In this fifth installment of our window onto the world of independent Japanese watchmaking, we embrace artful craftsmanship. The wrist art of Masahiro Kikuno shows his intensely personal view of horology, infused with intrinsic details and a vivid imagination. This story came to life thanks to a dedicated reader who reminded me of Kikuno-san. As an owner and Japanese collector, Ken Hokugo knows Ma

Of my meticulously planned collection of eight watches, my Zenith El Primero Striking 10th is the star of the show. Sure, it’s “only” my second-most expensive piece. But it takes the centermost spot in my watch box as well as my heart. Whenever I see it, I smile. Whenever I wear it, the pride of ownership oozes out of my pores. And whenever I talk about it, I bumble like an idiot

Collaborations between watch brands and other entities are very, very popular. Whether a brand joins forces with a fashion brand or a museum, the result is often something different and fun - a new colorway, a funky dial pattern, or a brand-new model. However, not all watches that stem from these collaborations are affordable. Some retail in the thousands and are only produced in tiny quantities.

Grail Watch, an initiative by our friend Wei Koh (Revolution, The Rake), proudly presents its second?release with the Frank Muller 30th Anniversary ‘Tribute’ Chronographs. This set consists of no fewer than three stunning chronographs, all built to pay tribute to those Lemania-powered 1990s Franck Muller chronographs that made watch collectors go crazy.Although my interest in watches o

Autumn is well and truly here. There’s no denying it. We’ve all noticed the nights drawing in and the temperatures dropping (well, all of us in the Northern Hemisphere have, at least). I don’t know about you, but I’ve even started putting the heating on here and there. The days of summer are gone, but that doesn’t stop us from seeking a bit of late-summer sun. Instead

During the Watches and Wonders salon earlier this year, I requested the Montblanc 1858 Iced Sea for a hands-on review. It took a little time, but last week, the watch finally arrived at HQ. Not in black - my test color of choice was unavailable - but the way more outspoken green-dial variant. I will let you know how Montblancs’s reborn dive watch and I got on, but there will be more to discu

I can relate to most people I meet in the watch industry. Most are guys and gals who are kind of like me. We can level with each other and talk about watches. I understand what they do, and they understand what I do. However, there are some exceptions. There are some people operating on a different level altogether, working on concepts I barely understand. Correction: working on concepts of which

The festive season is upon us. For those of you in need of a spectacular gift to impress or suggest, look no further. Every year, Bvlgari curates a gift guide for the holiday season. The theme this year is Believe In Wonder, and to save you from getting overwhelmed by a huge array of luxury items, here is a small selection to get you started. Out of the four picks, three are chronographs at differ

Parmigiani Fleurier is closing the year on a high note with the release of the award-winning Tonda PF Automatic 36mm. Retaining all the stylistic codes of the Swiss brand's best-selling collection, the new Tonda PF addition aims to delight those with slender wrists. The compact model also boasts a new in-house automatic movement and comes in three iterations. The two stainless steel versions featu

Introducing a new color to an existing watch and calling it “brand new” is one of the oldest tricks in the book. However, when a brand like Serica comes up with a new color, you know you’re in for a treat. Because the French brand is still relatively young, it’s hungry to come up with inventive ways to create original designs. And that’s exactly why this “Desert

I remember it was back in 2015 when Omega introduced the new Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award. You know, the white-dial one with Snoopy sleeping in the 9 o'clock sub-dial. A big introduction event took place in Houston, and brand ambassador George Clooney was there. But also in attendance were NASA astronauts Gene Cernan (Apollo 17), Jim Lovell (Apollo 13), and Tom Stafford (Apollo 10 and Apollo-So

Today, we’ll take a look at a new release from one of the watch world’s more intriguing brands, Urwerk. The new UR-230 Eagle brings a newly designed case that promises a very different tactile experience. Don’t fear, though, it still won’t be mistaken for anything but an Urwerk.Unfortunately, it has been several years since I’ve been hands-on with an Urwerk watch, but

Well, 2024 is going to be a big year indeed! Of course, we’ll have the UEFA European Football Championship in Germany and the Summer Olympics in France. But it’s also the year in which the Seiko brand turns 100 years old. And for the occasion, the Japanese watchmaker is kicking things off with the new Seiko SPB441. This watch is inspired by the very first Seiko-branded wristwatch. It&#

We’re back with another episode of Fratello On Air, and this week, we’re discussing the wide world of case back engravings. Whether they relate to military-issued pieces or special occasions, there’s a lot to potentially learn from these inscriptions. We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to comment below about your thoughts on these adornments.

Having past ambassadors who became icons in their fields of activity is priceless. Some of these connections are real, and some are more of a wish. It’s important to navigate through tons of lies and fairytales made up to boost the value of vintage watches and just stick to the facts. Jim Clark or Stirling Moss wore vintage Enicar watches. And that’s a fact.I keep wondering whether 50

You can almost hear the discussions at the Nomos headquarters in Glashutte. First, the 42mm Club Sport was introduced. It was the German brand’s first proper stainless steel sports watch. It was a well-received release but also a little big for some people, so the brand decided to introduce a smaller 37mm size for the Club Sport Neomatik. I called it a home run in terms of size, but apparent

The new Delugs sailcloth-patterned rubber straps are a refreshing addition to the brand’s repertoire, especially for collectors looking to add a more refined version of the sailcloth strap. First things first: these are not your typical ultra-modern, sports-performance sailcloth-style straps. They’re made with a nod toward traditional aesthetics and construction.A few things stand out

Sheesj. Adee Kaye watches creating an Invicta Lupah replica. Besides the shameless Invicta copy, they also make copies of Zeno, Breitling, IWC, Fortis, Alain Silberstein and more…Check this link here for a nice overview on shameless watchproducers.This is not a Silberstein, it is an original Adee Kaye.They could at least have come up with a better name than something which sounds like Yipee

Chronoswiss – although its name suggests otherwise – was founded in Germany by Gerd R. Lang in 1983. In 2012, Gerd R. Lang sold his shares to the Ebstein family in Switzerland. Although I own a Chronoswiss myself (click here for the review on the Chronoswiss Regulateur I did in 2002), I lost a bit track of the brand over the last few years. During our meeting with Chronoswiss in BaselW

Speedmaster Professional 145.022 CasebacksWhen you look at this Omega Speedmaster Professional 145.022-71, there’s nothing strange at first sight. Just a nice and ‘ordinary’ Speedmaster Professional post-Moon. Dial, bezel, hands and bracelet, all correct. In fact, it is quite a nice example of a Speedmaster Professional 145.022-71. In our Speedmaster 145.022 buyer’s guide,