The Tag Heuer Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix Special Edition
Many of the watches that we now call “iconic” date back half a century or further - the Submariner, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, the Omega Speedmaster, and in today's case, the TAG Heuer Monaco. A trait that all of these models have in common is that they have - with a few exceptions - been in continuous production since they were first released. Each release of these iconic watches reveals improvements in the way the watch is made, finished, or upgraded in terms of dimensions or colors. And sometimes, one of these iconic watches gets like a dark or super-powered twin.TAG Heuer is a brand that you are already familiar with, as you likely are with its legendary square chronogra...
Rado Introduces The New Captain Cook Chronograph (2022)
Growing up, I was always aware of Rado as a watch brand. Before my obsession with watches began, I knew of the brand thanks to my mother’s love for tennis and Rado’s connection to the tennis world. My mother is a keen tennis player and expressed a fondness for the Rado tennis watch on more than one occasion. Since those times, I have come to foster my own fondness for the brand, but that’s down to its Captain Cook line. And this fondness is only enhanced further by the addition of three new watches. I am, of course, talking about the new Rado Captain Cook Chronograph.Since Rado reintroduced the Captain Cook to its collection, we’ve seen the watch feature multiple guis...
Hands-On: Oris ProPilot X Calibre 400 Trio
First off, when did Oris become such a fun brand? Hailed as a Mechanical Joy Machine, the ProPilot X Calibre 400 is designed to bring life and colors to the wrist. When I first caught sight of the three color variations - gray, blue, and salmon - my immediate reaction was, I want them all.Let me clarify. I love a man who has the confidence to wear pink or any unconventional color. However, I am quite the contrary and habitually averse to choosing pastels for myself. The thought that I could see myself wearing any of these variants horrified me. Have I changed? Well, I still love the gray. Or do I have another personality, or two, that I never knew existed?While I reluctantly looked for a psy...
Hamilton Introduces The New XXL Ventura Skeleton (2022)
While round (or round-ish) watches may be the bread and butter of the industry, there are always some anomalies. If you know of these anomalies, it's probably because they've stuck around and stood the test of time. The Hamilton Ventura is possibly the most perfect example of an anomaly! Hamilton wears its heart on its sleeve and bears it all with its new skeletonized XXL Ventura.The Ventura case is an asymmetrical arrow-shaped watch that was made famous by The King. Of course, I'm talking about rock ‘n’ roll royalty here, the legend that is Elvis Presley. Debuting in 1957, the Hamilton Ventura was the world's first electric watch powered by a battery. But, it was its appearance ...
#TBT The Puzzling Fortis Easy-Math
I’m always happy to learn that there are still watches that can surprise and confound me. My recent discovery, the Fortis Easy-Math, belongs to that group.I live in the heart of Europe. The last two weeks were really warm and sunny, finally, and made me and my kids spend the whole weekend outside, biking, playing football, or just fooling around in the sun. It was also a time to dust off and bring some of my summer watches back into the light. Looking back to last year, I remember two vintage pieces that stood closest to my heart. I had some memorable moments wearing my gray Nivada Datomaster?with orange accents. The second watch I really enjoyed wearing last year was a gray Fortis Mar...
Norqain Freedom 60 Chrono 40mm Ice Blue Limited Edition
Norqain is quickly making a name for itself in the horological world. The young brand has already become a sponsor of the New York Marathon, hired Jean-Claude Biver in an advisory role, and come out with a new, high-tech composite material for a new line of sports watches. While all of this is impressive, the best-selling watch for Norqain happens to be the Freedom 60 Chronograph. A handsome watch, this latest edition in ice blue might be the best-looking one yet!“Cold As Ice”Ice blue is no stranger to watch dials anymore. You could even say that this particular light blue shade is having a bit of a moment in 2023. After all, many people are “willing to sacrifice” som...
Introducing: The Oris Holstein Edition 2023 Aquis
Today is June 1st, which happens to be the 119th birthday of the brand Oris. Incorporated in 1904, Oris has enjoyed over a century of independent, Swiss, and - most importantly - fun watchmaking. Another full revolution around the Sun marks the release of this year’s Holstein Edition, a special-edition watch for Oris fans that embodies some of the brand’s more unique fun. If you get excited about purple watches like some of us at Fratello do, this birthday may be a good one for you too.Last year’s Holstein Edition was the Full Steel Worldtimer, a radical love-it-or-leave-it chunky sports watch la 1999. In my opinion, it’s cool in the way that all-white Reeboks with ...
Hands-On: The New Tool Watch Co. Diver
In the last couple of years, we’ve seen many watch brands increase their prices. That trend makes some of the classic brands less affordable and less attainable. But it also means that new brands can move into the void that was left, and that’s exactly what Tool Watch Co. is doing. Pieter Jansen van Rensburg, the brand’s founder, started in 2021 with the Arctic Field, which had a meteorite dial. Then he introduced the AMA diver with mother-of-pearl dials. Both models were made out of titanium and cost $1,000 and $600, respectively. I won’t tell you the price of the Tool Watch Co. Diver that I’m discussing today just yet. All I’ll say is that I think itR...
Oris Holstein Edition 2024: An All-Blacked-Out Divers Sixty-Five
Oris Holstein Editions are an annual celebration for the independent Swiss watch brand. This year marks a rather special occasion - Oris's 120th anniversary. To celebrate this impressive birthday, the house is releasing a special Divers Sixty-Five, fully dipped in black paint.Okay, technically speaking, it’s not really black paint. But we do get a black case, black dial, black strap, black hands, and even black lume. Rarely are watches “murdered out” as thoroughly as this. Let's have a closer look!The 2024 Oris Holstein EditionOris was founded on June 1st, 1904. Therefore, today's release marks the brand’s 120th anniversary to the day. Interestingly, Oris has remained...
Parmigiani's Three New Tonda PF Sport Chronograph Models
I’d happily admit to being smitten with Parmigiani Fleurier’s new look. The hits seem to be coming thick and fast this year, following the brand’s Watches and Wonders novelties. After the focus on the rebirth of the Toric, we get three new versions of the Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Sport Chronograph this time.Parmigiani’s intricate dial treatment and a newfound air of minimal cool suits it well. While I’m a fan of earlier Tonda designs with quirky asymmetric overlapping registers, the clean, new look is suave. For me, Parmigiani Fleurier has simply become a very good alternative to the usual suspects, and maybe it’s about time.The Tonda PF rangeThe minim...
Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2014 And A. Lange & Sohne
On the 24th and 25th of May, I was invited by A. Lange & Sohne to join the prestigious Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2014. This prestigious event finds its roots in 1929 and with some pauses since the 1950s, the Concorso was revived again since 1995. The event at the Grand Hotel Villa d’Este was only for participants, media and invited guests while the Concours of Historic Cars is open to the public on Sunday (25th of May) in the park of the Villa Erba.Over 50 beautiful classic cars were present, from the 1920s to the early 1980s. Furthermore, around a dozen of concept cars and prototypes were present during these days. Sponsored by BMW, A. Lange & Sohne and some...
Speedy Tuesday Collector's Corner...the doctor is In!
Every once in a while you come across a person, in the flesh or on-line, that makes you wonder about the story behind his or her watch(es). In case of the Speedmaster, the stories behind the watch are often very personal and interesting. In the future we will ask more Speedmaster owners about their relationship with the watch, the reason why they bought it (or why it was given to them) and how they feel about things like: vintage versus modern, the Moonwatch (hi)story and so on. This Collector’s Corner series will hopefully give you some inspiration and insights about the Speedmaster and its collector’s base.Collector’s Corner?kicks-off with RJ Kama, one of our loyal follow...
#TBT Gallet Multichron 12 Valjoux 72
Normally, I refrain from writing separate articles on variants of the same watch, but when I picked up a second Gallet Multichron 12 Valjoux 72, I felt it was time to spread the news. On #TBT, I've had the pleasure of covering an Excelsior Park 40 EP40 Multichron and it is one fantastic watch with an equally stupendous movement.? My fondness for these watches was also shown when we named the Gallet one of our “5 More” to look for in our “Top 5 Vintage Chronographs” article. However, as the 1960's are really my wheelhouse when it comes to chronographs, the V72 truly speaks to me. Yes, I've said it before, this is essentially the Chevrolet 327 V-8 of watch movements use...
Omega Speedmaster X-33 Regatta and Seamaster Planet Ocean ETNZ
In 1995, the association between Omega and the America’s Cup legend Sir Peter Blake started. Along the way, Omega also started to support and partner with the Emirates Team New Zealand. As their main partner, Omega started to equip the sailing team with the special Speedmaster X-33 Regatta.?Emirates Team New Zealand TimepiecesWe’ve been covering Omega’s ETNZ watches before and also have shown the different?America’s Cup models in the past. In this article, you will see an overview of the America’s Cup (and ETNZ) models up till 2015. For the 35th edition of the America’s Cup and especially for the Emirates Team New Zealand, Omega?has unveiled two new timepi...
This Week in Watches: June 2, 2019
Oh hi there, it’s This Week in Watches for June 2, 2019.Yes, it’s been a few weekends since we’ve come out with This Week in Watches.? The news has been fairly light since Swatch Group’s?Time to Move?event and we took the opportunity to give you a look at many of the?Apollo 11 50th Anniversary?happenings around the last weekend.? Well, guess what?? There’s more Apollo today, but we also have some news of watches.? Let’s begin.Tissot Chrono XL NBA CollectorYou know, the old Dream Team that boringly beat up on a bunch of second tier players in the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics must have had a profound effect on my European brethren.? There’s rarely a ...
Speedy Tuesday Speedmaster X-33 Skywalker "Gen 3"
Some people are wondering why the SpaceX crew isn’t wearing the Omega Speedmaster X-33 Skywalker. It’s a fair question. Not only is the X-33 Skywalker the latest digital Omega Speedmaster, but it was also designed with exactly this kind of mission in mind. So what gives?It all comes down to the launch site’s location. Had this flight been launched from Russian soil, Roscomos would have provided the crew with an Omega Speedmaster X-33 Skywalker and a Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch. The same courtesy is afforded everyone launching from Russia. Astronauts from NASA or ESA and Cosmonauts from Roscosmos itself would all receive the same treatment. But NASA prefers the tried ...
Trivoly 3 Smart Disc Makes Wearable Technology More Accesible
Smartwatches are here to stay. But what if you don’t like the aesthetic of this modern, wrist-bound tech, or cannot bear the thought of discarding your classic wristwatch in favor of increased functionality? A bright idea from Dutch brand Trivoly aims to bring the two worlds together with the release of the Trivoly 3 smart disc.Our world is becoming increasingly connected. Wearable technology has never been in higher demand. And yet for some of us - those of us that love and respect the craft of horology - having to choose between the latest advancements in wearable tech and our beloved beaters is a tough decision. Trivoly, a Dutch company founded by Caspar Toornstra, is aiming to make...
Casio G-Shock, Square, or Triple Graph? Which Watch Is For You?
Considering a G-Shock with conventional looks and functionality? What would be your preferred style? Square or rounded?You might have learned from?previous articles that the original DW-5000C-1A G-Shock, presented in 1983, had a more or less squared case design. After that, in 1987, the first round-cased G-Shock model, the DW-5700C, was released. However, it was already 1995 before another truly iconic design saw the light - the DW-6900-1V nicked the Triple Graph.Triple Graph was G-Shock’s second iconic designThe Triple Graph was composed of earlier designs. It wasn’t just the round shape of the DW-5700C. The three register dial of the DW-5900C (1992) and the front back-light but...
Hands-On With The Norqain Freedom 60 Chronograph
Ever since I first laid eyes on the Norqain Freedom 60 Chronograph, I struck me as exactly what a retro-inspired chronograph watch should look like. And after wearing it for some time, I must admit it ticks a lot of boxes. But is it also exciting enough to set itself apart from competitors? Or does it feel all too familiar? After a week of wearing the Freedom 60 Chronograph, it’s time to put the pieces of the puzzle together.Let me start by saying that the Norqain name is quickly picking up in recognition. Most watch enthusiasts have heard of the brand by now. But, for some reason, I struggled to commit the name to memory. I read the stories and knew about the brand, but the name just ...
Wrist Game Or Crying Shame: Bulova Royal Oak (2021)
Well, well, well - Wrist Game or Crying Shame is back! This week, we go for the (faux) gold with the Bulova Royal Oak. Before we see if you enjoy an expensive game of make-believe, let’s go back to last week.Last week, I presented the Omega Seamaster Pre Bond Automatic and told you a fib in the process! I made up a yarn about RJ and he was really upset with me because a bunch of Ome-goons sent him hate-mail! Here’s to a bit of mischief! Despite my best attempts at trickery, 66% of you brought this neat Omega to a Wrist Game win. Today, we’ll go back to the Studio 54 era with the Bulova Royal Oak. Would this watch make it into the club or be left standing in line?The Bulova ...