Titanium, long prized for its incredible strength-to-weight ratio, is used in spacecraft, race cars and other places where performance is measured down to the millisecond. Watchmakers have been using this material for decades to make a tough lightweight watch case. Let’s take a look at some of the newest watches to take advantage of this tough-as-nails material. Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin IWC Big Pilot’s Watch 43.. Read More

It wasn’t until the middle of the 20th century that center seconds hands began to appear on a regular basis, in series-produced movements. Today, most movements are designed to have center seconds hands. Before the 1940s, almost all watches had a running seconds hand located in a sub-dial, usually at 6:00. This was due to the layout of a classic watch gear train. If you want to have a seconds.. Read More

Since the introduction of the Omega Seamaster 300 in 1993, watches with wave patterns on their dials have become increasingly popular. Representing the sea on a watch dial can deepen your bond with it or just provide a pleasing texture. Below are a few examples of these “wavy beauties.” Omega Seamaster Baume and Mercier Rivera Christopher Ward Mido Ocean Star Breguet Marine Oris Aquis Pro Jean Richard Aquascope CHARLEY PHOTO OF.. Read More

 Minimalist watches do what watches were designed to do: tell the time. This means they lack any sophisticated complications like world timers or diving bezels and focus only on what’s necessary. This type of watch is characterized by simple and clean designs with pared-down dials. These watches prioritize functionality and legibility and do away with unnecessary and fussy details. Here are a few examples of classic Minimalist watches. Bulova Classic Ultra Thin.. Read More

The terminology behind watches is almost as complicated as the mechanics that drive them. The following terms serve as Watch Education 101 and features a list of many of the basic terms relating to the parts of a watch. This simple glossary will help cut the confusion — consider this your reference point. Automatic A mechanical watch that is wound by the motion of the wearer’s wrist rather than by.. Read More

In 1882, Ariste Calame founded a workshop for the production of watches in Le Locle Switzerland. The original name of the company was Ariste Calame and would later become Zodiac. The name Zodiac was not registered until 1908. The founder’s son, Louis Ariste Calame, was sent to watchmaking school and took over the company in 1895. The first flat pocket watch, launched in 1928, used the Zodiac calibre 1617 movement. In 1930, the.. Read More

Accurate timekeeping supports much of our modern world. Global positioning systems, for example, need to be accurate to within about a billionth of a second in order to keep users from getting lost. Satellites for these systems rely on high precision measurements coming from atomic clocks at the U.S. Naval Observatory. GPS are also used for synchronizing digital networks like cell phones and the NTP servers needed to maintain the internet. An atomic clock.. Read More

Just about everyone has a favorite pair of blue jeans. What wardrobe would be complete without a great pair of jeans? Most of us rarely notice that “extra pocket” on the right side of our jeans. Since it has always been there, we don’t give it a second thought. How many of us really know what it was designed for?? The fifth pocket was introduced in the 1800s as a.. Read More

The Omega Seamaster may be most quickly recognized as the “James Bond watch,” but the watch’s history dates back to 1948 when it debuted in celebration of Omega’s 100th anniversary. The model was an immediate hit and became the brand’s best seller. Today it remains the oldest model in Omega’s current collection. The first Omega Seamaster was modeled after the waterproof wristwatches made for and worn by the British military during World War.. Read More

Invented around 1974 and patented in 1980 by English watchmaker George Daniels, the co-axial escapement is a modification of the lever escapement. Considered to be one of the most significant horological advancements since the invention of the lever escapement, the co-axial escapement functions with a system of three pallets that separate the locking function from the impulse, avoiding the sliding friction of the lever escapement. This makes lubrication of the pallets unnecessary and thereby eliminates one.. Read More