Buying Time - July 16, 2026
Richemont surges, Marilyn Monroe’s watch legacy returns, titanium takes over and Roger Dubuis brings the mechanical theater.
In 30 Seconds
Richemont delivered a powerful opening quarter as jewelry and watch sales climbed across nearly every major market. Marilyn Monroe’s unexpected place in watch history returns through two remarkable timepieces, while today’s new releases range from affordable titanium GMTs and forged-carbon travel watches to an $98,000 resonance complication. Elsewhere, collectors debate steel versus titanium, Pokémon celebrates its 30th anniversary with G-Shock, and Roger Dubuis brings skeletonized supercar energy to today’s auction.
Time Graphing Today’s Watch Universe
There was a time when the luxury watch business revolved around craftsmanship alone. The movement mattered. The finishing mattered. Heritage mattered. Today, all those things still matter, but increasingly they are only the admission ticket into a much larger conversation about cultural relevance, brand ecosystems and emotional storytelling.
That is exactly what sits beneath Richemont’s impressive first-quarter results. A 20 percent jump in sales is obviously good news for shareholders, but the more interesting story is where the growth came from. Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels continue demonstrating that jewelry and watches are not separate businesses so much as complementary expressions of luxury. Meanwhile, Vacheron Constantin, Jaeger-LeCoultre and A. Lange & Söhne remind us that high horology remains healthy when backed by patient ownership, disciplined distribution and enough financial muscle to survive the inevitable moments when collectors become distracted by something shinier.
Richemont’s growing dependence on direct-to-client retail also reinforces one of the industry’s most important commercial lessons. Controlling the customer relationship has become almost as valuable as controlling the movement inside the watch. Retail sales increased 24 percent and now represent 71 percent of the group’s business. That means fewer intermediaries, better customer data, stronger margins and more control over how every watch, necklace and carefully illuminated boutique counter is presented. Luxury companies once built products and relied on retailers to find the customer. Now they want the customer, the store, the experience and probably the email address.
Then there is Marilyn Monroe.
At first glance, a Hollywood icon from the 1950s seems disconnected from today’s watch market. But her story illustrates how watches have evolved into cultural artifacts rather than simple luxury accessories. Neither the diamond-set Blancpain she owned nor the famous Rolex Day-Date associated with President John F. Kennedy is technically remarkable by modern standards. Their extraordinary value comes from narrative. Collectors increasingly buy provenance as much as they buy mechanics.
The platinum Blancpain dress watch connected to Monroe eventually returned to the company after selling for $225,000. The gold Rolex Day-Date she reportedly gave Kennedy, complete with a deeply personal inscription, later sold for $120,000 despite apparently never having been worn by the president. These are not simply watches. They are physical fragments of a story involving fame, power, secrecy, romance and enough historical ambiguity to keep auction catalog writers employed indefinitely.
Blancpain understands the commercial value of that connection. Its seven-piece Ladybird Tribute collection uses Monroe’s centennial as the basis for a highly limited series of miniature white-gold watches, each carrying one letter from her first name. It is history transformed into product, although at $54,300 per watch, this is history with excellent margins.
Today’s new releases reinforce another trend that has accelerated throughout 2026: titanium is steadily becoming the material of choice for contemporary sports watches. The new Timex Marlin Jet Automatic Titanium GMT brings a lightweight case and automatic travel complication to a price of $549, while the Doxa SUB 300 Ti5 Clive Cussler reconstructs one of the industry’s most recognizable dive watches in Grade 5 titanium.
Ten years ago, titanium watches could feel like engineering exercises made primarily for people who enjoy explaining material science at dinner. Today, titanium has become a lifestyle decision. Consumers have discovered that comfort matters almost as much as specifications, particularly when a watch case is large enough to be visible from low Earth orbit.
That explains why the steel-versus-titanium debate has moved beyond theoretical comparisons. The hands-on examination of steel and titanium dive watches is really a discussion about how collectors now evaluate watches. Steel offers traditional heft, familiar durability and the reassuring sensation that one has purchased something substantial. Titanium offers comfort, modernity and the possibility of reaching the end of the day without feeling as though the left wrist has completed an independent workout.
Independent brands continue pushing in another direction altogether. The Sartory-Billard SB04-E Nuances represents a meaningful transition from highly customized commissions toward a more predictable permanent collection. That may sound less romantic, but it is an important step for any independent brand attempting to become a sustainable business rather than a charismatic workshop surrounded by an increasingly unmanageable waiting list.
The SB04-E preserves the colors, textures and visual depth that made Sartory-Billard interesting while giving buyers the certainty of a defined product, price and delivery schedule. It is the horological equivalent of discovering that the brilliant neighborhood restaurant has finally learned how to take reservations.
At the opposite end of the independent spectrum sits the Armin Strom Mirrored Force Resonance Red, a 15-piece edition priced at CHF 78,000. The movement remains mechanically familiar to followers of the brand, but the red hand-guilloché dial transforms the presentation. That illustrates another reality of modern independent watchmaking: technical credibility may attract the collector, but color often closes the sale.
The March LA.B AM2 XS provides another useful signal. Its 32 mm square case and hand-wound movement reflect the continuing retreat from oversized watches. Smaller dimensions are no longer treated as purely feminine or vintage. They are becoming a legitimate design position for anyone tired of wearing a wristwatch that resembles emergency signaling equipment.
Material experimentation appears again in the Nodus x Raven TrailTrekker Carbon. Forged carbon, blue-emitting lume and a true traveler’s GMT movement create a watch designed to look technical without requiring the buyer to secure a second mortgage. At $1,075, it is another example of smaller brands delivering the specifications and personality that were once reserved for far more expensive watches.
Even Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Atmos Régulateur Enamel Colibris and Wood Marqueterie fits the broader pattern. These are clocks powered by changes in ambient temperature, decorated through Grand Feu enamel and intricate wood marquetry, and produced in quantities small enough to make most limited-edition wristwatches seem mass-market. They demonstrate that watchmaking’s future is not limited to the wrist. The industry continues searching for ways to place mechanical timekeeping inside the larger worlds of art, interiors and collectible design.
Bell & Ross takes a more familiar route with the BR-03 GMT Green Lum, using intense luminescence, a gradient dial and the visual language of aviation instruments. The watch does not attempt to be discreet, which is probably wise. Nobody buys a square 42 mm Bell & Ross because they are hoping it disappears beneath a shirt cuff.
Perhaps that is where the watch industry finds itself in mid-2026. The mechanical marvels have not disappeared. If anything, they are better than ever. But the watches making the biggest impression today are not merely well engineered. They are connected to celebrities, racing, exploration, travel, design, sustainability, art, nostalgia or simply a compelling story that gives buyers another reason to care.
The business still manufactures watches.
The successful brands are manufacturing meaning.
-Michael Wolf
News
Richemont Reports Strong First Quarter 2026, Sales Up 20%
Richemont opened its fiscal year with €6.3 billion in first-quarter sales, rising 20 percent at constant exchange rates as its Jewellery Maisons surged 24 percent and its Specialist Watchmakers grew 8 percent. The Americas, Japan and Asia Pacific led the regional gains, while direct-to-client retail expanded to 71 percent of group sales.
Feature
The Unlikely Watch Collector: Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe’s horological legacy includes a diamond-set Blancpain dress watch that later sold for $225,000 and the gold Rolex Day-Date she reportedly presented to President John F. Kennedy. Blancpain is now commemorating her centennial with seven white-gold Ladybird Tribute watches, each priced at $54,300 and engraved with a letter from “MARILYN.”
New Watches
Sartory-Billard SB04-E Nuances
Sartory-Billard moves beyond bespoke commissions with a ready-to-wear collection featuring curved fumé dials, luminous fountain-pen hands and the 68-hour La Joux-Perret G101A automatic movement. The 39.5 mm watches are priced at €3,600 on rubber or €3,800 on a bracelet, excluding VAT, with October deliveries planned.
Timex Marlin Jet Automatic Titanium GMT
Timex gives the retro-futuristic Marlin Jet a lightweight titanium case and automatic GMT movement, believed to be the Seiko NH34A. The 40 mm travel watch is available for preorder at $549, although its domed Hesalite crystal will require owners to make peace with the occasional scratch.
March LA.B AM2 XS
March LA.B expands its square AM2 collection with three 32 mm hand-wound watches measuring only 6.7 mm thick. Powered by the 50-hour La Joux-Perret D101, the Golden Hour, Shelter and Grall models range from €1,760 to €2,820.
Armin Strom Mirrored Force Resonance Red
Armin Strom pairs its patented twin-balance resonance system with a vivid red hand-guilloché dial in a 15-piece limited edition. The 43 mm steel watch uses the manually wound ARF21 calibre and is priced at CHF 78,000.
Doxa SUB 300 Ti5 Clive Cussler
Doxa rebuilds its historic SUB 300 in Grade 5 titanium while preserving the familiar 42.5 mm case, shark-tooth bezel and 300 meters of water resistance. Limited to 300 pieces and powered by a COSC-certified Sellita SW200-1, the watch costs $3,390, with part of the proceeds supporting NUMA.
Nodus x Raven TrailTrekker Carbon
The Nodus x Raven TrailTrekker combines a forged-carbon dial and luminous 24-hour bezel with the Miyota 9075 true traveler’s GMT movement. The 39.5 mm, 200-meter watch is priced at $1,075, with preorders opening July 22 and deliveries beginning July 31.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Atmos Régulateur Enamel Colibris and Wood Marqueterie
Jaeger-LeCoultre applies Grand Feu enamel and intricate wood marquetry to two exceptional Atmos clocks powered by changes in ambient temperature. The hummingbird enamel edition required 230 hours of work, while the marquetry model uses 52 individually cut and tinted wood veneers.
Bell & Ross BR-03 GMT Green Lum
Bell & Ross gives its square pilot’s GMT a green-to-black dial inspired by the Northern Lights, with Super-LumiNova applied across the bezel, numerals and hands. Limited to 500 pieces, the 42 mm watch uses the 54-hour BR-CAL.303 movement and is priced at €4,900.
Comparisons
Steel vs. Titanium Dive Watches: Which Makes More Sense After Hands-On Testing?
Steel continues to deliver the familiar heft, durability and traditional feel many collectors expect from a dive watch, while titanium offers a noticeably lighter and more comfortable experience, particularly in larger cases. The better choice increasingly depends less on specifications than on whether the wearer values reassuring weight or all-day comfort.
Five New(ish) Watches I Liked at the Windup Watch Fair in Chicago
The latest Windup Watch Fair produced a varied group of standouts, including the Vulcain Cricket Titanium, Horage Relik Tourbillon 3, Atelier Wen Perception V3 and an Oak & Oscar Humboldt GMT engraved with the Chicago skyline. Together, the watches showed how smaller brands continue combining regional identity, improved movements and increasingly ambitious finishing.
Review
Casio G-Shock x Pokémon 30th Anniversary GA-110PKM
Casio celebrates Pokémon’s 30th anniversary with a colorful GA-110 featuring the original game’s red-and-green palette, a Poké Ball-inspired subdial and a translucent strap printed with 30 Pokémon characters. Priced at $270, the analog-digital watch offers 200 meters of water resistance and considerable collectible appeal, although it skips solar charging and Bluetooth connectivity.
Events
RZE Gear Swap at Peak Design in Los Angeles
RZE, aBlogtoWatch and Peak Design will hold a community gear swap on Sunday, July 19, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Peak Design’s Abbot Kinney Boulevard store in Los Angeles. Attendees can trade watches, straps, EDC equipment, travel accessories and compact photography gear, with a free raffle adding watch-related prizes to the afternoon.
Podcast
The Business of Watches Podcast: Guido Terreni, CEO of Parmigiani Fleurier
Guido Terreni discusses how Parmigiani Fleurier’s philosophy of “private luxury” shapes the restrained design, production strategy and retail positioning behind collections such as the Tonda PF and Toric. The conversation also examines the company’s manufacturing structure and its effort to build a more distinctive place within the competitive high-horology market.
Video
The Watches You’ll Never Regret Buying — Britt Pearce
Britt Pearce examines watches designed to remain satisfying long after the initial excitement of purchase fades, focusing on durability, versatility and designs capable of surviving changing collector tastes.
The Best Watches at Windup Watch Fair Chicago 2026 — Allergic to Watches
Baltic, Xeric, Echo/Neutra, Formex and several other independent brands take center stage in this walkthrough of the latest releases and standout designs from Chicago’s Windup Watch Fair.
NFL Star Tee Higgins Goes Watch Shopping at TPT — TimePieceTrading
Cincinnati Bengals star Tee Higgins visits TimePieceTrading to explore high-end watches and reveal the models, designs and complications that best match his personal style.
What Does Your Watch Reveal About You? — Burdeens Jewelry
Burdeens Jewelry considers how watch choices communicate personality, status, taste and lifestyle, from traditional mechanical pieces to contemporary smartwatches.
I F*cked Up — Watch Brand Launch: The Brutal Truth — Scott Adam Lancaster
Scott Adam Lancaster offers a candid examination of a failed watch-brand launch, detailing the strategic, marketing and execution mistakes that undermined the project and the lessons other aspiring founders can take from it.
BuyingTime at Auction
Yesterday’s featured auction concluded with the 2022 Laurent Ferrier Classic Origin Blue (LCF036.T1.CG) failing to meet its reserve after bidding reached $31,000.
Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Pirelli Blue: When Supercars Meet Haute Horlogerie
Today’s auction shifts gears dramatically with the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Pirelli Blue (RDDBEX0696), one of just 88 pieces produced and among the boldest modern watches to emerge from Geneva. Introduced as part of Roger Dubuis’ long-running partnership with Pirelli, the watch borrows its personality directly from the world of exotic automobiles. Even the strap incorporates rubber taken from certified winning Pirelli racing tires used in international motorsport, creating a direct physical connection between the racetrack and the wrist.
Inside the 45mm DLC-coated titanium case sits the automatic RD820SQ skeleton movement, a caliber that proudly exposes virtually every mechanical component. Roger Dubuis has built its modern identity around architectural skeletonization, and few brands execute it with this level of confidence. Rather than simply removing material, the movement is engineered so the bridges themselves become part of the visual design. The result is mechanical theater as much as timekeeping.
Collectors have increasingly rediscovered Roger Dubuis over the past several years. Once viewed primarily as an extravagant alternative to more conservative Swiss brands, the company’s early and limited-production models have begun attracting renewed interest as buyers look beyond the traditional Rolex-Patek-Audemars triumvirate. The Excalibur Spider series has become one of the brand’s signature collections, appealing to enthusiasts who want technical sophistication without sacrificing visual impact.
Original retail pricing for the Excalibur Spider Pirelli Blue approached $75,000, while secondary market values today generally range between $48,000 and $65,000, depending upon condition, completeness and production variant. Examples retaining the original presentation box, warranty papers and accompanying literature consistently command the strongest prices, particularly unworn pieces such as today’s offering.
This example checks nearly every collector box. It remains unworn, includes its original box, papers and literature, and shows no meaningful signs of wear. With only 88 examples produced worldwide, opportunities to acquire one in this condition do not appear frequently.
For buyers who appreciate independent design, modern skeletonization and watches that refuse to blend quietly into a room, today’s auction represents one of the more compelling contemporary Roger Dubuis offerings currently available.
Current Bid: $7,977
Auction Ends: Today, Thursday, July 16, 2026 at 6:15 p.m. EDT
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