Hands-On: Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Platinum Caliber 321
On July 21st, exactly 50 years after Armstrong and Aldrin set foot on the Moon, Omega re-introduced their Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch caliber 321. In platinum. Meet the Omega Speedmaster reference 311.93.42.30.99.001.My first Speedmaster was a reference 145.012-67, produced in February 1968 according to the Omega archives and with caliber 321. At the time, in 1999, the watch was even cheaper than a caliber 861 with less mileage, but those days are long gone. In hindsight, I am happy that I chose the caliber 321 Speedmaster as a first watch (although I was actually after a more modern one, for daily wear) and I still have it today. Never sell your first Speedmaster, as they say!Over th...
Grand Seiko Pays Tribute to the Nature of Time and Japan's Twenty-Four Seasons
Unveiling its deep sensibilities and a reverence for the Japanese passage of time, Grand Seiko has reimagined the iconic 62GS design with four new timepieces for its Heritage Collection.The new watches celebrate The Nature of Time and commemorate Japan's twenty-four sekki that mark nature's ever-changing seasons. The sekki offer a poetic journey as nature awakens, blossoms, matures and settles into slumber from the beginning of spring, known as risshun, to the glistening cold of winter known as daikan.Four of the Twenty-Four SekkiTaisetsu: The Deep Snow of WinterPine trees crusted with snow, silent under the sun of winter. It's when the world has settled into a slumber only to awaken in the ...
Hands-On With The REC RNR "Roads Not Required" Beach Runner
Have you always yearned for the legendary indestructible Land Rover? Now you can have one. Well, at least a?tiny bit of it. The dial of today's REC release, the RNR Beach Runner is handcrafted from the roof of a 1981 Land Rover Series III. Let's look at it.Roads Not Required. That's what RNR stands for. It's what Land Rover earned its unbeatable charm for. It's tall, it's shaggy. It doesn't have much muscle and it definitely doesnt look like a car that would take you everywhere. Or like a car that would survive you. Oh, and the lamps, the grille, and the light green color… I always wanted one. As you can probably tell, I still do.REC Beach RunnerThe Series III is the most common series...
Hands-on Breitling AVI Ref. 765 1953 Re-edition Video Review
In this video, Michael Stockton and Balazs Ferenczi go hands-on with the Breitling Co-Pilot AVI Ref. 765 watch - a re-edition for the fans of this iconic 1953 chronograph.Earlier this year, we reported about this release from Breitling (in this article by Rob Nudds). Mike bought one of the 1953 pieces a while ago, and together with Balazs, talks about this chronograph on video.Breitling AVI Ref. 765The Breitling AVI Ref. 765 was introduced before the world went into this lockdown situation. It is almost hard to believe our guys were still traveling every week, while today, all of us work from home or meet up at Fratello’s HQ when it is allowed. A few weeks ago, when it was still OK to ...
Hands-On Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Mariner Memovox Review
When you think of a mechanical watch with an alarm, it is very likely you are thinking about the Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox.The Memovox has been around for 70 years now, and Jaeger-LeCoultre used this complication in many movements and watches. One of my favorites was the Master Compressor Memovox. Quite a bold watch for its time, but I like it. It is discontinued for quite some years now, so no need to ponder about it for too long. Today, Jaeger-LeCoultre is introducing their new Polaris Mariner Memovox.Polaris Mariner MemovoxI hate to say it, but it’s been a long time since?Jaeger-LeCoultre brought out a proper sporty watch. Not since the Master Compressor have I seen anything in that ...
#TBT Selectron And Rodania Permadate Eddy Merckx
This year has been quite fruitful for me when it comes to unexpected finds. While studying more about the unusual, but witty weekly calendar 2084/2086 movement, I?once again bumped into the often-overlooked watch brand Rodania. On today's #TBT we will look at the interesting Eddy Merckx Permadate or the same watch branded Selectron Permadate.I have a bike, but I am no biker. The most action my bike sees is when I take it on city-center rides with my daughter. Eddy Merckx was arguably the greatest cyclist to ever hit the road. When it came to the Tour de France, few can hold a candle to Merckx’s Palmars. He won the GC five times. He snared the points and mountains jerseys with ease (an...
New Forstner Flat Link For The Pre-2018 Omega Seamaster (2021)
Navigating the world of luxury watches as a young and up-and-coming brand with products priced well below the radar of many luxury enthusiasts is tough. What makes things decidedly easier, though, is listening to the community that has propelled your small business to a position few could dream of reaching in such a short space of time. Forstner has done just that. The release of the new Forstner Flat Link with end-pieces specially tailored to fit the pre-2018 Omega Seamaster is a triumph of public relations. Ask and we shall deliver, cries the god of Forstner to the rapturous cheers of his followers!You all know I like Forstner. I have my favorites within the collection and the Flat Link is...
Finding The Best Seiko Japan Domestic Market Watches (2021)
There is something attractive about exclusivity. The simple principle of: “I have something that you don’t have” is highly attractive to many buyers. Ever too often, it’s often the result of marketing meetings, resulting in fabricated scarcity. But there is also true exclusivity. One of the best examples is the stream of watches that Seiko releases for their Japanese customers. Seiko’s Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) releases are renowned amongst collectors of the brand worldwide. Getting your hands on one can truly be exciting. Time to find some of the best JDM-releases the brand has released in the last 25 years.Creating a list of great Seiko JDM releases is no...
SOLD OUT: Fratello NOMOS Glashutte Weltzeit The Hague (2021)
We announced this project on the 23rd of September. Over a week of build-up before yesterday’s release, we could feel the excitement growing in the community, but we never could have anticipated the result. The Fratello NOMOS Glashutte Zurich Weltzeit “The Hague” Edition sold out in under ten seconds, which immediately presented us with a burning question: where do we go from here?I must admit, of the three limited-edition projects Fratello pursued this year, it was this one that held in store the fewest surprises. I suppose knowing NOMOS and the brand’s way of working inside out largely accounts for that, but, in truth, I was just supremely confident that the design ...
Watch Strap Review 54 Terrycrafted From Canada (2021)
If it weren’t for the 50th special Watch Strap Review article, I would’ve never been able to feature today’s brand here. Better yet, if it weren’t for the Canadian watch lover’s community, this article would’ve never happened. After that piece came out, many of you sent me emails and DMs about a strap maker residing in Canada responsible for the brand Terrycrafted. It turns out that Terry is not only a lovely bloke but a talented strap maker as well.TerrycraftedTerrycrafted is a one-man show - for now that consists of Terry (duh), an investment manager and watch lover. Like many small ateliers, he started doing straps, which quickly turned into a side busi...
The New Chanel Monsieur. Superleggera Edition Watch (2021)
The Chanel Monsieur. stepped into the limelight in 2016 in a beige, gold, and creamy white attire and with a very much intentional and stylish period in its name. It was the first-ever Chanel watch specifically designed for men. And to celebrate that fact it also boasted the Calibre 1, the brand's first in-house movement. Five years later the Chanel Monsieur. Superleggera Edition Watch introduces himself, a sporty lightweight piece with a famous name.When petrol heads hear or read the word Superleggera, they think of an Italian coachbuilder that has been responsible for some of the most exquisite cars in the world since 1926. My favorite? The Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera Alfa Romeo Disco...
The URWERK UR-105: A Retrospective Journey Through Time
You may have recently read my article announcing URWERK’s final tribute to the successful and popular UR-105 family of watches, the UR-105 TTH Tantalum Hull. Man, that was a bittersweet article to write. On the one hand, we had a stunning new addition to the family, but on the other, it was the final chapter of the 7-year story of the UR-105.URWERK first introduced us to the iconic UR-105 all the way back in early 2014 to replace the outgoing UR-103. When it launched, the UR-105 was quite unlike anything we’d ever seen before. Over the next 7 years, the UR-105 saw several stages of evolution and exploration, each with a unique personality. As a fan of the brand, it was an enjoyab...
Classic Time-Only, Manual-Wind Watches For Every Budget
I’m of the opinion that every watch collection should include a time-only, manual-wind watch. There’s a comforting element to a watch that tells the time simply yet is dependent on manual input to run. In a multi-watch collection, there’s less stress in winding and setting a manual caliber than what is required with an automatic with a date complication or worse. There are no off-limits windows of time for adjusting it because there’s no date or other complication to set. A hand-wound watch is happy enough to be wound and worn when needed and just as happy to wait in the wings until the next winding. Plus, there’s generally a symmetry and classiness that no othe...
Styles Of Watch Hands Part One: From Alpha to Feuille
As this is a subjective two-part story meant to inform, I’ll start with a disclaimer to avoid any misunderstandings about something as simple as watch hands. Yes, I’m talking about the hour and minute hands. And I know the Fratelli will be eager to jump into the comments with a style that I missed. That is all good, as I have looked at the 10C15 most well-known shapes. And by all means, feel free to disagree if I proclaim a certain brand to have the best kind of spade hands in the business (that would be Kikuchi Nakagawa, hands down).First of all, this is not meant as an encyclopedical story to struggle through; that’s for my book deal when I retire. I will not endeavor to ...
Bvlgari 2022: A Year Of Gold, Black, And Japanese Creativity
The tsunami of new watches may have just hit us barely a month ago at Geneva Watch Days 2022. The toll, however, is already subsiding and turning into a distant memory. Now that we have regained some composure, certain pieces seem to have gradually surfaced to salience. When it came to Bvlgari, it took me some time to recognize how concise and comprehensive the launch presentation was. And that alone is no mean feat for any brand to accomplish. Between Haute Horlogerie and Haute Joaillerie, from top-of-the-scale to entry-level mechanical timepieces, the luxury house has it all covered masterfully.The golden celebrationsUnsurprisingly, the spotlight is on the Octo Finissimo novelties. Dominat...
Chronographs I'd Like To See Made: From uber-Useful To Useless
The chronograph is intended to do one thing and do it well - measure elapsed time. Depending on the watch, only a certain amount of unbroken time can be measured (60 minutes, 12 hours, etc.). However, chronographs do the job adequately, despite their design limitations. My issue is that it’s all a little…humdrum. Cluttered dials, limited measuring capacity, and an earnest emphasis on the usefulness of chronographs have left the genre feeling anachronistic. It’s the 21st century (and has been for a while). I want to see some chronos that defy expectations.I’ve recently been on a bit of a chronograph love trip. From the Fratello Nivada Grenchen Racing Chronograph to my ...
Straum Jan Mayen Vs. Formex Essence ThirtyNine
Welcome to another edition of Sunday Morning Showdown. With a very special Speedy Tuesday in Tokyo behind us, the team that went to Japan is returning to the offices. Two of the Fratello members who held down the fort while the others were traveling were Thomas and Jorg. This gave them the perfect chance to talk about potential options for this week’s Sunday Morning Showdown and pick two personal favorites. In the end, both men agreed on a battle of affordable daily wearers that are among the best in class under $2K. Thomas picked the Formex Essence ThirtyNine, while Jorg picked the Straum Jan Mayen. Who will win this battle of the affordable spec monsters? Time to find out!Today’...
Introducing: The Certina DS-7 Powermatic 80
It’s a new day, and we have another entrant in the ever-popular integrated-bracelet game. The Certina DS-7 Powermatic 80 debuts today, and it provides another affordable option for those seeking to reach back into the ’70s. It’s also a Swatch Group product, and that equates to an unavoidable comparison to the standard-bearer in everyday watches with integrated bracelets, the Tissot PRX. How does it compare?Over the last several years, the Swatch Group has done an admirable job of revamping the bulk of its more affordable brands. Rado, Mido, Certina, Hamilton, and Tissot have all undergone significant changes for the better in my view. Whether this relates to retro pieces or...
My 25 Years Of Owning The Omega Speedmaster 145.012
On this very day, October 1st, 25 years ago, I bought my first Omega Speedmaster watch. I was a student at the time and obsessed with watches, specifically, Omega Speedmasters. My first purchase was a Speedmaster 145.012 with caliber 321.One evening, I was cycling in the city center of The Hague and passed a watch shop. I turned around and stopped in front of the window. Two Omega Speedmaster Professionals were on display among many other new and pre-owned watches. One was a Speedmaster Professional 3590.50 with a caliber 861, and it was just a few years old at the time. The other was the Speedmaster Professional 145.012 with caliber 321 inside and on a simple black leather strap. Though it&...
Hands-On: De Rijke & Co. Amalfi Series Guy Allen "Land"
What could you do to make a time-only watch distinctive? How about letting the case rotate up to 90 to adjust the dial to the ideal position when driving? You don’t even have to be a petrolhead to appreciate Dutch independent watchmaker Laurens de Rijke and his latest collaboration with Guy Allen.Designs make watches different, and changing a design is the least you need to do to have a new watch brand. That’s why we have tons of watch brands today. Then there are those who look not only at a watch’s design but also its function. And those are the watchmakers I admire the most. They started not because they didn’t find a watch they would like or because they wanted t...