An Uncommon Girard-Perregaux: The F1-047 Chronograph
Following on from Robert-Jan’s excellent review of the Girard-Perregaux WW.TC Financial, I thought an appropriate next article would be on a little known GP that happened to enter my possession not that long ago – actually, the end of a long quest.On a JLC Master Compressor strap. To say 21mm curved end options are limited would be an understatement.Click on all images for larger.Back in the late ’90s and early ’00s, Girard-Perregaux produced a line of watches with official Scuderia Ferrari branding. Unlike the most recent incarnations of Ferrari watches, these were subtle and very tasteful so subtle that some of them do not even in fact carry any Ferrari branding any...
Historic Grand Prix 2016 (sponsored by Tudor watches)
Last?weekend we were invited to join Tudor again at the circuit in Zandvoort. Burning rubber, historic power horses and of course… Tudor watches!After we entered?the Paddock Club we were welcomed by a Spitfire air act. Soon after this 3-litre engined Formula One cars fired up and the Fia Masters race begun. We had sight on the famous ‘Tarzan’ curve. The sound of those accelerating beasts?did turn a smile on every race?car lover. Overall, the championships were very diverse. To name some: 500cc Formula 3, Pre ’66 touring cars and the 1000cc Historic Formula 3. All the greats were there. From Bugatti to?Ferrari.Inside the Paddock Club Tudor had their booth lined up. As ...
Speedy Tuesday Customized Omega Speedmaster Snoopy Schumacher
Customization of watches isn’t new. Also not on Speedmaster watches. We reported about a modified Speedmaster some years ago (here), including an article about a company that specializes in customizing dials. Just recently even, we showed you a customized Speedmaster that was done for Hackett.Today, we have another customized Speedmaster for you, but this time we feel it is something really special. Where the other modifications mainly consisted of using parts from different Speedmaster references, or painting dials, the Speedmaster we have today has some real craftsmanship applied to it.Speedmaster Snoopy SchumacherSnoopy has a special connection with Omega. The most famous beagle in ...
Speedy Tuesday 5 Important Speedmasters for Chronos
Chronos magazine celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. When my interest in mechanical watches took off in the 1990’s, this was the magazine that I always bought to read and learn about watches. Needless to say that I feel proud that their editor-in-chief Rudiger Bucher asked me to contribute with an article about 5 important Speedmasters.The article has been translated into German, as Chronos is aimed at Germany, Austria and Switzerland. However, please find the English version in this article for today’s Speedy Tuesday feature.Of course, opinions vary and it is difficult to select only 5 important Speedmasters, but that was the task so I picked 5 and explained my choices.5 ...
Speedmaster Hodinkee 10th Anniversary Limited Edition
I know how important this watch is for Ben Clymer, so before going into details about this Omega Speedmaster Hodinkee 10th anniversary limited edition, allow me to address a few words to explain.10 Years of HodinkeeBen is a Speedmaster fan. He showed me his Speedmaster Mark40 that he received from his grandfather, and basically started his interest in mechanical watches. He also – always – shows me his latest Speedmaster purchases, and those range from early CK2915 references to the Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday (ST1) and the recent Speedy Tuesday Ultraman. He also was there with me when I bought my gold Speedmaster Professional in Munich when we were both there to talk at a watch c...
You Asked Us: Tissot Seastar 1000 versus Longines HydroConquest
Two different price tags, two different styles, yet one of our readers asks us to help him to make a decision.?We already included the Longines HydroConquest in a previous You Asked Us article, but this time, the popular affordable diving watch is up against a brand from the same stable: Tissot. The Tissot Powermatic 80 Seastar 1000 is a bit cheaper and has a slightly different appearance, so it comes down to taste and,?perhaps, technical specifications.You Asked Us: Tissot Powermatic 80 Seastar 1000 or Longines HydroConquestOur reader Amar contacts us to ask about the Tissot Powermatic 80 and the Longines HydroConquest (2018 model). He adds: “The Tissot is a bit cheaper but has 80 hou...
Introducing The Oris Big Crown ProPilot X Calibre 115
Oris just unveiled their new Big Crown ProPilot X Calibre 115 in Shanghai. Our own Bert Buijsrogge is there on location to shoot the watch and join the unveiling, but we are happy to already show you some images.The new Oris Big Crown ProPilot X Calibre 115 is their latest masterpiece and shows what they are capable of. With this watch, Oris wants to show what all of their other watches have lead to so far. They also took their earlier introduced caliber 110 movement and fully skeletonised it for this special Big Crown ProPilot X Calibre 115. Nothing is actually hidden, everything is being shown to the wearer of the watch.Oris Big Crown ProPilot X Calibre 115Interesting to see is that the sk...
#TBT: Timex Southampton?From The Late 1950s
The chronograph that isn’t a chronograph but works like one. A bit confusing, right? But how fun!How to start. The Timex Southampton is anything but an ordinary watch. Pop open a case back, and you won’t be sure what are you looking at. There are a few ‘you have never seen these kinds’ of long levers fixed on a simple construction that looks like a fake watch from a Turkish flee market. Very similar to that disheartened feeling when your eyes desperately gaze at empty vegetable stands in the supermarket right before Christmas Day. There is only one question on your mind: “Where the hell has the movement gone?!”Timex SouthamptonA look inside is very similar...
Hot Take: Geneva Watch Days Artya Brims With Creativity
Yvan Arpa is Artya. He is as colorful and as unapologetic as his watches. You may love that, you may hate it. But by gosh, you sure as hell notice it. The first time I noticed Yvan this week, was when he pulled up outside the GWD tent in time for the welcome drinks on Wednesday night, riding a beautiful motorcycle (one of his extensive collection), which had been decorated with marquetry. The watches are no less artisanal.I receive a lot of Artya press releases. I'm always intrigued, but never really thought about buying one until I saw them in the metal. Some of the pieces are too much for me, but the creative thinking behind many of them is truly impressive. I love engraving and a few of t...
This Week in Watches: September 5, 2020 New Edition
It’s time for This Week in Watches for September 5, 2020 the new edition. There are more things to life than , so let’s take a look at what else dropped.Grand Seiko 60th Anniversary L.E. SBGR321Our first new watch this week comes from Grand Seiko. GS is celebrating its 60th Anniversary this year and continues to roll out new models under the theme. The 40mm SBGR321 comes in titanium and is powered by the 9S65 automatic. 2,500 pieces of this blue-dialed watch will be made and are available in October. Grand Seiko calls out the sunrise and how it radiates into their Japanese studios.I’m not sure we need a story all the time because the blue dial looks lovely. That trend conti...
Hot Takes: Geneva Watch Days Chronometrie Ferdinand Berthoud
At what is increasingly looking like the last ever Baselworld, my favorite watch was the Ferdinand Berthoud FB 1.4. The brand hit a home run with the perfect application of its octagonal case design. Although that case shape was lifted directly for Berthoud's original marine chronometers that carved his name into the history books, it always looked at odds with the classically-decorated dials and ornate complications. The 1.4 changed all that. It impressed the future/heritage-instrument angle and became the steampunk sensation I'd always hoped it could.Perhaps the most charming thing about FB and its watches is the willingness to obscure the marvelous mechanics behind artful dials. This is t...
New Release: ArtyA Purity Tourbillon With A Full-Sapphire Case (2021)
An impressive full-sapphire case allows the double-barrel flying tourbillon movement inside to shine. ArtyA has achieved transparency to the highest degree in the Purity Tourbillon, not only in its use of the clear material but also in skeletonizing the movement's mainplate and bridges. The result is a space-age display of top-tier watchmaking. The case and movement are impressive both technically and architecturally, and the flying tourbillon is actually one of the biggest in a watch out there. It's 17mm diameter makes for an imposing visual display. This is not just a conversation piece - it’s a watch worth talking about.The world of Haute Horlogerie has seen sapphire cases cropping ...
Podcast: Our Favorite Olympic Watches Of All Time (2021)
WASP 9.91 sees the guys go to two decimal places for the first time, much to the confusion of everyone else. Less confusing, however, is the duo’s shared love of a very special Omega Speedmaster created for the Olympics, but that’s not the only Olympic watch to feature… Far from it…For the first time ever, an on-air purchase occurs as Rob stumbles across his all-time favorite Swatch available on eBay for a stunning price (box and papers included). Additionally, Fridge and Freezer discuss Balazs’s recent purchases (lovers of vintage Angelus be sure to tune in) and Rob’s burgeoning collection of caps that had a sudden injection of volume thanks to the chance...
What Is The Best Summer Watch? Aquadive Vs. Sinn (2021)
Hopefully, you enjoyed my “slightly” tongue-in-cheek mea culpa from yesterday. But the time for masking my corruption with light-hearted nonsense is passed. It’s time for things to get serious. In the first of four quarter-finals scheduled over the following week, Sexy Lexy takes on Bobsled Bobby (whose heart of ice is melting in this late summer heat) for a place in the last four. Their champions? Stolk commands a low-key cool Sinn chronograph while Nudds marshals his “NON-LIMITED” Bathyscaphe in this round. Let “splishy, splashy” battle commence.Let’s kick things off with my, Bobsled Bobby’s, offering: an incredibly misleading image of ...
My First Watch & How It Affected My Collecting Experience
When we discussed the topic of first watches during a recent editorial meeting, several pieces sprung to my mind. There is my actual first-ever wristwatch that I got as a kid. But there have been several watches along the way that slowly but surely turned me into an enthusiast. So much so, in fact, that I left a very responsible and sensible career track to turn myself into a watch writer. I can point to a few key watches along the way that made that happen. If you care to come along for a bit of a personal story, I welcome you! If you prefer more factually informative Fratello articles, you may want to skip this one.I do not consider myself a collector, by the way. It is a matter of semanti...
Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Gold Trio Geneva Watch Days 2022
Put on your shades if you have sensitive eyes: our retinas are in for an intense spectacle. Bvlgari has just unlocked a treasure chest at Geneva Watch Days 2022. Because no 10th anniversary worth celebrating should go without something precious, lining up are three Octo Finissimo models - the Chronograph GMT and Automatic in pink gold as well as a yellow gold Automatic limited edition.Having burst onto the horological scene in 2012, the Bvlgari Octo collection has been busy breaking new ground. Since the debut of the Finissimo range in 2014, the famously ultra-thin wristwatches have garnered eight world records spanning their chronometric, acoustic, and astronomical complications. Additional...
Wrist Shots From Geneva Watch Days 2022
That was quite the few days in Geneva last week. Experiencing exuberant and complicated watches in the laid-back setting of a lakeside five-star hotel is most definitely one of the perks of this job. But cramping the presentations of all these horological marvels into a very short timespan can also make your head spin. And after the spin, the memories of yet another double tourbillon in a three-dimensional, open-worked movement get mixed up. That's why I'm having a coffee while looking at wrist shots from Geneva Watch Days 2022 to sort things out and bring back some good memories at the same time. I suggest you grab a cup of coffee as well and join me on my short travel back in time.Yes, com...
The New Brew Worn & Wound Metric Chrono Regulators
Our friends over at Worn & Wound have teamed up with Brew Watch Co. for a second collaboration. This time, the two have come up with an attractive series of chronographs in unique colors. The watches, according to Worn & Wound, are “eccentric timepieces for eccentric people.” Well, then, I guess you can call me eccentric because they are downright attractive. Let's take a look at the new Brew Worn & Wound Metric Chrono Regulators.The Brew Worn & Wound Metric Chrono RegulatorsThe Brew Worn & Wound Metric Chrono Regulators are a trio of watches in different colors. Limited to 200 pieces per color at US$549 each, these look like fun and joyful takes on a 1970s ch...
What Makes The Omega Speedmaster Calibre 321 So Special?
Out of all the Speedmaster watches in my collection, the Speedmaster Calibre 321 is one of the pieces I appreciate most. Without making this article a love letter to the watch, let me explain several things that make the Speedmaster Calibre 321 incredibly special.For the price that you’ll need to pay for this watch, these are things you can and should expect. The normal Speedmaster Professional Master Chronometer retails for $7,500 ($8,600 for the sapphire version). The Speedmaster Calibre 321, however, has a $16,700 price tag. I've touched upon the ownership of the Calibre 321 in this article and compared it to that other re-edition of a few years ago, the 60th anniversary, here.Speed...
Horage Introduces The New Supersede Date
A standout release in the overly crowded world of watches was the Horage Supersede GMT. The stylish GMT came out about a year ago and certainly caught some attention. And that wasn’t just because of its stylish and sporty looks. No, Horage also fitted the Supersede GMT with the great K2 movement, an in-house micro-rotor caliber with fantastic looks and modern-day specifications to match. In the next step for the Supersede line, Horage now introduces the Supersede Date, a three-hander that surely will win a lot of people over. Yes, it really is that good.Horage is one of those brands that I heard about and then would forget about until I saw something on social media or Fratello’s...