If the name sounds familiar to you, it is no coincidence. There already was a Longines Heritage Military before but in the current collection, there’s only this one today and we review it today for you. RAF The Longines Heritage Military takes inspiration from the pilots watches used by the British Royal Air Force during […]
Visit Hands-On Longines Heritage Military Review to read the full article.
Minase is the name of a small village in Akita Prefecture, some 450 km north of Tokyo. The brand Minase has been in operation since 2005, and proudly bears the same name. Minase was founded by Kyowa, a renowned tool manufacturer that has been in business since 1963, specializing in step drills and also a […]
Visit Minase – Craft treasures for generations to read the full article.
One of the most puzzling watches in my collection. I always learn something new about this model as I research it, trying to put all the bits together. Yet the full story remains unclear. Therefore, this article will be slightly different than my other reviews on vintage pieces. Even after devoting exponentially more time to […]
Visit Automatic Flyback Chronograph Seiko 7016-8000 to read the full article.
One of the first things that you learn from watch magazines, blogs and collectors is that quartz watches are off limit. They lack soul, they are cheap or at least cheapen the watch and basically can’t be taken seriously when you’re into collecting watches. Whenever someone asks what my profession is, I tell him or […]
Visit You Asked Us: Does It Make Sense To Spend So Much On A Quartz Watch? to read the full article.
Even now, almost two decades since the Swatch Group announced their intention to cease supplying their rivals with ETA calibres, it seems the world’s most famous movement manufacturer is still the number one choice for most small brands. But if we dig beneath the surface we find that there are plenty of independent maisons to […]
Visit Schwarz Etienne – The ‘White Label’ Manufacture to read the full article.
Artisans de Genève introduce the Tribute to 6240 Tropical, an exclusive and innovative homage to the legendary Rolex Daytona 6240 model that acquired over time a very special and sought after “tropical” patina. An edition limited to 15 pieces, entirely made upon request. A unique “tropical” dial It took Artisans de Genève several years to […]
Visit Artisans de Genève Introduce Tribute to 6240 Tropical to read the full article.
This year commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Moonlanding. For Speedmaster fans, this means that it will be a big year for their beloved watch. Omega released Apollo XI editions since 1969, the first being the famous gold Speedmaster Professional with burgundy bezel, massive gold dial with onyx markers and gold bracelet. Only 1014 of […]
Visit Speedy Tuesday – An Overview of all Omega Speedmaster Apollo XI Models to read the full article.
This year marks many anniversaries. For instance: 75 years ago, D-Day happened in Normandy, France. That turned the fate of the Second World War for the better and resulted in liberating Paris soon afterwards (have you read our D-Day related watch review of Tockr?). In August, the rock and roll world will celebrate the 50th […]
Visit InDetail: RJ ARRAW 6919 to read the full article.
I’m not only a fan of the outside of a watch, but the inside and all its moving parts are what makes every watch tick. Fascinated by the countless innovations and improvements for watch movements, I picked out one. The improvement of having more power reserve and the distribution by a double barrel in this […]
Visit Watches & Pencils #46 – Double Barrel Movements to read the full article.
Welcome to This Week in Watches for February 24, 2019. I’ve just come back from roughly a week in Florida and it’s been a lot of Rolex for 7 days on the wrists of my fellow Floridians. Then there was a gent with a Louis Vuitton backpack (really L) and a solid AP Royal Oak […]
Visit This Week in Watches – February 24, 2019 to read the full article.
Swatch did not only save the entire watch industry in the 1980s, but it also played a key role in my youth and might be to blame that I am working full-time with watches today. I remember (and still have) my first Swatch watch (1991!) and many were to come. And I still purchase a […]
Visit Hands-On With The New 1500 Euro Swatch Flymagic to read the full article.
Context – political, sociological and cultural. When I put on any vintage watch I try to imagine what it was like to wear that particular watch back in the time it was new and fresh. When I put on the Harvel Date-O-Graph in the morning, I just can’t un-see the advert from 1943 published in […]
Visit Harvel Date-O-Graph to read the full article.
It was during Baselworld 2018 that Robert-Jan and myself met with Jacob Hatzidimitriou. Jacob had contacted us and would like to show us his Ianos Avyssos diver’s watch that he intended to introduce. Something which is asked us more often and, because the majority of these intentions have to be addressed as ‘well-meant but not pertinent […]
Visit About the Ianos Avyssos diver’s watch to read the full article.
Writing that vintage Seiko is very popular is slightly understated. It is huge. It is the brand that allows you to enjoy vintage references (that are even historically relevant) for a few hundred Euro or Dollars to highly sought-after vintage (Grand) Seiko references that will set you back a few thousand Euros or Dollars. Ever […]
Visit Meet The People Behind Ikigai – Selling Vintage (Grand) Seiko to read the full article.
As 2019 kicked off, the industry was buzzing for the star-studded luxury watch fair SIHH. Since the rise of the Independents in the past two decades, they have gained a reputation as the critics and connoisseurs’ favourites. FHH (Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie), the organiser of SIHH, clearly knew the Independents would draw a crowd. […]
Visit Show-Stoppers To Open 2019 Part II: The Independents to read the full article.
While it isn’t exactly breaking news, we have the lifting of an embargo on the new Breitling Curtiss Warhawk collection. Curiously, Breitling showed one of the models back in November, but we are now treated to a three-piece collection of non limited special edition watches. Let’s take a look. Breitling Curtiss Warhawk Collection Before we […]
Visit The Breitling Curtiss Warhawk Collection – A Trio Commemorating the 1938 Fighter Plane to read the full article.
Ever since the founders of Eza found their way to us we’ve kept in touch with them. It helps that we live in the same area and share several passions including watches, beer and cigars. Besides that, we simply like the Eza models and their sharp proposition. We’ve covered the Eza Sealander shortly after it was […]
Visit Introducing: The Eza AirFighter Blue to read the full article.
INTRODUCTION On the January 13th of 2019, the adventurer Matthieu Tordeur completed the expedition of his dreams : crossing the Antarctic in total autonomy over nearly 1150km at only 27 years old. An exceptional fight that lasted 52 days in temperatures down to -50 degrees. He thus became the first French and youngest explorer in […]
Visit Charlie Paris: Concordia to read the full article.
For this week’s Speedy Tuesday article, we talk to a guy who has been featured here before in 2015. He calls himself TLIGuy on the Australian based OmegaForums and is occupied with creating an overview of historic moments in manned spaceflight between 1965 and 2015, using Speedmaster case backs. He started in 2013 with this […]
Visit Speedmaster Signature Case Back Collection (50 Years In Space) to read the full article.
For many, the 18th century watchmaker represents the forefather of Haute Horlogerie. A visionary who, albeit was not born into a watchmaking family thanks to his stepfather picked up the trade and revolutionized it. In 1775, after marrying his fiancée, Cécile Marie-Louise L’Huillier the newlyweds set up their home and watchmaking company in Paris, at […]
Visit Breguet Classique 5177 Grand Feu Blue Enamel to read the full article.
If a book to be written about the history of German watchmaking from the beginnings until today, and a watch to be selected for the cover the result would be simple. Unequivocally the A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 would take that spot. I can’t think of any other timepiece that had such an impact […]
Visit Lange 1 25th Anniversary by A. Lange & Söhne – Hands On to read the full article.
Word is out that Seiko will be releasing a new diver on this year’s Baselworld, based on the iconic reference 6105. According to some sources, it will be the Seiko SBDX031 / SLA033 reference. It might be a bit like the re-edition of the Seiko 62MAS that resulted in the SLA017 (click here for a […]
Visit Before The new Seiko SLA033 Is Officially Announced, We Look At The Original Seiko 6105-8110 to read the full article.
Welcome to This Week in Watches for February 16, 2019. Let’s hope you still have some money left over from Valentine’s Day as we have some new watches to show that just might tempt you. What’s that you say? ,You blew all your money on renting a Gulfstream to whisk away your significant other to […]
Visit This Week in Watches – February 16, 2019 to read the full article.
On the 25th of December 2018, the man who probably had the biggest impact on Seiko’s modern history, and possibly the story of the modern watch industry in the 20th century, passed away. Tsuneya Nakamura reached the age of 95 years and a funeral service was held on the 4th of February in the city […]
Visit An Homage To A Great Seiko Figure: Tsuneya Nakamura to read the full article.
A little while ago we took a closer look at some of H. Moser & Cie’s 2019 SIHH novelties. I’m talking about the Endeavour Centre Seconds Concept Blue Lagoon, a beautiful and low-key albeit 100% Haute Horlogerie timepiece. If you are familiar with the brand H. Moser & Cie you probably know that they can […]
Visit H. Moser & Cie Swiss Alp Watch Concept Black – Hands On to read the full article.
It’s now been well over a year since the arrival of Georges Kern as CEO of Breitling. The first releases after his arrival fell into the new “Navitimer 8” series and while they were nice, some felt that they were a touch plain. Personally speaking, I like them and I think the neutral reception from […]
Visit Hands On With the Breitling Premier B01 Chronograph to read the full article.
For the first time in my watch collecting life, I wasn’t sure if the watch I just bought will work. It wasn’t the traditional stress that the watch might come dysfunctional or broken somehow. My concern was related to the construction of the watch, the way it was supposed to be operated and the movement […]
Visit #TBT Automatic Wyler Crichettino to read the full article.
Arguably one of the longest novelty-lists of the SIHH 2019 line up belongs to IWC. 14 watches, all various pilot’s models. All of them come from the four collections in the IWC’s Pilot’s family. These are the Spitfire, TOP GUN, Le Petit Prince and Antoine De Saint-Exupéry. From time-only pieces to chronographs all the way […]
Visit IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN Edition “Mojave Desert” to read the full article.
Five years after the release of the hit movie Interstellar, we’re treated to something that fans of the movie and watches alike have pined for: a serial production version of the Hamilton Khaki Field Murph. The 2014 Christopher Nolan film was incredibly popular and depicted Matthew McConaughey as a NASA physicist “Cooper” who travels via […]
Visit Hamilton Khaki Field Murph – a (Inter)Stellar New Release to read the full article.
A few weeks ago, whilst cleaning up my attic, I found a box with all sorts of watch stuff. Inside were also two discs that I received in December 2007. On there, an interview between astronaut Wally Schirra and Chuck Maddox. This interview was recorded on February 17th 2007 in Beverly Hills, a few months […]
Visit A Conversation With Astronaut Wally Schirra (by Chuck Maddox) to read the full article.
After the success with the Calypso watch, E.C.Andersson Watch Co. is back with a completely new design, their first professional diver and heavy-duty tool watch, made the Scandinavian way. Mentioning “heavy-duty” often makes us think of massive steel blocks, the E.C.A Denise is quite the opposite, sophisticated and refined, yet optimized for an active lifestyle.Designed […]
Visit E.C.A Denise – A very Scandinavian dive watch to read the full article.
The creations that come out of the design department of Davide Cerrato (Managing Director of Montblanc Watches) are spread out on a very wide scale. Some are affordable and modest. Others are complicated both in terms of watchmaking. All I’m saying is, that we should not jump to a conclusion when judging Montblanc and categorize […]
Visit Hands-On With The Montblanc 1858 Automatic Limited Edition to read the full article.
Fresh off embargo, we have the new Seiko Prospex Diver SPB107 – Topper Limited Edition. For those of you who don’t know Topper Jewelers, they’re a prominent authorized dealer of many brands and are located in Burlingame, California. I know the name quite well because a number of years back, Topper bought a load of […]
Visit New Release: The Seiko Prospex Diver SPB107 – Topper Limited Edition to read the full article.
Welcome to a late publishing of This Week in Watches for February 10, 2019. Apologies, but this is what happens when yours truly tries to upgrade his Mac’s OS after 4 years. I mean, why fix something when it isn’t broken – well, it finally broke and the fix didn’t exactly work. Anyhow, I’m back […]
Visit This Week in Watches – February 10, 2019 to read the full article.
This coming Wednesday, the Fortuna Exchange auction will take place. A monthly live auction where you can bid on watches and jewellery. In this month, Fortuna offers 45 watches of which we selected 4 to show you. Rolex Milgauss 1019 The rare Rolex Milgauss reference 1019 is a watch that was meant for engineers and […]
Visit Four Highlights Of The Upcoming Fortuna Auction On February 13 to read the full article.
We recently learned that, chaired by Evelyne Genta, the Gerald Genta Heritage Association has been established. Evelyne, a citizen of Monaco, today lives in London and has founded the association to pay tribute to one of the greatest watchmaking designers and encourage and reward promising young talents. Evelyne Genta establishes the Gerald Genta Heritage Association […]
Visit Establishment of the Gerald Genta Heritage Association to read the full article.
A Chicago based start-up brand by the name of Carpathia Watch Co. has debuted their first watch, the Chicago. Aiming to combine vintage appeal and modern trends, the company is bringing luxury timepieces back to the city that was once home to several 19th century watch companies. With a reputable mechanical movement and design elements […]
Visit Carpathia: Chicago Watches Rooted in Swiss Tradition – Kickstarter launch on February 15th to read the full article.
A few months ago, I wrote why I did not buy the famous and much praised Grand Seiko Snowflake. Today I will tell you why I bought the Grand Seiko SBGJ201 “Mt. Iwate” instead. Without writing too much about the background story (you can read that here), I was undoubtedly after the Grand Seiko SBGA211, […]
Visit Why I Bought The Grand Seiko SBGJ201 (And Love It) to read the full article.
Almost 10 years ago, I wrote a comparison between the Royal Oak 15202 ‘Jumbo’ and the ‘then’ standard Royal Oak Date, with reference 15300. Both 39mm Royal Oak watches but with a huge difference: the movement. In 2012, this reference 15300 was succeeded by the 41mm reference 15400 and last month Audemars Piguet introduced its […]
Visit Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 15500 versus 15202 to read the full article.
After reading this article you will definitely start thinking about what car to match with this watch. Ideally? A new old car. Ladies and gentlemen (or just gentlemen according to current analytics on readers, but we believe we will attract more female fans in days to come!), fasten your seatbelts. We are about to explore […]
Visit #TBT – Marvin Tyre Watch to read the full article.
Our friends over at Hodinkee have something cool to offer today: an IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII Edition “HODINKEE”. A limited edition timepiece that IWC did together with the team at Hodinkee, based on the famous Pilot’s watches from 1948 and onwards. Inspired by the old, but definitely using some pretty cool innovation: a case made […]
Visit IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVIII Edition “HODINKEE” to read the full article.
Many of you will know that we, the authors at Fratello, are privately active on several social media channels. For instance, we love to take part in discussions and share our suspected knowledge in Facebook groups. Besides our effusive interest in horology in general, we have our personal specific fields of interest. And so it […]
Visit You Asked Us: G-Shock Square Which One To Choose? to read the full article.
Having a watch from your year of birth is something many enthusiasts are after. In my opinion, the best thing is when your parents bought one in your birth year and looked after it for you. But I guess not everyone is so lucky (I wasn’t) and then you will need to find your own […]
Visit The Omega Speedmaster 145.022-76 That Took Me 15 Years To Find to read the full article.
Grand Seiko brightens up our morning by introducing no less than 4 new references in their Elegance collection. Not only do they come up with a new hand-wound movement (caliber 9S63), they also introduce you to their new 39mm case design. Let’s have a closer look. Grand Seiko Elegance Hand-Wound This news hit us early […]
Visit Grand Seiko Introduces Four New Hand-Wound Elegance Models (Three Limited Editions) to read the full article.
SIHH is fun for many reasons. It’s a great place to catch up with our fellow journalists from all over the world. It’s also great to get a taste of this year’s buzz from the Richemont brands. Last but not least SIHH is an amazing experience for fans of the independents. These brands often have […]
Visit Hands-On With The H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Centre Seconds Concept Blue Lagoon to read the full article.
