Got a Minute? – Weekly Watch Round-Up (Mar 9–15, 2025)

It’s been an exciting week in watches! The biggest buzz: Rolex opened its largest European boutique on London’s Old Bond Street – a massive four-floor flagship where a green ribbon was cut by Rolex’s CEO alongside Watches of Switzerland’s chief​. Inside, Rolex flexes its heritage (even a Certified Pre-Owned section featuring rarities like a “John Mayer” Daytona) and shows that even in a digital age, brick-and-mortar bling is alive and well. And that’s just one highlight – we’ve also got fresh releases (including a wild new MB&F-affordable creation), sizzling deals, record-setting auctions, and watches making cameos everywhere from Hollywood red carpets to video games. Grab your coffee – let’s dive in!

📜 Deep Dive Saturdays – This Week’s Feature

Every Saturday, we take a closer look at a major watch topic. This week, it was The Evolution of Swiss Watchmaking.

Swiss watches are synonymous with luxury and precision today, but their dominance wasn’t always guaranteed. This week’s Deep Dive explores the transformation of Swiss horology — from its artisanal roots to surviving the Quartz Crisis and emerging as the global powerhouse it is now. Discover the fascinating journey of Swiss watchmaking and explore how Switzerland revolutionized the art of horology.

🔹 The early days: How Swiss watchmaking began and key innovations that set it apart.
🔹 The Quartz Crisis: The 1970s revolution that nearly wiped out traditional brands.
🔹 The rise of luxury: How mechanical watches made a comeback and defined modern horology.

📖 Read it here: 👉 The Evolution of Swiss Watchmaking

🆕 New Releases – Fresh Wrist Candy

Watch of the Week – M.A.D.Edition M.A.D.2: MB&F’s maverick spirit goes (somewhat) affordable again. The new M.A.D.2 rocks a funky turntable-inspired dial – grooves like a vinyl record and even a stroboscopic track on the rotor!​ Designed by longtime MB&F collaborator Eric Giroud, this 42mm “club kid” of a watch shows jumping hours and sweeping minutes in a pebble-shaped steel case​. It comes in orange or green (the green will be raffled to hopeful buyers). At a few grand, it’s basically a budget MB&F – no wonder fans are scrambling for a chance to snag one​.

Ice-Blue Breitling Navitimer QP: Breitling surprised us with a perpetual calendar chronograph Navitimer in stainless steel – a first for the brand’s flagship model​. Last year’s gold 140th-anniversary edition was ultra-limited and pricey; this new Navitimer B19 Chronograph 43 Perpetual Calendar is regular production and comes in under $30K (about half its gold predecessor’s price)​. It packs Breitling’s in-house B01 chronograph caliber topped by a Dubois-Depraz QP module, so you get chrono + full calendar in one iconic pilot watch. Fancy complications in a daily-wear steel Navitimer? Count us in – and no need to reset it until 2100!

Krayon Anyday – Mechanical “Planner”: Indie watchmaker Krayon (famed for mind-bending sunrise/sunset watches) unveiled the Anyday, a poetic complication that gives “a sense of your day, week, and month at a glance”​. Essentially, it’s a mechanical calendar planner – the dial shows all days of the month around the edge, with weekdays vs. weekends color-coded, and a crescent moon pointer jumps to each new date at midnight​. The movement packs 378 components into just 5mm thickness(!)​. It’s elegant, intuitive, and seriously complicated – expect a six-figure price and serious collector swooning over this one.

💰 Affordable Watches – Deals, Steals & Microbrand Spotlights

Haim “Global Citizen” Worldtimer: Chicago-based microbrand Haim Watch Co. earned a shoutout this week for its limited Viajero “Global Citizen” world-timer. Why the buzz? It delivers genuine world-time functionality for under $1,000 – using a Seiko NH34 GMT movement plus an added crown-controlled world cities ring​. The neat party trick: each city on the 24-hour bezel is written in its native language script, from English to Japanese to Arabic. Only 50 pieces are made, and enthusiasts are praising the cultural detail and the wearable 38.5mm case. If you’ve got wanderlust (or just enjoy seeing “Chicago” in red on a dial), this is a microbrand to watch.

Upcoming Sales & Drops: With spring upon us, keep your eyes open for seasonal sales at watch retailers and forums. We hear murmurs that some Seiko Prospex models might see discounts as new 60th-anniversary editions hit the market. And if you’re into indie brands, note that Atelier Jalaper and others have new models on the way – which often means early bird pricing or Kickstarter deals. In short: it’s a good time to be a value-conscious watch enthusiast!

🔍 Collector’s Corner – Auctions, Vintage & Value Moves

Auction Market Flex: The high-end auction scene remains strong. This week, Phillips wrapped up an online sale in Geneva with 100% of lots sold, totaling €3.68 million​. Top performers included an ultra-rare Jaeger-LeCoultre Atmos clock by Marc Newson that went for more than double its estimate​, and a Richard Mille RM17-01 that hammered at CHF 304,800​. Meanwhile, a pair of vintage Tudor Submariners with military provenance fetched $45,750 via a Hodinkee referral​ – showing that even “tool” watches can hit big numbers if the backstory is cool enough. The takeaway: the upper crust of watch collecting – be it modern RMs or vintage mil-spec pieces – is alive and kicking.

Vintage Spotlight – Bring A Loupe: Hodinkee’s vintage column featured some intriguing finds this week. A 1966 Rolex “Pre-Daytona” ref. 6238 in lovely condition is up for grabs, and the author notes this reference has been red hot among collectors lately (with perhaps ~3,000 ever made, supply is tight). Meanwhile, a funky early-’80s Patek Philippe ref. 3579 (a slim Calatrava in steel!) made an appearance – a reminder that not all Pateks are precious metal. In terms of recent sales: a pair of 1970s Tudor Submariner “Milsub” watches with consecutive serials sold for $45,750​, and a charming Universal Genève Compur went for $9,350 on the LoupeThis platform​. For every six-figure mega-auction, there are still sub-$10K gems to be found if you hunt diligently.

🌍 Industry & Business News – Moves, Shakes & Reports

Rolex Opens Bond Street Behemoth: As noted up top, Rolex and Watches of Switzerland cut the ribbon on a sprawling new flagship store in London. Spanning four floors and ~11,000 square feet, it’s the largest Rolex boutique in Europe. The shop is as much an experience as a store: walls in signature Rolex green, fluted bezel motifs in the decor, and a towering atrium with floating crowns. There’s even a dedicated floor for vintage and Certified Pre-Owned Rolexes, showcasing icons like Comex Submariners and meteorite-dial GMTs​. This opening underscores a trend of brands investing in big, branded retail spaces – controlling the environment (and pricing) of how their watches reach consumers. Also noteworthy: industry insiders see this as Rolex further strengthening its direct retail network, following its recent takeover of the Bucherer chain. The giant store is a flex of financial muscle and confidence in the UK luxury market.

🎞️ Cultural & Historical Insights – Watches in Life & Lore

Video Game Crossover – Hamilton in Death Stranding 2: In a blend of gaming and horology, Hamilton announced its latest pop culture collaboration: a limited-edition Boulton “Death Stranding 2” watch. It’s a sleek blacked-out version of the classic Boulton tonneau, now with futuristic detailing by famed game artist Yoji Shinkawa​. Not only is it limited to 2,000 pieces (at $1,495 each), but this watch will appear in the actual game when Death Stranding 2 launches in June​. That’s right – your character in-game will wear the same watch you can buy and wear IRL. This kind of cross-media storytelling (recall Hamilton did similar in Far Cry 6 with a Khaki Field model) is a growing trend. It exposes a younger gaming audience to mechanical watches in a very organic way. Plus, it’s just cool to see a virtual Norman Reedus checking his Hamilton while delivering packages across apocalyptic landscapes.

Watches & Wonders Preview – History Repeating: With Geneva’s big watch fair on the horizon (end of March), there’s chatter about commemorative models. One likely highlight: Rolex might honor the 70th anniversary of the Submariner (first released 1953) – possibly with an homage model or special dial. If they do, it would echo how Omega celebrated the Seamaster 300’s 50th with a throwback edition. Also, Vacheron Constantin has its 250th anniversary just two years away, and rumors suggest they’ll start releasing limited “pre-anniversary” Historique pieces (maybe a revival of a vintage chronograph) to build hype. In short, expect brands to keep leveraging their deep histories to captivate today’s audience, because in watchmaking, heritage sells.

🌐 Watch Community Buzz – Forums, Social Media & Fan Picks

Reddit Reacts to Oscars: The r/Watches subreddit lit up with a megathread on the Oscars watches, garnering over 2,000 upvotes and hundreds of comments​. Enthusiasts debated who had the best watch flex (the consensus: Andrew Garfield’s JLC Reverso was pure class, while some felt Timothée Chalamet’s vintage Cartier stole the show for uniqueness). Others playfully suggested an “Oscars Watch Award” be added – because why should only movies get Oscars? It’s all in good fun and shows how events like this rally the community. The thread even had a handy list of each celeb and their watch, compiled by a passionate user​ – great to share with that friend who asks, “hey did you see what watch so-and-so was wearing?”

Trending Topic – “One Watch” Dilemma: A popular discussion across multiple forums this week: If you could only wear one watch for the rest of your life, what would it be? This age-old hypothetical got revived on r/Watches and the Watchuseek general forum, and the answers might surprise you. Many responders eschewed hyped models and picked all-rounders: watches like the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra, Rolex Explorer, and Grand Seiko “Snowflake” were frequently named for their versatility. One highly upvoted comment simply said: “the one my child gives back to me in 30 years,” reminding us that sentimental value can trump spec sheets. It’s a wholesome thread that cuts to why we love watches in the first place.

Poll Results – Best Microbrand 2025 (so far): A community poll on WatchCrunch asked enthusiasts to vote for their favorite microbrand launch of the year to date. The winner? Furlan Marri’s Sector Sport by a sizable margin, followed by the new Studio Underd0g x Fears “Gimlet” chronograph in second place. Voters cited Furlan Marri’s design execution and value, and loved the collab story of the Gimlet (British heritage meets playful indie flair). These polls are a great temperature check on what’s resonating with hardcore fans – it looks like retro-inspired chronographs are still the darlings of the microbrand world in 2025.

⏳ That’s a Wrap!

Thanks for hanging with us through this watch-filled recap! We covered a lot – from new launches and record auctions to forum gossip and beyond. Which story had you checking your wrist or your wallet? If you enjoyed this newsletter, feel free to share it with a fellow watch enthusiast – spread the love (and the lume). 💡

Before you go: we’d love to hear from you – hit reply and tell us what was your favorite release this week or what you are looking forward to. Your feedback helps make this newsletter tick. 😉

Stay tuned for next week’s edition – Watches & Wonders Geneva is right around the corner, and rumor has it Rolex and others have some game-changing releases in store. We’ll have all that and more. Until then, keep enjoying the hobby, wear your watches in good health, and remember: time is always on your side if you’re wearing a great watch.