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Opening the box containing Yema’s new Granvelle CMM.20, the first thing I want to say is you need to forget everything you already know about the French Maison. You cannot compare this watch to the Superman or Wristmaster because it is a brand-new design in every conceivable way. One of the most daring changes in aesthetic direction I can think of since, well… I can’t even think of a change as dramatic as this.

To qualify that statement, Yema traditionally sits in the sports watch genre of design ranging from 1960s skin diver tool watches to 1980s integrated bracelet designs. With the Granvelle CMM.20 they’re jumping to a 1930s-ish cushion case watch with Art Deco influences based on architecture in Besançon. Moving from one to the other is liable to give you more whiplash than J.K. Simmons in 2014. Hence, put the divers and tool watches out of your mind and let’s dig into the new watch.

The case measures 39mm in diameter with a thickness of 8.6mm in a rounded cushion shape. Like all cushion or square cases it wears a bit larger than circular watches of the same size because of the wider profile across its length. In pictures the lugs exaggerate that length as well, though on the wrist they feel a lot less prominent. One of the coolest details of the case is actually the caseband around the edge, which has vertical engraved lines that add a fun texture to run your finger across.

As for the dial, it’s really distinctive with an asymmetrical guilloché, cushion-shaped disc in the centre inspired by the arches of the Palais Granvelle in Besançon, which is where the city’s Museum of Horology is based. Completing the display is an off-centre small seconds subdial at 9 o’clock and a three-dimensional hour track around the periphery. And I do mean three-dimensional because it’s raised like the banked seating of a stadium and the hour markers are actually cut into it to reveal a metallic shine. Super unique. A slightly weird, modern interpretation of a sector dial display. Sector dials are an Art Deco classic, as is the railway minute track that runs along the inner edge of that raised portion.

For colour, the Yema Granvelle CMM.20 has three options: black, blue and green. The version I have here is the black, but with the high shine of the sunray brushing across the ridges of the guilloché, it almost appears to be more of an anthracite, dark grey. I can imagine that the light playing across the blue or green would make those colours pop vividly.

In the interest of balance, I do have to talk about the strap. I’ve seen a lot of straps and clasp designs and most of them are perfectly serviceable, if a little fiddly on occasion. This is one of the few I’ve come across that I would replace immediately. It’s a friction popper deployant clasp on a leather strap where you simply have to pull at it until it releases, which feels abusive to the leather. There’s also no good way to grip it in order to undo it in a smooth motion. I keep accidentally undoing the buckle, at which point you may as well treat it as an ordinary pin buckle. It is at least comfortable once you have it on.

As the Micro-Rotor inscription on the dial indicates, the movement inside is indeed a micro-rotor automatic. Specifically, Yema’s in-house CMM.20 flagship movement from their Morteau workshop. It is finished beautifully with a radial Côte de Genève emanating from the micro-rotor like an artist’s depiction of a halo. It has great specs to boot with a 70-hour power reserve and -3/+7 seconds per day accuracy.

Once you get over that initial whiplash, I actually think this is really fun watch. It’s a bit quirky, a bit unusual, but really well built and it houses a powerhouse movement. Plus, it delivers on that Art Deco style while not being a parody or homage, bringing a new energy to that design space. It also doesn’t cost the Earth at $1,990 (approx. £1,500).

More details at Yema.

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We all in our heads have that perfect image of a lone watchmaker, sitting at a bench day in, day out building immaculate timepieces. If that image comes complete with a snowy Alpine chalet, more power to you, but either way it’s a timeless image and most of the time complete fiction. The vast majority of respected brands work with what are basically assembly lines with a few more steps, and even niche independents named for individual watchmakers have stables of horologists waiting in the wings. That ideal of a single, skilled artisan is not how 99.9% of watchmaking happens. Laine just so happens to be part of that .1%.

Presiding over a scenic townhouse workshop in Le Locle, Torsti Laine may at first seem like a bit of a recluse. The Finnish watchmaker has very little presence outside of a website and the kind of breathless word-of-mouth that drives other collectors into a quiet frenzy. That’s the point. They’re the kind of watches that you hope your friends don’t find out about so that you can be the only one in the know.

Still, word always gets out and if there’s one thing Laine is known for, it’s guilloche – and with his latest P37 model, he’s giving Kari Voutilainen a run for his money on that front.

GG3

Guilloche has always been at the heart of Laine’s particular breed of watchmaking. Both the manual-wind GG3 and automatic V38 models showcase three different engine-turned finishes on each dial, ranging from clous de Paris to barleycorn to more abstract waves of delicate engraving. They’re painfully beautiful, with each finish separated and distinct from the others. But I know what you’re thinking: they’re quite a lot. Sometimes – just sometimes – you want something a little more pared-back, which in the case of the GG and V38 series, is most things.

That brings us back to the P37. Rather than a triumvirate of finishes that define Laine’s historical watches, the P37 takes a more minimal approach, stripping back to just one guilloche in set pattern/colour variations. And the range is spectacular.

P37 Salmon Spider

To quickly run through the options (simple words can’t do them justice after all), first is the salmon spider. The pattern’s usually called ‘lightning’, but ‘spider’ is what most of Laine’s buyers have called it and the name’s stuck, here with straight bar indexes. Then we have the medium-hued ocean blue with a more geometric diamond pattern with a mix of numerals and dot indexes. If you want a watch to pair with a sharp suit, this is the one for you.

Sky blue’s next with a lovely twill pattern to suit a bespoke shirt, with the same mix of numerals and dots as the ocean blue. Then we have a triple grain of rice pattern in a silver bordering white in its brightness, with full blued steel numerals. This is ostensibly the simplest of the quintet but the one that I imagine anyone reading this would be happy to have on their wrist.

P37 Sky Blue Twill

That just leaves one variation and the one that I’d argue is the most ‘Laine’: the Murasaki Flame. Murasaki is a traditional purple dye in Japan and the colour here is downright magnificent. Even at a time when purple is becoming more mainstream (even if it’s not quite there yet) this stands out as one of the finest around. Part of that is the specific royal colour, but more of it is in the unusual flame guilloche. This is the one that sums up why Laine is a watchmaker you should know, a blend of eye-catching colour and breathtaking finishing. And, of course, the movement.

P37 Murasaki Flame

Laine as a watchmaker doesn’t build movements from the ground-up. Instead, he takes the geartrain of classic movements and turns them into works of art. In the case of the P37, that base movement is the Peseux 7001, but unless you happen to recognise the overall structure, it’s unrecognisable, with a rose gold, guilloche two-thirds bridge and a black polished balance among other things. Sure, the specs aren’t as good as some modern movements – a 3hz frequency and 42-hour, manually-wound power reserve – but that’s not the point. The P37 is a work of watchmaking art and the movement is Laine’s final flourish.

P37 Movement

The reason for this particular movement however is obvious when you have the watch on your wrist. Where previously Laine has used larger pocket watch movements, the P37 measures in at 37mm across (hence the name) and just 8mm high. It slips perfectly under a sleeve and still gives its single, singular guilloche room to breathe.

Best of all, the P37 will set you back CHF 9,900 – just over £9,100 – which isn’t just a fantastic entry level to Laine, but also to this echelon of fine watchmaking. And keeping that dream of the solo artisan watchmaker alive? Priceless.

More details at Laine Watches.

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With Hands On Horology, supported by Oracle of Time, just around the corner we’ll soon be bringing some of the best independent watch brands to the event in London. With a variety of brands from Studio Underd0g to Doxa set to showcase their latest creations on the 14th June it’s a great opportunity to get up close and hands on with many of the watches you may not have seen in the wild or in any store.

The Capital is already a hot spot for the watch scene with household name brands heavily represented in multiple locations across the city. However, if it’s indie brands you’re after then you’ll need to know the best places to buy independent watch brands. Having a retail footprint for any brand isn’t cheap, especially in London and especially for watch brands who produce fewer watches than Omega has employees.

Richard Mille Boutique, 4-5 Old Bond St, London, W1S 4PD

When it comes to setting up a physical location for customers to view and purchase watches, brands have two options. Dive deep into the piggy bank and invest in operating your own store, or partner with an already established retailer who’s willing to stock and showcase your brand.

Independent Boutiques

F.P. Journe, 33 Bruton St, Mayfair, London W1J 6HH

The second is the easier route but for the likes of F.P. Journe, who are world renowned for never doing anything easy, they chose to open their own boutique on Bruton Street. The location of the store is significant. It sits only touching distance from the sharp end of New Bond Street where you’ll find the likes of Hublot, Patek Philippe, Cartier and many more. Ideal if you’re planning an afternoon of window shopping.

New Bond Street is one of the UK’s best shopping areas and you’ll find a few other independent watch brands muscling in on the scene. Richard Mille took the same route as F.P. Journe and opened their UK flagship at the South end of the street near Green Park. Away from the central luxury shopping district Bremont also took the plunge with 3 of their boutiques. With stores in Mayfair, Canary Wharf and the Royal Exchange Bremont are well represented.

Retail Partners

Watches of Switzerland, 155 Regent St., London, W1B 4AD

For most independent watch brands finding a retail partner is the best way to dip your toe in the water. Swiss Gallery is a retailer who specialise in independent high end watch brands. They carry a large variety of brands including Czapek, Ressence, Trilobe and Urwerk among others. For many of these brands you’ll only find them in one or two locations in the UK so to have them all under one roof is quite unique. What’s more, you’ll find Swiss Gallery on Old Bond Street, unsurprisingly just down the road from New Bond Street.

The larger independents can be found in some of the bigger multi store retailers including Watches of Switzerland and Bucherer. What you have to be careful of is not every store will carry every brand. Ulysse Nardin for example, are present in Watches of Switzerland in Regent Street and Fenchurch Street but not in Liverpool Street. You’ll also find MB&F in WoS on Regent Street, the only place in London to see the crazy creations from Max Busser. A short hop to Bucherer in Covent Garden and you can glimpse the equally exclusive Armin Strom.

We can’t talk about independent watch brands in London without mentioning Harrods Fine Watch Room. Harrods is home to a number of independent watch brands, including H. Moser & Cie (who you can also find in Bucherer Covent Garden) and Parmigiani Fleurier.

Microbrands

Time + Tide Watch Discovery Studio, 1st Floor, West, Portland House, 4 Market Pl, Great Portland St, London, W1W 8QJ

For microbrands occupying a different end of the price spectrum, retail options can be a little more limited. Baltic are one of the only microbrands to have their own dedicated showroom near Oxford Circus. Thankfully in 2024, the Time+Tide Discovery Studio on Great Portland Street opened its doors and became the ‘go to’ place to explore micro independent watch brands in London.

With a selection of pieces from Nivada Grenchen, Fears, Isotope, Furlan Marri, Studio Underd0g… I could go on. You’ll struggle to find a better collection of microbrands anywhere in the UK. Alongside the permanent brands the Discovery Studio also regularly holds pop ups and events for niche brands who exhibit for a short period of time. Brands such as Brooklands Watch Company have appeared in the past. The Time+Tide Discovery Studio is also the only place you’ll find Norqain or Christoper Ward inside the M25.

If you’re looking for the best places to buy independent watch brands in London then the answer is you need to know where you’re going and plan ahead. Unlike Tag Heuer and Breitling boutiques, you’re unlikely to stumble across many places in London that stock your favourite independents.

There are plenty more independents not covered here who you may be able to find in London if you look hard enough. To start with I’d recommend checking out what’s on offer at Hands On Horology.

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Barrington Watch Winders are hosting a prize draw to win one of their 6 Watch Winders worth £995 (or a voucher of equivalent value for the Barrington online boutique). Taking part in the prize draw is incredibly easy, you simply have to share a meaningful story about your dad’s watch, just in time for Father’s Day, via the link at the bottom of this article. #MyDadsWatch.

The winder up for grabs is a beauty with a modern, sleek design featuring a carbon fibre interior and equally sleek black exterior. It measures 35cm (H) x 18.5cm (D) x 33cm (W) and can wind up to six watches with variable turn cycles to protect them from overwinding. It also has a storage draw for your quartz and manual winding timepieces so you can keep them all safe in the same place.

In the spirit of the prize draw, I’ve asked some of the Oracle Time staff to share stories about their dad’s watches.

Sam Kessler, Editor, “My dad used to deal vintage watches back in the day so he always has weird and wonderful stuff gathering dust, half of which he’s funnelling down to me. You never really own a pre-Vendome Panerai…  More recently though he achieved his grail watch with a Breguet Type XX.”

Michael Sonsino, Digital Editor “Watches first gained significance to me on the day of my Grandad’s funeral, as morbid as that sounds. My dad took us all to a nearby watch shop just to keep the children occupied while preparations were underway. He bought himself a Seiko and me a Swatch and ever since, every watch I’ve owned feels like a tribute to Grandad.”

Tom Pettit, Co-Founder, “One of the most significant watches my dad owns actually comes from my uncle Charlie. His gold watch – he was a pathfinder in the RAF, died as a direct result of too many missions, after contracting tuberculosis. When dad received it, it was in poor condition but he had it repaired and now wears it regularly – a real family heirloom.”

Feel free to share your own stories in the comments below. Though if you want a chance to win the Barrington 6 Watch Winder make sure to also share the story here and even share a picture. The prize draw is open until 11:59pm 27^th May.

Enter the Barrington #MyDadsWatch Prize Draw here.

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We recently took a look at the Kuoe Kyoto Old Smith 90-002, a Japanese take on classical field watch design. Another watch in the same family is the Old Smith 90-007, which takes some of the same concepts but presents it in a softer, civilian design with a small seconds display. It’s a fun and accessible daily wear dress watch.

The refined features of the 90-007 begin with the case. The lugs are a lot thinner and delicate and the crown has been moved from 3 to 4 o’clock, so it’s much less prominent in the silhouette. It’s also only available at 35mm, the same size as the petite edition of the 90-002. As I mentioned in that original article, 35mm is very small even with the modern revival of vintage proportions.

However, I find it much more appealing on this dress watch interpretation as the delicacy enhances the overall appearance of the piece. Plus, the shape of the case is bit different to the 35mm 90-002 as it has a polished bezel that looks much more elegant than the exposed glass of the military model.

The real luxe element that sells the dress watch vibe though is the dial. It’s sunray brushed in emerald green with silver Breguet numerals and a golden coloured railway minute track. There’s also a snailed small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock. The overall impression is decidedly Art Deco, like a jewel worn by a 1920s flapper. The delicate feuille hands help to sell that impression too.

Undoing the calf leather strap to turn the watch over reveals an exhibition caseback. Through it you can see the Miyota Cal.82S5, which has a 42-hour power reserve. It’s actually Miyota’s open heart calibre but Kuoe have opted to keep a closed dial – the benefit of using it being that it has a higher level of finishing as it’s meant to be seen. Meaning that through the caseback window you can see the combination of striped and brushed finishing as well as a frosted edge to the skeletonised rotor.

My personal style leans more heavily in favour of the 90-002 but the Kuoe Kyoto Old Smith 90-007 is a handsome watch in its own right. The dressy style makes it feel very distinct despite being part of the same family of watches. At £530, there’s a lot to like about it, especially that intense green colour.

More details at Kuoe.

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Spring always marks the first major watch auctions of the year from the specialist auction houses and this May is no different with sales from Phillips, Sotheby’s, Christie’s, Antiquorum, and more. With thousands of watches passing under the hammer, we’ve picked out some top performers and interesting results that show collectors’ appetites for watches is as strong as ever.

Phillips, Breguet Sympathique N°1 by F.P. Journe, CHF 5,505,000

Coming in at a staggering five million, the Breguet Sympathique N°1 is a master clock that comes with a matching tourbillon wristwatch, making it the ultimate haute horology collectors set. Produced by François-Paul Journe in 1991, it has now returned to the hands of F.P. Journe who purchased it himself with the intention of adding it to his museum display. It was actually a great weekend for carriage clocks, as in addition to the Sympathique N°1, the Cartier Portico Mystery Clock also fetched 2 million at the same sale, while over at Antiquorum another Breguet clock reached CHF 1,250,000.

More details at Phillips.

Phillips, Patek Philippe Ref. 3448 Pink Gold, CHF 2,722,000

The Patek Philippe Ref. 3448 Pink Gold deserves its 2.72 million price tag for two reasons. Firstly, the Ref. 3448 is historically significant as it was the first ever automatic perpetual calendar wristwatch when it was released in 1962, which is a pretty significant innovation in the grand scheme of things. On top of that, this is the only known version of the Ref. 3448 in pink gold, with every other example in yellow or white gold.

More details at Phillips.

Antiquorum, Gallet Clamshell Chronograph, CHF 5,625

Last week we took a look at the revival of the Gallet brand with a preview of a selection of Gallet lots at the Antiquorum Geneva Watch Auction. So, how did they do? As a solo lot, the Gallet Clamshell Chronograph performed best with a price of CHF 5,625 including buyer’s premium. That’s double the top end estimate of CHF 2,700, indicating that interest in the heritage brand is strong.

More details at Antiquorum.

Christie’s, Tag Heuer x Kith Collection, CHF 50,400

Watch investments come in all shapes and sizes but one of the most unexpected is the Tag Heuer x Kith collection of quartz watches in steel and high-performance plastic. On paper it doesn’t exactly scream investment. However, the full limited-edition collection that was released for CHF 18,000 in May 2024 has now been sold a year later in May 2025 by Christie’s for CHF 50,400. More than doubling (almost tripling) your initial five figure investment in a year is quite the feat for a group of colourful quartz watches.

More details at Christie’s.

Sotheby’s, Rolex Daytona ‘Fuerza Aerea del Perú’, CHF 76,200

If I’m being honest with myself, I’ve included this lot as a highlight because it’s one of the nicest examples of a vintage Daytona with panda dial (that’s not a Paul Newman) I’ve seen in a while. It dates back to 1975 and is a military issued watch from the Peruvian Airforce, which already makes it a very rare timepiece. You can see the military sensibilities in its no nonsense display and the ‘Fuerza Aerea del Perú’ inscription. It’s not as hyped or celebrated as a Paul Newman Daytona but that also means it’s 75k instead of 250k, which I think is an acceptable trade off.

More details at Sotheby’s.

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Helvetus Deployant Rubber Strap, £76

Helvetus is one of Switzerland’s leading aftermarket strap specialists, growing from a trio of enthusiasts to a large and experienced team. They offer a wide selection of straps for an equally wide range of popular watch models, such as this Deployant Rubber Strap for the Rolex Daytona. It’s designed to fit with either their bespoke clasp or you can fit it with the original Rolex clasp from the bracelet or strap you’re no longer using.

Available at Helvetus.

Heist Clean Watch Cleaning Kit, £31

The Heist Watch Cleaning Kit includes everything you need to keep your watches in top condition and tackle any grime that’s built up on your timepieces. It contains an 80ml cleaning solution specially formulated for use on all the common materials used in watchmaking, including precious metals. A microfibre cloth ensures a nice finish at the end of the cleaning process, and a soft-bristle brush reaches awkward positions between bracelet links or around the bezel.

Available at Heist.

Luff Watch Straps Salt and Pepper Hishi Strap, $24.99 (approx. £20)

The Luff Watch Straps Salt and Pepper Hishi Strap is a NATO-style strap produced from a combination of black and grey wool that gives it a distinctive dappled appearance. It’s made using a Shelby style weave, which is what gives it its exaggerated pattern. It offers a slightly thicker interpretation of the traditional NATO style, making it an excellent strap for chunkier tool watches such as divers or chronographs that tend to be larger than the field watches NATO straps were originally designed for.

Available at Luff Watch Straps.

Yorkshire Watch Straps The Adventurer Ribbed Nylon Single Pass Hook and Loop Watch Strap, £39.99

Yorkshire Watch Straps aim for the perfect mix of style, practicality and accessibility with their range of nylon and rubber straps. Focussing on The Adventurer, it’s their premier go anywhere, do anything strap made from quality ribbed nylon. It’s available in a range of colours, including blue double stripe, and black and red single stripe. It features YWS’s improved steel buckle and a large Velcro centre piece for quick adjustment suitable for any environment.

Available at Yorkshire Watch Straps.

Bravo Retro Brown Watch Box, $345 (approx. £260)

The Bravo zip box is a versatile watch box ideal for storage, transport or display with its premium leather exterior and protective suede interior. One of its most distinctive features is the fact the suede comes in different shades of the same colour throughout the box, creating a cool gradient effect that catches the eye. It can store up to eight watches and thanks to its compressible pads, can accommodate virtually all styles of bracelet.

Available at Bravo.

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We all love a watch for every occasion. The Patek is perfect for those special moments; the Submariner will do nicely for the daily grind in the office. But when it comes to exercising, adventuring and working out, neither of those seem like the right fit. The Patek doesn’t have the water resistance to cope with breaking a sweat, and risking a value-crushing dent on the Rolex isn’t exactly the smart man’s move.

No, for those moments, you need a smartwatch. And, fortunately for you, there are more options in that space than ever before. Whether you’re driven by looks, features, pricing or a combination of all three, there’s a smartwatch out there to perfectly complement your collection – and T3’s Sam Cross is here with a beginner’s guide to smartwatches to help you find the right fit.

What Can a Smartwatch Do?

While different models will have different specs and features, there are a few things which are universal. For example, it’s pretty much a bare minimum for these devices to count your steps.

Most smartwatches go much further than that, with additional sensors to track things like heart rate, blood pressure, stress and more. These days, it’s not uncommon to see a universal score which builds many of these metrics into a single, more digestible idea of how well you are at any given moment.

It’s not just about health and fitness, either. Most of these devices will also link up with your phone, allowing you to make and receive calls and messages, check notifications and more. Think of the smartwatch as a wrist-mounted window into what’s happening on your main handset.

Will Any Smartwatch Work for Me?

In short, no. While it’s true that most models will work with a wide array of devices, there are certain system-locked examples. But this smartwatch guide should make it easier to narrow that down.

For example, the Apple Watch – which is arguably the most well-known smartwatch (you don’t need a guide to know that) – will only work if you have an accompanying iPhone. If you’re running an Android handset, then you’ll need to look to some of the other options on the market. You’ll often find that smartwatch and phone combinations from the same brand will provide the most cohesive experience.

It’s also a good idea to do some deep research on exactly what apps your watch of choice can support. Huawei, for example, manufacture some fantastic smartwatches, but you won’t be able to utilise any Google apps on them, which might be a deal-breaker.

What to Look Out For

Processor

My next smartwatch guide tip is that just as you would when buying a phone or a laptop, it’s important to look at the quality of the processor. Think of it like the engine in your car – this is the powerhouse of your device, and better performance here will make everything quicker and more efficient.

The performance aspect is becoming more and more crucial as AI processing becomes more common, but the efficiency is what you’ll probably notice first. That will have a direct impact on your battery life.

For Apple Watches, the current S10 chip is the top dog, and can be found in the Series 10 model. It’s a little more convoluted in other devices as there’s so much variety, but the Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 is a good bet. You’ll find it in devices from brands like Google, OnePlus and Oppo.

Battery

Speaking of the battery life, let’s talk about the cell itself. These watches are powered by something more akin to a phone battery than a quartz watch and will often be listed with a rating in milliamp hours (mAh).

The size of the battery is obviously important, but it’s not the only factor that impacts your watch’s longevity. As mentioned, the efficiency of the processor is equally important.

For that reason, it’s always worth looking out for listed battery life figures or reading some reviews from a trusted source. At T3, we thoroughly test the battery life of each smartwatch to create a comprehensive guide, in a range of different situations, to ensure you’ve got a clear picture of what to expect.

Battery life will also vary wildly between models – a base model Apple Watch might just about make one full day, while watches from brands like Garmin can last for months.

Styling

Just as with your carefully curated selection of mechanical timepieces, it’s important to get something stylish that you’ll enjoy wearing and looking at. There are a lot of different options on the current market, from the square frame of the Apple Watch to the minimal perfect circles of the Google Pixel Watch.

One thing you’ll notice about smartwatches is that they tend to be a little larger than traditional watches. It’s not uncommon to see measurements in the mid-to-high 40mm range, as this gives users a larger display to make use of.

More often than not, these will be offered on a rubber strap. Those range from something not too dissimilar to the Tropic straps you’ll know from dive watches to something that looks more like Stretch Armstrong’s pool float.

Of course, you can swap it out for other options, but keep in mind that it’s not as simple as on a traditional watch. Most have a unique attachment method, so you’ll need to get something specifically designed for your watch. Many bespoke brands like Jean Rousseau produce a custom range specially for smart watches.

My Top Picks

Best Budget

Xiaomi Smart Band 9, £34.99

If you’re budget conscious, this neat little Xiaomi piece is a perfect pick. For around £35, you’ll get every health and fitness metric you could ask for, plus the ability to view notifications from your phone. It will work with iPhone and Android handsets, and is a perfect entry point.

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Best for
Activity

Garmin Fenix 8, £949.99

If you’re regularly found in the sort of environments others might call adventurous, this is the watch for you. No expense has been spared, and you’ll be getting the crème de la crème of Garmin’s latest tech. Grab the 51mm model for up to 29 days of battery life in the smartwatch mode.

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Best Looking

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra, £499

Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder, but I’ve got a real soft spot for the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra. It’s a neat hybrid of classic and modern, with a squared case shape not dissimilar to what you’d find in the catalogues of brands like Panerai. It’s also pretty rugged, for added peace of mind.

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The Nodus Sector is a hugely versatile watch. It’s the foundation upon which Nodus have built sport watches (attendees of Hands On Horology can look forward to a new Tiger’s Eye version of the Sector Sport), divers, field watches and more. In fact, the Sector Deep proved to be so popular that they received a commission from what they call a “[REDACTED] unit” – which reading between the lines implies a military connection. Whatever that secretive partnership was, we may never know, except that Nodus have launched a new watch inspired by it. The Nodus Sector Deep Pioneer, a GMT interpretation of the model.

Structurally, the Sector Deep Pioneer is identical to the original Sector Deep. What that means is a 38mm steel case with an oversized 42mm uni-directional bezel. It also has a 500m water resistance rating, which is really solid for a microbrand dive watch – though not so wildly impressive as the recent Oceaneva Deep Explorer VI with its 6,000m.

Where the Pioneer differs is that it’s a GMT model. That means the 12-hour scale that used to be part of the bezel on the standard Sector Deep is redundant as there’s now a full 24-hour GMT scale around the centre of the dial with dedicated 24-hour hand in a partially skeletonised style. It allows the watch to keep track of two time zones simultaneously, which is great for travelling as you can monitor home time and local time. There’s also a peripheral day/night indicator minute scale.

In place of the 12-hour scale that has been removed from the bezel is now an eight-point compass bezel, fully lumed. It’s one of the fun facts of watch design that they can be used as a compass and with a dedicated bezel it makes it even easier to stick to the correct bearing. How do you do that? In brief you point the hour hand to the sun and then south will be halfway between the hour hand and 12’clock (reversed in the southern hemisphere). Learn more with our full guide on how to use your watch as a compass. What makes it unique is that the dual bezel display means that it retains all of its dive watch utility, rare for a GMT dive watch.

There are two versions of the Nodus Sector Deep Pioneer available, the Forge in black with red accents and the Admiral in blue with light blue accents. Both versions look good and there’s very little between them in terms of choosing a favourite. I might veer slightly on the side of the Forge just because it suits the black bezel better.

Powering the watch is the TMI NH34 which is essentially the GMT version of the NH35 found in the standard model. It has a 41-hour power reserve with a +/- 10 seconds per day accuracy. Like all Nodus watches, the Sector Deep Pioneer is assembled in Los Angeles, a fact commemorated on the solid steel caseback.

Another way in which it maintains Nodus’ signature elements is that it’s very good value. Priced at $625 (approx. £470) it’s something of a steal for a 500m GMT dive watch. I also like the appellation Pioneer because it just feels right for this timepiece – between the compass bezel and GMT scale, it’s more than a dive watch now, its an all-in-one tool for trekking out into the world. You can also picture how it would be useful for [REDACTED] units.

More details at Nodus.

​Oracle Time 

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Casio America is now selling the G-Shock Collection Display Set, G-Shock Watch Mounts, and G-Shock C-Shaped Watch Stands. These items were previously released in Japan and Asia and are now available in the U.S. for the first time. The G-Shock Collection Display Set is $199 and includes three removable watch mounts. The watch mounts, made […]

​G-Central G-Shock Watch Fan Blog 

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