Category: News

Size is one of the most important specifications for a wristwatch. It’s often the first barrier (along with price) that prevents people from buying watches even if they’re a fan of everything else. We’ve all heard people say, “I love this design but I won’t buy it because the size doesn’t suit me”. That’s been especially true in the last 20-odd years when watches have become really big. Well, that’s something watchmakers are becoming aware of and a lot of them are now releasing their iconic watches in small sizes, 37mm and less, while retaining a distinctly unisex appeal. Slim wristed people rise up! Let’s take a look at some of these miniaturised legends.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding 34mm

When it comes to iconic models, the Royal Oak is about as legendary as it gets and within the sphere of ROs, perhaps the most widely popular is the Jumbo. However, we’re not looking at the Jumbo, we’re looking at the ref. 77450ST.OO.1361ST.02, a self-winding model at a 34mm diameter in stainless steel. All the signature design elements Royal Oak are present in full force, albeit at a smaller scale than the familiar 39mm and 41mm versions. It has the octagonal bezel, visible screws, integrated bracelet, Tapisserie dial, facetted hour markers and facetted hands.

Beneath the surface is the Calibre 5800, which is a little more compact than some of their other movements. The main notable way that affects performance is that it has a 50-hour power reserve compared to the 70-hours found in some of its larger cousins. Beyond that, the 34mm edition really is just a smaller RO and to be honest a great way to pick up an AP for a good price. At £21,800 it’s a fair bit less expensive than the Jumbo, especially on the secondary market.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual 34mm

The Rolex Oyster Perpetual is an intriguing beast because perhaps more than any other watch here, it has always embraced smaller sizes. As is, the model is currently available in 28mm, 31mm, 34mm, 36mm and 41mm options. 34mm feels like the best balance of modern and vintage tastes if you’re looking for a smaller, unisex version. Although, if you want to look back all the way to the 40s, then 28 and 31mm watches for men were not uncommon either, just look at the vintage Hamiltons we recently covered from that period, the majority of which are sub 30mm.

It makes sense for the OP to be a versatile watch because in many regards it is the common ancestor of the majority of Rolex watches. The Submariner and the presidential Day-Date are vastly different watches but they share the DNA of the Oyster Perpetual. Today the OP fulfils that missing link role by being a kind of hybrid between sports and dress watch design. It’s durable in steel but refined with a sunray brushed dial and multiple bright colourways. Similarly, the smaller size makes it easy to slip under a cuff and easy to wear while being active.

Tudor Black Bay 54 37mm

One of the larger watches featured here is the Tudor Black Bay 54, which sits at a 37mm diameter. However, what makes it a relevant inclusion is that it’s a dive watch and the dive watch category has always been on the larger side of things for practical reasons. In the dark underwater, legibility is king and the easiest way to make a watch display more visible is to make it bigger. At the same time, a larger case can have a stronger construction making it more pressure resistant. As such, a 37mm dive watch is comparable to a 34mm sports watch in terms of its size in relation to the modern norm.

Style-wise, the Black Bay 54 draws its inspiration from the earliest Tudor divers like the 7922 and 7923 Oyster Prince. A sleek case, broad diving bezel and retro dive watch display featuring oversize hour markers and signature Tudor snowflake hands. It’s understated and incredibly classy, just like it’s equally retro stablemate the Black Bay 58. Inside is the Calibre MT5400 with 70-hour power reserve.

Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Shades 34mm

Over the 75 years that it’s been around, the Omega Seamaster has become one of the most versatile ranges of dive watches on the market – ranging from the 150m Aqua Terra to the 6,000m Ultra-Deep. We’re focussing on the Aqua Terra here, which is available in a 34mm version launched as part of the colour focussed releases from 2022. There’s sea blue, lagoon green, sandstone, shell pink and lavender.

While it might be a Seamaster, the Aqua Terra is generally more at home out of the water rather than in it, which is why it has the word “land” in its name, functioning more as a sleek dress watch than a purebred diver. Something that’s supported by the sunray brushed finishing and oval hour markers. All of which is a rather longwinded way of saying that the smaller diameter of the 34mm suit it perfectly.

Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 35mm

Last up is the Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 which was recently launched in a 35mm automatic model in white, green, blue and black. The PRX might not have the instant name recognition as some of the other watches here by it’s just as venerable and iconic in its own right, just at a completely different level of accessibility. The design dates back to 1978 with a flat barrel case and integrated bracelet, following the aesthetic sensibilities of Genta-style design. It’s a popular design and being 35mm doesn’t change that.

As expected of a Powermatic 80 model, it houses the Powermatic 80 automatic movement which offers pretty incredible value for money. It has an 80-hour power reserve while the watch itself is just £610 (£650 for the white version). In all aspects of size, value, style and prestige, the PRX 35mm is a watch that punches dramatically above its weight.

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Americana-influenced streetwear fashion brand Hysteric Glamour released a new G-Shock DW-5600 collaboration in Japan on July 22. The limited edition watch features a matte black bezel and band with a sticker design on the face in red, white, and blue, along with an inverted LCD display. The motor garage-inspired sticker images, along with the Super […]

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We’ve already defined precisely what sports luxe means. There’s a template, a way of achieving the very specific look that Gerald Genta laid down. But that’s not to say there’s no wiggle room in there. Whether in terms of price point, finishing or simply how the various components are executed, watchmakers great and small have been coming up with ever more nuanced ways of working within those parameters to extraordinary results. So, whether you’re looking for a sporty summer watch with 1970s flavour or a haute horology masterpiece with an industrial edge and integrated bracelet, here are the watches for you.

Price Range

Under £1,000

£1,000 – £5,000

£5,000 – £20,000

£20,000+

Under £1,000

£1,000 – £5,000

£5,000 – £20,000

£20,000+

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Swiss Kubik Masterbox Couture, £955

Swiss Kubik have been producing high end watch winders for over 10 years and have mastered the art of combining style with function. Their designs are unapologetically bold, designed to stand out in a room and showcase the watches contained within. The Masterbox Couture combines the signature cube shape winder with a leather exterior, providing a sumptuous finish. It can be operated via either a direct power supply or batteries, giving you transport options .flexibility and strength.

Available at Swiss Kubik.

The Strap Brothers Silicone Moonswatch Strap, £34.30

The Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch continues to be a talking point in the watch world and one aspect of the piece that is often talked about is that the Velcro strap it’s presented on leaves a lot to be desired. The Strap Brothers offer a solution via their super comfortable silicon alternative, ideal for the sporty chronograph. Pictured is the Earthy Beige strap with white accent designed to complement the Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch Mission to Jupiter.

Available at The Strap Brothers.

Bennett Winch Triple Watch Roll Black, £625

Keeping your watches safe at home and protecting them while travelling is vitally important, which is where robust watch rolls like the Bennett Winch Triple Watch Roll excels. It’s handmade in London from Tuscan leather panels around a Kevlar core and Alcantara leather lining. The combination of gorgeous materials with that protective core makes it ideal for all purposes, as does the sleek black colouration. The fastening system consists of a trio of solid brass poppers.

Available at Bennett Winch.

DVIL Italian Oil Waxed Leather Strap, £15

DVIL are a new British brand creating hand-crafted leather watch straps with a focus on quality and durability. They source their leather from premium European tanneries that use traditional and sustainable tanning methods. This is the Italian Oil Waxed Leather Strap in chocolate brown, and the combination of oils and waxes used in its production make it both supple and water resistant for a great combination of style, comfort and robustness. Plus, considering the amount of attention to detail that goes into handcrafting, it’s great value.

Available at DVIL.

Watch Obsession Forrest Green Twill Oyster Case, £22.50

Safe and stylish storage for a single watch, the Forrest Green Tweed Oyster Case is perfect for taking with you on trips, allowing you to easily switch between two watches. The textured tweed style material looks and feels great, while offering ultimate protection. This new Watch Obsession watch case comes in five tasteful colourways, although the green is simply stunning. It’s fastened by a secure zipper around the centre of the case.

Available at Watch Obsession.

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Ball’s connection to the railways is nothing new and in fact it was Webb C. Ball himself who set the railroad standard of accuracy that the legendary No. 999 land speed record-holding steam locomotive operated under. To celebrate that legacy, Ball has now released the new limited edition Roadmaster Chronograph No. 999 wristwatch. We will take a close look at the pared-back technicality of the Ball Roadmaster Chronograph No. 999 in just a moment but first, let’s use its launch as an excuse to explore the historic connection between Ball and the railroads.

As anyone that’s suffered a train delay (not due to a strike at any rate) can tell you, there are few things in life more frustrating than that one word popping up on a platform display, even if it’s just pointing out a train’s running just two minutes late. Needless to say, we take regular, painstakingly punctual trains as a given – but it wasn’t always so. In fact, in the early days of the railroad, it was anything but.

The railroads were instrumental in building the USA. They were the only thing that allowed the movement of people and supplies across the vast expanse of the nascent country to be actually possible. But timekeeping wasn’t always their strong suit.

Back in 1883, the American railroads had already come to a gentleman’s agreement to standardise time, dividing the nation into four time zones which each (in theory) synchronised their own timekeeping. The problem was that some watches just weren’t as good as others, and there was no real chronometric standard they needed to go by. That could have just been an annoyance, but in 1891 in Ohio it led to tragedy, when the No. 4 Fast Mail Train and another engine, the Accommodation, collided, killing both engineers and nine clerks. It happened for one reason: the engineer of the Accommodation’s watch stopped for four minutes.

It was a completely avoidable loss of life, as the railroad authorities realised afterwards, and prompted them to take action. They enlisted local watchmaker Webb C. Ball to ensure that every timekeeper in that branch of the railway was keeping accurate time, with no more than a 30 second deviation between watches.

It ensured that nothing like the 1891 disaster happened again. It also ensured that when the No. 999 steam locomotive set the world speed record in 1893 – a record that remained in place for a decade – reaching a then-staggering 112.5 mph, it ran to Ball’s railroad standard.

130 years on from their founding, the legendary steam train is a story that the watchmaker’s exploring once again with the Roadmaster No. 999. It’s not their only anniversary piece of course – the more classical Trainmaster Railroad Standard 130 Years piece is much more in keeping with those railway roots – but it remains Ball’s most modern nod to their heritage.

That nod comes in the form of a diving watch chronograph dressed in a 42mm titanium case. It’s as technical in appearance as we’ve come to expect from Ball, with their signature gas tubes in place of lumed indexes, a solid diving bezel and water resistance of 200m.

There’s also a subtle constant operation indicator at nine o’clock, simply to check that the watch is working at all times. Movement wise, it’s a solid Swiss number. Interestingly, it’s available in COSC-certified and non-COSC-certified versions, depending on if you want to pay a bit more for the surety of a certificate. Either way it offers a 62-hour power reserve and serious anti-magnetism, meaning the Roadmaster Chronograph No. 999 goes above and beyond what the early days of the railway would have required.

The final flourish is the writing on the rotor: 112.5 MPH RECORD BREAKER. It’s the only reference to the No. 999 on the watch other than its name, which makes for a pared-back limited edition that avoids the on-the-nose clichés we’re all too used to.

Limited to 1,000 pieces (I’d assume Ball will be keeping one, making it 999 up for sale), you can pre-order the Roadmaster Chronograph No. 999 for £2,331. That’s nearly £800 off the standard £3,100. That said, even if you do get it at retail, it’s a lot of watch for the money – and a reminder next time your train gets delayed that without timekeepers like Ball, it could be a lot, lot worse.

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After looking at the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo, we’re moving on to the other iconic Genta design. This is the recent price performance of the Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 5711/1A-010 from 2020-2022. After a meteoric rise in early 2022 (it’s almost a vertical line up), the legendary Nautilus 5711/1A-010 hit its peak in March of that year, a peak it’s a long way down from now. The big drop actually happened back in December 2022, meaning the plateau it’s been on for the past few months could well be ripe for an uptick. And the fact that across the bigger picture it continues to do well overall is a good sign.

Date
Opening Price (£)
Closing Price (£)
Price Change (£)
Price Change (%)

1 Year (Aug 2022 – July 2023)
£129,410
£133,757
+ £4,347
+ 3.36%

3 Years (Aug 2020 – July 2023)
£55,197
£133,757
+ £78,560
+ 142.33%

*Statistics accurate at time of writing article using WatchAnalytics.

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Since haute horology’s post-lockdown, social-media driven graduation from relatively niche interest to mainstream cultural zeitgeist stalwart – joining the ranks of art, cars, sneakers and handbags – ‘sports luxe’ watches have emerged as a (if not, the) standout favourite.

Whilst no formal definition exists, the general consensus as to what comprises a ‘sports luxe’ wristwatch is fundamentally: an almost-industrial integrated case and bracelet design with sleek, bold lines in (conventionally) stainless steel. One should not be able to tell where the design for the case ends and where the design for the bracelet begins when it comes to a true sports luxe piece, possessing a seamless and harmoniously silhouette tracing from case into bracelet as a singularly conceived and executed item. A decent level of water resistance, a self-winding movement as well as contrasting polished and brushed case/bracelet finishing can also be observed as hallmarks across almost all its members.

As I’m sure Oracle Time readers are already well aware – founders of the ‘sports luxe’ pack come in the form of Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak from 1972 and Patek Philippe’s Nautilus from 1976; both designed by Gerald Genta. Genta’s designs reflected their era’s ongoing shifts in specific social attitudes and activity. The preceding ‘Jet Age’ meant that those wealthy enough could easily and conveniently travel the world and enjoy all it had to offer. Think of Slim Aarons’ photographs and ‘playboys’ the like of Gianni Agnelli, Porfirio Rubirosa and Gunter Sachs.

This new breed of Maserati Merak driving, Riva Aquarama piloting, on-the-go international playboy needed a watch that could keep up with their fast-living lifestyle. From sunbathing in Cannes to skiing in Gstaad and dinner in Rome, the newly minted sports luxe watch was the timekeeping companion the jet-set needed. Capable of surviving to everything la dolce vita could throw at them whilst maintaining their requisite, louche house style.

Design language in general was also evolving during the 1970s. After the cultural revolution that was the ‘swinging 60s’, design and expression across-the-board became more egalitarian, more pragmatic, more bold, more ‘fun’. A prime example of this is the Pompidou Centre (1971-77) with its plumbing, wiring and ventilation decoratively laid bare on its exterior. One can draw parallels to the Royal Oak, with its exposed screws. Ironically, the bezel ‘screw heads’ are a purely aesthetic choice being non-functional and made of gold. The use of a utilitarian material like stainless steel was something of a provocation too.

Until the Royal Oak, luxury in watchmaking pretty much comprised of only smaller pieces realised in precious metals. The appearance of a large and uncompromising luxury steel watch, not to mention its astronomical price point, was hitherto unheard of. So much so that Audemars Piguet didn’t even posses tooling for work with stainless steel at the time of the RO’s initial development, so initial Royal Oak prototypes were in fact white gold masquerading as steel.

Looking beyond sports luxe’s 70’s rivera-dwelling credentials, the reason for the sector’s current and still-rising level of popularity with today’s layman watch enthusiast can perhaps be partly arbitrated to the fact ‘athelesiure’ in general has grown to become a practical and aesthetic mainstay throughout fashionable circles. One need only look to flagship mainstream luxury brands, the like of Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Dior, to observe ‘cruise collection’ styling seeping into everyday wear.

Alongside the influence from moves in cultural taste that still define fashions to this day, the ‘sports luxe’ watch was conceived as something of a “Hail Mary pass”. It came from an industry in crisis, the rise of quartz movements (not to mention a global economic crisis coupled with a then divided, antiquated Swiss watch industry) meant the grand old houses of horology were forced to adapt and find their place in a brave new world. And did they get it right.

With looks as relevant and modern today as at their debut, the now quinqu/quadragenarian Royal Oak and Nautilus have subsequently spawned countless other watches echoing the blueprint Genta laid out in them. From A. Lange & Sohne’s Odysseus to Zenith’s Defy there is no doubt that watch world is now completely smitten with sports luxe.

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From NOS calibres to cutting edge escapements, you can talk about movements until you’re blue in the face. And we know; we have done just that many, many times. But when it comes down to it, that’s generally not how you see your watch on an everyday basis. For most of us, the greater part of a watch is how it looks and even then, the greater part of its looks come down to the dial. It’s the part we look at to actually use the thing and the dials of Stella watches are particularly handsome. In part that’s due to the colours of course, but don’t dismiss the finer details like Stella’s stunning linen dials.

Linen dials have been a bit of a rarity in watches. The lightly textured dials are designed to emulate the fine crosshatching of, you guessed it, linen. It’s incredibly fine and if the crystal wasn’t in the way, tactile. Generally associated with vintage pieces, the earliest examples are thought to have been on Rolexes, though there are examples from Seiko, Tudor and Omega too. Unfortunately, there just aren’t many modern versions. Other than Stella watches, of course.

The Felix was Stella’s first model and laid the groundwork for their ongoing collection. A 40mm casual-dress watch, the brand’s inaugural watch has a lot going for it, with alternating Arabic numerals and pipette indexes, and a classic handset, all set on various colours of linen dial. While there are various dial colours, the linen specifically comes in either a dark navy blue, designed to evoke the heavier weave of denim, or a classic dressy champagne version with the Gotham Gold; two very different ends of the spectrum.

Rather than hand-engraving, the texture was achieved with a hydraulic press, putting 200 tons of force down onto the brass dial blank using a negative of the dial, creating an incredibly crisp, perfectly rendered pattern. It’s an intensive process and while the texture’s not created with a chisel, the process is still done by hand. The results speak for themselves, but there’s always room for improvement.

In their sophomore collection, The Breslin, Stella stepped up their linens, not just by embracing a number of different colours – a classic silver, yes, but also a gorgeous medium blue and a raspberry red – but created a softer, more lightly textured look using a much finer printing tool. The final texture is slightly closer to those vintage linen dials, dressier with more elegant lines.

Of course, the same process as went into Stella’s linen dials is one that can be expanded to… well, anything, to be honest. Case in point, the Ellis GMT. Like the Felix and Breslin, the Ellis is defined by its dial texture, though in this case that texture is designed to emulate moving through space and time. Think of it like freezing the frame when they hit lightspeed in a sci-fi. It’s not just a sunburst, but is instead made up of small, interlocking waves. Needless to say, it’s a painstaking process but, given the results, entirely worth it.

It’s worth it not just because the dials are cool in and of themselves, or even that they elevate the already lovely timepieces they’re on. It’s worth it because they have quickly come to define Stella watches in the best way possible.

More details at Stella Watches.

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There are few things in horology that go together quite so well as microbrands and dive watches.As the quality of accessible movements and cases improves, more and more small watch brands are able to create stylish, practical and affordable timepieces that are capable of exploring the deeps.

So without further ado, here’s the ultimate microbrand guide to dive watches. You don’t need to risk diving into the blackest depths of the abyssal ocean to wear a diving watch, but at least with these you know you could. If you wanted to.

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Italian outwear fashion brand Herno is releasing its first G-Shock collaboration, which will be exclusive to Japan. The black DW-5600 watch features a design inspired by the Laminar collection, with a branded face, case back, and EL backlight, along with a special “igloo” pattern printed on the band. The release commemorates the tenth anniversary of […]

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