Louis Erard's New Excellence Marqueterie Limited Edition
Considered Louis Erard's flagship collection, the Excellence welcomes a new model to showcase the heritage brand's highly popular pursuit in metiers d'art collaborations. In a limited edition of only 99 pieces comes the Excellence Marqueterie boasting a micro-marquetry dial in four shades from two types of wood. Painstakingly handcrafted with surgical precision by renowned artisan Bastien Chevalier, the marquetry dial comprises 70 elements housed inside a 42mm polished steel case.A new phase for Louis ErardFounded in 1929, Louis Erard saw its most recent revival in 2003 and has been under the strategic direction of Manuel Emch (former Jaquet Droz and Romain Jerome CEO) since 2019. The Swiss ...
Watch Strap Review 66 Atelier Romane
After January, Watch Strap Review took a break. As you might have seen (or heard if you tune in to Fratello On Air), I’ve been busy with other things, including our new Fratello Nivada Grenchen Racing Chronograph watches. But I’m back with another brand, this time from France. Atelier Romane has been on my radar for a while now. So I contacted the folks there, and they were happy to support this article. It took us time to get into gear, but finally, I’m ready to talk about Atelier Romane and its fantastic leather goods.Atelier Romane has tons of designs in stock if you are looking for a watch case or roll. But this time, I’m only going to focus on the company's versa...
Vulcain Chronograph 1970's First Thoughts
Blue, black, silver panda, reverse panda, and salmon dials in an authentic re-edition with a 38mm case… Will the Vulcain Chronograph 1970’s get your attention?I stopped keeping track of re-editions, and I suggest that you stop counting too. They keep coming, which implies that the market is not overfed with them. What really puzzles my mind is the question of why one single car manufacturer hasn’t released at least one of its ultimate car designs as a perfect reproduction - I’m talking old-body curves with a new engine inside. Just for the fun of it, I would like to see some 1960sC1970s Alfa Romeo Giulia GTVs, Porsche 911s, or BMWs come back and observe what they woul...
Fratello On Air: Vulcain, Speedmaster Bracelets, And More
Fratello On Air is back again this week, and although we are late, we are here! This episode features several topics, including a new Vulcain chronograph, the Speedmaster bracelet, TrueDome crystals, and small watches. It’s a conversation you won’t want to miss!...
Introducing: The Yema Rallye 5 Turbo Limited Edition
Yema is a brand that continues to surprise us by releasing new chronographs every few months. Each new collection takes inspiration from a car race, an iconic person, or a famous automobile. The last one is the inspiration behind the new Rallye 5 Turbo. This mechanical chronograph is encased in 39mm of steel and inspired by a famous French car, the Renault 5 Turbo. As a Frenchman and a watch enthusiast, I find it pretty neat that Yema draws inspiration from iconic French stuff. As we will see below, Yema found its muse in the car's geometrical design and almost Ferrari-red color.While the Superman dive watch brought Yema back to the international horological scene, the brand also has an expa...
?The Ulysse Nardin Freak: 22 Years Of Disruptive Genius
Some brands have a certain style, cachet, and image that set the tone for our perceptions of them. Neither nor AP would have the cachet they have today without a diver's watch and a certain octagonal bezel. For most brands, the halo models fit nicely within their collections. But with the storied Swiss brand Ulysse Nardin, there is a high-tech, evolved twist. This is the origin and evolution of the Ulysse Nardin Freak.Ulysse Nardin is a brand with classic watchmaking in its blood since 1846, known for a juxtaposed mix of classicism with the Classico line and sports cool with the Diver and Marine ranges. But unlike most premium Swiss brands, Ulysee Nardin also plays in the same field as avan...
Longines Legend Diver Vs. Seiko Marinemaster SJE101
Both Longines and Seiko are well-established, long-standing names in the watch industry. That’s why it makes sense that they give their signature dive watches such imposing names as Legend Diver and Marinemaster. We thought it would be a good idea to put these revamped classics up against each other. Why? First, they’re both based on and inspired by older watches from their respective brands, and they’re also very similar in size. Finally, they even sell for roughly the same price. But luckily, there are also more than enough differences that set these two watches apart. Thomas and Daan will tell you all about them in today’s Sunday Morning Showdown.Both these watches...
The New 41mm Code 11.59 By Audemars Piguet Selfwinding
The Code is growing on me. It wasn't exactly love at first sight, to put it mildly. Still, with time and, more importantly, some much-needed significant cosmetic changes, I'm warming up to the watch that wasn't just hindered by a seemingly lazy dial design and somewhat ridiculous name. Last year, I had a most pleasant experience with an automatic model in pink gold with a blue dial, and this year, things got even more intense when I encountered the new 41mm Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Selfwinding in gray. Man, this steel three-hander’s got the looks. But it also has some je ne sais quois that has me contemplating the Code. Could it be an entry point into the AP universe, or do you al...
Taking The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Into The Ocean
Last year, I asked, “Can we appreciate the Submariner as just a great dive watch?” That question and article sparked a lot of debate. Today, I am asking a similar question of the Submariner’s spiritual competitor, the 42.3mm Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Automatique.“Icon” is one of the most overused terms in the watch world. The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms is one of the few dive watches, alongside the Doxa Sub 300, Zodiac Sea Wolf, and the Submariner, that truly deserves the title. This month, I spent some quality time with Blancpain’s 42.3mm Fifty Fathoms in Grade 23 titanium. Here are some thoughts.The Blancpain Fifty FathomsI say “icon” because, as...
The Citizen Limited-Edition 30th Anniversary Models
This year, Citizen celebrates the 30th anniversary of its The Citizen line. That may sound surprising, but it’s because the brand’s top-tier watches haven’t always been available globally. Little by little, though, we’re seeing more of these creations that often feature uncommon dial materials and highly accurate movements. Today, we’ll look at two limited global releases.The Citizen has always struck me as an intriguing name for a collection of watches. Admittedly, it’s a bit confusing, but the signature eagle logo makes these models easily identifiable. From a product-offering perspective, the catalog isn’t huge, but The Citizen range offers mechan...
OMEGA Speedmasters And Chevrolet Corvette
If you’ve ever been to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center recently, watched the Apollo 13 movie or.. even better.. witnessed it yourself, you know that the NASA astronauts used to have a strong preference for Chevrolet Corvette sports cars.The picture above shows the Apollo 12 crew with their beloved Chevrolet Corvettes. Astronauts Charles Pete' Conrad Jr., Richard Francis Gordon Jr. and Alan LaVern Bean with their 1969 Corvette Stingray coupes. Wired magazine did a nice article on NASA astronauts and their Corvettes last year, from which the picture above was taken (click here).In the book ‘Last man on the Moon’ by astronaut Gene Cernan, he also refers to the Corvettes seve...
Omega Speedmaster Professional X-33 3290.50
It’s Speedy Tuesday! Just a few days before BaselWorld will start and Omega unveil the new Speedmaster Professional 45th anniversary Apollo 11 limited edition. At least that it was we suspect they will be doing besides demonstrating the new Omega Seamaster Master Co-Axial Chronometer. Just before doing so, we would like to grab your attention for the discontinued* Omega Speedmaster Professional X-33 3290.50 (or 3990.50 for the version with kevlar strap only).This Speedmaster Professional (it really is part of the ‘Professional’ collection, like the LCD quartz models from the late 1970s) was developed by Omega using the input of NASA astronauts and pilots with regards to use...
Hands-on: The TAG Heuer Carrera Telemeter Cal.18
Baselworld 2014 was an odd one for TAG Heuer. After a long period of focus on the avant garde, the brand hit the show with the force of a minor neutron bomb with the introduction of its forthcoming CH80 chronographs.? The CH80’s wowed the crowd with their blend of clean, classic good looks coupled with a modern in-house movement and semi-reasonable pricing. Soon after Basel, though, the first warning sign that something was amiss appeared when TAG decided, albeit in a good way, to make minor modifications to the pushers, dial, hands, and crown. Soon after, though, and in shocking fashion, the brand decided to cancel the eagerly awaited CH80 altogether right before it was to enter store...
Vulcain 50s Presidents Classic: Two New Unique Colors
Last week,?Vulcain introduced?two new colors for the 50s Presidents Classic series. It's the most basic variant with three hands and a date at 6 o'clock. Let's do a quick review to discuss the highlights of this watch.More OriginalityVulcain introduced the Presidents' series to create a classical and formal watch, but with these new colors they try to transform the watch in a more unique and less conservative looking watch.Classic CaseThe steel case (316L) is very elegant and stays true to the typical Presidents case. It keeps the water out up to 5 atmospheres. On the front Vulcain placed a domed sapphire glass. On the back they installed a screwed caseback with a sapphire window to provide ...
The Dodane Type 21 Reissue A Faithful Relaunch of a Vintage Classic
Baselworld is a funny place. You have the big brands, the smaller brands and, then, you have the little surprises. Appointments are often back-to-back, but we sometimes find ourselves with small blocks of time that aren't really long enough to make it back to the press center but not short enough to walk directly to the next meeting. Sowe wander. And so it was that we stumbled upon Dodane a brand from Besancon, France best known for its 1950's Type 21 flyback pilot's watches for the Ministry of Defense. They're incredibly collectible now and while the brand makes models in this general style today and is still owned by the family, it was this year that they chose to announce a reissue. This ...
Longines Heritage 1945 Clean, Elegant, Timeless
Longines Heritage 1945I can comfortably say that this year is about time-only watches. Not that we did not see any three-handed watches the previous years but the amount of coolness the brands present this year in this segment is remarkable. Omega (Railmaster), Montra (Triumph), Tissot (Ballade) or Nomos (basically any 2017 novelty) are just a few brands to mention with such watches. There was however one other brand that stood out; Longines. For many years now we got used to the fact that when it comes to BaselWorld we would see something great from them. We did not disappoint in them this year either. Their Flagship Heritage 60th Anniversary is spot on when it comes to being as close to th...
Colorful Nomos Club Neomatik: Blue and Red. A quick Baselworld 2017 Review
This year Nomos added?some pretty funky additions to their collection. The Nomos Club Neomatik now comes in several colors: signalblau (blue) and signalrot (red). Let’s have a look.Nomos Club?Neomatik MovementThe watch is powered by the in-house 3001 DUW movement with the Nomos Swing System. It does have a power reserve of approximately 42 hours. The exhibition caseback reveals the movement and its perlage finishing. Operation is smooth and thanks to the stop-seconds function you can set time precisely. The movement is cased within a stainless steel body and sapphire crystal on both sides. The lugs are quite lengthy and the lug width measures 18mm.Clear side on the 3001 DUW in-house mo...
Getting Bubbly with the Tudor Black Bay SG Champagne Dial
Tudor brought two heavily praised stars to Baselworld 2018, the Black Bay GMT and the Black Bay Fifty-Eight.? We’ve covered those pieces over the last couple days and the response has been overwhelming.? What you probably haven’t noticed – and few have discussed it – is that the brand brought something else to the show that I quietly enjoyed.? It’s a bit polarizing, but that’s kind of how I like them.? Let’s take a brief look at the Tudor Black Bay SG Champagne Dial.Last year, the more affordable brand within the stable brought us a two-tone Black Bay with black dial and bombarded us with David Beckham advertising.? The reaction to the watch wasR...
Hands-On with the Doxa SUB300T Poseidon Edition
Last week, we showed you press shots and gave you a rundown of the new Doxa SUB300T Poseidon Edition. To recap, Doxa chose to reissue a very rare yellow Divingstar model that contained the Poseidon logo on its dial.? Poseidon, as a refresher, is a longstanding innovative dive equipment from Sweden.? The original pieces from 1969 likely number in the handful range, but Doxa is giving us 500 of the re-edition.At Baselworld 2018, we had the chance to sit down with Rick Marei, General Manager at the brand, and we got to see some pretty fantastic future ideas (sorry, we’re sworn to secrecy for now) and we we were able to go hands-on with the new Doxa SUB300T Poseidon Edition.As of the time ...
Details Count: The New Oris Divers Sixty-Five Bronze Bezel
There’s no doubt about it, the Oris Divers Sixty-Five is a bona fide hit.? When it was first released in 2015 in 40mm guise, it received near-universal praise and it has received continuous additions and updates since that time.? Currently, there are numerous dial colors and the case sizes available include the new 36mm diameter, a 40mm version and even 42mm variants.? Today, though, we’ll focus on some pieces that debuted at Baselworld 2018, the Oris Divers Sixty-Five Bronze Bezel.I suppose if you’re a reader of Fratello Watches, you’re a detail hound.? If so, my unabashed love for the Oris Divers Sixty-Five Bronze Bezel won’t shock you because it’s a rel...