One of the cool things of being a watch blogger is that you get to try some really nice watches. One of the watch we had in our possession for a while was this Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Jubilee in platinum. That’s right, platinum. In hommage to 180 years of watchmaking from this company from Le Sentier, they created this ultra thin Master in platinum. The watch is just 4.05mm thick

Let’s be honest, after the 1980s?of the last century, in the ‘real watch world’ there are only very few quartz watches considered as serious products. had its Oysterquartz models from 1977 till the early 2000s, not specially intended for professional use, and Breitling always had their?Chronospace and Aerospace models which were aimed at airline pilots. That was pretty much it.E

Yesterday evening, Christie’s held their Speedmaster 50 Auction in New York. Although no-one of our team could be there on location, we did get some help from Sacha Davidoff for this report. He is one of the founders and owners of the Roy & Sacha Davidoff boutique, the place?for vintage watches in Geneva. He was in New York to witness the auction and spoke to one of the guys who submitte

When Jaeger-LeCoultre released their Master Calendar in 2013, I wasn’t sure what to think about it, since there is so much competition in this section. Most of these calendar watches have the same dial layout, with a day and month aperture just below ’12’ and a moon phase above ‘6’, set on a light coloured dial. Jaeger-LeCoultre's version did not really add anything,

Almost identical to the Grand Seiko that won the?Petite Aiguille award in the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genve in 2014, Seiko now introduces the Grand Seiko Hi-Beat SBGJ021 with a special dial and oscillating weight. The design of this Grand Seiko is based on the 1967 Grand Seiko 44GS. Let’s have a look at this limited edition Grand Seiko Hi-Beat 36000 GMT SBGJ021 up close.Grand Seiko Hi-Be

A photo report of Blancpain’s Night at the Museum event in LondonBlancpain has donated to different ocean preserving projects for years and years already. Since 2014 however, Blancpain officially committed themselves to protect the world's oceans. This resulted in the ‘Blancpain Ocean Commitment‘.#gallery-1 {margin: auto;}#gallery-1 .gallery-item {float: left;margin-top: 10px;tex

The Fromanteel Pendulum Traveler is the newest and most sophisticated member of Fromanteel's Automatic Pendulum series. The watch, a strong combination of Swiss Made quality and understated design, is a reliable companion for travelers of all kind.The Pendulum Traveler is currently for sale via a special pre-order campaign. During this campaign, for a limited time only, you can order the Traveler

In 2013, Oris released the Aquis Depth Gauge spawning a new collection of modern dive watches. This deep diver had a unique mechanical depth gauge highlighting Oris’ ambition to create practical applications rather than superfluous complications. Without further ado, let’s dive into my first 52Mondayz column below.Oris Aquis CollectionThe Aquis was made a bonafide collection when the c

A trip around the world which started on August the 5th in Goodwood, UK, would end at the same airfield exactly 4 months later. With their goal in sight, the two pilots and their Silver Spitfire, however, first touched down in The Netherlands to pay homage to the country the Spitfire dwelled in most of its life.We witnessed the IWC Silver Spitfire Longest Flight Amsterdam Stopover event at Lelysta

After the first Frederique Constant Worldtimer launch in 2012, the watch stood proudly as one of the brand's best-selling Manufacture watches. Since then, the Worldtimer has come in a range of 11 models featuring a wide colour palette.In 2019, yet another colour variation of this elegant and sophisticated traveling watch is unveiled: a dark grey design of the world map finely etched onto to the di

Wrist Game or Crying Shame is here with a look at yet another Omega. This time, we put the Omega Dynamic III to the test. But first…It was tough sledding for last week’s TAG Heuer Kirium Formula 1. The neo-vintage ana-digi chronograph took a vintage Mike Tyson style beating with 73% voting this one to the scrap pile. The comments were absolutely savage and many of you recalled the days

Norqain does not waste any time when it comes to releasing new watches. The fruits of the Kenissi relationship have resulted in a string of interesting new releases powered by Norqain’s proprietary movements. I had a chance to go hands-on with the Norqain Freedom 60 39mm watches. The recently introduced Norqain Caliber NN20 powers both three-handers. Let’s find out what works better, b

When it comes to Grand Seiko's headline release of the 2020 calendar, there's a lot to discuss. Caliber 9SA5 is an entirely new movement released in time to mark the commencement of Grand Seiko's second 60-year cycle. It hammers home the point (as if anyone had forgotten) that the Grand Seiko mission statement is, and always has been, that the best can always be bettered.For six decades, the Japan

To be precise, there might be an exciting story to tell, but it's gone forever and I will never learn more. When I saw this beaten but honest Angelus Chrono 12, I decided to give it a new chance at life. Now it's ready to start writing a new story…Some collectors see watches only as items and their context often has little importance. And there are also collectors like me for whom nothing ca

Last week, I had the opportunity to test one of my favorite watches at the sub-$1,000 price point. I'm talking, of course, about the brilliant contemporary classic that is the Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical. However, something was a little bit different. Instead of the usual Khaki Field 38mm size, the watches placed before me were larger. A whole four millimeters larger, to be precise. Now, as fa

I will happily stand up and admit to being a snob. A bonafide watch snob, spitting out the word “quartz” with disdain or a quiet whisper. Even if, that is, my love of watches started through fashion watches, with Emporio Armani and Guess in an unholy mix with mechanical vintage. If you read my Seiko Diver Journey story, you'll know that it all changed with a pre-owned Oris. Maybe it wa

We have a pretty dedicated and vocal collection of vintage Grand Seiko fans among the Fratelli. Many of the Fratello team are also Grand Seiko fans. The Japanese brand has a deep and fascinating back catalog with some absolutely stunning models. In 1962, designer Taro Tanaka unveiled his Grammar of Design, a set of principles that defined the brand's approach to watch design for years to come.It a

Love or hate it, the MoonSwatch certainly stirred things up this year. Here at Fratello, most of us are fans of the watch, and nearly everyone was able to get one (or several) from the Swatch boutiques. But I’m wondering what the next step for Swatch will be. Will we see more collaborations with other brands, or will we see a few new variations of the MoonSwatch?Creating new MoonSwatchesI do

Choosing the five best chronographs? Is that even possible? If you had asked me that at the beginning of the year, I would’ve said you were crazy. But as the months progressed, we saw some downright amazing chronographs that stood out immediately. In a category of watches that are notoriously hard to develop, we have seen some absolute stunners in 2022. And as the year comes to an end, we ta

What would you consider the most unique watch from any given brand? In the case of Patek Philippe, a watch brand that needs no introduction, I would perhaps consider the Calatrava Weekly Calendar 5212A-001 the leading contender. Released in 2019, it was a brand-new execution by the legendary Geneva-based watch brand. While referred to as a Calatrava, it is quite atypical of Patek’s flagship