Watch Storage: Henry's Tudor, IWC, Doxa, And More
A part of what makes the watch hobby so enjoyable is the massive amount of things to explore beyond just the watches themselves. For instance, even if you’re a “one-watch” enthusiast, that still leaves open the world of straps to spice things up or tone things down, movements/technical aspects of the watch world, brand history, and more. This is indeed a hobby with so many facets. Watch storage is one that we don’t often discuss, but it certainly affects anyone who puts together a significant-enough collection.One collector’s journeyIt’s an issue that I’ve contended with, which I’d argue often gets overlooked: how should you store your watches ...
Hands-On: Forstner Pilot Ref. F-6B/346 Mark 11
Since Forstner reopened its doors in 2019, it has become a go-to for vintage-inspired bracelets. The brand was founded by William Forstner almost a century earlier in New Jersey, concentrating on ornamental jewelry and watch bracelets in its early years. The company’s real focus came about in 1939 with the introduction of the “Komfit” bracelet, which was followed in the next decade by Forstner’s version of the “Bonklip” bracelet. Now we see Forstner introducing the Pilot Ref. F-6B/346, the brand’s take on the classic Mark 11 pilot’s watch.Given Forstner’s long history of producing watch bracelets and the relatively short period since refo...
The Best Watches Under $2,500: Daan's Picks
People sometimes ask me on Instagram and in person which watches they should get. They often expect me to suggest watches from big names like , Cartier, and Omega. And yes, those brands make and offer great watches, but they’re also rather expensive for most people. In this series, we’re looking at our favorite watches under $2,500. This time, I wanted to find watches that I would buy if I were getting into watches today. Here are some of my genuine recommendations.There are, of course, many watches for sale at this price point. However, it’s also somewhat of an in-between price category. I feel that people will either look at a sub-$1,000 watch or take a big plunge and go ...
Why The Doxa Sub 300 Is A Watch Icon Worth Your Time
The history of a watch can be vital for its ongoing success. But while Doxa’s Sub 300 had a storied past, the brand did not survive the Quartz Crisis. Thankfully, in recent years, under the stewardship of the Jenny family, Doxa has been going from strength to strength.It is time that we had a conversation about Doxa. The brand’s hot release of the new Sub 200T caused a fair bit of chatter this year. Amid feelings of a relatively lukewarm Watches and Wonders 2024, Doxa’s release (just before the show started) sparked praise from many quarters, not just from longtime fans of the brand.One of the elements of Doxa’s marketing success is probably that the Sub 200T debuted ...
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak "Jumbo" Extra-Thin Openworked
This is hardly the first open-worked version of the legendary Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo Extra-Thin, but it is my favorite one so far. The perfection is in the white gold that “AP” used for the watch’s exterior, the internal and external finishing, and the choice of colors. The way the watch combines significant weight with an airy appearance also creates a special sensation. I got the chance to go hands-on with an exclusive watch that's limited by production but takes its place in AP's regular Royal Oak collection nonetheless.When I write “regular Royal Oak collection,” I'm referring to the 140 references that make up the current non-special-edition lineup...
Lex Watches becomes the BRM dealer for The Netherlands and Germany
Lex Watches, one of Fratello’s sponsors and just recently on the Dutch market has exciting news to bring! Since Lex Watches is trying to stand out from the crowd, they also look for partners that stand out. Lex Watches have found a brand that they feel fits very well with their own philosophy. The brand is not very famous to all of you (yet), but all watches are precious timepieces, made in house and by hand, all in very small production numbers, making all the produced watches special and rare!The brand we are talking about is BRM which is short for Bernard Richards Manufacture. At BRM they build every watch by hand, and almost all parts are manufactured in house. BRM uses, besides ET...
Vintage Panerai: The References
About a year ago, I wrote about a book called Vintage Panerai by Ralf Ehlers and Volker Wiegmann, both Paneristi from Germany. These guys have written the successor of their first book and it is currently available for pre-order. Their second book is being called Vintage Panerai – The References and can be ordered at vintage-panerai.de for 169 Euro. Their first book, Vintage Panerai – Watches with History, is also still for sale for 79 Euro.The Vintage Panerai – The Legends book is documenting 34 different vintage / historic Panerai watches. The peculiarities and differences between the References 3646, 6152, 6154, 6152/1 and the GPF 2/56 are explained in detail and with ri...
Stockinger Bespoke Safes A Visit Report
The ownership of an expensive timepiece does not come without any risks. The risk of loss, damage, theft or even robbery is for some people even a reason not to buy or wear their precious watch. A safe deposit box at the bank might be a good idea but it will also become annoying when you want to swap watches once in a while. A safe at home is therefore a good alternative and this will also give you some advantages regarding insurance premium. A safe has to meet a number of requirements for insurance companies and most of the time these safes aren't particular nice to look at. Big grey chunks of steel that probably will not fit your home interior at all.Enter Stockinger Bespoke Safes. This co...
Moritz Grossmann Atum Pure M: The Sneak Preview Watch
I?had the pleasure to visit the Moritz Grossmann during?BaselWorld. There were several interesting novelties from this relatively young brand (2008) from the praised small German watchmaking village Glashutte. There is one particular model that?grabbed?our attention: the Atum Pure M. It has several remarkable technical and visual properties which I'd like to point out.Atum Pure M in stainless steel with jade green accentsSecond?CollectionThe Atum is definitely one of the cornerstones since 2013 and this year the watch brand is expanding the collection of the model. It is the second collection?of Moritz Grossman and named after the mythological god of creation: Atum. We have been told that th...
Speedy Tuesday A Very Rare Skeleton Speedmaster Jubilee 27 Chro C12
Although the use of ‘rare’ is often being exaggerated, it certainly applies?for this skeleton Speedmaster Jubilee 27 Chro C12 reference 3696.50. For the happy few, as we are talking solid gold here with skeletonized caliber 867 chronometer chronograph movement. Let’s have a look.Skeleton Speedmaster in GoldGold Speedmasters are rare on its own, but when there’s skeleton work performed by one of the renown artisans in this field, Armin Strom, it becomes a hot piece. Back in the 1990s, Armin Strom did several projects for Omega, like the skeleton Seamaster 300M for example. Caliber 864 (chronometer certified) has been used as a base caliber for this special caliber 867 ...
Omega Seamaster Edizione Venezia A Story To Tell
Omega didn’t show us everything in BaselWorld, as we already noticed some images on Instagram from some Italian colleagues and collectors talking Seamaster Edizione Venezia. Just a few days ago, Omega officially announced this special watch that will only be for sale at the Omega Boutique and the T Fondaco dei Tedeschi by DFS (department store) in Venice.Omega Seamaster Edizione VeneziaThe Seamaster collection (1948) is actually the oldest line-up from Omega in the current families of watches. The Constellation was introduced in 1952, Speedmaster in 1957 and De Ville in 1967. The very first Seamaster models have little to do with the current line up of watches. The Seamaster slowly tra...
Hamilton Intra-Matic Chrono in Blue Review
You know you did something right when people start to compare your watch to one with a price tag three times as high.Whether it was justified or not to criticize the Breitling Premier chronograph for being a very expensive Hamilton Intra-Matic Auto Chrono (Michael Stockton mentioned it already in his Breitling Premier B01 review here), the comments do stick with you. I handled both the Hamilton Intra-Matic Chrono and the Breitling Premier B01, and I prefer the looks of the Hamilton. However, let’s make it clear that this doesn’t mean that the $1995 will buy you the same or better quality and finished watch as the $7500 Breitling. It just might buy you a better-looking watch. But ...
This Week in Watches: May 9, 2020 Everything Edition
Howdy-do fine folks and welcome to This Week in Watches for May 9, 2020 the Everything Edition. I’ve given it this name because we’ve got quite the smorgasbord of new watches for you. So, grab your plates and hit the buffet!Christopher Ward C60 Sapphire EditionWhen I said we had everything, I meant it. We kick things off with a new Christopher Ward C60 Diver. This 40mm dive watch has a blue dial made from sapphire. With this, the Sellita SW200 automatic is visible. Christopher Ward tells us that creating such a dial takes 20 production steps. Lapping, grinding, and polishing are just some of the measures required to fit this slice of sapphire into a watch case. The watch has a di...
Review: The Hexagonal Bennett Winch Watch Roll
If there’s one useful accessory for a watch guy, it’s a watch roll. I’ve had and tried many, but only a few make it to become one of my “travel essentials”.Before I start with the review of this Bennett Winch watch roll, I think it is good to spend a few words on what I think makes a good one. For me, the most important thing is that a watch roll is sturdy. I often put it in my cabin luggage, and it might float around in there as I don’t overpack. A soft watch roll, especially those that are not made of leather, provides too little protection in my opinion.What Makes A Good Watch Roll?I also want to have at least two spots for a watch. If I travel with jus...
We Talk About Truly Innovative Watches From W&W 2021 And You Can Win This Pen!
The last one of our four-category W&W 2021 discussion with Andrew from Time+Tide, Wei from Revolution, Frank from Monochrome, and yours truly. I hosted this video and the category is “Future Forward”. What are the most innovative watches from Watches & Wonders and bring something truly new to the table?Future ForwardAgain, no budgets or limitations set in this category. Listen to the picks of this small group of watch editors from Revolution Magazine, Time+Tide, Monochrome, and Fratello.? My pick is the Panerai Submersible eLAB-ID PAM01225. It is not so much about the design of this watch, but about the use of recycled materials. 98.6% of this watch consists of recycled m...
Fratello On Air: Wasp 9.1 The Mailbag Returns With Konstantin Chaykin, Omega, And Armin Strom
Yo, yo, yo, we’ve gone decimal! I knew there was a reason we had those funny old episode numbers. Now we finally know why. The long-planned episode 10 has been delayed because for the first time this year both Balazs (Fridge) and Rob (Freezer) are in different countries (whaaat?).That’s right, episode 9.1 (the second installment of our mailbag series) sees the Podcast come to you from Dresden (Germany) and Pecs (Hungary). Our intrepid international impresarios have watches from Omega, Artya, Armin Strom, and more for your listening pleasure....
Omega Takes On Glashutte Original In Sunday Morning Showdown
In our Sunday Morning Showdown, two of our writers go head-to-head in an epic showdown for the ages. Strong opinions and hysterical hyperbole are welcome (so feel free to join in with the fun in the comments section below). And don’t forget to let us know which watches you’d like to see torn to shreds/effusively exalted next week. We’ll try and feature as many of our readers’ choices as we can. In today’s episode, we set out on a grand voyage for exotic dive watches over $10,000. The new 2021 Omega Seamaster 300 in Bronze Gold takes on the Glashutte Original SeaQ Panorama Date.Again we are selecting a new 2021 watch for our Sunday Morning Showdown series. But th...
Crafter Blue Introduces A Green-Dialed Hyperion Ocean Dive Watch
If you have ever found yourself looking for an aftermarket rubber strap for your Seiko, the name Crafter Blue will certainly ring a bell. The brand rose to fame only a few years ago in 2016 thanks to its production of some of the best fitted rubber straps on the market. Since then, many competitors have joined the market with similar products. But if you're looking for bang for your buck, Crafter Blue's straps remain the best option out there. A year and a half ago, I bought one for my Seiko SRPC35K1 Mini Turtle. It's a strap that makes it back onto the watch every summer. But how does a company that started as a strap manufacturer fare in making an over-specced yet affordable dive watch?Eve...
Best-Kept Secrets: A Cool IWC Pilot's Chronograph Under $2,000
Why have I never bought myself an IWC? I love pilot's watches, and the monochrome vibe of an IWC tool watch has always been very tempting. The challenge for me is their sizing and my tight budget. I would love to have burly-enough arms to rock a 43-46mm tool chronograph, but unfortunately, I’m stuck with a twig-like 17.5cm wrist. So if you share my challenge, here’s your guide on how to find a cool IWC Pilot's Chronograph for less than $2,000. Spoiler alert: it’s less of a challenge than you’d imagine.IWC has made everything a lot more tempting with the new 41mm Pilot’s Watch Chronographs that dropped last year, and there's always the smaller Spitfire series. Bu...
Patek Philippe Ref. 5270 In Titanium For A Good Cause
How was your weekend? The time has come to wear your bright-colored, sporty, and fun spring/summer watches, don't you think? No, I'm not talking about colorful MoonSwatches, trust me. I will leave that hot topic alone for a bit. But I do have a colorful titanium Patek Philippe with an emerald dial for you. And if you're in need of some music to ease you into the workweek, there's also an Audemars Piguet Mark Ronson project. Breguet, however, likes things quieter, and that's why the brand is now a partner of Frieze, the global art fair. That gives us plenty to talk about in this edition of Coffee Corner Watch Talk.First up is a very special Patek Philippe for a special occasion. On November 7...