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1995 was a rare high point for music in the decade. Radiohead’s The Bends, 2Pac’s Me Against the World, Oasis’ What’s the Story, Morning Glory, there were some absolute classics. I’m a personal fan of Reel Big Fish’s Everything Sucks, but that’s probably just me. At the same time, watchmaking was going through a renaissance under the auspices of Swatch Group (in good part thanks to J.C. Biver). After two decades of quartz attrition, brands were on more stable footing than they had been for years and inclined to try bold new things.

While the higher end was preoccupied with getting back the gravitas of haute horology, the lower tiers could actually try some fun stuff, and Certina set themselves up to capitalise with the 1995 Cascadeur. If you were around at the time, you’ll have seen the watch. It was advertised everywhere and, perhaps more than that, it looked completely insane, a big, sporty watch with a grille over the front.

Indeed, Certina had designed the Cascadeur to be as visually arresting as possible. At the time the brand was sponsoring the Motorcycle World Championship amongst other things and was desperate for that iconoclastic, disruptive vibe that drew in ‘cool’ 90s kids. In short, it was the watch equivalent of Sonic the Hedgehog, and used the speed of motor racing to inform their shiny new watch.

Over the course of just under a decade, the Cascadeur went through a few iterations, adding digital displays, weirder bezel options and ever sportier design choices, all framed by the horizontal bars of that signature grille. It lasted until 2011 when the Cascadeur was finally relegated to the archives. But, as watchmakers delve decades worryingly close to my birth for back catalogue deep dives, it’s time for the Cascadeur to resurface.

Let’s not beat around the bush, the new DS Cascadeur is weird, but not quite as out-there as the original 1995 version. For one, the ‘power bars’ have been moved vertical rather than horizontal. It feels less like you’re squinting between the slats of a blind which always unnerved me about the original. More than that though, Certina has turned those bars into even more of a feature.

In the original, the wide screen-style bars were simply plonked across the top and bottom; here they’re mirrored in the bezel, which is black between them and silver either side. The result looks like a slice of a different watch has been inserted into the middle, almost but not quite perfectly in line with the strap. Yes, my OCD wished they lined up, but that would make those bars too prominent.

In fact, Certina has done a good job of toning down the original design into something you might actually want to wear today. The black dial is streamlined with minimal hour markers and a 6 o’clock date. It means you don’t feel like you’re missing any information. The visible screws on the black portion of the bezel add a bit of sporty, 70s flavour and the black rubber strap is much less design heavy than the original’s bracelet. The result is a watch that has plenty of personality on the wrist and will certainly get some looks, but won’t be particularly divisive.

Speaking of on the wrist, at 41.5mm across it’s not shy and retiring but nor should it be. The lugs are relatively short so it sits well on smaller wrists and the 12.6mm thickness is solid for an everyday watch. The thing is, rather than being a weird, unique watch, it feels more like you’ve taken a baseline Certina model and added roll bars.

The original Cascadeur was mental, a strange, deliberately flamboyant design that was pure 90s edginess. The modern version takes the core element of that – the bars – and sanitises it. Sure, it’s a lot less divisive, but for everyone that doesn’t mind it, there’s someone that no longer loves it like they used to. Given Certina already have a fantastic line-up of everyday wearers like the forever underrated DS Action, a more outlandish Cascadeur would have been cool.

In keeping with its sporty aspirations, the Cascadeur has a Precidrive quartz movement, with a variance of +/-10 seconds a year. Given who’s making it, it’s no surprise that it also has 200m water resistance with Certina’s lauded Double Security system. You can smack it about at whatever the modern equivalent of your local skate park is and it’ll just keep going, with even the crystal protected by those bars.

This all leaves me in an odd place. I do not like the original Cascadeur enough to buy one, and vintage models are cheap. And I did genuinely enjoy wearing this little nostalgia trip, particularly as it’s no longer explicitly tied to motorsports with a tachymeter. But I wish Certina had taken it a little further. Honestly, keep the main body of the watch as is, bring in the 90s bracelet with its motorcycle chain bracelet and I’d be happy. Well, happier. That Certina have approached the DS Cascadeur at all makes me incredibly excited to see what else they’re up to.

More details at Certina.

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G-Shock enthusiast WatchDavid takes a hands-on look at new and recent releases in his latest video. These watches include the Master of G Rescue Yellow collection, GMA-S110BE-4A Barbie collab, the upcoming DWE-5600UD-1 collab with L.A. sneaker boutique Undefeated which appears to be headed for a worldwide release, the DW-6900TR 6900 30th Anniversary models, MRG-B5000BA-1 (from […]

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Meta founder CEO and jiu-jitsu blue belt Mark Zuckerberg got a lot of attention for wearing a $900,000 Greubel Forsey watch when he announced Facebook’s fact-checking policy shift in January, and is now in the spotlight for wearing a $120 Casio G-Shock GA2100WS-7A during a recent interview with Colin and Samir (youtube.com). The hour-long interview […]

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If you’re up to date with your horological world records, and let’s face it who isn’t, then you’ll be familiar with the Vacheron Constantin Berkeley Grand Complication. It’s the world’s most complicated watch with 61 complications. However, it’s to large that it has to be a pocket watch. The title for most complicated wristwatch therefore belongs to a different watch. Not content with that, Vacheron Constantin have decided they want to own that title as well so have launched the Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication La Première, bringing the world record home in emphatic fashion.

First the headlines, the watch features a whopping 41 complications housed inside a 45mm x 14.99mm case made from white gold. That’s pretty huge by most standards but given the amount of horological complexity on display, it’s practically a miracle that it’s wearable at all. Fitting all 1,521 components of the calibre 3655 into its dimensions is a mathematical nightmare that took eight years to develop.

To list a handful of the complications there’s standard time, dual time zone, worldtimer, perpetual calendar, moonphase, tide indicator, sun position (including sunrise, sunset, day duration, height of sun above horizon and sun declination angle), astrological signs, temporal tracking of celestial objects, minute repeater with Westminster chime, chronograph, split-seconds chronograph and power reserve indicator.

Two of those complications stand out above the others. The first is the Westminster chiming minute repeater, which is the pinnacle of an already prestigious complication. It uses four hammers and gongs to create a very complex chiming melody that mirrors that of Westminster, hence the name. Its creation involved 7 individual patents out of the 13 patents found in the Solaria Ultra Grand Complication La Première.

The other stand out is the temporal tracking of celestial objects, which is a brand new complication. It allows you to calculate how long it will take for a specific celestial object to become centred in your field of view. It functions by using the split-seconds chronograph on the rear of the watch in conjunction with the sapphire star diagram below.

You stop the first chronograph hand in the centre of the field of view denoted by the green line marker on the celestial map then stop the second hand over the object you wish to time, such as the constellation of Orion. The green arrow on the rear of the first chronograph hand will now be pointing at a 24-hour scale attached to the rear of the second chronograph hand, which tells you how many hours it will take for that celestial object to be centred in your field of view. It’s the kind of complication that has very little practical application unless you happen to be an astronomer but you can be sure I’d fiddle with it all the time.

Unsurprisingly the world record touting Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication La Première is a unique piece. While it’s in theory price on request, good luck ever seeing it in person unless it’s on display in a museum.

More details at Vacheron Constantin.

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Milus have released a new interpretation of their Archimèdes compression diver that swaps the internal diving bezel for a worldtimer display. It’s inspired by traversing the world’s oceans on a grand journey, which is why it’s called the Milus Archimèdes Worldtimer Blue Odyssey. A fun twist on the normal dive watch formula.

Compressor divers have been one of the classic vintage archetypes for dive watches since the 50s. They make use of the natural properties of water pressure to boost their water resistance by having compressible gaskets that become tighter and tighter the more pressure is applied. Milus first developed their compression diver in the 1970s and the Archimèdes is based on that original model.

The original 1970s Milus Super Compressor and World Timer

One of the common (though not foolproof) identifiers for a compression diver is a dual crown. The lower crown typically controls the normal timekeeping functions and the upper crown allows you to rotate the inner bezel. The same is true for the Archimèdes Worldtimer Blue Odyssey except that instead of a normal dive timer bezel, the scale shows the world’s 24 time zones in the form of prominent cities around the globe. That scale then corresponds to a 24-hour ring on the outer edge of the central dial.

A slightly odd design decision is that there’s no additional GMT hand or rotating scale that corresponds to the world time display here. Typically, there would be some form of indication of “it’s this time in this location”, but here there’s nothing. Instead, the worldtimer scale serves more as a reference guide you have to use in conjunction with the normal 3-hand time display. You set the scale to match your local time and then you know that a certain location is X hours ahead or behind you in relation to the current time.

I would vastly prefer Milus to have swapped the movement to a GMT reference to make the watch actually feel like a worldtimer, even at the cost of some of the specs. They’ve kept the same ETA 2892A2 as the other Archimèdes models with its automatic winding, top grade finishing and 42-hour power reserve. It’s not a bad movement by any stretch of the imagination, I just don’t think it’s the right one for this watch.

The counter argument to that is that by changing the movement, which often involves new dimensions and different sizes, they would’ve had to also make changes to the case. And the case is really nice with its 41mm diameter and 300m water resistance rating. It’s actually still a pretty practical dive watch, which is nodded to with the gradient blue dial representing the oceans and green accents on the hands and scales like land masses like in an atlas.

Ultimately, the Milus Archimèdes Worldtimer Blue Odyssey leaves me a little baffled. I like the concept of the watch. The case is great. The colours feel appropriate and have a fun graphic quality to them. I just can’t get past the lack of a dedicated mechanical world time function on a worldtimer. Plus, at or CHF 2,219 (approx. £1,940) or CHF 2,419 (approx. £2,100) on a bracelet there doesn’t really feel like a good excuse for it. What do you make of it? Let us know in the comments below.

More details at Milus.

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Bulgari are continue in their pursuit to create ever thinner watches. For 2025 they’re revisiting one of the watches that kicked off this journey for them in 2014, the Finissimo Tourbillon. Now presented as the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon with partially skeletonised display and a thickness of just 1.85mm, earning it a new world record for being the thinnest tourbillon wristwatch.

Honestly the precision required to produce the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon is mind boggling. To fit an entire rotating tourbillon, power barrel, gear train, hands, winding mechanism and all the other mechanics that go into a watch into a case just 1.85mm in thickness is madness. That’s basically a full millimetre thinner than a £1 coin and only 0.2mm thicker than a 1p piece. Plus Bulgari have managed to preserve the Octo’s signature design with its octagonal bezel and faceted angles.

Bulgari have created 10 world record Finissimo watches at this point so you should be familiar with how they construct there world beating timepieces. Basically, the caseback of the watch is doing double duty as the calibre’s mainplate, supporting the delicate components of the movement. As such, it has to be incredibly stiff and rigid as any flex could prove disastrous for the movement and snap the watch. Therefore, Bulgari have brought out the big guns by producing it from tungsten carbide, an incredibly tough, durable material used in high performance engineering tools.

In order to keep it lightweight, as if that’s a consideration when the whole thing this thin, the case middle, bezel and bracelet are produced from bead blasted titanium, which is what gives it a darker grey tone than steel watches. In order to match this darker tone, the hour and minute hands have a grey anthracite coating. They’re located on the partially skeletonised subdial at 2 o’clock, situated above the titular tourbillon at 5 o’clock.

The movement in the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon is the BVF 900 with manual winding and a 42-hour power reserve. That might not sound too impressive on paper but again, everything has to be contextualised with the fact that the watch is thinner than an After Eight mint. Plus it’s still a flying tourbillon movement to boot. While very few people will ever own one, or even be in the same room as one, it’s still exciting to see brands push the boundaries millimetre by millimetre.

More details at Bulgari.

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Audemars Piguet are steadily expanding the breadth of ceramic colours on offer across the Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore collections by introducing a new colour series. It’s a dark blue shade known as ‘Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50’, which is significant in AP’s heritage as it was the colour used on the dial of the original Royal Oak. The ‘Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50’ ceramic collection includes a Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked and two Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronographs.

Ceramic is a notoriously difficult material to work with, especially when it comes to colour. Due to the intense firing process it’s virtually impossible to predict how pigment will react, meaning that it takes a huge amount of experimentation to perfect a pigment that will create a consistent colour throughout the watch in a repeatable manner. AP say the ‘Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50’ ceramic has taken several years to develop, meaning it has been in the works since before the reveal of the electric blue and brown ceramic that it joins. I really like the dark, navy blue colour so it was worth the effort.

Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked 41mm

The first of the watches to feature the new colour of ceramic is the Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked. It’s one of AP’s classic haute horology skeleton watches with the calibre 3132. While it has only a 3-hand time display, it’s much more impressive thanks to the double balance, which you can see at 8 o’clock, which alleviates some of the timing inaccuracies that can be experienced by single balance watches caused by shocks and small disruptions.

The case measures 41mm in diameter with a thickness of 9.7mm in the new ceramic. The vertical brushing looks really nice across the case and bracelet in combination with the polished edges. Achieving multiple finishes in ceramic is very impressive.

Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph 42mm

The Royal Oak Offshore is the standard RO’s sportier cousin, featuring multiple chronograph and dive watch variants. For the ‘Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50’ edition they’ve chosen the Selfwinding Chronograph 42 model with its vertical tricompax chronograph display. The dial features the signature Mega Tapisserie pattern decorated with additional vertical engraving in the same colour as the case, though for the dial it’s achieved with PVD instead of ceramic.

Inside, it’s equipped with the 4404 selfwinding flyback chronograph movement. Flyback means that you can stop, reset and start the chronograph complication with a single pusher press, so that you can time multiple sequences in a row without pausing. Useful for timing multiple laps or aviation navigation.

Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph 43mm

Last up is a bi-material edition of the Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph 43mm. It’s the largest of the ‘Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50’ models with a case that’s primarily made of stainless steel with only a ceramic bezel, crown and pushers. That gives it the most industrial vibe of the collection thanks to the exposed steel that matches the hexagonal screws.

It has a traditional tricompax chronograph display with a 30-minute counter, 12-hour counter and small seconds. Like the full ceramic 42mm version above, the Mega Tapisserie dial has the vertical engraving texture adding some extra visual interest.

More details at Audemars Piguet.

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Following the release of G-Shock Japan’s durable GXFAB t-shirt, G-Shock U.K. has also joined the tough apparel market with the launch of the Kevlar-reinforced G-SOCKS. These moisture-wicking socks are built for extreme conditions and feature a shock-absorbing front pad, providing superior comfort and protection for physically demanding activities such as extreme sports or military operations. […]

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Every year Patek Philippe release a fleet of new Grand Complication and Complication watches and 2025 is no different. Between the Quadruple Complication, Calatrava 8-Day, new renditions of the Twenty-4 and beyond, there’s a lot to dig into. Plus the first expansion of the controversial Cubitus range. Let’s take a look.

Quadruple Complication Ref. 5308G-001

The Patek Philippe Quadruple Complication technically had its debut in 2023 as part of the Tokyo Grand Exhibition but now it’s making its first appearance as part of Patek’s standing collection in a new colourway. The four complications that form the quadruple are a chiming minute repeater, perpetual calendar, a chronograph and then a chronograph again because Patek are counting the Split-Seconds chronograph function as two.

It features a lovely ice blue dial with deep blue accents across the hands, hour markers and moonphase. It’s protected by a 42mm white gold case, which is big yes but by no means gargantuan given the amount of machinery packed inside.

Grand Complication Ref. 5370R

While you might recognise the display of the Grand Complication Ref. 5370R from previous split-seconds chronographs, this is the first time that the model has been presented in a rose gold case. To mark the adoption of this luxurious material it’s also presented with a grand feu enamel dial in brown with a beige tachymeter around the periphery. It reminds me of a warm cappuccino, which is something I could really do with right now.

Through the exhibition caseback you can admire the beautiful working of the calibre manual CHR 29‑535 PS movement with its polished edges and hint of Côtes de Genève.

Grand Complication Ref. 6159G

Sapphire dials are having their moment in the spotlight recently with Patek Philippe jumping on the trend alongside the likes of Bell & Ross and Christopher Ward – rarified company indeed. Patek’s though is a damn sight more interesting, revealing the inner workings of the perpetual calendar movement below. You can see the rotating disks for the day, month, leap year and moonphase. It also shows the mechanism for the retrograde date function in the dial’s centre.

Aesthetically it’s housed in 39.5mm white gold case with hobnail guilloché bezel. As for price, you’re looking at £100,920.

Complication Calatrava 8-Day Ref. 5328G-001

The Calatrava 8-Day Ref. 5328G-001 is the chariot for a new movement, the catchily-named calibre 31‑505 8J PS IRM CI J. It’s manual winding with an instantaneous day/date function and an 8-day power reserve with indicator. It’s a really good looking watch with a grainy blue dial and syringe style hands. The case is made from white gold with a diameter of 41mm and a hobnail guilloché caseband around the external edge.

Through the caseback you can admire the Côtes de Genève finishing across the plate. It would be nice to be able to see the double power barrel but that’s only a small comment.

Complication Calatrava Pilot Travel Time Ref. 5524G

A new rendition of the Calatrava Pilot Travel Time is here. It presents the model in a 42mm white gold case with a brand new ivory colour dial. I really like the smooth lacquer texture paired with the large lumed Arabic numerals. The gentle, off-white colour makes it appear faux aged like a vintage pilot’s watch sun bleached by years of wear during rugged adventures. The travel time complication functions as a dual time zone indicator by featuring two 12-hour hands.

I know Patek Philippe are supposed to be high end and luxurious but a more accessible steel interpretation of their pilot’s watch would go down a treat.

Complications Ref. 4946R

Patek Philippe have released a new unisex interpretation of their annual calendar in rose gold. It’s the Complications Ref. 4946R, measuring 38mm in diameter without a gemstone in sight. What really captures the attention though is the linen style dial with gentle crosshatched texture that looks amazing. It’s accented by golden Arabic numerals and matching gold markings on the calendar subdials and railway minute track.

The movement inside is the 26-330 S QA LU, an annual calendar calibre. What that means is that it only needs adjustment once each year, at the end of February.

Twenty-4 Perpetual Calendar

For the first time in history Patek Philippe have dressed the Twenty-4 collection with a perpetual calendar. The Twenty-4 was originally designed to be Patek’s dedicated feminine collection but at 36mm in rose gold without any diamonds in sight, this is quite a unisex timepiece for those who appreciate vintage proportions. There are two dial options on offer, a linen texture white piece or a sunray brushed green.

The movement inside is the ultra-thin 240 Q with hours, minutes, day, date, months, leap year, moonphase and 24-hour indicator. For being the Twenty-4’s first complication watch, it’s certainly come out swinging.

Cubitus Ref. 7128

The first expansion of the Cubitus range is here and Patek Philippe are clearly hoping for the same success as the Nautilus 5811. The 7128/1G-001 in particular bears similarities due to its new blue dial and white gold construction that matches that of the 5711’s successor. There’s also a second edition of the Cubitus called Ref. 7128/1R-001 that swaps to rose gold with a brown dial.

While the Cubitus has yet to hit the highs of the Nautilus among collectors, it’s certainly a hit among Patek’s celebrity clients. I’m still not sold on whether the rectangle is the next iconic model. Plus Gerald Charles beat them to it.

Calatrava Ref. 6196P

Sometimes it’s nice to just strip away the fanfare of a mad complication and just admire the elegant beauty of watchmaking at its most pared back and refined. That’s what the Calatrava is all about and the 6196P achieves it with effortless grace. It measures 38mm in platinum giving it a high lustre across the polished bezel. The dial is presented in a salmon coloured rose-gilt opaline tone with an uncluttered, clean display.

Nautilus Ladies

Rounding out Patek Philippe’s releases are a trio of Nautili for ladies. There’s a full diamond Ref. 5811, in white gold with ice across the dial, bezel and bracelet. Technically as it measures 41mm it’s a unisex model and I can well imagine a few hip hop artists that could rock it. It’s joined by two 32mm models with diamond bezels and bright blue dials.

More details at Patek Philippe.

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I attended the Concours of Elegance classic car show last September at Hampton Court Palace, UK. As the presenting partner, A. Lange & Söhne reflects the event’s values, including longevity, exclusivity, sustainability, and perseveration in traditional automobiles. This ethos is wonderfully distilled in Lange’s latest release, the 1815.

This classic collection pays tribute to the birth year of its founder, F.A. Lange. It’s also the most traditional range in Lange’s catalogue. For 2025, the base level 1815 goes even smaller at a tuxedo-ready 34mm case in white or pink gold with a sumptuous blue dial.

You may assume that Lange sticks its nose up at the automotive industry. While it’s not likely you will see the A. Lange & Söhne logo strewn across a race car, Lange’s CEO Wilhelm Schmid is also a petrol head: “My two passions in life are cars and watches, so the prospect of displaying our timepieces in this beautiful and historic space alongside over sixty of the most amazing cars ever created is a dream come true.”

“Speaking from experience, I know that there is a great deal of common ground between car and watch collectors: ultimate craftsmanship, technical innovation and unrivalled heritage are the key values of both vintage cars and our approach to watchmaking. That’s why this partnership between A. Lange & Söhne and the Concours of Elegance is such a perfect fit.”

Despite the extrovert nature of dazzling classic cars, this 1815 goes for a more discreet clientele. With high demand, Lange customers have repeatedly longed for an even more diminutive 1815 than the current 38.5mm offering. At 34mm, the new 1815 will cater to many tastes. The 6.4mm case thickness is kept in proportion, making it almost imperceptible on the wrist, with only the subtle heft of the 750 white gold or pink gold providing that luxurious reassurance.

This remarkably svelte case is thanks to a new manually-wound calibre from Lange at a slim 2.9mm. The L152.1 movement is Lange’s 75th manufacture calibre, which is even more impressive than the brand relaunch, which was only in 1990.

The gorgeously decorated movement is visible via the exhibition case back with a prominent three-quarter plate with Glashütte ribbing. Standing apart is the hand-engraved balance cock for a flash of flamboyance. Providing 72 hours of power reserve, the L152.1 calibre propels the hour and minute hands and the subsidiary seconds. This dial layout allows for elegant space yet precise indication with finely tipped lancet hands overlapping the minute track. Only the 6 o’clock numeral sacrifices its elongation for the subsidiary seconds with concentric grooves delicately recessed from the dial’s centre. The deep blue dial blends these varying dial textures to provide interest and harmony.

Tying it all together is the hand-stitched blue alligator leather for the white gold model and reddish-brown alligator leather for the pink gold version.

More details at A. Lange & Söhne.

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