Alpina Rensie Bumper Movement Watch (2021): A Bargain Classic
I?bet most of you have your underdog. A decent smaller watch that you all hold on to, even though you don't wear it often. The bumper Alpina Rensie is one of the earliest vintage watches I?bought. Every time I?see it in a drawer, my heart skips a?beat.?Early automatic watches with the so-called bumper movement are always fun. As explained in the Alpina History Brand Book, “they relied on an active swinging weight to tighten the mainspring which, when fully wound, contained enough power to keep the watch running for circa forty hours. If you put the case back down you will see two springs that allow the central weight to bump. It is, in short, a simple and genius movement.Bumper timeThe...
New Watch Release: Breitling Unveils The New Super Chronomat 44 B01 and Four Year Calendar (2021)
Today Breitling has released the new, bigger brother to its popular Chronomat. The new Super Chronomat is the boldest and, perhaps most ambitious, addition to the Swiss brand’s sports chronograph collection.?Breitling says that the Super Chronomat is the “ultimate choice for those who want a timepiece mastering the balance between sturdy and stylish”. Marketing spiel aside, I’m inclined to agree, as my initial impression is that they look incredibly sturdy, and they’re also rather stylish to boot. Of course, I’d expect nothing less from a Breitling - just look at that stunning Four Year Calendar model!The Frecce Tricolori watch that Breitling created for t...
Hands-On With The New Meistersinger Stratoscope Moonphase Watch
There is something magical about watches with a moon phase. But what if you combine it with the unique approach to watchmaking that defines Meistersinger? The brand from Munster in Germany showed us the first example of it with their Lunascope introduced in 2018. Now the brand takes it one step further with the introduction of the new Meistersinger Stratoscope. It combines the best of both worlds, and the results are quite spectacular. I had a chance to go hands-on with the Stratoscope and find out more.Meistersinger is a fascinating brand. Not just because they produce single-hand watches, but the overall design of their timepiece is instantly recognizable. The combination of a single hand,...
Seiko 140th Anniversary Limited Edition Prospex Diver's Watch
In 1966 Seiko's 62MAS dive watch accompanied researchers on the eighth Japanese Antarctic Research expedition. Seiko's very first diving watch debuted the year before, and it marks a very important moment in the history of the brand. So it doesn't come as a surprise that this remarkable instrument shows up 140 years after the birth of Seiko in a celebratory collection of four. The Seiko 140th Anniversary Limited Edition Prospex Diver's watch SPB213J1 is a crisp white and blue interpretation of the 1965 original.For its 140th Anniversary collection, Seiko chose to use white and blue as the connecting colors for its Astron, Prospex, Presage, and 5 Sports watches. If you saw the Astron GPS Sola...
The Quest For Accuracy A Noble Pursuit Or A Fool's Errand?
It all started with a conversation in the office. An office that’s full of people who are crazy about watches, what they are, and what they can do. The functional core of a watch is, of course, telling time as accurately as possible. The ultimate goal of any watchmaker is to build a watch that tells time perfectly. This was the case in the past when a watch served an essential purpose, but it also does so in the present, as watchmaking is founded on ancient principles that are still upheld, even in times of atomic clocks. Nowadays, a mechanical watch is both a functional and emotional object. Does the emotional element outweigh the functional one? Is the ancient quest for accuracy a no...
Starting A Watch Collection With $10K Thor's Top Three Picks
This series was actually my idea, and boy, do I regret it! The premise of this idea is to help guide a watch-loving newbie down the right path to a hypothetical starter collection. I'm normally not indecisive, but here, the word doesn't even start to explain my situation. As I am in the middle of a personal consolidation of my collection, it makes the concept even more poignant. But when I try to tell you how to spend $10K wisely, these are loose guidelines only, not a gospel.Embarking on this quest was difficult, believe me. You have no idea of the number of watches I've mentally sorted through to get to what I find is a curated but fluctuating three-watch collection. I'm not mentioning whi...
Four Ways to Level Up Your Watch Photography
There's something instinctual about wanting to take photos of watches. Photography, after all, is all about storytelling. And I'll be damned if timepieces weren't rich with stories. Today, through the power of modern smartphones, taking and sharing photos of watches is easier than ever before. And yet, taking good watch photos is seemingly just as hard as it's ever been. Layer on the nuance of reflective crystals, polished steel, and tiny details, and suddenly, the task of sharing our horological anecdotes becomes a little more daunting. Turns out, though, that while mastering the craft of watch photography takes years of practice, getting your foot in the metaphorical door can be distilled ...
Hands-On With The MING 22.01 GMT Gilt
Roughly one year ago, the new MING 22.01 GMT debuted and was available for order. Now the watches have started to ship, and I was fortunate enough to receive my Gilt variant. It’s time to go hands-on with this piece, and I hope that the pictures do it just an ounce of justice because this is a really impressive watch.It’s not every day that I receive an email from Praneeth Rajsingh from MING Watches, but there it was one recent morning. After nearly a year - my, how time flies - my MING 22.01 GMT was finally ready to ship. After paying the remaining balance and waiting a few days, the faithful DHL Express truck rolled up and handed me a package. I hadn’t exactly forgotten a...
LVMH Is Reviving the Gerald Genta Brand
We all love Gerald Genta, but in fact, this article started very differently. My idea was to write about the best of Genta, which is a decent-enough approach. But nerd-diving into Royal Oak references and the immense charm of a brown-dial rose gold Nautilus has been done before, right? Nothing against his well-known grails; I've tried to dislike the Nautilus but still love it, no matter how inaccessible it is. But news appeared that the Gerald Genta brand is being revived, and that’s a bigger story altogether.LVMH has been telling the world of its planned rebirth of the Gerald Genta brand. It has already had Bvlgari cameos but will now have a dedicated team and a new future. So a big b...
Watch Owned By A Titanic Passenger Sold At Auction
If only watches could tell stories! This watch, which belonged to Titanic passenger John Jacob Astor, would certainly have a story to tell.On April 14th, 1912, the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg. It was just after 11:40 that night. The ship, which had been touted as unsinkable because of the leading technology used in her construction at the time, had foundered by 2:20 the next morning. Sadly, 1,523 people lost their lives, including 815 passengers and 688 crew members. As many as 700 survived the tragic sinking. Many more could have survived, as the ship had a lifeboat capacity for 1,178 people, but panic overcame many of those on board.Image: Henry Aldridge & SonThe Titanic passenger wh...
New: Armin Strom Gravity Equal Force Ultimate Sapphire Purple
As a fan of Armin Strom, I have had the pleasure of reviewing many of the brand’s previous models. Back in 2019, I was following the story of the then-new Gravity Equal Force, and while the watch was and still is out of my financial reach, I was amazed by what the Biel/Bienne Maison presented us. With the latest release, Armin Strom is upping the ante by introducing the Gravity Equal Force Ultimate Sapphire Purple.?The name is a mouthful, but the watch is jaw-dropping. I reported on the first Gravity Equal Force in 2019 and went hands-on with it a year later. Today, Armin Strom is releasing its latest watch, and it offers more than meets the eye.Gravity Equal ForceThe Armin Strom Gravi...
Six New Swatch Neon Watches
I know quite a few people who can't wait for the return of the Swatch Neon collection, and the 1992 Grand Prix SCJ101 is the most famous of them all. Nacho is a big fan, has a few, and still wants more. RJ is also a fan but has never found one in good condition. Last year, the Neon To The Max revived the original in a revamped design, but it didn't hit all the right notes, according to the connoisseurs. Is there a model that comes close to the OG Grand Prix among the six new Swatch Neon watches? And if not, are the alternatives good enough to brighten your day?The 1992 Swatch Grand Prix SCJ101 is a charismatic, coveted, and collectible watch. This chronograph, in its 37mm case with popping c...
Ferretti Francesco
Ferretti Francesco, an avid Panerai collector and seller, does some showing off on his vintage watches at Paneristi.com.Click here for the full thread...
James Bond's watch was not always stylish
Although James Bond is probably perceived as one of the most stylish men around, he certainly messed up his watch in Goldfinger. In Goldfinger, he was wearing a Submariner (ref.6538 probably) on a NATO strap. On several Forums, the close-up below shows the watch with as much detail as possible:I don’t like NATO straps at all, and find them far from stylish, but I guess that there are a lot of (and Bond) fans that do. But look at the width of the strap, it is way too small, approximately 18mm (if not any smaller). This looks pretty awkward, and I can’t imagine they couldn’t find a fitting NATO strap for this watch in 1964.Anyway, some of the / Bond fans are delighted by ...
Fratellowatches Interviews Benno Leeser CEO Of Gassan Diamonds
Gassan Diamonds was founded in 1945 by Samuel Gassan and turned into the most important watch and diamond dealer of The Netherlands. With approximately 450 employees, Gassan Diamonds is able to process the 300.000 350.000 visitors each year to their head quarters in The Netherlands, housed in a former steam-driven diamond factory in the center of Amsterdam. With shops through-out Amsterdam, Schiphol Airport, London City Airport, Singapore's Changi Airport and offices in Amsterdam, New York, Beijing, Jakarta and Bangkok, Gassan Diamonds is a global player in diamonds and watches.Amsterdam Head Office of Gassan DiamondsOn the 22nd of April, we (Robert-Jan and Ger) interviewed Benno Leeser (CEO...
Give-away Over At Monochrome: Win A Seiko Discus Burger!
Watch blog Monochrome celebrates their 5 year and 5 months anniversary with a very cool give-away! With some sponsorship of MB&F, Monochrome is giving away a Seiko Discus Burger, or ref SCBS007 if you want.Of course you have to do something to win the Seiko:Subscribe to the Monochrome newsletter to receive the newest posts in your mailboxBecome a fan of Monochrome on FacebookBecome a fan of MB&F on FacebookAll people who have complied to all three conditions will enter the random drawing and one person will win the Seiko Discus Burger!The drawing will be on Wednesday June 8 at 12:00 o'clock C.E.T. (= GMT+2 due to the DST). Stay tuned!...
Gerald Genta BBQ
This is what happens if you put 5 fans of Gerald Genta designs in one room. Yesterday, our very own watch photographer Bert invited us over to his crib for the perfect BBQ (no vegetables) and show all our Genta stuff while enjoying good food and drinks.As you can see, we brought the usual suspects. 2x Patek Philippe Nautilus 3700/1A, 2x Nautilus 5711/1A, 1x Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 5402ST, 1x Royal Oak 14802 and 2x a Royal Oak 15202ST. All considered to be the ‘Jumbo’ models as designed by Gerald Genta. On top of that, there were some deviations of the original models such as the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph 26300, the Royal Oak Lady and an IWC Ingenieur SL Automatic in...
Speedy Tuesday True Story About The New Speedmaster Racing
Speedmaster 311.30.42.30.01.004Remember our post about the Speedmaster Racing a few weeks ago? Well, there’s more to it! During our appointment with Jean Claude Monachon (Head of Product Development) of OMEGA we’ve heard the true story about the OMEGA Speedmaster Professional 311.30.42.30.01.004 ‘Racing’ that was introduced during Baselworld 2013.Tintin – Destination MoonTintin Destination Moon (or Objectif Lune) is the 16th comic album of Herge’s Tintin series. It was written 19 years before the Moonlanding (Apollo 11 in 1969) and 8 years before the first manned space flight (Yuri Gagarin). The story about Tintin, Haddock and professor Calculus continues ...
#TBT Universal Geneve Compax "Evil Nina"
It seems like it happened longer ago, but in fact it was only a year ago this past February that one of our rivals, albeit a friendly rival, published an article that seemed to send shockwaves throughout the vintage watch collecting hobby. Perhaps, but perhaps not, I'm overstating things and it only affected a narrow slice of the market, but it certainly caught my attention. The article I'm referring to is the story on the Universal Geneve Compax Nina Rindt published by Hodinkee in February 2014. It was a captivating article because it brought together great research, beautiful photos, a compelling story and, most importantly, a stunning vintage watch.When I say that the article brought upon...
Mike & RJ's Top 5 Watches Of 2018 (Baselworld and SIHH)
SIHH and Baselworld are behind us and with a few exceptions and later introductions planned for this year (wink wink), we’ve seen all watches for 2018. Time to make up our mind on the Top 5 Baselworld and SIHH 2018 watches. Mike will give an overview of his Top 5 watches that were shown to him in Baselworld and RJ will show his Top 5 watches that were introduced during the SIHH in Geneva.Top 5 Watches Baselworld 2018Please find Mike Stockton’s Top 5 watches from Baselworld below.1. Tudor Black Bay 58For me, the Black Bay series of watches have always been great looking, but have lacked a certain staying power. I just forget about them and their normally thick cases really ruin it...