Our Thoughts on the New TAG Heuer Autavia Isograph
At Baselworld 2019, after years of seeing many new releases from the brand, the TAG Heuer Autavia Isograph was the primary focus.That’s right, we walked into the TAG Heuer booth, sat down in the conference room and aside from seeing a digital presentation of a new Golf watch, we physically saw one watch. Ok, that’s not exactly true. We saw a handful of different variants of the same watch and that ought to tell you how important the new TAG Heuer Autavia Isograph is to the brand. And what’s more, this new piece kicks off a new lineup with more models to come. A new chronograph will be announced later this year and in a case that differs from the current retro Heuer Heritage...
Watches & Pencils #47 Dial Color Confusion: Salmon Dials And More
Recently, multiple brands released their ‘salmon’. I mean a dial with the colour which is described as salmon. Or named ‘salmon’ by the watch crowd. To commit to this I thought it was time to create my own ‘true’ salmon dial:Why do I say ‘true’? Well, there has been some discussion going on this new Audemars Piguet (reference 15202BC). Is it a salmon dial or not? Audemars Piguet describes it as pink-gold. Some watch collectors say it’s salmon. Confusion everywhere. How can you verify this?Salmon dial or not?See It Yourself!Although most professional photographers can get the colours right, it’s often the device of the viewer (and th...
Wrist Game or Crying Shame: Breitling Navitimer Montbrillant
Welcome back to Wrist Game or Crying Shame, the weekly series that allows you to participate in an important online survey while being stuck in the house. Today, we’ll head back to the late 90s with the Breitling Navitimer Montbrillant. But first…With our current homebound lives - imagine how this will read in a year’s time - a week ago seems like a month. But it was only last week that I showed you a NOS Seiko SKX007J, the ubiquitous everyman’s diver that not every man owns. For $289 on favored grey market dealer?Jomashop, the watch boomed to a stunning 86% Wrist Game win. Today, we’ll go with something a lot more complex and 10 times more expensive in the Brei...
Glashutte Original Dials For Divers' Watches
Back in May of 2019 Glashutte introduced their SeaQ model collection as part of the Spezialist range of watches. Based on a legendary diver from 1969, the Saxon brand launched a full new collection with a pretty distinct and different look. Recently we got an inside look into the dial production for the SeaQ collection.The design of the Glashutte Original SeaQ models stands out compared to other watch families within the Glashutte collection. When the watches were introduced in May 2019, many people were happy to see the return of a sports watch in the Glashutte Original collection. Fast forward eight months and we get some news from Glashutte about the SeaQ collection. No new models. No tec...
March Mania: Quarter Finals Czapek Antarctique Vs. H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner
Wow, this is all happening so fast. When we started the competition, we had 96 watches. Now we have started the end game! We are at the stage where our writers go head to head and hope to battle their way through to the final. At this point, each of our writers has only one watch remaining. So today, we have our very first quarter-final that sees Jorg and Balazs battle it out for a spot in our March Mania Final Four. We need your help to find out who will be one of the four final contenders. Where will your votes fall?We’re at the sharp end now. Jorg has one watch left, as does Balazs. We need you to pick your favorite in this March Mania quarter-final. Tomorrow RJ and Gerard will have...
Hands-On: Raketa Avant-Garde Limited Edition Of 300 Pieces
Meet the Raketa “Avant-Garde” watch. Heavily inspired by 20th-century Russian artists like Malevich and Kandinsky who had a new vision of art, which was characterized by colorful abstract shapes. This new 40.5mm Russian mechanical watch was delivered to our office for a hands-on review, and it caused quite a stir in the process…The fun began when the package arrived. The Raketa box is colorful, decorated with a lot of abstract shapes on its cover. When I pointed my iPhone with Google Translate app at the text on the box, it threw-out “Watch Factory” and “Russia”. The brand name is readable without using that app. Some of the other words are apparentl...
#TBT The Full Kit Medana "Pontife" Watch
It's not a price tag you are used to seeing on a vintage watch. And honestly, there are not many “special pieces you can still buy under $100 today. Even fewer are available if you want to have a full kit watch with its original manual. I guess I was just lucky to spot the Medana “Pontife at the right time…I?have gathered so many online sources where I?can scroll through offers for ages. Simply put, I?dont have enough time to pursue them all. One of them is the ChronoTrader that I hadn't visited for months. I don't how I found myself there in January, but I’m glad I did.It was a pretty random visit. The first listing I laid my eyes on featured the Medana in the headli...
An Exclusive Hands-On With The New Yema Yachtingraf Bronze LE
My favorite detail is that the case seems to literally eat the crown and pushers. And more than anything, Im really curious to hear your opinion on the super-slim hands. I’ve been waiting to announce this release for a while and I’m happy to say that this vintage-inspired Yema Yachtingraf Bronze, perfectly balanced with strong black accents, is ready to hit the watch world.?Not even two weeks after I?landed an original Yema Yachtingraf from the 1960s I?got a?message from Yema PR manager Vanessa Ke. You can only imagine the smile on my face when I?spotted a?prototype of the new Yachtingraf in bronze that Yema was working on. What are your thoughts? asked Vanessa. I need to get my ...
How I Became A Watch Collector In Confinement Omega, Grand Seiko, Oris, And More
I'm sure most of you got started in the watch hobby a while before we got into this weird isolated way of living. Well, not me! Alright, I got a Seiko Kinetic Perpetual when I was in high school, and that was quite a serious watch for me at that time. But it was not until January last year when I got my Oris Art Blakey that the bug truly bit. From then on, I’ve been hooked. This is a look back at the first year of an obsession I know many of you share…I think all it really took was a connection. Finding a simple emotional link to a watch seemed to open the floodgates. I never expected it to happen the way it did, but the Art Blakey stirred something in me and that was that. My da...
Tissot PRX Chronograph Hands-On Review
Meet the Tissot PRX Chronograph. It has been a long time since I ordered a watch during the initial presentation to the press from a brand. But alas, that’s exactly what happened with this. And it was a digital presentation, even!I thoroughly enjoyed wearing the regular Tissot PRX Automatic. Besides having a vintage-inspired design from a wonderful decade, the price for that watch is also on point. I can't think of another watch between $500 and $1,000 that I'd rather buy at the moment. But now, there's the Tissot PRX Chronograph, a new addition to the PRX family at a slightly higher price point.Tissot PRX ChronographThe first thing you'll notice after unboxing this Tissot PRX Chronogr...
The Post-Pandemic Watch Get-Together Season Is On!
Imagine your average Saturday afternoon. Add a group of around 40 people (oh yes, all men), together in a private section of a restaurant. There’s an open bar, snacks come and go, and there are a lot - I mean A LOT! - of watches. It doesn't sound all that complicated, and it really isn't. But it sure makes for a seriously fun afternoon! Yes, Fratelli, watch get-together season is here, and ready to wipe away those lingering pandemic blues!Since I got into watches around two years ago, I've only visited two other physical events like the one last weekend in Enschede, Netherlands. The first one was last November with roughly the same group of people. I didn't really know what to expect, ...
Starting A Watch Collection With $10K: G2's Top 3 Picks
Like a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step - chapter 64 of Lao Tse’s Tao Te Ching - ?I think a watch collection starts with a single watch. Not with three. But let’s assume the hypothetical situation, where a sugar daddy gave me $10,000 to spend on a three-watch watch collection to start with. What would I do? First, I’d celebrate, of course, and then I’d consult my feelings and probably head over to Chrono24.At first, it might seem challenging to spend $10K wisely; there are so many options, and a considerable part of the watch world lays open to you. But realizing that it should be the start of a watch collection makes it relatively easy for me. Th...
Tudor Opens The Doors Of Its New Le Locle Manufacture
Tudor has officially moved out! For decades, Tudor has shared ’s Geneva headquarters. It was long overdue for the brand to have a dedicated HQ and production facility. After several years in the making, this Friday, Tudor officially opened the doors to its new manufacture in Le Locle. This big news comes just a couple of days before Watches and Wonders, where the brand will unveil its much-awaited novelties for the year. It’s crystal clear that Tudor has been on a roll in recent years. Ever since the Black Bay Fifty-Eight took the watch world by storm, blazing the trail for a shift towards smaller watches, the brand has done nothing but establish itself as a key player, especiall...
The Most Collectible Watch Brands By Country
Chrono24, the largest worldwide marketplace for luxury watches, launched a Watch Collection tool back in 2017. It allows you to keep track of your collection and gives you an indication of the current market value of your watches. Thus far, over 1.3 million watch enthusiasts have added their watches to the Watch Collection tool, resulting in a total of 3.7 million watches with a value of $46.6 billion. But wait, there’s more.Watch Collection tool - for investors or collectors?In the last few years, we’ve seen a huge demand for , Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, and so on, to a point that it became less fun collecting watches from those brands. Not for everyone, of course, especia...
Watches And Wonders 2023 All The News On Fratello
The Fratello team will be in Geneva from March 26th to April 1st to bring you the latest news on releases from Watches and Wonders 2023. This year marks only the second time that this exhibition is physically available for the press, and we'll be there to show you the latest from all your favorite brands. So if you want all the information on the latest releases from the watch world’s biggest brands, Fratello is the place to be! Starting Monday morning, we’ll begin to break the news on the year’s most anticipated releases.Unlike last year, Watches and Wonders 2023 will open its doors to the public with a two-day “In The Salon” event towards the show’s end....
New: The Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph Ti49
The Girard-Perregaux Laureato is one of the OG integrated-bracelet sports watches from the ’70s - 1975, to be precise. This means the model turns 50 years old next year. I am sure this will be celebrated with new additions to the collection, but we don't have to wait until then. Girard-Perregaux is introducing a new material into the line right now - titanium. This is the Laureato Chronograph Ti49.Let's have a closer look at this new lightweight chronograph from the 233-year-old manufacture.Girard-Perregaux Laureato Chronograph Ti49As mentioned above, the Girard-Perregaux Laureato was first introduced in 1975. Technically, though, it wasn't called the Laureato just yet. The first model...
Monday Morning With Omega's Speedmaster X-33 Marstimer
Let's first make things very clear: the Omega Speedmaster X-33 Marstimer was never meant to be on the wrists of pioneering astronauts traveling to the Red Planet. Instead, this latest X-33 was designed to be on the wrists of people working in mission control here on Earth. Still, this quartz creation does make you wonder a couple of things. For example, what will a successor to the current X-33 look like? I picked up some rumors - nothing very concrete, unfortunately - that a new X-33 is on the (distant) horizon. Another thing I wonder is whether the next X-33 will be specifically designed for space-dwelling astronauts. Also, will this watch be powered by light? If it can't travel at the spe...
Louis Vuitton Escale Cabinet Of Wonders Collection
For this eccentric collection of watches honoring Gaston-Louis Vuitton, the brand enlisted an impressive lineup of artisans for the job. The Escale Cabinet of Wonders is a trilogy consisting of Koi's Garden, Snake's Jungle, and Dragon's Cloud. All three watches pay homage to Louis Vuitton's grandson Gaston-Louis, who held a role in the company from 1907 till 1970. Before diving into these three magnificent pieces of art, it makes perfect sense to discover where today's Louis Vuitton High Watchmaking department got its inspiration.Gaston-Louis VuittonGaston-Louis Vuitton once said during an interview that he was almost born in a trunk. Of course, he was referring to his grandfather Louis and ...
New: Oris Aquis Atlantis By IFL Watches
IFL Watches keeps knocking out one fun release after another. Among the brand’s projects, we have seen some amazing dial art that varies greatly in style but is always interesting. As I said in previous articles, my favorites are the Midnight Sky and Galaxy dials used for different models. The technique of pointillism adds great depth and fun to the watches. Next, the artists at IFLW have also created some great storytelling dials. The latest in the series is the Oris Aquis Atlantis. The dial of the brand’s popular dive watch tells the intriguing story of the lost empire of Atlantis. Let’s find out more!IFL Watches has focused on telling fun and intriguing stories on the di...
The Best Watches Under $1,000: Jorg's Picks
Well, after much deliberation, I've found what I subjectively consider the three best watches under $1,000 today. As Fratello’s resident list nerd, that should be a walk in the park, right? I have made tons of lists, including multiple ones about watches in this price category. But finding the five or ten best currently available watches in a certain price bracket is inherently different than finding the three watches that I love and would buy. The truth is, we are simply spoiled for choice. Now, let me explain my picks for this list.Thomas, RJ, and Daan already had a go in this series of articles. After reading their lists, I was happy to find that they picked none of my options. Robe...