All reviews

Panerai · Manual winding · Watches on Screen

Schwarzenegger’s Panerai in Eraser: Luminor Marina 5218-203/A

Eraser · 1996 · Screen model

Eraser gives a Panerai Luminor Marina a close-up in its opening titles. Archival research identifies the screen watch as reference 5218-203/A, a scarce mid-1990s model from before the Vendôme era.

Hamilton · Manual winding · Watches on Screen

Khaki Field in Pearl Harbor: the pilots’ watch and today’s model

Pearl Harbor · 2001 · Screen model

Hamilton links its hand-wound Khaki Field Mechanical to the characters in the 2001 film Pearl Harbor. We separate the screen history from the specifications of today’s H69439363 with the H-50 calibre.

Armin Strom · Manual winding · Calibre analyses

Armin Strom Tribute³ Au750: why the AMW21 barrel works in reverse

The new Tribute³ Au750 puts its barrel on display from the dial side. Inside is the hand-wound AMW21 with a stated 100-hour reserve. Here is how the mechanism works and what that number means.

Omega · Manual winding · Model reviews

Omega Speedmaster Calibre 321 “Ed White”: mechanics worth a closer look

A 39.7 mm steel case, a historic column-wheel calibre and eight official photographs. An in-depth look at the “Ed White”, from Gemini IV to manual winding, wrist fit and a comparison with the Moonwatch 3861.

Armin Strom · Manual winding · Calibre analyses

Armin Strom ARF21: why a watch needs two balances and a spring between them

Two exposed balances work on the left of the dial, while time runs quietly on the right. We explore the hand-wound ARF21, its steel coupling spring and twin seconds using the Mirrored Force Resonance Manufacture Edition Blue, presented on February 28, 2023.

Breguet · Manual winding · Calibre analyses

Breguet 7727: why a mechanical watch uses a magnetic balance pivot

Magnets are usually seen as a threat to mechanical watches, yet in the Breguet 7727 they help support the balance staff. We examine the manually wound 10 Hz 574 DR, its 60-hour reserve and the limits of striking accuracy figures.

Longines · Manual winding · Model reviews

Longines Spirit Pilot Flyback: a blue dial and manual chronograph

The new blue 39.5 mm Spirit Pilot Flyback retains a manual chronograph that resets and restarts with one press. We examine what the L792.4 offers and where its compromises begin.

Hamilton · Manual winding · Model reviews

Hamilton Cushion Mechanical: hand winding in a 30 mm case

Hamilton has brought back the cushion shape of 1926. The H36109720 has a slim 30 × 30 mm case, a hand-wound H-42 with a 57-hour reserve and a £935 price at the UK store. Its calibre is based on the ETA 7001, an important part of this release's story.

F.P.Journe · Manual winding · Calibre analyses

F.P.Journe 1510: a small spring with a big job

In the Chronomètre Optimum, energy passes through two barrels, a one-second remontoire and the EBHP escapement. We examine why another energy store sits between the mainspring and balance, and why 70 hours of running do not tell the whole story.

Patek Philippe · Manual winding · Model reviews

Patek Philippe 5978P: the calendar changes in an instant

The new 5978P's perpetual-calendar displays change instantly and in sync. Patek Philippe combines this task with a hand-wound chronograph in calibre CH 29-535 PS QI, a reason to look deeper than the dial.

Grand Seiko · Manual winding · Calibre analyses

Grand Seiko 9SA4: why a wagtail lives inside the calibre

A hand-wound 5 Hz calibre with around 80 hours of reserve. Grand Seiko rethought the winding assembly and shaped one component like a bird, whose movement is visible as the crown turns.