Hands-On With The Nivada Grenchen Chronoking
To me, the Nivada Grenchen Chronomaster will always be the Valjoux 23-powered Aviator Sea Diver. Call me old school, but that was my fav from the many Nivadas that left Grenchen back in the day. For many, however, a watch without a date just won’t cut it. I hear you, and so did Nivada. The Chronoking was supposed to fill that void. It’s only fair then that we get a re-edition of the vintage classic. That’s the watch we are going to talk about today.I have been lucky enough to see every new Nivada that has come out to date. When the brand was ready to launch the Chronoking series, I instantly received a model for review. This is, however, not just any model. The very watch y...
Fluco Crazy Horse Apple Watch Leather Strap In Whiskey Brown
Well, it took me a while to buy into the idea of having my very own Apple Watch. But I’ve finally decided to bite the bullet and I’ve gone and ordered one. Luckily, Fluco furnished me with a bunch of tasty leather straps to try on a loaned Apple watch so I had a chance to test them out before mine lands in my mailbox.I’ve never been against wearable technology. I’ve just never been for it. To be honest, for a man my age, I regard myself as particularly technophobic. That might seem odd for someone that earns their living at a keyboard. To be plain, though, I’d be just as happy (if not happier) were I pounding the keys of a typewriter on a daily basis.Crazy Horse...
The Incredible Versatility Of NOMOS Glashutte Watches
A little while back, I had the distinct pleasure of recording a video with my partner in crime, Franziska. As an industry professional herself, she’s no stranger to the pages of Fratello, having contributed articles of her own in the past. However, it is our shared association with NOMOS Glashutte that not only brought us together but also inspired this video. In it, we discuss how watches so often perceived for one gender can just as easily be worn by another, if only one is able to step away from the “new-old-fashioned” ideas of what constitutes a men’s watch, a women’s watch, and everything in between.What do I mean by “new-old-fashioned”? Well, w...
The Top 5 Bvlgari Releases Of 2021
This year was a letdown, to be truthful. I was expecting - no, demanding - a joyous, amazing year filled with nothing but celebration and the burning of face masks, but alas, this was not the case. But even with the pandemic still roaming the world, Bvlgari was poised for the start of “revenge spending” with some rather tempting releases in 2021.That’s right, a trend that has sparked an application to the Collins Dictionary for a new English term. I don’t have to explain, but here you go - spending excessively after a period when one has had limited opportunities to spend.?We expected everything to subside, and it didn’t. But Bvlgari did its Roman-Swiss best to ...
The Best Special Editions Of 2022
As we come to the end of 2022, we can conclude that it has been a year of many great watch releases. We can also say that limited and special editions are still very much a thing. They have become incredibly popular in the watch industry and are often linked to low production numbers. When we started talking about a list of the best special editions of this year, we quickly realized that any list of five or ten watches would be too short to cover them all. So, as always, let this list serve as a conversation starter, and feel free to drop your favorites in the comments at the end.One quick thing to address regarding this list is our use of the term “special editions”. Though ther...
Modern And Vintage Goodness From IWC And Omega
This week, I bumped into some pretty exciting watches when hunting for today’s Pre-Owned Spotlight. I have to admit that my colleague Mike pointed the Omega out to me. It’s a beautiful 1959 white-dial Ranchero, a collection that Omega introduced in 1958 based on the Railmaster, Seamaster 300, and Speedmaster that debuted a year earlier. The other two watches are from IWC. One is a modern 2000s Pilot’s Watch Double Chronograph (Doppelchrono), and the other is a Yacht-Club II from 1979.The IWC Pilot’s Watch Double Chronograph has been on my watchlist for a while. When I started collecting watches in the late 1990s/early 2000s, this piece was highly sought-after. Back th...
Audemars Piguet: In The Shadow Of The Royal Oak
It wouldn't do Audemars Piguet justice to call it a one-trick pony. Still, it's tough not to. The dominance of the Royal Oak is undeniable. And there certainly is strength in numbers as well. With 122 RO references in the current catalog compared to 75 Code 11.59, Royal Oak Offshore, and Royal Oak Concept models combined, the Royal Oak is, without a shadow of a doubt, the backbone of the brand from Le Brassus. But is it also the heart and soul? In this installment of Breaking Down The Brand, I’ll try to find out if life is possible for Audemars Piguet in the shadow of the Royal Oak.Currently, there are four collections in the AP catalog - Royal Oak (122 references), Royal Oak Offshore ...
Book Review: The Polerouter
Within vintage circles, the Universal Genve Polerouter looms large as one of the most revered watch designs in history. Of course, with a name like Gerald Genta at the drafting table, that makes a lot of sense. Now a book is available, simply titled The Polerouter, and it is a magnificently detailed tribute to the entire history of these watches.I reckon that most fans of vintage watches could come up with a shortlist of pieces that everyone should have in their collections. Within such an index, I think it’s fair to say that the Universal Genve Polerouter, especially in its early form, would be found. The masterpiece was first released in 1954 and famously took its name from a partn...
Hands-On: Nivada Grenchen Antarctic 35mm
I love it when a brand is brave enough to be different from the rest of the industry. To go against trends and, by doing so, create new ones takes courage, and in the end, the market will tell if the move was correct. Regardless of what the brands say, the customers will decide if a watch succeeds or not. Nivada Grenchen is one of these companies that dares to be different. That’s why I was not surprised when I saw the new Antarctic 35mm a few weeks ago in New York. Faithful to the original in size and looks, at 35mm, it is not your average model, yet it works very well.There is a sweet spot, a size that works for most watch wearers, whether their wrist is 6.5 or 8 inches. Well, 35mm i...
Hands-On: The Wren Diver One Snow
Some of you might already be familiar with Wren Watches. The New York-based passion project is the brainchild of Wrist Enthusiast founder Craig Karger. A lawyer by trade and watch enthusiast by heart, he started with a Wrist Enthusiast Instagram account that quickly amassed a loyal following. After expanding Wrist Enthusiast onto multiple platforms, the next step was a watch brand. Wren Watches started in 2023 as a creative outlet for Karger, using his experience in the world of watches as input for creating timepieces of his own. His first effort was the Wren Diver One, a vintage-inspired diver. After the inaugural Diver One Aqua sold out quickly, we had a chance to go hands-on with the fol...
The IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar A GPHG 2024 Winner
Last month, the IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar won the famed “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix at 2024’s GPHG. Because of its innovative complication, it’s a watch worth revisiting. However, you can also visit this timepiece in person at the new Amsterdam IWC boutique.We briefly looked at the IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar after it debuted at Watches and Wonders 2024. The watch impressed us with its stunning complications and design. Clearly, it impressed this year’s GPHG voters as well because it took home the grand prize. Let’s review this stunning timepiece once again and share how you can witness its spectacular construction and functionality “...
New: Hublot Big Bang Tourbillon & Zenith Defy Extreme LEs
Imagine yourself sitting or standing in a concert hall. The band or orchestra performs what clearly is the last song of the night. After the final note, though, the crowd goes wild and keeps clapping, hoping the concert won’t end just yet. Finally, the performers decide to play one more song - the encore. Sometimes, that encore is premeditated, but other times, the musicians have to improvise a lot to please the overexcited crowd. The two watches we’ll look at today feel a bit like their brands’ encores for 2024. You decide whether the Hublot Big Bang Tourbillon Carbon SR_A or the Zenith Defy Extreme Jungle is either the planned or improvised kind of encore.When you look at...
Behind The Patek Philippe Cubitus
What do you do when you, as the owner of a watch company, have a thing for square watches? That’s correct: you create a square watch. That, in a nutshell, is the origin story behind the Patek Philippe Cubitus. The launch of the first all-new product line in 25 years was a significant moment not only in the brand’s history but also for Thierry Stern, who is both the owner and director of Patek Philippe, one of Switzerland's four leading independent watch manufacturers. Let's examine why the Cubitus is what it is and what it's meant to do.When Patek Philippe introduced the ref. 5711/1 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Nautilus in 2006, it was just another product launch. I...
Hands-On With Straum's New Micro-Adjust Clasp
Straum’s recent release of the Micro-Adjust Clasp for its bracelets is a godsend. It’s the accessory I knew I needed but perhaps not quite how much. As a proud owner of a Jan Mayen Fratello Limited Edition, I was excited to see how this upgrade would enhance the watch’s overall experience. Spoiler alert: it does not disappoint.Out of the box, the Micro-Adjust Clasp arrives in a small metal tin that fits snugly into the?Straum-branded accessory case included with all Jan Mayen watches. This thoughtful touch underscores Straum’s attention to detail, and it’s well appreciated. Installing the clasp on my Jan Mayen was straightforward thanks to the included pin-and-c...
Cult Watches
Not too long ago, I noticed ‘Cult Watches, the world’s enduring classics’ in a window of a book store in The Hague. It is a book by Michael Balfour, whom I think is also responsible for more horological titles.I flipped through the pages and looking at the pictures and stories of all-time classics (Speedmaster, Submariner, Navitimer, Nautilus, Royal Oak, Tank and so on..) I was immediately interested. However, asking 50 euros (almost 75 USD at this moment) was a turn-off. It is no reference like the Pattrizi books or Mondani books on , or the Saga book on Omega by Marco Richon. This ‘Cult Watches’ book is a nice-to-read book and I am not paying 50 euros for thos...
Review: The Vianney Halter Watch For Goldpfeil
All images in this post may be clicked on for larger versions.You would be forgiven for thinking that the big number in its own box is the date, and the two hands on the dial are for the minutes and hours; and perhaps that strange little stubby hand in its own round window off to the top is in fact for power reserve, or perhaps continuous seconds.You’d be wrong.For starters, the watch is actually a jump hour (only adjustable in one direction: forward) with the big number being the hour; minutes and seconds are on the large dial, and the little stubby hand is in fact the moon phase display. Of course, not having a date, you can’t set this accurately. Winding the crown forwards in ...
The Ultra-Thin Piaget Altiplano 38mm 900P
The definition of ultra-thin just got a new meaning when Piaget introduced their Altiplano 38mm 900P timepiece earlier today. It is the world’s thinnest mechanical watch with a hand-wound movement. A watch that merely measures 3.65mm in height. The 900P reference finds it roots in the very first ultra-thin movement made by Piaget in 1957, caliber 9P.Piaget has a thing going on for ultra-thin watches, that’s for sure. Since 1957, Piaget has developed and manufactured 23 ultra-thin calibres (out of the 35 movements that they developed and produced in-house). 12 of these ultra-thin movements has set new records for being the thinnest movement world wide.The skilled watchmakers of Pi...
Speedy Tuesday The Omega Speedmaster Pro X-33 1st Gen
It’s Speedy Tuesday! Our successful Speedy Tuesday Event that we organized on the 29th of October in ESA-ESTEC’s official visitor centre Space Expo led to a number of Speedmaster purchases. Even up till now we receive e-mails and notifications from people who bought a (new) Speedmaster as the Speedy Tuesday Event inspired them to do so. We are happy to hear these stories and some of them are rather special.One of the cool stories we got so far are the purchases of very beautiful CK2998 watches, a bunch of new Speedmaster Professional 3570.50 models, a 105.003 and an X-33. We have covered the Omega Speedmaster Professional X-33 before and although we think it is an ugly watch, the...
Omega Master Co-Axial Officially Certified Announced
Yesterday I joined the press conference in the Cite du Temps in Geneva about the new watch certification based on new quality standards for the Swiss watch making industry. This news was communicated by Omega and METAS (Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology), more specifically by Nick Hayek of the Swatch Group, Stephen Urquhart, Andreas Hobmeier?and?Raynald Aeschlimann of Omega and Christian Bock of METAS.After I received the invitation I quickly googled what METAS was about and it appeared to me that something was coming regarding certification. However, I could not foresee what it exactly would mean as they do measurements and tests in all kind of areas. So I was happily surprised yesterday...
#TBT Benrus Sky Chief Chronograph
Within the world of the small pilot's chronograph, the Benrus Sky Chief is king. Ok, that's a bold statement, but I think there's some merit behind it. I read a decent number of forums and ingest all sorts of vintage watch-related social media, and something has always stood out to me about the Sky Chief; there are very few apologists about the watch despite its diminutive size. Well, I had only seen one of these in person before in a large case of other vintage chronographs and it did look small. In the end, though, I decided that this Benrus was historically significant enough to add to my collection and, therefore, when the right piece popped up, I grabbed it. Since it's now holiday seaso...