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.

PORTFOLIO

Eternal Time: 6 Modern Perpetual Calendar Watches

In modern watchmaking, a perpetual calendar indicates the date, and corrects automatically for months with less than 31 days, as well as leap years. Unless the movement takes into account century years that are not leap years, a perpetual calendar will need manual adjusting in 2100, 2200 and 2300. Usually, a perpetual calendar combines additional complications (a moon-phase, for example). From WatchTime's February 2018 issue, here are six watches that are (almost) ready for eternity.

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Aug 23, 2022 by WatchTime

The Isotope Old Radium is Offering Value for Money by Imagining a Past That Never Was

In recent years we have seen many new brands enrich the world of watches with innovative approaches. Among them is Isotope, which likes to give a different twist to everything they do, from its rather novel GMT timepiece to how they approach diving watches. With their latest release, the Old Radium, they continue this tradition...

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Aug 23, 2022 by Martin Green

A Resilient Companion: Formex Releases New Reef GMT Automatic Chronometer 300M Collection

Formex makes waves with a new GMT spring-off of its Reef collection of diver’s watches. Working to blend cool styling with rugged durability, the Reef GMT Automatic Chronometer 300M was created as an adventure-ready travel watch that can display three different time zones. As in previous models by the brand, the new design features the...

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Aug 22, 2022 by Sabine Zwettler

Great Briton: The Watchmaking Wizardry of Roger W. Smith

Once an apprentice to the revered George Daniels, Roger W. Smith is considered the greatest British watchmaker today. In this profile from our sister magazine, WatchTime Middle East, editor Nitin Nair finds out what makes him tick.

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Aug 21, 2022 by WatchTime

FEATURE

Chronomania: The 50+-Year History of the Automatic Chronograph

Fifty years ago, the consortium of Heuer-Leonidas, Breitling, Buren-Hamilton and Dubois Dépraz vied with lone wolves Zenith and Seiko in the race to launch the world’s first automatic chronograph movement. How did these brands keep their developments secret? And how did the watch world change? We searched the past for clues.

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Aug 20, 2022 by WatchTime

The Celebration Continues: Grand Seiko Releases Spring Drive Powered 44GS 55th Anniversary LE ref. SBGY009

The celebrations at Grand Seiko continue this week, with the esteemed Japanese watchmaker releasing its latest of celebratory pieces marking the 55th anniversary of the original 44GS design. The new watch, dubbed the 44GS 55th Anniversary Limited Edition ref. SBGY009, joins the brand’s historically influenced Heritage Collection, with it taking direct influence from the original...

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Aug 19, 2022 by Caleb Anderson

WATCH TEST

Hands-On Review: Rolex GMT-Master II “Pepsi” Ref. 126710 BLRO

Coke or Pepsi? It’s a matter of taste, some say, and individual tastes always differ. But there’s only one right answer if you’re talking about the Rolex GMT-Master. Although the manufacturer made a version that had a GMT bezel in red and black, called “Coke,” the first GMT-Master from 1955 bore the red-and-blue scale for...

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Aug 17, 2022 by Jens Koch

Green Rambles: The Power Of Goodbye

Collecting watches is a dynamic process. When I first started collecting, I thought that there was an end to it, that my collection would be complete at some point. When I look back at this, it is somewhat naïve to think. A watch collection is almost like a living, breathing thing, an expression of yourself...

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Aug 15, 2022 by Martin Green

PORTFOLIO

Flying High: Five Watches with Altimeters

The function of an altimeter is simple: It measures the altitude of an object above any fixed level, with sea level being the most common point of reference. It is used in a number of activities, from extreme sports like skydiving, to ground-based activities like hiking, climbing, and skiing, but its most prominent usage has...

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Aug 15, 2022 by WatchTime

WATCH REVIEW

Silent Accord: Reviewing the Grand Seiko Spring Drive Diver SBGA229

Grand Seiko’s SBGA229 divers’ watch combines traditional mechanical watchmaking and the precision of electronic timekeeping. This is made possible by Spring Drive technology, developed by Seiko, and the result is an authentic divers’ watch with a unique inner life. In this feature from our October 2019 issue, with original photos by Olaf Köster, we give it a thorough once-over.

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Aug 14, 2022 by Martina Richter

Digital Duo: Hands-on with the Yema Digidisc and LED

In 2020 and 2021, digital display, retro-chic watches found themselves in a serious moment. In this visit to the WatchTime Archives, we look back on one of these designs from the French watchmaker Yema via the Digidisc and LED models. As demand for more and more unique watches grows, so too does the demand for...

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Aug 13, 2022 by Caleb Anderson

FEATURE

Progress Through Technology: 10 Tourbillon Watches with High-Tech Designs

Audi’s "progress through technology" motto also applies to the importance of the tourbillon for watch design, because this eye-catching complication greatly enhances a timepiece’s visual appeal. From our Special Design Issue, here are 10 highly technical tourbillon watches.

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Aug 13, 2022 by Alexander Krupp

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.

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Aug 11, 2022 by Alexander Krupp

The Next Generation: TAG Heuer and Porsche Team Up for the Connected Calibre E4 Porsche Edition, With Exclusive Car Functions Displayed

TAG Heuer and Porsche today announced the launch of the new TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 – Porsche Edition. This luxury connected watch is inspired by the design of the all-electric Porsche Taycan collection and offers exclusive Wear OS features for Porsche owners by displaying information from the car directly on the dial, such as...

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Aug 11, 2022 by Sabine Zwettler

The Roger Dubuis Excalibur Monobalancier Gets a Hypnotic Touch in Collaboration with Artist Hajime Sorayama

More and more watch brands enjoy collaborations with artists who get to make their marks on their collections. As (mechanical) watches are obsolete in terms of their prime purpose, this makes a lot of sense, as they take on a different role and become more and more objects of art. Roger Dubuis is one such...

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Aug 10, 2022 by Martin Green

FEATURE

Double Time: Eight GMT Watches For Travelers at Work and Play

A second time zone can be shown in many ways, offering a wide range of options for watch designers. As the summer travel season winds down, we showcase some notable timepieces with second-time-zone (GMT) displays in this article from our 2019 Special Design Issue.

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Aug 9, 2022 by Jens Koch

Did You Know That: The Difference Between A Modular And Integrated Movement

In this edition of ‘Did You Know That,’ we look at the difference between a modular and integrated movement, each representing one of two different approaches to including a complication in a watch. With a modular movement, an additional complication is built on top of an otherwise stand-alone timekeeping mechanism. By itself, the module cannot...

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Aug 8, 2022 by Martin Green

FEATURE

Luxury in Steel: A History of the Patek Philippe Nautilus

tek Philippe introduced the Nautilus in 1976. Since then, it’s become one of the brand’s most sought-after watches. In this feature from the WatchTime archives, we trace the evolution of the Nautilus through its 40+-year history.

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Aug 7, 2022 by Jens Koch

TIMEPIECE TIMELINE

7 Important TAG Heuer Chronographs, From 1887 to Now

The TAG Heuer Monaco is one of several significant watch models celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2019, but it is far from the only important, innovative chronograph the Swiss watchmaker has created in its distinguished history. In fact, few watch brands are better known for chronographs than TAG Heuer. The first ones appeared in the company’s catalog in 1882; they were followed by a parade of technically innovative chronographs that continues to this day. Here are seven highlights from TAG Heuer's history of chronograph watches.

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Aug 6, 2022 by Gisbert Brunner

Downsizing: Six Watches Under 40-mm from Top Brands

In this article from the WatchTime Archives, we revisit six watches released in recent times capitalizing upon the growing interest in smaller diameter watches, including timepieces from Tudor, Panerai, Omega, and more. Enjoy! Over the past several years, we’ve seen an influx of modestly-sized timepieces from the dominant industry players. Even the leaders of the “wrist-saucer”...

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Aug 5, 2022 by WatchTime

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