Category: News

If you’re unfamiliar with Sartory Billard, I recommend checking out our brand introduction from last summer. But the short version of the story is that they’re a French brand who specialise in bespoke and custom watches designed and built in collaboration with their customers. However, they also produce a handful of ‘ready to buy’ watches known as the Editions Collection. They recently expanded this collection with the new SB04-E Ruby Platinum limited edition and the non-limited SB04-E Tantalum Hand-Engraved.

The SB04-E is the replacement for the now discontinued SB04 model. Eventually you’ll be able to customise it as part of the bespoke range, but at time of writing it’s still listed as coming soon in the bespoke section. The new model has a 39.5mm case in stainless steel with a smooth bezel, polished bevels and brushed sides. It’s also nice and svelte with a thickness of 10.3mm while also retaining a solid level of robustness thanks to a 100m water resistance rating.

Where the two models differ are the dials. Starting with the SB04-E Ruby Platinum, it has a central disk of ruby with a delicate crystalline pattern. While we’re used to seeing synthetic rubies used in horology (providing much needed friction protection in movements), it’s not often that you see the natural gemstone used for decorative elements. Its extreme rarity and high value make it impractical to use, plus its notoriously difficult to cut to the 0.5mm thickness most watches use for stone dials.

It makes for a striking and impressive centrepiece to the dial. Around the edge of the ruby heart is the broad hour and minute scales, which here are presented in a dark grey fumé with sunray brushing. The ring is actually platinum plated, hence the name SB04-E Ruby Platinum, adding an extra layer of luxury to the piece and adding a brilliance to the polished elements such as the small, inner lip around the ruby disk.

Moving to the SB04-E Tantalum Hand-Engraved edition, its central disk is made from tantalum delicately engraved with a feather-like finish. The hour and minute ring is also produced in tantalum but this time with sunray brushing for the finish. Tantalum is an interesting material that’s steadily seeing more and more use in the watch industry – it’s very hard, making it suitable for watches, while also having a high lustre, giving it a good aesthetic appeal.

Below the dials of both versions, you’ll find the La Joux-Perret G101 automatic movement with 68-hour power reserve. LJP’s movements have become the go to for watchmakers looking for third party movements with higher specs and a touch more prestige than anything offered by Sellita or ETA. It operates at a 4Hz frequency and is wound by a tungsten rotor decorated with Geneva stripes.

The SB04-E Ruby Platinum is limited to 150 pieces at a price of €4,700 excl. VAT (approx. £3,970) and the non-limited SB04-E Tantalum Hand-Engraved is €3,500 excl. VAT (approx. £2,960). Those are pretty incredible prices considering the delicate craftsmanship involved and high quality movement. It really highlights the value or rather lack of value, some other mid-range luxury brands offer.

More details at Sartory Billard.

​Oracle Time 

Read More 

One of Tudor’s unexpected hits of 2024 was the Black Bay Chrono “Pink”. I say unexpected because initially Tudor made it incredibly difficult to get hold of one but demand was so high that eventually they relented and added it to general sale. They aren’t making the same mistake with the new follow up to the colourful chrono, dubbed the Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Blue Flamingo”, which is available to purchase immediately.

This watch was first teased online when David Beckham and Jay Chou, two Tudor ambassadors, were spotted wearing the turquoise dialled timepiece in promotional material. It has the standard dimensions of the Black Bay Chrono measuring 41mm in diameter and 14.4mm in thickness and is made from stainless steel. It also has the signature screw-down pushers seen on popular chronographs like the Black Bay Chrono’s more famous sister the Rolex Daytona.

The colour of the Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Blue Flamingo”s dial has multiple inspirations. While Tudor don’t acknowledge it directly, there’s clearly a link to Inter Miami’s third kit which is a very similar shade of turquoise. Inter Miami is the team owned by David Beckham and the original pink Chrono was dedicated to the team. Tudor instead call the colour “Blue Flamingo” based on the rather fanciful notion that if you asked anyone what this made-up colour would look like, it would be this.

On social media I have already seen the term Tiffany blue bandied about and it’s difficult to judge whether the tones are the same or if there’s a notable difference without seeing the Tudor side by side with a genuine Tiffany blue timepiece like the Patek Philippe Nautilus. Coincidentally that would be a killer two-watch collection if LeBron James or Jay-Z happen to be reading this.

Tudor have paired the “Blue Flamingo” dial with black chronograph subdials and a black tachymeter bezel. The chronograph complication is powered by the manufacture calibre MT5813, which has a 70-hour power reserve indicator. It’s one of Tudor’s COSC chronometer movements rather than their recent forays into METAS master chronometer certification.

As for price, the Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Blue Flamingo” is £5,020 and Tudor state that the watch is available to purchase immediately. Although at time of writing there is no online purchase portal on the website, suggesting it’s a boutique exclusive or only available through direct enquiry.

​Oracle Time 

Read More 

If you persist with your argument, the heading of this story alone will spark much debate around the bar or even fisticuffs at your local RedBar GTG. No one can deny the pure functionality of a watch date window, and we forget that it is an actual complication with a purpose. But in our world of having all the information at our swiping fingertips, the watch has, for many, become something else—a talisman, even a male piece of jewellery where the date is an unbalanced distraction.

We firmly disagree and embrace the still important and frankly necessary information a date window provides. Even if many of you only think it’s needed on a sun-drenched holiday when you forget what day it is. Because you don’t want to arrive at the airport a day late for your return flight, right? Some brands agree wholeheartedly with us and eschew the plain square opening at three for elaborate celebrations of this small but significant complication, while others attempt to hide it within complex open-worked marvels.

Date at 3 O’Clock

The most prevalent position of a watch date window is at three o’clock, where, in many cases, it supplants the Roman or Arabic numeral altogether. Its functional look has become divisive on pure tool watches and minimal dress pieces, but it doesn’t take away from its useful nature. Laurent Ferrier has gone against the current, making the actual window a strong part of its brand identity, and it works like a charm. With a slope starting from just right of the dial centre and its crosshair design, it widens to become a big part of the dial, with the crosshair becoming a pinstripe frame. You’ll find this delightful feature in their Sport models, spectacularly making a dressy cameo in the Classic Auto Sandstone Série Atelier VI this summer.

Big Date

The concept of a Big Date is mostly associated with the German watchmaking enclave of Glashütte, and grail watches like the A.Lange & Söhne Datograph Flyback Chronograph. This is a Godsend for date window lovers, as there is no mistaking the big twin-window display just below 12 o’clock. With twin date wheels synched as only Lange knows how to, a curvaceous serifed font fills the twin windows with a crisp black-on-white date. The big date’s prominence is needed when fitted to an immaculate dial in a weighty platinum case, as it will have its work cut out to catch your attention.

Circular Date

A pertinent question to the watch brands might be why most watch date windows are square when dials are circular. Being familiar with even the briefest design vocabularies, logic would dictate a square opening on a square dial and a circular cut-out on a round dial, right? Dior seems to have got the memo, to the extent that their Chiffre Rouge has smugly underlined its shape-matching perfection. Each watch in the range features a black aesthetic and a prominent bullseye date at four o’clock. With a healthy dose of French sartorial chic, each window is framed by three red circles, with a vivid red font for the eighth, which is Monsieur Dior’s lucky number.

Open-Worked Date

Hublot plays a strong open-worked game, with nigh-on 90% of their watches offering a tantalising glimpse into their inner workings. The Aerofusion Black Magic is a prime example of its stealthy splendour, boasting a scratch-proof black ceramic case that is part of the more restrained Classic Fusion line. You might have to search within its dark architecture, but the in-house HUB1155 self-winding movement features a skeletonised date wheel. It resides behind the sapphire dial and is shown in its micro-engineered entirety, with a white square behind the toothed wheel at six o’clock, implying today’s date. It’s not easy to combine an all-black aesthetic with a sense of clarity, but Hublot does it with dark-toned aplomb.

Subdial Date

I’m a big fan of the big 44mm IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar in its ice-blue version, despite its oddly asymmetric date window at 7:30, which throws the quad-circular design off its info-packed balance. Subtly rendered in a matching blue, it is a date window but not as we know it. It marks the year with four digits, while the day and date are shown within the twin opposed sub-dials at three and nine. They also include the running seconds and a seven-day power reserve, offering exemplary legibility.

Twin Date Wheels

Microbrand, Zelos is known for its playful designs and love of materials we normally see in much more expensive watches. In their titanium Spearfish Dual Time, we are treated to the German touch of a twin-wheel watch date window display at 12 o’clock with a difference. The dial is clear sapphire, which shows the machine-made perlage on the Swiss Sellita SW300 calibre with a TT651 Module. Its most prominent feature is seeing the small twin date wheels and their modern fonts as they meet under a small, framed window cut out of the sapphire.

Non-Date Date

If two words were not meant to be together, it’s these two. But back in 2023, Rolex threw caution to the wind. And they did so with a watch that made some of us sit up and notice, if only for its out-there design. The Rolex Day-Date Puzzle Dial smashed all preconceptions of the grounded brand with a puzzle-enamel dial and a thorough rethink of the traditional day and watch date windows. Consider it a cheeky nod to the fact that a solid gold Day-Date is perceived more as jewellery than a timepiece. The day window offers inspiring capitalised words like LOVE and the date window at three. Well, it boasts emojis rather than dates. Yes, an actual Rolex timepiece with a smiley, a ladybird and other symbols appearing under the storied cyclops, changing at midnight for your delight.

Abstract Date

Having been in conversation with half of the tech-watchmaking brand’s duo, Martin Frei, in Geneva, their ethos of innovation is clear. The UR-1001 is a great example of their big but wearable output, which we’re not sure we can even call wristwatches. The stealthy machine is perhaps their only model offering a date indication. Within an opening at 11 that offers a glimpse of the complexities within, a central star-shaped indicator has four months on each rotating arm, the current one acting as an indicator to a retrograde date display. And like all of Urwerk’s stealthy creations it has a beguiling blend of legibility and spacecraft-cool that’ll make you the talking point of any local RedBar GTG.

​Oracle Time 

Read More 

If the headline grabbing Swatch x Omega MoonSwatch and Swatch x Blancpain Scuba Fifty Fathoms have taught us anything, then it’s that fun, accessible watches can be just as influential as haute horology. Sure, they’re controversial collections that some believe are discrediting the original creations, but that hasn’t stopped them from being successful. Even when the Blancpain edition didn’t quite catch fire as hot as the Omega, it’s still not accurate to call it a failure. Now though, if you’re in the mood for a fun, accessible timepiece without the weight of multiple sub-reddit’s worth of discussion, check out the new Bulova Snorkel collection.

Each watch in the four piece collection measures 41mm in diameter with 100m water resistance rating. At that rating it’s more suited to swimming at the surface than going anywhere near a scuba tank but for less than £300, that’s not exactly surprising. It’s a fun holiday companion, not a deep depth diving instrument. The case is made from what Bulova are calling “Hybrid Ceramic”, and it’s the first time they’ve used this material. Details of its composition are thin on the ground but based on context clues such as Swatch’s own bioceramic, we can hazard a guess that it’s likely plastic reinforced with some ceramic powder to make it more scratch resistant.

Regardless, it’s available in a variety of colours depending on the reference of the watch. On top of which each reference has a fun name and its own distinct colour scheme. There’s Blue Tang, (that’s the type of fish Dory is in Finding Nemo) with its royal blue design and accents in yellow. Sea Turtle with a combination of brown and sea green. Clown Fish with a white dial and orange strap. And last but by no means least, Great White with its monochromatic white and grey.

All four of them have wave style dials that add a flowing motion to the design of the dial. Though it remains nice and legible with large, dive watch style baton hour markers and strips of lume. They’re also equipped with dive timer bezels in colours as bright as the rest of the watch. for calculating immersion time.

The movement inside is the Miyota 2115, an accessible Japanese quartz movement. That helps it keep the price very low at £249. That puts it in direct competition with the previously mentioned Swatch watches. Which one comes out ahead? That depends if you are a fan of the classic watch designs of the Swatches or something that’s a bit more original.

More details at Bulova.

​Oracle Time 

Read More 

Back in the late 2000s until now, before the DW-5000R-1A when modern G-Shock DW-5000 models were constrained to limited anniversary editions, the GW-5000 was known as the readily available origin-tribute model with a stainless steel center case and screw lock back like the original DW-5000C from 1983. This special “square” combined the classic metal interior […]

​G-Central G-Shock Watch Fan Blog 

Read More 

Almost exactly a year ago Tissot launched the PR516 collection, consisting of a single automatic chronograph and a trio of quartz editions. At the start of 2025 they’re expanding both versions of the watch with new colourways and updated aesthetics. The PR516 Automatic Chronograph takes on the sporty charm of a white and blue colour scheme while the quartz editions turn up the luxury with rose gold PVD designs.

Tissot PR516 Automatic Chronograph

The PR516 collection is dedicated to the world of motoring, fast paced and frenetic. That’s why the blue bezel atop the 41mm steel case features both a tachymeter and a pulsometer. So you can track how fast you are going and how fast your blood is pumping after a few adrenaline-filled laps. The well sized case also means the dial is nice and wide, giving plenty of room to the tricompax chronograph subdials, making it super legible.

For the new colourway, they’ve swapped the dial from black to white and given it blue accents on the subdial scales and the aforementioned bezel. Notably they’ve done away with the two-tone bezel design, removing the white portion that used to sit on the first quarter of the scale. The updated blue and white design of the piece as a whole works really well for a sports watch like a chronograph because it feels bright and energetic to look at. The central chronograph hand is also blue, contrasting to the steel grey of the syringe hour and minute hands.

The killer feature of the Tissot PR516 Automatic Chronograph is that it houses the Valjoux A05 chronograph movement. It has a 68-hour power reserve, which is solid at this price point (£1,935). One key difference between this version of the A05 and the one that was in the 2024 edition of the PR516 is that the new version is automatic while the previous one was manual. The movements are otherwise identical but it’s a nice quality of life improvement for daily wear. Although, the addition of the rotor has made the case thicker at 14.19mm compared to 13.67mm.

Tissot PR516 Quartz

On the quartz side of things there are less dramatic changes. The bezels have lost their two tone design and the cases have fresh rose gold PVD coatings. One is bi-colour, retaining some elements of exposed steel, while the other is full gold for max bling. There was a yellow gold bi-colour edition in the original release so it’s cool to see it with a new, coppery hue. The PVD is also used for the chronograph subdials, which are arranged around the centre of the dial in a manner that is easily identifiable as a quartz chrono.

Despite the additional PVD coating the quartz models are substantially more accessible than their mechanical counterparts. The full gold is £560 while the bi-colour is only £515.

More details at Tissot.

​Oracle Time 

Read More 

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.

​Oracle Time 

Read More 

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 […]

​G-Central G-Shock Watch Fan Blog 

Read More 

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.

​Oracle Time 

Read More 

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.

​Oracle Time 

Read More