Big appeal, small package: the Tsunami from Hajime Asaoka

Why I Bought It: Hajime Asaoka Tsunami – Reprise

This is the story of a daily-wear watch: the Tsunami by Japanese independent watchmaker Hajime Asaoka. It’s not a “beater” as it’s too beautifully made for that description, and some folks justifiably take offense at characterizing a five-figure expenditure in those terms. But it is a watch that GaryG suspects that he will be wearing a lot and in a variety of settings.

Creator Conversation: An In-Depth Discussion With Ming Thein Of Ming Watches

Ming Thein kindly discussed a far-ranging set of questions on his past, present, and future with GaryG. What follows are what Gary considers the best of many highlights of that revealing chat.

Why I Bought It: Kudoke Flieger Concept (KFC)

Bhanu Chopra recently picked up his unique piece Kudoke Flieger Concept from Stefan and Ev Kudoke over lunch at their favorite steakhouse in Dresden, Germany. Here he describes how and why he fell in love with this unique one-off timepiece and what makes Kudoke’s watches so special in general.

RGM Caliber 801 Classic Enamel

RGM Pennsylvania Series 801 Classic Enamel Offers Traditional Timelessness Bridging Past, Present, And Future – Reprise

When brands look to the past to find the absolute best details to combine into a killer timepiece, the result can be a terrific diver, a classy chronograph, or, in the case of American watchmaking company RGM, a fantastic pocket watch-inspired, enamel-dialed wristwatch like the Pennsylvania Series 801 Classic Enamel. Joshua Munchow feels this watch stands apart as a culmination of the brand’s ideology.

Habring2 Chrono-Felix Panda: Relatively Affordable, Eminently Wearable, In-House Monopusher Chronograph

At only 38.5 mm in diameter and 10.5 mm in height, the Habring2 Chrono-Felix Panda is almost as svelte as its time-only sibling Felix, and the absence of a customary second pusher for the chronograph’s reset function makes it look much lighter than a two-pusher chronograph. Elizabeth Doerr fell in love with this test watch and was sad to send it back after the review; find out why here.

Ressence Type 2A/2G: Is This Electronic-Mechanical Hybrid Timepiece The Future Of Mechanical Watchmaking?

With concept cars, it is typical for most of the features on the prototype to be weeded out once the design is optimized for manufacturing. The electronical-mechanical Ressence Type 2 is the complete opposite, Joshua Munchow says, as it has retained pretty much every single thing the concept watch of 2018 offered and has only improved in function. Is the Ressence Type 2 the future of mechanical watches?

Our Predictions In The Chronometry Category Of The 2020 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG): Our Panel Is United, But Not Unanimous

In the GPHG Chronometry category, we find mechanical watches that contain at least one tourbillon, and/or a special escapement, and/or another development improving precision timekeeping. What we don’t find, though, is much hard data regarding precision like timing test results or in most cases even a second hand. Precision watches without a second hand? Despite that, our panel predicts a clear winner.

Theo Auffret Tourbillon à Paris: Oh Là Là! A Very French Take On Traditional Watchmaking

French independent watchmaker Theo Auffret has called Paris his professional home for many of the last eight years. His debut watch, the Tourbillon à Paris, is both testament to his watchmaking philosophy and a fine example of French tradition in practice.

New Chronoswiss SkelTec And Opus Chronograph: Contemporary Skeletonizing Bares All

Both the Chronoswiss SkelTec and the new Opus chronograph show that Chronoswiss is on track to continuing the innovation begun with 1995’s Opus chronograph. Anders Modig takes a dive into contemporary skeletonization with two brand-new models by the brand, including two reboots of the original Opus.

Our Predictions In The Men’s Category Of The 2020 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG): All 6 Are Potential Winners But Our Panelists Ruthlessly Whittle Them Down

Relatively simple men’s watches are perhaps the most popular watches by sales, and the nominated watches in the 2020 GPHG highlight that this is a vintage year for the genre. So it’s not surprising that our panelists are split three ways in their predictions for the winner. Find out what we think about all of the contenders and how ruthless we were in comparing them here.