swordsman

 From one-off haute joaillerie creations to established watch collections, Bulgari cleverly leans on Italy’s rich heritage for inspiration. The latest piece to benefit from such a move — because doors of priceless Italian heritage apparently tend to open for Bulgari — comes in the shape of the Bulgari Aluminium GMT Amerigo Vespucci Special Edition that we went hands-on with on its namesake ship, docked temporarily in Naples, Italy. Just a couple of weeks after Bulgari received approval to take over the 1,900-year-old Pantheon in Rome for a night for the launch of the record-thin Octo Finissimo Ultra, the brand finds itself in Naples and aboard “the most beautiful training ship in the world.” We are no authority on how training ships rank in terms of beauty, but the Amerigo Vespucci — a vessel that has trained generations of officer cadets since 1931 — is certainly a childhood dream ship come real. Bulgari explains, “The call to explore and to excel is the basis for the audacity, co...

 In the current materials arms race sweeping across the watch industry, one of the most unique and eco-friendly concepts to emerge is the implementation of reclaimed ocean plastics. Over the past several years, usage of ocean-sourced recycled plastic for cases and dials has spread across the industry, spearheaded in many cases by Swiss plastic reclamation specialist #tide. Timex is the latest brand to jump aboard the reclaimed ocean plastic trend, with a new series of affordable, classic styles in bright and appealing colors. With summery colorways, handsome details, and an environmentally conscious core message, the new Timex Waterbury Ocean series brings the ocean-sourced plastic trend to a new, democratic segment of the watch market. Available in both 37mm-wide and 42mm-wide sizes, the reclaimed ocean plastic cases of the Timex Waterbury Ocean line follow a classic profile in images. The overall shape should be familiar to enthusiasts, with tapering athletic lugs, replica uhren ...

 Economies of scale are a funny thing. Industry consolidation can reduce the redundancies created by many firms, all spending resources to accomplish basically the same goal. During the Quartz Crisis of the 1970’s, this forced the hand of many watch firms, leading in many ways to the industry landscape of the watch world today. Critics say consolidation like this leads to stagnation and creative decline. If all the big brands are owned by a handful of companies, is there really that much incentive to innovate? The new Seiko 5 Sports GMT line seems to indicate that there is. In a moment when the world is reeling from record-breaking inflation, wallet-busting energy prices, and just a general feeling of un-grooviness, the Japanese watchmaker has pulled back the curtain on a sub-$500 automatic GMT movement that leaves us pinching ourselves. First, some context. As many watch aficionados are aware, the simple math behind watch movements is this: generally, the more it does, the pricier...