Vacheron Constantin Historiques 222: My Sublime Favorite
Vacheron Constantin is not pulling any punches this year. My previous article was a mere toe-dip in a veritable lake of horological goodness, and I haven't even started looking at the elaborate wristwear from Le Cabinotiers. This atelier within the atelier has some rather elaborate pieces in its Geneva arsenal.But this story is about one single piece of horology. One that, for me, stood out like a shining totem in the Vacheron press releases. The Vacheron Constantin Historiques 222 has the power to put diamonds, tourbillons, and perpetual calendars in the shade, and it seems very familiar. My story on new releases from Vacheron Constantin the other day could have included this, but truth be ...
New TAG Heuer Aquaracer Models: Superdiver, Solargraph, & More
The TAG Heuer Aquaracer series has become interesting over the past couple of years. The popular divers now look higher-end than prior iterations and come with a lot of nice features. A ceramic bezel, a micro-adjust buckle, and more are some of the details that have brought this watch into the modern age. Today, we get three new Aquaracer models and they’re all quite different from each other.The TAG Heuer Aquaracer first came about in 2004, and wow, were these popular amongst friends of mine who were early in their careers. They were solid divers with strong looks and loads of different options. After that mid-’00s period, though, I sort of lost track of the Aquaracer - until la...
Remembering George Cramer (1949 2023)
On March 25th, Cartier expert, Fratello contributor, and friend George Cramer passed away. His passing did not come totally unexpectedly to me as he was very sick, but it was still a surprise and a shock.Cartier expert George talking (Cartier) with ThomasGeorge Cramer, Cartier collector and connoisseurGeorge Cramer, a designer by trade, was the art director and designer for Polydor, Polygram, and Philips from 1975 till 1999. In the early 1980s, he bought his first real watch, a Cartier Santos. It started his interest in watches and especially in Cartier. George turned into a watch collector and connoisseur as well as an author of many Cartier-related articles.Passion for CartierI met George ...
Hands-On: The RZE Ascentus Titanium GMT Tool Watch
It’s no secret that I am a fan of RZE watches. The Singaporean microbrand has existed for several years and has forged a strong identity by producing affordable yet well-built titanium tool watches. Over the years, RZE has released a slew of excellent watches, and now it’s added another string to its bow with the Ascentus GMT.The Ascentus marks the first GMT watch in the brand’s ever-growing stable of timepieces. It joins dive watches, field watches, and chronographs, and it is the next logical step for RZE.The RZE Ascentus GMT is rugged yet incredibly wearableDespite falling under the Ascentus moniker, this watch seems to share much of its DNA with RZE’s Endeavour an...
Tudor Black Bay 54 Vs. Tudor Black Bay 58
The dust is slowly settling after a busy week of Watches and Wonders, and it’s time to zoom in on some of the new releases. After taking a break from Sunday Morning Showdown last week, we’re getting back into the swing of things with some low-hanging fruit. The Tudor Black Bay 54 was, undisputedly, one of the most talked-about new releases of the show. Will it replace the Black Bay 58 as the most popular Black Bay out there? Thomas and Jorg will battle it out with these two Black Bay models, but in the end, it’s all about your votes. After reading both writers’ arguments, cast your ballot for the watch that you think should emerge victorious.Without a doubt, the most ...
The Best Speedmasters Of The Last Five Years
Five years ago, Omega introduced the last limited-edition Speedmaster models. Who would have thought? After a good ~25 years of introducing many different Speedmaster limited editions, sometimes even more than one per year, the brand just stopped. Well, not entirely, of course, because although the Speedmaster Calibre 321 and Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award 50th Anniversary are technically regular-collection models, they are still challenging to obtain due to limited production.Speedmasters from 2019 to 2024However, Omega has introduced several Speedmasters in the past five years. Let's have a quick rundown of the Speedmaster models Omega has introduced since 2019.Speedmaster Apollo 11 Limit...
New: The Bravur Team Heritage Collection
The people at Swedish brand Bravur are about as crazy about watches as they are about cycling. Last year, the brand from B?stad gave us the Grand Tour Chronograph series inspired by the three grand tours - Giro d'Italia, Tour de France, and Vuelta a Espa?a. This year, the inspiration comes from iconic cycling teams from the ’50sC’80s. The colors of the Peugeot, Renault, and Mercier jerseys get a place on the dial of the watches in the Team Heritage collection. As a fan of both watches and cycling, one look at the dials of this trio of three-hand models made me think of some of the greatest riders of all time, like Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, and Raymond Poulidor. But I also thi...
Hands-On: Tudor Black Bay GMT Opaline & Black Bay Pro
It’s been almost a year since Tudor released the Black Bay GMT with the opaline white dial. Strangely enough, we never did a hands-on review of the watch. While it essentially was a line extension of the Black Bay GMT, the dial brings a certain praiseworthy attraction. The brand’s second GMT is the Black Bay Pro. It's another popular model that seems to do well for Tudor. I had a chance to go hands-on with both shortly after another and compare them. It gave me the chance to find my favorite of the two. It was also good to see where Tudor could improve these popular models. It’s time to find out more.The white-dial Tudor Black Bay GMT did not impress me when it came out. It...
Hot Take: The Piaget Polo 79 Looks Better In White Gold
In 2024, Piaget celebrated the 45th anniversary of Yves Piaget’s Polo watch by introducing a re-edition, the Polo 79, in full yellow gold. It came out in February of last year, and RJ dared to say that probably nothing at Watches and Wonders 2024 would trump it. We all know RJ is very much into yellow gold watches lately, but he was right. The Piaget Polo 79 in yellow gold was a big hit with its magnificent construction of brushed blocks and polished gadroons. No wonder Piaget decided to make a version in white gold as well for this year’s edition of Watches and Wonders Geneva.I’m sure RJ will not agree with me here, but I like this white gold version of the Piaget Polo 79 ...
New: The JLC Reverso Tribute Geographic And Minute Repeater
It's not like you’re going to play polo any time soon anyway, so why not have your Reverso complicated and with two dials? Jaeger-LeCoultre presents the Reverso Tribute Geographic and Minute Repeater, showing once again that the brand knows how to tastefully combine a classic design with horological technicity. Both complications are not just fascinating and stunningly executed but also (somewhat) practical. The Geographic helps you navigate the world, always with the right time on your wrist, and adds a grand date as a bonus. Not only will the Reverso Tribute Minute Repeater tell you the time in the darkest of conditions, but its soft chime will also soothe your soul. As you might exp...
Catching The Blues With A Trio Of Zenith Blue Chronographs
If you are on the hunt for a humble, under-the-radar, slow-release charmer of a watch, feel free to skip this article. Zenith gets all up in our faces at this year's Watches and Wonders with a 160th-anniversary trio of blue ceramic chronographs. Subtle blue? Nope, not quite. Say what you will, but at least this release is daring. You either want to catch the blues like Eddie Bond or chase the blues away like Ella Fitzgerald.So, are you Team Eddie or Team Ella? Let us know in the comments section below! Zenith blueWe associate with green and Cartier with red. Zenith, however, historically featured the more humble blue in its branding. This is said to originate fr...
Panerai Luminor Perpetual Calendar GMT Platinumtech PAM01575
Complicated watches are not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of Panerai. Having said that, the Italian-born Swiss brand has shown us over the years that it can integrate brilliant technical wizardry into its iconic models. Two great examples are the current Luminor Perpetual Calendar GMT in Goldtech and Platinumtech. Both seem almost deceivingly simple in their appearance. However, the brand cleverly integrated a perpetual calendar and a GMT function into the timepieces by using the front and the back. With the new Luminor Perpetual Calendar GMT PAM01575, Panerai unveils some technical mastery by adding a blue sapphire dial. Let’s find out more!I usually gravitate towar...
The New Pink Gold JLC Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds
For Watches and Wonders 2025, Jaeger-LeCoultre decided to go big with its Reverso collection once more. Jaeger-LeCoultre introduced this watch meant for polo players nearly a century ago. Today, however, watch enthusiasts and collectors consider the Reverso a dress watch more than anything else. With the latest Tribute Monoface Small Seconds in full pink gold on a matching mesh bracelet, it’s easy to see why.The Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds in pink goldI've tried a Reverso on my wrist many (many!) times. Jaeger-LeCoultre has sent us various models to review, but I also tried ones that friends and colleagues bought for themselves. I love the Reverso, but it is often on someone...
A Squadron Of New IWC Pilot's Watches Touches Down
There's more than new Ingenieurs to see at IWC's booth at Watches and Wonders 2025. Yes, there’s also a quintet of new IWC pilot's watches. First up are three new pilot's chronographs linked to Apple Original Films’ upcoming movie F1, which is set to release worldwide this summer. There’s also more complicated stuff - specifically, the Big Pilot's Watch Shock Absorber Tourbillon Skeleton XPL and the Pilot's Watch Performance Chronograph Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month.To celebrate the F1 movie partnership, IWC Schaffhausen adds three “APXGP”-inspired chronographs to its Pilot's Watches collection. APXGP is the name of the fictional 11th Formula 1 team in t...
New: Vacheron Constantin Patrimony & Traditionnelle LEs
Vacheron Constantin turns 270 this year; can you believe it? To mark the occasion, the Maison is releasing several new models. Among them are eight new celebratory limited editions of Patrimony and Traditionnelle watches. We will cover the other new watches in separate articles.I can, however, imagine you may struggle to keep up with all the Watches and Wonders 2025 releases. We are publishing articles at a blistering pace, trying to show you as many novelties as possible. Fear not, though; since the watches here are all existing models with shared limited-edition features, I will keep this article nice and brief. Let's dive in! 4010U/000G-H057 4010U/000R-H117 ...
Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Openface Limited Editions
Vacheron Constantin’s anniversary celebrations do not go unnoticed. The 270-year-old horology house kicked things off in January with the stainless steel version of the Historiques 222. Yesterday, it unveiled a high-end follow-up to that release with the stunning new Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication, the most complicated wristwatch ever created. Add the Traditionnelle Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar, which also debuted yesterday, and you have a tremendously impressive trio of watches. But Vacheron Constantin isn’t stopping there. The brand also announced three 270th-anniversary Traditionnelle Openface limited editions. These watches reveal the magic of traditional w...
New: Chopard Flying T Twin Perpetual And Alpine Eagle 41 XP CS
For Watches and Wonders 2025, Chopard introduces two heavy hitters representing opposite sides of sophisticated exclusivity. The Alpine Eagle 41 XP CS Platinum is a luxurious sports watch with a sub-10mm-thick case matched to an integrated bracelet in 950 platinum and paired with a shimmering Shades of Ice dial. The L.U.C Flying T Twin Perpetual combines a flying tourbillon with a perpetual calendar and presents itself in a traditionally shaped yellow gold case.Ask me about my favorite watch in the current Chopard collection, and I’ll probably say it’s the Alpine Eagle 41 XPS ref. 298623-3001. The slimmest of Alpine Eagles in Lucent Steel A223 with its Monte Rosa salmon-pink gold...
New Additions To The A. Lange & Sohne 1815 Collection
The A. Lange & Sohne 1815 line represents the classical, traditional collection within the German brand’s catalog. Named after the birthyear of Ferdinand Adolf Lange, the lineup features one of my all-time favorite watches, the 1815 Chronograph. So whenever new models are added, the Saxon house has my attention. Today, we see the introduction of the 34mm A. Lange & Sohne 1815 and the 1815 Minute Repeater Perpetual.As those names suggest, one is relatively simple, while the other is mind-bendingly complicated. We'll have a quick first look at both! Wellactually, I should say “all three” since the 1815 comes in two case materials, bringing the total number of new 1815...
New: Oris Big Crown Pointer Date Models For 2025
The Big Crown Pointer Date is a true staple in Oris’s history. It has been in the brand’s collection continuously since 1938. In 2021, Oris introduced a new and refined version of its beloved Big Crown Pointer Date. This 38mm watch featured the impressive Oris Calibre 403, a smooth bezel, and a cleaner dial layout. At Watches and Wonders Geneva 2025, Oris introduces no fewer than seven new references of the updated Big Crown Pointer Date. You can choose between 40mm or 34mm versions and whether you’d like one with or without the Oris Calibre 403.I happen to own a pre-2021 Oris Big Crown Pointer Date. That’s the style with the cathedral hands and coin-edge bezel. You c...
Up close (but not yet personal) with the Concord C1 QuantumGravity
Not too long ago on this blog I put forth a healthy dose of skepticism (Feb 26:???? New Detail Emerges on the Concord C1 QuantumGravity) as to the potential of the unconventional and nonconforming Concord C1 QuantumGravity watch.???? I further questioned the QuantumGravity’s ability to live up to expectations that were being set by an effusive and over-the-top marketing campaign in the lead up to Baselworld 2009.Now after seeing some live photos and now live video of this watch, I confess that I am even more intrigued by it, but in a good way.???? The Concord C1 QuantumGravity is growing on me!???? What can I say – it seems that my dismay was not with the watch itself but its ver...