My love of watches moves in mysteriously lateral ways, especially this year. I don't know why, but I seem to be jinxed, with size preferences, consolidation, and plans going astray. The Aera D-1 frustratingly proves it by making a big-wristed point. I won't even go into my failed third attempt at consolidation since that includes a love of small-diameter cool, which has been turned on its head lat

Luxury is heavy, and functionality is light. If that’s true, the battle of gold versus titanium has an easily predictable outcome. Still, isn't great comfort also a luxury? And when titanium is not only used for its lack of weight but also for its special hue, the mythical transition metal that was discovered in 1791 by English clergyman and mineralogist William Gregor and named after the so

I must admit that I’ve wanted to get my hands on the Hanhart 417 ES 1954 Flyback Reverse Panda 39 for a long time. Ever since Hanhart released its most iconic chronograph in a 39mm case size (just like the original watch from 1954), it has been high on my list of watches to try. Now that I have, I can say that it may well be the brand’s best. One thing’s for sure: it packs a lot

Another Sunday, another Showdown! This week, we are pitting two neo-vintage Seamaster Professional 300M references against each other. In the black corner, we have the sword-handed 2254.50. Out of the blue corner fights the 2531.80 as worn by Pierce Brosnan in Die Another Day. Our very own Nacho owns the former, while Morgan proudly rocks the latter. So, to make it a little less personal, they hav

It’s Speedy Tuesday! This week we have a contribution from Ashley Budgen (co-owner and founder of the popular Australian based omegaforums.net website) about his very rare Omega Speedmaster reference 105.002. A straight-lugged Speedmaster from 1962 – only 1 year in production – and therefore one of the rarest references. Ashley bought one last year and shares his story with you.I

After launching the P1lot One (read here and here), a non-profit pilot’s watch exclusively for 52 forum members, some of the members of the construction team joined forces and started SUBDELTA, handbuilt Dutch watches. Every year, a maximum of 100 handbuilt watches will be issued.The first crowdfunding watch project for SUBDELTA is the Periscope. Designed and built in the Netherlands,this Pe

CHRISTIE'S GENEVA AUCTIONFollowing my review of the Phillips watch auctions last week, my brother (Roy) and I took a look at Christie's upcoming auction catalog and had the pleasure of viewing the watches with Thomas Perrazi in Geneva. Thomas and the team have focused on vintage versus modern in recent auctions following a global trend from collectors. In regards to the team, we also had the pleas

One of the things that makes a Grand Seiko outstanding in most cases, is the dial. We all know the Snowflake and Mt. Iwate for example, but now they also have added ‘hammered’ and?radiant pattern dials to their collection.I will get to the hammered platinum Grand Seiko SBGZ001 somewhere in the next weeks but want to have a closer look at the more affordable stainless steel Grand Seiko

Chopin captured the essence of his work with the above words. Often believed to be French, Chopin was of Polish origin in fact.He was born in 1810 in ?elazowa Wola and lived in Poland until 1830 before moving to Paris. It was only in 1835 when he gained French citizenship, while he passed away in 1849. Chopin’s love for his homeland is most perceptible in one of his greatest works, etude in

Welcome back to Wrist Game or Crying Shame, the online voting serial where playing along doesn’t require social distancing. Today, we’ll take a look at the limited edition Omega Speedmaster Apollo XVII 40th Anniversary and get your thoughts. But first…Last week, I decided to give you a two-part cocktail made from equal parts of rarity and controversy. It was a stiff drink in the

Concept laboratory MB&F has been working with legendary clockmaker L’Epeee 1839 for several years now. Their collaborations are always interesting. Perhaps the rarity of desk clocks in the modern world makes them even more so. These are not just remarkable sculptures capable of displaying the time, but they are also futuristic anachronisms designed to mess with our heads. The new Starfle

New premium watch brands are ten-a-penny. Reasons to care, however, are rarer than hens’ teeth. Imagine my surprise, then, when I stumbled across SYE. The name - which stands for Start Your Engines - left me cold. But the watch? The watch hit me in what I believe the youth of today would refer to as “the feels”.Having sustained a strong impact to “the feels” I struggl

Hermes was founded in 1837. Back then, the company sold well-made harnesses and bridles for the carriage trade. Today, we’re more accustomed to seeing luxury watches roll out into the brand’s boutiques around the globe. The Cape Cod has, somehow, become something of a crossover icon for the colliding worlds of Haute Couture and Horlogerie.Without a doubt, Herms’ calling card is

During the exhilarating March Mania, we found out that we all love to compare the incomparable. If you had to choose between an eclectic Big eye chronograph Mondia, a juicy three-hander Frenca, or a famous weirdo Spaceman, which one would you go for? Inspired by March Mania I?called my friends from 10ora10 and asked them to send us three watches that have very little in common. They are all watche

Fratello has been here since 2004. What started out as a simple blog about watches has become a daily job for an entire team. And also let’s not forget about our freelancer contributors that are so incredibly involved and committed.I’m sure you might have noticed if you’ve been scrolling these pages long enough, but I started out with nothing more than a standard WordPress websit

There's no getting around the radiant dark blue Zifferblatt of the pilot's chronograph. It really is as blue as blue can be. The manually engraved gray-dialed version may be a lot more understated, but once it grabs your attention it keeps a firm hold of that. The one-of-a-kind Dekorschliff gives this pilot's watch an artistic touch. Let's take a closer look at (and behind the dials of) the Sinn 3

Today, we take a look at one of the most elusive vintage Japanese watches. The Citizen ChronoMaster 500M diver is here and for many, this article just might serve as an introduction.Things are different today in the vintage watch world. Secrets are few and this means that even my beloved vintage Japanese watches are now receiving more and more coverage. Okay, I know that I don’t help things,

It’s no secret that I have a weak spot for the Omega Constellation. In fact, I do have my fair share of them (eight different references, to be exact), but the only modern version I own is the Constellation Globemaster. In this video, I talk about the latest addition to the Omega Constellation Globemaster collection, the Annual Calendar with a green dial.Omega Constellation Globemaster Annua

In a 1981 interview on Granada TV, former legendary Liverpool FC coach Bill Shankly spoke these often misquoted and famous words: Somebody said that football's a matter of life and death to you, I said, ‘Listen, it’s more important than that.’ Does that quote apply to watches as well? I'm inclined to answer that with a firm yes based on the comments we get on articles we publish.

OK, so the MoonSwatch might not quite yet be widely available online, but there’s no harm in making sure you’re fully prepared for when it is. I didn’t get my Mission To Mercury on the day of release. I had to wait until a couple of weeks after the launch, but the wait was worth it. Why? Because I was fully prepared with my replacement strap, ready to go.Replacement strap? If you