Best Super NEWS Watches
The Gold TAG Heuer Aquaracer Review
TAG is going for gold C literally.? The 40mm Aquaracer line, one of its most popular in recent years, is getting flashier by way of a pair of solid gold cases. One is solid 18k 5N pink gold, the other in solid 18k 3N yellow gold, and both watches are affixed to rubber straps. Solid gold Aquaracers are a very cool thing, especially when you consider that you get the gradient dial, and a known case designjust more luxe. But there's more to it than just a new case. Each piece features a DLC-coated steel screw-down crown and a black DLC-coated Grade 2 titanium case back with a sapphire exhibition window to view a brand-new caliber. ...
At last year's Watches & Wonders, the Santos Dumont stole the show. I'm talking specifically about the models with the lacquered cases C and even more specifically the green version in pink gold. I must have visited the Cartier booth five times just to keep looking at that watch. Well, Cartier is back for a Santos encore with three new models that a reminiscent of the watches from last year but just a bit different. What we have are three watches, each in a different precious metal: platinum, rose gold and yellow gold. Each one features Roman numerals on the dial cut directly in jasper, jade and dumortierite. ...
The 2023 36mm Colorful TAG Heuer
Amidst a whole bunch of other announcements Carrera-related, here's one we didn't see coming: insane colors! That's right TAG is doing what Omega did with the Aqua Terra line, and what Rolex did with the Oyster Perpetual, and infused its dials with a variety of colors in the 36mm range. In all, there are four colors C though only three are available at launch today. Those are blue, green, and silver. And the fourth is a (very) hot pink with a snailed finish, which will become available in May of this year. The watches are actually a bit more refined in sizing than previous iterations. The lug-to-lug m...
Grand Seiko Tentagraph Chronograph Watch
What's in a name? Well in the case of Grand Seiko's first mechanical chronograph, everything. The Tentegraph is a new watch that has a movement with a frequency of ten beats per second, a power reserve of three days, and it is an automatic chronograph. My job here is basically done.? Abandoning our usual formula of working from the outside in, let's start with the movement since it's all right there in the name/acrostic poem. The Tentagraph Caliber 9SC5 uses the high-beat Caliber 9SA5 as its base. Within the movement there's an energy-efficient Dual Impulse Escapment and two barrels that allow the watch to run for three days even...
Next week, while in town for the mammoth Watches & Wonders trade show, we will be posting up at Lucid Studios Geneva C the Swiss retail space for the premier luxury electric carmaker Lucid Motors. And we figured that since the entire horological community will be descending upon the city, we'd throw open the doors and host a meet-up. We've been trying to do this sort of thing more often C to connect with you all in real life. So if you are in town (or crazy enough to fly into town just for this event) here's your official invitation.? All you gotta do is RSVP. Simple, right? You're just one email ...
Introducing The New Zenith Pilot Automatic And Pilot Big Date Flyback
Zenith has introduced an updated take on its long-standing Pilot watches, announcing its new Zenith Pilot collection of four models: the Pilot Automatic and the Big Date Flyback, both in a stainless steel case or black ceramic. The Pilot Automatic measures 40mm, while the Big Date Pilot Flyback measures 42.5mm. All four have black dials with horizontal grooves, large Arabic numerals, and a new case and bezel design. Pilot Automatic The new Pilot Automatic serves as the foundation for this new generation of Zenith Pilot watches. The case design is new, with a large, flat bezel that sits atop the rounded ca...
Bulgari Octo Roma Striking Papillon Tourbillon and Striking Tourbillon Sapphire
We are literally one day away from this year's Watches & Wonders madness, and Bulgari C while not presenting at the show?C is nevertheless getting us in the mood with two visually striking tourbillon models that glow brightly in the dark. Octo Roma Tourbillon Sapphire First up is the Octo Roma Striking Papillon Tourbillon C a design we have seen before from Bulgari, just in a different form. This watch places the tourbillon in the center of the dial C you know C where the hands would ordinarily be. Because of this, the time is displayed creatively: the hour is read through a fixed window at 12, while the minutes are displa...
Chopard Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF in Titanium
Chopard just launched a new titanium Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF that features a "pitch black" colored dial and some rather attractive orange accents.? The new high-frequency timepiece belongs to the wider Alpine Eagle family - Chopard's 2019 answer to the integrated bracelet sport watch trend C and maintains most of the design cues of its 41mm "Lucent" steel predecessor. As mentioned, dial-wise, the Cadence 8HF does have a few notable cosmetic differences, but the main point of departure here is the titanium casing and bracelet as well as the technically advanced in-house high-frequency movement. Chopar...
New Panerai Radiomir With California Dial
The new Radiomir California PAM01349 is a vintage Panerai lover's dream, and is headlined by two key features. One is a slimmed down, more crowd-pleasing 45mm size; the second is a case with a new hand-applied, patinated-like finish that Panerai is calling Brunito, which means burnished in Italian (does everything just sound sexier in Italian?). ?Just by way of background: a California dial notably features half the dial in Roman numerals, the other half in Arabic, with a dash for 3, 6 and 9, and an inverted triangle for 12. Used in the 1930s and patented by Rolex in 1941, the California dial was known as the "error-proof" dial for its readability in low-light co...
The 40mm Panerai Radiomir Quaranta Goldtech
In recent years, Panerai has been notably slimming down the giant watches it's known for. For instance, we've seen 40mm models introduced to its diving-themed Luminor line. Now that rollout is hitting Radiomir.? Quaranta means forty in Italian, and after launching several Radiomir Quaranta eSteel models for the Chinese market earlier this year, a more precious Goldtech model now joins the line-up. Quaranta means forty in Italian, and after launching several Radiomir Quaranta eSteel models for the Chinese market earlier this year, a more precious Goldtech model now joins the line-up. ...
The Road Through America, Episode 4: The West Coast Collectors
For the final episode of Watches in the Wild: The Road Through America, Cole and I are leaving Los Angeles in the rear view and heading up the coast. We're after a bit of adventure, some killer views, and a chance to hang with a handful of collectors who represent the breadth and personality of West Coast watch culture. First, we drive up the scenic Pacific Coast Highway to connect with our friend Asha Wagner for a bit of diving in the cool and kelp-laden waters of Monterey. Asha is a fire captain and hazmat specialist with a taste for adven...
Jean-Claude Biver Announces His Namesake Watch
After a half-century in the industry, Jean-Claude Biver remains a magnet for attention. When he speaks, people listen. And that can be a problem. Biver is quite the talker C easily excitable and prone to exaggeration. The man can get ahead of himself. Take, for instance, his interview last year with Radio Tlvision Suisse (RTS) where he announced (and we broke the news in English) that he would be starting a new brand under his own name. An hour and a half later, a lawyer in Geneva registered for the trademark and apparently held it hostage, because Biver hadn't registered for it yet.? JCB holding court. ...
Hodinkee Valentine's Day Gift Guide
Valentine's Day is a holiday about shared love, shared passions, and shared memories. So step away from the flowers and chocolates; instead, give the person in your life something that they will remember long past this short month. It doesn't matter who is the watch enthusiast in the relationship, you can find the right gift in the Hodinkee Shop. To help jumpstart your shopping list we have put together some suggestions that will win over that perfect someone in your life. If you are celebrating this holiday solo, don't forget to take care of yourself, your wrist deserves love too. ...
New Tag Heuer Monza Watch Review
There are few things more divisive in watches than when TAG Heuer does anything outside of the vintage-inspired box. Photo by Mark Kauzlarich Case in point: a few weeks ago TAG Heuer announced its new TAG Heuer Monza Flyback Chronometer and while two of our editors found it crazy enough to do a TAG-team (pun intended) introduction in both text and video format, commenters were largely underwhelmed at best. The New TAG Heuer Monza Flyback Chronometer Is So Wild, We Had Two Editors Review It (Video) Check out what Tony Traina and Brandon Menacio had to say about the new release when it w...
An Introduction to British Watchmaker Rebecca Struthers
Nothing about Dr. Rebecca Struthers' origin story would indicate she'd become a watchmaker. A woman born in Birmingham, United Kingdom in the '80s, she struggled in school (her words, not mine), eventually dropping out of high school. "I found watchmaking completely by accident," Struthers says. She explained that, while she always loved the intersection of art and science, she struggled academically. Eventually, she dropped out and found her way to art school in her hometown of Birmingham where she studied jewelry and silversmithing. This art school also taught watchmaking, and eventually, one of the horology students noticed Struthers' work and asked if she'd t...
We've all been there. We're ready to jump into the deep end of watch enthusiasm when we realize there's more to this thing than just "buying a watch." These timepieces we love are segmented and categorized, sometimes to a point that seems like overkill. Before we were watch enthusiasts, we probably rarely thought about diving, but the dive watch category is a core part of the hobby. Of course, stripped down to their essentials, a watch is a watch. But through time, watches have also been professional tools that gave way to a certain design aesthetic for each purpose they were built for. And through these aesthetics, categories were born. These categories are wort...
The Hodinkee Cyber Monday Gift Guide
Ah, Black Friday C that special day of the year when we collectively have permission to lean into our most materialistic desires as our favorite retailers ritualistically slash prices in honor of the gift-giving season. Thankfully the days of fighting crowds in shopping malls and prying people's bare hands off of our chosen gifts have conceded to the more relaxed fair of online shopping, so we are free to enjoy our post-feast after-glows while being merely a few clicks away from to the best deals of the year. While online shopping is arguably almost too easy these days, the real challenge lies in the process of decision-making. Given all of the great launches thi...
In-Depth Review Of The 2023 TAG Heuer Carrera Glassbox
TAG Heuer is one of the most recognized watch brands around. But it's fallen out of favor with watch enthusiasts over the years. That may have changed this year with the release of the TAG Heuer Carrera "Glassbox" in 39mm. It's even been called the best TAG Heuer in years. As a long-time lover of the Carrera C I've owned a couple of vintage ones over the years C I wanted to spend a week with it on my wrist to see if it lives up to the praise. On the surface, it's a well-sized, modern watch that pulls on Heuer's heritage without overdoing it. But I wanted to dig deeper into the Carrera Glassbox to see what it's all about, and what...
Dispatch: The Watches, People, And Community Of Dubai Watch Week
Once every two years, for a week in the fall, a former fishing village on the Arabian Peninsula becomes a hotspot that wraps up the horological calendar for the year. As Ben said in his photo diary from Geneva's wild week encompassing GPHG, fall auctions, and FHH C the fall can be quite busy in this industry. But far afield from Geneva, Dubai Watch Week is an incredible punctuation for a remarkable year in watches.? Hind Seddiqi, Director General of Dubai Watch Week. Hind's watch by the family's company "Vyntage Horology." This watch was limited to four pieces made only for cousins in the ...
Introducing: A Pair Of New Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Mechanical Chronographs
The new releases from Seiko keep coming. These are the Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Mechanical Chronograph (ref. SQR047) and the 100th Anniversary Limited Edition (ref. SQR049). The panda dial SQR047 is a regular production release, while the blue-grey SQR049 will be limited to 1,000 pieces. Together, they're a handsome pair of Speedtimers with just enough heritage inspiration. ?? SQR049 and SQR047 Besides the flipped dial colors, SQR047 and SQR049 have the same specs. The steel case measures 42mm in diameter and 14.6mm thick and comes on a redesigned nine-link bracelet. Both the case and bracelet have alternating brushed and poli...