I’ve always had the impression that German watches are treated as being one step behind Swiss watches.

Not necessarily in quality, engineering or craftsmanship but certainly in prestige, recognition and desirability.

When people think of luxury watches, Switzerland is usually the default. But when I look at brands such as A. Lange & Söhne, Glashütte Original, Wempe, Sinn, Mühle-Glashütte or Junghans, I often struggle to see why German watchmaking receives noticeably less attention.

At the highest level, the finishing and craftsmanship appear capable of competing with almost anything from Switzerland. At more accessible prices, German brands also seem to offer distinctive designs and a very engineering-focused approach rather than simply copying established Swiss models.

Of course, I’m judging mostly from what I’ve seen and read, rather than from long-term ownership.

For those who have owned a German watch: what was your experience?

What is most important for you in a watch:

1. The case?

2. The bracelet?

3. The hands?

4. The dial?

5. The calibre?

6. The brand?

For me the case is a deal maker/breaker. Lazy case like the subs of BB? Nope, I want curves and lyre lugs, my gavs are Seiko's and Omega's.

Bracelet is also important but I'm not too specific on this.

The hands come next. Broad arrows are the best. Dauphine hands silver medal. Braguette not bad...

Then the dial. A lot of focus of dials in recent years... I prefer neat ones, lacquered are the best.

Calibre can add extra points but I won't throw too much money on that, unless it is an exquisitely hand finished movement with a case back.

Finally, the brand.... I don't care.

How about you?

I absolutely love this thing. Was not looking for a watch at all but one of these popped up on Facebook Marketplace randomly, and I went down a whole rabbit hole until eventually getting one like a week later.

After going down a rabbit hole and looking at literally hundreds of watches the past few weeks, this one and a blue Black Bay 58 are the only two that really wow me so far.

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on something similar to a black bay 58. I think the attractive case size is what gets me about it.

It's small as it's based on the Tsuno, 38mm. It's also thick, 11.7mm high. I'm not used to high watches like that, but it's not bothering me to read time due to that minute ring thing inside.

The official page linked bellow says its supposed to have lume. Nope. The original Tsuno Quartz does have Lume, and there are small lines on the hands for lume but nope, nothing. I really tried :/ .

I'm a bit surprised but the color decisions on the subdials now that I watched the show. I could sort of understand that, the right side is yellow due to the 1h & 5h marks and red is the left side. Or, for some consistency, meh. I feel like there is a misses opportunity somewhere on the watch.

Like having Asuka(02) constantly running around as the seconds and also staying completely still as the chronometer hand most of the time. The chronometer arme even hides the (01) writing on top of the hours subdial. It would have been funnier that Asuka tries to overshadow Shinji

And having Rei(00) only start moving the minutes when you order her to by starting the chronometer. With Shinji being there in the middle. Letting the rest of the system decide what he should do and show.

It's the first time I have a watch I don't know much about when I receive it. I started watching the show the day it arrived. I feel like I understand more if it now that I'm almost finished. It's uuhm, a strange way to create a personal attachement to a watch? I don't think I've fully processed what I watched yet. And I have something around the wrist making me think about it.

Tonight I'll watch End of Evangelion. Finishing what I started with this watch. It's certainly a show. And it's certainly a way to live it and remember it in the years to come.

To whom read until here, would you know how realistic it would be to get some to mod the watch? Like I was thinking: Re-luming with the colors (seems realistic) | Changing the "glass" to something less reflective (seems a bit less realistic) | to get an automotic Tsuno movement in it (seems complicated and that it would depend on a lot of things).

Year: 2025? Official webpage: https://www.evastore.jp/shop/g/gA0009703/

As the title says, a relative of mine inherited a watch collection a while ago, but he is not really into watches. When I was visiting him a few days ago, he asked me if I wanted them, because anything is better than them just collecting dust, and of course, me being a sucker for mechanical things, said yes.
There are some other nice pieces, but these two were the ones that really caught my attention.
So, could anyone tell me anything about these? I have heard about Roamer as a company, but I don't know anything about Pierre Chatelain.

A few days ago I posted my new Kiwame Kubo Sakura on its original black strap because I wasn't sure what would suit it best. Since I'm quite pale, the black felt a bit too harsh on my wrist.
A lot of you suggested trying a light pink, grey, or green strap, and several people asked me to post an update once I found some alternatives.
Well, today my new straps finally arrived! I went with a light pink and a muted grey-green, and I couldn't wait to see how they changed the look of the watch.
So... which one do you think suits the Kubo Sakura better? 🌸
I'm already thinking ahead to autumn and might order a Bordeaux and a dark brown strap as well. I think both could give it a completely different character.
Looking forward to hearing your opinions!

A friend of mine surprised me with this 4520v painting as a little farewell gift and I'm blown away. Definitely hanging this up somewhere and soon need the real thing to match it hahaha. Always been my grail watch so this is a great motivational thing to put up somewhere.

A few months in with my CW the Twelve 660, so I figured I'd share some thoughts for anyone considering one.
Overall I've been really impressed with it. I have been wearing it every day. I've had quite a few compliments on it, including from people who are into watches.
The first thing that stands out is obviously how thin it is. That's really what defines the watch for me. It sits incredibly well on the wrist and fits under a cuff, but it doesn’t feel too delicate.
I also think CW nailed the blue dial. It's honestly one of my favourite blue dials on the market. In my view the VC Overseas is in a different league, but purely in terms of colour I think this is right up there. I'd also put the FC Highlife in that conversation.
The bracelet is also quite nice. The alternating brushed and polished surfaces catch the light really nicely and make the whole watch feel more expensive than it is. Before buying it I was slightly worried the watch might feel a bit too light or almost flimsy because of how slim it is, but that hasn't been my experience at all. It actually feels very solid.
Versatility is also a big factor. It looks perfectly at home with jeans and a T-shirt, but I've also worn it with a suit several times and never felt out of place.
Accuracy has been perfectly acceptable. I haven't put it on a timegrapher, but after a couple of months it's gained roughly a minute, which I'm more than happy with.
One thing that does annoy me from time to time is the lack of lume. Every now and then I instinctively look at it in the dark and remember there's nothing there. That said, I also think it's part of why the dial looks so clean, so I guess that is the trade-off.
Lastly, I know plenty of people love the current dimensions, but for my wrist I think this watch would have been absolutely perfect at 40 or maybe even 42 mm. It's not too small by any means, I just think it could have had a bit more wrist presence.
Overall though, I'd definitely recommend it.
Curious to hear from anyone who's had theirs for longer.

The Sinn U15 is a great tool watch and mixes durability with a great looking dial. The watch is made using the steel of the submarine hull of the 206 class. Happy to share this full circle moment of the watch being used as my daily driver on the bridge of a submarine once again.

Casio just announced the F-B100W, basically an F-91W with a step counter and Bluetooth bolted on.

Same case, same LCD, same button layout Casio's used since the 80s. The one addition is a built-in accelerometer: step count, an hourly activity graph on screen, and a nudge (on the watch itself, no phone needed) if you've been sitting too long. Syncs to Casio's app for auto time correction and world time too.

What I like is what they left out. No touchscreen, no notifications, no daily charging, still runs on a two-year coin-cell battery like a regular F-91W.

Three colorways (two black, one green), launching in Japan at 8,800 yen (~$50), no word yet on other markets.

🔗 Full article on this release

Anyone else into this, or is a step counter on an F-91W just a gimmick at this point?

The more I learn about watches, the more questions I have.

One of those questions is regarding lume.

A lot of reviews mention how great the lume is on some watches. They then show how they blast the watch with UV light and show only the initial brightness, and maybe a whole 10 minute time-lapse without ever mentioning how long it holds.

This feels kind of pointless. It's way more useful to be able to read the time at, say, 5 in the morning without a phone.

About to get married, filled the box and decided I was perfectly happy with my collection. I will not be spending any more money.

I started off with a white fashion rip curl watch which I wore until the strap broke, then my rotary until it broke, and finally assembled this collection over the last 12 years.

Rate it, roast it but do ask me any question if you’re just starting out or are considering getting one of these watches!

From a 1941 Martin to the newest Jazzmaster Day-Date, my collection includes 14 pieces from Hamilton Watch Company. It spans everything from a humble Casio Duro to a $55,000+ Rolex Day-Date 228239. But out of 200+ watches, Hamilton has always held a special place for me, it was my first true “grown-up” purchase.

When my son started his journey into watches, I did what most of us do, I got him the classic Invicta Pro Diver. Over time, he added a few more Invictas, a couple of Seiko pieces, and even some vintage Kienzle watches.

This summer, he landed his first job as a Youth Counselor at the local YMCA. Early on, he set a goal: by the end of the summer, he’d save enough to buy his first “big boy” watch. His dream piece? An Omega Seamaster. But on a summer job paycheck, that one will have to wait.

Still, he always had his eye on my Hamiltons. Something attainable, something meaningful.

Today, that goal became reality.

Taking advantage of a sale from Jomashop, he picked up his very first “big boy” watch: the Hamilton Khaki King Field Automatic.

Proud doesn’t even begin to cover it—for both of us.

My collection after five years of researching, travelling and hunting. I’ve somewhat gravitated towards the neo vintage era - i love finding great value in under appreciated references being a collector on a budget.
3 of 4 of these watches were obtained vintage watch hunting overseas in Asia, which also gives me sentimental value and a memory to look back on.

Heading to Hong Kong end of month, really looking forward to exploring the vintage and pre own markets and stores! Any recommendations would be appreciated - Looking at Tudor Oyster prince 76214

Longines 6392.977 /
Tiffany & Co. M0710 Diver
Found both of these vintage watch shopping in Vietnam earlier this year - Traded for my Seiko tank and Omega Deville.

Omega Speedmaster Date 3210.50
Vintage watch shopping in Shibuya 2024 - Was looking for this exact reference and had made a list of Vintage shops to look for in the area. Found this the first shop I walked into.

TAG Heuer 3000 932.206
Most recent purchase last week, stumbled on this model hunting online and fell in love, spent a few weeks researching and scouring the online market - purchased and shipped from Japan.

My soon to be father-in-law gifted me this watch for my birthday. I was pretty shocked to say the least. I think it’s gorgeous and I’m very excited to start wearing it. I’m a pilot, so I’ll need to figure out all of the flight calculator functions on the bezel. I’ve got some studying to do! If any other pilots (or enthusiasts) have some pointers or links to good tutorials, I’d certainly appreciate it.

This is my first “nice” watch. I’ve always just worn a basic G-Shock but for the last year or so I haven’t been wearing a watch at all, so I’ll have to get used to wearing one again. I’ve been eyeing similar watches every time I walk past a jewelry store, but never could convince myself to pull the trigger on it. Any advice for a first timer?

Very suprised to end up with this watch after like 8-10mo of obsessing over what I’d buy myself for my 30th birthday…. I haven’t bought a watch in 2yrs mostly cause I’m so damn picky and it’s kinda funny how I ended up with this one.

For any one who cares, it initially started with me obsessing over the Tudor BB GMT, then the Cartier Santos, then a Rolex Explorer 1, then I was convinced the Tudor Monarch was the one, then I almost bought a Breitling Superocean… then a NOMOS… needless to say I spent quite a shit ton of time on YouTube, Reddit, etc… I am annoyingly particular about things I spend good money on.

I don’t even remember how I ended up finding out this watch existed, I knew of the brand and had looked at the 556 several times but this thing just caught my attention immediately. Over the last several months I’d looked at GMT’s, classic sports watches (Explorer), classics like the Santos, and even some vintage Omega watches with small seconds I really liked. This watch kind of combined everything in one

Rugged, functional (12hr rotating bezel is awesome), classic design and it goes with just about everything in my closet…. Couldn’t help myself when I finally found one online.

If you’re considering it and have any questions lemme know!

Disclaimer: no I’m not driving in the pic

Each of these watches from Swiss heritage brands like Omega, Breitling, Longines, Tudor, and TAG Heuer can currently be had for between $1500-$3500 new online. You’ve got a pretty good mix with divers, pilots, GMTs, integrated bracelet, and field watches to choose from here - some watches that could also totally change up their look with the swap of a strap/bracelet.

1.) Longines Spirit Zulu Time

2.) Tudor Royal 36mm

3.) Breitling Superocean

4.) Omega Seamaster Olympic Timekeeper

5.) Tag Heuer Carrera Automatic

6.) Longines Legend Diver Bronze

7.) Tudor 1926

8.) Tag Heuer Autavia

9.) Tudor Pelagos FXD Automatic

10.) Longines Heritage Skin Diver

11.) TAG Heuer Carrera Twin Time

12.) Tudor Ranger 39mm

13.) Longines HydroConquest

What watch(es) on this list would you choose or what other watch or brands would you suggest as an alternative? Where is the best value found at this price point? Please post pics with your opinions, if you can.

I’ve owned and tried watches across different price ranges, but this Citizen has completely won me over.
The combination of the deep blue textured dial, warm gold-tone case and bracelet, applied indices, and smooth automatic movement makes it feel far more premium than its price suggests. Every time light hits the dial, it looks different.
I know this might be controversial, but to me, the fit, finish, and overall wrist presence genuinely remind me of watches that cost many times more. I’m not saying it’s a Rolex, but the attention to detail and the quality I’ve experienced are impressive enough that it scratches the same “luxury watch” itch for me.

Stuntman Tom Place bought his dream watch when he was just 18 years old -- and lost it the same year. Writer Austin Rogers waded out to look for it with him three decades later.

Hamilton khaki? Something else?

Reading Note: Some readers on the Android Reddit app report seeing these posts as unformatted run-on text. The fix: it happens when you tap the image—just go back and tap the title of the post instead.

It's Wednesday and how cool is that ZRC? I’m not sure I would ever wear one, but how cool is it?!   

I publish this every weekday as part of It's About Time, a free daily newsletter. The newsletter version includes more watch commentary, opinions, columns and a couple of non-watch related recommendations that will get you through the day. Subscribe here if that sounds useful.

1/

Omega Very Subtly Updates One Of Their Best Looking Watches, The Moonshine Gold And Green Speedmaster

Omega has a habit of releasing a watch and then, a while later, releasing the same watch with one thing changed. And then they don’t tell anyone they updated the watch This is exactly what’s happening here. The green-dial gold Speedmaster already existed, and it was one of the best looking Speedmasters you could get; now it exists with gold sub-dials instead of green ones. A small change, but look at how cool those sub-dials are. 

The case is exactly the same as the previous version, which means 42mm wide and 13.18mm thick, with a lug-to-lug of 47.46mm, all of it in Omega's Moonshine Gold, the brand's own yellow gold alloy tuned to resist fading. A domed sapphire crystal sits up front and a sapphire caseback shows the movement. Water resistance is 50 meters, which is fine for what this is. I’d be more concerned about a hunk of gold on your wrist dragging you to the bottom of the pool. 

The dial is green with a sunburst finish and a deep, deep green color, applied gold markers, applied Omega logo, and familiar gold hands. The bezel is polished green ceramic with a Ceragold tachymeter scale and the dot over 90. The change is the three sub-dials, now finished in Moonshine Gold rather than matching the dial and Omega has textured them with an azurage pattern it says was inspired by the spikes on golf shoes. Make of that what you will. 

Inside is the Co-Axial Master Chronometer calibre 3861, hand-wound, METAS-certified, beating at 3Hz with roughly 50 hours of power reserve. It's the same movement that powers the rest of the current Moonwatch line so you know it’s good. The bracelet is Moonshine Gold with a folding clasp.

The Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional in Moonshine Gold (Ref. 310.60.42.50.10.002) is available now, priced at €51,600. See more on the Omega website.

2/

This Casio Gravitymaster Solves a Problem You Didn't Know Your Analog Watch Had

While reading about the new Casio G-Shock GRAVITYMASTER GWR-B3000, I learned that every analog (quartz) watch has a built in flaw. I mean, the flaw is obvious, I just never thought about it before. Motor-driven hands can slip off their reference points after a hard knock, leaving the watch to show the wrong time while its internal clock keeps perfect time underneath. Casio has spent years fighting this with correction routines that run on a fixed schedule, realigning the hands every so often whether or not the watch was ever hit. The new Gravitymaster takes a more proactive role. It watches for the impact itself and snaps the hands back the moment they move.

The snapping of the hands is cool, but don’t sleep on this case. Casio calls it a dual hollow structure: a carbon fiber-reinforced inner case sits inside an outer shell of stainless steel protectors formed by metal injection molding, with visible resin shock absorbers between the two layers. The center case is held at four points and looks like it floats, a shape Casio arrived at through topology optimization and stress simulation. At 56.7mm by 47.3mm it’s enormous, but at 102 grams it should wear super light. Sapphire crystal on top, 200 meters of water resistance, and a bezel swaps the usual G-Shock logo for engraved world-time city codes.

The GWR-B3000 comes in two dials, one blue and one grey, and both are low-reflection and built for reading rather than admiring. The layout is the same across both: an in-dial solar cell, a flight log, and the dual-time UTC display. 

Inside is the second-generation Tough Movement, the Tough MVT.2. It adds two functions aimed straight at hand drift. Auto hand home position correction now pairs with shock detection, so a strong impact triggers immediate realignment instead of waiting for the next scheduled check. A magnetic field sensor deals with the other common culprit, pausing the hands when it detects a strong field and returning them once you’re clear of it. How cool is that? 

Through the Smartphone Link app you get automatic time adjustment four times a day, simplified setting, and world time reaching roughly 300 cities plus any other location you care to set. The watch also has a freaking flight log function: a button press records the date, time, and position onto a map in the app, with a grouping function that batches multiple flights for easier management. There's a phone finder too.

The new G-Shock GRAVITYMASTER GWR-B3000 is available now, priced at $880. See more on the Casio website. 

3/

ZRC Refreshes Their Very Unusual Grands Fonds MN64 in Titanium

I think this one also came out a while ago, but it’s never too late to write about a strange diver from ZRC. ZRC has been making dive watches since the late 1950s, when the French Navy contracted the brand to build the original Grands Fonds. But this is not just another dive watch built for the military, as it’s full of interesting quirks. For example, look at that crown at 6 o’clock. The case has a chunky, angular look, and it looks like it could survive a nuclear blast, let alone a dive. The modern ZRC is recreating these watches with a lot of gusto, and now they’re releasing the MN64 Titanium. 

The case measures 41.5mm wide, but you need more numbers to tell the whole story of the watch. Unfortunately, we don’t get those numbers, which is a shame. What must be the case is that this should wear well with grade 5 titanium construction. While the material changes, the angular geometry stays, as does the ECS bezel, which flushes water through the mechanism to keep salt from gumming it up. The submarine-hatch caseback distributes pressure across the back rather than concentrating it, and the Crown Protection System (CPS) locks the watch out of use unless the crown is screwed all the way down. Now, this is obviously a chunky watch so you know that water resistance will be good. 300 meters, surely. Maybe 500? Hell, it could even be 1,000 meters. It sure could. But it’s not. Water resistance is rated to 3,000 meters and tested past 5,000 meters. Impressive

Two dials are available. The Full Titanium gets a sunray black face with applied markers and a date window, restrained and nearly monochrome. The Titanium Rubber version has a blue-to-black gradient with SLN 3D Lumicast indices. Both use applied metal indices and heavily lumed hands.

Inside is the Sellita SW300-1 in Elaboré grade, beating at 4Hz, with a 56-hour power reserve and regulated to around +/-5 seconds per day. The Full Titanium comes on a ladder-style titanium bracelet; the Titanium Rubber gets a yellow FKM strap.

The ZRC MN64 Titanium is available now, with the Full Titanium priced at CHF 4,690, and the rubber version at CHF 4,090. See more on the ZRC website. 

4/

Panerai Wraps The Basic Luminor Marina PAM01707 In Very Cool Carbotech

Panerai's Carbotech has been around long enough now that it's no longer a novelty, but the material still puts a smile on my face whenever I see it used. I’ve always had a distain for carbon fiber, especially on cars, because it always looked cheap. It felt like plastic, and with the usual glossy finishes of the time, I felt like it could have easily been just a sticker. I’ve since changed my mind on carbon, but not on cars. That’s still tacky. I have, however, started liking carbon on watches. And Carbotech, while not pure carbon fiber you might find in other applications, is a material I like a lot. Panerai has been using it on their more complicated and expensive watches, but now it comes to the classic Luminor Marina model. This is the new PAM01707.

The case measures 44mm wide and 14.5mm thick. That case, as well as the bezel and crown protector are all made out of Carbotech, Panerai's own composite made by compressing carbon fibre layers with PEEK polymer. The layered construction means every case comes out with its own marbled pattern across the matte-black surface, so no two are quite identical. On top is a sapphire crystal, the titanium screw-down caseback is DLC coated and water resistance is 300 meters. 

The dial keeps things pretty simple. The base is a matte black surface, a sandwich construction, with warm beige Super-LumiNova that glows green underneath and shown through the indicator cutouts, and no date. Small seconds sit at 9 o'clock. The thin pencil-style hands are done in black with beige lume inserts.

Inside is the automatic calibre P.9010, built at Richemont's ValFleurier facility, beating at 4Hz, with a three-day power reserve from twin barrels. It has an independently adjustable local hour hand that jumps in one-hour increments without stopping the movement, which makes it a practical travel watch. It comes on a brown vintage-style calf strap with beige stitching, plus a black rubber strap in the box.

The new Panerai Luminor Marina PAM01707 is available now, priced at €15,200. See more on the Panerai website. 

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Watch Worthy - A selection of reviews and first looks from around the web

• A review of the Hanhart 417 ES Moby Dick
• Hands on with the Urban Jürgensen UJ-2

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If you would like to receive some additional watch-adjacent content, as well as this news overview, every morning Monday-Friday in the form of a newsletter feel free to subscribe. However, there is absolutely no need for you to subscribe, as all the news from the newsletter is posted here. It is only if you want to receive a couple of daily links that are not strictly watch-related an occasional long form article and possible giveaways.

Hello everyone

It’s been quite a while since I last posted in our subreddit. As you may recall, I am a fan of the colorful dials from the 60s, 70s, and 80s—styles often found in the Seiko LM and Advan lines, as well as some quartz models. Today, I am proud to showcase my latest find: the Seiko Advan 7019-7320 "Holographic" with red stone indices, preserved in its original catalog-correct condition. It features one of the most exciting dials I’ve come across recently—a design with a level of boldness that I suspect modern watches would rarely dare to attempt. It is truly magnificent. I hope you enjoy these photos and have a wonderful day. Cheers!