News Of The Week by The Fourth Wheel

About News Of The Week by The Fourth Wheel

A weekly audio bulletin that summarises the most important news from the world of luxury watches, published every Tuesday from the UK www.thefourthwheel.co.uk (https://www.thefourthwheel.co.uk?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Chris Hall

Category

leisure · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

13 Jan 2026

Latest episode

14 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

21 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   14 Oct 2026

   News Of The Week: October 14th 2026

   Hello and welcome back to the Fourth Wheel’s weekly news bulletin. As I say in this week’s podcast, it happens to be quite a visual update, for which I apologise. I’m interested in new watches from MB&F, Baltic and Serica and confused by one from Sea-Gull. Do people really want to wear a completely upside down watch? The main takeaway from MB&F’s reimagining of the LM1 is disbelief that it could possibly be fifteen years since it first launched. Tim Barber and I included it on our list of the most influential watches of that period - a list you can listen to here, if you missed it the first time round. Also looking to its back catalogue is Vacheron Constantin, which announced the 34 watches that make up its first - and the world’s first - concours of haute horlogerie. Drawn from around 550 submissions, they are predictably fantastic; I wonder if it will move the needle for the market in the way that it is so clearly intended to. Little by little, perhaps - but looking at Phillips’ regular run of business, the market is currently looking in a rather different direction. Blue-chip brands like Patek aren’t exactly going anywhere, but the specific references that are grabbing the attention are oh so esoteric. I got lost in the catalogue for the house’s upcoming sale, which contains just one proper steel Rolex sports watch, and this terrible Laurent Ferrier. On a happier note, I am always interested to see signs of life in the marriage between watches and cars - a relationship that has gone somewhat stale recently. I didn’t mention this on the podcast, but the sight of Williams F1’s team principal James Vowles enthusing warmly about their new collaboration with Girard-Perregaux made me think of 1984. We have always been at war with Eurasia! We have always been sincere and heartfelt admirers of G-P, ever since their contract with one of our competitors came to an abrupt end. Anyway, this isn’t really about that. I thought Serica’s Parade made good sense as a concept car dashboard clock, and I really enjoyed how good Breitling’s ‘flying B’ looked on the wings of this Aston Martin Valhalla. Small things, yes, but sometimes that’s ok. In my haste, I overlooked the news that Breitling has also introduced ‘social clubs’ - a natural extension, perhaps, of its townhouses and pop-up cafés. Say what you will about the lifestylification of the retail space, but I would rather spend time in Breitling’s Regent St flagship than the boutiques of its competitors. They all feel somewhat artificial, but a comfy sofa and a pool table beats an awkward stool and cold counter any day of the week. That said, I wonder if brands overestimate their pull on their clientele. Even AP never seems to have anyone actually in its houses, just hanging out. But what do I know? Community is certainly a potent force. It works for the indie brands, the pre-owned dealers and the grass-roots organisations, so I don’t begrudge the institutional brands having a go. Behind the scenes, I am keeping tabs on Basilia, the trade fair attempting to emerge from the ashes of Baselworld. It put out a press release to tell us that 70 per cent of its 400-odd exhibitors were booked in, including around 70 companies from the watch industry, but so far no names have been made public. I’ll be very curious to see which brands felt it was a necessary addition to their already busy calendars. As I mention in the episode, I am wearing a Longines and absolutely loving it. Not words I thought I’d have much cause to use in that order any time soon. I’ll be writing up a full review for this Friday; the question is not so much whether Longines can make a good watch, but whether it can make us want a Longines at all. Stay tuned, and hit that big orange button up there if you’re not yet subscribed. Links discussed in today’s episode: * The worst Laurent Ferrier (https://www.phillips.com/detail/laurent-ferrier/236573) * The MB&F LM1 Evo (https://www.mbandf.com/machines/mbf-machines/legacy-machines/lm1-evo) * Vacheron Constantin’s Concours d’Elegance de Horlogerie (https://www.vacheron-constantin.com/gb/en/maison/concours-elegance-horlogere.html) * The Baltic Hermetique ‘The Rift’ (https://baltic-watches.com/en/products/hermetique-the-rift?variant=59986117034368) * Serica x Peugeot (https://serica-watches.com/en/pages/serica-peugeot-rcz?srsltid=AU7gw4WCKW8JWvRIqb_QJV8XU4-8q0b4spI6Kdme-gD_krQwZoFjfqNv) * Breitling x Aston Martin (https://www.astonmartin.com/en-gb/our-world/news/2026/10/13/a-bespoke-breitling-super-chronomat-designed-exclusively-for-aston-martin-valhalla-owners) * Basilia (https://www.basiliajwf.com/) * The Sea-Gull 1963 Utopia Night Sk (https://seagull1963.com/products/seagull-1963-utopia-night-sky)y Thanks for listening. I’ll see you back here next time for more. Chris Get full access to The Fourth Wheel at www.thefourthwheel.co.uk/subscribe (https://www.thefourthwheel.co.uk/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

2. 

   6 Oct 2026

   News Of The Week: October 6th 2026

   Hello and welcome back to the Fourth Wheel’s weekly news bulletin. Back from Berlin and buoyed up by the experience, I must say. Such a great city. Anyway - this week was a really interesting one, I thought, and it is a longer episode as a result. I kick off with Zenith, which has released a one-off design in partnership with furniture brand USM. I like the watch, but this really gave me an opportunity to talk about Zenith’s brand partnerships and why this one could help shore up its brand identity (in ways that perhaps not all of its partnerships have done in the past). What I actually didn’t say on the podcast, because I was too busy talking about brand marketing, was that I think this is a classic example of a watch that looks great in pictures and might be quite hard to wear in real life. But it’s a one-off for charity, so I think the normal rules don’t quite apply. It’s a statement. Last week I spoke about the speculation around Omega’s Bond watches. I’m pleased to have been at least partly right in my predictions, but less pleased that the Spectre watch didn’t really lean into the huge potential that celebrating Bond villains could offer. Also, there is a detail that I don’t think everyone has twigged; it’s not earth-shattering, but small details are watch enthusiasm through and through. I could not let Seiko’s latest release go unmentioned: a real panda chronograph. This is so much fun and although (see previous newsletters) I’m not always Team Fun, I love seeing it from Seiko. Next on the menu is jewellery: specifically, AP’s Royal Oak range. I’m not here to trash it, per se: creatively I think it’s perhaps not quite there, but strategically I think it aligns with my recent thoughts on risk-taking, and commercially I think it’s a no-brainer. I speak a bit more about this, and what it means that watchmakers are lending their aesthetic out to jewellery designers or embracing the world of accessories. Last but by no means least, I got stuck into Deloitte’s latest industry report. This came out last week and is dedicated to the supply side of Swiss watchmaking. I came away even more worried about the future of the industry than I was before… Links discussed in today’s episode: * Zenith x USM (https://pressroom.zenith-watches.com/zenith-usm-reflect-on-time-with-a-unique-defy-chronograph-for-timeforart/?lang=eng) * Omega James Bond Editions (https://www.omegawatches.com/timeless-adversaries/james-bond-edition) * The limited edition set from Omega (https://www.omegawatches.com/en-gb/watch-omega-seamaster-diver-300m-co-axial-master-chronometer-42-mm-21083422003001) * Seiko’s Panda chronograph (https://www.seikoboutique.co.uk/product/seiko-power-design-project-limited-edition-panda-in-white-hhk001/) * The 2024 Power Design Project (https://by.seiko-design.com/powerdesignproject2024/en/) * Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak Jewellery (https://www.audemarspiguet.com/gb/en/jewellery-collection) * Rob Corder on jewellery retail (https://www.watchpro.com/jewellery-is-golden-for-watches-of-switzerland/) * Voutilainen x Sauvereign (https://www.sauvereign.com/) * Konstantin Chaykin’s “Master Of Days” cufflinks (https://konstantinchaykin.com/collections/watches/accessories/master-of-days/) * Deloitte Supplier Report (https://www.deloitte.com/ch/en/Industries/consumer/perspectives/swiss-watch-industry-spotlight-supplier-universe.html?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email) Thanks for listening. I’ll see you back here next time for more. Chris Get full access to The Fourth Wheel at www.thefourthwheel.co.uk/subscribe (https://www.thefourthwheel.co.uk/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

3. 

   30 Sept 2026

   News Of The Week: September 30th 2026

   Hello and welcome back to the Fourth Wheel’s weekly news bulletin. This week’s episode comes to you a day late - apologies - because I have been in Germany for the Nomos Forum, a fun annual event that I described on Instagram as part factory tour, part product launch, part networking mixer and part educational seminar. I also made time to visit Felipe Pikullik in Berlin, which was fascinating and will be the subject of a future Friday newsletter. Apologies are also necessary for the slightly variable sound quality on this episode; I neglected to take a proper microphone with me and as a result the levels are a bit all over the place. Nomos provides the first newsworthy item - and the only watch discussed that I had the pleasure of seeing first-hand, sad to say. The new Club Sport Worldtimer might be my favourite of the family so far, and there was plenty else shown under embargo that I was keen on as well. I touch briefly on the mysterious social media campaign that indicates we’ll soon get a new Bond watch from Omega - but could it really be a watch for the villains this time? Why else would the site be showing the Spectre logo? I wonder. There was a lot of scurrilous speculation swirling at the Forum about the sale of four mega-bucks Daytonas on Monday; suffice to say no-one really knows very much, but as with all things Rolex-connected and anything where tens of millions change hands, there is a degree of prurient fascination. My angle on the whole thing is a bit different; I’m looking at it as a continuation of Rolex’s recent habit of doing very un-Rolexy things. I also wanted to take a moment to give my thoughts on the new Breguet Marine, Louis Vuitton Monterey and Grönefeld 1941 Quadrivium. Do let me know what you thought of all three! Last but not least, some news closer to home (and yet also thousands of miles away): I am going to be working as one of the hosts / speakers at The Escapement in Las Vegas next February. You can buy tickets now - see link below - and it’d be great to see some of you there. Links discussed in today’s episode: * The new Nomos Club Sport Worldtimer ‘Dark Mode’ (https://nomos-glashuette.com/en/watches/new-releases/club-sport-neomatik-worldtimer) * The Escapement (https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-rolex-four-seasons-daytona-collection-sells-for-a-combined-dollar494m) * Indies NYC (https://www.indies.nyc/) * The Mystery James Bond Omega (https://www.omegawatches.com/en-gb/watch-omega-seamaster-diver-300m-co-axial-master-chronometer-42-mm-21030422003004) * Rolex’s Daytona sale, per Hodinkee (https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-rolex-four-seasons-daytona-collection-sells-for-a-combined-dollar494m) * Drake’s iced-out Rolex (https://www.esquire.com/uk/watches/a73441666/drake-one-off-rolex/) * The new Breguet Marine (https://www.breguet.com/en/watches/marine) * Louis Vuitton’s new Monterey (https://www.wallpaper.com/watches-jewellery/louis-vuitton-monterey-watch-ss27-paris) * The Gr (https://www.gronefeld.com/collection/1941-quadrivium)önefeld 1941 Quadrivium (https://www.gronefeld.com/collection/1941-quadrivium) Thanks for listening. I’ll see you back here next time for more. Chris Get full access to The Fourth Wheel at www.thefourthwheel.co.uk/subscribe (https://www.thefourthwheel.co.uk/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

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