Independent watch news and in-depth reviews covering new releases, heritage models, and modern tool watches—reported with context, history, and perspective.
Independent watch news and in-depth reviews
The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona 16520
By Brent Robillard The Making of the Modern Daytona For two years now, I have visited Kaplans Auction House in Stockholm about a month before its fall Important Watches auction. It is an opportunity to spend time with a collection the auction house describes as a “handpicked selection of vintage pieces, limited editions, modern sports… Continue reading The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona 16520
Hands on with the Doussot ONAMI Black Sea
By Brent Robillard Back to life The Doussot ONAMI has a lot going on. There is the sculpted case, the pair of crowns, and a dial that seems to descend several floors below the crystal. It has huge wrist presence and a bold demeanour to match. If you enjoy a watch that gives you something… Continue reading Hands on with the Doussot ONAMI Black Sea
Wolbrook Skindiver 38 Date: Vintage Dive Watch Charm
By Vincent Deschamps Back to life Whenever we tell stories about timekeeping devices, there are several paths we can take based on who made them, why, how and for how much. We can focus on their design, which is what we are mostly drawn to whenever considering a new acquisition. Or we can look at… Continue reading Wolbrook Skindiver 38 Date: Vintage Dive Watch Charm
This Week in Time (October 3rd-10th)
Welcome back to This Week in Time. Your time matters to us, and we’re committed to keeping this space sharp, thoughtful, and easy to read. Below, you’ll find a quick, curated summary of everything we’ve published this week—your ready-made guide to the conversations, releases, and reviews shaping the watch world right now… and a little more.… Continue reading This Week in Time (October 3rd-10th)
Four Watch Brands Took 68% of This Auction’s Hammer Value. Here’s Why.
By Brent Robillard The second time around Stockholm in October feels like the city has slipped into its favourite wool sweater: the summer crowds are gone, the air is crisp and cool, and the low Scandinavian light seems to make everything—cobbled streets, ochre-coloured buildings, quiet waterfronts and the islands of the archipelago—look a little more… Continue reading Four Watch Brands Took 68% of This Auction’s Hammer Value. Here’s Why.
Japanese Watches Are Having a Moment. Is Switzerland Losing Its Grip?
By Brent Robillard Competing for your wrist time The morning after a watch launch is often more interesting than the party. In December of 2023, during Art Basel Miami Beach, I found myself having breakfast with Adrian Bosshard and other members of the Rado team. We were there for the relaunch of the Anatom. The… Continue reading Japanese Watches Are Having a Moment. Is Switzerland Losing Its Grip?
Beaucroft Contour GMT Tropical Teal
By Vincent Deschamps Visual vocabulary The best case scenario when it comes to micro horology is when a brand has created its own design language and found ways to spread it throughout various genres of timepieces. As in it doesn’t make the same type of watch over and over again by simply adding new dial… Continue reading Beaucroft Contour GMT Tropical Teal
Hands-On with the Buci Nouvelle: A Short Story Worth Sharing
By Brent Robillard A little help from my friends One of my most meaningful encounters at the Toronto Timepiece Show was a meeting that had been three years in the making. Vincent Deschamps, our mutual friend and fellow writer here at The Calibrated Wrist, had introduced me online to Buci founder Nousseïma Baraket when her… Continue reading Hands-On with the Buci Nouvelle: A Short Story Worth Sharing
OMEGA and James Bond: The Watches, the Movies, and the Merchandising
By Brent Robillard James Bond and Spectre Collection James Bond has spent more than thirty years wearing an OMEGA. By now, you would think Q might have negotiated a staff discount. The latest chapter brings six new Seamaster Diver 300M references into the fold, divided between Bond and the people who keep trying to kill… Continue reading OMEGA and James Bond: The Watches, the Movies, and the Merchandising
Hands-On with the Bausele Elemental: Long Weekend and City Lights
By Brent Robillard Elemental, my dear Watson Over coffee in Geneva last month, Christophe Hoppé walked me through the way Bausele sells its Elemental. The books open, customers place their orders, and the watches are produced for them. There is a little patience involved. Having now spent some time with the two colourways arriving in… Continue reading Hands-On with the Bausele Elemental: Long Weekend and City Lights
This Week in Time (September 28th-October 2nd)
Welcome back to This Week in Time. Your time matters to us, and we’re committed to keeping this space sharp, thoughtful, and easy to read. Below, you’ll find a quick, curated summary of everything we’ve published this week—your ready-made guide to the conversations, releases, and reviews shaping the watch world right now… and a little more.… Continue reading This Week in Time (September 28th-October 2nd)
Longines HydroConquest vs Mido Ocean Star 200
Two Swiss divers that make a strong case for your money By Brent Robillard I may have created a small problem for myself. For years, when someone has asked me about buying a good Swiss dive watch, the Longines HydroConquest has been one of my first suggestions. Spending time with the redesigned collection in Mexico… Continue reading Longines HydroConquest vs Mido Ocean Star 200
The Orion Hellcat 36 Specialty Dials
By Wesley Wright Meteors and Pearls When I was asking Nick from Orion for a watch to review, we decided that one watch wasn’t enough. Two wasn’t even enough. So we landed on three. I, of course, will never turn down the opportunity to look at more watches than I bargained for. I have always… Continue reading The Orion Hellcat 36 Specialty Dials
Hanhart 417 ES Steve McQueen Limited Edition No 1
By Brent Robillard The King of Cool I was probably going to like this one. The 417 is my favourite Hanhart collection, and we have spent enough time with its various incarnations at The Calibrated Wrist for that affection to be well established. Heck, I own the Heritage Flyback. Now Hanhart has added Steve McQueen’s… Continue reading Hanhart 417 ES Steve McQueen Limited Edition No 1
Finding Home with Christophe Hoppé of Bausele
“The watch adventure is a human adventure.” – Alexandre Beauregard By Brent Robillard Christophe Hoppé wanted to go swimming. I suggested coffee. Before Bob Allaby and I arrived for Geneva Watch Days, the Bausele founder had invited me to join him for an early morning dip in Lake Geneva. With more than 30 meetings lined… Continue reading Finding Home with Christophe Hoppé of Bausele
Hands on with the Mido Ocean Star 200
By Brent Robillard Breaking the Internet There has been plenty of deserved attention paid to the new Longines HydroConquest this year. The design, the proportions, and particularly the pricing have given us a lot to talk about. Having spent some time with the Mido Ocean Star 200, though, I have a question: how has this… Continue reading Hands on with the Mido Ocean Star 200
Spending Time with the Beauregard Ulysse Saint-Pétersbourg
By Brent Robillard The last time we visited Alexandre Beauregard in his Montréal atelier, he was assembling the first dials. This past weekend at the Toronto Timepiece Show, I finally had the completed Ulysse Saint-Pétersbourg in my hands. There is something especially satisfying about that progression. You remember the workbench, the pieces, and the person… Continue reading Spending Time with the Beauregard Ulysse Saint-Pétersbourg
Laco Flieger Pro Stuttgart Type A
By Vincent Deschamps Pilot’s chronograph Laco is a brand that has made a few apparitions on The Calibrated Wrist before. We’ve featured its full-fledged chronographs, aviation-themed GMTs, and even one of its dressier collections. However, its pilot watches only made one cameo in a limited edition commemorating the brand turning 100, even though it is… Continue reading Laco Flieger Pro Stuttgart Type A
Hands on with the Solios Sunseeker
By Brent Robillard A Canadian solar watch for the everyday I first met Solios at the Montreal Timepiece Show. One of the pleasures of these events is getting to know the people behind a watch, particularly when those people happen to be building a business here in Canada. There is a fair bit happening on… Continue reading Hands on with the Solios Sunseeker
RZE UTD-8000 Project Forest: A Vancouver Adventure
By Wesley Wright A Day with RZE and A Blog to Watch A few months ago, Huiy from RZE texted me asking if I wanted to go on a small hike and hang out for the day. Before learning any of the other details, I said yes. A day with Huiy and a hike sounded… Continue reading RZE UTD-8000 Project Forest: A Vancouver Adventure
Hands-on with the Héron Continental
Compact dimensions, hardened steel and a handsome sandwich dial give Héron’s latest release the character of a vintage exploration watch with the practical specifications of a modern daily wearer. By Brent Robillard The age of exploration It has been rewarding to watch Héron find its footing over the past few years. The Montreal company has… Continue reading Hands-on with the Héron Continental
Getting Reacquainted with Atlantic Watches
With the Toronto Timepiece Show approaching, Atlantic’s return offers an opportunity to explore the Swiss brand, its growing Canadian presence, and the Worldmaster Prestige ATL-4 By Brent Robillard Atlantic Watches I first encountered Atlantic at the Toronto Timepiece Show in 2025. Back then, it was the Worldmaster Bicompax that stole most of my attention. A… Continue reading Getting Reacquainted with Atlantic Watches
Unpacking Geneva Watch Days: Highlights from 2026
Watches worth lingering over, a very civilised afternoon tea, and a swim between appointments. A week in Geneva with Bob Allaby. By Brent Robillard Bains des paquis By Friday afternoon, Bob Allaby and I were in Lake Geneva. We had already visited Czapek and De Bethune, there were more watches waiting for us at the… Continue reading Unpacking Geneva Watch Days: Highlights from 2026
From Ville Marie to the World: The Intimate Horology of Alexandre Beauregard
By Brent Robillard Audacity and poetry At the age of eighteen, Alexandre Beauregard once contemplated destroying one of Beethoven’s six remaining pianos—harvesting its ebony to turn into watches. “It’s an idea that still haunts me,” he says now, smiling, as if aware of the audacity and the poetry of the thought in equal measure. It… Continue reading From Ville Marie to the World: The Intimate Horology of Alexandre Beauregard
Why Quartz Watches Deserve More Respect: 10 We’d Buy
By Brent Robillard Something worth timing There are watches people talk about, and there are watches people wear. My Breitling Aerospace has become one I do both with. When I packed for Geneva Watch Days recently, I brought two watches. One was the anOrdain Model 1 Porcelain, a conversation-starter and a nod to the independent,…
Continue reading Why Quartz Watches Deserve More Respect: 10 We’d Buy
Hands on with the UNIMATIC Modello Quattro UC4 Classic
By Brent Robillard A tool watch with a sense of style There is plenty of unobtanium to admire during Geneva Watch Days. You can spend days moving between appointments, marvelling at what happens when watchmakers are given the time, resources, and freedom to pursue something extraordinary. I came home with plenty to think about. Somewhere… Continue reading Hands on with the UNIMATIC Modello Quattro UC4 Classic
Squale Galeazzi Artiglio and the Gold of the SS Egypt
By Brent Robillard June 1932. Off the coast of Brittany. He has begun to count the pauses between the voice and its return. Above him, somewhere beyond the cable, men are standing in daylight. They can turn their heads and see each other. They can put down a tool, walk to the rail, spit into…
Continue reading Squale Galeazzi Artiglio and the Gold of the SS Egypt
Czapek Place Vendôme Complicité Glacier Blue: Worth Pulling Up a Chair
At Czapek’s new Geneva flagship, a platinum prototype offered a memorable reminder of how much pleasure there is in simply watching a watch work By Brent Robillard Singing the blues TCW writer/photographer, Bob Allaby, and I were walking down the Quai des Bergues from the Beau-Rivage when we stopped at Czapek’s new flagship boutique during… Continue reading Czapek Place Vendôme Complicité Glacier Blue: Worth Pulling Up a Chair
Orion Hellcat 36: Purple Perfection
By Wesley Wright Watch brand with a story I have a love for watch brands with a story. These stories usually translate into a display of passion in their construction. Orion Watches was born of this passion, and through Nick, its founder, it aims to bring more horology back to the United States. This is… Continue reading Orion Hellcat 36: Purple Perfection
75 Microbrands You Should Know in 2026: A Hands-On Guide
Independent ideas, accessible owners and watches with a point of view. These are 75 brands we have encountered first-hand at The Calibrated Wrist—and think deserve your attention By Brent Robillard There is a particular pleasure in discovering a watch before the rest of the room knows its name. Sometimes it happens when a parcel arrives… Continue reading 75 Microbrands You Should Know in 2026: A Hands-On Guide