Three months ago Breitling opened its first boutique in The Netherlands. And about time, too! Many other brand boutiques in Breitling’s league were already present in our attractive capital. The way a brand boutique differs from a regular multi-brand shop is how a brand is experienced. Breitling, in this case, makes things utterly clear. Its Amsterdam boutique exudes mancave style, with a po

At the 2019 Only Watch auction in Geneva, Patek Philippe surprised both everyone and no one simultaneously when its stainless steel Grandmaster Chime (ref. 6300A-010) became the most expensive wristwatch ever sold at auction. It pulverized the previous record, held by Paul Newman’s personal Daytona, by over CHF 14 million. But even more fantastically, the one-off steel version of Patek̵

I’m a fan of monotonous, boring, and dull watches. That sounds weird, doesn’t it? But please let me explain. A watch that initially doesn’t speak too loudly to me often turns out to keep me interested for a more extended period later on. And the opposite is true as well; a watch that immediately attracts me often becomes boring to me rather quickly. You’ll understand that t

The first time I laid my eyes on these images I was reminded of last year's shell-shock from MB&F, and am still suffering from horological PTSD. Let me explain the reason for my personal angst. I have a fairly constant desire and respect for MB&F and their creations, as mad as they are hypnotic. Comparing a $100,000+ creation from Max Busser & Friends with anything else on the market i

Philosophically speaking, the essence is that what remains if you do away with all the side issues. It's also the concentrate obtained from a plant or other matter and used for flavoring or scent. The Blancpain Villeret Extra-Plate 6605 is the essence of a watch. First, all the distractions - complications - have been carefully removed, and after that Blancpain went even further to get to the core

Some specially branded Heuer Carrera 2447NST watches were presented to the Volvo Board of Directors. An Alfa Romeo Rodania has a surprisingly sharp integration of the brand logo into the dial. And don’t ask me who made the gold-plated quartz Ford watches, but I need one.Watch collectors often have another affection - classic cars. It’s no secret that we have a few petrolheads on the Fr

A bombastic week of watch releases continues today with the new Breitling Chronomat Automatic GMT 40. This new model carries on the strong trajectory of the Chronomat range since its relaunch and refresh in 2020. Curiously, this model foregoes the chronograph element of the “Chronomat” portmanteau (chronograph + automatic). Instead, the 40mm stainless steel collection focuses on its GM

Don’t worry, I won’t be comparing these two classics to the bone. Yes, this will be a proper head-to-head, and I’ll go over many of their characteristics. However, to enumerate all the specs one by one would totally miss the point. It’s more about how I experience both of these divers. In the end, I buy a watch for the feeling it gives me when I’m wearing it. Specs an

Grand Seiko is one of my favorite watch brands. The history, the quality, the unique aesthetics, the fully in-house build - there is just so much to love. It is no secret that the brand is moving upmarket, and the prices of its new watches reflect that development. If you care to look, though, you can find amazing Grand Seiko watches at bargain prices.Join me on the hunt for a Grand Seiko under $/

Another Friday, another Top 5! Last week’s list focused on watches that you can buy for less than their official retail prices. The list mostly consisted of precious metal watches and triggered a lot of opinions. This week, we will take a look at our five currently available worldtimers. While the GMT is the preferred travel timepiece for many watch fans, a classic worldtimer celebrates the

I tend to follow the smaller brands closer than big-box Swiss brands. And you know, that's just how my subjective watch brain ticks. When it comes to British brands like Fears, it's close to a hi-beat passion. But never mind my puns. Have a look at the Brunswick 40 instead, this time in two dazzling new aquatic-tinted versions.Fears has had another good year with Nicholas Bowman-Scargill at the he

What better way to celebrate your 20th anniversary or birthday than by buying yourself a new watch? In the case of Chrono24 turning 20, the company decided to mark the occasion by launching the first luxury watch market index founded on real transaction data. Today, Chrono24 launches ChronoPulse. With two decades of historical analysis under its belt and the implementation of actual selling prices

I recently had the chance to try the current Porsche Design Chronograph 1 in its classic guise. You may know that I am a total sucker for base models, so that would be my favorite version. But then the clever guys and gals at PD came up with something new - a Chronograph 1 that looks familiar enough but packs a little extra punch. Namely, the new Chronograph 1 Utility utilizes a high-tech titanium

Zenith often hits the sweet spot when it comes to creating exciting, standout variations of its watches. With the new Zenith Pilot Automatic and Big Date Flyback Porter limited editions, we are treated to two great new versions of the existing Pilot models. Not only do we get a great color variation of the two watches, but the Japanese bag company Porter also plays a significant part in making the

Looking at many of the sensational, avant-garde, or astoundingly intricate horological creations today, it sometimes seems that there is less interest in timeless, classic watches. I’m not talking about watches that cost the same as a house but, rather, simple, straightforward watches for the everyday person and collector. I suspect, though, that there are people among us who appreciate thes

It’s Sunday morning, so we have a new Sunday Morning Showdown lined up for you! This week, Daan and Jorg face off for this battle between high-end pilot’s watches that you, the Fratelli, requested. The first is the new green-dial titanium Blancpain Air Command that came out not too long ago. It’s going up against the Breguet Type XX Chronographe 2067 that debuted last year. It

During the SIHH 2010, Officine Panerai introduced the PAM339, a Radiomir Composite Marina Militare 8 Giorni (=days) in 47mm. A watch that reverts to historical models using state-of-the-art techniques for manufacturing watch cases. The composite material is a result of ceramization of aluminium and is harder and lighter than steel or titanium for instance. As you can see in the picture below, the

I remember Omega introducing the Speedmaster X-33 in 1998 with a digital display, it took me a while to start breathing again. Omega labeled this Speedy the ‘Mars’ watch, ready for the next landmark in space traveling. Sadly, Omega thought it was necessary to introduce a “From Moon to Mars” Speedmaster Professional as well, the fugliest* Speedmaster in my humble opinion.Thi

Not too long ago we showed you the SevenFriday V1/01 and V2/01, two new cool watches from this successful Zurich company. Today they introduce the V3/01, a model name that is slightly better picked in my opinion than V1 and V2 – for obvious reasons (but perhaps I am very?critical here). The V3/01 is basically the same as the V1/01 and V2/01, but with a different dial and perhaps the true suc

Recently, I did an in-depth review on the Seamaster 300 Spectre, but Omega also sent us this Seamaster 300 Sedna gold watch some time ago. Where the Spectre is limited to 7,007 pieces, this Seamaster 300 Sedna gold model is part of the regular collection and has all the ‘default’ features. For reference, the Seamaster 300 Spectre featured a lollipop second hand, an hour-scale bezel and