Carol Besler’s Top Ten from Watches and Wonders 2025

Like most journalists who swarmed the booths at Watches and Wonders earlier this month,Carol Besler saw about a thousand watches in five days. Most were amazing and surprising, some were forgettable, and others stand out as faves.

Presenting the Black Tulip by Annelinde Dunselman: New Independent Watchmaker, New Watch

“Making my own watch is a bit like flying like an eagle high in the sky, seeing everything hearing everything and going where I want.”

Cartier Tank à Guichets in platinum on the wrist

My First Hands-On Encounter with the Cartier Tank à Guichets: A Dream Come True!

Cartier Tank à Guichets: George Cramer hardly dares to say the name out loud. This is the Tank he has always dreamed of handling, but has never been able to do until now.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2 Reviewed by Tim Mosso: Sheer Spectacle!

Judged on the basis of sheer spectacle, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2 delivers. Whether presented in the hand or on the arm, the JLC Gyrotourbillon 2 is an event.

Ken Gargett’s Run-In with the KGB at the Kremlin

Midnight in Moscow, in the 80s during the Cold War,and Ken Gargett thought it would be a clever idea to head off down a dark alley with two strange Russians. What could possibly go wrong?

The One Hertz by Tim and Bart Grönefeld

Grönefeld One Hertz: A Collector’s Journey

GaryG has the pleasure of covering the wonderful Grönefeld One Hertz. For a watch fanatic, and especially for lovers of independent watch brands, it’s a dream come true to meet the makers of the watches that we admire.

Haute-Rive Honoris I: Incredible 1,000-Hour / 41-Day Power Reserve plus a Flying Tourbillon in a Very Wearable Watch

With 1,000 hours/41 days of power reserve, the Haute-Rive Honoris I is impressive yet doesn’t set any records, however, it outshines the competition because it’s so wearable.

Why I Bought It: Konstantin Chaykin Joker

When GaryG encountered Konstantin Chaykin’s Joker, whose “face” is literally just that with two googly eyes showing the hours and minutes with their respective pupils and a lolling red tongue displaying the phase of the moon, he was transfixed. And moments later he placed an order.

Omega Speedmaster 50th Anniversary Snoopy: The Beagle has Landed!

The Omega Speedmaster 50th Anniversary Snoopy has a wonderful story to tell. Its face and case back are pure fun with a mindful message of what was almost lost. All wrapped in the latest edition of what is without a doubt an iconic watch.

Cockfighting in Cuba: Visiting the Island’s Darker Side

Cockfighting is an undoubtedly barbarous sport and nothing here is intended to give it approval, however tacit, but in a land where the people are denied so much, where they have so little beyond music and dancing and their amazing love of life, it seems churlish to criticize from afar.