Watch Features

Welcome to WatchTime’s watch features section. Here you will find watch feature stories, watch reports, interesting watch technology coverage, interviews with watch brands, background articles about watches, watch brands and technical stories.

Grand Seiko Unveils the Kintaro Hattori 160th Anniversary & Seiko 140th Anniversary Limited Editions

Grand Seiko knows how to celebrate an anniversary, and this past week the Japanese watchmaker celebrated two. First unveiling the Kintaro Hattori 160th Anniversary Limited Edition and shortly afterward the Seiko 140th Anniversary Limited Edition, Grand Seiko celebrates both the birthday of Seiko’s founder and the founding of parent brand Seiko — then known as...

Read the article

Nov 13, 2020 by Caleb Anderson

WATCH REVIEW

Borrowed Time: Ulysse Nardin Freak Vision

Ulysse Nardin unveiled the first automatic version of the game-changing Freak in 2018. However, the revolutionary Grinder winding system is just one noteworthy feature of the Freak Vision, which deftly blends the brand’s nautical history with its forward-thinking technical inventiveness. I give it an in-depth look in this review from WatchTime's March-April 2019 issue.

Read the article

Nov 12, 2020 by Mark Bernardo

FEATURE

Linking Past to Present: The Evolution of the TAG Heuer Link

How did TAG Heuer revamp its 1990s leader model, the iconic Link, for the 21st Century? Find out in this feature from WatchTime's Design Special 2019.

Read the article

Nov 11, 2020 by Mark Bernardo

REVIEW:

Borrowed Time: The GPHG-Winning Seiko Prospex 1968 Diver’s Re-Creation SLA025J1

In 1968, three years after the brand’s first dive watch was released (the 62MAS or Reference 6217-800x with 150-meter water resistance), Seiko’s engineers managed to raise the bar with a Hi-Beat divers’ watch with 300-meter water resistance (Reference 6159-700x). This model was not only the first Japanese dive watch to be equipped with a 10-beat...

Read the article

Nov 11, 2020 by Roger Ruegger

WATCH REVIEW

Borrowed Time: Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Chronograph

There are vintage-inspired watches that try really hard to ape the look of the historical model that they’re re-creating for a modern audience, and there are those that strive instead to channel that original model’s essence as a base with which to build new complications upon. Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Polaris Chronograph — one of the standout models...

Read the article

Nov 10, 2020 by Mark Bernardo

PORTFOLIO

So Close to Heaven: 8 Astronomically Inspired Watches

The universe has always fascinated us. Our desire to explore its vastness is the focus of watch designers who create moon-phase displays, meteorite dials and depictions of the starry firmament. In this excerpt from our WatchTime 2020 Special Design Issue, on sale now, we showcase some of the most exciting astronomical newcomers.

Read the article

Nov 10, 2020 by Alexander Krupp

FEATURE

Zooming in: 7 Watch Movements in Extreme Close-Up

Finely finished watch movements come to life under magnification. The seven shown here were certainly ready for their close-ups.

Read the article

Nov 6, 2020 by Alexander Krupp

PORTFOLIO

Movement Artistry: Up Close with the Decorative Finishes of A. Lange & Söhne

What makes a watch even more exclusive? One factor is the finishes lavished on its movement, especially if they’re handcrafted. A. Lange & Söhne decorates especially beautifully. Here’s a look at the Saxon manufacture’s famed finishing techniques. Manual Engraving The hand-engraved balance cock is a Glashütte specialty that’s still mastered and practiced by only a...

Read the article

Nov 5, 2020 by Jens Koch

FEATURE

Faces of Time: 8 Watches with Unusual Time Displays

Many watches show “only” the time. But there’s plenty of latitude for creativity, as we can see on display in this selection of eight unconventionally designed timepieces from eight innovative watch brands.

Read the article

Nov 5, 2020 by Alexander Krupp

Haute Utilité: Spotlighting Richard Mille’s Most “Practical” High Complications

The difference between Richard Mille and every other watch manufacturer that works with brand “ambassadors” can perhaps best be summed up in a visual from the sporting world of tennis. Picture a Grand Slam final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Federer’s left wrist is bare; his signature Rolex is hastily strapped on only in...

Read the article

Nov 4, 2020 by Mark Bernardo

PORTFOLIO

Time Tools: 8 Tool Watches From Luxury Brands

In this article from the WatchTime archives, we present eight "tool watches" that emphasize functionality and are robust, accurate, legible, and — importantly — not excessively expensive.

Read the article

Nov 3, 2020 by Jens Koch

WATCH REVIEW

Borrowed Time: Oris Aquis Chronograph

Oris’s Aquis collection of professional-grade divers’ watches has grown to encompass a variety of limited editions devoted to marine conservation and preservation causes (i.e., 2017’s Hammerhead), a handful of small complications like big dates and small seconds, and notably, an innovative mechanical depth gauge. In 2018, the Holstein-based brand added a chronograph to the lineup....

Read the article

Nov 2, 2020 by Mark Bernardo

TIMEPIECE TIMELINE

10 Highlights in the History of the Dive Watch

In the beginning, dive watches were pure tools that helped keep divers on time and alive. Today they’re something else: fashion statements, conversation pieces, rugged companions for a trip to the beach or pool. Our Timeline: "Dive Watches Through the Decades," traces the history of the dive watch from its start in the 1920s, with the invention of the first truly water-resistant cases, to 2014.

Read the article

Nov 2, 2020 by WatchTime

WatchTime Live 2020: View All The Panels and Presentations

From October 21 to October 24, WatchTime hosted its very first WatchTime Live virtual event, an unprecedented online festival including the industry’s top brands, leaders, writers, and collectors for four days of presentations, panels, and discussions. Below you can find each of these videos, with more highlights planned for the weeks and months to come....

Read the article

Oct 31, 2020 by WatchTime

Watches, Whiskies, and More: Six Pairings of High-End Timepieces and Top-Shelf Spirits

There’s nothing like a well-earned, sublime sip of your favorite libation at the end of a long workday, whether at home or out-and-about — especially if you’re wearing just the right wristwatch to count down to your Happy Hour. Here we match up six noteworthy spirits — four Scotch whiskies, a mezcal and a brandy...

Read the article

Oct 30, 2020 by Mark Bernardo

Mission Timers: Five Modern Watches with MIL-SPEC Origins

Like Jeeps, GPS, and the Internet, some of today’s popular wristwatch models started out as military projects. Here are five modern timepieces whose ancestors were made-to-order for soldiers, sailors, and airmen.

Read the article

Oct 28, 2020 by Mark Bernardo

PORTFOLIO

Transitional Solutions: Six Watches with Gradient Dials

All of a sudden, they’re everywhere — watches with colorful gradient dials that transition from a pale hue in the center to a dark one at the periphery. In this excerpt from our upcoming WatchTime Design Issue 2020, on sale October 29, we offer you some highlights.

Read the article

Oct 27, 2020 by Alexander Krupp

WATCH REVIEW

Hands-On: Girard-Perregaux Vintage 1945 Earth to Sky Edition

At SIHH 2019, Girard-Perregaux announced a unified theme for its 2019 collection, called "From Earth to Sky" and defined by the use of a very cosmic-looking combo of black titanium DLC for the cases and translucent blue for the polycrystalline dials. One of the standouts was the Art Deco-inspired Vintage 1945 Earth to Sky Edition.

Read the article

Oct 27, 2020 by Mark Bernardo

And Action:

Time for the Movies: 10 Times a Watch Stole the Spotlight from the Actors

(Warning: Spoilers ahead.) Watches in movies have fascinated watch fans since collecting timepieces became (at least) as interesting as getting an autograph from your favorite actor. From Steve McQueen’s Monaco in Le Mans (1971), Ripley’s (Sigourney Weaver) Seiko Giugario in Aliens (1986), Christian Bale’s Datejust in American Psycho (2000), Marlon Brando’s Rolex GMT and Martin...

Read the article

Oct 26, 2020 by Roger Ruegger

Vintage Eye for the Modern Guy: Hands-on with the Yema Superman Heritage 63 Limited Edition

After quite a long hiatus, this week we are back with the latest “Vintage Eye for the Modern Guy!” Today, we will be revisiting French watchmaker Yema and one of its latest vintage-inspired releases, the Superman Heritage 63 Limited Edition. The new watch, which was unveiled last summer, made quick waves among Yema enthusiasts for...

Read the article

Oct 25, 2020 by Caleb Anderson

1
2
3
…
10
…
20
…
30
…
40
…
46
»