Category: News

Ever since we launched the Christopher Ward x Oracle Time Dune Shoreline collaboration watches have fascinated me all the more. As someone involved in the collaboration process I love the partnership of ideas that comes from working together with designers and as a collector I love the nuances and different directions collaboration watches go in that a watch brand might not explore under their own impetus. Which is a rather roundabout way to introduce Ball’s latest collaboration, the Ball x CronotempVs Collectors Engineer III 00BLU.

The central idea behind the Engineer III 00BLU is to emphasise one of Ball’s signature features: tritium tube numerals. These tubes use luminescent H₃ gas to emit a consistent glow in low light conditions in a fashion that’s more reliable than traditional lume materials. The main low light condition we find ourselves in daily is the nighttime and so the Engineer III 00BLU pays tribute to the dark hours of the day by swapping the 12 numeral for 00, which represents midnight on a 24-hour clock. The 00 tritium tubes have a blue glow that contrasts to the white of the rest of them.

It’s a relatively small change in the grand scheme of things but instantly it makes the watch feel special and unique, standing out from the rest of Ball’s timepieces. Well, standing out from all except the 00RED, which was the original Ball x CronotempVs Collectors collaboration from 2022 that inspired this follow-up. That original timepiece, which had the same display as the 00BLU except for having red accents not blue, was a 43mm steel model and collectors loved it but found it to be too large. As such the Engineer III 00BLU is a more svelte 40mm in diameter.

The combination of the steel case with the grey dial and pop of blue accents really works well. After all, it does sound familiar for some reason – is it too much to include another hyperlink to the Dune Shoreline here?. Jokes aside, I do like the quiet strength that the Ball x CronotempVs Collectors Engineer III 00BLU exudes. It’s understated and effective.

Beneath the dial is the calibre RR1103-C, a movement based on the ETA 2824-2 with COSC chronometer certification. It’s protected by a 100m water resistance rating and a magnetic field 1000 gauss resistance rating, living up to Ball’s positioning as producers of versatile tool watches. The movement is hidden by a solid caseback depicting an image of train, harking back to Ball’s railway watch origins.

The Ball x CronotempVs Collectors Engineer III 00BLU is a limited edition of 91 pieces available through the CronotempVs Collectors platform at a price of €2,200 (approx. £1,825). CronotempVs Collectors is a group for collectors and watch enthusiasts interested in cool collaborative watches. Watches like the 00BLU make me wonder what would happen if someone really encouraged Ball to push the boat out with a more technical design.

More details at CronotempVs Collectors.

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As I’ve realised from the raft of bronze-cased watches over the past few years, I love the colour – or at least, I love the colour when it’s fresh. Depending on the alloy, it can take a few weeks, months or years, but eventually it will get a patina which I, controversially, am not a fan of.

I get enjoying a patina in a proper vintage watch. It’s deserved, a sign of a tick well tocked. Recently aged bronze on the other hand just comes across as dirty and makes you rethink just how oily your wrists are. It’s not particularly pleasant. Omega’s Bronze Gold on the other hand has a similar colour but is incredibly resistant to corrosion, like gold, keeping it looking fresher for longer. So thank God it’s been used in the shiny new Omega Seamaster Diver 300M in Bronze Gold and Burgundy.

First off, let’s get the inevitable downside of bronze gold out of the way: it’s a lot softer than your usual stainless-steel diver. That makes it a bit of an odd choice in something like the Seamaster Professional 300M, especially one riffing off 007’s more militaristic piece from No Time to Die. The recent monochromatic steel and titanium number is much more in line, practically speaking.

It’s also caused no end of headaches for Omega themselves. While they’re no stranger to a gold diving watch case, a full mesh bracelet on the other hand is another matter entirely. Every link in the mesh is under strain and yet it needs to stay solid for years – ideally decades – on the wrist. In fact, I have it on good authority (i.e. from Omega themselves) that the bracelet was by far the trickiest part of the watch. Then again, it’s the highlight of a watch that I’m grudgingly in love with. So, worth it.

Yes, gold divers with gold bracelets are world away from the most practical instruments for actual diving, but I’m not a diver. Deep water scares the living hell out of me. And if you take away the need to bounce off submerged rocks then the new Omega Seamaster Diver 300M is a winner.

First off, that bright, bronze coloured gold works incredibly well on the Seamaster Diver 300M’s ultra-faceted case. The mix of brushed and polished surfaces is so many rungs above your usual Submariner imitation that it can look down with the kind of elitist sneer reserved for, well, an all-gold diving watch. Granted the facets on the caseback are a little sharper than my delicate wrists would like (especially as they’re not generally visible) but that’s the nittiest of picks here.

That said, along with the under facets, the watch is as weighty as you’d expect from precious metal and the 42mm case wears slightly wider than you’d expect on the mesh. There’s very little give in this kind of bracelet so it juts out a little either side of my wrist. Anyone bigger though – which is most people – should be fine. And hey, you could probably bend the mesh to fit if you actually did own it.

The gorgeous bronze gold continues onto the bezel, paired with an equally gorgeous burgundy, filled with vintage beige lume. If there’s one word to describe the 120-click diving bezel, it’s rich. This is a watch that definitely would have made it off the Titanic.

That combination of beige lume and bronze gold makes the most of the dial too, with lumed circular indexes and the blocks at the cardinal points (two, of course, to help 12 o’clock stand out underwater) are all bordered in precious metal, sharp and matte. Omega could probably have opted for a bezel-matched burgundy dial too but instead they went for a more toned-down black sans the collection’s signature waves, for the higher contrast and therefore readability. And probably because all that bronze gold and burgundy would have taken the richness of the bezel to extremes that risk gout.

Despite all my naysaying about a gold diving watch, the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Bronze Gold still lives up to its professional standards, with 300m water resistance and the collection’s signature helium escape valve at 10 o’clock. I still wouldn’t risk it – for a multitude of reasons – but you can.

Inside is the Master Co-Axial calibre 8806, the most modern take on George Daniel’s contribution to modern watchmaking, one that’s been put through its paces by METAS, the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology. Fun fact, when they’re not testing watch movements, METAS is the government body responsible for making sure a litre at the pumps is indeed a litre and that all of Switzerland’s highway cameras are calibrated correctly. They’re busy people. The result is a movement that performs at beyond COSC standard, with a variance of no more than 0 /+5 seconds a day, magnetic resistance to at least 15,000 gauss and in this instance has a 55-hour power reserve.

To say that the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M is in the same ballpark as the recent monochrome silver or indeed the No Time to Die Bond watch feels like a stretch. At the same time, it shares a lot of the same looks and features. So perhaps its fairer to say that if the monochrome version is the production diver take, this is the desk diver version.  And if you’re after something with the look of fresh bronze without the patina, look no further. Unless of course, you’re on a budget; this will set you back £26,400.

More details at Omega.

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From McLaren orange to Ferrari red and Aston Martin green, lots of car manufacturers have their signature colours. Even the great grandfather of the industry had his favourite, Mr. Any-Colour-As-Long-As-It’s-Black Ford. So when Girard-Perregaux became the wristwatch partner to Aston Martin it’s no surprise that a lot of their collaborations, like the Laureato Ceramic Aston Martin take green as a central thematic colour. Green is also at the centre of their latest collab watch, the Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph Aston Martin Edition with a new iridescent green dial.

Let’s jump right to that dial. It’s a tricompax chronograph with the new iridescent green dominating the display. The precise tone is inspired by the metallic finish of Aston Martin’s automotive paint, which was carefully replicated in horological form using carefully developed techniques. Achieving the sparkling finish requires 15 layers of paint and two separate cooking cycles and if any errors occur at any stage of the process the entire dial is ruined. It’s inspired by the techniques used by Aston Martin in the car industry but produced to an even more exacting standard. As the paint needs to be filtered to remove the largest grains that give it the shimmering texture otherwise the dial would look coarse and rough.

As to the shade of green itself, I’m personally not completely sold on it. Perhaps it’s just the pictures not doing it justice but it feels like an unsatisfying mix of lime and sage green almost, the result of which is more like Kermit’s skin tone than even the actual Oris Kermit. However, because it’s iridescent I am completely open to the idea that in the metal it looks great when you can actually experience the shimmer and shifting colours, which Girard-Perregaux describe as blending between green and orange depending on the lighting conditions.

Focussing in on the details, the subdials are presented in grey PVD to match the tone of the grade 5 titanium case which is a touch more scratch resistant than the usual grade 2. The central hands and baton hour markers are then sharp and angular in a mirror of the angular features of Aston Martin’s signature grill, especially on recent DB12 models. They work well in conjunction with the characteristic octagon bezel of the 42mm case.

Housed inside the Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph Aston Martin Edition case is the GP03300-2451 automatic movement with 46-hour power reserve. It’s beautifully finished with Côtes de Genève as seen through the exhibition caseback. The chronograph complication consists of central chronograph seconds, a 30-minute timer and a 12-hour timer, which complement the stand hours, minutes, small seconds and date functions.

I like how this watch really highlights the Aston Martin partnership by drawing on automotive inspiration. From the colour to the lightweight but durable titanium case and of course the dial details based on elements of the DB12 Priced at £19,300 it’s in the mid-range of Laureato prices. You just have to hope the iridescent tone really comes to life person otherwise it does feel a bit like just another green Laureato.

More details at Girard-Perregaux.

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The idea of an atlas watch, a watch with a picture of the world on its dial, is nothing new. In fact, when it comes to certain complications such as dual time zones and especially worldtimers they’re downright common. The issue is that atlas dials can often overwhelm whatever timepiece they’re on, featuring fiddly details and sitting at odds with the style of the rest of the watch. It’s also tricky to reimagine this style of dial in an innovative way because the world is the world and that’s what watchmakers have to work with. However, back in 2016 Laurent Ferrier did manage to reinvent the atlas display and on the occasion of their 15^th anniversary in 2025 they’re bringing that dial back, though updated, with the new Laurent Ferrier Classic Traveller Globe Night Blue.

That reinvention I mention is actually a very simple change. Instead of presenting the globe during the day or via a technical map-like interpretation like the vast majority of watches, they present the globe at night. It’s right there in the watch’s name: Globe Night. It’s amazing how much of an impact this relatively simple change has. Instead of vivid greens and blues it bathes the entire dial in nocturnal navy blue giving it a cool minimalist vibe that fits the restrained aesthetic of the rest of the watch. Plus, by picking out population centres with golden accents it replicates the glows of cities, which provides a huge amount of visual interest to the display.

The original 2016 version achieved this display using engraved white gold for the continents and enamel for the oceans. When updating the design for the Classic Traveller Globe Night Blue they decided to opt for champleve enamel for the entire thing instead, creating a more cohesive appearance. Even the golden lights are hand-painted with enamel. It makes for a super smooth, matte display that really captures your attention. It was also far more difficult to execute because the enamel had to be layered on top of the convex white gold dial below that creates the globe shape.

As for the rest of the dial, it’s the Classic Traveller sans small seconds subdial. At 3 o’clock is the date indicator and at 9 is the second time zone display that makes this model a dual time zone. You can use the central hour hand to track local time while the second display tracks home time, ideal for globetrotting. Plus, the small pushers on the flank of the case allow you to quickly jump the central hour hand forward or backwards in one hour intervals for hopping across time zone borders.

Powering the piece is the Calibre LF230.02, an automatic micro-rotor movement with 72-hour power reserve. Thanks to its silicon components it also has improved magnetic field resistance, which is useful when travelling around the world and experiencing fluctuations in the Earth’s magnetic field. Which is the most common magnetic field that your watches experience unless you happen to work with specific lab equipment or powerful electronics regularly.

As for price, the 41mm white gold watch with metier d’art dial will set you back CHF 90,000 (approx. £79,250).  Meaning the Classic Traveller Globe Night Blue is definitely up there in the region of the most prestigious watches in the industry. But then, this is a celebration of Laurent Ferrier’s 15^th anniversary so why shouldn’t they go all out on the luxury.

More details at Laurent Ferrier.

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One of the things I love about horology is the vast array of styles and designs out there. Frankly it keeps the job interesting when one moment I’m writing about a technical tool watch designed to tackle the ocean depths and the next I’m writing about an artistic flight of fancy with immaculate finishing. And there are few watches as artistic and fanciful as Hermès’ Arceau range. Now the French maison is pushing the collection even further by introducing meteorite versions of the  Hermès Arceau L’heure de la lune and updated renditions of the Hermès Arceau Le temps voyageur.

Arceau L’heure de la lune

Starting with the Arceau L’heure de la lune Meteorite, there are three editions, each featuring slight variations across their cases and dials. The technical stats that are the same across all three are that they measure 43mm in diameter and house the H1837 movement with 40-hour power reserve and L’heure de la lune module. The module works by rotating the time display dial and date display dial around the face of the watch, slowly covering and revealing the static moons to show the phases of the moon in the Earth’s two hemispheres simultaneously.

The first of the limited editions is the Arceau L’heure de la lune Blue Grey. Its case is made from white gold with a titanium bezel that has a blue DLC coating for added scratch resistance and to create the titular blue grey colourway. The base of the display here features lunar meteorite, made of rock from the moon that has fallen to Earth as meteors. So yes, this is a moonphase made from an actual piece of the moon. It’s a fun contrast when you consider that the moons depicted on the dial are fictionalised designs created by Dimitri Rybaltchenko featuring the Hermès Pegasus.

Second up is Arceau L’heure de la lune Vesta. This version swaps the case to rose gold with a titanium bezel that now has a dark grey DLC coating. The meteorite that’s front and centre here comes from an asteroid called Vesta, which is technically large enough to be classified as a minor planet, a classification that includes a number of asteroids and dwarf planets. It has a dark brown colour due to the different material compositions that make up Vesta compared to the bright silver we typically associate with meteorite.

Last but by no means least is the Arceau L’heure de la lune Erg Chech, the most luxurious of the three with a white gold case and rose gold bezel. Its dial is made from a piece of the Erg Chech meteorite, named after the Saharan region it was found in. The Earth is estimated to be 4.543 billion years old and the Erg Chech meteorite is believed to be 4.566 billion years old, making it older than the planet itself. That’s pretty nuts. The three watches are exclusively available in 12 limited edition sets, each at £207,000.

Arceau Le temps voyageur

Back in 2022 Hermès introduced the Arceau Le temps voyageur as a brand new worldtimer complication with a platinum case. Now, they’re revisiting the design in two new editions in gold. They both house the H1837 movement using an adapted version of the L’heure de la lune module to rotate the time display around the dial at a rate of once per 24-hours instead of the multi-day dance of the moonphase variant. The position of the dial in relation to the peripheral world cities scale is how it displays the second time zone.

The Hermès Arceau Le temps voyageur Or blanc has a 41mm white gold case, which you might have been able to gather if you know your French. It has a grey lacquer dial below the rotating time display. Interestingly, the atlas shown on the display isn’t the Earth, instead showing a map from Jérôme Colliard’s Planisphère d’un monde équestre silk scarf. It’s the equivalent to the Pegasus in the moon from the lune models, a fictionalised version of our world blended with French passion and artistry. And horses. Lots of horses.

Turning the luxury setting up even higher is the Hermès Arceau Le temps voyageur Or rose et diaments, which French tells us is rose gold and diamond. Indeed the 38mm case is golden with that classic rosy hue and the bezel is set with 78 diamonds, making it the most feminine edition of the Le temps voyageur to date. That impression is furthered by the mother-of-pearl hour and minute dial as well as the opaline display beneath. Both versions are £36,980 despite the differences in size and materials.

More details at Hermès.

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A few authorized U.S. dealers (Arizona Fine Time, Ben Bridge), along with Casio.com/us, have released the G-Shock Fine Metallic Series featuring stainless steel bezels and the highly reflective Tough Silicone Band. Unlike Casio.com, those dealers have only released four of the six models and not the gold GM2100YMG9A9 ($300) or silver GM5600YM-8A8 ($280). In Singapore […]

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G-Shocks have a reputation for durability, practicality and accessibility, which they’ve built up over a 40 year history. They’re tough as old boots while having a rugged style and a price tag that for the most part stays in the sub £700 mark. However, that’s not exclusively the case because Casio also produce a prestige line called the MR-G that explores more advanced watchmaking techniques and materials, resulting in prices that compete with the likes of Oris and high end Seikos. The latest addition to this line, the MRGB2100R-2A, is steadily being expanded across Casio’s global markets from Japan to the UK and now America.

Starting with the case, it measures a broad 44.4mm in diameter, which is in keeping with the G-Shock’s larger than life sports watch presence. As a prestige model it’s made from Ti64 titanium that’s undergone a hardening process in order to ensure a good level of scratch resistance and durability to complement the shock resistant multi-part construction, which also has a water resistance rating of 200m. It has an ion-plated finish in black with navy accents on the shoulders of the octagonal design.

Speaking of octagons, the MR-G MRGB2100R-2A bezel is also in the collection’s signature shape. It’s inspired by legendary integrated bracelet sports watch design from the 1970s, paying particular tribute to the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. It’s also made of a different material to the case, using Casio’s proprietary Cobarion alloy, which is four-times harder than titanium with a high lustrous shine, though here it’s protected by that ion-plated finish. It’s super tough, just as you’d expect from a G-Shock.

As for the dial, it’s inspired by traditional Japanese arts. The geometric pattern with ridges and lines has a dual purpose: it allows light to pass through the dial efficiently to power the solar quartz movement below while also paying homage to the Japanese art of kigumi, a woodworking method that uses lattice like structures without any metal nails or joinings. The colour comes from ao-zumi, a rich blue ink used in sumi calligraphy.

Compared to some G-Shocks that cram as much information as physically possible onto their displays, this one is relatively pared back. It has central hours, minutes and seconds, a date at 3 o’clock and a subdial at 7:30 that displays date along with indicators relating to the Bluetooth® and radio-controlled multi band 6 precision quartz movement. Being a radio-controlled movement means it can keep time with atomic precision, ensuring it’s always accurate no matter where in the world you are.

Between the high-quality titanium case, traditional Japanese style dial and advanced movement, the MR-G MRGB2100R-2A has a fairly substantial price by G-Shock standards. In the UK, where it has been available since January, it’s £3,300 while over in the US where it is being introduced for the first time today, it’s $3,800. I always enjoy seeing cool watches achieving global success and spread to new markets. It gives me hope that some of the coolest Japanese exclusives might eventually make their way to the UK, though perhaps that’s wishful thinking.

More details at G-Shock.

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WatchDavid reviews the new G-Shock Fine Metallic Series featuring stainless steel bezels and the all-new Tough Silicone Band. The band offers a very reflective finish that looks like polished metal, which is the result of a mid-layer vapor deposition protected by a clear resin outer layer.  

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Japanese news site Mynavi revealed two new G-Shock GM-110 models that are coming to Japan in March and expected to be released worldwide. These models are notable for having a stainless steel bezel and being the first GM-110 models with a stainless steel band. They also reportedly have a center case made of resin and […]

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In an industry as broad as horology where brands with heritages centuries long rub shoulders with microbrands run out of people’s garages (sometimes literally), it’s no surprise that there is an equally broad range of styles and designs out there. Which means sometimes you come across an interesting, niche novelty that leads you down a rabbit hole of awesome vintage designs. Case in point, the Furlan Marri Disco Volante. After its launch in the summer of last year, I simply had to learn more about the UFO shaped watches that inspired it.

Omega CK2013, image credit: Phillips

The term Disco Volante means flying disk, as in the classic saucer shape of sci-fi spaceships. In wristwatch circles it refers to a completely circular design without lugs or protruding crowns that makes for a distinctive round shape. Something the 38mm case of the Furlan Marri Disco Volante replicates brilliantly. The earliest examples of the Disco Volante design can be traced to the early 20^th century and the Omega CK2013.

Released in 1932 the CK2013 epitomised the key aspects of the flying saucer style with vintage proportions of 39mm, a smooth bezel and a domed sapphire crystal. That dome means that a profile silhouette of the watch has the distinctive flat circle and central cockpit of the stereotypical UFO. It also sports an Art Deco dial with sector display, railway minute track and in many references a small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock. Interestingly, original sketches and advertising show a full size crown but it appears that by the time the watches went to production it had been shrunk to fit within the diameter of the case to create the uninterrupted circular shape.

Vacheron Constantin Disco Volante, image credit: Analog:Shift

Following in the wake of the CK2013, the Disco Volante design had an immediate period of popularity. Vacheron Constantin produced a watch that like Furlan Marri’s modern interpretation was also called simply the Disco Volante. Though in classic VC fashion it’s much more about the finishing and decorative arts than Omega’s version, featuring a Clous de Paris bezel and matching guilloché sector dial.

Audemars Piguet also had a go at the saucer shaped design in the 1950s, designed by Gebhard Duve whose contributions to AP’s heritage have been frustratingly overshadowed by one Gerald Genta a few decades later. Their Disco Volante actually follows more in the footsteps of Vacheron’s rendition of the style rather than Omega, featuring the same Clous de Paris finishing on the bezel. The bezel is also particularly wide, sitting around the relatively normal, central dial.

After the 1950s the popularity of the design began to wane in the watch industry. However, the Disco Volante name was still used in other industries such as motoring. In 1952 Alfa Romeo created an experimental series of cars with flared, rounded bodies called the Disco Volante Spider. They were developed in wind tunnels in an effort to improve aerodynamics. They never quite achieved inter-galactic flight but they’re seriously cool all the same.

Jumping forward more than half a century we come to the Furlan Marri Disco Volante. With its slim steel case and sector dial design its design codes arc all the way back to that original Omega rather than the slightly later gold models from VC or AP. Though while it may be vintage in its inspiration it still has modern elements to its design such as an innovative use of lume to frame the display in low light conditions. It’s proof, if it were needed, that sometimes following unconventional designs from the past can lead to modern gems.

More details at Furlan Marri.

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