Welcome to my contribution to Fratello Collector’s Week 2.0. I will not introduce my collection in detail, but I will give you a few examples to illustrate the way I choose watches to buy. What I will present to you, though, is a personal story about the development of my passion for watches. If you’d like to follow me on this path, you will learn how I got into watches, how I became a

There’s no doubt that Grand Seiko releases many limited-edition watches. Most are pleasing, but every so often, one comes along that makes me sit up and take notice. Today’s Grand Seiko SBGW303 is a good example of such an occurrence. Unfortunately, the watch will only be available in Europe, so the rest of the world may wish to plan a trip.Yes, it’s a constant comment here from

Most watch brands nowadays are part of a conglomerate. Luxury groups such as LVMH, Swatch Group, and Richemont own many of the traditional watch brands. But what about microbrand groups? Chasing economies of scale is equally beneficial for small brands. Huddling together can provide much greater striking power. So will we see more microbrand groups emerge in the future?AnOrdain recently acquired P

Art is in the eye of the beholder. Is that true for watches too? Yes, your particular taste in watches is highly personal. But what looks nice on the screen of your smartphone and in the shop window might not look so good on your wrist. That's why I would like to state that the right watch is on the wrist of the beholder. Sometimes the mix of wrist, case shape, and/or shades and textures seems to

Last week, we received word about additional releases from Audemars Piguet. We’ll cover what I think is the most interesting of the bunch with a brief overview of the new Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin in BMG and titanium. Among all those words, if you failed to pick out the key piece, it’s the “BMG.” Let’s peel back the onion…In preparation for this a

We all know the world is divided between people who like salmon skin and those who don’t. Whenever I prepare salmon at home for my family, I make sure to buy the kind with the skin still attached. I heat the butter in the frying pan, add the salmon skin side down, and let it simmer for a bit. That helps create the crusty layer I enjoy so much when cutting through a tender salmon filet. And I

Here’s something you don’t see every day! I was recently lucky enough to have some lens time with this rare beauty: a pre-Vendome Officine Panerai Mare Nostrum chronograph. Only 500 were made. I recall having the opportunity to purchase one for not that much money in the early 00s; like everybody else in that position, I’m now kicking myself. It’s a simple, functional timep

The advent of GPS has sadly rendered chronometers obsolete for navigational use. However, the beauty of Breguet retains relevance today. This is perfectly demonstrated with the latest member of the Marine collection, launched earlier this year at Baselworld, the Marine GMT 5857.The Marine collection fuses the traditional and contemporary with handsomely pleasing results. This latest version includ

It is that time of the year again! What are the finest timepieces of 2013? Our partner website in Poland, Chronos24.pl, organizes the Watch Of The Year election for the 4th time in a row.As a reader, you can vote for your favorite Watch of the Year 2013 timepiece. Chronos24.pl allows you to pick one watch from all the nominated timepieces. The nominated timepieces have been chosen by the Chronos24

It is Speedy Tuesday! This week we have one of the most sought-after Apollo XI limited edition models to show you, the Speedmaster Professional Apollo XI 35th Anniversary watch also known as ‘Speedmaster Panda’. This 2004 Speedmaster Professional commemorates the Moon landing of 1969, with a limited production of 3500 pieces only. Omega Speedmaster ‘Panda’ 3569.31This Speed

When we draw a relation between watches and space the first brand comes to readers' minds is Omega and the legendary Moonwatch the Speedmaster. We all know the story, I don't want to bore you with the details. As we could read about it recently on our fellow bloggers' very educative site NASA still uses the Speedmaster as a backup instrument for astronauts. However NASA is not the only key player

An evening in Amsterdam with the Piaget Polo SAlthough the Piaget Polo S was already introduced in July, the Piaget team visited Amsterdam to introduce it to the (watch) press of The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Scandinavia.This was the reason for us to join the party and have a look at the much talked about Piaget Polo S timepiece.

It took us some time to have a closer look at Timex x Todd Snyder Beekman because it took us some time to find its original inspiration Timex Southampton for side by side shooting.It is easy to become posh when collecting watches. But I challenge you, when was it the last time you left the house with a quartz watch on your wrist?Why shall Timex Beekman be in one's collection?A collector once said:

Slowly but surely the new Seiko 5 Sports collection becomes available in most parts of the world. This week it was the turn of our homeland, The Netherlands, and we went there to witness.Seiko Netherlands chose the bi-annually and famous Trade Mart in Utrecht to introduce the new 5 Sports line to their existing, and newly interested, dealers. At this Trade Mart fair, a dedicated booth was set up t

TAG Heuer rounds off its 160th anniversary with a new lineup of Carrera Chronograph Calibre 02 models. We break down the news and give our thoughts.160 years as a company is certainly something to honor and TAG Heuer has steadily rolled out the goods in proper celebratory fashion. In January this year, we saw the beautiful Carrera 160 Years Silver Limited Edition. This was a faithful retro model t

This week on Wrist Game or Crying Shame, we bring in the Corum Bubble Shark Diver. This is one weird watch. But first…Last week, I brought in some serious style with the Girard-Perregaux Sea Hawk 7100. Ok, it was a bit blingy with its polished bracelet and bi-color vibes. Perhaps it was due to these traits that the watch finished in a near dead heat at 50/50 (the fine print does show an 8 vo

One of the great things about Seiko is the fact that it makes watches at many price levels. That’s something you won't find with a lot of brands. Many try to maintain a certain spot in the market while looking at the competition to make their products more (or less) appealing. Yet Seiko has a wide range of watches from the affordable to the high-end (and even higher with sister-brand Grand S

The Meister Agenda is a watch I can’t forget about. Over the last five years, I’ve found myself visiting coming back to the Junghans website again and again. Ever since I stumbled upon the weekly calendar complication out of necessity, I’ve not been able to shake my desire for one…One of my companies develops a software platform that we’re constantly updating with new

Welcome back once again dear Fratelli! You spoke, we listened. You voted, we counted. And now only six Summer Splash wild card picks remain. Which one of these underdogs will go on to the final splashdown? Will one of these unlikely last-minute picks dethrone the editor’s picks for a major upset in the finale? There’s only one way to find out. In the meantime, you can check out the fin

“A what?” And “How much did you say that thing costs?!” These have been recurring comments I’ve heard while wearing this Gerald Genta Mickey Mouse watch. Or, as it is officially called, the Arena Retrograde Mickey Mouse reference 103613. And I understand. Especially when a bit of context is missing.Truth to be told, it was often comments made by people who know I do s