Best Super NEWS Watches
Hands-On: With The Peter Speake-Marin Triad (Live Pics, Video, & Pricing)
Earlier this month, I introduced you to a new "mechanical art" watch by the venerable Peter Speake-Marin known as Triad. It is a tribute to the number three and its many meanings. Specifically, it pays homage to the musical notation of a triad, with "3 notes, 1 meaning" right on the dial. Last week I got a hands-on look at this miniature work of art, and however you want to look at it, the watch's intrinsic beauty is crystal clear.With a label of "mechanical art" the Triad sets certain expectations straight away. This is a watch built not for pure function, but to glorify the artistry of the engineering. As such, the redundancy of 3 identical timing complications serves only to build on the ...
One of the most exciting releases at Basel World 2013 came from Swatch, which isn't exactly the most talked about brand here at HODINKEE. The Sistem51 is the world's first mechanical movement with entirely automated assembly. It has only 51 components, all of which are anchored to a central screw, a 90 hour power reserve, and, oh yeah, it's 100% Swiss made. While there was one Sistem51 prominently displayed in a glass case at the center of Swatch's Basel exhibition, here we have an exclusive hands-on look at this revolutionary watch.?? Seriously guys, this could be a game-changer. Sistem51 Dial Detail Back in 1983, Swatch laun...
Hands-On: With The Maurice LaCroix Pontos S Diver (Live Pics & Pricing)
Last month we brought you a first look at the new Pontos S Diver from Maurice LaCroix, a vintage inspired, 3-hand diver with serious good looks and promising value. The new Pontos was officially introduced to us last week in Basel and we got the full scoop on pricing as well as a chance to see just how this watch looked in the metal. The results were great. We were pleasantly surprised in some ways as well, read on for our thoughts.One look at the Pontos S Diver gives a clear indication that visual inspiration was drawn from the likes of iconic EPSA compressor cased divers from the likes of JLC and Longines. You know we feel about those watches, so this is certainly not a bad thing.The clean...
Hands-On: With The Ressence Type 3 (Live Pics & Pricing)
Ressence Type 3 At Basel World 2013 we sat down with?Beno?t Mintiens, founder of Ressence, to take a closer look at the Type 3. If you remember from our brief introduction a few weeks ago, the Type 3 features two separate sealed chambers, one filled with oil and the time indicating components and the other with the movement. Magnets transmit information from the latter to the former through a titanium plate. It's as impressive in person as it sounds on the page. The Type 3 Dial As a quick review, the Type 3's dial indications include the hours in a subdial (with the Ressence hand at 12 o'clock), the ...
Hands-On: With The Tissot Heritage Navigator 160th Anniversary (Live Pics & Pricing)
To celebrate its 160th anniversary, Tissot reached back into its past and decided to bring back an iconic anniversary watch, the Tissot Heritage Navigator. The first version of this watch was released in 1953 when the brand turned 100, and now Tissot has updated the classic worldtimer design to suit the brand's modern identity, giving us the Heritage Navigator 160th Anniversary.? The biggest difference you'll notice immediately is the larger size for the 160th Anniversary Navigator. The 1953 centenary edition was 36mm, which was relatively large for the time, and accordingly the new Heritage Navigator is 43mm. The case is cer...
Christophe Claret Kantharos Not too long ago, we introduced you to the Kantharos from Christophe Claret. This chronograph features a constant force escapement as well as a cathedral gong that sounds whenever you press the chronograph's single pusher. While the Kantharos is certainly cool conceptually, it's even more stunning in the metal. Today we have a hands-on look at this awesome piece of haute horology from Christophe Claret.? The Kantharos's Dial Just taking a look at the dial, it's easy to see there is a lot going on here. At 9 o'clock is the hours subregister for the chronograph, with the min...
Introducing The Herms Dressage Chronograph (Live Pics & Pricing)
Herms Dressage Chronograph In Steel and Black Last year at Basel World, Herms offered up?the Dressage?watch with an in-house H.1925 automatic movement. Well, this year Herms has taken the Dressage a step further, adding a Dubois-Depraz chronograph movement to the H1925 giving us the elegant Dressage Chronograph. As you would expect from Herms, the details on this one are handled wonderfully.? The Opaline Silvered Dial Dressage Chronograph There are two variations of the Dressage Chronograph, black dial and opaline silvered dial, ?though both start with the same 40.5mm curvy tonneau-shaped Dressag...
Introducing The H. Moser Nomad: A Travel Time Has Never Been So Clean (Live Pics + Pricing)
2013 may be the year of the dual timezone complication, and that's A-OK with me, because it's one of my favorites (as I told you here).? One of the most beautiful and refined interpretations of the dual timezone wristwatch from Basel World 2013 comes from the OTHER great watch manufacture based in Schaffhausen, H. Moser & Cie.??The Nomad from Moser is a seriously beautiful watch, and one of the most elegant dual-timezone displays i've seen in a while.? But first a little about Moser itself.? Moser makes all its own movements - six unique calibers in total.? They also produce their own hairsprings - a true rarity in this field - that are sold to a select group of clients within the indust...
Introducing: The Greubel Forsey Quantime Perptuel quation
Before discussing the new Greubel Forsey Quantime Perptuel quation, we must first cover the Computeur Mcanique C aka the 7th Greubel Forsey Invention. This tiny mechanical computer had many birth certificates in the form of patents to accompany it into the world of haute horology.? The Computeur Mcanique is a mechanical "brain" composed of 25 parts C many of which are rotating coaxial coded elements in an arrangement of moving sections. Each element is unique in its cyclical preprogramming and, thus, in its indication.The Computeur is fully integrated within the movement, and its elements are programmed to automatically di...
Up Close And Personal With The Arnold & Son HM Perpetual Moon
Last week, we introduced you to the Arnold & Son HM Perpetual Moon, most noted for its over sized, highly detailed moon likeness. Today in Basel, we got the chance to inspect the HM Perpetual Moon in the flesh - it did not disappoint. We pointed out the fact that moon phase complications are usually found paired with a variety of other useful complications which generally relegate the moon display to aesthetic curiosity on the dial. Arnold & Son have taken a different route, offering a generous proportion of the dial to honoring the phases of the moon. They did not waste the real estate, and there are no other complications or sub dials in sight.We were keen to find out if the real t...
Hands-On: With The Nomos Ahoi, A New Dive Watch From Germany (Live Pics & Pricing)
NOMOS Ahoi NOMOS is known for their Bahuaus designs, with clean lines, angular cases, and classic dials. Today we bring you their first dive watch, the Ahoi, which updates their familiar Tangomat with some color and a few sporty details. There are two variations, though both feature in-house automatic movements and come in under $5,000. Touches Of Color On The Ahoi's Dial While color isn't entirely new to NOMOS, most of the brand's watches are of the more monochromatic variety. The Ahoi takes the familiar black and white Tangomat dial and updates it with shocks of luminous blue on the hours and minut...
Introducing The Sinn T2 Titanium Diver (Live Pics + Pricing)
German watchmakers Sinn revealed their 2013 novelties this week at the Baselworld fair. We had a chance to sit down with them and go over the new additions, which include deep-water ready dive watches, the T1 and T2. With extensive use of high-strength titanium, the T1 and T2 can withstand both extreme depths and temperatures. Perhaps most impressive, they've managed to pack all that strength into an easily wearable package. Your wrist will thank you.Divers tend to take their watches seriously, almost as seriously as dive watch enthusiasts. The T1 and T2 can handle either crowd with robust specs and certification from the GLH. they include 1,000 and 2,000 m depth ratings and functional relia...
Hands-On: With The GMT Six O'Clock From Kari Voutilainen
Today we had the?privilege?of going hand-on with a new unique creation from Kari Voutilainen. This GMT Six O'Clock features a hand-engraved bamboo motif on the silver dial along with a stunning 24-hour Day/Night indicator at six o'clock, all powered by a new movement based on his caliber 28. This is one you don't want to miss. Kari's small workshop of 13 people turns out around 50 watches annually, a handful of which are unique pieces like this GMT Six O'Clock. Starting with a 39mm platinum case, the GMT Six O'Clock houses a new movement for Kari Voutilainen, which though based on the caliber 28 features a fully integrated 24...
Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 5227 The Calatrava is the foundation of Patek Philippe's line of traditional dress watches, embodying what a straightforward dress watch can be. The brand new Ref. 5227 adds a small flourish with a specially integrated Officer's Style caseback which you can open to reveal a sapphire caseback and the automatic caliber 324 SC. There is a lot to admire about this simple watch. First off, you'll notice that at 39mm the case is 2mm larger than the last Calatrava releases. While we're definitely fans of keeping dress watches more modestly sized, the 39mm case sits great on th...
Hands-On: With The Latest From Laurent Ferrier, Live From Geneva
Team HODINKEE (Will, Kelly, and myself) landed in Geneva no more than four hours ago, and after a quick shower and hotel lobby club sandwich, we were off to our first appointment of Geneva 2015. And our first appointment was our first appointment because it's a brand that we all genuinely get excited being around C Laurent Ferrier. Today we didn't see any new models (though we were told we would see an entirely new piece in Basel!) but we did see a collection of pieces that would share the same color way C?a chocolate brown dial over rose-gold case. The results are stunning and we have pictures below. 2015 is the fifth year o...
The Urwerk 110 Goes To The Dark Side, We Follow For Live Pics
Urwerk has revealed an addition to their 110 collection at this years' Basel, the UR-110 PTH. The new watch retains the familiar orbiting hour satellites and arched minute track, but gains a new color scheme in the form of black, red and hint of green. Also new is a slightly thicker bezel plate on the top of the case. So what's it like on the wrist? Read on to find out.Urwerk has never been a stranger to eye-catching color schemes. This is evident not only in their special edition pieces, but in many of their offerings in the form of neon green. Remember the 103 Tarantula Mexican Fireleg? It should come as no surprise then that the popular UR-110 would get a once over with a new palette. ...
Introducing The MikroPendulumS, An Entirely New Concept Watch From TAG Heuer
TAG Heuer MikroPendulumS TAG Heuer has come out with some pretty impressive concept watches over the last few years, including the epic (and award-winning) Mikrogirder?and?MikroTourbillonS. Today they officially announced the next stage of this journey for faster and more precise timing, the MikroPendulumS, which utilizes a new magnetic balance system and specially developed alloys to shave those seconds even thinner. Aesthetically, the MikroPendulumS has a lot in common with the MikroTourbillonS, though rotated 90 degrees (bringing the pushers and crown to the top of the case and the two balances t...
The Tudor Heritage Advisor Gets A New Look: Black Dial Alert! (Live Photos)
We're big fans of the mechanical alarm complication, as seen on some of our favorite diving and historical watches. When Tudor released a modern interpretation of their Advisor watch, aptly labeled Heritage Advisor, we were impressed by handsome looks and an exclusively developed (and completely in-house!) alarm complication. Sure the other Heritage watches have grabbed most of the attention of late, but we think that the Heritage Advisor, especially with its new black dial, is worth a closer look. While both the Heritage Chronograph and Black Bay drew obvious inspiration from the originals on which they're based, the Heritag...
Hands-On: With The Patek Philippe 5980/1R-001, The Nautilus Chrono In Rose Gold Gets A Bracelet
The 5980 is Patek's Nautilus Chrono - a favorite of many. Long has it been available in rose gold on a leather strap, but just yesterday it was unveiled in an absolutely monster form factor - that with a solid rose gold bracelet. The watch is absolutely awesome (if you're into rose gold), and it wears like a ton of bricks, in the best possible way. This isn't a watch for anyone that isn't sure about themselves, or their position in life as a true OG, because the 5980/1R-001 is a lot of gold. But, if you're THAT guy, this is THE watch to wear. You know what we mean. Price will be $91,400. Boom....
Introducing The Louis Vuitton Tambour Twin Chrono (Live Pics & Video)
Louis Vuitton Tambour Twin Chrono While watches might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Louis Vuitton, the brand has been making big strides in the horological world the past few years. Here we have their latest creation, the Tambour Twin Chrono, an in-house monopusher split-seconds chronograph designed specifically with yacht racing in mind.Later this year is the America's Cup and the 30th anniversary of the associated Louis Vuitton Cup and LV created the Tambour Twin Chrono to celebrate. The watch is an impressive chronograph designed specifically to time a head-to-head yacht race - two chronograph registers keep track of each boat's tim...