Author: Blake Buettner
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MKII Fulcrum Returns in New 39mm Case
The micro-brand space was very different in 2013. Far fewer brands were working to define the landscape that’s fully blossomed into its own segment today. One of these brands was MKII, known for their careful, methodical approach to capturing vintage military watches in modern guise with top notch build quality. While some would scoff at…
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Ming Introduces New Diver in 37.09 ‘Uni’
Last year, Ming introduced their first novel dive watch since 2020’s 18.01, it was called the 37.09 ‘Bluefin’ and it would go on to win a GPHG award for best sports watch. The watch brought many of Ming’s modern design tricks to the table in an interesting way, challenging our perception of the dive watch…
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Tudor Black Back Bay Chronograph Gets ‘Flamingo’ Blue Dial
After a few days of suspiciously placed spy shots across social media, Tudor has made it official today with the release of the Black Bay Chronograph Flamingo. In 2024, Tudor quietly released a Black Bay Chronograph with a pink dial, which quickly caught on as an unusually rare vibrant expression from the brand mostly celebrated…
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Vacheron Constantin 222 Gets Steel Case, Blue Dial
2025 marks the 270th anniversary of Vacheron Constantin, and the brand is kicking it off with a long anticipated modern 222 reference rendered in steel. The original 222 was released in celebration of the brand’s 222nd anniversary in 1977, and the watch would set the foundation for what we now know as the Overseas collection.…
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The MoonSwatch Meets the Alaska Project in Enthusiast Created Project Arctic
As much as watches are a personal thing, it is often the community of enthusiasts that keeps me well engaged and excited with this space. It’s not just for posting our collections and expanding our collective knowledge, it’s also a place where creativity can flourish. This week, users of The Grey NATO slack channel got…
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TAG Heuer Returns to Formula 1 as Official Timekeeper
In October of last year, LVMH Group and Formula 1 announced a new 10 year global partnership, a move that would see Rolex exit as the sport’s official timekeeper. With the announcement came quick speculation as to which LVMH brand or brands might fill the now vacant role, and this week we get the largely…
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The Return of Quartz Watches
The New York Times published an article this week placing a spotlight on the rising popularity of quartz watches, citing brands such as TAG Heuer and Furlan Marri in the process. (See episodes 34 and 28 of the podcast for conversations with Andrew McUtchen and Andrea Furlan.) Indeed it’s a trend that has been slowly…
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Parmigiani Stuns with L’Armoriale Répétition Mystérieuse
It’s been a good year for Parmigiani Fleurier releases. One consistent Watches & Wonders release that I hear enthusiasts of all stripes gush about is the new Toric, a stunning new rendition of the collection that launched the brand in 1996. The Tonda PF Sport watches have their own appeal, but this is a brand…