Watches

Coverage of watches and the watchmaking business, from The New York Times.

Highlights

Factories That Do More Than Make Watches; They Sell Stories
Watchmakers are investing in new manufacturing sites to signal expertise and court clients.
By Milena Lazazzera
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He Taught Himself Watchmaking and Left the Factory Floor Behind
Qian GuoBiao started repairing watches while working in a factory in China. Now, he is presenting his brand in Geneva for the first time.
By Melanie Abrams
CreditLam Yik Fei for The New York Times
1. A Watch Brand With a Decidedly French Swagger
  March LA.B, founded in 2009 to fill a gap in the market between “the small guys and big guys,” is making its Watches and Wonders Geneva debut.
  By Rachel Felder
  CreditDmitry Kostyukov for The New York Times
2. A New Watch Fair Arrives in Geneva
  A cohort of younger brand leaders has teamed up to present ‘a new wave of horology’ at Chronopolis.
  By Allen Farmelo
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A Cartier Jewelry Design Evolves Into a Timepiece
The Grain de Café, or coffee bean, motif from the 1930s has resurfaced in a watch.
By Milena Lazazzera
CreditSilver Screen Collection/Getty Images
How Watches and Wonders Became a ‘Reflection of Its Time’
Four watch world insiders discuss the ways in which their industry’s biggest annual event has evolved and why they are happy to share the stage with influencers.
By Rachel Felder and Karsten Moran
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Novel Ideas Lift a Swiss Watch Brand
Elie Bernheim, the chief executive of Raymond Weil, has confidence in his “accessible luxury” business model.
By Robin Swithinbank
CreditDarren S. Higgins for The New York Times
How Can Watchmakers Stop the Trade in Fakes?
Technology is helping, but industry insiders concede it’s an uphill battle.
By Nazanin Lankarani
CreditSwiss Watch Federation FH
Adapting the Principles of Engineering to Make Watches
The tech-focused leaders of the British brand Apiar aim to stretch beyond watchmaking’s traditional material and manufacturing constraints.
By Thor Svaboe
CreditJeremie Souteyrat for The New York Times

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Universal Genève Returns to the Watch World With New Models
The brand has undergone a two-year rebuilding after it was acquired by Breitling in 2023.
By Robin Swithinbank
Watches and Wonders Geneva: A Week in Time
A look at what’s new at the Geneva fair.
By Robin Swithinbank
At Tiffany, Watch Design Inspired by Its Own Jewelry Icons
The house has translated its paillonné enamel bangle, once favored by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, into a limited-edition timepiece.
By Milena Lazazzera
These Watches Are Personal, Unique and Made to Keep
For the ultimate in high-level luxury, buyers are commissioning timepieces that are special enough to be passed down through generations.
By Carol Besler
First of its kind, last of its kind
From Cartier, a Watch Like a Sports Car
The Roadster, which first launched in the early aughts and takes inspiration from midcentury convertibles, has looped back around.
By Chantel Tattoli
Geneva Watch Week Seeks to Brighten Watchmaking’s Future
At Watches and Wonders, dozens of brands will be introducing new collections.
By Robin Swithinbank
The TAG Heuer Monaco Evergraph Sparks a Revolution
The timepiece updates the square-cased watch design from the 1960s with an inventive chronograph movement.
By Robin Swithinbank
He Got Rich Buying and Selling Luxury Watches. Was It a Ponzi Scheme?
Dominic Khoo made waves in Singapore as an investor in expensive timepieces. Now many of his clients accuse him of fraud.
By Sui-Lee Wee
Keeping Time at Madrid’s Royal Palace
José Antonio Gismera watches over some 190 antique clocks at the palace, winding them weekly and caring for them when they are “sick.”
By Chantel Tattoli and Emilio Parra Doiztua
1 Piece, 10 Budgets
Trade Your Smartphone for an ’80s-Style Digital Watch
These retro selections may have some new tricks, but they keep things comparatively simple.
By Jameson Montgomery