BuyingTime Daily - Weekend Roundup - January 17, 2026
Curating the Culture, Craft, and Commerce of Time Keeping - every day
Time Graphing the week in Watches - January 12-16, 2026
Welcome, Buying Time readers
Welcome to Buying Time Saturday - a round-up of the news from our daily editions. With the first proper week of 2026 in the books (January 12–16), the watch world has already served up everything from frosty Polar tool watches and thoughtful collecting essays to wild independents, high‑jewelry crossovers, and serious industry moves.
Let’s walk through the week in watches, sorted by category, so you can quickly dive into what matters most to you right now.
Comparisons
Climbing higher: mountaineering watches
A nine‑watch guide to mountaineering pieces ranged from indestructible digital tools like the Casio G‑Shock Rangeman and hybrid Garmin Instinct Crossover Solar, to heritage‑rich mechanicals such as the Seiko Prospex Alpinist and Tudor Ranger. At the more technical end, the Oris ProPilot Altimeter and Montblanc 1858 Geosphere flexed serious engineering, while the Rolex Explorer and vintage Smiths Everest tied everything back to classic expedition lore. It’s a neat snapshot of how far “go climb a mountain” design has stretched in price, spec, and personality.
Daytona energy, different price tags
Instead of chasing a Rolex Daytona waitlist, this piece mapped out the design and feel of more attainable options. It put the TAG Heuer Carrera and Tudor Black Bay Chrono at the top of the “still true luxury” pile, then stepped down to a Paul Newman‑flavored Longines Conquest, a retro‑correct Seiko Prospex Speedtimer re‑creation, and an ultra‑budget Neotype LM02 panda. The core question: do you want the Daytona vibe, or is the crown logo itself the non‑negotiable?
A tour of modern American watchmaking
Ten American brands were ranked from accessible to high‑end, sketching a post‑quartz‑crisis comeback story. Design‑driven names like Brew and Bulova anchor the “fun and attainable” end, while Monta and Oak & Oscar push up‑market with tightly executed everyday pieces. At the top, RGM and J.N. Shapiro hold down the serious independent‑horology end of the spectrum, reminding readers that traditional craft is alive and well on this side of the Atlantic.
Speedmaster vs. Daytona, properly
A detailed comparison of the new reverse‑panda Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch and the current RolexDaytona dove into the $10–20k chronograph dilemma. The Omega adds a ceramic bezel and lacquer dial, plus a showpiece Co‑Axial Master Chronometer calibre 3861 visible through sapphire; the Rolex counters with the efficient Calibre 4131 and a leaner, more compact profile. The conclusion wasn’t about crowning a winner, but about owning which aesthetic, thickness, and movement philosophy actually fits your wrist and values.
Retro digitals that still earn wrist time
A nostalgia‑drenched review revisited classics like the Casio F‑91W and A168WA, the Timex Expedition Atlantis, the Casio Wave Ceptor, plus quirkier pieces like the Bulova Computron and Citizen Ana‑Digi Temp. Lightweight, legible, cheap to run, and borderline indestructible, they’re pitched as perfect grab‑and‑go watches that prove “fun quartz” can be just as intentional a choice as your nicest mechanical.
Polar white for deep winter
Six “Polar” watches tackled winter head‑on: the Rolex Explorer II and Tudor Black Bay Pro Polar for classic snow‑field energy; the white‑ceramic IWC Pilot’s Chronograph TOP GUN Lake Tahoe and 39 mm Longines Legend Diver White for dressier cold‑weather vibes; plus a ceramic Earthen Co. Summit and wild Urwerk UR‑230 Polaris to prove white can be both affordable and ultra‑high‑end. It’s essentially a mood board for anyone who wants their dial to match the weather report.
Uncommon brands to kickstart 2026
Instead of familiar logos, this round‑up spotlighted six off‑the‑radar pieces: from the Citizen Zenshin Mechanical Gents and Orient Star M45 Moon Phase to collaborative designs by Watch Ho & Co x Selten, a heritage‑steeped Raymond Weil Toccata Heritage, the experimental Kollokium Projekt 01, and customisable Sartory‑Billard SB04‑E. It’s a nudge to spend more time in the “who made that?” end of the hobby.
Baltic vs. Certina: titanium diver showdown
In a Sunday Morning Showdown, the Baltic Aquascaphe Titanium went head‑to‑head with the Certina DS Action Diver Titanium 38 mm. Same 300 m rating and titanium cases, but the Baltic leaned into cohesive, vintage‑inspired design and rubber‑strap sportiness, while the Certina brought Swatch‑Group movement muscle, a bracelet, and a more contemporary color palette. It’s a clean case study in “microbrand charm vs. group resources.”
Four limited editions as a vibe check
Finally, a “vibe shift” piece linked four 2025 limiteds – from Beda’a, Richard Mille, Simon Brette, and Girard‑Perregaux – into a bigger story about color, materials, and futuristic aesthetics. Think maroon‑accented jump‑hour minimalism, feather‑light tourbillons in tech cases, iridescent ALD coatings, and the high‑tech Girard‑Perregaux Neo Constant Escapement. The suggestion: tomorrow’s high horology is going to be even bolder.
Editorial
Tudor at 100
An anniversary piece looked at how Tudor has gone from “cheap Rolex” punchline to its own powerhouse with the Black Bay and Pelagos lines. The challenge for 2026: celebrate a century of the brand without pricing itself into a corner or over‑milking commemorative editions.
Chasing the ‘why’ in 2026
Another essay argued that rising prices across the board make it more important than ever to ask why a watch matters – historically, technically, emotionally – before buying. Less blind hype, more context, more conversations about value and personal connection.
A whirlwind 2025 in watches
A personal year‑in‑review from a Hodinkee writer contrasted the maximalist fireworks of brands like Vacheron Constantin and Audemars Piguet with the quiet bliss of wearing a humble Swatch Sistem51. Underneath is a wish for better storytelling, fewer redundant references, and less snobbery in 2026.
Anniversary overload
A survey of 2026 anniversaries laid out big birthdays for Gallet, Tudor, the Rolex Oyster and Day‑Date, Patek Philippe Nautilus, IWC Ingenieur SL, Ulysse Nardin, Montblanc, and more. Translation: expect plenty of “heritage” pieces this year – some meaningful, some purely opportunistic.
Events
India Watch Weekend returns
India Watch Weekend’s second edition is set to bring A. Lange & Söhne, Jaeger‑LeCoultre, Grand Seiko and a wave of other houses to a growing enthusiast base. Beyond brand booths, the focus is on collector roundtables and panels, treating India as a genuine horological hub, not just an export destination.
Vacheron’s Concours d’Élégance
Vacheron Constantin and Phillips announced a full‑scale Concours d’Élégance for watches, inviting owners of pieces from 1755–1999 to compete across seven categories. Think judged authenticity, elegance, and historical weight, with a jury including Christian Selmoni and Aurel Bacs. Expect some very serious Vacheron Constantin metal to surface.
Feature
Brand histories and materials
A long‑form history and buying guide showed how Tissot went from 19th‑century assembler to modern mid‑market staple, with the PRX re‑issue cementing its “default Swiss” status for many new collectors.
A meteorite‑dial explainer unpacked why everyone from Rolex and Breitling to independents are slicing up space rock, and how Widmanstätten patterns make each dial effectively unique.
Another feature highlighted Vacheron Constantin’s 270th‑anniversary fireworks in 2025 – from the steel Historiques 222 to the 41‑complication Les Cabinotiers Solaria – setting expectations sky‑high for what they might do next.
Red carpets and celebrity wrists
Two separate Golden Globes pieces broke down who wore what:
Urban Jürgensen, vintage Longines, Rolex, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Omega, Hublot, Audemars Piguet, Chopard and more all got screen time, proving awards season remains one of the best spots to see top‑tier pieces in the wild.
A weekly “best watches on celebrities” gallery added IWC, Hublot, Cartier, Omega, and Rolex sightings from across the broader pop‑culture landscape.
Design, mechanics, and collecting
CIGA design’s Time Cipher introduced a wandering‑hours display out of China, powered by a modified Miyota9000‑series movement and set against an ultra‑black dial that lets the time display “float.”
A deep dive into the G‑Shock Full Metal line traced how Casio took the original indestructible square and turned it into a legitimate metal luxury object without losing the toughness that started it all.
Dealer Steven Rostovsky explained why his clients are moving back toward simple, beautifully executed watches – including work from independents like Daniel Roth – after the tariff rollercoaster of 2025.
A feature on Montblanc’s Nicolas Rieussec collection linked modern rotating‑disc chronographs back to the original 19th‑century timing devices, with Minerva‑powered movements keeping the mechanical cred high.
A profile of ZL Toh and Raf Dzwonek showed how ZLTD Watches is trying to do “enthusiasts building for enthusiasts” the hard way, with in‑house mechanics and an inclined balance in Series 2.
Fratello’s early‑year check‑in on releases from Seiko, Oris, and Omega asked what reverse‑panda Speedmasters, new divers, and anniversary pieces might be telegraphing about trends for the rest of 2026.
Two “brands to watch” pieces lined up Breguet, Tudor, Gérald Genta, Parmigiani Fleurier, Rolex, Longines, Seiko, Ulysse Nardin, Universal Genève, and Gallet as the ones to pay closest attention to this year.
A “real collectors” profile of Roni Madhvani – and his double‑signed Patek Philippe 2429, plus love for mid‑century Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet – argued that following your own aesthetic instincts beats chasing Instagram heat.
There were also features on must‑read books about Rolex and Heuer, Roberta Naas’s 40‑year career in watch journalism, industry outlooks for 2025–26, star watches of the week, perpetual calendar explainers, unconventional ways to tell time without hands, a debut solar‑titanium tool watch from Ontic, and more. Together they painted a picture of a hobby that’s increasingly thoughtful about history, mechanics, and community.
(Links for those pieces:)
Recommended Rolex & Heuer reading
Weekend editorial starter pack
New Watches
At the product level, this week was stacked, from six‑figure art pieces to smartly priced tool watches.
Haute horlogerie & métiers d’art
Armin Strom’s Tribute² Aurum Edition turned the Tribute 1 into a tremblage‑finished, skeletonised showpiece with a 100‑hour in‑house movement, limited to 10 pieces.
Arnold & Son launched a Perpetual Moon “Year of the Horse” in red gold with a huge moonphase, starry aventurine sky, and 90‑hour calibre aimed squarely at collectors of high craft.
Jaquet Droz unveiled a one‑off Petite Heure Minute Red Gold Japanese Garden with a sculpted koi‑pond tableau in mother‑of‑pearl and red gold.
Independent Atelier’s Project Tai Yu recreated Kiu Tai Yu’s Millennium watch in 18k yellow gold, keeping the original spirit and layout while updating the ETA‑based engine.
Credor’s Goldfeather Imari Nabeshima Limited Edition blended Sallaz finishing with porcelain‑inspired enamel dials; Oliver Gallaugher’s Deep Space Blue refined his space‑themed indie; Kortela Valta’s Toka pushed Finnish handcraft with a reworked vintage Omega movement; and Venezianico’s Redentore Utopia II paired Italian guilloché with a new in‑house calibre.
(Links:)
Sporty independents and microbrands
Grandeur’s Monocle introduced a patented Jump Flap Hour with meteorite disc and caseband, plus a retrograde minutes display – a lot of theater for just over £2k.
IFL Watches teamed up with Venezianico for the Arsenale Arlecchino, a 40 mm automatic with hand‑painted carnival‑inspired dial.
VPC’s Type 39VM made its case (literally) as the thinnest 200 m automatic diver around, in two dial flavors and with COSC‑certified Sellita inside.
Raketa’s Su pilot, Yema’s Skin Diver Slim Bronze micro‑rotor, the Synchron Sealab Ti300M, and a new MidoOcean Star 200C Red Ceramic all catered to people who want real‑world specs with some design flair.
(Links:)
Mido Ocean Star 200C Red Ceramic
Big‑brand launches & collabs
Seiko was everywhere: four 145th‑anniversary limiteds (King Seiko, Prospex, Presage, Astron) plus a tonneau‑cased Presage SPB537 showed just how wide a net the brand wants to cast this year.
Omega expanded the Speedmaster line with new reverse‑panda Moonwatches in steel and Moonshine Gold, powered by calibre 3861.
Oris brought back the Big Crown Pointer Date Bullseye in a 38 mm case and two slightly different executions – one positioned as an in‑line bestseller, the other covered from a more historical angle.
Ball Watch Company leaned into meteorite with new Roadmaster Marine GMTs in titanium, complete with quick‑set GMT function and 300 m resistance.
Lebond’s Attraction honored Antoni Gaudí; Maurice de Mauriac x Racquet wrapped tennis neon around an automatic chronograph; RGM partnered with Teddy Baldassarre for a guilloché micro‑rotor collab; G‑Shockcontinued its march upmarket with more Full Metal experimentation.
(Links:)
News
On the industry side, this week felt like the opening chapter of the 2026 business story.
High‑jewelry houses like Chanel, Cartier, Ferragamo, Van Cleef & Arpels, Dior, Bvlgari, Louis Vuitton, and Piaget continued to blur the line between watch and jewelry object.
A trends piece argued that younger buyers are skipping trips for watches, and that brands like Cartier are now seen as smart, “hold‑your‑value” purchases rather than pure fashion.
Biver added Ace Jewelers as only its third European retail partner; Chanel took a stake in Kross Manufacture to lock in high‑end movement capacity; Chronoswiss re‑entered the UK through Swiss Gallery.
Market numbers were mixed: UK Christmas sales slumped, but Richemont still posted +11% in Q3 2025, driven especially by its jewelry Maisons and a solid +7% in watches.
Citizen landed on CDP’s climate “A List” again and reaffirmed its Eco‑Drive and renewable‑energy commitments; Rolex’s Certified Pre‑Owned program hit roughly $600m in sales; the Horological Society of New York tripled its scholarship budget; and Tudor renewed its partnership with Alinghi for the 38th America’s Cup.
Other headlines ranged from Jacob & Co.’s “God of Time” with a four‑second tourbillon, to Zenith sale rumors denied by LVMH, to Bell & Ross timing the Defender Rally, Bob’s Watches opening a JFK boutique, Richemont shuffling US brand presidents, a Singapore waitlist scam, a revived Van Bergen chiming‑watch project, and a new Van Cleef & Arpels boutique in Short Hills.
(Links:)
Vacheron concours announcement
Van Cleef & Arpels Short Hills
Opinion
A standout opinion column said it’s time for Blancpain to bring back properly water‑resistant minute repeaters like the old Léman pieces – the logic being that if we can have tourbillons in divers, we can certainly have chimes in everyday‑wear cases again.
Podcast
Podcasts this week kept the conversation going:
aBlogtoWatch Weekly wrestled with Seiko pricing, Omega marketing, and which brands actually deserve to survive the next decade.
Fratello On Air outlined realistic 2026 shopping lists, from Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF dreams to microbrand arrivals and vintage minute‑repeater fantasies.
Scottish Watches hosted Barbara Palumbo for a candid look inside the GPHG jury room and Dubai Watch Week.
And a Business of Watches episode with Laurent Lecamp dug into Montblanc and Minerva, hairsprings, and how to build for “fans,” not just customers.
Recapping 2025 & Reviews
Two big 2025 recaps rounded out the week: one on sleeper hits you probably missed, another on the three watches one writer actually wore most (a Christopher Ward Twelve 660, a Baltic collab, and a vintage Universal Genève). Alongside them were in‑depth reviews of the Awake Sơn Mài Fragments, the Breguet Equation of Time pocket watch, Chopard’s Alpine Eagle 8HF, Glashütte Original’s PanoMaticCalendar “Blue of Dawn,” and the titanium Vacheron Constantin Overseas Tourbillon Skeleton.
(Links:)