Sinn Chronograph Tachymeter For Manufactum
I have a weak spot for Sinn Spezialuhren. Form follows function, like many German developed and designed products, in combination with a fair price is Sinn’s key to success. Except for the movement, Sinn develops a lot of high-tech solutions for real problems. What about their Diapal lubricant free anchor escapement (click here for our review), Tegiment technology process to harden the case (see our review here), Ar-Dehumidifying technology to improve readability and prevent the watch from fogging and so on.Another weak spot that I have is for this shop in Munich called Manufactum. I think they are also in other cities, but I only happen to know their Munich store. They only sell ̵...
Ike Strikes Again A. Manzoni & Fils Canopus Weekplanner
Remember Ikepod watches? Watches with a futuristic design that were out-of-the-ordinary. A number of their watches were designed by Marc Newson (who later also designed an Atmos clock for Jaeger-LeCoultre).My favourite model was definitely the Ikepod Hemipode Cunningham Chronograph, but to this day.. I am not even sure if this company still exists. In any case, the original founder of that company was Oliver Ike. He started Ikepod in 1996 and quickly moved on to be a consultant to other watch brands. However, he found it challenging to work on other brand’s master pieces while he still had his own master piece in mind.A. Manzoni & FilsOliver Ike and Swiss watchmakers A.Manzoni &...
Omega Speedmaster Pro Apollo XI Missions 1998
It is Speedy Tuesday! Remember the Missions case that Omega produced in 1997? In total 50 of these cases were produced (5x HC (hors commerce), 5x EV (epreuves d’artistes) and 40x for the collectors out there). There is a slight difference in some of the cases regarding the design of the white cover.The 40 cases have 3 hatches on top so you can see three watches, the series of 5 has just one hatch. The contents were the same, 23 watches and a spare caliber 1861 movement. The movement was new at the time (introduced in 1997). The 23 Speedmaster watches consisted of 22 mission Speedmaster Pro watches and 1 Speedmaster ’57 Replica. Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo XI MissionsWe ...
Fromanteel Pendulum A Week On The Wrist
Fromanteel Pendulum – Their First AutomaticFromanteel might be a brand that you’ve not heard of before, or at least not very often. Yet, this Dutch brand exists already for 7 years now and had their first appearance at Baselworld this year as well.Supplying only quartz watches in the past it wasn’t a brand as well which we at Fratello Watches took much notice of. Until last year, when they brought their first automatic watch, the Fromanteel Pendulum. This and their appearance at Baselworld was enough for us to pay them a visit and arrange for a Pendulum watch for review.(Video by Maarten Slooves for Fratello Watches)Huygens and Pendulum ClocksWe’ll start with some his...
Certina Starts Using The Nivachron Anti-Magnetic Hairspring
Just recently, we found our way to Hamburg, which is the 2nd largest city in Germany and home of the third-largest port in Europe. With an invite from Certina in our pocket, we travelled there for an exclusive event, the launch of something big for this small Swatch Group brand.?The Certina DS-1 Big Date 60th anniversary with Nivachron hairspring.Upon arrival, we are welcomed at the event location in the center of the city. After some drinks with our colleagues in the business, the official program kicks off. Adrian Bosshard, CEO of Certina, introduces us to the brand and its history. How the brand has developed through the years, and their strongest selling points. How their logo has been a...
Can (Classic) Watch Brands Find Future Consumers?
What would you buy if you would not be considering a , Omega, Patek Phillippe or Audemars Piguet? It’s a question that watch lovers all around the world know how to answer.They know there is more out there and they have preferences based on overall brand appeal, history, looks, reliability and technical innovation. But as long as I have been interested in watches and have had many great conversations on a whole variety of topics, the industry leaders keep logically popping up as references. It has always triggered the question I have on how a great number of watch brands that are not amongst the commonly mentioned ones, think they are able to stay relevant. Especially in a quickly chan...
Hot Takes: Geneva Watch Days Czapek Antarctique Shines Once Again
Czapek was the final brand I sat down with in Geneva. Did I save my favorite till last? Yes, actually, I really did. I wanted my enthusiasm to remain high throughout the fair and, at the end of a long day, there was no better way to ensure I'd still be firing on all cylinders than to have a sit-down meeting with the brand I've been most impressed with over the past few months. Thanks, in large part, to the Czapek Antarctique steel sports watch.The release of the Czapek Antarctique Terre Adelie was a big one. It took my year by storm, upending everything I'd been expecting. I've already elevated that watch into the pantheon of this generation's greats.I feel that we've been looking at the sam...
Hot Takes: Geneva Watch Days Urwerk UR-T8 Turns Heads
The first thing to land in our hands when we arrived at the Urwerk was the UR-100 full gold that I had in for review a few weeks back. Although it was old news to me, it was incredibly enriching to watch may colleagues discover (and quickly accept it) for the first time. I had (erroneously) expected it to misfire with the team. I had forgotten that I was sharing a table with the three Fratelli that own the Speedmaster in Moonshine gold. As it turns out, the UR-100 could not have landed in the company of a more sympathetic audience. But it was the UR-T8 that blew us away…A unique UR-T8 for charity. Amazing design? Check. Hand-engraving? Check. Dinosaurs? Of course… This UR-T8 boas...
Seiko Astron SSH063 Brings Clean-Lined Brilliance To The Collection
Seiko knows a thing or two about quartz. And whenever a brand with such an esteemed pedigree within a certain field starts throwing around statements like “best ever”, I’m prone to sit up and listen. When it comes to the Seiko Astron SSH063, I’m glad I did.I’m a huge fan of Seiko. Who isn’t at Fratello you might ask. Furthermore, I’m not against a bit of brand bias - of giving my tried-and-tested favorites a lot of rope. And whenever Seiko releases a new watch I always sit up and pay attention unless…it is one of the Astron releases. And it’s not because they aren’t my favored mechanical marvels. I have plenty of quartz-powered watc...
New Release: Parmigiani Fleurier's 25th Anniversary Tonda PF (2021)
It's the 25th anniversary of Parmigiani Fleurier, and the Val-de-Travers independent is celebrating in a big way. A total of seven new watches are being introduced, including three models in two different materials and a very special limited edition split-seconds chronograph. Variety is key here, as Parmigiani has all bases covered with these new releases. Starting with an ultra-thin two-hand time watch with a simple date complication and a micro-rotor movement. The brand is also launching a chronograph and an annual calendar. All four new models come on a nicely constructed integrated bracelet and feature a number of dial colors and textures.The Tonda family receives a whole new line of wat...
Hands-On With The New IWC Blue Ceramic Pilot's Watch
Since 2006, IWC has released a watch to mark its support of Laureus Sport for Good, a foundation that helps bring the power of sports to underprivileged children and teens. This year, we get a very different type of release. Let’s take a hands-on look at the new IWC Blue Ceramic Pilot’s Watch.IWC is a global partner of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. As a result, fans of the brand get to look forward to a new limited edition watch each and every year. I looked back on some of these releases and an interesting aspect is that the releases have touched most of the product line. One never knows which watch will be in focus. What is a constant is the color blue, which happens t...
#TBT Chris's Collection Of Almost 200 Audi Watches (2021)
After no longer being able to add any more things to his Audi S4, Chris Culver got into watches as a way to keep “hunting” for more Audi stuff. Since landing his first Audi watch more than five years ago, Chris has grown his collection significantly and has some pretty fascinating pieces.Last summer I?shared the story about a very special quartz Audi watch, that I've owned since 2004. I was a magazine car tester back then and I got it as a present from Audi when they introduced the A6 to the market. I liked it and I wore it a?lot back then. When I?found it in a?box a few years ago, it brought back tons of wonderful memories. So I?put it in a?more visible place in my safe. Althoug...
The Sinn 103 Classic 12 Reverse Panda Chronograph (2021)
Sinn SpezialUhren has been around for 60 years and it’s celebrating! How? By releasing a limited edition version of their most iconic watch: the Sinn 103. They call it the Sinn 103 Classic 12, referring to the second time zone bezel.During Geneva Watch Days, Sinn exhibited at the location in the city where the Baselworld organization had its little platform to promote its return to the watch industry. Whether or not that was a success is a different topic, but Sinn at least had a place where it could put its new watches, including the Sinn 103 Classic 12, on display. And to be quite honest with you, it turned out to be one of the coolest pieces I saw during the Geneva Watch Days in the...
Animation Rules With The New Gerald Genta Arena Retrograde Smiling Mickey Mouse
When I think about cartoon characters and watches, nothing stands out quite like Mickey Mouse. Over the past 90 years, he’s been featured on the dial of countless numbers of watches. From high-end pieces to inexpensive quartz souvenirs, Disney’s most popular character transcends culture. Today’s Gerald Genta Arena Retrograde Smiling Mickey Mouse definitely falls on the exotic side of things, but it scored well with our team.The Gerald Genta Retrograde has been with us since 1996 under the Arena name. It’s a watch that Genta developed and it continued even after Bvlgari bought the brand in 2000. It has come in many different forms, case materials, and designs. Regardle...
Summer Splash: Dave Round 1 Breitling, Zelos, Tudor (2021)
Roll up, roll up! The summer has hit The Hague, and Fratello is keen to celebrate. After the fizzing success of March Mania, we are back with a new knock-out competition conceived to find the very best summer watch out there, according to YOU, the Fratelli. And guess what? You can win prizes! No, there won’t be a watch available this time, but there WILL be some of the finest water-firing weapons money can buy: the Spyra 2 water cannon is reputedly the strongest of its kind ever made. Fancy getting your hands on one? Read on and take part in the poll and comments section of the Summer Splash.Eight Fratelli editors will choose three of their favorite summer watches and pitch them to you...
A Brief History Of Time: Montblanc's Complete Brand History (2021)
It wasn’t an easy path for Montblanc to get past the image of the luxury pen maker who tries to make the watch world believe that its watches would be anything else but decorative accessories to accompany its writing instruments. Let me guide you along through this deep dive into Montblanc’s complete brand history.It could be said that the name Montblanc as a synonym for luxury pens was too deeply established. But the increasing integration of Minerva’s heritage and craftsmanship finally made the necessary impact. Also, bringing Grande Complication watches to market at very competitive prices caused appropriate attention and recognition to the penmaker’s horological o...
Geneva Watch Days 2021: Going Hands-On With Urwerk!
It’s been a long time coming but I’ve finally been able to get properly hands-on with a few of Urwerk’s new models from 2021. Ones I’ve written up but hadn’t been able to really get to grips with. Thank you Geneva Watch Days for being an enabler to my ongoing battle with Urwerk addiction.Getting to finally go hands-on with these watches was great. As we all know, there’s something about experiencing a watch in hand that is difficult to replicate from press images alone. So this was a real treat. The prime example being the UR-105 Tantalum Hull. The case is made of Tantalum, which is a heavy metal. I knew this, but feeling just how heavy it is is something ...
?Turquoise Watches From Breitling, Doxa, Stowa, And More
Who would have thought that the last breath of the outgoing Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 would be a bright turquoise matte dial with Tiffany co-branding? It exploded on Instagram with first buyers like Jay-Z feeding the public's insatiable desire for celebrities. But have we had enough of this lovely blue hue? Turquoise is a great way of making the summer last, even with no official connection to a famous New York jeweler. And that’s without including an inaccessible in the box.The backstory of the Tiffany Nautilus is that LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault came up with the idea. But surely I'm not the only one drawing a parallel to the rapturous reception of the 2020 Oyster Perpetuals. That l...
The New Gronefeld 1969 DeltaWorks
The motto of the Dutch province of Zeeland is “Luctor et Emergo”. That translates to “I struggle and overcome”. Many people in the Netherlands believe that the saying, which has been inextricably linked to the coat of arms of Zeeland since 1586, refers to the struggle with water. That’s not the case. “Luctor et Emergo” refers to the uprising against Spanish domination. But does the saying have anything to do with the Gronefeld 1969 DeltaWorks, the Dutch brand's first sports watch? Yes and no. The watch is named after the Delta Works, a huge project that was built to keep the water out of the lowlands. The name also refers to the water-resistant and s...
Five Watches I Didn't Buy That Won't Leave Me Alone
I’m actually quite happy with where my collection is at the moment. I now have about ten watches that all get their fair share of wrist time. However, along the way, I have considered many other watches than the ones I eventually decided to buy. Every now and then, one of them peeks around the corner to see if there’s still a spot for it in my collection. These are watches that are still readily available, and therefore, I haven’t yet given them the definitive “no”. Let’s take a look at the watches that are still nagging me in my sleep.I’m guessing you can relate to the following behavior. When I’m looking into buying a certain watch, I compare...