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​The BENRUS DTU Shield is a salute to heritage and heroism, unveiled fittingly on Veterans Day 2025. Drawing direct lineage from the DTU-2A/P field watch designed for the U.S. military in 1964, the new model revives the rugged elegance that defined an era of purpose-built timepieces. Created to meet strict military specifications, the DTU became an icon among service members for its clarity, reliability, and utilitarian beauty. A tool watch embodied the courage and discipline of those who wore it.
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The BENRUS DTU Shield — a modern revival of the legendary 1964 field watch — fuses military precision with contemporary craftsmanship, honoring generations of service and strength. 

​In its modern form, the DTU Shield retains the original’s spirit while embracing refined materials and contemporary engineering. The 38mm sandblasted 316L stainless-steel case, silver dial, and Old Radium Super-LumiNova details ensure enduring legibility, while the Swiss ETA 2892 automatic movement brings precision worthy of its legacy. It’s more than a reissue—it’s a resurrection of purpose, blending history and performance for those who still live by the virtues of reliability and resolve.
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With its sandblasted steel case, luminous markers, and Swiss automatic movement, the DTU Shield stands as both a tribute to veterans and a testament to timeless design built for the field and beyond. 

​BENRUS, founded in New York in 1921 by the Lazrus brothers, continues its mission of crafting watches “For the Brave, By the Brave.” The DTU Shield joins the DTU UB and DTU Phantom as part of the brand’s revitalized military-inspired collection—a cohesive line that celebrates both design integrity and American grit. 
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​Ralph Lauren has always designed from the heart outward—his work shaped not by trend, but by memory, admiration, and personal obsession. Watches have long been part of that personal universe. Ralph and his brother Jerry are true collectors with a deep love of patina, heritage, and the way an object tells a life story as it ages. That sensibility is evident in the newest additions to the American Western Watch Collection: cushion-shaped timepieces crafted from antiqued sterling silver or warm 18k gold, each featuring a brilliant turquoise dial. 
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Quintessentially Ralph Lauren. Entirely inspired by the vintage Native American jewelry and concho belts that have long influenced Mr. Lauren's designs.

​The turquoise nods to vintage Southwestern jewelry and concho belts Ralph has collected for decades, echoing the pieces seen in his Santa Fe influences and Double RL accessories. There’s a tactile honesty here. The cases and buckles are hand-engraved and aged in New York, while the leather straps are hand-tooled in Texas and burnished in Italy—every surface touched by human hands. 
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Cushion shaped in rose gold. Inside you'll find the self-winding caliber RL514, known for its precision and reliability, features 26 jewels, and offers a 40-hour power reserve.

​At the same time, these watches are undeniably serious horology. Inside is a self-winding mechanical movement crafted in Switzerland by Piaget for Ralph Lauren, making each watch not just a visual statement, but a refined piece of watchmaking. 
​What makes these watches special is not simply their material beauty—it’s their cultural origin story. They look like they belong inside a Ralph Lauren world of denim, silver buckles, old leather, ranch houses, and open sky. They feel personal, not performative. And in a landscape of sameness, that kind of authenticity is the rarest luxury of all. 
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Hermès has been on an undeniable tear lately, and the new Arceau Jour de Casting collection feels like the latest wink from a house that’s unafraid to treat timekeeping as a playground rather than a set of rules. Fresh off the delightful chaos of this year’s GPHG-nominated “Arceau Rocabar de rire” watch — a piece that reminded everyone that haute horlogerie can (and should) occasionally be unserious — Hermès leans even further into joy. The three new Arceau Jour de Casting models each feature a dog posed mid–glamour shot, complete with attitude, personality, and yes, couture-level collars. It’s the sort of audacity only Hermès could pull off convincingly — and with impeccable artisanship to back it up. ​
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This is "Amy," a limited edition of 24 featuring a hand-painted, engraved, and leather dial. Plus 71 diamonds on the white gold bezel and a rose-cut diamond for the crown.

​What makes these watches special isn’t just the imagery, but the obsessive craftsmanship behind them. Each dial is its own universe of technique: wood marquetry assembled like a puzzle, hand-engraving brought to life with delicate paint, cloisonné enamel that demands endless rounds of firing to achieve depth and nuance. These are métiers d’art pieces with a sense of humor, which is almost unheard of in an industry that typically equates seriousness with value. Here, artistry arrives with a grin.
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This is "Orson." He comes to life with a wood marquetry and leather dial plus 72 diamonds. Woof.

This release also underscores Hermès’ ongoing philosophical position: time is not something to dominate, but to play with. The companion exhibition, Hermès Time Suspended, makes that explicit — time as cinematic atmosphere, a moment held lightly, not gripped. ​
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This is "Taco." Taco is 38mm with a Manufacture Hermès H1912 mechanical self-winding movement, just like the others. A limited edition of 24.

​In other words, Hermès continues to prove it: luxury isn’t just rarity or technique. It’s permission. Permission to delight, to be strange, to take time less seriously — and to enjoy the absurdly beautiful along the way.
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The Unimatic Modello Cinque U5S-TA2 “10.15” is designed in collaboration with Hong Kong retailer, The Armoury.

​To mark fifteen years of The Armoury and ten years of Unimatic, two brands united by a devotion to craft and clarity of design unveil the Modello Cinque U5S-TA2 “10.15.” It’s a compact 36mm timepiece that channels the kinetic spirit of vintage racing watches into something bold, precise, and deeply wearable. 
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Simply sharp. Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds - the Modello Cinque "10.15."

​The red-and-white checkerboard outer track captures a sense of movement, offset by a matte white dial and minimalist red hands. Beneath its sleek exterior beats the reliable Swiss-made Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement — an engine tuned for endurance, not spectacle.
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The UNIMATIC and The Armoury Anniversary screw-down caseback.

​For The Armoury’s Mark Cho, this collaboration isn’t about a finish line but a lap marker — a symbol of progress shared by both houses. Each brand has spent a decade or more refining its craft, proving that great design is never static but constantly in motion. Limited to just 120 pieces, the Modello Cinque “10.15” celebrates the beauty of forward momentum. Information on availability can be found at The Armoury. 
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Blancpain’s new 38 mm Fifty Fathoms is a revelation—not because it’s smaller, and not because it comes in pink, but because it proves that a serious dive watch can wear a new color story without losing an ounce of credibility. Yes, it’s marketed “for women.” And no, that shouldn’t deter anyone with style instincts and a pulse. The truth is simple: great design transcends gender. A typically masculine icon, reinterpreted in a fresh palette, is often more exciting than yet another predictable black-and-steel diver. Even for those of us who hate pink (ME), this one is impossible to dismiss. ​
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Rugged credentials, irreverent exterior. A rethink of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms. Photos courtesy of Blancpain.

​The 38 mm case isn’t a downsizing exercise—it’s a complete rebalancing of the Fifty Fathoms silhouette, making the legendary diver feel proportionally refined on slimmer wrists. Offered in smoky black with 18k red gold, or a petal-pink dégradé dial in brushed titanium, the watch pairs mother-of-pearl shimmer with Blancpain’s most rugged credentials: a domed sapphire bezel, 300 meters of water resistance, and the Manufacture calibre 1153 with a 100-hour power reserve. The result is a timepiece that feels as couture as it is capable. 
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Normally, I hate the color pink. A very appealing Blancpain Fifty Fathoms is now available in bubble gum pink. Photos courtesy of Blancpain.

​This watch also carries a message—not about femininity, but about possibility. Blancpain connects the release to women exploring the ocean and documenting its fragility through initiatives such as the Female Fifty Fathoms Award, which celebrates underwater photographers and ocean advocates. But make no mistake: the real breakthrough is aesthetic. 
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Don't let the color fool you. The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms is a legend for a reason. Photos courtesy of Blancpain.

​Ultimately, this Fifty Fathoms isn’t about who it’s “for.” It’s about who has the taste to pull it off. If a watch is fabulous, it doesn’t matter how it’s labeled—you know it and like it when you see it. And this one? It’s a flex, a statement, and a fresh chapter in dive-watch design.
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Bangle watches are back—and they're stealing the spotlight, not supporting it. It seems the bangle has become the wrist obsession of 2025: bold, impossibly chic, and worn like fine jewelry that happens to tell time (see Cartier's Bangnoire Bangle, Van Cleef Cadenas). Demand has clearly opened the floodgates for a new era of jewelry-watch swagger, where elegance comes with edges.
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PREMIÈRE GALON watch, 18K yellow gold case set with 52 brilliant-cut diamonds, black-lacquered dial, 18K yellow gold crown set with a brilliant-cut diamond. Photos Copyright and Courtesy of CHANEL.

Chanel has entered a new era of ornamented wrists that feel modern when stacked with cuffs, chains, and stones. Women today aren't interested in a singular "statement" piece—they're creating wrist stories, layering textures and metals with a confident, more-is-more hand.
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PREMIÈRE GALON watch, 18K yellow gold case set with 52 brilliant-cut diamonds, black-lacquered dial, 18K yellow gold crown set with a brilliant-cut diamond. Photos Copyright and Courtesy of CHANEL.

​What sets the CHANEL Première Galon apart is its couture soul. Inspired by the braids that trim CHANEL's iconic jackets, the watch translates a house code into a rigid gold bangle that slips seamlessly into a stack. The black-lacquered dial is pure minimalism—no markers, no noise—allowing the bracelet's architecture to take center stage. It's available in sleek yellow gold or elevated with diamonds, but either way, the impact is the same: this is a jewelry watch engineered to be seen. 
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Stacked PREMIÈRE GALON watch, 18K yellow gold case set with black-lacquered dial. Photos Copyright and Courtesy of CHANEL.

And now, with designs like the CHANEL Première Galon pushing the category into contemporary territory, it's obvious where this is going. The future of women's watch collecting may not be about complications or connoisseurship—it's about styling power. The bangle watch has returned for one simple reason: women are done dressing down. Time, at last, looks like jewelry again—and it looks better in multiples.
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Even upside down (or right-side-up in the photo), it's chic. The CHANEL PREMIÈRE GALON watch. Photos Copyright and Courtesy of CHANEL.

​It doesn't ask for attention; it assumes it, merging Gabrielle Chanel's love of ornament with a modern appetite for bold, articulated wristwear. The Première Galon isn't about checking the hour—it's about dressing the wrist with intent, with identity, and with unmistakable CHANEL attitude.
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Piaget is returning to color—and charisma—with its latest collaboration alongside The Andy Warhol Foundation. The new Andy Warhol Watch “Collage” is a 50-piece limited edition that channels Warhol’s love of bold shapes, bright palettes, and beautiful objects. Inspired by one of his 1986 Polaroid collages, the watch reimagines Pop Art as wearable joy, filtered through Piaget’s unmistakable flair. ​
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The collage-style dial, various stones scattered like Polaroids. Photos courtesy of Piaget.

​Warhol wasn’t just an icon—he was an obsessive watch collector, owning more than 300 timepieces (including seven Piagets). His favourite, a striking 1973 cushion-shaped model, serves as the creative anchor for this release, revived in a stepped 45mm yellow-gold case that feels just as audacious today as it did during his Studio 54 era. 
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Smile! The Piaget "Collage" 50-piece limited edition, a collab with the Andy Warhol Foundation. Photos courtesy of Piaget.

​The dial is pure art-world alchemy: a marquetry mosaic of black onyx, pink opal, green chrysoprase, and yellow serpentine—small stones with big attitude. Powered by Piaget’s in-house 501P1 automatic movement and paired with a green leather strap, the watch is part sculpture, part statement, and entirely conversation-starter. 
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Art or watch? The Piaget "Collage." Photos courtesy of Piaget.

In true Warhol spirit, it blurs the line between art and object, proving that Pop belongs everywhere—even telling the time. Which raises the fundamental question: is this a watch you wear, or a watch you collect? With just 50 available, the answer might be “both.” ​
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​Alessandro Michele didn’t just design watches at Gucci—he built a fantasy. During his tenure as Creative Director, Michele’s timepieces became miniature extensions of his larger aesthetic world: 1970s glamour, androgynous chic, romantic symbolism, and maximalist storytelling. Today, collectors are beginning to realize what fashion insiders already suspect: the watches he created—from the retro-cool GG2570 to the skate-deck-smooth Grip—are future classics, destined to become talismans of a particular cultural moment.
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Unmistakable Michele dial touches: the cryptic phrasing and mystical imagery. Photos: Gucci.

What makes them so compelling is their unmistakable point of view. Michele embraced a genderless approach, erasing the old divides between “his” and “hers” and replacing them with a single, expressive vocabulary. He layered in personal symbols—the number 25, bees, stars, tigers, cosmic motifs—and designed rounded-square cases and throwback dials that felt ripped from the golden age of 1970s Italian style. Even at their most playful, his watches were grounded in intention and identity, turning each piece into a wearable piece of myth-making.
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Gucci is best known for its green and red stripes, interlocking GG's, and, during Michele's tenure, the addition of tigers, snakes, floral motifs, stars, and, of course, bees, as seen here. Photos: Gucci.

Then came the pivot from fashion to serious horology. With the GUCCI 25H, Grip, and G-Timeless high watchmaking collections, Michele ushered the brand into a new era, introducing the GG727.25 calibre—Gucci’s first in-house movement—and haute complications like tourbillons, moon phases, and hard-stone artistry. Suddenly, Gucci watches weren’t just accessories; they were legitimate watchmaking statements wrapped in unmistakable Gucci flair. It will be interesting to see if Demna, the recently appointed new Gucci designer, applies his subversive conceptual approach to future collections (I hope so!).
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The demand for steel sports watches knows no bounds. The GG727.25 calibre—Gucci’s first in-house movement. Photos: Gucci.

​That is why these pieces will age beautifully. They are not generic luxury products—they are artifacts of a creative revolution that defined Gucci in the 2015–2022 era. Just as Tom Ford–era Gucci is now a touchstone of late-90s fashion, Michele’s watches will soon be coveted markers of their time: bold, bohemian, fiercely individual, and absolutely unforgettable. For the collector who loves style with soul, the hunt starts now.
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The Gucci Grip foreshadowed the 2025 explosion of secret and covered dial watches. Photos: Gucci.

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​The Fam al Hut Mark 1 “Möbius” arrives as a bold debut from the Chinese independent watchmaker, fusing design audacity with technical sophistication. Born from a creative collaboration between Xinyan Dai and designer Lukas Young, the Möbius brings a forward-thinking design language to the emerging manufacture, setting the tone for a new chapter in Chinese independent watchmaking rooted in innovation, refinement, and mechanical ambition. The case eschews the traditional round form in favor of a pill-shaped capsule, measuring 42.2 mm in length, 24.3 mm wide, and 12.9 mm thick (rising to about 17 mm under the sapphire bubble) — proportions that might seem modest on paper but wear surprisingly well thanks to its ergonomic back-curve and polished concave flanks. What makes the case particularly striking is its unconventional surface and the way the sapphire dome gives the tourbillon beneath an unimpeded view, elevating the piece into the realm of sculpture. It looks entirely new. 
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The fascinating Mark 1 “Möbius” from Fam al Hut. Photos courtesy of the GPHG.

​Compact yet complex, the capsule-shaped case measures just 42.2 × 24.3 × 12.9 mm (about 17 mm including the sapphire dome), resulting in one of the most compact architectures ever to house a bi-axis tourbillon. Inside lies an in-house manual-winding calibre M-01T, developed by Fam al Hut, powering a bi-axis tourbillon along with a retrograde sweeping minute hand and a jumping-hour display. The brand has used the Möbius-strip concept not just as a naming device but as literal design inspiration: the tourbillon cage mimics the shape of a Möbius loop, while the dual-axis rotation and the time-display arcs convey a sense of infinity and looping time. On the wrist, this translates from mere functionality into visual theatre — this isn’t about quick reading of the time but about immersion in horological motion and form. 
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The Mark 1 “Möbius” has an innovative shape that looks entirely new. Photos courtesy of the GPHG.

​What impresses most is how confident and refined this debut effort looks and feels.
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A surprising new watch that looks and feels like the future. Photos courtesy of the GPHG.

​Often, the first watches from young independents come across as sketches or stepping-stones; the Möbius feels fully formed. It offers more than 200 hours of hand craftsmanship per piece, serious movement architecture, and finishing that lands it firmly in haute horlogerie territory. You can see how this piece will inform everything that follows. All at a price point that undercuts many comparable European independents. The fact that this is a home-grown Chinese high-end watchmaking effort only adds to the narrative: Fam al Hut is signaling that it intends to play with the larger market, and the Mark 1 Möbius is quite an announcement. The GPHG nomination proves it. If you’re drawn to timepieces that challenge norms, provoke discussion, and deliver mechanical magic, this one deserves a closer look.
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New York City played host to a rare kind of horological event this week—one that cut through the noise to remind collectors what true innovation looks like. On October 17, 2025, Hublot gathered a small circle of journalists, collectors, and industry insiders to celebrate its in-house UNICO chronograph movement, the technical heartbeat of the Big Bang and a genuine expression of the brand's Art of Fusion philosophy. Moderated by Wei Koh, the evening's panel—featuring Julien Tornare, Samuel Morel, and collector Roman Sharf—brought nuance and expertise to a space often muddied by online speculation. The message was clear: the UNICO isn't marketing—it's mechanical mastery.
​Developed entirely at Hublot's manufacture in Nyon, the UNICO movement stands as one of modern watchmaking's rare achievements. Its architecture is unapologetically bold: the column wheel and dual-clutch system are visible from the dial side—a technical and aesthetic flex that few brands dare attempt. Beneath that striking surface lies serious engineering: a flyback chronograph capable of instant reset, a direct-drive hour counter for improved reliability, and silicon components that enhance precision and reduce wear. Protected by five patents, the UNICO HUB1280 movement is the product of more than a decade of refinement—proof that Hublot's commitment to performance is as rigorous as its design language.
​As Julien Tornare noted during the discussion, Hublot's goal was never to imitate the past but to invent the future of the chronograph. The UNICO's 72-hour power reserve, modular construction, and visible mechanics speak to that mission. For collectors and critics alike, this is where opinion gives way to fact: the UNICO isn't just an in-house caliber—it's one of the few modern chronographs that marries industrial precision with artistic audacity.
​The night ended, fittingly, with hands-on watchmaking at the Hublot Watch Academy, where guests (including myself) examined the intricate anatomy of the UNICO for themselves (and failing miserably at screwing in the world's tiniest screws). Under the extraordinary glow of the New York skyline, the brand once again proved that its fusion of science, style, and soul isn't a marketing slogan—it's the very mechanism of its success.


​Author

This journey is a return to my roots and an expansion of the passion I've held across years spent with some of the most influential media houses in the luxury space. At Condé Nast and Hearst, I learned to appreciate storytelling that resonates as deeply as it informs—my time with Surface Magazine cultivated my fascination with the intersection of art, design, and culture, while Watch Journal and Watches International sharpened my focus on the storied elegance and precision of horology and jewelry craftsmanship. Each role has shaped my vision for this blog and my commitment to sharing these narratives with depth and authenticity.