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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.

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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 […]

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If you’ve ever studied the classical world, and I mean classical in its academic sense, then you’ll likely be familiar with the central motif of Ianos’ new Dytis dive watch. It’s a timepiece dedicated to the brand’s Greek ancestry with an Evil Eye small seconds subdial inspired by the warding markings often used in jewellery and on the sides of Ancient Greek ships. Amusingly if you know the modern Greek language you’ll know that that Dytis means Diver, so this is the Diver dive watch.

Fortunately, it lives up to its name with a 300m water resistance rating giving it professional dive watch specs. The case measures 41mm in diameter in lightweight but durable titanium, for great corrosion resistance to protect it from seawater while also making it nice and wearable on dry land. It also has a unidirectional rotating bezel with a single lumed index so you can use it as an immersion timer even without the traditional graduated scale. Instead of that scale it has a cool grained finish that makes it stand out in comparison to alternative titanium dive watches.

Looking to the Ianos Dytis’ dial, at 6 o’clock is that aforementioned Evil Eye small seconds counter, though as it also has no scale it more serves as a running indicator, proving that the watch is still operational deep underwater at a glance. The other aspects of the display such as the lumed hour markers and hands are all oversized with a graphical quality to them that makes the watch easy to read, important for a diver.

There are actually two versions of the dial available. The first in blue with white accents and the other inverted to white with blue accents. At a surface level they’re both interpretations of the modern Greek flag but they also link back to Ancient Greek as well through the blue waters of the Aegean Sea and the white marble of its statues.

Powering the Ianos Dytis is the Sellita SW360-1, an automatic Swiss movement with a 56-hour power reserve. A really solid movement with a good power reserve that just about sneaks into that golden weekend-proof zone where you can put it down Friday evening and it will still be ticking on Monday morning (though cutting the margins extremely fine so I hope you’re a late sleeper and early riser).

Between the Swiss movement and the professional dive watch specs of the case, the price tag of CHF 1,850 (approx. £1,680) offers good value. I can easily picture this watch on the shores of a Greek island, basking in the Mediterranean sun and splashing in the waves. Or down beneath the waves in the ruins of an ancient civilisation – hunting for Atlantis perhaps. Now that would be an odyssey worth embarking on.

More details at Ianos.

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Brew Watches are celebrating their 10^th anniversary with a new interpretation of their flagship Metric watch. The model has previously been produced with meca-quartz and automatic movements but now it’s presented with a manual-winding calibre for the first time. So, the watch is fittingly called the Brew Metric Manual Wind. It’s their most high spec movement to date, which also means it’s their most expensive.

There are two versions of the watch available, a colourful blue edition that is already sold out (it was limited to 25 pieces) and a monochrome grey edition that’s still available (100 pieces). The blue version features the brand’s signature espresso timer scale, highlighting the seconds scale between 25 and 35 seconds in yellow. The grey edition goes without in order to present a more sombre interpretation that puts stronger emphasis on the retro 70s design of the watch.

Speaking of which, it has a 36mm cushion case design that leads into an integrated bracelet with a chunky single-link design. It’s a design that has made it a cult hit among microbrand aficionados. The Metric Manual Wind is also the slimmest edition of the Metric so far with a thickness of just 8.5mm, as there’s no bulky rotor or chronograph module to increase its size.

In addition to the redesigned proportions of the case, the display has been reimagined too. It’s a lot more pared back with a sector style minute track instead of the previous flange mounted one and the hour markers have a shorter, mountain top design. It feels like there’s a lot more space around the edge of the dial and also in the centre, making it less crowded and allowing room for each element to breathe. It’s a very mature update and I really like it, especially in the monochrome grey.

Of course, as a new manual winding edition, a lot of the focus is on the new movement. It’s the Sellita SW210-1 b, one of the most widely used manual calibres. It has a 42-hour power reserve, meaning it will need winding every other day to keep it ticking, giving you plenty of opportunity to develop that routine some collectors really enjoy.

I mentioned earlier that this is Brew’s most expensive watch to date but that doesn’t mean it’s going to break the bank. It’s priced at £670, which explains why the 25 piece limited edition blue version has already sold out and one can only imagine that the grey edition isn’t too far behind either. You can meet Brew and discover their watches at Hands On Horology on June 14^th at London’s Protein Studios.

More details at Brew.

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G-Shock is continuing the phosphorescent style of glow-in-the-dark dials and faces, which was first seen in the popular Hidden Glow Series. The new HDS (Hidden Shine?) Series features a white and blue color scheme and includes six models. Four of the models have standard (a.k.a. positive) LCD displays: the digital DW-6900HDS-7 and the analog-digital GA-110HDS-7A, […]

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We all love vintage-inspired watches, and the trend seems to diversify rather than dissipate. On this note, there are vintage brands being revived all the time. Collectors’ favourite Universal Geneve was revived last year with a curated Geneva-Copenhagen event, in which I was happy to be a participant. This year, Gallet is the next brand to be polished up and brought back by Breitling CEO George Kern, and Antiquorum is in on the game with their 10^th and 11^th of May Geneva auction next weekend highlighting several lovely vintage examples.

Now let’s be clear, this is not a Gallet auction and includes some pretty strong highlights from Patek Philippe (like the ref 866/5 constituting Lot 500, and Lot 224) and featuring the first ultra-thin Audemars Piguet tourbillon automatic calibre by Ebauches SA. So, do have a look in the online catalogue later. But for now, let’s expand on the brand Gallet and its vintage value proposition that has made it such a strong collector favourite. Antiquorum presents 12 examples of the Gallet legacy as the first lots for this two-day auction, and the following lots 13 to 18 are all Breitling references, which I’d wager is not accidental.

The Gallet Heritage

Gallet Multichron Clamshell ad (1939)

As one of the Swiss brands to succumb to the Quartz Crisis, Gallet remains among the most revered yet underappreciated names in vintage horology, particularly known for their chronographs. Gallet is a testament to innovation and durability and was established in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1826. Gallet pre-dates many of its more famous counterparts and earned a reputation for crafting robust, high-precision timepieces favoured by military personnel, aviators, and professionals. Gallet fits snugly within Breitling’s established tool watch and instrument focus, and we might see it as a more affordable alternative to the brand’s offerings, now averaging in the upper £7-10K segment.

Iconic Models

Harry S Truman (1949), image credit: Abbie Rowe

Gallet’s legacy includes early notable chronographs and multi-scale timers, with their most sought-after models being the Flying Officer, known from the wrist of US President Harry S. Truman. The brand were pioneers in developing waterproof cases and shock-resistant movements, and just like today’s retro tool watches, Gallet focused on functionality without sacrificing elegance. So perhaps we could say it is one of the brands responsible for tough watches suitable for the battlefield and the boardroom, sometimes a well-dressed version of the former.

Gallet Multichron Clamshell (1938)

Other Gallet designs popular among vintage collectors include the Gallet Multichron – one of the first true pilot’s chronographs, featuring a flyback function and luminous dials for readability. Used by Allied forces in WWII, it set the benchmark for aviation watches. The Gallet Clamshell Chronograph is another one, today an increasingly rare and artfully designed chronograph. This came with a Hunter caseback, as used by Furlan Marri in their Red Hunter released last month.

For many, Gallet remains a symbol of craftsmanship and purpose, befitting the oft-clichéd term as a true horological pioneer. Let’s look at four of the most distinctive Gallets in the upcoming Antiquorum auction. Although all 12 lots have big personalities for their 34-35mm case size and offer value compared to more famous chronographs of the era by brands like Longines and Heuer.

More details at Antiquorum.

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