Last week Bert Buijsrogge and I visited the assembly line of the much talked-about Omega Caliber 9300 movement. This in-house developed movement was introduced during BaselWorld 2011 in the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Chronograph as well as in the Omega Speedmaster Co-Axial Caliber 9300.Ever since 2007, Omega is focusing on their in-house developed Co-Axial movements and started by equipping the

Last year I made a mistake. When the Omega Speedmaster Pro Apollo XI 45th Anniversary came out, with the titanium case and Sedna gold bezel, I didn’t order it straight-away. What followed, was a search for a decent priced (which means – not over list price) Apollo XI watch. In the end I was offered a couple of them, but all way over the initial list price in Euro currency. So, I decide

Today, on #TBT, we'll take a look at one of the most popular vintage chronographs: the Seiko Bullhead 6138-0040. While it's a watch I struggle to wear on a consistent basis more on that later it has undeniable charm due to its unorthodoxy. We'll take a close look at the watch, its odd design, and its great build quality. First, though, let's talk a little about Bullheads in general.The Seiko Bullh

It was a Hamilton watch used on the first US postal service flight between Washington and New York, so aviation is nothing new to the brand whose prestigious aviation heritage dates back to 1918 and has included the rank of official supplier to the US Armed Forces since 1914. Geared toward the skyward bound, working with leading air squadrons and world famous pilots, Hamilton's Khaki Aviation line

A journalists’ darling, it seems. I am talking about Grand Seiko. Whether it is here, or on any of the other on-line watch magazines and blogs, when there’s a mention of Grand Seiko you hear violins playing in the background. To such an extent, that it becomes implausible perhaps. However, a few months back we took some of our readers with us to Japan to visit their manufactures and at

Greetings on this first day of December! The holiday season is now officially in full swing everywhere (I say that as my European wife chided me last weekend for putting up the Christmas tree while still in November the nerve of Americans!) and we are back with This Week in Watches. The last week of November wasn't overly notable for news, but there were some stories worth mentioning on TWIW. Oh,

BALTIC Watches was launched via Kickstarter in 2017 with our two ?rst watches : The Bicompax & HMS, both inspired by the 40's step-cases watches. The idea to make vintage inspired watches didn't come from anywhere. Nothing would happen with a family story that made this possible.The founder Etienne Malec has inherited a collection of watches from his father that he didn't had the chance to kno

It’s a never-ending question, which Speedmaster Professional should I buy? The one with sapphire or a model with Hesalite crystal? And then there’s not just a single right answer. Both have their own advantages. But here’s why every Speedmaster fan should at least have one model in their collection with a Hesalite crystal.Technology advances. Man developed new solutions for watch

I recently had the chance to go hands-on with the anOrdain Model 1 Iron Cream. It made quite an impression on me and my colleagues. So much so, Daniel Muller of Fratello fame added it to his collection. Throughout that review, I expressed my preference for the Model 2 Fume from anOrdain, largely thanks to the exquisite dial. Now, with the release of the anOrdain Model 1 Fume the cat has been throw

This year has been another solid year for the Longines brand. With such global appeal and consistently strong sales across a variety of price points and demographics, it would be easy for Longines to rest on its laurels. Throw into the mix the fact the brand is supported every step of the way by the Swatch Group and the impetus to innovate diminishes further. And yet, despite how easy Longines cou

It’s been a funny old year. Everyone has had to react and adapt to unforeseen challenges. The watch industry could little have imagined the shift in the landscape. While restructuring release calendars has proved a challenge for all, some brands have had the added stress of managing an unpredictable market in an anniversary year! For NOMOS Glashutte, 2020 marks a very special year in the his

Inside all of us, there lives a magpie. For some, the magpie is the dominant beast of the subconscious. It compels its host to seek out shiny things wherever they may lie and scavenge them to beautify their nest. For others, the magpie is small and softly-spoken. But when poked, prodded, or mildly cajoled, it can’t help but poke its beak out into the unknown world in search of glittering goo

I'm only kidding, of course. No need to commit a cyberpunk sci-fi fashion faux pas this early in the week. The latest Hamilton Pulsar dons the black mantle for you, also featuring the iconic green digital text of the 1999 cinematic masterpiece The Matrix. This limited edition release provides fans of both the Hamilton PSR and Wachowskis's iconic film with a perfect wrist-dwelling companion, just i

Nezumi, from my neighboring country of Sweden, is a tough fuel-infused brand with a penchant for colorful dials. Rob has professed his love for the brand and I get it. For me, it’s moved mecha-quartz up the ladder of cool, adding some super fresh dials along the way. Here is yet another bright piece of wrist candy, this time with a German racing inspiration. How on earth could this make me d

Let's call this brand new Seiko watch by its real name. No, not SRPH61K1, as much as that rolls right off the tongue. I'd rather go with the Seiko fan-bestowed nickname - the Samurai. The latest makeover of the Seiko Samurai sees the Japanese brand look to its Navy for inspiration. The Samurai as we know it today has been around since 2017. But the previous model (discontinued in 2008) came into t

I love “end-of-year retrospectives”. It’s very enjoyable to go back through a brand’s output within one calendar year and compare releases and release strategies around the industry. Although change happens slowly in this business, our lives move very quickly. As such, taking a moment to reflect on developments and novelties can be as cathartic as it is useful for understan

The black dial on the Citizen Alarm Date is so suggestive that you feel like you want to drown in it. ?I wouldn’t have expected Citizen to become one of my top-of-mind brands when someone asks me about vintage alarm watches. Well, watch collecting can be surprising sometimes. Now, of course, the champion spot is already occupied by the legendary Vulcain Cricket, with the earliest models at t

Breitling has renewed its partnership with rebellious Australian surf-style brand and motorcycle customizer Deus Ex Machina. To celebrate, Breitling unveils the new Top Time watch with design input from Deus. The base of the new watch follows the familiar pattern of the 2021 Top Time Deus edition with some design tweaks. On the dial, black gives way to sky blue on the tachymeter scale and sunken T

Seiko is taking the #throwbackthursday theme very literally today. The brand is revisiting two beloved models, each with decades of history, and freshening them up a bit. Both the special-edition “Arnie” (SNJ039P1) and “Turtle” (SRPJ35K1) get a blue-and-green bezel insert. And they’re also each fitted with a minute hand in seafoam green so you can keep track of your t

Compared to the previous years, 2022 flew by. And thinking about all the releases in 2022, we’ve had a great, full year packed with exciting new watches. There have been so many great new watches this year that it is difficult to compile a short list, so I won’t. Instead, I will touch upon all the highlights that I saw in 2022.Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 50th AnniversaryEarly in the year