Bow down. The Freak deserves your respect. In fact, the Freak is the mack daddy of everything we call Nouvelle Horlogerie. In 2001, a bizarre and unexpected watch appeared from the Ulysse Nardin atelier in Le Locle, and it shook the world of watchmaking on its very foundations. This world was not yet ready for an alien-like mechanical watch without hands, without a crown, and without a dial that told time. The men responsible for creating this abnormality were Ulysse Nardin’s visionary former CEO Rolf Schnyder and genius watchmaker Dr. Ludwig Oechslin. The movement of the Freak took center stage…

Ulysse Nardin first forged its reputation as a world-leading manufacturer of marine chronometers in the 19th Century, and carried forth that horological stock-in-trade into the 20th as a prolific maker of nautical-themed luxury wristwatches. In the 21st Century, however, Ulysse Nardin’s identity has been indisputably defined by the game-changing and utterly unprecedented timepiece that it first launched in 2001 — yes, nearly a quarter-century ago now — the aptly named Freak.  As I cover in much greater detail in this feature, the original Freak was the first watch designed to tell the time without hands, dial, or a crown in…

Sometimes, you don’t necessarily need to reinvent the wheel to make something appealing. Sometimes, a simple twist can result in an appealing new version of a known watch. Sometimes, keeping things classic is the best. Well, this is exactly what Nomos, the Glashutte-based watchmaker with a Bauhaus twist, has decided to do by introducing two new editions of classic models. And while the brand has been rather active in fun and colourful editions recently, the new Nomos Orion Neomatik and Tangente Neomatik Doré Editions are all about discreet elegance. While the big news recently at Nomos was the introduction of…

Continuing with affordable complications, H. Moser & Cie.’s latest is the Endeavour Chronograph Compax, a collaboration with Massena Lab. The most affordable Moser chronograph, the new Endeavour is powered by an in-house calibre with an added chronograph module.Loosely based on Moser’s 1940s pocket watch chronographs, the Endeavour Chronograph has a “Compax” layout with twin registers, luminous Arabic numerals, and a historical Moser logo. But it’s presented in classic Moser style with a “funky blue” gradient dial.Initial thoughtsVintage reissues are common but Moser does them sparingly, mostly sticking with its signature minimalist, contemporary designs. The Endeavour Chronograph is the brand’s first…

To start this article, let me ask a quick question: can an abundance of something good lead to overkill? Let me be a bit more specific. I love the Hamilton Khaki Field collection. It’s one of the watch world’s most loved and respected series. I adore multiple models, like the white-dial Khaki Field Murph, the black-dial version of the Khaki Field Mechanical in bronze, and the black-dial Khaki Field Auto on the bracelet. And these are just three out of six or seven versions that tickle my fancy. With the introduction of the new Hamilton × Engineered Garments Khaki Field…

Although the “color revolution” of the past several years may have slowed down somewhat in the second half of 2024, we’re still living through a more colorful and varied watch industry landscape than ever before. Among all the hues that have proliferated in the past several years of watchmaking, though, few can match the popularity and staying power of green. For its latest release, Frederique Constant adds to the enduring power of green with one of its most attractive and intriguing verdant offerings to date. The new limited-edition Frederique Constant Classic Worldtimer Manufacture in forest green adds a new facet…