Christie’s will include Watches for ELA charity lots in its Rare Watches auction in Geneva on November 9. Proceeds will benefit the European Leukodystrophies Association. Highlights include Zinedine Zidane’s personal Cartier Pasha and unique watches made specifically for the charity sale, including an Atælier Haute Complication Dual Time Art for ELA.
Why it matters · interpretationCharity lots can draw collector attention to independent watchmakers and high-profile owned pieces in a major auction setting. The sale also links the watch market with a prominent philanthropic effort backed by Christie’s ownership family.
Time+Tide rounds up 14 titanium watches from Rolex, TAG Heuer and other brands, focusing on lightweight comfort, durability and design. It is a buying guide built around titanium as a case material rather than a single new release or industry announcement.
Seiko has introduced two Astron GPS Solar Dual-Time Chronograph 2026 limited editions, refs. HAB009J and HAB010J, each capped at 1,500 pieces. Both use 43.4mm titanium cases with black Super Hard Coating and are inspired by crystal caves, but the excerpt does not state pricing or movement details.
Fratello goes hands-on with the Montblanc Star Legacy Nicolas Rieussec Chronograph 43mm Limited Edition. The piece examines the limited-edition chronograph in Montblanc’s Nicolas Rieussec line, presented as a race-inspired watch review.
Hodinkee Japan republishes a 2018 Talking Watches feature on Mario Andretti’s collection, which includes numerous vintage Heuer and Rolex pieces, plus watches tied to his racing career. Highlights include a pocket watch from his father, his first watch from an uncle, and two Heuer Autavia Ref. 3646 awards for fastest Indy 500 qualifying laps in 1966 and 1967.
Rolex has created an Oyster 100 special edition to mark 100 years since the original Oyster case debuted in 1926. The tribute references the first Oyster wristwatch, which appeared in an octagonal case with wire lugs, Roman numeral hour markers, a railroad minutes track, thin baton hands and a small-seconds display.
Uruguayan sculptor Pablo Atchugarry has joined Gerald Charles as a Friend of the Brand. The collaboration links the Gérald Genta-founded watchmaker with Atchugarry’s Carrara marble sculpture practice, highlighting a shared focus on artistic legacy and monumental form.
Why it matters · interpretationThis extends Gerald Charles’s cultural positioning beyond traditional watchmaking and may help the brand build visibility through art-world associations.
Frederique Constant has released a burgundy-dial version of its Classics Perpetual Calendar Manufacture, limited to 100 pieces. The stainless steel watch keeps the perpetual calendar format and follows the brand’s 2025 update to the line, but the excerpt does not state the case size, movement details or price.
The Vamps guitarist James McVey discusses how he became a watch collector, including a 1993 Universal Genève World Time he bought despite friends calling it ugly. He also mentions a one-off Christopher Ward Bel Canto based on a 1950s Fender Stratocaster and a Tudor he expects to regret selling.
Jean Arnault, Louis Vuitton’s 28-year-old watches director, is gaining influence as he wins over collectors and skeptics. The profile says his ambitions and responsibilities are growing, reflecting Louis Vuitton’s deeper push in watches under his leadership.
Why it matters · interpretationThis points to Louis Vuitton treating watches as a larger strategic category rather than a side project. Jean Arnault’s broader remit could shape the brand’s future product direction and collector appeal.
Atelier Loreti has expanded its Celestial Tourbillon collection with limited-edition Snowflake Obsidian and Charoite stone dials. The watches are priced from $980. The announcement does not state the production numbers, case details or movement specifications in the provided text.
Casio has priced the limited MRG-D5000-BDR at €80,000 and will make only 20 pieces. The G-Shock Blue Rose model features a blue sapphire case and sits at the top of the Blue Rose collection, combining Japanese craftsmanship with a highly elaborate digital-watch construction.
The guide compares the Seiko Turtle and Orient Mako II as budget dive watches, focusing on build quality, movement performance and whether Seiko’s higher price is justified. It frames the two Japanese models as value-driven alternatives for buyers weighing cost against overall execution.
The feature examines how ownership in independent watchmaking is shifting as big groups and investors buy minority or majority stakes. It cites Chanel’s 25% purchase of MB&F, The 1916 Company’s majority ownership of De Bethune, and Timothée Chalamet’s shareholding in Urban Jürgensen, then argues suppliers matter as much as the brands themselves.
Monochrome Watches profiles five independent watchmakers making an impression with their first watches, including Alexandre Martin, Atelier Pieters, Marcu Geneve, Neode and Voxel. The buying guide focuses on debut projects from newer names in the independent segment.
Henry Black argues that a better bracelet or clasp can make an existing watch feel new, using a 39mm Tudor Ranger on loan from Rolex Australia and comparing its bracelet feel with his Black Bay 58. The piece shifts the focus from dial and movement to wearability, fit and the value of upgrading what you already own.
Hodinkee Japan goes hands-on with the Patek Philippe Celestial Ref. 6105G, a watch with a dial-side celestial display, sunrise and sunset indication, and an integrated rubber strap. The piece also discusses how Patek’s 2026 releases, including the Celestial, signal a broader push toward bolder designs and younger collectors.
Arsène Lippens has refreshed the Artigiano Ref. 0599 collection with two new Italian textile dial options, updated display case backs and other refined details across its five models.
Fratello compares the Rolex Datejust 36 with ombré dial against the Grand Seiko SLGB015 “Lake Suwa” in a Sunday Morning Showdown format. The piece pits the two watches against each other as a head-to-head choice for readers.
Le Figaro Horlogerie looks at A. Lange & Söhne’s exceptional models, focusing on platinum executions and revised case volumes. The short feature presents the Saxon manufacture as appealing to collectors who value discreet materials and carefully reworked proportions.
Hodinkee Japan interviews Hisaaki Suzuki, founder of classic-car dealer CORGY'S and the first Japanese driver to race at the inaugural Le Mans Classic in 2002. Suzuki discusses his racing memories, his 1965 Austin-Healey Le Mans Sprite prototype, and the vintage Rolex watches he collects, including Daytonas and Submariners.
Minerva has launched the Exo Tourbillon Skeleton Limited Edition 18, a 18-piece watch in 18k rose gold with a blue-and-white agate cameo depicting Minerva. It uses the skeletonised calibre M18.69 and showcases the brand’s patented Exo Tourbillon architecture with decorative finishing throughout.
Casio has introduced the CRW-002 ring watch, a stainless-steel model based on the A168 design. It measures 25.2 x 18.2mm and 6.2mm thick, uses MIM construction, includes dual time, a 1/100-second stopwatch, auto calendar and LED backlight, and comes in silver and gold at ¥19,800 and ¥22,000, with release planned for November.
Hermès has added two new H08 variants in Bleu de Malte and Blanc Chantilly. The 39mm watches keep the collection’s familiar case proportions at 42mm lug-to-lug and 10.6mm thick, while giving the sports watch line a brighter, Mediterranean-inspired look for summer wear.
Hamilton has launched the new American Classic Cushion collection in six references across two sizes, 34mm and 30mm. The stainless steel watches draw on the brand’s 1920s and 1930s Art Deco heritage and update the vintage Cushion B design with modern specifications and movements suited to the smaller cases.
Monochrome Watches looks at German watchmaking from Peter Henlein’s early 16th-century portable clocks in Nuremberg to the wider evolution of the country’s watch culture. The feature explains how these first “pocket watches” became known as Nuremberg Eggs and frames Germany as an early center in the miniaturisation of timekeeping.
Time+Tide’s weekly roundup covers new watch releases from Girard-Perregaux, Laurent Ferrier, Vacheron Constantin and other brands, ranging from high-end métiers d’art pieces to more accessible skeletonised models. The post collects the week’s notable launches in one overview.
Worn & Wound reports that around 100 jobs at Zenith’s Le Locle headquarters and another 100 roles internationally are at risk, with formal talks underway and no final decision expected before mid-November. The report also says Zenith may reduce collections and keep retail operations closed until 2029.
Why it matters · interpretationIf confirmed, the cuts would mark a major restructuring at one of Switzerland’s best-known watchmakers. The planned retail changes also suggest a broader shift in Zenith’s distribution strategy.
Robb Report Watch Collector highlights 15 watches that debuted in October, including new releases from Hublot, Girard-Perregaux and Urwerk. The roundup collects the month’s notable launches from 15 different watchmakers in one feature.
Rolex increased prices by up to 6% on 1 January 2026, with the size of the rise varying by material. The update also adds revised service costs and 2026 watch prices, including an example of about €300 more for steel models such as the Daytona and larger increases for gold pieces.