The history of the watch industry is rife with groundbreaking technological developments that came about through necessity. Dive watches’ unidirectional rotating bezels were developed to save the lives of scuba divers by ensuring they wouldn’t misread their time underwater and inadvertently run out of oxygen. Luminous paint on watch dials was invented so wearers could read the time in the dark or underwater. Antimagnetic innovations in watch movements came about as everyday life in the 20th century exposed us to more and more electromagnetic fields that affected our watches’ efficient running ..read more

Founded in 1839 in Geneva, Patek Philippe has long been the gold standard of high watchmaking, pioneering complications and design elements that are now found widely throughout the watch industry — from the first keyless winding system in 1845 to the first annual calendar wristwatch in 1996, with many other innovations and historic timepieces in between. Throughout the maison’s long and prestigious history, watches from Patek Philippe have proven to be among the most coveted and valuable on the watch-auction circuit, making up nine of the 10 most expensive watches ever sold and 14 of the top 2 ..read more

The Cartier Tank is one of the most influential and recognizable luxury watches in the world, as well as being one of the few truly iconic timepieces whose appeal is truly unisex: Cartier Tank watches are beloved by both men and women and worn in a diverse array of sizes, colorways, and variations on the original watch’s classical shape and dimensions. Throughout its prestigious history, the Cartier Tank has evolved in ways that are both subtle and revolutionary and has appeared in forms of which many of us might not even be aware. Here is a guide to the modern Cartier Tank collection and a bi ..read more

Tudor returned to the U.S. market after a lengthy absence in 2013 and the Rolex-owned brand had its first big hit in this modern era with the launch of the Black Bay (originally the Heritage Black Bay), a stylish, sporty divers’ watch, with a plethora of historical details drawn from Tudor dive watches of yore. In 2018, in response to growing consumer demand both for more modest case sizes and for greater period authenticity in vintage-style timepieces, Tudor introduced the Black Bay Fifty-Eight, which proved to hit the sweet spot for many contemporary enthusiasts. Named for the year 1958 ..read more

More than just about any other watchmaker, Japan's Seiko has become known for offering not only multiple styles and complications in its product families, but also several different types of movements — from affordable quartz, to proprietary hybrid Spring Drive, to high-tech solar and radio-controlled, to classically traditional mechanical. However, one Holy Grail combo that has eluded Seiko and its fans until very recently is the rare GMT (aka dual-time) watch powered by a mechanical movement and priced at what most would consider entry-level for a budding collector. Fortunately, the past few ..read more

The Rolex GMT-Master II is one of the most coveted luxury travel watches on the planet, and its predecessor, the original, non-numerical GMT-Master, basically established the template that other dual-time zone timepieces have been following for more than half a century. Here is a detailed look at the history and evolution of the GMT-Master II, from its aviation-inspired beginnings in 1954 to the iconic status it enjoys in the modern era, with all the major models spotlighted in between. 1954: “PEPSI” FOR PILOTS Rolex, the luxury watch firm founded in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf, achieved one of ..read more

While it’s been making its timepieces in Switzerland since the 1970s, Hamilton Watch Company, founded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1892, has few peers when it comes to being a vital thread in the historical tapestry of American watchmaking. The heritage brand, today a part of the Swiss Swatch Group conglomerate of companies, continues to lean heavily into its New World roots for its diverse collection of product families, which ranges from military tool watches to sporty divers, from elegantly appointed dress pieces to retro-futuristic curiosities — while also maintaining a price-to-value rat ..read more

Watches & Wonders 2024, the world's largest international event devoted to fine watches, wrapped up last weekend in Geneva, after a full week in which the Swiss city essentially became a playground for the watch industry and those of us who chronicle it. Once again, the annual event featured new timepieces from an all-star assemblage of more than 50 watch brands, from industry titans to ambitious independents (and that’s not even counting the dozens of brands exhibiting outside the main show, in hotels and other venues throughout Geneva). As in previous years, Teddy and I, along with our u ..read more

There are dive watches that you wear to go diving and there are dive watches that you wear — well, maybe afterward, to the country club where you go to talk about diving. It is this latter category that we’re focusing on with this list — so-called “luxury” dive watches, timepieces that still offer all the functionality and toughness one requires of a diver (all of the watches listed come in at 200 meters or more of water resistance) but do so at a higher level of elegance than elevates them from tool watch to dress watch — i.e., precious metal or exotic-material cases, extra complications, exc ..read more

If you’ve ever wondered what the “Wonders” were at the Watches & Wonders fair (“Isn’t it really all just watches?”), IWC may have come up with an invention that most would agree is truly wondrous (and yes, it is inside of a watch, but still…) — namely, the IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar, the high-complication flagship of the revamped Portugieser collection that was unveiled at the Watches & Wonders Geneva exhibition this week. Most watch enthusiasts know IWC Schaffhausen best for its Pilot watches, which are among the most iconic and influential in horological history. What the most ..read more