Okay. I know what’s going on. I know you and your workmates are probably running a Skype-based sweepstake centered on how many sentences it’s going to take me to make a vampire-based pun. This is an article about the Transylvanian Peren Nera, after all. The answer is six…Do you remember when you were first bitten by the watchmaking bug? For Peren founder Andy Bica that moment mus

Yeehaa! The 13th episode of Fratello on Air, talking about some of the 60th anniversary Grand Seiko releases.The main topic of this podcast is a preview on some of Grand Seiko’s novelties for 2020. It is a BIG year for them, due to the 60th anniversary of Grand Seiko. Corona or Covid-19 ruined it a little bit, as Grand Seiko was about to host their first Grand Seiko Summit in Japan, but deci

Seiko has introduced a limited edition of its new 5 Sports model. Brian May’s guitar, the Red Special, inspires the dial echoing the design of the guitar, which Brian and his father built in the early 1960s.Seiko 5 Sports Brian MayThroughout his career, rock legend Brian May has relied upon his “Red Special” guitar to create the sound that helped make Queen one of the world’

Let’s forget about the 60 international awards (and 7 world records) for the Octo Finissimo watches for a brief moment. That’s important, especially for marketing purposes, but, in the end, it’s the watch itself that counts. Today, we bring you the latest iteration of this new icon: the Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar.Bvlgari’s Octo Finissimo has grown up to become emblem

On the third day of Watches and Wonders, we can make up the balance and share our favorite watches from the show. Three watches each, and a bonus watch, so we talk about 8 watches in total.Surprisingly, no watches from Patek Philippe, , or Tudor are in this overview of our favorites. Instead, with one or two exceptions, we selected pretty wild watches (at least for us). Included are A. Lange &

Back in 1854, voyaging was extremely expensive. The main form of transport was a carriage or a train and there was no luggage. Louis Vuitton exploited the full potential of the growing automotive industry and by designing the first collection of trunks with a view of customers' needs. Le Voyage - is the most significant manifesto of Louis Vuitton’s brand identity.Today, Nicolas Ghesquire an

The Sinn U50 S BS is a limited-edition take on the highly successful U50 diver. By the time you read this, it will likely be gone - at least from Sinn’s official site. Still, I think it’s worth taking a look if only to get some hints about what could come next.It seems that Sinn was successful with this year’s novelties. Then again, there were just 1,600 pieces of the colorful 55

While it’s nice to see a gradual release of watches throughout the year, I love the horological assault that shows like Watches And Wonders bring. All these new watches released in one go are like a massive sugar overload. As a bit of a sugar addict, I’m all good with that. Some brands played it relatively “safe” with their launches, bringing small, incremental updates and

Liking or loving a watch often comes down to small details. There is an abundance of watches that I like, but there is only a small number of watches that I love. Often, the distinction lies in details like color, typography, a logo, numeral style, or even case curvature. So many factors propel a watch from a nice addition to the overall watch universe to a watch that I want. A perfect example is

I’m sure many of you still remember the episode of Top Gear in which Richard Hammond races a Eurofighter Typhoon in a Bugatti Veyron. It was the battle between an RAF fighter pilot and the presenter, who also happens to be a driver with balls of steel. I’m not saying today’s Sunday Morning Showdown is going to be as epic as that race, of course. I just wanted to use it as a nice

Ever since Alpina introduced the updated aesthetic for its Alpiner Extreme collection in 2022, we have slowly seen more introductions with the same design signature. The newest addition to the Alpiner Extreme collection is a series of exciting quartz models. The four new releases include smaller cases, a Swiss quartz movement, and new dial colors. On top of that, Alpina also updated its Seastrong

Patek Philippe does double denim at Watches and Wonders 2024, and I'm all for that. The brand from Geneva is casually showing some laid-back novelties that are, of course, not as casual as they appear to be. The complicated World Time Date 5330G first debuted as a limited edition at Patek Philippe's Watch Art grand exhibition in Tokyo in 2023, and now it makes its debut in the current collection.

Almost ever since the Tudor Black Bay 58 came out, people have been craving a GMT version. But, of course, this isn’t the first GMT watch in Tudor’s collection. The regular 41mm Black Bay GMT debuted in 2018. After that, the smaller 39mm Black Bay Pro showed its face in 2022. However, both of those watches are 14.6mm thick and might feel a bit intimidating on smaller wrists. That’

As Watches And Wonders 2024 kicks off, Tudor introduces the latest incarnation of the upgraded Black Bay model. Following in the METAS-certified footsteps of last year's introduction, in 2024, the red and gold accents are stripped away in favor of a monochromatic look. And it turns out that when you take away the signature livery we've known since 2012, you get something reminiscent of something f

What should a watch brand do when it physically attends Watches and Wonders for the very first time and wants to be noticed? I think that’s exactly the question the people at Nomos asked themselves. Their answer was to launch 31 new and colorful versions of the brand’s signature Tangente 38 Datum. Yes, you read that right - 31 different versions. Some color combinations are more modest

The new Gerald Charles Masterlink arrives just in time for Watches and Wonders 2024. It’s a modern take on Gerald Genta’s famous Maestro case paired with an integrated bracelet. There’s no mistaking this watch for anything but a Genta-inspired design, yet it’s a thoughtful and new evolution.Last November, I had the opportunity to attend WatchPro in London. Among the exhibit

Besides one or two focus releases, Grand Seiko releases a plethora of new variations to its current models every year. In this article, we’ll summarize most of Grand Seiko’s Watches and Wonders 2024 releases, which will be available later this year. There is plenty to enjoy with a beautiful addition to the Evolution 9 lineup, a brilliant dial for a new Sport GMT, two new Tokyo Lion spo

Whether it’s the more elegant and classy Santos-Dumont or the sportier Santos de Cartier, Cartier’s Santos collection continues to be immensely popular. No wonder the French Maison adds a few new references to the lineup every year. Understandably, 2024 is no exception, and there are even a few surprise appearances here. What to think of a dual-time Santos de Cartier and a Santos-Dumon

If you're new to watches and have noticed the big wave of retro love sweeping the world, the Ulysse Nardin Freak will surely shock your system. And it will stun you even more if you are not privy to the fact that this is an ever-evolving creation that is already over 20 years old. That's right; Ulysse Nardin does not intend to rest on its laurels, and the new Ulysse Nardin Freak S Nomad dials up t

As part of the Watches and Wonders 2024 releases from Grand Seiko, here we have the Grand Seiko SLGW003 and SLGW002. These are two new additions to the Evolution 9 collection. This is Grand Seiko's newer design language that, while rooted in the 44GS, aims to push the brand forward. Today, Grand Seiko adds two new models to the lineup, both powered by the new caliber 9SA4.We get one addition to th