Lightweight Luxury Titanium Takeover: Bvlgari, Oris, Lange, & More
Since the earliest civilizations - be it Inca or Egyptian - gold was something special. The metal is indeed a meaningful one thanks to its real and symbolic value for mankind. Moreover, gold has been used as money for exchange, as a store of value, and as precious jewelry and other artifacts. The saying that someone is worth his or her weight in gold says a lot. It also brings to my mind the topic of weight. We, very literally, feel gold as an expression of wealth and luxury. But does an exclusive watch always have to be done in gold to feel luxurious? It's a question that some have a hard time answering. But it's worth searching for an answer, as we're experiencing some kind of lightweight ...
Hands-On: The Mind-Twisting Behrens Konstantin Chaykin
Behrens is a brand that my colleague Dave made me aware of a while back, and I was skeptical. My love for small, dressy watches runs deep, but I'll be honest and admit my mistake. That might sound like a pretty strong statement, something I'm not averse to, but I mean it. Except for a Marinemaster 300, I'm into 38mm elegance, but mad, grinning-joker-faced high horology? I have a secret crush on the watches of Konstantin Chaykin but have always thought that with a big budget, I'd stick to traditional, formal, and polished craftsmanship. I'm now a changed man, and the Behrens Konstantin Chaykin should take the blame.For me, a cheer-up factor is equally as essential as intricate handcrafted det...
Watch Strap Review 67 MSBepsoke From Malaysia
I have quite the backlog of artisans for Watch Strap Review, but don’t worry, I will get to everyone in due time. The next in line - and a brand whose products I’ve wanted to see for a while now - is today’s atelier, MSBespoke from Malaysia. The company’s presence on social media is small, but how it showcases its creations is outstanding. So it was no brainier for me to check MSBespoke out. Luckily, Syafiq, the man behind the brand, was happy to work with me.He sent me three straps, three very different models. They demonstrate the versatility and attention to detail that MSBespoke has. We will dive into the straps I’ve received, but first, here are some words ...
The New Chopard Alpine Eagle 41 Shikkoku Edition
Blacked-out watches - what emotions do they stir inside you? Do they leave you longing for excitement, or do they calm your desires? Do they repel you with a lackluster, humdrum approach, or do they reel you in with a sense of mystery and intrigue? These may seem like lofty questions for a Saturday morning because, for some, the answers are not so black and white. Admittedly, my gut reaction to monochromatic watches is usually one of pure apathy. Few things get me less excited than overt attempts to remove color and “life” from timepieces. Oddly, though, Chopard’s new Alpine Eagle 41 Shikkoku Edition caught my eye, drew me closer, and even prompted introspection. What the h...
Pre-Owned Spotlight: Jumping-Hour Watches
For some reason, watches with a jumping-hour complication always intrigue me. The fact that they don’t necessarily need to have traditional hands inspires designers to do things differently. They come up with original ways of displaying the time. Sometimes, there’s just a simple hour window and an additional minute hand. But the watches can also have a more complex dial layout with, for example, retrograde minute and date displays. In this edition of Pre-Owned Spotlight, I’ll take a look at some nice examples of jumping-hour watches.I was inspired when I wrote an article on recent releases from both Chanel and Chopard. The Quattro Spirit 25 and Superleggera are both very ta...
The Hublot Big Bang Unico Dark Green Ceramic 42mm
Green is the color of money, right? If so, shouldn't green also be the most expensive color? Well, it isn't at Hublot. The new Hublot Big Bang Unico Dark Green Ceramic 42mm costs $5,800 less than the same watch in orange. Hublot explained why during Watches and Wonders, but that story didn't make me change my mind when deciding between the two novelties. I never thought I would label a fully colored Big Bang “chic,” but I might just do that by the end of this article.When I wrote the introduction article about three new Hublot Big Bang Unico creations, I thought the monochromatic, online-exclusive Ice Bang would be the most interesting, with the bright Orange Ceramic version in s...
Neo-Vintage Luxury Sports Watches Under $3,000
Sometimes viewed as a low point in watch design, the late ’90s and early ’00s saw some great watch designs emerge. Today, a select handful offer huge bargains in the pre-owned market and neo-vintage luxury for small sums.As long as you don’t mind the odd over-scratched or over-polished piece, the value of watches like the Zenith El Primero, Cartier Pasha, and many more stand out today for two reasons. The engineering quality sometimes out-punches today’s offerings, while sizes are now seemingly perfect for our retro tastes. Call them “neo-vintage” or “millennial cool,” but here are five great examples from big brands.Image: WatchUSeek (geoffm62...
Citizen Tsuyosa Automatic Free Willie By IFL Watches
IFL Watches keeps surprising us with creative new dial variations for its releases. This time, the Stockhlom-based brand delves into the Disney archives and celebrates the joyous spirit of Mickey Mouse. To be more exact, the brand celebrates the Disney classic Steamboat Willie coming into the public domain. This animated short film is known as the first public appearance of Mickey and Minnie Mouse. IFLW decided to take old-school-style Mickey from Steamboat Willie and put him on the Moon for this 150-piece Free Willie limited edition. Let’s find out more!Over the past few years, IFL Watches has shown that the inspiration for creating standout dials is endless. Besides the wonderful, ab...
Look Out For These Stolen Watches!
Yesterday, Dale Vito (a passionate watch enthusiast and dealer) from The Netherlands got robbed from a few time pieces. Although he is alright, he would like you to keep an eye out for the following watches:, Submariner Date, reference number 16613, serial number N-. Extra serialnumber engraved by hand by ‘Heetman’under one of the lugs #2366 605. This is a stainless steel/gold model with a blue dial and bezel. This watch was stolen with box and papers. Unusual is the fact that although the watch has an N-serial it was sold in 2003 by AD Heetman in Rotterdam. Day-Date, reference number 18039, serial number 7306123, 18ct white gold, creme (‘panna’) dial with roman nume...
#TBT Seiko Navigator Timer
After a one-week hiatus, #TBT is back!? Ironically, your author was on a plane for much of the last two weeks, which makes this week’s edition all the more special.? Enjoy!If you're like me, you spend a lot of time in other countries for work or pleasure. I honestly go through periods where I forget who I was talking to about what and where I held the conversation. With this type of instability that is generally accompanied by fairly radical time zone changes, travellers such as myself look for little things that help make globetrotting easier. Favorite passport holder or document keeper? Check. Certain pair of headphones that block out the chattering plane neighbor or, worse, loud sno...
Weekend Read Speedmaster Event in London With Buzz Aldrin
We give a lot of Speedmaster coverage, but mainly on (Speedy) Tuesdays. Today we make an exception, as?we were invited to join the Omega Speedmaster Event in London, with Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, former NASA’s engineer James H. Ragan who was responsible for testing and selecting the Speedmaster and actor George Clooney, a long-time space and Speedmaster fan.Speedmaster Event in LondonThere is no secret that I love the Speedmaster. I’ve told this many times before, but the Speedmaster is the model?that got me into watches in general and one that I collect myself. A love that resulted in starting the Speedy Tuesday feature and has been celebrated with its own limited editio...
Unyber Watches Bullhead
Setting up a micro-brand is not the easiest route to take in the watch industry, especially when you don't use any of the many already existing cases, nor combine features while declaring you have built a new watch. Unyber Watches, a small and characterful Madrid-based company, have chosen the harder way because they wanted every piece to have its own personality and purpose.Right from the start, they decided their first project would be a chronograph. But they didn't want just any old run-of-the-mill model, they went for a bullhead style. Certainly, bullheads have never been out of fashion for the adventurous man who cares about aesthetics. They are distinguished and modern, elegant and ris...
Kickstarter- US$149 Japan Automatic Vintage Racing Design Watches
With the success of the first model, LENVINO Watch Co. returns to Kickstarter to introduce the new brand for you LECRONOSLENVINO believe that vintage is timeless. It represents the best of its kind and denotes its high quality from the past. They applied this philosophy in making their watch. They used the most premium materials, traditional craftsmanship and unique design to create this authentic timepiece.LECRONOS is inspired by the word of chronometer', meaning high accuracy and precise. The second collection – The Race for vintage collection is a nod to the features of classic sports cars. The vintage tachometer featured a dial design at its core, equipped with a reputable Japanese...
Watches & Pencils X UNDONE: Limited Edition Watch (Episode #37)
UNDONE Watches is known for its customized watches. When Barry (VP Marketing, UNDONE Watches) contacted me about an illustration to visualize the production process I couldn’t wait to start working on the piece. The idea was to create some kind of garage where UNDONE ‘builders’ are busy assembling a watch. They call them Mr. UNDONE internally.First Limited Edition With Watches & Pencils ArtworkThese last few months I have been working on this project. At some point, we came up with the idea to go one step further: to create a custom and limited UNDONE watch with this Watches & Pencils artwork on it. Unique, because I had never released any watch related artwork on a...
Why The Speedmaster X-33 Matters
Three recent auctions show exactly why the Speedmaster X-33 matters, yet it is still relatively unloved by many Speedmaster enthusiasts.The good thing about this? For starters, you can find a great bargain on the Speedmaster X-33. A watch with proven and significant space history, but under-appreciated because of the quartz crystal and digital display. Second, the Speedmaster X-33 has some cool functions on board that have been developed together with pilots and astronauts. First together with NASA, later on, with the X-33 Skywalker version, with the European Space Agency (ESA). Below, an early prototype of the Speedmaster X-33. Very early prototypes had ‘Flightmaster’ printed on...
Hot Take: Rado Golden Horse Collection
We get our first look at the Rado Golden Horse Collection, an exciting set of new releases with a retro-inspired piece and a lineup of modern watches.I really don't have anything against Rado, but up until the release of the Captain Cook diver at Baselworld 2017, let's just say that the brand's offerings weren't to my tastes.? For certain, they always looked different and advertised the use of advanced materials such as ceramics long before others followed suit.? I think it was the overly modern looks and the fact that most used quartz movements.? But with the Cook, things began to change and today, we're happy to see things continue in the right direction with a first look at the Rado Golde...
#TBT Stevie Wonder's Magic Watch
Gnassingbe Eyadema was the longest-serving ruler?in Africa at the time of his death. He survived a plane crash and an assassination attempt. He was believed to have superpowers. Rumor has it that his watch was?magical too.?We have all seen them throughout our years of watch hunting. A?watch with a?face on the dial of a more gentle or cruel ruler, Soviet astronauts, or different regime symbols. I?never paid attention to any of them. I?had no reason. This changed recently when one of the Fratello readers shared a story as exciting and interesting as the one behind the moon watch.Eyadema’s storyThe story is surreal from the very beginning. Gnassingbe Eyadema was born on 26 December 1935 i...
Hands-On With The Hamilton Khaki Field Titanium Auto
This article is a hands-on review of the Hamilton Khaki Field Titanium Auto that has been introduced this year. Even though I love (and ordered) the new Hamilton PSR, my favorite Hamilton watches are its military-inspired pieces. Hamilton has a solid track record when it comes to military watches, the brand supplied them for over 100 years.Producing a military watch isn’t just a matter of designing a legible dial. You need to make sure a watch keeps ticking when you’re in the trenches or dropping from the sky. Now, today’s warfare looks quite different from a few decades ago, of course. However, people like to have a military-inspired watch for many reasons, and I don’...
Penarosa Hands-On Review
I have to say, I am not often a fan of DIY stuff. And so it follows that I didn’t expect to be a huge fan of a build-your-own-watch kit. But after wearing this Penarosa for a while, I was forced to reconsider my position…My appreciation for design, art, fashion, and watches begins with the designer(s). I’m interested in the thoughts that have crossed their mind during the creative process. Was there an aim? A purpose? Or is the design simply a stroke of genius? A moment of inspiration?Oftentimes, watches come across as exceptionally considered. As such, one could argue they are made to be worn as the designer (more likely the brand) intended.But that would mean that you sho...
Fratello On Air: Balazs And Mike Play Two Questions
Fratello on Air is here and this episode is quite a bit different. Balazs and Mike enter into a game of two questions. Enjoy!Balazs and I are inquisitive folks. We acted on this trait with a very different type of show. Each of us came up with two questions for the other person. The rules? They were simple! The question had to relate to watches in some way and neither of us could prep the other person ahead of time. The hypothetical looms large and your hosts had to think on their feet. We think you’ll enjoy this candid listen.Wrist check and the newsBefore hitting the main topic, we do a wrist check and then mention friend-of-the-show Jason Heaton’s new book. Depth Charge sounds...