Allow me to start with a bit of advice. If I were to spend $5K on my first-ever luxury watch, I would want a familiar name on the dial. For your first big horological purchase, you’ll want a confidence-inspiring name. Once you have familiarized yourself with the world of watches and become more experienced, knowledgeable, and confident, that’s when you can leave the beaten path. In the

When you think of Fortis watches, the first that comes to mind is probably the famous Cosmonaut’s Chronograph. I would agree with that. But if we create a wider context, I would say that the Fortis catalog can be defined by its wide selection of sturdy and modern-looking tool watches. From the Marinemaster to the Flieger and the Stratoliner, they all have an instantly recognizable Fortis des

The allure of searching vintage and antique shops is strong for me. There is something about the appreciation for things from the past that resonates. Recently, on a trip to one such shop, I discovered a vintage Oris watch in an old suitcase.I saw it glistening inside the morass of trinkets and discarded objects - the unmistakable gleam of the flank of a tiny watch pockmarked with grime and a litt

It’s Sunday morning, and you all know what that means. Yes, it's time for a cup of coffee and another installment of Sunday Morning Showdown! This week’s battle is all about the First Omega in Space. The big question is: which one do you like better? Jorg will make a case for the first-generation Speedmaster FOiS (ref. 311.32.40.30.01.001), while Mike picked the recently released secon

It’s Speedy Tuesday! We get so many emails from readers who would love to buy a (vintage) Speedmaster watch, preferably complete with the original box and papers. Well, last week I’ve come across this advertisement on the omegaforums.net platform and it probably is a rare chance for you to buy a full vintage set of an Omega Speedmaster Professional 105.012.Omega Speedmaster Professiona

Ever since Tudor unleashed their Heritage Black Bay in 2012, the watch community embraced it! I honestly don’t know anyone who has criticized this timepiece for any reason. This is a rare thing, as it seems everyone has his or her own opinion about a timepiece, positive or negative. Only a few watches out there seem to be regarded as great, offering a lot of bang for the buck, original, auth

PresageThis year, Seiko introduces the Presage collection to a wider audience. The collection already existed in some markets, but not in Europe for example. Let’s have a look at one of their novelties, the?Seiko Presage SPB041J1.60 Years AgoThe first wristwatch of Seiko was their Laurel timepiece, in 1913. A few decades later, in 1956, Seiko introduced their first self-winding watch. Exactl

Panerai ManufactureA few weeks ago, we were invited to visit the Officine Panerai Manufacture in Neuchatel. This manufacture was opened in 2014, but only few media have been invited to have a look in the actual production facility. Officine Panerai has a total of 600 employees world wide, of which 260 are located in this new manufacture in Neuchatel. The Panerai Manufacture is a large building, of

We have partnered with Catawiki to bring you a selection of interesting watches they’ve auctioned. Different from the other auctioneers in the market, Catawiki started originally in 2008 as a website where collectors could manage and keep track of their collections (comics for example). Then, because of growing popularity of the website, Catawiki started to host weekly auctions for collectib

With the Longines Heritage Classic, the brand pays tribute to a 1934 classic with sector dial.Before delving into the new Longines Heritage Classic, I’ll go ahead and admit something: I’ve long followed Longines and its Heritage collection.? As a watch collector and admirer who truly enjoys vintage watches, what could be better than one of the industry’s most storied brands decid

With the introduction of the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT Automatic, Bulgari shows the world not only that they can produce record-breaking thin movements. They also cracked one of the most difficult design challenges by creating a chronograph version of the Octo Finissimo that fits the iconic design of the Octo Finissimo family.Bulgari has been very successful the last couple of years i

In 1999, we surprised the watch industry with a special timepiece: the 203 ARKTIS was the first diving chronograph to feature Temperature Resistance Technology. This guarantees the functional reliability of the watch in temperatures ranging from C45C to +80C. In 2019, this watch will celebrate its 20th anniversary. To mark its initial introduction, we have developed a new edition: the 206 ARKTIS

Hey there, it’s time for Wrist Game or Crying Shame where we offer up a watch for your bidding. Of course, it’s all for fun, so don’t forget to have some! This week, we’ll look at a freshly serviced Seiko 6159-7001 Professional Diver. But first…Last week, I showed you the Omega Speedmaster Teutonic. This early ’80s oddity is one Speedy that rarely makes it to Tu

Space, the final frontier. When we talk about watches and space in the same sentence, our minds invariably drift towards one particular manufacture. That's right, Omega and its Speedmaster Professional. It's not an unjust association due to the whole “first watch worn on the moon” thing. It is also still the only timepiece sanctioned by NASA for manned spaceflight. However, other brand

Earlier this year, Grand Seiko introduced its new caliber 9SA5 movement in this beautiful gold watch, reference SLGH002 (you can read about it here). Today, Grand Seiko introduces a steel watch with this new hi-beat movement: meet the Grand Seiko SLGH003.Earlier this year, we went on a trip to Paris to see the Grand Seiko flagship boutique (click here for our boutique visit report) and to talk wit

It was only a question of time before Mido brought out this watch. And that time is now. The Mido Ocean Decompression Timer is a modern and bold recreation of the biggest star in the brand's heritage. The original design is there, but it comes with more muscle.Mido is not the first brand that would come to mind if you were asked to list the greats of deep-sea exploration. Yet it's there. Some of M

Buckle up, folks! You’re in for a ride. Somewhat out of the blue, we woke up today to the news that Patek Phillippe had dropped three new complicated chronographs. Patek is well-known for its mastery of the humble chronograph. So, what better way to cement that legacy than with variations of three of its most celebrated chronograph movements? The Manufacture is expanding its vast selection o

There are some watch brands out there that stick to the formula. These brands have found what works for them, and they stick to it. I won't name names (and don't necessarily think that there's anything wrong with following that path), but, every now and then, life calls for something a little more, shall we say, “out there”. That's where ArtyA comes into the picture. The ambitious Swis

Bund-strap haters beware, there's a new sheriff in town! The new Hamilton Khaki Field Automatic Chronograph takes the rugged good looks of the brand's beloved field watch and transforms them into a beefy Flieger-style chronograph offering. Hamilton has quite literally dared to go big in this latest offering in their Khaki Field lineup. But is this a watch that flies too close to the sun, or is it

Only in the watch community could a podcast started by members of the community for fun gain as much momentum as the Scottish Watches Podcast has. With its origins in a joke comment made on Instagram in late 2018, it has been the pleasure of many of us to see the growth and development of Rikki Daman and David Sharp's podcast over the past three years. David and Rikki have been joined by some incr