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Where Britain has the Red Arrows, France has the Patrouille de France. And where the Red Arrows have Breitling, the Patrouille de France has Bell & Ross. The partnership between the French Air and Space Force’s acrobatics team and Bell & Ross makes a lot of sense due to B&R’s dedication to aviation instrument watches. The new Bell & Ross BR-05 Chrono Patrouille de France Limited Edition is their fourth such collaboration.

The case of the watch is a very conventional take on the BR-05 design. It measures 42mm in diameter with a rounded-square design with bold shoulders, a pronounced, layered bezel and an integrated bracelet. The visible screws give it an industrial vibe, like an instrument found in the cockpit of a plane. As a Chrono model it has broad, flat pushers on either side of the crown, on the outer edge of the static crown guards.

Patrouille de France’s signature colours are found on the dial and it shouldn’t be a surprise which colours those are because it’s the tricolour. The central chronograph hand is red, the chronograph subdial scales are white and the centre of the subdials are navy blue. The main dial is also blue but in a lighter tone than that of the French flag, instead matching the popular ice blue from models like the BR-X5 and Skeleton Arctic.

Between the multiple shades of blue and various accent colours, the Bell & Ross BR-05 Chrono Patrouille de France is arguably one of the most colourful timepieces in the entire range. A fact made all the more apparent by the inclusion of the dynamic logo of the acrobatics squad at 6 o’clock. Despite that it retains a high level of legibility with lumed hour markers and oversize Arabic numerals. Although the latter numerals are often interrupted by the subdials and other display elements.

Housed inside is the BR-CAL.326, which is visible through the exhibition caseback with Patrouille de France logo. It’s automatic with a 60-hour power reserve, offering solid specs. Like many Bell & Ross movements it’s based on a Sellita, which is fine because Bell & Ross were an early adopter of Sellita’s upgraded movements with improved power reserves. Plus, they’ve dressed it up with a cool star-shaped rotor.

The Bell & Ross BR-05 Chrono Patrouille de France is limited to 500 pieces at a price of £6,600. It’s a price point that evidently works for Bell & Ross, who tend to sit in a £4,000 – £10,000 mid-range luxury bracket. Using only two brands as examples, they occupy the gap between an entry-level luxury brand like Oris and a prestige brand like Omega. For a collaborative chronograph with a solid movement, it makes sense.

More details at Bell & Ross.

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Scheduled for a February release in Japan is the G-Shock Power Pink series featuring three smaller unisex watches. The series includes the octagonal GMA-P2100PP-4A, big case GMA-S140PP-4A, and full digital GMD-S5610PP-4. The GMA-P2100PP-4A has a vivid pink appearance compared to the red GMA-P2100-4A launch model and is a smaller model than the pink GMA-S2100P-4A. The […]

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Having been a child at the turn of the century, 2025 feels like a significant year to me – a quarter of the way through the 21^st century! While there’s nothing specifically special about it, it still has the feel of landmark year. For Oris it’s a landmark year as well because they are celebrating the 60^th anniversary of one of their core collections, the Divers Sixty-Five, which first debuted in, well, 1965. To mark the occasion, they’ve released the Oris Divers Sixty-Five 60^th Anniversary Edition, a modern reinterpretation of the original 1965 watch.

This is not the first time Oris have reinterpreted the original Divers Sixty-Five as back in 2015 they launched a 50^th Anniversary Edition that followed the same inspiration. The elements of the original that Oris have recreated are very apparent to see. Particularly the retro style Arabic numerals at 12/3/6/9 with their stylised, chunky typography. They look a bit goofy by today’s sleek dive watch standards but I personally find them very charming. They remind me of the Yema Skin Diver Slim from last year.

Another key element of the 2025 edition is the Oris logo, which is presented in the retro style of the original logo for the first time since the brand updated the design to the current version. The 2015 version used the contemporary logo so if you see the watches side by side, that’s an easy way to identify which is which. You could also use the date window positioning because the 60s original had its date at 3 o’clock, the 2015 had its at 6 o’clock and the Divers Sixty-Five 60^th Anniversary Edition has done away with the date altogether.

As for the case, the modern reinterpretation measures 40mm in diameter in steel, offering solid durability. It’s fitted with a bi-directional rotating bezel, which is an oddity on a diving watch where uni-directional rotation is the norm. However, it stays true to the original which also had a bi-directional bezel so it makes sense to keep that the same here in the homage edition. Dive watches were really kicking off in popularity in the mid-20^th century around the time that the Divers Sixty-Five was produced so the formula for what a dive watch is and should be was a lot more fluid than it is today.

Inside that case is the Oris 733 automatic movement with 38-hour power reserve. This is the Oris branded version of the Sellita SW200-1, which is starting to look very outdated compared to Oris’ in-house movements like the Calibre 400. I appreciate that third party movements allow them to offer watches at a lower price point however at £1,950 it’s still not the level of accessibility you expect to see from watches with Sellita movements.

We recently looked at a handful of affordable alternatives to the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M and a couple of those also housed the Sellita SW200-1 for half the price of the Oris. And the real kicker is they had better specs in other areas too like their water resistance ratings, as the Divers Sixty-Five 60^th Anniversary is only rated to 100m. I will say that specs aren’t everything to a watch and shouldn’t be the be all and end all of your purchasing decision.

What’s inside a watch will not affect your dopamine levels anywhere near as much as the style and aesthetic when you wear it and the Divers Sixty-Five is a great looking watch. Retro style reborn under a modern guise is a winning combination in today’s zeitgeist.

More details at Oris.

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Back in 2022 Maurice Lacroix released the Aikon Skeleton at 39mm in a monochrome grey design. It proved immensely popular and in the three years since, Maurice Lacroix have been collecting feedback from retailers and customers on where to take the collection next. The result, new sizes and new colours. While it’s not the most exciting, headline grabbing news, it’s the type of release that should always be appreciated, giving customers more opportunities to find their perfect timepiece. The result is the Aikon Skeleton 42mm as well as fresh blue colours at both 39mm and 42mm.

To me, 39mm is the goldilocks of watch sizes but given the Aikon’s integrated bracelet sports watch design, I appreciate it is on the smaller end of the spectrum. By releasing a 42mm version of the watch with the exact same aesthetic, it’s much more appealing for collectors with thick wrists. Although it’s actually a touch smaller than the 43mm, 44mm and 45mm editions that preceded the 39mm version. Evidently Maurice Lacroix is searching for the goldilocks zone as well.

In terms of colour, the new collection comes with two. The 42mm model is available with either grey or blue skeletonised dials and there’s also a new 39mm model with blue dial as well. Blue is one of Maurice Lacroix’s signature colours so it makes sense that it’s the first to be added alongside the monochromatic versions. The blue really highlights the architecture of the skeletonised display.

The 42mm editions house the same movement as their smaller counterparts. The ML135 with 38-hour power reserve. All three of the new watches are priced at CHF 3,450 (approx. £3,100). That’s the same as the 2022 edition though that has seen its price rise steadily due to inflation.

More details at Maurice Aikon.

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Considering how much of a mainstay of haute horology they have become, it’s easy to forget that MB&F are one of the younger brands on the scene. The brand was originally founded in 2005 by Max Büsser, meaning that this year marks their 20^th anniversary. To kick off this milestone year they’re launching a duo of 20-piece limited editions, the MB&F LM Perpetual Longhorn and LM Sequential Flyback Longhorn.

The term longhorn refers to the extended lugs of the two watches. Instead of being short and close to the case in the style of the traditional LM models, they arc outwards like horns. This aesthetic design is something MB&F have been trying to perfect since they first envisioned it in 2009. However, their initial R&D turned up fruitless when they became stumped by the puzzle of where to locate the spring bars – either close to the case or at the tip of the lugs. Depending on the wrist size of the wearer, both options could look clunky and incorrect and so the concept was abandoned.

Then, in 2021 MB&F were creating a unique piece for a charity auction based on the remaining LM1 prototype after that collection had been discontinued. This presented the chance to revisit the longhorn concept and they came up with an elegant solution to their previous problem. Why limit the lugs to one spring bar position when you can include the holes to support both and let the customer choose whichever setting they prefer? The unique piece was a huge success thanks to the unique lugs and a few other details such as the steel case and black dial, both of which were exclusive to that model. Now, the two new anniversary editions take those three aesthetic details and present them in a limited edition series for the first time.

LM Perpetual Longhorn

If any watch in the MB&F stable deserves an anniversary edition it’s the LM Perpetual. Perpetual calendars are regarded as haute horological royalty and MB&F’s is one of the most visually stunning out there. It has a flying balance wheel suspended over the dial, giving the watch an incredible vitality and energy that contrasts with the sedate pace of a calendar watch designed to count the years as they roll by. It also has a special place in MB&F’s history as it brought them success at the GPHG and was one of the calibres designed by Stephen McDonnell, an important collaborator from MB&F’s early days.

The LM Perpetual Longhorn edition has a 44mm case in steel with the signature long lugs we’ve been talking about. At 12 o’clock you can see the black lacquer time display, matched by black lacquer subdials. This is an inversion of the original LM1 displays that had white lacquer dials. In terms of functions it has hours, minutes, day, date, month, leap year and power reserve indicator. The power reserve itself is 72-hours. Considering how complex the display is, the elegant combination of black and steel grey gives it a surprising degree of class.

LM Sequential Flyback Longhorn

While the LM Perpetual has been a staple of MB&F for a decade, the LM Sequential Flyback represents modern MB&F. First released under the guise of the EVO in 2022 it was the brand’s first ever chronograph and their 20^th calibre. Those landmark achievements make it a worthy subject for a Longhorn anniversary edition. Its innovative ‘Twinverter’ technology allows it to operate as a split-seconds chrono, independent timer, cumulative timer and lap-timer, which resulted in another GPHG win.

Here, the same MB&F Longhorn design has been used for the steel 44mm case. It also has the anniversary series’ signature black dials and blued hands based on that original unique piece. MB&F have promised that the LM Longhorn anniversary limited editions are only the start of the celebrations with new watches, collaborations and more to come throughout the year.

More details at MB&F.

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The G-Shock DWE-5600JB-1A9 “Time Matters” box set collaboration with Colombian singer J Balvin is coming soon. The lifelong G-Shock fan, referred to as the “Prince of Reggaeton,” is one of the best-selling Latin artists in the world and is a frequent collaborator with other popular artists worldwide. He played a large role in the G-Shock […]

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Omega’s first major release of 2025 is a doozy, the Speedmaster Moonphase Meteorite. It houses a brand new manual winding calibre that powers a new moonphase display. On top of that, as the name suggests, there’s plenty of meteorite to be found both on the dial and moonphase subdial, adding a genuine spacefaring element to the watch.

Starting with the case, it’s on the larger side of the Omega spectrum at 43mm in steel. It follows the classic design of the Speedmaster with a flowing arc from lug-to-lug with gentle facets to its edge. The crown is flanked by classic pump pushers completing the familiar silhouette. However, while the silhouette might be familiar, the dial is completely new.

First of all, the main portion of the dial is made from iron meteorite with either a black or galvanised PVD finish depending on the model. Iron meteorite is recognisable for it signature striated pattern known as Widmanstätten that’s formed by the intense forces exerted on the minerals as they fall through the Earth’s atmosphere. The black PVD version has been paired with black subdials while the light grey galvanised version is paired with blue for a much more colourful take on the design.

At 6 o’clock is the new moonphase display. While Omega have done plenty of Speedmaster Moonphase watches before, this is the first time it’s presented with a dual hemisphere display, showing the phases of the moon from both the north and south simultaneously. Plus, the moons in the complication are made from lunar meteorite, which is rock known to have originated from the moon that has fallen to Earth. So yes, the moons on this watch are actually made from pieces of the moon, which is pretty insane. On top of that, the stars you can see in the background perfectly replicate the night sky as seen in 1969 during the Apollo II landing that saw the Speedmaster touchdown on the moon.

Beneath the surface of the watch is housed the brand new calibre 9914, a manual winding movement with 60-hour power reserve and 4Hz frequency. It’s master chronometer certified by METAS, meaning it hits high levels of accuracy and reliability, such as its 15,000 gauss magnetic field resistance. It’s also very pretty as seen through the exhibition caseback with its radial Côtes de Genève. In terms of functions, it has hours, minutes, small seconds, date, chronograph and moonphase.

As for price, both versions are £16,100. That’s about £10k higher than a standard steel Speedmaster, which is a substantial difference. But then, between the moonphase complication and double meteorite display, the two watches are substantially different so that makes sense. Initial reaction from watch enthusiasts is overwhelmingly positive, with the only contentious point being the size, as will always be the case when people see numbers in the 43mm range.

More details at Omega.

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Or is this something else? The China divisions of Casio and G-Shock teased something that is coming soon in a cryptic Weibo post. An image shows a black silhouette of something that may or may not be a watch with two red arrows near the center. The shape is watch-like but does not resemble any […]

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Boldr Venture Singularity

Kickstarter has been game-changing in the watch world. It’s been a way for fledgling brands to not only showcase their unique twist on whatever horological archetype they’re tackling, but to get direct feedback from their potential collectors. Unfortunately, if you don’t hit your target, you’re pretty much done for. Unless, that is, you’re Boldr.

If you’ve read this website much you’ve come across Boldr at some point: cool, accessible tool watches with a twist. Their musou black Singularity caused the biggest stir, but even their baseline models punch well above their price tag in specs and style. But the Boldr we know today wasn’t always the case. In fact, when Leon Leong started the brand back in 2016, it was a very different proposition.

Boldr Voyage

“It all started”, reminisces Leon, “when I saw friends frustrated with their Apple Watches, mostly because of the battery life — they’d run out of juice, making it impossible to tell the time or track steps. At the time, I wore a fitness band with a six-month battery life alongside a traditional analogue watch. That contrast sparked an idea: what if there was a watch with a dual-battery system? One battery could power the watch for years, and another could run smart features.”

Boldr Voyage Dual Battery system

That idea became the Voyage, which quickly became a Kickstarter and just as quickly hit its funding goal, which was exceeded in 24 hours. There was certainly a hunger for a practical smartwatch solution. Unfortunately, it’s a hunger that’s still very pronounced as funding on Kickstarter and making an actual watch are two very different things.

Boldr Journey Version 1

“As we moved forward, we ran into high costs for manufacturing and international certifications,” explains Leon, “which ultimately made it impossible to deliver the watch we envisioned. Facing a hard decision, I cancelled the campaign.”

That would be the nail in the coffin for most brands, but in explaining the problems to his backers, Leon was met with nothing but sympathy, enough that he shifted focus, aimed at design over smartwatch features and created the Journey.

Boldr Odyssey Version 1

The Journey was a mecha-quartz number, quartz precision with the movement of a mechanical watch. It was Boldr’s first proper release which, for microbrands, is par for the course. It laid down the aesthetic foundations of the brand and, more importantly, allowed Boldr to build up to their first automatic watch, the Odyssey.

“It was a true labour of passion,” says Leon of the design process, “and an embodiment of everything we wanted in a dive watch—durable, bold, and made for adventure. When designing it, I drew inspiration from the rugged, industrial look of climbing gyms, with their solid structures and tough edges, as well as vintage diving helmets that sport hard lines, rivets, and a sense of purpose-built strength.”

Boldr Odyssey Freediver 202

That strength came in the form of a properly chunky tool watch case and 500m of water resistance, the kind of specs that even much, much pricier timepieces simply couldn’t match. To put that into context, Odyssey models, complete with diving bezels and lashings of lume, start at £523. And Boldr’s only become more accessible.

“We’re deliberate about efficient manufacturing and mindful design that cuts waste, reduces costs, and respects quality,” says Leon. “We focus on durable materials and clean designs that keep production efficient and costs down without sacrificing what makes a Boldr watch truly adventure-ready. This way, we bring high-quality, rugged timepieces to more people without compromising on the things that matter.”

Boldr Pink Fighter Project Field Medic

That approach has led to the likes of the daily beaters of the Venture field watch collection – including the awesome Venture Field Medic – the compass-(or slide rule) equipped Expedition and the California-dialled Safari. All of the watches are equipped with Miyota movements for that balance of accessibility and reliability, and they’re all continuing Boldr’s selfimposed mandate of rugged tool watches that anyone can own.

Boldr has come a long way since a failed Kickstarter for a novel smartwatch. From Journey to Voyage to Odyssey, Leon has turned that failure into a brand that has helped redefine microbrands as not just flash-in-the-pan hype designs, but a genuine force promoting accessibility and transparency in the often-obtuse watchmaking world. And there’s still plenty of distance to be travelled.

Boldr Expedition Enigmath

“We’re excited to keep pushing boundaries, exploring new materials, and listening to what our community values most. We’re looking closely at every step of production, making changes to minimise waste and maximise durability. It’s about crafting watches that respect our planet and reflect the trust our community has in us. This year is all about staying true to our roots while aiming for a bold, sustainable future.”

More details Boldr.

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G-Shock is introducing a third peak MRG-B2100 model with the MRG-B2100R-2A. Like the MRG-B5000BA-1, the MRG-B2100R-2A takes it inspiration from the blue ink used in traditional Zen ink wash painting and calligraphy. Unlike the first two MRG-B2100 models with titanium bands, this one has a black resin band with a three-fold clasp which reduces the […]

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