Audemars Piguet is back with three new Royal Oak Offshore models. All three bring differences including size, materials, and complications. The sporty, brash line within the Royal Oak family usually boasts outlandish design and bright coloring. If neither of those features is your bag, today’s releases may tempt you.The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore in any guise is a curious beast. Thes

Watch hands are not just literally at the core of any watch's design. They are the functional heart of a watch, the final parts turning a complex mechanical chain into a time-telling device. As the primary point of focus when looking at a watch, they determine much of its looks. At the same time, they are hardly ever explicitly discussed. Therefore, this installment of Back to Basics digs deep int

Most of the time, it is that first scratch or ding in your watch that will hurt the most. Jack Forster of Revolution Magazine tells about the first ding in his Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 15300. That triggered me to show you the first severe scratch on my Royal Oak. As you know, this watch has a lot of polished and brushed parts, most of the time divided by razor sharp edges. Luckily, none of the sh

Until early 2014, I never shared the same enthusiasm for the Omega Speedmaster Mark II 145.014 that others seem to have. The initial reason I bought this early 1970’s Speedmaster Mark II is one I am not really proud of: as an investment. I never advice people to buy watches as an investment and I never did so myself, until Omega announced their Speedmaster Mark II re-edition early 2104.I tho

A little watch review for this week’s Speedy Tuesday topic! Once upon a time, the Speedmaster Reduced enjoyed existence within Omega’s collection. Those days are past. In its place is the Speedmaster 38 collection. Omega doesn’t feel it necessary to explicitly define this as a gent’s or a ladies’ watch, and we’re just fine with that. For some wrists, this unusua

It’s Two For Tuesday time where we take a look at two watches that commonly cause hand-wringing at decision time. This week, you’ll need to muster some serious arm strength to lift those hands because we’re going BIG with the Panerai Luminor and Radiomir.The Legend of PaneraiI know that I’ve mentioned this before, but the early 2000s hysteria caused by Panerai was a complet

Greetings, fellow readers! Wrist Game or Crying Shame is here to provide some relief from your fun in the sun with a look at the Sinn 103 St. Before we get to that…Last week, I took you back to a very different time. This was the era when IWC worked with Porsche Design and, oh boy, did they make some real doozies. One such example was the Ocean 2000. This was an incredibly pricey example, bu

“Can’t you hear, can’t you hear the thunder? You better run, you better take cover.” Or so said the Men At Work. Now, before you shake your head, thinking, “There goes Brandon again with the song references,” let’s take a moment to consider that statement. Whether or not you actually have to run and take cover all depends on the storm’s proximity, do

In February of 1945, a few months before World War II came to an end, the U.S. Army Exchange Service put in an order for 30,000 Felca ref. 1187 watches. That’s a pretty exciting intro for a watch that most collectors have never heard of.?It has no quirky movement and no special features on the dial. It’s just a simple time-only watch that I would have probably overlooked… until I

Watches do not make headlines very often. When they do, it is usually either about money or crime. Lately, we seem to get buried under articles about the crash of the watch market. Since the authors of such pieces are not usually watch experts, a lot of the nuance is lost. It seems there is an eagerness to see “those greedy watch snobs” fall. Well, let me tell you that, as always, the

The Nordic countries - Sweden, Norway, Denmark, etc. - are best known for stunning landscapes and clean, minimal design. “Scandinavian Mid-Century Modern” is a whole vibe of furniture that enthusiasts and craftspeople alike are still preserving and recreating. Then there’s Ikea, inexpensive Swedish furniture that resembles LEGO in construction (but not in fun). Oh, and LEGO is Da

Recently, I had the chance to meet with Fratello’s good friend Jean-Marie Schaller, owner of Les Ateliers Louis Moinet, based in Saint Blaise, Switzerland. Schaller is known throughout the industry for his verve and vision. Conversations with the man behind the renaissance of Louis Moinet’s name and legacy are never short on insight or enthusiasm. As such, we thought it would be a nice

We covered the first eloquently spoken tool watch from Celegin Precision Timing last year. And judging from Instagram, a few of the Fratelli have already gotten their hands on this Swedish limited-production pilot's watch. Now Celegin is expanding its repertoire with the new Draken Chronograph, which sits slimmer on the wrist than most well-known German avionic tools. Add affordability into the mi

Many, if not most, current watch models at Omega are developments based on designs of the past. The Seamaster, Speedmaster, Constellation, and De Ville have all been around for decades. But while most of these product lines were born in the 1950s and ’60s, Omega produced wristwatches long before then. The new Omega CK 859 pays respect to the early days, taking its inspiration from a classic

Another Friday, another Top 5! After last week’s list of skin divers, we are now delving into the world of modern luxury sports watches with integrated bracelets. The category popularized by Audemars Piguet with Gerald Genta’s Royal Oak in the 1970s is still hot today. We have seen a rise in the demand for these stylish modern pieces over the past couple of years. To this day, plenty o

Lex started this Watches We Just Don't Get series a few weeks ago with hand-winding perpetual calendars. Now it's my turn, and I am sure many of you will disagree with me, but it's about a complication that doesn't make sense to me on an automatic watch, whether mechanical or Spring Drive. Yes, I’m talking about a power reserve indicator.Listen, I am already not a fan of date windows on most

This week, our friends at Hodinkee released a highly requested video featuring Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine and his curated watch collection. We might have seen only the tip of his horological iceberg, but with a brace of grails most of us can barely dream of, it set tongues wagging. But for me, the star of the video was his bespoke Neon Daytona, where Artisans de Genve goes luminescent.To me, t

Hamilton's most popular line, the Khaki Field, now welcomes some expansions. Presenting the Khaki Field Titanium in two versions, each in two sizes. Of particular interest are the new bracelets, also in titanium. Whether you pick the brushed titanium or the black PVD-coated titanium, you will surely end up with a versatile and lightweight daily watch. Let's have a closer look!Although you are spoi

Have you ever come across a watch brand that you had never heard about before but that immediately captivated you? The usual reaction is to go down the rabbit hole, devouring everything available online regarding the brand and its watches. This was my experience when I first heard about Fears. today, I finally managed to get my hands on one to satisfy the curiosity that my research had resulted in

Welcome to another Sunday Morning Showdown! Today, we return to our regular program after last week’s battle between two rather elegant and dressy chronographs. This week, we put the TAG Heuer Carrera Glassbox up against Tudor’s Black Bay Chrono. Both are vintage-inspired, automatic chronographs with a modern twist, and above all, they’re stainless steel sports watches - a theme