the brand has been developed. The two new watches, variants of the Triumph and Skyquest, offer a bunch of unique Easter eggs for longtime Monta fans while also remaining attractive and accessible timepieces on their own. Like all Montas, they are understated and built on a love of vintage tool watches, but for their tenth anniversary the team has allowed themselves to get a bit reflective in some of the design details, which I think many enthusiasts who’ve been with them from the beginning will appreciate.
The Neuchâtel X collection, as it’s known, is marked most obviously by new opaline dials to set them apart from the rest of the Monta lineup. The Skyquest Neuchâtel X features an old school printed layout with beige lume for a vintage effect, as well as custom dial typography for the Monta logo not seen prior to this collection. The Skyquest’s handset is also unique to this watch, and draws on a sword hand style popular with collectors of vintage sports watches.
The Skyquest remains at 40.7mm in diameter and 11.8mm thick. The red and blue 24 hour bezel allows the tracking of a third time zone with the help of Monta’s Caliber M-23, a rebadged Sellita SW330 “caller” style GMT. The case is water resistant to 300 meters and of course is paired with Monta’s excellent bracelet with a quick adjust clasp.
The Triumph Neuchâtel X has the same crisp silvery opaline dial as the Skyquest and a similar dial layout marked by beige lume at the hour markers, including the oversized 9 and 3 Arabics. The Triumph, being Monta’s first watch, will always be a special one in the collection and this variant feels, appropriately, like an uncommon relic of some kind from the past. There just weren’t a ton of white dialed everyday sports watches like this – they were almost always black.
Like the Skyquest, this Neuchâtel X edition Triumph features a variety of little design quirks that Monta fans will run with. The indices have a painted black lacquer application framing the lume plots, and the hands have a “wet-black” painted finish to match.
The Triumph measures 40mm in diameter and 10.5mm thick. The case has 200 meters of water resistance, and the watch runs on a Monta Caliber M-22 (a rebadged Sellita SW300).
Both the new Triumph and Skyquest are limited editions of 100 pieces. They make their in-person debut at Windup in New York City today, with a limited allotment for sale at the show over the course of the weekend. The watches will be available to previous Monta customers today as well, and then go on sale to the general public on October 17.
The Skyquest Neuchâtel X edition retails for $2,485, and the Triumph Neuchâtel X edition retails for $1,895. Monta
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https://wornandwound.com/monta-introduces-a-pair-of-limited-editions-to-celebrate-their-tenth-anniversary/

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Oris Gives Its ProPilot Caliber 111 Simple but Significant ...

2026-10-16T17:38:30Z

Oris Gives Its ProPilot Caliber 111 Simple but Significant Updates

Our story starts back in 2014 on the year of Oris’ milestone 110th anniversary. For the occasion, the brand unveiled its first proprietary in-house movement in 35 years, featuring a manual-wind 10-day power reserve and a non-linear power reserve indicator. This movement was aptly named the Caliber 110.
A year later, Oris presented the next evolution with the Caliber 111 in the Big Crown ProPilot lineup. The new movement added a dedicated date window at 9 o’clock alongside the signature airplane fuel gauge-style non-linear power reserve indicator at 3 o’clock. The model’s technical prowess caught the attention of the industry and went on to receive a coveted GPHG nomination that year.Over the past decade, we have seen only a select few iterations on the original, namely new dial colorways. Now, we get a brand new redesign with the latest incarnation. This follows in the footsteps of the brand’s redesign of the ProPilot Date, which brought a series of design updates including an organic dial texture inspired by nature, subtle evolutions to the applied numerals and lume-tipped hands to enhance legibility, and improvements to the ergonomics of the folding ‘LIFT’ clasp (one of the ProPilot’s signature elements). It also introduced an inventive seamless fit strap adjustment system. Let’s get into the specific upgrades that translate to the new ProPilot Caliber 111.
Front and center we have a new dial application with fresh finishes. The details are more visible in the green “pine” version with the main dial showcasing vertical brushing for a smooth and pleasing surface while the small seconds register at 9 o’clock receives a rougher textured treatment that provides the perfect contrast. While the brushed background of the true deep black variation is harder to discern, the small seconds subdial’s coarse finish appears more charcoal grey and is nicely offset from the main dial.Still in place are the angled bezel fluting and oversized crown, maintaining the collection’s historic links to aviation. In addition, the signature fuel gauge-style power reserve indicator sits opposite the small seconds register at 3 o’clock. There’s also a welcome change to the date placement, now at 6 o’clock as opposed to being offset and slightly intersecting with the small seconds subdial as we saw in previous versions.
The beating heart of the model remains the same with the landmark Caliber 111 offering 10 days or 240 hours of autonomy, displayed in the aforementioned power reserve indicator that shows remaining power with even greater accuracy as the time to wind the watch approaches. Both colorways of the oversized 43mm stainless steel model come with the option of a multi-piece stainless steel metal bracelet with folding ‘LIFT’ clasp or dark brown Cordovan leather strap with seamless fit adjustment system and stainless steel folding ‘LIFT’ clasp.Here, the bracelet version is priced at CHF 6,100 (approximately $7,300 at the time of publication) while the leather strap version is slightly less expensive at CHF 5,900 (approximately $7,000 at the time of publication). For more information, head over directly to Oris.
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The post Oris Gives Its ProPilot Caliber 111 Simple but Significant Updates appeared first on Worn & Wound.

https://wornandwound.com/oris-gives-its-propilot-caliber-111-simple-but-significant-updates/

#propilotcaliber #oris

First Look – Frederique Constant Dresses Its Attainable ...

2026-10-16T17:02:15Z

First Look – Frederique Constant Dresses Its Attainable Perpetual Calendar in Burgundy

Frederique Constant is known to make traditionally expensive watchmaking complications more accessible. Its Manufacture Perpetual Calendar, first introduced in 2016, was a QP priced well below that of many established competitors. In 2025, the watch received an update: a more refined 40mm case and a revised movement, with a power reserve extended to 72 hours. […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/frederique-constant-classic-perpetual-calendar-manufacture-burgundy-steel-limited-edition-review-price/

Introducing – The new Formex Essence Ceramica Dark Matter ...

2026-10-16T15:22:37Z

Introducing – The new Formex Essence Ceramica Dark Matter Redshift

Building on the original Essence Ceramica introduced in March 2025 and the distinctive Dark Matter meteorite dial that followed, Formex is back at work with a bolder take on its sports watch. Using motorsport as an inspiration, the new Essence Ceramica Dark Matter Redshift combines new finishes for the case, colorful accents and a powerful movement. […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/formex-essence-ceramica-cosc-41mm-dark-matter-redshift-full-black-ceramic-meteorite-dial-introducing-price/

Introducing – Meet the TYPE 10 DN, Ressence’s First ...

2026-10-16T14:28:18Z

Introducing – Meet the TYPE 10 DN, Ressence’s First Oil-Filled Watch with the Proprietary Movement

A few months ago, at Watches and Wonders, Ressence introduced a watch to be seen as a pivotal moment for the brand. It was potentially the most important launch for the independent watchmaker since its creation. Dubbed the TYPE 11, this watch remained very Ressence at first sight… Evolutionary more than radically novel. That was […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/meet-the-type-10-dn-ressences-first-oil-filled-watch-with-the-proprietary-movement/

Introducing – Oris Sharpens the ProPilot Calibre 111 Oris is ...

2026-10-16T12:55:31Z

Introducing – Oris Sharpens the ProPilot Calibre 111

Oris is busy refining its core collections, and last year it updated the ProPilot Date series. Now, the Hölstein-based brand applies the same touches to the ProPilot Calibre 111, one of its distinctive models. First introduced in the mid-2010s, this watch stands apart from the more accessible ProPilot Date series with its manually wound manufacture […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/oris-propilot-calibre-111-update-2026-introducing-price/

Introducing – The New Mido Multifort TV Big Date Chronometer ...

2026-10-16T09:02:47Z

Introducing – The New Mido Multifort TV Big Date Chronometer

Mido revived the distinctive Multifort TV case in 2023, building a collection of rectangular watches with an (almost) integrated bracelet, including fun editions with the retro TV test card dials. The Multifort TV Big Date is one of the recognisable models, with a strong geometric design, a large date display and an accessible automatic movement. […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/mido-multifort-tv-big-date-chronometer-cosc-introducing-price/

De Rijke & Co. Makes the Capri Collection a Permanent Fixture ...

2026-10-15T20:25:34Z

De Rijke & Co. Makes the Capri Collection a Permanent Fixture of Its Catalog with Three Staple Colorways

At Windup last fall, De Rijke & Co. made a surprise unveiling of the Capri collection, marked by its distinctive ultra-thin rectangular case, unique curved sapphire crystal, integrated shrouded lugs, and stone dials. As the year went on, the brand made an official announcement about the line, launching a poster challenge featuring hidden Easter eggs and offering further previews at other industry events like Milan Watch Week. As the calendar page turned to 2026, pre-orders for the anticipated limited edition Capri finally opened for the initial iterations in black onyx, black aventurine, and blue capri produced in just 50 pieces each. Now, the brand ushers the model into its permanent catalog with three new dial colors: champagne, salmon, and silver.
Within each dial variant, there is a balance of subtle nuances and stylistic throughlines. Each version carries a fine textured frosted dial composition that catches and diffuses the light, bringing out the broader spectrum of tones within each of the neutral colorways. De Rijke & Co. has made this effect deliberately subtle. Rather than relying on gloss or decoration, the dials reveal themselves through the curvature across the dial and crystal that’s a defining feature of the Capri.
However, each dial shade also has its own cheeky personality. The salmon model offers a fresh take on a hue used throughout the history of watchmaking. Here, the warm pink tone is brought to life thanks to the contrast of the deep blue strap and matching blue accents on the small seconds hand. Alternatively, the classic silver dial iteration anchors the collection in something thoroughly timeless. Coupled with the stainless steel case, the silver creates a more monochromatic and cohesive palette, punctuated by a small pop of color in the red small seconds hand. Lastly, the champagne dial brings a balance of brightness and softness to round out the new permanent lineup, shifting between pale gold and a shiny, warm metallic shade. This version gets the same splash of color as the silver model with a red small seconds hand.
The Capri maintains such a thin profile of just 6.5mm thanks to the La Joux Perret hand wound D100, Swiss-made movement whose architecture is based on the renowned Peseux 7001 caliber. It features a modified click mechanism and a robust power reserve upgrade compared to older iterations of its baseline inspiration. The slim build perfectly complements the collection’s modest proportions with a case width of 28.5mm and a case length of 38mm.
This trio of models lays the foundation for the permanent Capri line within the De Rijke & Co. catalog. Each version is priced at €2,495 (approximately $2,800 at the time of publication) and delivery is expected in March of next year. For more information, head over directly to De Rijke & Co.
The post De Rijke & Co. Makes the Capri Collection a Permanent Fixture of Its Catalog with Three Staple Colorways appeared first on Worn & Wound.

https://wornandwound.com/de-rijke-co-makes-the-capri-collection-a-permanent-fixture-of-its-catalog-with-three-staple-colorways/

Introducing – The Capri By De Rijke & Co Welcomes New ...

2026-10-15T20:15:01Z

Introducing – The Capri By De Rijke & Co Welcomes New Permanent Editions

For those familiar with the work of Dutch independent watchmaker Laurens de Rijke, working under his De Rijke & Co brand name, you’ll know about the Capri as well. Following his Amalfi Series driver’s watch and series of whimsical Miffy Moonphase watches, both featuring rotatable cases, the Capri is cut from a different block yet […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/introducing-de-rijke-and-co-capri-silver-champagne-salmon-la-joux-perret-d100-specs-price-pics/

Christopher Ward Introduces the C1 Loco Classic Today, ...

2026-10-15T18:10:52Z

Christopher Ward Introduces the C1 Loco Classic

Today, Christopher Ward officially introduces what some might call one of the worst kept secrets in indie watchmaking. We all knew that a dressy version of the brand’s Loco was coming – their British Watchmakers’ Day limited edition kind of gave it away. No one really thought that would be a one off, right? The all new C1 Loco Classic arrives as a fully formed product line within the brand’s Atelier lineup, and offers collectors who might have bristled at the aggressively sporty, angular C12 Loco a more refined option built on the same caliber with the same dramatic architecture.
The C1 Loco Classic is built on a 41mm 904L stainless steel “Light-catcher” case with a mix of high polished surfaces and contrasting brushed elements. The case features a pronounced groove running through the middle section, following through to the lugs, and has a curvy, rounded appearance. It’s a thick case, measuring a total of 14.1mm tall, but over 5mm of that height belongs to the domed crystal – Christopher Ward says the case itself is 8.55mm thick. Despite its overall height, Christopher Ward has gone to great lengths to create a softer and more organic shape for the Loco Classic, and while it might not work on every wrist, visually it certainly meets the brief of a more refined Loco.
As an owner of a C12 Loco, I can say that while I enjoy the case quite a bit, the real draw of the watch is the movement and the dial, and the way those two aspects of the piece are integrated, and the C1 Loco Classic delivers on that front. This is not just a straight port of the C12’s movement design into a new case. The aesthetic has been “softened” by redesigning the front and rear bridges to be slimmer and more rounded, mirroring the aesthetic of the case itself. The multi-level dial architecture remains, with the free sprung balance wheel acting as the centerpiece, always in motion. The dial at the 12:00 position is domed (following the crystal) and crafted from white ceramic with Roman numerals for time telling.
At launch, there are three variants available: gold, light blue, and black. The dial bases are grain sandblasted and varnished with a material containing powdered mother of pearl, which Christopher Ward says results in a finish that with a densely packed textured surface that offers a lot of shifting character in changing light.
Flipping the watch over, you’ll find the CW-003 caliber, with twin barrels allowing for 144 hours of power reserve. For the Loco Classic, Christopher Ward has gone with a gold plating to the baseplate, also with a grained finish that echoes the dial.
The C1 Loco Classic launches today, and starts at $5,995 on a strap, and moves up to $6,275 on a Consort bracelet. More information can be found at the Christopher Ward website here.
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The post Christopher Ward Introduces the C1 Loco Classic appeared first on Worn & Wound.

https://wornandwound.com/christopher-ward-introduces-the-c1-loco-classic/

Papar Puts a Twist on the All-Black Watch with Its Slimmest Watch ...

2026-10-15T16:24:24Z

Papar Puts a Twist on the All-Black Watch with Its Slimmest Watch Yet Featuring a Wandering-Hour

You probably know I’ve been a fan of Papar from the brand’s launch in 2024 with its initial model, the Anillo. Since this inaugural GMT collection, the brand has expanded with the addition of a diver called the Cenote. Now, we get a third collection that offers a wandering-hour: the Vuelte.
Before even reading the full press kit and just browsing through the images of the latest model in Papar’s lineup, I could see the brand’s distinct and playful DNA shine through in details like the now-signature octagonal case created by intersecting planes giving the impression of folded steel and the poetic color-changing crescent moon logo smiling. I could also see the Vuelte bringing a new personality to the lineup – one that’s a bit more restrained and minimal. However, knowing the attention to detail and the meaning attached to those details that’s been a throughline with Papar’s designs, I also knew there was more than meets the eye behind the aesthetics of this latest offering.
The Vuelte introduces a wander-hour complication executed with a very distinct all-black design. If you’ve been in the watch world for a while now, you are well versed in the plethora of blacked-out watches available from nearly every brand. Leave it to Papar to put its own spin on the color concept.
Rather than relying on conventional hands, an aperture carrying the current hour travels around the black dial while a red triangular indicator traces the passing minutes along the perimeter. This particular black dial is achieved by a black-painted sapphire crystal, and the minute hand is rendered in flat back, making it nearly disappear against the tone-on-tone surfaces and leaving only the red triangle visible and seemingly suspended above the dial. The aforementioned crescent moon-logo takes center stage thanks to an interruption in the painted crystal, allowing its gradient range of hues to pop in contrast against the all-black backdrop throughout the day.
Coming full circle back to the architecture itself, Papar has always presented relatively versatile sizing that suits any wrist. The original Anillo was the most compact offering with 36mm proportions but a rather hefty thickness of 12.1mm. Despite the numbers, it is quite balanced on the wrist. The Cenote pushed the brand into 40mm territory and a slightly pared down thickness at 10.9mm. With the new Vuelte, we get the slimmest take on the brand’s brutalist and highly geometric case structure with a thickness of just 8.8mm and a case size that falls between the previous two models at 38mm. The thinner proportions are in part possible thanks to the Miyota 9039 movement – a high-beat, ultra-thin automatic caliber.
The full black look is fittingly topped off with a black elastic hook strap that seems to hug the wrist in a way that seems like a nice extension of the slimmer and more streamlined design. For more information, including pricing, you can head over directly to Papar.
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The post Papar Puts a Twist on the All-Black Watch with Its Slimmest Watch Yet Featuring a Wandering-Hour appeared first on Worn & Wound.

https://wornandwound.com/papar-puts-a-twist-on-the-all-black-watch-with-its-slimmest-watch-yet-featuring-a-wandering-hour/

[VIDEO] Fossil Signature: Behind the Scenes with Ryan White plus ...

2026-10-15T14:38:50Z

[VIDEO] Fossil Signature: Behind the Scenes with Ryan White plus a Special Invitation

Introducing the Fossil Signature Collection. We visited Fossil’s Dallas headquarters to sit down with Senior Creative Director Ryan White for a behind-the-scenes look at the inspiration and creative process behind a collection designed with enthusiasts in mind.
Join us at Windup Watch Fair NYC for an exclusive screening of the short documentary chronicling the collection’s launch, followed by a Q&A with Ryan before doors open. Then, head to the Fossil Signature Lounge for a morning reception and your first chance to experience the collection up close. As a bonus, attendees get early access to Windup NYC, so you can skip the line and get straight to the good stuff.
The post [VIDEO] Fossil Signature: Behind the Scenes with Ryan White plus a Special Invitation appeared first on Worn & Wound.

https://wornandwound.com/video-fossil-signature-behind-the-scenes-with-ryan-white-plus-a-special-invitation/

Industry News – Modest Organic Growth for LVMH over the Third ...

2026-10-15T13:53:53Z

Industry News – Modest Organic Growth for LVMH over the Third Quarter 2026

French luxury group LVMH has just released its third-quarter 2026 results. Organic revenue growth came in at +1% in Q3 2026 and +2% over the first nine months of the year with revenues of EUR 57,148 millions. While these figures point to modest growth, they also reflect the challenging business environment facing the sector. Looking […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/modest-organic-growth-for-lvmh-over-the-third-quarter-2026/

First Look – Hublot Returns to Its Roots with the Classic ...

2026-10-15T12:25:04Z

First Look – Hublot Returns to Its Roots with the Classic Fusion Tributo (Incl. Video)

Before the Big Bang exploded on the watch scene in 2005, Carlo Crocco had already set the wheels of Hublot’s universe in motion. His 1980 watch, with its unorthodox mix of gold and rubber, introduced the Art of Fusion that would later become the brand’s calling card. Returning to the source, the Classic Fusion Tributo […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/hublot-returns-to-its-roots-with-the-classic-fusion-tributo-video-review-price/

First Look – Hermès Brightens the Glass Fibre H08 with White ...

2026-10-15T11:08:26Z

First Look – Hermès Brightens the Glass Fibre H08 with White and Blue Editions

Hermès introduced the H08 collection in 2021 as a different take on the sporty-chic watch, first launched as a time-and-date series, then updated with a monopusher chronograph and, more recently, a skeleton model. The H08 stands out for its rounded square case, original Arabic numerals on the dial, and a mix of surfaces and materials […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/hermes-h08-bleu-de-malte-and-blanc-chantilly-glass-fibre-case-editions-2026-review-price/

First Look – Time Set to the Second on the New Arnold & Son ...

2026-10-15T10:00:30Z

First Look – Time Set to the Second on the New Arnold & Son DSTB Stop-Seconds

Arnold & Son has forged its identity around the legacy of the 18th-century English chronometer maker John Arnold. Its collections are grouped into three categories (astronomy, chronometry and world time), each reflecting a different dimension of his work. One of the brand’s signature complications is the true seconds, also known as a deadbeat seconds mechanism. […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/new-arnold-son-dstb-stop-seconds-review-price/

Inside the Release Party Omega’s New Bond and Spectre-Edition ...

2026-10-15T09:19:08Z

Inside the Release Party Omega’s New Bond and Spectre-Edition Seamasters with CEO Raynald Aeschlimann

On Monday evening in Los Angeles, Omega celebrated Global James Bond Day with a launch party for the latest collection of Seamaster Diver 300Ms to join the Omega x James Bond Universe–including their first Spectre-themed watches ever. With CEO Raynald Aeschlimann on-hand and surrounded by a collection of iconic props from the Bond films (including Agent Primo’s bionic eyeball from No Time To Die), Omega displayed some of these new Bond references publicly for the first time.
At the core of the new collection are a pair of non-limited steel models, a James Bond Edition (ref. 210.30.42.20.03.004) and a Spectre Edition (ref. 210.30.42.20.01.023). Omega will also offer a duo of limited edition models rendered in platinum-gold: the Bond-themed ref. 210.83.42.20.03.001 and the Spectre-themed ref. 210.83.42.20.01.001. The limited edition watches will be sold exclusively in sets that include one of the limited edition Bond or Spectre watches and a numbered example (1-77) of the corresponding non-limited steel model. The numbered editions of the steel models get their own reference numbers, but don’t differ from the non-limited watches in any meaningful way. So, while the collection technically boasts six new references, it’s really only four new watches. Got it?
All of the watches in the new series share the familiar 42mm case diameter with the current production model Seamaster 300M, but the new models are a hair thicker at 14.23 mm. While fans that have been holding out hope for a downsized take on the beloved diver may feel that they’ve died another day with this release, the truth is the new Seamasters still wear quite comfortably on their steel mesh straps and the taller case doesn’t feel like a dramatic change to the standard 300M recipe in-the-metal. Omega has also opted to stick with its tried-and-true Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 8806 movement to power all of the watches in the collection. So while there’s nothing new under-the-hood here, that’s not necessarily a bad thing when it comes to this powerplant.
As for the watches’ visual charms, the Bond Edition retains the Seamaster 300M’s engraved wave motif dial, but twists the look with a deep navy blue finish. The dark dial found on the Bond model is offset by a brighter titanium bezel insert, which gives it a unique look among the Diver 300Ms in Omega’s current line up. The watch also features the Bond family crest at the 12 o’clock hour marker and it’s a party-in-the-back, where you’ll find a tremendous rotor that’s been engraved with the 007 logo and gun barrel imagery.
The Spectre Edition has a decidedly utilitarian look that contrasts the Bond model. While the Spectre watch is intended to be spiritually aligned with the shadowy cabal of Bond baddies, it’s the hero of the two watches–at least for our money. The Spectre reference gets a matte black dial and a tough looking textured black ceramic bezel insert. Its display caseback also features a sizable rotor, this time emblazoned with the modern iteration of Spectre’s psuedo-cephalopod logo. This watch infuses the Diver 300M form with an understated style that’s perhaps more rugged than sinister.
The limited edition platinum-gold watches are obviously more upscale pieces. These watches feature handmade leather straps in place of the Milanese mesh, and what we believe are guilloche dials in place of the laser-engraved aluminum found on the non-LEs. The limited edition sets retail at around $90k, making them a novelty reserved for either the most well-heeled Bond nerds or Omega completists–especially those that want both a Bond and Spectre set. Despite the pricepoint, Omega claims that many of the limited sets are already spoken for.
Omega’s relationship with the hallowed Bond IP is as intrinsically tied to their brand identity as the Speedmaster’s history with NASA is at this point. It’s a relationship that extends back over 30 years now and one that ushered a generation of enthusiasts into the watch space, with many of us first romanticizing wristwatches under the influence of Pierce Brosnan and/or Daniel Craig’s portrayals of the MI6 man. The Seamaster Divers worn by those respective Bonds were the first grail watches of many budding collectors–including several industry colleagues that proudly wore their personal 300Ms to Monday’s launch event. Each one of those watches had a sentimental story attached to it, and that’s something that’s not lost on Omega’s leadership–least of all CEO and President Raynald Aeschlimann.
Aeschlimann was all smiles while discussing the brand’s relationship with Bond and was particularly thrilled about their first (deliberate) foray into watches for villains.
On the brand’s 32 years with Bond, Aeschlimann told Worn & Wound “For me, the relationship with Bond is what matters. It’s not just another watch with a name on it, it’s about the depth of the relationship Omega has with Bond. It’s been over 30 years and I’ve done all of the movies and been in all of the discussions, so for me personally, this celebration and this collection is so much more than a product placement. Today the relationship between Omega and James Bond is even more important than ever, and it’s about shared values. When we started working with Bond, people would ask why we would provide our watches when we knew the film production was going to change everything and modify them. Today people understand it and that’s why we’re part of the Bond DNA.”
When asked why the brand has finally ventured into watches for villains, the CEO explained “We’re constantly celebrating our relationship with Bond. Daniel Craig knows watches so well, so when I asked him to create a watch together for his next movie and we worked together on the No Time to Die watch, it was obvious that it would be a real James Bond watch. That watch is still in the top ten of our sales, and if we had done a limited edition, it would have sold out.
“It was always in my mind to do something with Spectre because part of all of us is Spectre. They’re just the best enemy. You love to hate them as an enemy, and you need that for a good story. The other part of it is the actors that have played Spectre have been fantastic. We always talk about the actors that have played James Bond because when you play Bond, you’re Bond forever. But we should not forget about the actors that have played these villains, whether it was Gert Fröbe as Goldfinger or Javier Bardem as Silva. We wanted to celebrate them, too. It wasn’t just about creating a second watch, it’s celebrating what we consider the best enemy, and I love that story.”
It was obvious from speaking with him that Aeschlimann’s passion for the Bond universe extends beyond sales figures and board room politics. He even demonstrated a bit of his own evasive spywork when we pressed him for answers on who the next actor to play Bond might be, but done with a coy smile. We know you know, Raynald.
Ultimately none of these new Seamasters are reinventing the model or moving the needle much in adding something unique to the lineup. If there’s any valid criticism here, it’s that the standard production models that most people will be considering from the new lineup feature pretty safe aesthetic choices, and that we’d still love to see a smaller version of the Diver 300M released in the near future. That said, they’re genuinely good looking, fun iterations of a well-loved watch. And for those of us that enjoy the full spectrum of Bond lore and appreciate Omega’s relationship with the franchise, the addition of Spectre-themed watches and what the brand may continue to do with that concept is exciting. Perhaps these watches are just an appetizer for a grander release when the next film is announced? For now, that dossier remains sealed. Omega
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https://wornandwound.com/inside-the-release-party-omegas-new-bond-and-spectre-edition-seamasters-with-ceo-raynald-aeschlimann/

Introducing – Urwerk Reconfigures its Time Display with the ...

2026-10-15T08:39:47Z

Introducing – Urwerk Reconfigures its Time Display with the UR-300 Time Quantum

Since its foundation in 1997, Urwerk has looked at mechanical watchmaking from a very unconventional perspective. Co-founders Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei have developed an unmistakable style, with satellite hours, wandering displays, and retrograde indications. Their watches frequently take inspiration from astronomy, but the new UR-300 Time Quantum looks not to heavenly bodies but to […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/urwerk-ur-300-time-quantum-introducing-price/

First Look – The IWC Pilot Watch Performance Chronograph Turns ...

2026-10-15T07:11:30Z

First Look – The IWC Pilot Watch Performance Chronograph Turns Gold for the Year of the Goat

IWC Schaffhausen has marked the Chinese New Year with some interesting special editions in recent years, most of them featuring burgundy dials, from the burgundy-and-gold Portugieser for the Year of the Rabbit to the dragon-themed edition that followed and the latest Year of the Horse watch. Up next for the occasion is yet another themed […]

https://monochrome-watches.com/iwc-pilot-watch-performance-chronograph-41-year-of-the-goat-2027-titanium-gold-dial-iw388310-review-price/

Watches, Stories, & Gear: A New KUOE Watch Coming to New ...

2026-10-15T07:00:33Z

Watches, Stories, & Gear: A New KUOE Watch Coming to New York’s Wind Up, A Toyota-Inspired Collection, and a Set of Cycling Bags

Beams x REI Co-op Expedition Parka
My husband and I were debating what to call my personal style over the weekend and, unfortunately, neither of us had anything positive to say. The best we could come up with was “Chandler from Friends with a maxed-out credit card.”
Part of the reason is that I’m not adventurous. Even my “nice” clothes look like something from the Gap that my mom bought me before my sophomore year. I have, in short, no courage to branch out of the ’90s, I guess you could say.
But maybe that’s not a total loss. I just need to take my sartorial time machine back to 1986. That’s when REI first released its Expedition Parka, and BEAMS has brought the style back for a new collaboration, limited to 500 pieces. The new version keeps the oversized shape and bright color blocking of the original, while updating the construction with a two-layer Windstopper by GORE-TEX Labs shell and 650-fill down. The BEAMS x REI Co-op Expedition Parka is available now for $599.
KOUE’s Royal Smith 90-006 Large, New York Limited Edition
Who’s getting excited about Windup next week? And who’s even more excited now knowing that KUOE Kyoto is bringing a 50-piece limited edition to New York?
The Royal Smith 90-006 Large, New York Limited Edition pairs the waffle dial from the 90-006 with the Dauphine-style hands from the discontinued 90-005, along with a cream dial, silver case and brown leather strap made in Italy. The case comes in at 39mm, while inside is the Miyota 9039 automatic movement with approximately 42 hours of power reserve.
The watch will be available exclusively at Windup New York from October 16 through 18. I won’t be able to attend this year, but if anyone wants to wait in line and grab one for me, my birthday was last week…
EVERGOODS CIVIC Flat Pouch
Look, I’m not going to sit here and tell you that I don’t regularly scour Japanese eBay for a designer bag to store all my work stuff, but I’m also starting to think that a proper EDC-forward option is actually what I need without getting distracted by the big brand names. Enter the CIVIC Flat Pouch from EVERGOODS.
Made from 210D nylon, the pouch has two zippered compartments separated by a floating divider and a flat profile that keeps it from taking up much room until I fill it with two pairs of headphones, ten fountain pens, a pack of regular gum, a pack of that gum that promises to define my jawline, and some loose euros that make me feel important and fancy. It measures 8 inches long, weighs just 1.55 ounces and comes in black, OD green and hot orange.
The CIVIC Flat Pouch is available now for $25 (which, for anyone wondering, is a tenth of a Prada pouch).
Pas Normal Studios x PORTER Cycling Bags
If you’re a cyclist, more power to you. Me on the other hand? Well, I’ll put it this way: one of my bucket-list items is to use a Citi Bike in NYC without crying. But until then, I’ll watch my own e-bike collect dust in the garage every time I go out there to grab another tub of Tillamook from the deep freezer.
But if I did have the cojones to ride my bike beyond the backcountry roads near my house, I’d absolutely want to deck it out with a few stylish accessories like the new collaboration from Pas Normal Studios and PORTER.
The two brands have come together on a six-piece collection that brings PORTER’s Japanese bagmaking to Pas Normal Studios’ cycling gear. Three of the bags attach directly to the bike, with a frame bag, handlebar bag and saddle bag covering different storage points. There’s also a backpack and tote for carrying more off the bike, plus a compact coin case. Each piece comes with its own co-branded drawstring pouch.
The Pas Normal Studios x PORTER collection is available now through the Yoshida & Co. online store and PORTER locations across Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and Thailand.
Topo Designs x Toyota Trailhunter Collection
Please indulge me for a moment while I tell you that I was once a valet at a luxury hotel when I was 19. The first thing you must know is that I am very dumb, and the second thing you must know is that I don’t like driving cars nearly as much as I like riding bikes. In any case, a guest once asked me to get his car, “the white Toyota.” Well, this was 2010, and I had to run over to the golf course to get enough service to Google what Toyota’s logo looked like on my BlackBerry Curve.
I’ve luckily learned a thing or two about cars since then, mostly how to use CarPlay and turn on the heated seats in my husband’s car. But in those past 16 years, I have learned to identify a Toyota. In fact, I could spot it right away on the new Topo Designs x Toyota Trailhunter Collection.
The 14-piece collection includes some of Topo’s better-known bags, with the Rover Trail Pack and Mountain Gear Bag joined by a 10L Pack Bag, Utility Roll, Medium Accessory Bag and Taco Bag. There’s also a Utility Jacket with matching Utility Pants, long- and short-sleeve graphic tees, a Corduroy Trucker Hat, Crux Key Clip and two bandanas in red and yellow. Toyota and Trailhunter logos and graphics appear throughout the collection alongside Topo Designs’ unmistakable branding.
The collection is available now via Topo Designs’ website.
The post Watches, Stories, & Gear: A New KUOE Watch Coming to New York’s Wind Up, A Toyota-Inspired Collection, and a Set of Cycling Bags appeared first on Worn & Wound.

https://wornandwound.com/watches-stories-gear-a-new-kuoe-watch-coming-to-new-yorks-wind-up-a-toyota-inspired-collection-and-a-set-of-cycling-bags/

Toledano & Chan Dazzles with their Latest Release Toledano ...

2026-10-15T06:23:51Z

Toledano & Chan Dazzles with their Latest Release

Toledano & Chan has introduced their latest release, the B/1 Dazzle. Eagle eyed GPHG watchers might have gotten a small tease of this one when nominations were released a few months back (it’s fairly routine for brands to submit embargoed watches, and they’re often revealed before the official launch as part of the GPHG voting process), but now the cat is fully out of the bag. The Dazzle is actually a pair of watches, both using Toledano & Chan’s now familiar case architecture inspired by the former Whitney Museum building, designed by Marcel Breuer, and Brutalist forms and ideas more generally. Now with several distinct releases under their belt, it’s becoming more and more interesting to see how Toledano & Chan iterate on this platform. The Dazzle might be my personal favorite of the executions of this case design to date.
The idea for the Dazzle comes from camouflage used on battleships during the first World War. The so-called “dazzle” camouflage design was not meant to conceal, but to use complex geometry to confuse the enemy by disrupting proportion. The alternating black and white bars painted onto a ship that’s in constant motion would have been difficult for an adversary to pin down. The dazzle design language has been used in art and design for many years since, including on watches, but Toledano & Chan’s version plays with the idea in a few interesting ways that I haven’t seen before.
Like the most recent B/1 releases, this one is in titanium, and the entire case and integrated bracelet are covered with the dazzle lines and planes. What’s notable here though is that the finishing of each plane is uniform across the case, bracelet, and dial, which reinforces the idea of the B/1 as a sculptural object, something that I think has always been hinted at but made particularly clear here. The finishing is incredibly cool in person, and is achieved through a process whereby the pattern is CNC engraved, frosted with diamond dust, and brushed to a beautiful matte finish.
In addition to the standard B/1 Dazzle, Toledano & Chan is also releasing what they are playfully referring to as the B/1 Double Dazzle, which features a dial with 350 natural diamonds. I was really drawn to this one when we had samples of both watches in the office. The diamonds are impressive but also, somehow, a little under the radar, and I also enjoy the visual pun of using the concept of “dazzle” in multiple ways with this variant. And for anyone who follows Toledano & Chan cofounder Phil Toledano on Instagram, the use of diamonds here will immediately jump out as part of his “geezer watch” aesthetic. The design here feels very much informed by his own collecting taste, which I suppose will be hit and miss with each individual enthusiast depending on how much their own taste lines up with Phi’s, but I’m guessing if you’re remotely interested in one of these watches, there’s at least some overlap.
The specs for these watches line up with previous B/1 releases, meaning the titanium case is a little smaller than the first run of steel watches, coming in at 32mm by 30.6mm, and 12.3mm thick inclusive of the sloping crystal. It runs on a Swiss automatic movement. The standard version is a limited run of 188 pieces with a retail price of $7,700, while the Double Dazzle is priced at $9,700 and limited to 12 pieces. Both of the new Dazzle pieces will be available directly from Toledano & Chan as well as their authorized retailers beginning October 24. Toledano & Chan
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https://monochrome-watches.com/bianchet-ultrafino-tonneau-black-ceramic-and-gold-openworked-ultra-thin-tourbillon-integrated-bracelet-introducing-price/

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https://monochrome-watches.com/fortis-updates-its-space-chronograph-with-the-fully-luminous-novonaut-n-42-halo-edition-review-price/