Back when the original version of this Marathon Watch OSAR-D watch was being produced, it was never sold to the public. That watch was known as the Marathon SAR-D (“search and rescue, with date”) and is the timepiece that immediately preceded the now iconic Marathon GSAR (“general search and rescue”). The main difference between the two watches is the dial, and more specifically the use of traditional painted or tritium gas tube illumination for the dial. As a supplier of military and professional-use watches, Marathon was quick to employ self-illuminating tritium gas tubes into a host of their products starting…

I am a big fan of the Tudor Pelagos FXD Chrono “Cycling Edition,” but the Black Bay Chrono? Not so much. Neither the black and white versions nor the steel and gold model ever struck a chord with me. And the pink version? Well, once I saw it on a wrist in Geneva, it made me think of a chronograph with a similarly colored dial I like, the Zenith Chronomaster Sport Pink, so appreciated it, but it also wasn’t love at first sight. You can imagine my skepticism, then, when the Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Blue” Boutique Edition was assigned…

—————– If you have to purchase a ball bearing and are given the limits of the various manufacturers, then this defines what you can build, but when you can change the parameters based on another, more important aspect of the watch, this provides more creative freedom. Now this need for engineering freedom may not actually apply in this scenario but it gives a good sense of what Strehler and UhrTeil AG can do by being in control of their own production, and the Sirna is a great example of putting your capabilities to work to create quality engineering. The economies…

Buffy Acacia Stone dials may now be the biggest trend since green dials took off, with everyone from microbrands to high-end independents embracing the variances of natural materials. While we kind of expect to see this sort of experimentation from both ends of the brand size spectrum, a release from Zodiac is almost direct confirmation that stone dials are in the mainstream. It’s not a huge brand itself, but as a subsidiary of Fossil, it’s not exactly a risk taker. The new Zodiac Super Sea Wolf Stone Dial models are limited editions that explore two popular stones: malachite and lapis…

One of the first brands to invert a movement and showcase it on the dial, Glashütte Original just released the PanoLunarInverse, a sibling of the PanoLunarTourbillon and PanoMaticInverse.Like the earlier models, the PanoLunarInverse has key parts of the movement on the dial, including the balance wheel, escapement, and three-quarter plate that’s finished with with pyramid guilloche. In addition, it features the brand’s oversized Panorama date at two o’clock and a large moon phase display.Initial thoughtsOlder Pano models tended to be conservative in style. The PanoLunarInverse, on the other hand, is modern in colour and decoration, setting it apart from its…

Bremont has undergone a drastic brand transformation in the last year or so, moving away from what many would consider their rather reserved British design language to something more daring and youthful. The Terra Nova could really be considered the focal point of this transition, a design nobody was expecting, with its oval cushion case, large stylized Arabic numerals, and sub-dials rivaling the contrast found on some of the most die-hard chronographs on the market.  During one of the busiest watch release times of the year, Bremont has quietly unveiled two new variants of the Terra Nova in collaboration with…