TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Glassbox In Smoky Purple
In 2023, at Watches and Wonders Geneva, TAG Heuer proudly presented the new Carrera Chronograph Glassbox. We were immediately swept away by its 39mm size and the sexy curves on the edge of the dial. One year before, TAG Heuer released a limited-edition Monaco with a purple fume dial inspired by some very early Heuer Monaco references. Those watches had metallic blue paint on their brass dials and tended to patinate to a gradient fume purple. The two new Carrera Chronographs that TAG Heuer presented yesterday have that same smoky purple sunburst dial. One is the very popular 39mm Carrera Chronograph, and the other is a 42mm limited edition with a tourbillon.As we didn’t go hands-on with...
Watches In TV Series
Watches in TV series, we all know you have been trying to identify Jerry Seinfeld’s Breitling (or Cartier), Kim Kardashian’s AP Royal Oak (or Scott Disick’s), Dexter’s Timex, Charlie’s Yacht-Master and Tony Soprano’s Day-Date. And although Don Draper wore a Explorer in HBO’s Mad Men TV series, Jaeger-LeCoultre recently released a Mad Men special ‘Mad about Reverso’ that features aSterling Cooper Draper Pryce logo engraved in the reversible back side of the watch. So it seems that watch manufacturers are pretty aware of the fact that you are eagle eyeing the watches in TV shows.Was this always the case? One of our avid readers – J...
Jaeger-LeCoultre Grande Reverso Ultra Thin 1931 'Chocolate'
Already announced in December 2013, but we’ve finally come to see it in the flesh during the SIHH 2014 in Geneva last week. The Reverso is perhaps the most iconic Jaeger-LeCoultre timepiece and since a few years it is possible to buy this ‘Tribute to 1931’ or simply ‘1931’ model that comes very close to the original watch from the 1930s.After releasing a few boutique specials of this watch, Jaeger-LeCoultre decided to make this Grande Reverso Ultra Thin 1931 with its pink gold case and chocolate-toned dial available for all JLC retailers.A while ago we did a hands-on review with the stainless steel version of the Reverso ‘1931’ (which you can read he...
The New A. Lange & Sohne Lange 1 191.032
A. Lange & Sohne were the talk of the town with their new Zeitwerk Minute Repeater, but also introduced a very impressive line-up of other watches as well. The new Saxonia collection as well as the Datograph Perpetual are truly stunning watches, but they also gave their icon from 1994 a little upgrade: the Lange 1.Why touch an icon? It rarely works and makes eyebrows go up when shown to aficionados. What the Royal Oak ‘Jumbo’ is for AP, the Calatrava is for Patek Philippe, the Speedmaster is to Omega and the Tank is for Cartier, is the Lange 1 for A. Lange & Sohne.Now, 20 years after the introduction of the Lange 1, A. Lange & Sohne decided it was time to slightly mod...
Speedy Tuesday Jacob's Omega Speedmaster 105.012-65 $500 Barn Find
Some people have all the luck in the world. One of our readers from the United States, Jacob, is a 23 year old Speedmaster enthusiast and did an amazing barn find. Being in college, a watch like a Speedmaster isn’t his first priority but nevertheless he had been craving for one since a while. It is the classic chronograph that always spoke to his imagination. So on one typical college night, after having a couple of beers, he started searching for Speedmaster watches on Craigslist. Outside the US, it isn’t very known, but it is a huge platform (invented by Craig Newmark in 1995) where people can offer and search for houses, people, jobs, services and things like watches. Jacob wa...
You Asked Us: Will Super-LumiNova Discolor When It Ages?
Again interesting matter here at You Asked Us. One of our regular readers, Jordy, sent us a question about the possible discoloring of Luminova and Super-LumiNova.You Asked Us: Will Super-LumiNova, just like Tritium, Discolor When It Ages?Here’s the full text of the question:From: JordyMessage Body:Hi guys!This is a question that’s been keeping me busy for quite some time now. I’m relatively new to watch collecting and started my addiction when all new watches were produced with Luminova and Superluminova.We all know that the older types of lume discolor when it ages. Is this the same with Luminova and why did they introduce Superluminova? What types of lume are there? Can ...
The Hublot Big Bang Sang Bleu II: A Multi-Faceted Gem
Although Hublot is known for an arresting aesthetic, the Sang Bleu collection takes things to another level. With their bewitching dials, and multi-faceted, optionally-bejeweled cases, the Hublot Big Bang Sang Bleu II?watches are the very definition of statement pieces.Given the breadth of Hublot‘s past experimentation with materials and aesthetics, it is perhaps surprising that the Sang Bleu collection still occupies an island of outlandishness. These new models, born of the continued collaboration between Hublot and tattoo studio Sang Bleu, double down on that trend. For this outing, both new timepieces put the color blue front and center. Available in both titanium and King gold hou...
#TBT Vintage Pulsation Watches For Your Wishlist
Pulsographs or pulsometers could be found not only in chronographs but also on classy three-handers. So let’s dive into some of the best vintage pulsation watches on the market.Most vintage watches have a rate of five beats per second or 18,000 beats per hour. When you consider that, it seems amazing that a physical object can operate for such a long period of time. 18,000 beats per hour equate to 432,000 beats per day, and a gob-smacking 157,680,000 per year. That’s nearly 160 million opportunities for something to go wrong. And yet they beat on. Well-made movements continue to function for decades after the balance wheel was set on its way. And since these mechanical marvels ar...
Karina's Korner Bvlgari And The World's Smallest Women's Tourbillon
Bvlgari brought the mythological motifs and iconic Italian style with the highest precision that created a seductive dream on a big scale ?the smallest tourbillon for women.And, of course, welcome to this first installment of Karina’s Korner, where I will put the spotlight on women’s watches here on Fratello Magazine. I would like to kick off with the new collection of Bvlgari’s Serpenti Seduttori watches.A Serpenti Seduttori is bornFirst conceived in the late 1940s, the Serpenti collection has long been known for its strong design. Uncompromisingly elegant, the artisanal aesthetic stands out thanks to a unique combination of vibrant colors and precious stones. But the mos...
Hands-On With The Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Watch
Trust me when I say that a lot of timepieces go through my hands on a weekly basis. And as soon as this watch landed on my desk it had my attention. While saying that, it is worth noting that to me, like many others, Montblanc is a brand of top quality writing instruments. It can be hard for me to see the watches without the pens cropping up in my mind’s eye. However, the Montblanc Geosphere 1858 did not suffer from the same fate. From the first moment, it had my complete and, for once, undivided attention.As you might expect given the creative aspect of my day job, I also have an interest in design. Actually, before I ended up working in real-estate (back in the day), I spent some tim...
The Urwerk UR-100 T-Rex Is Truly "Roarsome"
I have to say, this week has been good. I've had some real gold in the inbox. Usually, if there's one thing that comes through that's incredibly cool and exciting, I'm pretty happy. This week there have been three! Yes, three releases, which all had me saying HOT DAMN! when reading through them. I’ll share news of the other two with you in the coming days (look out for posts on Panerai and Girard-Perregaux hitting the homepage), but today it’s all about the latest watch from one of my all-time favorite brands - the superlative Urwerk UR-100 T-Rex.My tastes have changed a lot since I began my watch collecting journey. For the first few years, my collection was 100% dive watches, a...
Dear Breitling, Bring Back The SuperOcean "Slowmo" Chronograph
Every watch enthusiast can think of a great discontinued timepiece that should return to the spotlight in a more modern version. At the Fratello offices, we are no different. It inspired us to come up with a series about watches that the Fratello editors would like to see make a comeback. Some of the watches are iconic, some of them are less popular. But all of them are loved by at least one of our editors. Let's look at some of our favorites in this series. This time, it's Tomas who wants the 1960s Breitling SuperOcean ref. 2005 redone.In Fratello team discussions, we regularly dive deep into the archives of a brand to talk about some of the watches from the past that we love. As a result, ...
Haute Horology From A Distance: Why A Patek Isn't For Everyone
Let’s face it: most of us are never going to own a Patek Philippe. Most of us will never own an Hublot. If we’re being realistic, most of us watch aficionados may never even own a either. I’m here to tell you that’s okay. Really. It may, in fact, be good. We shouldn’t strive to own everything we appreciate, and we should be mindful of what is lost in attaining these luxury and hyper-luxury watches.The hype machine is in full force. I blame Instagram. I blame YouTube. And I blame publications like us at Fratello and the rest. But really I blame us, the public, the consuming watch market. We’re adrift in a perfect storm of ingrained FOMO (Fear Of Missing Ou...
Vintage Omega Speedmaster: Getting Relatively Cheaper
Vintage Omega Speedmaster references are getting more and more attractive as the price of a new Moontwatch rises. For the first time since buying it in 2020, my 1970 Speedy is now valued below a new one, at least compared to the recommended bump in the retail price coming this February. What is going on? Time to investigate the vintage Speedmaster market in closer detail. Is a vintage Speedmaster cheaper than ever before, even though it is rising in value?I remember a couple of years ago - before the 2021 upgrade - that a modern Omega Speedmaster was considered significantly less desirable than a vintage example. Granted, I operated in vintage purist's territory, but the market backed the cl...
[Video] Omega Seamaster 300M James Bond 60th Anniversary
In this video, I talk about the new Omega Seamaster Diver 300M 210.30.42.20.03.002 that celebrates the 60th anniversary of James Bond movies. It was introduced last December in London in the presence of Daniel Craig.The Seamaster 300M has been around since 1993 and turned into one of Omega’s best-selling models. Over the last 30 years, we’ve seen many variations, including some James Bond editions, but never one with an animated case back like this. It reminds me of the case back of the Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award 50th Anniversary that came out in 2020, but this one works slightly differently. The moire effect on the case back shows the opening scene of the James Bond movies ...
The New Gray Fratello Tropic Strap On My Grand Seiko
Getting a new strap for your watch can quench your thirst for a new watch, at least for a little while. But a new strap can also re-energize the love for your watch. I'm still deeply in love with the looks of my tough quartz Grand Seiko that I bought in the fall of 2021. But sometimes I wonder what it would look like on a strap instead of the bracelet it comes on. When I saw the new gray Fratello tropic strap on the desk of our e-com guy Laurits, I knew that pairing it with the Grand Seiko SBGX341 would turn me on. Another exciting thing is that Watches and Wonders 2023 is drawing nearer and will be open to the public on April 1st and 2nd. Finally, if you love the Nivada Grenchen “Pac-...
Pre-Owned Spotlight: A Trio Of Vintage Longines Watches
For a while, there's been an ongoing discussion at Fratello HQ on vintage Longines watches. We are constantly impressed at how affordable these pieces remain despite the brand's respectable reputation and undeniable quality. We have even found ourselves referring to these watches as undervalued - sleeper hits that are just waiting for appreciation to catch up. Today, I've selected a trio of watches that I feel give a taste of why these watches are so appealing. Price-wise, these examples are on the upper end of the scale. Please keep that in mind should the figures appear intimidating. With a little bit of digging and patience, you could find a real gem for under $500. That said, the three w...
Christiaan Van Der Klaauw Ariadne Reijersen Collector's Ed.
Dutch watch brand Christiaan van der Klaauw welcomed master watchmaker Pim Koeslag as a new owner and technical director last year. The first model to mark his stewardship is an evolution of the Ariadne, a core collection of the 48-year-old artisan brand. The resulting Ariadne Reijersen Collector’s Edition is exclusively produced for Reijersen Juweliers in the Netherlands. This 40mm steel chronograph boasts a moonphase indicator and a triple calendar, and it is available with either a turquoise or salmon-pink dial. Each dial version is a limited run of 50 pieces.Dutch Haute HorlogerieChristiaan van der Klaauw, or CVDK for short, is renowned for its specialty of hand-crafted astronomica...
Omega Speedmaster Japan Racing: It Has Been 20 Years
Two decades ago, Omega reintroduced the racing dial to the Speedmaster Professional. It was only for the Japanese market, and only 2,004 pieces were produced. As you might know, there are more of them around, but we’ll get to that later.Speedmaster Japan Racing 3570.40First, let's go back 20 years. At that time, Omega was producing limited editions of the Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch, something that the brand stopped in 2019. One of the most coveted editions among them is this Japan Racing edition. As the name suggests, it was exclusive to Japan as the Speedmaster had (and still has) a massive following there. It wasn't the first limited edition for the Japanese market, and it wa...
The IWC 309: Calatrava Looks At A Fraction Of The Price
Today, we’ll take a look at a vintage IWC 309, a watch that attracted me due to its likeness to another watch. This classic is no copycat, though, as it brings enough unique styling flourishes to the party. We also have the chance to discuss one of the more heralded movements in history.At the end of 2023, I penned an article on the iconic Patek Philippe Calatrava 570. To sum it up in just a few short words, it represents the peak of watch design to me and lacks absolutely nothing in the aesthetics department. Its primary demerit, though, is its severely high price of entry along with the challenge of finding a worthy example. Today’s IWC 309 is a worthy watch on its own, yet it ...