Norwegian brand Straum is based in Oslo (with a Swiss product), and its major model collection (there are a number of versions) is the Jan Mayen. aBlogtoWatch first reviewed the Staum Jay Mayen when the collection premiered in 2023. Since then, Straum has created a number of different dial...
One of my all-time favorite Citizen models is the Promaster Tough, which has existed in a handful of different executions throughout the years, but has always remained an ultra-durable expression of a contemporary time-and-date field watch. When I first learned about the Citizen Promaster Land...
When rumors first started swirling that Swatch was teaming up with Audemars Piguet, I have to admit that I was highly skeptical the collaboration was actually real. Countless AI-generated renders only made the rumors feel less plausible, but the Audemars Piguet x Swatch Royal Pop is officially...
In 2026, the tourbillon regulation system is both the same and different from what it once was. Mechanically, the mechanism from the late 18th century that spins a balance wheel on its own axis in an ongoing circle hasn’t changed much since watchmakers started to prolifically install them in...
On this episode of Superlative, aBlogtoWatch founder and our host, Ariel Adams, sits down with Justin Jakobson, founder of Camp Watches, to discuss how industrial design, automotive culture, and personal storytelling all come together in modern independent watchmaking. Based in Los Angeles,...
For decades, watches in espionage thrillers have served a purpose beyond simple product placement. They are shorthand for a character’s priorities: precision, reliability, readiness, and the ability to function under pressure. In the upcoming Prime Video film Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War,...
Ever since I started covering the watch industry, I have noticed two important and contradictory trends related to my home market, the United States: The United States continues to be the most important market for watches (it has slipped to second place at times, but always jumped back to the...
If Rolex’s existing precious metal options are not enough for you, the most famous name in luxury Swiss timepieces has developed a new 18k gold alloy from its in-house foundry. Now, in addition to 18k yellow gold, 18k Everose (rose) gold, 18k white gold, and 950 platinum, Rolex has introduced a...
2026, it seems, is the year of the stone dial. Over the past few years, textured stone has become increasingly more common in brand lineups, but 2026 has seen the trend explode in popularity, especially on the more affordable side of the spectrum. On the face of it, this makes sense: the sort of...
This week on aBlogtoWatch Weekly, the team dives headfirst into one of the biggest problems facing the modern watch industry: pricing. From luxury brands continuously pushing prices higher to the growing success of microbrands delivering serious value, Ariel, Rick, Ripley, and David debate...
The annual JCK Show in Las Vegas has long been the gravitational center of the American jewelry trade. For 2026, though, organizers are highlighting watches, with the continued rollout of Timepieces at Luxury & JCK, a curated destination that’s quickly evolving from a side category into an...
The watch industry is currently living through the greatest democratization of complications ever seen. Tourbillons, chiming mechanisms, and other components that were the exclusive purview of the wealthy just a few years ago are now readily available at nearly every price bracket, but this...
