30 Seconds
Today’s watch world is making a strong case for character. Girard-Perregaux is returning to the Formula 1 paddock, a forgotten regulator is getting a painstaking revival, and a new generation of brands is proving that manufacturing ambition can come from anywhere. Meanwhile, the market continues to reward discernment: the best watches are not always the loudest, the most famous, or even the most expensive. They are the ones with a clear point of view.
Time Graphing Today’s Watch Universe
The New Luxury Is Having a Point of View
For years, the safest route in watches was to make something universally legible: a familiar case shape, a classic dial, an easy heritage story and enough polish to signal price. That formula remains powerful, but today’s most interesting releases and stories suggest a different appetite. Collectors increasingly want a watch to stand for something specific. They want a distinct lineage, a technical proposition, a visual language or a connection to a culture beyond the usual luxury shorthand.
That is why Girard-Perregaux’s new Williams F1 partnership feels more consequential than another logo placement. GP is tying itself to an environment where precision is not decorative; it is the whole point. The brand’s new Deep Diver makes a related argument in product form: it is a colorful, slightly eccentric reworking of an archival idea, not a generic luxury diver trying to please everyone.
The same instinct runs through the most compelling independent stories of the day. Bonniksen’s revival of the Carrousel is not about adding a complication for its own sake; it is about recovering a nearly lost mechanical vocabulary. Fam al Hut’s pursuit of manufacture status is similarly specific, built around engineering control and iterative making rather than borrowed prestige. And the centenary reflection on George Daniels reminds us that lasting relevance often begins with the refusal to accept received wisdom.
There is a market lesson here, too. The “shadow icons” may be more interesting than the obvious grails precisely because they leave room for personal judgment. The best mid-priced divers may be more satisfying than their famous luxury counterparts because they are bought to be worn, not merely recognized. In an increasingly crowded watch universe, distinction does not come from shouting louder. It comes from knowing exactly what you are trying to say.
-Michael Wolf
News
Girard-Perregaux Becomes Official Timekeeper of Williams F1
Girard-Perregaux has taken over as official timekeeper of the Williams Formula 1 team, replacing Bremont and aligning one of Swiss watchmaking’s oldest names with one of racing’s most storied constructors. Both parties are framing the relationship around precision, performance and a shared long-term vision, with hospitality, global visibility and cultural exchange all part of the program.
The partnership also opens an intriguing product door. A Williams-inspired Laureato or another co-branded release would make sense, but the most interesting question is whether the collaboration can give GP a more vivid modern identity beyond the racetrack.
Features
8 Of The Best Celebrity Watch Moments This Month (So Far)
Celebrity-watch spotting is at its best when it reveals genuine taste rather than just purchasing power. This month’s running list ranges from Drake’s one-off Rolex Daytona and Ryan Reynolds’s rare Haldimann tourbillon to Chris Evans in a Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute and Léon Marchand wearing a Louis Vuitton Tambour on the podium.
The lineup is a reminder that a compelling watch moment can come from an extravagant gem-set statement, a hard-to-find independent, or simply the right classic watch on the right wrist.
Are Luxury Divers Better Than Mid-Price Options, or Just More Famous?
Luxury dive watches usually win on refinement: more satisfying bracelets, cleaner finishing, sharper transitions and the sense that every touchpoint has received another round of attention. But their functional advantage is often less dramatic than their price suggests.
Brands including Serica, Oris, Seiko and Mido offer capable, characterful divers that invite more carefree ownership. The better question is not whether luxury is “better,” but whether the extra polish changes how much you enjoy wearing the watch.
George Daniels At 100 And A Personal Reflection By Roger W. Smith OBE
Roger W. Smith’s reflection on George Daniels at 100 offers a rare view of a master through the eyes of his most important protégé. Daniels made only 26 watches, yet his inventions, particularly the co-axial escapement, and his uncompromising standards altered modern watchmaking’s possibilities.
The story is also about mentorship. Daniels did not simply make extraordinary objects; he shared the ideas, drawings and discipline that allowed the next generation to carry his work forward.
Inside The Manufacture: Why Fam al Hut Is Pursuing Manufacture Status
Fam al Hut’s Taicang facility puts design, engineering, prototyping, machining, assembly and quality control under one roof. That proximity gives the young Chinese independent brand the ability to test, correct and evolve ideas quickly—an especially valuable advantage when the goal is haute horlogerie rather than simply rapid production.
Its “engineering first” philosophy and continued development of the award-winning MARK 1 Möbius show how seriously the brand takes control of the work. Manufacture status here is less a marketing label than an operating principle.
Louis Erard’s Manuel Emch and His Personal Relationship With Time and Watches
In this installment of “Twelve on Time,” Manuel Emch explains the watches and ideas that have shaped his perspective—from the A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 to the Cartier Crash and the Louis Erard × Alain Silberstein Tourbillon. His central point is refreshingly direct: watches need character, authenticity and a reason to continue mattering after the first rush of discovery.
For younger collectors, his advice is useful: follow curiosity, not hype, and choose the watch that remains exciting after the novelty has worn off.
Meet Bonniksen: The New Watch Brand Reviving the Carrousel, the Tourbillon’s Long-Lost Rival
The Carrousel was invented in 1892 by Danish-born Coventry watchmaker Bahne Bonniksen as a rival to the tourbillon. Now founders Maximin Chapuis and Jason Chevrolat are bringing it back in a hand-crafted wristwatch through the Naissance d’une Montre 4 project.
With support from the Time Æon Foundation and Greubel Forsey, the pair is building an under-40mm watch that exposes its inverted calibre from both sides. It is a serious effort to preserve difficult manual skills while giving a nearly forgotten mechanism a contemporary future.
Shadow Icons: The Underappreciated References Behind Every Great Watch
Every icon casts a shadow. This thoughtful survey looks at watches that sit just outside the spotlight: the Overseas beside the 222, the Sea-Dweller beside the Submariner, and the Zenith A384 beside the A386.
For collectors, these references can offer a more personal way into a brand’s history. They may be less obvious, but they often preserve the same design DNA while giving their owners a story that is not already universally agreed upon.
We Bought a $500 Counterfeit Rolex So Good, Even Rolex Didn’t Spot It
A $500 counterfeit Rolex passed through a Rolex flagship store for a bracelet adjustment without being identified as a replica, illustrating how sophisticated “super clone” watches have become. The investigation follows the online communities, quality-control rituals and social-media channels that have helped sustain the trade.
The watch still had flaws for trained eyes to find, but the broader warning is clear: authentication now demands more than a casual look, especially when a counterfeit can imitate the details once thought to be decisive.
New Watches
A Closer Look At The New Bulova Shelby Racer Chronograph LE
Bulova’s Shelby Racer Chronograph Limited Edition celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Daytona Coupe with a 40.5mm steel case, a high-precision quartz chronograph and a silver dial that borrows the visual language of automotive gauges. A racing-stripe bracelet, 100m water resistance and sapphire crystal keep it usable beyond the display case.
The $1,495 package includes a 1:24 silver-plated Daytona Coupe model, a presentation box and an extra brown leather strap. It is an enthusiast’s set designed for the person who sees watch collecting and car collecting as adjacent passions.
Henri Grandjean & Cie Unveils the Magician Atrivm Green and Red Sapphire
The Magician Atrivm arrives in dramatic green and red sapphire cases, each built around a triple-axis tourbillon that appears to float within the watch. Its three cages rotate at different speeds, while Grand Feu enamel, Breguet-style numerals and a day-night display give the spectacle a traditional counterweight.
The hand-wound calibre 1831 is a 38.5mm movement with 218 components, a 42-hour reserve and elaborate finishing. At CHF 990,000 and available only by private viewing, this is unapologetically rarefied watchmaking.
The Charming Kiwame Tokyo Yane Is Like Putting A Japanese Temple Roof On Your Wrist
Kiwame Tokyo’s Yane takes its profile from traditional Japanese temple roofs, translating their slopes and tiles into a compact rectangular 316L steel case. The Kuro and Enji versions pair black or burgundy lacquered dials with a Miyota 6T27 automatic movement, sapphire crystal and Italian calf leather.
Pre-orders opened August 19 for $730, with 200 pieces of each color planned and delivery expected in December. It is a charming example of a small brand drawing on a cultural reference without turning it into a costume.
The New Norqain Independence Skeleton Titanium DLC
Norqain’s latest Independence Skeleton places its open-worked automatic movement inside a 42mm Grade 5 titanium case treated with black DLC. Red-gold-toned indexes and hands, white X1 Super-LumiNova and a red-tipped seconds hand give the dark architecture welcome warmth and contrast.
The COSC-certified NB08S is based on the Sellita SW200-1 and provides a 41-hour reserve. Available on black rubber from €4,850, the watch balances a high-impact skeleton aesthetic with 100m water resistance and daily-wear resilience.
Version Watches, and a Uniquely French Take on Midcentury Design
Founded in 2024 by Cybèle Vigneron and Carla Lanfranchini, Version Watches brings a designer-first sensibility to the independent space. Its V01-LCC uses a bisected dial, latticework and etched lines inside a 38mm case informed by Bauhaus geometry, the LC4 Chaise Longue and French automotive design.
Priced at $1,850 and powered by a Sellita SW200-1, the debut has genuine visual conviction. A forthcoming collection inspired by French aeronautics and Concorde suggests the brand has found a strong territory to explore.
Reviews
Rare Bird: The Aerospace Repetition Minutes Breitling Left Behind for a New Playbook
The Breitling Aerospace Repetition Minutes, reference E65362, is a wonderfully unusual 1996 proposition: a quartz watch with an electronic minute repeater. Its Calibre 65 also offered local time, a second timezone, chronograph, countdown, alarm and battery-life display, all operated through a single crown.
Successive generations added larger cases, SuperQuartz-based movements, illuminated LCD displays and even a detachable UTC module. Discontinued in 2023, the Aerospace remains a rare tool watch whose technical imagination feels ahead of its time.
The Versatile Traveler Watch: Bamford London GMT Forged Carbon Review
Bamford London’s GMT Forged Carbon pairs a cushion-shaped case with a genuinely useful travel complication. The Sellita SW330-2 automatic movement provides a 56-hour reserve, while an internal rotating 24-hour bezel keeps the watch’s multi-time-zone display clean and distinctive.
At 40mm wide, 11.7mm thick and 46.5mm lug-to-lug, it is more compact than its muscular visual language suggests. The forged-carbon version starts at £1,800, offering a lighter, more textured alternative to the steel models.
The Yellow Gold Minerva The Unveiled Chronograph Limited Edition 30
Minerva turns its movement outward with this 43mm yellow-gold, reversed-calibre chronograph. The hand-wound monopusher movement, complete with column wheel and 50-hour reserve, sits on the dial side beneath a skeletonized sapphire ring, making its brown-coated German-silver plates the visual centerpiece.
Limited to 30 pieces and priced at €84,000, it combines traditional Minerva chronograph credentials with a remarkably theatrical presentation.
Editorial
Which Watch Business To Invest In Now?
The latest comparison of publicly traded watch businesses finds Japanese manufacturers leading the recent return table, with Seiko Group, Citizen Watch and Watches of Switzerland Group materially outperforming several Swiss luxury peers. Valuation is part of the case: Japanese groups generally trade at more grounded earnings multiples, while the biggest Swiss names can look expensive relative to their watch exposure.
The larger takeaway is that the market’s growth is not confined to the traditional Swiss luxury model. Value-oriented products, Asian manufacturers and the secondary market are increasingly important forces in where watch demand—and investor attention—goes next.
Video
I’m Mad at NOMOS (NOMOS Tetra 27 Review) — Britt Pearce
Britt Pearce gives the NOMOS Tetra 27 a candid examination, weighing its design appeal and build quality against the frustrations that may matter most to an owner. It is an honest look at whether a watch with a strong visual identity delivers enough in daily use.
My Honest Take on Morgan Stanley’s Secondary Watch Market Report — WatchGuys
WatchGuys unpacks Morgan Stanley’s secondary-market report, focusing on what the data may actually mean for collectors and market participants. The discussion looks at brand performance, liquidity, demand and the danger of treating headline market data as a simple buying signal.
Unboxing Omega, Fears, Seiko and Norqain — Random Rob
Random Rob unboxes a varied selection from Omega, Fears, Seiko and Norqain, offering first impressions and close looks at the details that distinguish each piece. For collectors who enjoy the tactile side of watches—the packaging, finishing and early wrist reaction—it is an easy watch.
Auction Report
August 19 Auction Result: Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF 40 Platinum Blue Skeletonized
The 2025 Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF 40 Platinum Blue Skeletonized was bid to $76,000 but did not meet reserve. Against its usual $79,000–$125,000 trading range, the result was only 3.8% below the low end, which suggests real interest rather than a lack of demand. Still, a bid is not a sale: the seller’s reserve prevented the market from establishing a fresh public comp, and the no-sale underscores how thin the buyer pool can be for high-value, niche precious-metal watches.
The Colorful Contrarian: Girard-Perregaux’s Deep Diver Heads to Auction
The 2025 Girard-Perregaux Deep Diver, reference 39500-21-3266-6CX, is the sort of modern limited edition that makes immediate sense once it is on the wrist. Its 40.3mm by 38mm Grade 5 titanium cushion case is compact and unusual, while the orange, white and blue dial gives it a visual identity that is far removed from the neutral luxury-sport formula. The watch is a 350-piece collaboration with Bamford Watch Department, created as a modern interpretation of Girard-Perregaux’s 1969 Deep Diver.
Beneath the bright exterior is the in-house GP03300-2339 automatic movement, with a 46-hour power reserve, date display and 200m of water resistance. The internal rotating bezel and the original pair of colorful rubber straps reinforce the watch’s purpose-built personality. This unworn example comes complete with box, papers, product literature, hangtags and extra straps, an especially desirable package for a limited edition still early in its collecting life.
The value question is straightforward. The watch launched at $15,100 and is now listed at $15,900, but auction results have been more restrained: public sales have landed around $8,932, $9,450 and $12,443. That range reflects the challenge of a relatively new, non-core reference in the secondary market, not necessarily a lack of appeal. For a bidder who appreciates the design and wants a full-set, unworn example, the current auction may offer an opportunity to buy well below retail.
Bidding closes today, Thursday, August 20, 2026, at 5:10 p.m. EDT. The Deep Diver is not the obvious Girard-Perregaux purchase, and that is exactly its strength. It offers real brand history, limited production, unusual proportions and an exuberant design language in a category crowded with safer choices.
Current bid: $7,861
Losing Time
Today’s Big Hublot Losers at Auction on Grailzee
Hublot’s resale market continues its campaign against retail optimism:
Big Bang 44MM Carbon Fiber — Asked $12,665; bid $4,500. It missed by $8,165, or 64.5%. The market essentially offered “nice watch; here’s a third of your number.”
Big Bang Unico 45MM Skeleton — Asked $20,000; high bid $13,500. A comparatively civilized miss of $6,500, or 32.5%—still not enough to clear, but at least someone brought a serious offer.
2023 Spirit of Big Bang Meca-10 — Asked $15,000; bid $7,000. Short by $8,000, or 53.3%. Being a 2023 model did not stop depreciation from arriving early and enthusiastically.
2018 Spirit of Big Bang 42MM — Asked $30,305; high bid $13,500. The biggest dollar gap: $16,805, or 55.5%below ask. A strong reminder that original price and resale reality can be distant relatives.
Across all four, the combined asking prices totaled $77,970 versus $38,500 in final/high bids—a collective shortfall of $39,470, or 50.6% below ask.
The takeaway: Hublot can command attention, but generally not proportional resale money. The stronger offer on the Unico suggests that the most recognizable, technically interesting Big Bang variants can retain value better, but the broader pattern is clear: buyers appear to price these watches at roughly half of ambitious asking levels. Sellers should expect the secondary market to reward rarity, condition, and realistic pricing—not the original MSRP’s fond memories.
Thank you for spending part of your day with BuyingTime Daily. Keep looking past the obvious—the next great watch story is often waiting just outside the spotlight.