The Reading Room
Watch news and stories, selected for the club.
Updated 18 September 2026
Reading notes
This week
Czapek Promenade L’Écume des Jours
Rebecca Doulton hands-on covers Czapek’s Promenade L’Écume des Jours — a 38mm steel limited edition of 18 with a Boris Vian–inspired Grand Feu enamel dial and in-house calibre SXH5.1.
Blancpain Lady B
Xavier Markl covers the Lady B — a 19mm spherical steel or red-gold mechanical watch marking 70 years of the Ladybird, with strap-through caseback and manufacture calibre 615.
Grand Seiko Elegance SBGW325
Brice Goulard introduces the Elegance SBGW325 — a 37.3mm steel limited edition of 600 that revives the Arabic-numeral layout of the first hand-wound 9S (SBGW003) with calibre 9S64.
Glashütte Original 70s Collection
Denis Peshkov introduces the reworked 70s integrated sports watches — a smaller 39mm steel case, hexagrid dials, and manufacture Calibre 36 with conventional date.
Rolex Perpetual Padellone
Brice Goulard covers Rolex’s Perpetual Padellone return — a 39mm Everose or platinum dress watch with annual calendar, meteorite moonphase, and Dynapulse calibre 7190.
IWC Ingenieur Automatic 50th-anniversary limited editions
Robin Nooy’s first look covers IWC’s Ingenieur Automatic 40 IW328910 and 35 IW324909 — silver-brushed dials marking 50 years of the Genta-designed Ingenieur SL, limited to 1,150 each.
Venezianico Redentore Levius
Denis Peshkov covers the Redentore Levius’s grade-5 titanium case, rose-engine Zefiro guilloché dial, and Italian-made hand-wound V5000 calibre.
MB&F SP One Pavée
Rebecca Doulton covers the SP One Pavée’s 38mm white-gold case with 255 diamonds framing the floating barrel, balance, and tilted blue dial.
Louis Moinet Moon Meteor
Denis Peshkov on the Moon Meteor’s titanium case, miniature-painted celestial dial with meteorite fragments, and astronomical moon display, limited to twelve.
Formex Essence FortyOne Arctic White
Tom Austin’s hands-on covers the Essence FortyOne’s re-proportioned 41mm steel case, Case Suspension System, and Arctic White dial over a COSC Sellita SW200-2 Power+.
Christophe Claret returns under Lotus Two AG
Walid Benla covers Christophe Claret’s post-insolvency restart via Lotus Two AG with Lotus Singapore, with Claret staying creative force and new pieces expected late 2027–early 2028.
Orient Star Sakigake Three Hand
Ben Hodges hands-on with the Sakigake Three Hand’s 38.7mm Contemporary design reset that drops the long-running power-reserve indicator and date for Orient Star’s 75th year.
Bulgari Octo Finissimo Dual Time × Vianney Halter
Russell Sheldrake’s hands-on covers Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo Dual Time with Vianney Halter — the maison’s first outside movement collaborator — in titanium and rose-gold limited editions.
Cartier’s 2026 Roadster revival
Seth Semilof details the revived Roadster’s Medium and Large tonneau sizes, blue PVD or white dials, 1847 MC / 1899 MC automatics, and QuickSwitch straps.
Fayy Manman Panda with inner painting on sapphire
Walid Benla covers Fayy’s Manman Panda — a 39mm titanium debut with Chinese inner painting on the sapphire underside and disc time displays, limited to 50.
Raymond Weil Millesime tuxedo small seconds
Ariel Adams hands-on with the black-and-white Millesime Small Seconds tuxedo dial on the familiar 39mm steel case.
Tudor Northflag hands-on
Griffin Bartsch goes hands-on with the new Northflag’s 40mm steel case, MT5652-U flyer GMT, and integrated bracelet update of the 2015 North Flag.
Earlier this month
Berneron Mirage 38 Miroir, the inverted watch
Denis Peshkov’s hands-on covers Berneron’s Mirage 38 Miroir — a gold asymmetrical dress watch whose Calibre 283 mirrors the movement into the dial architecture.
Chopard L.U.C 1963 Heritage chronograph and regulator
Adrienne Faurote introduces the L.U.C 1963 Heritage chronograph in Lucent Steel and the white-gold regulator, each limited to 25 for Fleurier’s 30th year.
ArtyA Complexity Métiers d’Art double inclined tourbillon
Denis Peshkov covers ArtyA’s Complexity Métiers d’Art — a sapphire-cased piece with two inclined Conillon tourbillons linked by a differential and extensive hand finishing, limited to nine.
King Seiko VANAC titanium and 145-year blue
Matthew De Jesus on the VANAC’s grade-5 titanium regular-production trio and the 800-piece HKF004 steel edition with Seiko Blue for the brand’s 145th anniversary.
Cyma Grand Maestro Steel Cross chronograph
Denis Peshkov’s first look covers the Grand Maestro Steel Cross’s 43mm steel chronograph with ceramic tachymeter bezel and ETA 7753.
A. Lange & Söhne Triple Split in platinum
Lex Stolk on the Triple Split’s return in a 43.2mm platinum case with a rhodium dial, still limited to 100 pieces.
Panerai Luminor Firenze 8 Giorni for Florence’s 100 years
Denis Peshkov covers the Luminor Firenze 8 Giorni PAM01734 Platinumtech and PAM01794 steel pair marking a century of Panerai’s Florence boutique.
Tutima Patria Small Seconds in titanium and gold
Brice Goulard introduces the Patria Small Seconds in polished grade-5 titanium with a silvery clou-de-Paris dial and solid 18k gold hands over calibre 617.
Chronoswiss Neo Digiteur Pastel Code
Tom Austin’s hands-on covers the Neo Digiteur Pastel Code’s Rose, Sky, and Mint jumping-hour digital-regulator dials, each limited to 99.
Hublot Big Bang Original 20th Red Magic and All Black
Ariel Adams goes hands-on with the Big Bang Original 20th-anniversary Red Magic and All Black ceramic chronographs.
David Candaux DC6 Wildfire
Denis Peshkov’s first look covers the DC6 Wildfire’s UD-carbon cladding, bright orange anodised dial, and 30-degree inclined flying tourbillon, limited to eight.
Beauregard × Vianney Halter Ulysse Saint-Petersbourg
Xavier Markl covers Beauregard’s Ulysse Saint-Petersbourg with Vianney Halter — a rose-gold lacework dial of 85 hand-carved gems and hands driven from peripheral gearing.
Czapek’s two Geneva-flagship blues
Tom Austin on Czapek’s Quai des Bergues Midnight in Geneva aventurine steel LE and the platinum Place Vendôme Complicité Glacier Blue for the new Geneva flagship.
King Seiko Vanac HKF005 Tokyo-night dial
Brice Goulard introduces the Vanac HKF005’s dark glitter dial meant to evoke Tokyo’s city lights at night, on the familiar 41mm steel Vanac case.
Lange’s smaller limited 1815 Up/Down editions
Zach Kazan covers A. Lange & Söhne’s limited 1815 Up/Down models in a 37.5mm white- or pink-gold case with a cool blue dial.
Greubel Forsey’s more compact blue GMT Balancier Convexe
Rebecca Doulton on the blue GMT Balancier Convexe’s slightly smaller titanium case and new dial-side power-reserve hand beside the rotating globe.
Christiaan van der Klaauw Planetarium Skeleton in platinum
Denis Peshkov’s first look covers the Planetarium Skeleton’s openworked sapphire dial over the six-planet orrery in a 40mm platinum case, limited to six.
Louis Vuitton’s five new Tambour Spin Time models
Russell Sheldrake’s hands-on walks the five-model Tambour Spin Time update, from the green white-gold base piece through Australia’s Opal and the salmon platinum Air Tourbillon.
Chronoswiss PULSE GMT Silver Guilloché
Ripley Sellers goes hands-on with the titanium PULSE GMT Silver Guilloché and its pair of independently set hour hands on a silver guilloché dial.
Montblanc’s gold Nicolas Rieussec Chronograph LE 100
Rebecca Doulton covers the rose-gold Star Legacy Nicolas Rieussec Chronograph Limited Edition 100, with luminescent archival inscriptions on the dial.
Nomos Orion Gold Neomatik New Black
Denis Peshkov introduces the Orion Gold Neomatik New Black, pairing an 18kt gold case with a deep black dial.
Favre Leuba Deep Raider Day Date in two-tone
Lex Stolk goes hands-on with the Deep Raider Day Date’s steel case and yellow-gold PVD accents on the bezel, crown, and bracelet.
TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Sport, smaller and sharper
Sean Lorentzen’s hands-on debut covers the next Carrera Chronograph Sport’s smaller, slimmer case and more motorsports-focused presentation.
Union Glashütte Seris Small Second
Mohak Gupta introduces the Seris Small Second’s compact 36mm steel dress case with a small-seconds layout.
Four unique Rolex Daytonas for a charity auction
Nacho Conde Garzón reports Rolex’s four gem-set Cosmograph Daytonas for Phillips, each themed to a season, with proceeds earmarked for charity.
Awake Sơn Mài Frosted Leaf Ultraviolet
Tom Austin looks at Awake’s Sơn Mài Frosted Leaf Ultraviolet, whose dial is built from layered Vietnamese lacquer.
The best new watches from Geneva Watch Days 2026
Robin Nooy’s post-show buying guide picks across Geneva Watch Days 2026, from Doxa and Zenith to Greubel Forsey.
Chanel’s entirely blue ceramic J12, 38mm
Ariel Adams goes hands-on with Chanel’s all-blue ceramic J12 in 38mm, built around the in-house Caliber 12.1.
Geneva Watch Days: the week’s releases at a glance
A broad Geneva Watch Days roundup, from Baltic’s travel watch to new releases by Lange and Laurent Ferrier.
Marcu Initial: a watchmaker puts his own name on the dial
Jérôme Marcu’s debut pairs diamond-tipped hands with steel counterweights, a small engineering problem explained in Monochrome’s close look.
Kerbedanz 65’27’’ — hour disc and diamond alignment
Peter Chong explains the rotating hour disc whose diamond meets the minute hand, and he finds the prototype finishing only mid-level.
M.A.D. 3 Vincent Calabrese at Geneva Watch Days
Peter Chong follows the M.A.D. 3’s rotating hour display and describes how it wears on the wrist.
How Daniel Roth makes the Extra Plat’s gilt dial
Fratello explains how the gold numerals emerge from beneath the Extra Plat’s black dial surface.
Teddy Baldassarre’s Geneva Watch Days picks
Teddy’s editors explain their personal picks, from a compact Oris to Ming’s unusual world-time display.
Inside the manufacture of the Swatch × Audemars Piguet Royal Pop
TanTan Wang visits the factories that make the Royal Pop’s movement and colorful Bioceramic case.
Updated 2026-09-18T12:21:07.000Z · Last 30 days · Discovery cutoff 2026-09-18T12:21:07Z
Checked notes from the last 30 days. Newest first. Yesterday’s links stay until they age out of the month.
One independently reviewed note: Czapek’s Promenade L’Écume des Jours, a literary-inspired Grand Feu enamel dress watch. Link goes to the original publisher; label marks primary reporting.
To watch and On X are empty in this edition: we only list video or social posts when publication time is independently verified.