What is a chronometer…? In short, it is a watch that has been officially tested for its precision. And to guarantee the precision of watches, several tools exist, such as the ISO 3159 standard (which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year) and official organisations, such as the Observatoire de Besançon in France, the Glashütte Observatory […]
Armin Strom methodically expands its Dual Time GMT Resonance series. One of the most technically and visually distinctive travel watches on the market was first presented in white gold as the Dual Time GMT Resonance First Edition. Later came a darker, more contemporary stainless steel Black Edition, which is now back with a new, warmer, […]
Baltic was founded in Paris by Étienne Malec and launched via Kickstarter in 2017 with a captivating duo of 1940s-inspired models. Onwards and upwards, the brand now has over ten collections under its belt, many with an emphasis on mid-20th-century aesthetics, and keeps prices in check by outsourcing movements and assembling them in Besançon, France. […]
Watches with jumping hour complications are all the rage these days, with hot-off-the-press contributions from Audemars Piguet and the recently revived specialist brand, Niton. However, the biggest surprise in the jumping hours corner came from Bremont with the introduction of its Terra Nova Jumping Hour models in 2025. A brand associated with rugged, aviation-themed instrument […]
The Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres, or COSC, is adding a new level for chronometer certification, introducing an upgraded tier that will better reflect the evolution and precision improvements in modern watches. The new certification comes on the 50th anniversary of its original ISO 3159 standard, with COSC launching a more rigorus standard called "Excellence Chronometer." The new standard won't replace the existing COSC "Certified Chronometer" level, but will instead slot above, se
What We KnowHow do you say goodbye to one of the best super-affordable, super-classic dress watches on the market? According to Baltic, you do it with a bit of flash. The brand is bidding farewell to the MR (short for micro-rotor) model with a sparkly send-off. The two newand last two MR models now feature lab-grown moissanite, which is reminiscent of a diamond but sparkles with a more rainbow-like effect than the clear, high shine of a diamond. Either way, it's a strong look.I'd argue that Ba
Rolex, the top Swiss watch brand by sales, reduced its production in 2025 for the second year in a row while increasing its dominant market share position as the industry continued to make pricier watches at lower volumes, according to Swiss bank Vontobel.The Crown's position as the biggest brand by sales was consolidated over the past two years, as its lead increased to 61% of sales by value for watches priced above CHF 3,000, up from 57% in 2023, according to analysts' estimates at the Swiss
Goliardo Della Balda’s dream of producing high-quality Swiss timepieces at affordable prices materialised with the founding of Delbana watches in 1931. Like many Swiss brands, the quartz crisis took its toll in the 1970s, but the brand was rescued in the mid-1990s and, in 2002, merged with Delma Watch Ltd. to focus on accessible, mid-century-inspired […]
Hitting the road to Fleurier, the discovery of L’Atelier Bernard was not what I expected. Bernard is a rather dated first name – one you rarely hear anymore for young people in Europe’s French-speaking countries. So, when I pushed open the door of their workshop in Fleurier, I was expecting to meet two old Swiss […]
What We KnowFor a small watch, we'll keep it short and sweet here. Grand Seiko has just announced a brand-new Caliber 9F51 quartz movement that powers its smallest 9F-based watch to date. The stainless steel cases of the new SBGX359 "Snowflake" and SBGX361 "Skyflake" watches measure only 33mm by 9.1mm and yet maintain all of the key qualities of Grand Seiko's quintessential quartz caliber.The Caliber 9F51 still has a regulation switch for manual fine-tuning of accuracy during servicing, a Back
Jack Mason is a young micro-brand founded in Dallas, Texas, in 2015, and initially made its name in US retail before making a decisive turn towards enthusiast-focused, direct-to-consumer watchmaking. Recent releases have shown fewer fashion cues, more mechanical credibility, and an emphasis on real-world usability. The Strat-o-Timer GMT has been central to that shift. After […]
This week on The Business of Watches, we head to La Chaux-de-Fonds and sit down with a CEO who is running a very different business from most watch brands. Mitchell Wein is the scion of a family that's been in the watch business for more than a century, and the Marathon brand launched back in 1939, supplying timing instruments for the Allied Forces in World War II. Selling watches, stopwatches, and clocks to governments and military organizations is still the bulk of Marathon's business these
When was the last time you thought about the Yangtze jiangtun porpoise? Probably never, but Oris wants to bring the name of this critically endangered finless porpoise into the conversation with its newest release, the Yangtze Jiangtun Limited Edition. It's a continuation of the Hölstein-based brand's ongoing limited-edition releases in support of various conservation efforts across many fields—on Hodinkee, we've covered past releases from Oris in association with the Billion Oyster Project, C
There are many objects that come to mind when you mention the word Montblanc, starting with high-end writing instruments, leather goods, and, since 1997, watches. As a brand that has always been associated with Europe’s highest mountain, thanks to its white star logo representing a bird’s-eye view of the snow-capped peaks of Mont Blanc, Montblanc’s […]
Timex has been on a roll in the last few years, returning to mechanical watches after a decades-long hiatus. Quartz watches still dominate the portfolio, of course, ever since the brand first ceased mechanical production in 1982. A renewed focus on mechanical collections at lower and mid-tier levels began in 2017 after the 1960s-era hand-wound […]
Renowned for its rugged all-terrain watches for outdoor adventures, Alpina goes off-piste with its new Alpiner Manufacture Date watch made in collaboration with Geneva customisation expert, Label Noir. Reflecting Alpina’s close ties to the alpine world, the Alpina x Label Noir features a snow-white dial and an unprecedented (for the brand) hammered case. The 130-piece […]
By now, you're probably used to Unimatic's never-ending onslaught of new variations of their distinctive, brutalist silhouettes. Some of them are crazy, some of them are subtle, but what's undeniable is that every time you check on the brand, there's something new on offer. And the brand's constant limited-edition release strategy works, with the typically 100-300-piece runs selling out and leaving the next batch ready to attract a new buyer.But recently, Unimatic introduced a few new editions
We’ve said it multiple times, but watchmaking isn’t limited to Switzerland or even Europe. Watchmaking is global, whether regarding the watch collecting community or the watchmaking industry. One of the fastest-growing markets, as we’ve discovered when talking to the country’s main watch retail company, is India, a country with somewhat unknown yet impressive manufacturing capacities and a collecting culture […]
What We KnowIt kind of feels like Vacheron Constantin's Overseas Tourbillon has been here for a long time now. A few years back, one of my first hands-on stories for Hodinkee was on the skeletonized titanium version, which followed the blue dial/steel release that came out in 2019. Six years isn't that long, especially for a halo piece like this, but it is enough time that even a good watch can use a bit of a refresh. Following on from the Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin in white gold,
Hamilton is often referred to as the watchmaker of cinema, which is no surprise since Hamilton watches have appeared in more than 500 films. Recently, the brand has expanded its reach into video games, where immersion and character development are equally important. Hamilton Far Cry 6, Death Stranding 2 and Call of Duty: Black Ops […]