From big to small, September 2024 had it all. Apple Watch minted an entire new warehouse full of money with the launch of its new smartwatches, while elsewhere, the world of microbrands made its own moves releasing gorgeous stone dials and controversial fruit-inspired pieces. Industry events in Geneva and Hong Kong wrapped up 2024’s calendar of tradeshows, making room for the watch world to focus on the vaunted “Q4,” also known as the most important time of year for brands chasing holiday dollars. In addition to (finally) retailing the MoonSwatch online, September also saw Swatch Group attempt to leave its wallflower ways behind, dipping a toe into the collector-forward Geneva Watch Days event. Finally, Mike Razak takes us on a tour of the entry-level, bringing back a beloved series that’s laid dormant until now.
Hands-On Debut: Apple Watch Series 10 Aluminum & Titanium Smartwatches
Ask 10 watch collectors for an opinion on smartwatches, and you’ll get 11 different answers. Yet, while the divisiveness runs deep, one thing most aficionados can agree on is that the Apple Watch has outsized influence. Last month, aBlogtoWatch was on the ground in Cupertino for the launch of (among other things) the Apple Watch Series 10. With new colors, thinner bezels, and better performance — not to mention extended battery life — the latest iteration of the world’s most popular smartwatch raises the bar. Also featured this month: a special look at the biggest, baddest Apple Watch Ultra, our full review of the Series 10, and the $2,999 USD rose-tone smartwatch case that’s sure to make somebody very happy someday.
Source: aBlogtoWatch
The Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch Now Available For Purchase Online
The e-commerce strategy around the MoonSwatch has had more twists and turns than a telenovela. At its March 2022 launch, it was a Swatch boutique exclusive. Frustrated collectors were told to be patient as the watches would soon be available online. Then Swatch Group flip-flopped, deciding the meme watches would remain exclusive to select brick-and-mortar stores. Now, two-and-a-half years later, we’re told they’re going online! But wait, only for the U.S. and Chinese markets. Also, only four models will be available. While this is good news for those living far from the nearest Swatch boutique, the confusing and incomplete availability rivals the recent TAG Heuer x Kith collab for sheer perplexity.
Source: Fratello Watches
Industry Report: Geneva Watch Days 2024
The fifth edition of Geneva Watch Days was the biggest and brightest yet. David Bredan was on the ground to take it all in, and having digested the proceedings, he lays out what you need to know about the watch industry’s second-biggest (for now) trade show. The collaborative atmosphere was by many accounts inescapable, no matter how hard the Beau Rivage hotel staff tried to quash watch-talk in the lobby and cafes. One big takeaway: the tentative participation of Swatch Group brands at GWD could be a harbinger for things to come. The conglomerate’s first such appearance at an industry gathering since the demise of Baselworld in 2019 might give serious juice to this event as a competitor to the ascendant Watches & Wonders show.
Source: aBlogtoWatch
Hong Kong Clock And Watch Fair: A Party With Benefits Plus A Typhoon
Speaking of industry events, the watch world learned long ago that the Hong Kong Clock & Watch Fair (while less glamorous than its Swiss counterparts) is just as important. Marton Radkai of Quill & Pad lays out the sprawling bonanza that is the HKCWF with exhibitors hawking movements, packaging, design services, and bespoke pieces all under one roof. By nearly every metric — attendance, number of vendors, and sheer volume — the HKCWF is a bigger show than any on earth, yet it receives much less attention in Western watch press. Pulling back the curtain on the show reveals just about everything that makes the watch world tick.
Source: Quill & Pad
New Release: H. Moser x Studio Underd0g Passion Fruit Watch Set
It’s hard to believe that just four years ago, there was no such thing as Studio Underd0g. Founded essentially as a hobby project during lockdowns in 2021, Richard Benc’s lighthearted designs struck a chord with collectors looking for a little levity. Accessibly priced and with fun designs celebrating everything from pizza to strawberries, the British microbrand found a solid footing early on. And while reactions to the brand’s most recent collaboration with H. Moser & Cie. were initially positive, a rising chorus of complaint has arisen from Studio Underd0g loyalists frustrated to learn that the only way to get one of the new Passion Fruit chronographs is to also purchase Moser’s yellow and purple Endeavour Perpetual Calendar — at a cost of nearly $65,000 USD. Creatively, the Moser partnership makes sense, but it’s certainly a new direction for Studio Underd0g and an up-market move that takes most new brands decades to achieve.
Source: aBlogtoWatch
Microbrand NTH Watches Closes Up Shop
Nathanial Hawthorne said, “Families are always rising and falling in America.” The same expression can be adapted for microbrands around the globe. Just as the upstarts like Studio Underd0g seem to be hitting their peak, others are winding down operations. In September, brand co-founder Chris Vail posted a touching reflection on WatchUSeek — right where all the fun started. Ruminating on the highs and lows, laying out the unexpected realities of starting and running a business, and taking time to thank everyone who helped along the way, Vail’s words are a look back on nearly a decade of watchmaking. Design-wise, NTH always played it safe. But its spec-forward approach to watches made them popular among collectors looking for maximum value, minimal fuss, and a personal connection.
Source: Watchuseek
Cost of Entry: Zenith Elite Classic Watch
It’s back! After a hiatus of several years, Mike Razak has resurrected the Cost of Entry series focused on the lowest-priced option available from a given brand. September 2024’s relaunch focuses on Zenith, specifically the $6,100 USD Elite Classic. Likely the brand’s dressiest and least well-known offering, the Elite Classic won’t win any awards for mind-blowing specs: it’s got 50m of water resistance, 50 hours of power reserve, and it’s a straightforward three-hander with a date window. However, its elegant dial design, excellent finishing, and a supple blue alligator strap are the perfect introduction for unsuspecting watch shoppers about to get sucked into the watch-collecting orbit.
Source: aBlogtoWatch
Baltic Prismic Stone Dials Showroom Edition: Green Jade, Red Agate, and Lapis Lazuli
More than almost any other, Baltic has a reputation for continually improving its watches from the first iteration to version 2.0. When the French brand launched the Prismic earlier this year, fans were generally keen on the geometric small-seconds dial design and uniquely curved mesh bracelet, but September’s launch of the stone dial Showroom Editions really elevated things. Retaining the bracelet, the new versions jettison the dial’s complex series of shapes in favor of a simple array of polished markers that keep the focus on the underlying jade, agate, and lapis lazuli material. The result is a clean, eye-catching refinement of the original concept.
Source: Monochrome Watches
Superlative Podcast: Alan Tsao of Tsao Baltimore
Pizza watches aside, the UK doesn’t hold a monopoly on underdogs. Anyone who has tried to make a punchline out of once-struggling cities like Detroit or Baltimore is either a living under a rock, a writer on late-night television, or both. But for those paying attention, B’more has become that thing Americans love the most: an underdog. And it’s entrepreneurs like Alan Tsao who are making it so. On the Superlative Podcast, aBlogtoWatch founder Ariel Adams talks with Tsao about what community-building, enthusiast input, and what it means to be a part of Baltimore’s renaissance.
Source: aBlogtoWatch