Business & Industry
WatchPro
Retailers call on Andy Burnham to cut costs and protect jobs as pressures mount
The British Retail Consortium has launched its Buy into Retail Manifesto, pressing Andy Burnham MP for reforms on employment costs, business rates, energy and retail crime, citing £6.5 billion in added employment costs since 2024 and 400,000 retail jobs lost over the decade. For watch and jewellery retailers reliant on prime high street units, footfall and high-value in-store stock, the business rates and zero-tolerance crime asks are the ones that actually move the needle on investment decisions.
SJX Watches
Revealed: Rolex’s Inclined Plane Clock
A Swiss design patent has revealed Rolex's next desk clock: a skeletonised inclined plane (gravity) clock that rolls down a slope over seven days before being reset, designed by Yacht-Master II veteran Vincent De Peyer. Two prototypes were quietly on show at Watches & Wonders 2026 (one in CEO Jean-Frederic Dufour's office, no photos allowed), and Rolex has filed a trademark for "Haplos." It marks Rolex's first commercially available in-house mechanical clock and first skeletonised movement, a point-of-sale showpiece that signals the crown is serious about the clock category it entered last year with the Submariner desk clock.
WatchPro
THE BIG INTERVIEW: Geoff Hess on how Sotheby’s is adapting to the million dollar trophy watch market
Sotheby's Global Head of Watches Geoff Hess argues the seven-figure auction market has moved past the Covid-era flip frenzy into a craftsmanship-driven phase, with money concentrating on independents (F.P. Journe, Rexhepi, Voutilainen, Simon Brette), neo-vintage Patek (3970, 5004) and vintage Cartier. He reports the house's first-half sales up 64% year on year, 1,850 bidders from 60 countries, a 90% sell-through rate, and a third of buyers Gen Z or millennial, with the "rookie card" chase for first references now a defining market theme. For the trade, the takeaway is where discretionary money is actually going: away from speculative vintage Rolex and toward independents and neo-vintage, plus a shift back to smaller 31-35mm watches.
Community & Culture
Monochrome Watches
Video – Inside Schwarz Etienne, Discovering its History and Its Impressive In-House Watchmaking Capacities
Monochrome goes inside Schwarz Etienne, the La Chaux-de-Fonds independent founded in 1902 that has quietly become one of the most vertically integrated small manufactures around, producing its own movements while private-labeling for RGM, GoS and Ming. Under CEO Florian Brossard (in the seat since 2024), the brand's 1902 dress collection is its new anchor, and the 2026 highlight is the Synergy by Peter Speake: a 39mm Grade 5 titanium, sub-11mm dress piece with a multi-layer sapphire dial and a twin-barrel hand-wound in-house movement good for 120 hours, limited to 88 pieces. For anyone tracking who actually makes movements in the independent scene, Schwarz Etienne is the kind of behind-the-curtain supplier whose integration matters well beyond its own name on the dial.
Worn & Wound
Organic Second-Hand Horology: The Joys of Uncovering a Used Gem at a Local Shop or Sale
A Worn & Wound writer makes the case for "organic" second-hand collecting, chronicling personal thrift, flea market, and Goodwill finds: two childhood Timex pieces bought for $5, a Seiko Kinetic later flipped at auction for $56.99, a $50 lot including a 1973 Pulsar P2 2900 (with its original clasp magnet intact), plus a Luminox scored for $7.99 against a $300-plus MSRP. It is a nostalgia-and-thrill essay rather than a market piece, but the throughline (the dopamine of the diamond-in-the-rough deal) is exactly the entry-level pipeline that keeps the collecting funnel full.
Reviews
Fratello
The Ollech & Wajs Astrochron Vs. The Doxa Sub 200 T.Graph II
Fratello's Henry Black pits two vintage-inspired dive chronographs against each other and concludes it's a rare match-up where "both sides win," praising each brand for building instruments first: the 39.5mm, 16.8mm-thick, 500m Ollech & Wajs Astrochron (ETA/Valjoux 7753, ~+5s/day, 54h reserve) for its dense-but-coherent functionality and agricultural chronograph feel, and the slimmed-down 42mm, 14.6mm, 200m Doxa Sub 200 T.Graph II (Sellita SW510, ~56h reserve, four dial colors) for its legibility and superior wearability. The trade takeaway: Black rates the shared beads-of-rice bracelet as transformative for both and strongly recommends specifying it, a note for retailers on where the perceived value sits.
aBlogtoWatch
The Rado Diastar Original Skeleton Limited-Edition Watch Delivers Playful Summer Vibrance
aBlogtoWatch calls the Rado Diastar Original Skeleton Limited Edition a genuine contender for "summer watch of 2026," praising the '70s-style faceted sapphire crystal that turns the skeletonized movement into a "mechanical kaleidoscope," the layered three-strata bridge finishing, and the highlighter-yellow lume against cobalt blue accents. They note the ETA-based R808 (Powermatic 80 architecture, Nivachron hairspring, 80-hour reserve) is skeletonized exclusively for Rado but runs at a sluggish 21,600 bph. The trade detail: 555 pieces per colorway, $2,550, available now through ADs, positioning Rado's playful skeleton work at an accessible price point.
New Releases
Worn & Wound
Nodus and Raven Collaborate on their Fourth TrailTrekker
Nodus and Raven's fourth TrailTrekker collaboration, the TrailTrekker Carbon, pairs a forged carbon fiber dial and bezel (infused with Super-LumiNova) with a gray DLC bead-blasted steel case running the Miyota 9075 true GMT. It measures 39.5mm wide, 11.8mm thick, and 46.6mm lug-to-lug, water resistant to 200m, and ships on a steel bracelet with the NEM clasp plus an FKM rubber strap. It debuts at the Intersect Watch Show in LA, with public orders opening July 22 at $1,075, the first TrailTrekker to cross the four-figure mark.
SJX Watches
Swatch Debuts MoonSwatch Mission to the Moon 1969
Swatch has launched the MoonSwatch Mission to the Moon 1969, a 1,969-piece limited edition marking the 57th anniversary of the moon landing, with 11g of Omega's 18k MoonShine gold in the dial, crown, and pushers. The 42mm Bioceramic quartz chronograph runs US$570, a deliberate loss-leader given the gold content is worth nearly double that at spot, and it's allocated via a new "ESTA" online application (July 16-21). The move away from first-come queues, after the Royal Pop chaos, is the real story: Swatch is finally admitting its boutique scramble doesn't work in a global collector market, even if flippers won't be deterred and the portal already crashed at launch.
Also at: Time + Tide · WatchTime · Fratello
Monochrome Watches
The Bremont Supernova Hawking Limited Edition
Bremont's second collaboration with Stephen Hawking's family builds on the new Supernova platform: a 41mm DLC-coated 904L steel chronograph with a black ceramic decagonal bezel, meteorite sub-dials at 3 and 9, and the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy formula on the dial, powered by the chronometer-rated SW500-based calibre BC77. Limited to 600 pieces on bracelet or rubber strap, priced at GBP 7,950. It's an early test of whether the Supernova line, Bremont's post-reset bet, can carry a premium and a story beyond its debut.
Also at: Worn & Wound · Time + Tide
Hodinkee
The New Citizen Promaster Dive
Citizen has refreshed the Promaster Dive with new Eco-Drive models, three of which reach the US: a blue gradient dial, an all-black version, and a white dial with an orange seconds hand. All share a 40.6mm by 11.5mm steel case, 200m water resistance, the light-powered Eco-Drive Caliber E118 (roughly 12 months on a full charge, accurate to +/-15 seconds per month), and a plant-derived BENEBiOL strap, priced at $450 and rolling out on Citizen's site through mid-July 2026.
WatchTime
Breguet Celebrates 225 Years of the Tourbillon with Anniversary Timepieces
Breguet marks the tourbillon patent's 225th anniversary with three limited pieces: the 35mm Classique Tourbillon 7357 (platinum $203,300, Breguet gold $184,800) reviving the 1989 Ref. 3350; the 38mm platinum Classique Tourbillon Sidéral 7255, the brand's first flying tourbillon, on an aventurine dial, limited to 50 pieces at $294,400; and the 43.9mm platinum Marine Tourbillon Équation Marchante 5887 combining tourbillon, perpetual calendar, running equation of time and power reserve, limited to 25 pieces at $489,400 with a customizable enamel sky display. It's a full-throated ownership play on the complication Breguet invented, timed to keep the manufacture front of mind at the top of the haute horlogerie market.
Fratello
Horology And Indoor Cycling, Made Fun: The Bravur × Zwift Limited Edition
Bravur has teamed up with virtual cycling platform Zwift for a 100-piece limited edition, a 37mm steel watch (44.6mm lug-to-lug, 11.4mm thick, 100m water resistance) running the Sellita SW200-2 Power+ with a 68-hour reserve, assembled in Båstad, Sweden. The black lacquered dial is packed with Zwift Easter eggs (Watopia texture, watts lightning bolt, Tron-inspired lume ring) and it ships on an FKM strap with a spare orange leather strap in a cycling bag for €1,395 incl. VAT / US$1,195 excl. taxes. A savvy co-brand play: Zwift's roughly one million monthly subscribers are exactly the affluent, gear-obsessed audience a small Swedish enthusiast brand wants funneled toward its order page.
SJX Watches
Krayon’s Parhelion is a Halo Watch, Literally
Krayon's Parhelion is a gem-set take on its Anywhere sunrise/sunset watch, inspired by a parhelion (sundog) the founders witnessed in Greenland, set with 171 sapphires in a dark-blue-to-colourless gradient, 12 of which use a bespoke "Krayon cut" that preserves the original hour-marker form. Housed in a 39 mm, 9.5 mm white gold case (30 m water resistance) with a blue mother-of-pearl dial, it runs the hand-wound cal. C030 (3 Hz, 72-hour reserve) and pairs with a blue alligator strap on a 35-sapphire white gold buckle. Not a limited edition but a limited-production piece given Krayon's double-digit annual output; priced at CHF 430,000 through Krayon retailers.
SJX Watches
Roger Dubuis Reimagines the Excalibur as Samurai Art
Roger Dubuis has unveiled the Excalibur "The Kabuto Legacy" (ref. DBEX1139), a métiers d'art edition whose dial arranges 12 hand-engraved 18k pink gold kabuto (samurai helmets) modelled on historical warriors around an abstract Edo-period castle, with matching family crests laser-engraved on the rotor. Housed in the familiar 45 mm, 16.87 mm pink gold and sapphire case running the Geneva Seal cal. RD821 (hours and minutes, automatic, 48-hour reserve), it is limited to 28 pieces, sold at Roger Dubuis boutiques only with price upon request. It sits in the same case and movement lineage as the brand's Knights of the Round Table series, which have recently listed close to US$400,000, underscoring that the value here rests on engraving craft rather than mechanics.
Hodinkee
The Solar Orbiter Watch Winder For The MB&F M.A.D.Gallery
MB&F's M.A.D.Gallery, marking its 15th anniversary, has commissioned British designer Martin Smith to build the Solar Orbiter, a 60cm-tall kinetic sculpture (40cm diameter) of powder-coated steel, aluminum, brass, wood, and custom electronics that doubles as a silent watch winder via a rotating arm. Built from over 300 handmade parts and limited to 10 numbered pieces, each ships in a bespoke screen-printed wooden crate with a signed certificate of authenticity, priced at CHF 9,900 plus VAT and available through the M.A.D.Gallery.</parameter> <parameter name="categories">[]
Fratello
Catching Scarlet Fever With The New Armin Strom Mirrored Force Resonance Red
Armin Strom marks the tenth anniversary of its Mirrored Force Resonance line with the Red edition: a red guilloché sunburst dial with black azuré chapter rings, housed in the familiar 43 x 49.6mm steel case at 11.6mm thick, water resistant to 30m, on gray Alcantara. It runs the manual-wind ARF21, two movements linked by Armin Strom's Resonance Clutch Spring, with twin counter-rotating seconds displays resettable via a two o'clock pusher, 25,200 vph and a 48-hour reserve. Limited to 15 pieces at CHF 78,000 each, available through the brand's website.
WatchTime
The Czapek Promenade Goutte de Rosée
Czapek revisits its 2024 Promenade Goutte d'Eau with the Goutte de Rosée, a 25-piece limited edition in a 38mm 18-karat yellow-gold case with a flinqué green Grand Feu enamel dial made with Donzé Cadrans, powered by the automatic SXH5.1 caliber (4 Hz, 60-hour reserve, recycled platinum micro-rotor). The green enamel proved so temperamental (rejection rates near 50 percent versus the usual 25 to 30) that roughly 60 silver blanks were needed to yield 25 flawless dials. Priced at CHF 32,000 before taxes (about $39,772).
Monochrome Watches
Nomos Adds Two New Compact Tetra 27 to the Collection
Nomos expands its square-cased Tetra line with two additions to the permanent collection: the Tetra 27 white, with a classic silver-plated dial, Arabic numerals, blued hands and small seconds, and the two-hand Tetra 27 duo with a two-tone galvanised dial. Both use a 27.5mm x 27.5mm case just 6.1mm thick, run the hand-wound DUW 4001 (53-hour reserve), carry 50m water resistance on a Horween shell cordovan strap, and price from EUR 1,660 for the duo with steel back to EUR 2,120 for the white with sapphire back.
Monochrome Watches
The New, More Compact C by Romain Gauthier Titanium Edition 39.5
Romain Gauthier has re-proportioned its C sports watch into a 39.5mm grade 5 titanium case (46mm lug-to-lug, 9.45mm thick, 30m water resistance), down from the 41mm that defined every prior edition, with the crown at 2 o'clock and a six-facet bezel. The metallised sapphire dial comes in pink, light blue and orange, over the same hand-wound in-house movement (4Hz, 60h power reserve, five titanium finger bridges) as the larger versions, now on an interchangeable rubber strap. All three are permanent collection pieces at CHF 34,000 excluding taxes. The move matters because the C is Gauthier's only actively marketed collection, and shrinking the case is a direct play for the wrist-size-conscious buyers the 41mm was leaving on the table.
Podcasts
aBlogtoWatch
The SUPERLATIVE Podcast: Frederic Gasser On B.R.M’s Racing DNA, American Retail, And The Power Of Staying Niche
Ariel Adams talks with B.R.M North America president Frederic Gasser about building the French motorsport watch brand's U.S. presence, its shift from traditional wholesale toward direct collector relationships and bespoke customization, and why independents entering America are better served finding a niche than chasing volume.