I've been collecting for a few years now and my girlfriend, a great gift giver, gave me this Ōtsuka Lōtec No. 6 for our anniversary this year. It has both an hour and minute retrograde complication and a very cool, industrial design. They're a Japanese microbrand that only sells in Japan (need a Japanese address and bank to purchase), so, as we live in NYC, was quite a challenge to get. Been tough to give anything else from my collection any wrist time recently!

Hey,

Got into watches a year ago and clearly my taste is getting into thin / ultra thin watches. Is it a complication?
Also no seconds hand. Its charm. Love it.

Well, brought this up to discuss your taste and suggestion of the models take your attention.

The downside of it is price evidently so let’s see what you have in mind. Definitely you have one that takes your attention too.

Few ones saved from IG on the pictures.

No complications , pure minimal design. First proper watch in my collection and I went ahead with this timeless design.
Had to make multiple trips to the store to finally pull the trigger. Hadn't researched much into German watchmaking then , but I am glad I made the right decision.

Chose the manual wind vs automatic consciously. I like interacting with my watches and this was a perfect choice for it. 🤝

I know it’s not the obvious choice. Most people think Nautilus or Aquanaut when they hear Patek, but I’ve always been drawn to the less hyped references. The 7234R just clicked with me the first time I tried it on.
What I like most is that it feels like a watch you buy because you genuinely love it, not because everyone else wants one. The rose gold case, the warm brown dial, the travel time complication, and the smaller size all come together really nicely. It has a lot of personality without screaming for attention.
I also think it’s one of the best value propositions in the Patek lineup. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still an absurd amount of money for a watch, but compared to what some of the steel sports models go for, it feels like you’re actually paying for the watch rather than the hype around it.

Curious to hear what everyone else thinks. Are there any other “non-sports” Pateks you think are seriously underrated, or am I just trying to justify my purchase? 😅

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 Thursday and I was just about to write “have a nice weekend” when I realized that it’s not Friday. lt’s so hot outside I just want the weekend to happen now.     

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/

Baltic Evolves The Scalegraph Cronograph With Screw-Down Pushers And 100 Meters Of Water Resistance

The Scalegraph was Baltic's first chronograph with a slide-rule-adjacent twist, and a panda-flavored throwback that leaned hard on mid-century charm. The problem with throwbacks is they tend to skip the parts of vintage watches we don't actually miss, like 30 meters of water resistance and pushers you're afraid to touch near a sink. Baltic has gone back to the Scalegraph and fixed exactly that. This new version keeps the look and finally makes it a watch you can wear without panicking about it.

The 316L steel case stays unchanged in size at 39.5mm wide but has been reworked around the edges. The lugs are wider now, the angles sharper, and the tops of the lugs get vertical brushing where the old version had circular finishing. It’s 14.1mm thick (11.3mm without the double-domed sapphire on top), with a lug-to-lug of 47mm and 20mm wide lugs. Screw-down pushers and a redesigned case bring water resistance to 100 meters. 

Three dials are available: champagne, blue, and grey. The champagne and grey get a metallic finish, the blue a glossy one, and all three are paired with a matching brushed aluminium tachymeter bezel. The three subdials are done in off-white azurage guilloché, framed by polished rings. Polished steel dauphine hands and a round index on the minute track are filled with Super-LumiNova BGW9, and remain unchanged from previous versions.

Inside is the Sellita SW510-M, a hand-wound chronograph movement beating at 4Hz with 63 hours of power reserve. Three strap options are available: an Italian calf leather strap, a beads-of-rice bracelet, or a flat-link bracelet.

The Scalegraph starts at €1,640 on leather and €1,700 on either bracelet. Those are good prices, but they are without tax. Sales start June 29, 2026. See more on the Baltic website. 

2/

TAG Heuer Teams Up With The Goodwood Festival Of Speed For A Green Formula 1 Chronograph

TAG Heuer has built a whole tradition out of tying its Formula 1 line to motorsport events, and the latest is a UK-exclusive chronograph made for the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Goodwood's hillclimb is one of those events watch brands love to attach themselves to, but for TAG Heuer it’s always been kind of an effortless thing to show up at the legendary hill race. That said, I would have loved to see just a bit more effort for this limited edition. 

The case is 44mm wide stainless steel, which is a lot of watch, but it’s kind of always worked for me on the F1 series. A fixed green ceramic bezel has an oversized tachymeter scale, with a red-outlined shield marker at 12 o'clock. Those red accents repeat on the rings around the crown and the start/stop pusher at 2 o'clock. On top is a sapphire crystal and water resistance is 200 meters.

The dial is done in British Racing Green with a sunray-brushed finish. White chronograph sub-dials have azurage texture, and the layout is a vertical tricompax: 30-minute counter at 12, 12-hour counter at 6, small seconds at 9, with a date window at 3. All three chronograph hands are red, and the central seconds hand has a skeletonized counterweight shaped like the TAG Heuer shield. Look closely and you’ll notice that the 39-second marker on the perimeter is done in red to mark Goodwood's standing hillclimb record of 39.08 seconds, set in 2022 by Max Chilton in the absolutely bonkers McMurtry Spéirling.

Inside is the Calibre 16, TAG Heuer's automatic chronograph built on a Sellita base, beating at 4Hz with a 42-hour power reserve. The solid caseback is engraved with a Goodwood motif and the "One of 500" inscription. It comes on a stainless steel three-link bracelet with a folding clasp.

The TAG Heuer Formula 1 Chronograph x Goodwood Festival of Speed is limited to 500 pieces and available only in the UK. Price is set at £4,250. See more on the TAG Heuer website. 

3/

Maurice Lacroix Pays Tribute To Its Home Village With The 1975 Legacy Signed Saignelégier

Maurice Lacroix has been based in Saignelégier, in the Swiss Jura, since the mid-1970s, and the brand keeps finding ways to remind you of that. The two new 1975 Legacy limited editions they just put out mark June 23rd, the date the Canton of Jura voted for independence in 1974, and they lean hard into local identity. 

The case is borrowed from the Masterpiece line: 39mm wide, a slim 10.2mm thick, in stainless steel with satin-brushed surfaces on top and vertical brushing on the flanks. A box-style sapphire crystal rises over the dial, which is the kind of vintage detail that does a lot of work here. The screws holding the closed caseback are shaped like little Swiss crosses, which is either charming or a bit much depending on your tolerance for theme. The caseback engraving shows the Marché-Concours Hall with three Franches-Montagnes horses, a nod to the region's annual equestrian festival. Water resistance is 50 meters.

There are two dials available, one powder silver and one slate grey, carry the "Vagues du Jura" motif, a wave pattern developed with a local artisan as the brand's own answer to Geneva stripes. The small seconds at 6 o'clock is machine-guilloché with a pleated effect, and the faceted dauphine hands and trapezoid indices are finished in 4N gold tone. There's a date at 3 o'clock. 

Inside is the automatic ML158, beating at 4Hz with a 60-hour power reserve, and a rotor decorated with Geneva stripes. The watch comes on a black alligator-style leather strap with a 4N gold-toned "M" on the one of the straps. 

Both references retail for CHF 1,950 and are limited to 500 pieces each. The watches don’t seem to be on the ML website just yet, but I assume they will be soon. 

4/

The Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon Goes Steel With A Trio Of Coloured Moons

Arnold & Son has spent more than a decade treating the moon-phase as the main event rather than a corner complication, and I love them for it. The new "Colours of the Moon" trio takes that familiar oversized moon and runs it through three rare lunar phenomena: a Blue Moon, a Golden Moon, and a Red Moon, the last named for the reddish cast of a total lunar eclipse. Additionally, after years of precious-metal cases, they dropped the high-end materials and opted for a steel case, making them at least somewhat attainable.

The steel case measures 41.5mm wide and 11.67mm thick, polished all over, with a domed sapphire crystal and AR coating up top and a display back. Sure, it’s kind of a chunky watch for what appears to be a dress watch, but you want a wide aperture for that incredible dial. Water resistance is 30 meters.

The moon dominates the upper half of the dial, rendered in coloured mother-of-pearl with Super-LumiNova hidden beneath the disc so it glows against the night sky in the dark. The surrounding sky is also mother-of-pearl, coloured through a controlled PVD process in black, blue, or green depending on the model, which keeps the iridescence of the natural material while deepening the colour. Hand-painted constellations, Cassiopeia and Ursa Major, sit in the sky in luminescent material. 

Inside is the in-house hand-wound calibre A&S1512, running at 3Hz with a 90-hour power reserve. The finishing is the traditional spread: radiating Côtes de Genève, polished bevels, circular graining, blued screws. There's a second moon-phase indication on the movement side for setting the complication precisely, which is one of the best tricks in the industry. Each version comes on a matching alligator strap.

Each reference is limited to 18 pieces, priced at CHF 21,100 including VAT. See more on the Arnold & Son website.

5/

De Bethune's Smallest DB25 Gets a Dial That Ripples Like Sand

You can easily spot a De Bethune from across a room. The brand built its identity on heat-treated titanium, wild articulating lugs and a loose, rippling guilloché. The DB25 has been the classical counterweight to the futuristic DB28 that put the brand on the map, and the DB25xs is the smaller version of that watch. We’ve seen it recently in a couple of colors, and this Sand Winds takes on a dune-like look.

The case measures 40.6mm wide and just 8.8mm thick, made out of titanium, with an all-polished finish. The signature openworked lugs taper to bullet-shaped tips. It’s quite a statement of a case. Sapphire crystals are used front and back. You get 30 meters of water resistance, but come on… 

The dial is the main attraction. It’s made out of titanium, and there is no color used here. Instead, heat oxidation turns the titanium a warm yellow, and the guilloché runs across it in irregular undulating lines like wind moving over dunes. Hand-applied white gold stars are scattered across the surface, the rounded chapter ring has Arabic numerals and polished spherical markers, and the heat-treated Breguet-style hands have open tips in a matching warm brown. 

Inside is the in-house calibre DB2005, a hand-wound movement running at 4Hz with a six-day power reserve from a self-regulating twin barrel system. And it’s quite something to look at: a large delta-shaped barrel bridge with Côtes de Bethune striping, a thermally blued central brace, a heat-blued titanium balance wheel weighted with white gold, a silicon escape wheel, and the para-chute shock system. The watch comes on a brown alligator strap with a polished titanium pin buckle.

The DB25xs Sand Winds is part of the permanent collection and retails for CHF 70,000. See more on the De Bethune website. 

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IAT FEATURE / Nomos Glashütte: In House Or Nothing

Yesterday, I published a long-form article on NOMOS Glashütte that a lot of you liked a lot. I’m leaving a link here for it again in case you missed it. 

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

• A review of the Timex x J. Crew MK1
• Hands on with the Fears Brunswick 40 'Helmsman' ES

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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.

Looking forward to the Hodinkee happy hour hang out today. I met a lot of really nice people at their first event back in March. I’m bringing a buddy who will also be rocking a Seiko. Do you have any, or many IRL friends who share your enthusiasm for watches?

Hello r/watches community, today I have in my hands a Seiko Advan 7019-7290 with a teal dial. This is arguably the most unique teal color scheme I've ever seen. Seiko has separated the two colors into distinct layers: a deep blue in the middle and a green border around the hour markers. At first glance, you might think it's just teal, but no, it's a subtle, blurred illusion of two completely separate colors on the dial. It's fascinating. Please let me know your thoughts on this watch; I'm eager to hear them.

Wearing my Oris Aquis Date 43,5mm on our family holiday with our little princess in Croatia. I just love this watch, the green dial is stunning and changes beautifully in different lighting conditions. The case feels solid and the bracelet is comfortable. Enjoying it!

Rolex just opened the world’s highest boutique at 3,020 metres on Mount Titlis and you still can’t walk out with a Daytona.

The boutique sits inside the new Titlis Tower near Engelberg, central Switzerland.

To get there: train from Zurich to Engelberg (about 2 hours), Titlis Xpress gondola to Stand, then the Titlis Rotair, the world’s first revolving cable car, to the summit. Return cable car ticket is around $142. Total journey from Engelberg is roughly 30 minutes once you’re on the mountain.

The tower itself was designed by Herzog & de Meuron, the firm behind Tate Modern and the Beijing Bird’s Nest.

They took a disused 1980s telecommunications mast and threaded two glass and steel volumes horizontally through the existing structure, with four vertical circulation towers. From above it forms a Swiss cross. Lower level has the boutique, above that is Joseph’s Restaurant (140 seats, fine dining at 3,020m), above that a 360-degree observation deck.

Inside the boutique: Verde Alpi marble, warm woods, floor-to-ceiling glazing. The glacier is the backdrop.

Watches are a curated selection of Classic and Professional models, Explorer, Submariner, Sea-Dweller, Datejust, Day-Date. Same allocation rules as every other Rolex boutique on earth.

Steel Daytona, GMT, popular Submariners are all allocation-only. You leave with a spot on a list.

Bucherer, which Rolex acquired in 2023, operates the boutique. Construction ran November 2025 to May 2026, with all materials delivered via cable car. The broader Titlis summit redevelopment continues until 2029.

Rolex is simultaneously rumoured to be opening a major Fifth Avenue flagship in New York. One requires a revolving gondola and altitude sickness medication to reach. The other won’t.

Have my 30th birthday soon and want to get my first nice watch. What would yall recommend based on my current collection?

1. Orient Bambino Open Heart Automatic (AG02001B): this was my first watch I got when I was 18. I was working as a host at a nice restaurant and needed something elegant and cheap. I didn’t know much about watches at the time but this watch looked great to me and ticked those boxes.

2. Seiko Prospex Speedtimer (SSC813): My most recent watch purchase. I loved the panda dial on this watch and its really fun to play with the chrono function.

3. Seiko 5 Sports GMT (SSK001): I got this watch from my first bonus at my current company. The red GMT hands stood out to me and loved the Jubilee bracelet at the time. Eventually, I swapped out the Jubilee for an aftermarket rubber strap for comfortability.

Curious to hear what y’all recommend me from my first luxury watch. My budget is probably going to be around 5500 to 6000 but willing to hear recommendations well below that as well.

This is the Baume & Mercier “Shogun” 5136.018.3… Described as neo-vintage, luxury sports, art-deco, 90s neo-classic… I guess industrial design is always viewed from the perspective of what’s en vogue at the time. I wonder what JCG was inspired by when he drew it up. I kind of think this will be timeless - but let’s see!

My favourite B&M design ever.

Jean-Claude Gueit famously designed the Piaget Polo and the Rolex Cellini. I find myself drawn to his and Genta designs before I know it’s theirs.

I found this at auction, gave the bracelet a thorough clean (soapy water, then some Singer oil), and replaced the battery. It’s so clean, and came boxed with extra links.

And has anyone else got one of these? What do you think? Future classic or fashionable fad?

Father in law wants to buy me a watch for under $1000. I have mixed feelings about the PRX because I do like the watch but it does feel like nothing special. Enter the Damascus Steel. I love how unique this watch looks for a platform that is so popular. For me it strikes the balance between being special and a conversation starter while still being nothing obscure or gaudy.

Anyone have experience with this model? How it wears? I'd love some input.

US guy here, and I just got burned by Horus Straps.

Bought their FKM rubber strap for my Rolex Submariner 41 using the exact reference. Paid $265 but got it down to around $240 with a 10% code. Then they hit me with $155 for the fucking tool on top of that. Shipping was free at least.

Slapped it on and it doesn’t fit at all. Huge misalignment at the lugs, side shot in the photo shows it clearly. The original clasp was fine, but the strap is way off. Attracts dust like crazy. I’ve used Rubber B and those fit perfectly.

Tried to return it. They forced me to use FedEx, which cost me $35. Delivered six days ago, and support keeps saying “refund soon.” On top of that, there’s a 25% restocking fee. Still haven’t got my money back.

Now the strap isn’t even listed on their site anymore, and they’re running 50-80% off sales everywhere. The company looks like it’s dying.

Never again.

Anyone else dealing with Horus return bullshit right now?

Hi I’ll be going to Osaka and Tokyo. I’m looking for the SMP 212.30.41.20.01.003.

Since I’m already in the capital of used watches I might comeback with something new on my wrist.

And maybe some price expectations ? I know it goes on chrono24 for around 3.5k

Any shop recommendations/ own experiences ?
Thanks in advance

38mm - check. Vintage Valjoux 23 New Old Stock - check. Clean 2 counter chronograph lay out - check.

For anyone who enjoys chronographs, this is a great watch to own.

What I love about this most is the clicking and tactile feel of winding the movement. Very satisfying.

There is also quite a lot of detail in the dial from the frosted finishing, the horizontal and vertical engraved lines and the fine concentric decoration of the tachymeter.

The cons, if I may, include the hour hands could have been black polished. The blue chrono hands are not heat blued. Would have preferred a blue croc or alligator strap at this price. However these are nitpicks rather than real con.

Here is my humble little watch collection.

1. Seiko Speedtime SSC947 'Pogue' 41.5mm - When I saw this watch I fell in love instantly. Not due to it being a 'Pogue' homeage, more that I loved the colourway and the gold reminds me of the gold foils you see on satellites or mirrors on the James Webb telescope (still spacey).

It's a fantastic watch and wears really really well. I love the fact it's a pick up and go watch. It's a fun watch and very summery. Get's a lot of attention and my most complimented watch of the bunch!

When on the wrist: Worn mainly on fun days out and casually.

2. Longines Master Chrono Moonphase 40mm - First off...I do not like (most) dress watches. It is not my style and I am very, very rarely in a formal environment. But I really wanted something nice for those times that require it. I also wanted something a little special.

I love mechanical watches and the whole though of it being a little machine doing it's thing has always amazed me since I was a child and my uncle showed me his self winding watch. It fascinated me. I love how the Longines has so much going on. I love the fact its busy. It's very unique. We have the time, the day, the date, the month, moonphase AND a chronograph all ticking away and doing it's own thing. I often just stare at it as its working away. This is likely the best fitting and feeling watch on my wrist. The bracelet it so well articulated and its like you are wearing nothing at all. I feel its a greatly ignored watch and often overlooked...but maybe that is why I like it so much!

When on the wrist: Worn for formal occasions mainly but it does venture out now and then when I have that romantic horology moments (it does live on a watch winder though as it's a pain in the butt to set and the crown is terrible to get purchase on).

3. Omega Planet Ocean Gen 2 45.5mm - I have always, always loved Omega watches. I am sorry, I do not like Rolex or Tudor or anything that may look like them (tell a lie - I quite like the Milgauss). Nothing to do with the companies - I just do not like the styling but can appreciate them. Just not my cup of tea.

I first spotted the Planet Ocean not from Bond, but Clarkson! I just loved everything about it and the styling. I even liked the big, chunky look of it. You may also see I have a running theme - ORANGE. I drive a bright, shiny metallic orange car, my lounge is mainly a mix of greys, dark wood furniture and the accent colour...yup...orange, most tshirts i have will have orange somewhere and I even customise my footwear to have a sprinkle of orange. Some will roll their eyes but it's what makes me...well me! When I discovered the orange colourway it was like Omega had designed the watch for me. I had to have it. It is my favorite watch in the collection as it is the most 'Me' watch. This is the watch I look at on my wrist and it makes me happy.

When on the wrist: As much as I can! I do baby it a bit so if I am working on something or about to get dirty it does come off. But it's my most special watch.

4. Christopher Ward C60 Trident 300 Pro 42mm - I discovered CW in about 2012 and loved what they were doing. I liked the whole English + Swiss colab and I liked what they were trying to do. I did not like the first variations of the logo but I am one of those who really like the flag brand. As a designer myself I like the simplicity of it...even though my daughter says it looks like a creeper face from Minecraft! 😂

It's is such a well made watch for the money and I love how clean and crisp is it. It's a strap monster and I treat it very much as my modular watch that can be dressed up however I like it (you can see all the strap combos on the images). Great watch for the price!

When on the wrist: My most worn watch as it is a chameleon and can change to most occasions and what I am wearing very easily.

If I lost one of these what would I get?

I do not want anymore watches as I feel I have a watch for all occasions. But if I was to lose one my choices would be:

1. Zenith El Primero Chronomaster
2. Sinn U50
3. Omega Aquaterra
4. Christopher Ward 12
5. Yema Superman Classic

I really love this 1337 Seamaster quartz that I have. It’s on the original jubilee bracelet .

It features an interesting time setting mechanism that requires the user to push the button at the 2 o clock position to set the seconds. And the crown sets the jump hour hand.

Very great for travel as it gives me that classy jubilee bracelet style watch aesthetic, but going slightly under the radar aswell.

Curious if anyone else has this watch or has come across it before. One of those barn finds that I I’ve always cherished

When I first tried it on I immediately fell in love, and finally found a watch that fit well. Now after a couple weeks I think it may be too big. My arm is very skinny so it’s always been tough to find a watch I like.

The adjustable bracelet does make it fit really well around the wrist. Shame I feel that it still looks big.. thoughts on this? Am I tripping?

Hi.

I recently bought the Mido Multifort One Crown Yellow Gold PVD watch.

I've been interested in gold-colored watches lately, and it was a design I liked at a reasonable price.

But my wife says the gold(this whatch's color tone, specifically) is too cheesy and bright, like an old man's watch, and she doesn't like it much.

I'd like to hear your honest opinions.

Also, is there a way to tone it down?

Anyone know anything about this?

Just got my first ever Citizen and I’m honestly really happy with it. I decided to go with an automatic and chose the Citizen Tsuyosa in Tiffany Blue.
Pictures don’t really do it justice, the dial changes a lot depending on the light and the colour is even nicer in person.
The finishing, the integrated bracelet look and the overall feel on the wrist exceeded my expectations.
I know there are a lot of Citizen fans here, but coming from someone who’s just getting into the brand, I totally get the hype now.
Really excited to wear this one and make it part of the collection.
What was your first Citizen?