Best Super NEWS Watches
Joshua Shapiro To Lecture At HSNY
American watchmaking had a meteoric rise in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The U.S. made millions of highly precise and beautiful timepieces. The means of producing these timepieces?heavily influenced manufacturing techniques within watchmaking and industry at large. However, within a relatively short time period after World War II, mechanical movement watch companies all but disappeared from America. Now the U.S. is experiencing a resurgence of American watchmaking. At the January 2023?lecture of the Horological Society of New York,?Joshua Shapiro, CEO of?J.N. Shapiro Watches LLC, will explore the rise of American watchmaking, the factors behind its de...
Reading Time at HSNY: James Arthur, A Pleasing Exception
This article is the second in a new series, Reading Time at HSNY, written by HSNY's librarian, Miranda Marraccini. Find the first article here. Our current exhibit at HSNY is "Watches from the James Arthur Collection," which is open to the public by appointment through Winter 2023. The exhibit showcases 14 items from the collection of James Arthur (1842-1930), an immigrant, mechanic, businessman, and inveterate tinkerer who never stopped building watches and clocks. James Arthur also published Time and its Measurement in 1909, a book reprinted from a series of articles he wrote for the magazine Popular Mechanics. The heavily illustrat...
TAG Heuer's New Aquaracer Solargraph
After making a splash with their first solar-powered quartz watch last year C the Aquaracer Professional 200 Solargraph in black DLC-coated steel C TAG Heuer is back with a new version of the model. It's the same 40mm size but this time in a metal that seems to be gaining popularity over the last few years: titanium. Just like last year's release, the traditional horizontal-lined sunray-brushed dial is semi-translucent to allow light to power the TH50-00 solar movement. Made in collaboration with TAG Heuer and La Joux-Perret (owned by Citizen), the movement will never need a battery change, with two minutes of sunlight powering t...
Introducing: The Hublot Classic Fusion Original Limited Edition
If you awoke today, groggy from a 35-year stint in cryogenic hibernation, and you wanted a watch that would remind you of the sleek, dazzling veneer of the 1980s long since past, it's hard to think of anything more fitting than a Hublot C especially one like the newly announced Classic Fusion Original. A direct tribute to the original Hublot created by founder Carlo Crocco in 1980, the new Classic Fusion Original comes in your choice of three different materials and three different sizes, all of which look to connect the Classic Fusion with its roots as a disruptively luxurious watch.? Perfect for planning your next hostile takeo...
Hands On Review Of Serica 8315 GMT Chronometer
After the successful launch of a series of field watches and then the well-received 5303 dive watch, Serica announced their latest model late last year - the 8315. It's the brand's first GMT travel watch and it uses a chronometer movement. Employing a style that is largely similar to that of their previous dive-themed watches, this latest Serica adds a fourth hand, an eccentric take on the GMT bezel, and no small measure of neo-vintage inspiration. It's a sensible move as travel-specific watches have been experiencing a rise in popularity and the marketplace has been shifting in the years following the release of the Tudor Black ...
With the onset of a still very fresh new year, we also see the return of watch show season C?and the first major event kicks off tomorrow in Singapore with LVMH Watch Week 2023. The event will include the year's first major releases from the four core LVMH watch brands C Bulgari, Hublot, Tag Heuer, and Zenith C?and we'll be covering a wide variety of the new releases as they begin to drop tomorrow evening. The Tag Heuer Autavia Chronograph announced at LVMH Watch Week last year. Coming a full two months ahead of Watches & Wonders, LVMH Watch Week is an opportunity for the main maisons within LVMH to announce some big produ...
Cartier Tank Fran?aise 2023 Review
Cartier has updated the Tank Fran?aise. Introduced in 1996, the Fran?aise brought a metal bracelet to the Tank family. The Fran?aise soon spread far and wide, becoming one of Cartier's bestsellers. Sticking to the age-old adage about not fixing things that aren't broken, Cartier has left the Fran?aise largely unchanged over the past 20-plus years.? The new Cartier Tank Fran?aise in steel. Now, this revamped Tank Fran?aise lineup features a total of seven references: small and medium sizes in gold (with or without diamonds), and small, medium, and large cases in steel. The large steel case uses an automatic movement featuring a...
The New Zenith Defy Skyline Skeleton, A Time-Only El Primero
Just over a year ago, Zenith took major steps to expand its Defy lineup, first with the Defy Revival A3642 which played into Zenith's strengths of celebrating their heritage, and shortly after with the surprise release of the Defy Skyline, a three-hand El Primero sports watch. This year it evolves one step further with the new Defy Skyline Skeleton, taking cues from the brand's Defy Skeleton and highlighting the remarkable and iconic El Primero movement within.? The watch comes in both a black and blue open dial, a four-pointed star pattern with triangular and boomerang-shaped patterns cut out of the ...
TAG Heuer is one of the few serious contenders to stand up against the all-mighty Apple Watch in the race to Smartwatch (aka tracking device) global domination. Today the brand is launching three new models, all with a host of functions to lure in the wifi watch inclined and to convert those who sit on the tech fence. While no huge leaps?have been made on the software side of things just yet (bar one cool feature on the Sports Edition, which I will explain later) C we are still in the Caliber E4 zone which is the fourth generation of Connected since TAG Heuer's initial foray into smartwatch territory back in 2015 C a few major tweaks in sizing have opened up the ...
Hublot's Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic in Neon Yellow SAXEM
The first thing you need to know about Big Bang Tourbillon Hublot is that it is extremely yellow. The second thing you need to know is that it is made out of SAXEM, a material I will explain momentarily. As far as its Big Bangness, those have been around since 2005. They are a honking chunk of a watch that manage to be both flashy and sporty, but maybe so flashy you just forget the sporty part. Sometimes they are fairly straightforward things made of ceramic or steel and cost a normal amount of money, and sometimes they are made of gold and cost a bit more, and sometimes, like now, they are SAXEM and the brand won't tell you how much they cost unless you ask. ...
New Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tourbillons With Dimpled Dial
If someone asked you to close your eyes and picture an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, it'd have a few things: octagonal bezel, those exposed screws, integrated bracelet, and the trademark tapisserie pattern on the dial. Recently though, Audemars Piguet quietly slipped a pair of new Royal Oak Flying Tourbillons onto its site, defined by a new "dimpled dial," a departure from the classic tapisserie pattern. The first uses 18-karat pink gold with a complementary brown dial, while the second uses 18-karat white gold paired with a blue dial. Each watch also features a frosted bezel, but other than that, these two new Royal Oak Flying Tour...
Hodinkee Editors Respond to Comments Regarding GMTs, Rainbows, and More
Where does the time go?? It seems like just yesterday we were all giddy with anticipation for the holiday season and taking stock of all that the year 2022 had blessed us with. Refusing to fully return to the January grind, we took a quick minute to scroll through the comments from the final stories of 2022 (and the first couple of 2023) to see what H readers had to say. Welcome back!? 24 Hours To Go The story: James spends his days and his nights with a new Serica.? The comment: Nicely finished, but the face looks a bit small for these eyes, and the lollipop gmt hand w...
The New Hublot Rainbow Big Bang Watches
Calling all lovers of minute details (surely there are a few on a watch website?), gather 'round and behold two very similar watches. To mark the occasion of LVMH Watch Week, Hublot just released these fraternal twin Big Bangs. The Big Bang Integrated Time Only King Gold Rainbow and the Big Bang Integrated King Gold Rainbow offer up bling for days in one of Hublot's signature lines.? The watches share largely the same materials C fashioned from Hublot's humbly named King Gold, a warm gold containing platinum, both brushed and polished, and featuring black elements on the main plate and dial, the basic canvas for the watches is la...
Bulgari made a lot of splashy horological moves in 2022: The Octo Finissimo Ultra (the world's thinnest watch at the time of release), high jewelry Serpentis covered in enamel and gemstones to emulate life-like reptilian skins for the 75th anniversary of the collection, and a Grald Genta Mickey Mouse Football watch! To name but a few. I am an Octo Finissimo disciple; the recently released yellow gold U.S.-only edition seized me with joy, for numerous reasons. I recognize Bulgari for its true mechanical watch prowess, which somehow seems to be developing at breakneck speed. But there's nothing like a smattering of vibrantly colored cabochon gemstones and a new li...
IWC Ingenieur Racer Chronograph Review
Ah, to be the IWC Ingenieur. It's the third in famed watch designer Grald Genta's triumvirate of integrated bracelet, stainless steel sport watches from the 1970s. And while it might get less attention than its more famous predecessors (the Royal Oak and the Nautilus), it's no less Genta than those two designs. Lucky for you, "less attention" can also translate to another phrase that watch enthusiasts love to hear C value proposition. Of course, IWC actually traces the history of the Ingenieur line further back than Genta's influence: the Ingenieur reference 666 was introduced in 1955, and designed as a tool watch for engineers ...
Spotted: Daniel Craig Wearing A MoonSwatch
MoonSwatch never dies. Just ask Daniel Craig, the former 007, who wore the Mission to Neptune model to the National Board of Review 2023 Awards Gala Sunday evening one of many such events during Oscar season. Standing onstage in New York City, in front of deep blue C okay, purplishC? curtains, Craig presented the award for Best Supporting Actress to Janelle Mone for her role in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. The presentation was fitting as Craig plays the now famous Detective Benoit Blanc in the film. Image courtesy of Getty. We wrote about Glass Onion late last year as Craig wears a special...
Hands-On: The Porsche Design Chronograph 1 GP Ice Race 2023 Edition
The connection between watches and motorsports is one that was forged in the golden era of sports watches and international racing events. Brands like Rolex, TAG Heuer, and many others looked to connect their luxurious and sporting watch designs with the world of Formula One, endurance races like Le Mans and Daytona, and many more. And you know what? It worked. We have the Rolex Daytona (and the race it's named after), the TAG Heuer Monaco (to name one example from a brand with very deep motorsports roots) and in the modern context we find special edition watches from IWC, Richard Mille, and others that connect the given product ...
The Bell & Ross x Alain Silberstein Grail Watch Collaboration
Bell & Ross has collaborated with designer Alain Silberstein for round four of the Grail Watch series C a project founded early last year by industry veteran Wei Koh that curates and sells limited edition watches by independent watchmakers.? An interview with Alain Silberstein, "The '80s Design Iconoclast Who Would Not Be Put In A Box." Read our interview with Alain Silberstein for 80's week on Hodinkee.? If you are even the tiniest bit familiar with Silberstein you will recognize his punchy aesthetic a mile off. In fact, you would recognize his work without being given any sort of prompt because that's how ...
Zenith announced some exciting new updates to two watches in their Defy line. Born in the late '60s with a collection of sport watches, the Defy line is currently Zenith's home for combining their technical prowess with futuristic "forms and materials." Though you may spot a wild-colored strap on a Chronomaster or a tasteful diamond bezel on an Elite watch, the Defy line is where you go to see Zenith get a little funky and flashy. ? First up, the Defy Skyline drops down from 41mm to a very wrist-friendly 36mm, available in three new colors. On offer, you will find a deep blue (already available and quite striking in the 41mm vers...
New Vintage Watches In The Hodinkee Shop
To view the entire current selection of vintage watches available in the Hodinkee Shop, click here. This Week's Vintage Watches Five new vintage watches. That's it, that's all. See you next week. Well, actually, there is still a solid collection of vintage available from previous drops as well. We hope that one catches your eye be it fresh to our site or offered for sale previously. There's no time like the beginning of the year to review your watch box. If nothing on our page strikes your fancy, feel free to reach out directly and let us know what vintage watch you are looking to add to your collection in 2023! ...