Introducing: The Maen Worn & Wound Manhattan
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 upmarket Skymaster 38 MKIII Chronograph that I recently reviewed. But we all know what’s hottest in 2023, right? It is small-sized and has an integrated bracelet. This is where the Manhattan plays its odd-shaped card just right. I had the salmon-dialed version as a house guest last year and was...
An IWC Manufacture Visit 80 Years In The Making
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 14-cylinder Pratt & Whitney R-1830-35 Twin Wasp engines, could be heard long before the planes were seen in the sky. At 10:58 AM, the combined payload of the heavy bombers, amounting to 371 incendiary and high explosive bombs, is dropped. Sixty tons of munitions hurtle down on the unsuspecting to...
Breitling Introduces New Avenger Night Mission Models
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 this expansion of the Avenger collection, we have a lot of ground to cover, so let’s go over the new watches individually.If you are familiar with Breitling’s catalog, you know that the Avenger is the brand’s line of modern aviation watches. Specifically, they are made for fighter...
Hands-On: The 37mm Ebel Sport Classic
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 feeling, but I will make it anyhow: an Ebel was the watch to gift for 18th birthdays, graduations, and retirement. Why? It’s because the brand had great advertising campaigns, the price was right, and the curvy looks were charming and easy to recognize. The 2024 Ebel Sport Classic is a blast from ...
Can We Even Be Pleasantly Surprised By New Watches?
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 else at play?Patek Philippe had not released a new collection for 25 years, although, admittedly, the brand launched plenty of watches in the meantime. Now the new Cubitus faces a, let's say, mixed reaction from the community, so much so that it has seen Patek's CEO lashing out, undoubtedly disappo...
Movement Decoration Explained
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 movements. Sometimes, they even let other watch brands use their movements (like Jaeger-LeCoultre for example, Piaget or Girard-Perregaux and there are much more examples from the past).Besides functionality, complications or materials used, what (can) make them special or even stand-out, is the le...
The Seiko A829-A6019 that Wubbo Ockels used in space
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 – Wubbo Ockels personally mailed me the other day, that the Seiko A829-A6019 (and he also wrote there is a ‘A0’ behind this reference number) was selected by a couple of astronauts and they arranged a nice procurement deal for this specific type of watch. Furthermore, Wubbo Ockels mentioned...
Pinion Axis Bronze hands-on review
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?leather ‘watch wallet’, and user manual. Information in the manual is really straight forward and no-nonsense. So our first impressions are good!Pinion Axis BronzeFor me this is the first ever time I actually get to wear a bronze watch. And from the looks of it I think it will be a nice...
#TBT Breitling Navitimer 806
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 came as a surprise to me that we had yet to cover one of the most epic chronographs created: the Breitling Navitimer 806. Today, on #TBT, we'll endeavor to right that error, though, as I'm going to talk about such a watch.We certainly mentioned the Breitling Navitimer 806 in this Summer's Breitling E...
Harry Winston OPUS 14
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 extraordinary pieces.In 2015, Harry Winston Timepieces has written the fourteenth chapter in this unique saga. By partnering with Franck Orny and Johnny Girardin, two visionary watchmakers, the brand provided an exceptional chance to push the limits of the imagination even further. It all began with a blan...
Mondaine Stop2Go, Where 2 Seconds Make the Difference
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 second hand doesn’t tick to the second. It’s hard to count exactly, however I’d say the second hand ticks approximately 3 times per second. By this it looks to run much smoother, almost like a mechanical, or more like an electrical watch.But here comes the trick. The second hand of an o...
Top 10 Tools Every Watch Guy Needs aka Christmas WIShlist
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 travel clocks and whatnots that we often like to collect (hoard?). And if you still have some empty space left in your drawer; here are our Top 10 Tools Every Watch Guy Needs. You might have some of them already. Or perhaps you have better/newer/more advanced ones. Don't look at this list as something m...
Crown Guards: Protectors of the Crown Watches & Pencils #43
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 case. The crown guard was introduced and patented on the Submariner in 1959 (reference 5512). These protectors were initially square shaped. After a testing period with divers the crown guard shape turned out to be sub-optimal and that’s why they changed them to a more pointed shape after a w...
MeisterSinger Black Line versions of MeisterSinger classics
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 watches are quite different from one another in character. Some are extremely elegant, others sporty and the four Black Line watches show that instrumental can also mean very dramatic.For more information, visit www.meistersinger.comEven more sophisticated and powerful: The Circularis Power Reserve Bla...
Hands-On With The Farer Bernina and Cresta Chronographs
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 musketeer from the series. I consider it too boring and traditional. I didn't give it any further thought, I just compared the other two models and decided to review the Cresta. Only when I showed the news to my watch savvy wife, she said I have to get Farer Bernina too. So I did.Cheating on the Farer...
Omega Caliber 321 Prints From Springs+Gears
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 this caliber 321 in two sizes. And in two colors.Last weekend, we spoke with the owner of the Springs+Gears webshop. He is the proud owner of a beautiful vintage Speedmaster 2998-6 and always admired the caliber 321 that’s inside of his watch. An attractive movement to admire, he lets us know, e...
#TBT Abandoned Breitling Spatiographe Montbrillant Watch
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 something spectacular. We haven't featured many “young-timers born around the 1990s on #TBT, but today we are about to change that. The Breitling Spatiographe is a pretty unusual piece that is often easily overlooked. It has the typical strong Navitimer design DNA but comes with a bit of a twist...
Oris Aquis Date Calibre 400 Review: The Aquis To Have?
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 bit smaller, and there are some aesthetic differences, but it just reminded me of that one. If you’re a watch fanatic, you haven’t missed the introduction of the new Oris movement: Calibre 400. It is interesting that Oris decided to introduce the movement first, and a few weeks later int...
The Top 5 Vintage Grand Seiko Models
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 be? But this wasn’t always the case. Five plus years back, Grand Seiko existed as some sort of watch geek special. We all espoused these watches’ virtues, but I suppose regional availability combined with a focus on monochromatic designs kept their growth at bay. We also spoke a lot abo...
Hands-On With The ACE NOMOS Glashutte Club 36 Blue
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 on my hands while that kind of watch was on offer. But does this model pick up where the previous two successes left off?Truth be told, it doesn’t. This is something completely new. While the Amsterdam Club I worked on with Ace started a story that would be rounded out by the Ace Weltzeit and...