Sure, the last story I wrote was focused on modern designs, and I had a renaissance for larger case sizes this past summer. But for me, the autumn and winter months mean layering up with warm colors and smaller timepieces. The Maen Worn & Wound Manhattan seems like just the ticket, a 37mm watch we know but with a colorful transformation.Maen represents value with its 38mm Hudson and the more u

It is a spring morning (April 1st, 1944, to be precise), and members of a US Air Force bombing squadron have set their sights on what they believe is their target - the German town of Ludwigshafen am Rhein near Mannheim. Unknown disaster looms for the Swiss town of Schaffhausen…The group of 15 from a larger squadron of 50 or so B-24 Liberators, each plane with its four massive supercharged 1

Breitling just unveiled a bunch of new Avenger models. With a handful of new black ceramic Night Mission editions alongside new 46mm titanium and 42mm stainless steel Avenger chronographs, there is plenty to talk about. The Night Mission versions that stand out immediately are the 42mm chronographs with Sand and Turquoise colorways. And what do we think of a 46mm titanium Avenger Chronograph? With

To put it mildly, Ebel is not the most active brand. But if the products are okay, that goes a long way. Ebel was a force to reckon with back in the 1980s and early 1990s. The brand was everywhere, from the wrists of the world's best tennis players to those of kids who had just turned 18. I haven't done any solid market research that leads to the following statement, so it’s just my gut feel

Watch brands are on a high-paced treadmill to constantly release new watches. In fact, most brands release several new models every single year. Why? To remain relevant is an often-heard explanation. Or it could be to provide a constant stimulus to drive sales. Could this be why most new watches receive lukewarm responses from the enthusiast community? Could there just be too many? Or is something

For most of us watch freaks, big part of the fun is in the mechanical movement. Handwound or automatic, doesn’t matter, as long as it has a mechanical heartbeat instead of a battery operated electronic circuit (exceptions aside). Most brands use movements built by companies such as ETA, Soprod, Lemania etc. Other companies, the so-called in-house manufacturers, develop and produces their own

Just a few days ago, I reported that the Seiko A829-A6019 was one of the ‘other’ watches that went into space. Besides the official Omega Speedmaster Pro, Omega Speedmaster Pro X-33 and a bunch of other ‘unofficial’ watches that made it there, it seems that Seiko was at least selected by astronauts.Former ESA astronaut – and expert on the field of durability – W

During SalonQP last year, Pinion was introduced and?showed their Axis collection to the public. Not too long ago they sent us the?bronze version simple called the?Pinion Axis Bronze. ‘Hold on to it for some time as it only get’s more beautiful’, they explained. So we did. Our pinion arrived in a small?package containing a flat, cotton like bag holding the?Axis in a nicely crafted

We've featured a lot of iconic timepieces on Fratello Watches, both new and old, including divers, dress watches, chronographs, and others. We obviously go into great depth on a near weekly basis on Omega's legendary chronograph, the Speedmaster and since I've joined the fray, I've tried to touch upon most of the key chronographs. So, the other day, while I was playing around in our archives, it c

As part of the Opus saga, this exceptional new timepiece takes its inspiration from a symbol of the 1950s: the jukebox.Opus is first and foremost a human journey, which began in 2001 in collaboration with independent watchmakers. It imagines new models that defy the laws of innovation and the way time is read. It is a journey that Harry Winston shares with the most passionate collectors of extraor

The Mondaine Stop2Go wristwatch in all aspects has a movement (cal. 58-02) which looks as close as it gets to the original Mobatime Swiss Railway Station Clock. Of course Mondaine had adapted the design(*) many years ago already, however with the Stop2Go their watch now runs and stops like the original clock as well.Although being a quartz controlled watch, the Mondaine Stop2Go watch’s secon

Every watch enthusiast knows that with this hobby, watches are the least of your concern when it comes to storage. Your watch often comes with box and papers. If you're a strap geek, like me, your drawer (or wherever you store them) will be filled with them. Catalogs, magazines and of course watch books take up more than a shelf in the home library. Not to mention the window displays, vintage trav

Guards normally don’t get much attention. They have to protect the crown of the watch. The crown is for setting/correcting time and date, as you know. But without crown guards, the crown and castle are quite vulnerable. All kinds of monsters and water could come in…While Panerai had the first crown protector (the bridge guard in 1956), was the first with integrated guards on the watch

Full of energy the Black Line versions of MeisterSinger classicsMeisterSinger makes mechanical watches with one single hand for people who don't want to combine two or three readings, but simply keep track of time. The design principles of these timepieces are therefore similar to those of historical instruments with functional typography and double digits to indicate the hours. However, these wat

Both have the same diameter and have the same movements. The design is what they differ in. Which one will steal your heart – the blue-ish Skipper-like Cresta or the eye-popping white and red Bernina?When I saw the newly released hand-wound chronographs by Farer, I had an immediate urge to check them out. While thinking about which one to ask for, I immediately scratched Moritz, the third mu

Last January, Omega announced the re-birth of the caliber 321. On July 20th, Omega showed us their first watch with this legendary column-wheel movement, the Speedmaster Caliber 321 in Platinum.We are also eagerly awaiting Omega to announce something with the caliber 321 movement in less precious metal, of course. But for those who can’t wait, Springs+Gears now offers a beautiful print of th

We won't travel far into the past for today's #TBT. The Breitling Spatiographe lived quite a short life between 1997-2002 and it holds a very special place in my collection. It sits as the?lonely wolf among numerous pre-1980s watches and a decent bunch of modern timepieces. What an undervalued watch!Looking back, it does not necessarily mean we have to jump seven decades in the past to show you so

Funny, when I unboxed this new Oris Aquis Calibre 400 for this review, I couldn’t stop looking at the dial. I know it should be all about the in-house caliber 400, but I’ll tell you that it took a few minutes before taking the watch off again to have a glance at the new Oris movement.The dial (and watch) look quite similar to their Aquis Ocean Cleanup limited edition. That watch was a

We’re back with a look at the top 5 vintage Grand Seiko models. This is an article that I’ve wanted to pen for some time. I think we’re finally ready for it!With the relatively recent rise of Grand Seiko as a global brand, popularity and fandom have thankfully come along. The brand is hot! And with such gorgeously crafted mechanical and quartz showstoppers, why shouldn’t it

I was there for the first one. I watched the second fly off the shelves from afar. And now, as the third ACE NOMOS Glashutte Club collaboration (and sixth between the retailer and brand overall) starts to make its way to the wrists of soon-to-be happy buyers, I felt obliged to get in on the action. I simply had to get one in my hands. Orange? Blue? I wouldn’t be an honorary Dutchman if I sat