Hands-On: A Closer Look At The New Cartier Tank Must?
In what has been a crazy time, there is something I think we can all agree on: the watch industry has surprised us with some unexpected releases. Cartier has occupied itself with reintroducing Must de Cartier. However, if you were expecting the old gold-plated design you might be disappointed. If you’d been hoping the Must would get a modern update, however, I imagine you’ll be thrilled. The new Cartier Tank Must has many faces and the basic model stands far away from the vintage model. This is something really new in a very familiar package. It seems, at first glance, to be the perfect combo. But is it?Cartier's most iconic lineGiven that the Cartier Tank line is the brand’...
Patek Philippe Nautilus Video Killed The Radio Star (2021)
My earliest encounter in the flesh with the Patek Philippe Nautilus was somewhere in the early 2000s. Probably 2002 or 2003. Of course, I knew about the watch and read about it, but it was a rare thing. The Nautilus 5711/1A hadn’t even been introduced yet.In those years, every Thursday, I found myself in this bar-restaurant to meet up with Gerard and some of his friends. At the time Gerard was the owner of a watch shop in The Hague (he hates the word boutique, but these days it would have been called a boutique) and the other guys were all entrepreneurs in different fields. I was still a student, but besides my typical - then - student's attire consisting of striped Ralph Lauren shirts...
Buying Guide: The Best Seiko Watches From The 1970s (2021)
We like to talk about vintage watches a lot within the Fratello team. While the daily routine is largely focused on the most recent developments in the world of watches, the most fun for many of us lies in the world of vintage watches. It's a world full of history, remarkable watches, incredible stories, and quirky details. It inspired us to come up with a series of articles focusing on the best watches per decade from a select group of brands. Some of them priceless, some of them still affordable. In this installment, we will take a look at the best Seiko watches from the 1970s.In the 1960s, we witnessed developments that challenged the status quo of watch design forever. The sheer amount o...
Dear Ikepod, Bring Back The Ikepod Hemipode
I have a great soft spot for people who try to bring something genuinely new to the world of watches. Especially if it's an industry outsider, I am all ears. It's not often that true outsiders can come up with a watch that breaks new ground without creating something conceptual and abstract that is more art than a conventional watch. With his Ikepod brand, Australian product designer Marc Newson created a series of watches that constantly pushed the envelope of watch design. Out of all his creations, the Hemipode is without a doubt the most well-known and most respected. Ever since I first saw one in 2004, I was intrigued and pretty much sold immediately. Almost two decades later, the watch ...
Unimatic Modello Quattro Vs. Serica 4512
We're back again for another Sunday Morning Showdown! This series is where two of our writers go head-to-head in an opinionated duel. One, two, or more watches are thrown into the arena to be either torn to shreds or effusively exalted by each defending editor. This week is a battle of two military-inspired watches that pack plenty of punch with their combination of style and substance. Not coincidentally, both of these brands are also amongst the hottest small brands in the watch industry. Who will take the modern military crown this week? Will it be the minimalist Unimatic Modello Quattro or the stylish Serica 4512? It’s all in your hands to decide who comes out on top. But first, le...
The Humble Tudor Oyster: A Brilliant Vintage Watch
Tudor has been in the headlines quite a lot this year, especially with the brand's new releases from Watches and Wonders. Included in those new releases was an updated version of the Tudor Black Bay in a dressier form, updated with sunray dials and MT-series movements. But today's story is about what I would consider the legitimate grandparent of this series of watches, the Tudor Oyster.?With the interesting news around so many Watches and Wonders 2023 releases in recent months, I thought it worthwhile to focus on a vintage watch. For those of you who have only ever dabbled in new or modern watches, the humble Tudor Oyster is a watch that truly could serve as your first foray into vintage wi...
Watch News: Releases From Maurice Lacroix, Bremont, Vulcain
Monday Morning Watch News kicks off your week with three novelties - the revised Maurice Lacroix Pontos S Diver, the race-inspired Bremont Isle of Man TT Limited Edition, and the Vulcain Cricket Andre Didixein CronotempVs Collectors. The Pontos S Diver came to life with the help of Croatian freediving world champion Lidija Liji?, while the Bremont is the timepiece of the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy lap record holder and six-time TT race winner Peter Hickman. Lastly, this Vulcain Cricket is dedicated to the grandson of the founder of the watch brand, who also played football for Madrid FC, the current Real Madrid FC.How long can you hold your breath underwater? Not as long as the Croatian free...
The New Doxa SUB 300T Clive Cussler
There is an unmistakable and common connection between watch brands, adventure, and exploration. Brands often support or commemorate a human exploit, whether it be climbing the tallest peak or discovering a legendary shipwreck. Omega is inextricably tied to the Moon landing, while is linked to deep-sea exploration. Thanks to Jacques Cousteau, Doxa has a deep connection with the study of underwater flora and fauna, as well as exploration in general. This is thanks to Clive Cussler and his iconic fictional character Dirk Pitt. Doxa recently released a unique commemorative version of the SUB 300T, which bears the name of the famed American novelist and underwater explorer. Let’s take a l...
Hands-On: IFL Watches CasiOak Black Metal Galaxy
The Casio G-Shock G-2100 started as a fun, almost-ironic resin take on a certain oak-named grail watch and other ’70s octagons. Quickly earning its “CasiOak” nickname, the model was a fresh new take from Casio. Priced at about $110 when launched in 2019, it was a massive success. Today, it's close to becoming a classic G-Shock in its own right with a big choice in finishes and module tech. The big step came in 2022 when Casio dropped the all-metal GM-B2100 series. The brand had resisted the temptation to launch an all-metal CasiOak for obvious reasons. Poorly made aftermarket shrouds and bracelets for the resin octagons sold like hotcakes as Casio played a long game. When t...
Pre-Owned Spotlight: Pricey Platinum Pieces
Platinum is the heaviest of precious metals. It’s hypoallergenic and unaffected by water and air. At the same time, it’s also one of the rarest precious metals out there and is 30 times rarer than gold. This also means we need to be careful not to exhaust the earth’s platinum stock. That’s why it might be a good idea to go for a pre-owned one the next time you’re looking for a pricey platinum piece. Let’s take a look at what’s on offer out there.After Thomas’s lightweight overview, it was time for some heavyweights! The first few pieces I’ll discuss below are very nice watches, but they are also way out of my league. That’s why I al...
Hands-On With The Herms Cut In Greece
The Herms Cut debuted in April at Watches and Wonders in Geneva. That’s why we were quite surprised when we received an invite from Herms for a press trip organized around this new watch. Usually, trips like this are organized in advance to focus everyone’s attention on the novelty. It’s also common that the program includes some kind of hands-on presentation of the new watch. However, this trip took place a month and a half after the official launch of the Herms Cut, and no session with the watch itself was mentioned in the program. So, what was this trip to the Greek island of Tinos all about?Herms has a reputation for spending little on advertising compared to other ...
New: Two Breitling Avenger Red Arrows 60th Anniversary Watches
Even if you're not a plane spotter or an aviation enthusiast, the name Red Arrows might very well ring a bell. The Red Arrows are the RAF's legendary aerobatic display team that is celebrating its 60th display season this year. What better way to so do than with accurate formation flying, synchronized barrel rolls, and watches? Breitling has a longstanding partnership with the British flying team, and the Swiss watchmaker underlines that with two new Avenger watches - the limited-edition Avenger 42 Red Arrows 60th Anniversary Edition and the non-limited Breitling Avenger B01 Chronograph 44 Red Arrows.I wrote that even if you're not a fan of aviation, you probably know of the Red Arrows. But ...
Manufacture Visit: The Vallee De Joux And Jaeger-LeCoultre
One of the perks of this job is that we get to see where and how watches are made. I love a good manufacture visit as it provides context for the watches, allowing a look into the places and people behind them. It also provides comparability between brands. Once you have a couple of these visits under your belt, you develop an eye for the differences between brands. Some manufactures are a step above others. This time, I got to visit one that stands out in many ways - Jaeger-LeCoultre.In this article, I will share my impressions of the manufacture, but there is a little more. JLC took a handful of people from watch media on a tour around the Lac de Joux. As much as I like the watchmaker's pr...
IWC Pilot DLC Project What Do You Think?
Yesterday, I’ve received a number of pictures from people working on a new project, IWC Pilot DLC watches. They customized the IWC Pilot Mark XVI ref.3235 and Pilot Chronograph ref.3717 and give it a slide bit of blue by adding a blue NATO strap and a blue second hand. I personally think they did a nice job on these pilot’s watches and it is refreshing to see some non- customizations for a change.As you can see, these IWC Pilot watches are now even more stealth looking as they were before. The technical specifications remain the same as that of their original brothers of course (click here), except for the DLC cases and NATO straps. The small blue hand ‘gimmick’ is a ...
Vintage Omega Seamaster 300 Reference 165.024
This article is contributed by one of our loyal followers and readers, Boris Pjanic. He runs a watch business in Germany and has a blog on watches as well. While being a passionate, his second love is for Omega timepieces. This contribution covers a wonderful vintage Omega Seamaster 300. Not the Seamaster 300 that Omega based their 1957 reference CK2913 re-edition on this year (click for the article on the new Omega Seamaster 300 Master Co-Axial), but from the early 1960s.Most Omega collectors think of the Speedmaster first when asked which vintage Omega they would consider first. Nevertheless, the Seamaster 300 is definitely not a watch to ignore. While the Big Triangle seems to gather the...
Are You A #WatchNerd? You Need One Of These Caps!
Love watches? Consider yourself a watchnerd all the way? Then, the guys over at Ace Jewelers have something for you to show the world you are a true #watchnerd. These caps, produced by the Danish State of Wow brand, have #watchnerd on the front and ‘I like to watch’ on the back.The hashtag watchnerd is a popular tag on Instagram, over half a million(!) images are marked #watchnerd. Another often used hashtag with similar meaning is #watchgeek, which ‘only’ has 445,059 images on Instagram at this moment.?An example can be found below, of instagram user @orangedial17 and a picture of this Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph with salmon dial that he tagged with #watchn...
POP it up with Swatch, event glimpse
Probably not as unexpected as the Citizen – Frederique Constant takeover, nevertheless interesting. After being absent for approximately 10 years Swatch decided to revive the POP-Swatch. No less than 9 different models are introduced, from black & white to fluorescent colours and many shades of that in between.The original POP-Swatch was introduced in 1986, and was meant as a fashion product. The name POP not only came from the fact that POP was kind of an equivalent for fashion, however as well because the watch could be POP-ed out of it’s frame. It then could be separated from it’s strap, and with the frame connected to your clothes or where ever else.(picture of a 19...
ETERNA Super KonTiki Chronograph
Eterna is proud to present its new Super KonTiki Chronograph, the latest in a long line of iconic KonTiki timepieces that embody the thrill of adventure and the reliability of Eterna's watchmaking savoir-faire. With the in-house 3916A flyback chronograph calibre, the new Super KonTiki Chronograph continues a voyage that started almost 60 years ago, seducing decades of watch lovers with its daring design and horological innovation.A new featFollowing a long line of KonTiki timepieces, the new Super KonTiki Chronograph remains true to the collection's design codes while demonstrating a powerful and distinctive personality of its own. With its eye-catching design, this new chronograph is a bold...
Watch Strap Review Part 28. Porsche 928 strap by GLC Straps
Do you remember the first time you sat in an old sports car either as a passenger or better yet, as a driver?We all know the feeling. The smell of petrol and old leather paired with the sound of the engine and the feeling how your body trembles inside is something you never forget. It is a mixture of fear, excitement and concentration. You start to roll out and after the drive when you stop it feels like the whole experience was only 5 seconds. You can't wait to get back in that car but this time you already know what to expect and that urges you. This may sound like a nice marketing text from a catalog but it really isn't. This is how I felt inside that Porsche 928 a long time ago. Same fee...
The New Frederique Constant Vintage Rally Healey Chronographs
Cars and watches, [almost] always a good combination. Frederique Constant’s CEO Peter Stas must have thought so too when he started to support vintage car rallies back in 2004. Not only do they support the?European Healey Club again in 2018, they also decided to celebrate with a new Frederique Constant Vintage Rally Healey Chronograph.Vintage Rally Healey ChronographsThe vintage in the name ‘Vintage Rally Healey Chronograph’ of course refers to the rally they support, but also to the inspiration of the three new chronograph models. Limited to 2888 pieces each, these chronographs come in a 42mm case in stainless steel and in plated rose gold. For the stainless steel version,...