Since its recent revival under the MELB Group (owner of Moser and Agenhor too), Hautlence has focused on unconventional time display with mechanical animation rather than traditional indications. The Sphere, first introduced in 2022, quickly became the brand’s signature series, combining a multi-axis spherical jumping hour with a retrograde minute. The new Sphere Series 4 […]
Since the AK-01 was presented in 2012 under the Akrivia brand, Rexhep Rexhepi has gained incredible recognition, evidenced by the prices of his watches at auction. Yet, it has been a while since we have seen a new model from the young independent watchmaker lately, the latest ones being the Chronomètre Contemporain RRCC II in […]
It would be hard for me to overstate the demand for a watch from Rexhep Rexhepi at this moment. Mind you, the 54 person team will produce no more than 60 watches in the year ahead, perhaps as few as 50. But the amount of mind space Rexhep Rexhepi (the brand) occupies in the domes of serious collectors is tantamount to that of a manufacture 100 times its size.And indeed, Rexhep Rexhepi is a manufacture. It makes each component of the watch itself, most of which are within eye shot of the public
Last week’s Buying Guide on some of the finest ultra-thin watches on the market today might have posed a bit of a challenge in hindsight, which we’re going to address in this week’s instalment. You see, when compiling these lists, we look for watches that fit a specific theme. A certain complication, case shapes or […]
When I think of an affordable complicated watch, something like the Longines Master Collection Chrono Moonphase comes to mind with a full calendar, chronograph, moon phase and 24-hour time (as a day/night indicator). That’s amateur level, however, when it comes to grand complications and the five most complicated watches on this list of this ABCs […]
One of our goals at Hodinkee in 2026 is to provide more opportunities for the community to get together. In that spirit, we hosted a happy hour last week at the Watches of Switzerland store in SoHo. It happened to land on one of the first true spring days in New York City, and the energy matched it. We kept it simple: drinks were a plethora of local beers from our friends at Grotta, and food was pizza from Nolita's Upside Pizza. And we were blown away by the turnout.The room filled up quickly
Ever experienced the thrill of attending a MotoGP race? Ever had the idea of wanting to get a sense of just how crazy fast a MotoGP bike is to ride? Ever think, I want that, but for the road? If the answer to each of these questions is a resounding “YES!!”, then Ducati has something […]
OraOrea is a new independent brand founded by Zach Weiss, best known as co-founder of Worn & Wound and Windup Watch Fair. After years spent analysing, curating and discussing watches, Weiss now steps into product creation with a first model that reflects a collector’s eye for proportion and detail. The OraOrea Coriolis Pointer Date is […]
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Minerva, the historic Swiss brand known for its high horology and manufacture in Villeret, will now have separate billing as a distinct entity within the Montblanc brand, with the name Minerva standing alone on the dial of its new watches.The change marks a notable shift in brand positioning for Minerva, founded in 1858, and long considered the horological jewel within the Montblanc product line, which includes watches, leather goods, and, of course, writing instruments. The separation in iden
Reviving the legacy of an illustrious 19th-century Austrian watchmaker, Bernhard Zwinz has breathed new life into the name Winnerl. With this detail-obsessed watchmaker at the helm, each timepiece is meticulously and beautifully handcrafted, reflecting a deep commitment to artisanal watchmaking. Following the discreet success of its first release, the brand returns in 2026 with a second […]
Stockholm-based, Dutch-rooted microbrand Maen is now a rather familiar face, being known for compelling and accessible watches such as the Skymaster Chronograph or the Manhattan series. Last year, however, the young brand made quite some noise by collaborating with Nico Leonard, a fellow Dutch watch YouTuber, widely known for his outspoken style. The result was a fresh, […]
Founded in 2025 in Hong Kong, Earthen Company entered the watchmaking scene, offering a combination of modern materials, vintage-inspired proportions, and accessible pricing. Its inaugural alpine-spirited Summit collection of compact ceramic field watches with oversized crowns and clean, legible dials had a strong visual identity, tools designed for outdoor use. Now, with the new Nightfall […]
What We KnowZach Starr Weiss has been a fixture of the watch media landscape for nearly 15 years as the co-founder of Worn & Wound and Windup Watch Fair, so if you know his work, you also know that his tastes have been carefully honed over a decade of handling watches. As such, today's introduction of his new brand, OraOrea, should be an exciting day for everyone who has followed his work and continued impact on the watch space.OraOrea is launching with one new model, the Coriolis Pointer
Happy April, folks. The Midwest is doing its annual "can't-make-up-its-mind" dance. I swing from desultory frustration at having to wear long pants as the mercury dips to hopeful thrill at finally being able to wear shorts and be outside without muttering curse words. Then the whole shuffle repeats, seemingly every few days, and I distract myself with watches. I hope wherever you are is more manageable.Scorekeeping last week's picks: both the Omega 3953 and the tropical Zenith A384 passed, whi
Louis Moinet’s 1816 Compteur de Tierces, or “thirds counter”, was originally designed to measure the speed of moving stars. Endowed with a start, stop and reset function and a balance wheel beating at an impressive high frequency of 30Hz or 216,000 vibrations per hour, his novel stopwatch could time events to the 60th of a […]
Origin StoryFor a little while, I've been following Mineroci, a Beijing-based independent watchmaker that has shown some pretty remarkable talent for interpreting traditional Swiss inspiration into a new, pretty impressive watch. That piece, the RD002, recently found the spotlight because Mineroci was one of the 20 semi-finalists for the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives. And yet, far removed from the Swiss watchmaking scene, with only 2,300 Instagram followers and a language
Founded in Biel/Bienne and revitalised in 2016 under the leadership of Raphaël Granito, Formex is appreciated for its engineering-driven watchmaking, ergonomic case design and modularity. Known at first for its motorsport roots and patented case suspension systems, the brand has gradually defined its identity with the Essence and Reef collections, offering well-executed watches with interesting […]
Since its acquisition by the Richemont Group in 2006, historic and highly revered brand Minerva has lived under the control of Montblanc, its watches bearing double-signed dials. 20 years later, under the direction of Laurent Lecamp, Global Managing Director for both Montblanc and Minerva, the venerable hidden gem of haute horology emancipates again and now becomes […]
Albishorn is one of these intriguing newcomers on the independent scene. The brand operates under the concept of “Imaginary Vintage“, designing watches that were never made but could have been. Following the Maxigraph and Type 10 in 2024, both explained by plausible historical scenarios, the 2025 Thundergraph was (or could have been) made for alpine […]