Hublot celebrated 20 years of the Big Bang last year with a limited-edition Big Bang 20th Anniversary edition. These LEs took their design language from the original models and paired it with Unico in-house calibers. It was only a matter of time before we would see this sensible pairing in a regular-production model, and here we are! These are the new Hublot Big Bang Original Unico references.We get a total of four new versions, sharing all specifications except for their exterior materials. We get on in full titanium, another in titanium and ceramic, one in full ceramic, and a final one in King Gold and ceramic. Lets have a closer look at whats new!The Unico caliber HUB1280Earlier Hublot Bi...
The first day of LVMH Watch Week coincides with the start of the Australian Open tennis tournament. The 2026 tennis season s first Grand Slam at Melbourne Park sees the sport s superstars competing for the trophy. Among them is Novak Djokovic, who holds the record for 24 Grand Slam titles. Those include 10 at the Australian Open, making it his most successful Grand Slam. It would therefore be strange not to keep an eye on the Serbian tennis star as a contender for this year s title. On his wrist during the tournament is the new blue Hublot Big Bang Tourbillon Novak Djokovic GOAT Edition. It is one of three GOAT Editions that Hublot unveils today.These Big Bang Tourbillon Novak Djokovic GOAT ...
The platinum Tiffany Timer commemorates 160 years of chronographic heritage. This 40mm platinum chronograph, featuring a dial color that has a special effect on many people, is available in a limited run of 60 pieces. The watch is an exclusive homage to one of Americas first stopwatches made by the famous jeweler. The new chronograph couples Swiss watchmaking with Tiffany & Co.s expertise in design and craftsmanship.The new Tiffany Timer combines Tiffany & Co.s jewelry savoir-faire with its lesser-known historical expertise in watchmaking. The chronograph features a 40mm polished platinum case, and within it lies a Tiffany Blue lacquer dial accented by baguette-cut diamond indexes an...
Daniel Roth introduces its latest offering during the LVMH Watch Week in Milan! Its the Extra Plat Rose Gold Skeleton. Though based on the previously introduced Extra Plat watches with caliber DR002, this one has a special skeletonized movement (DR002SR).Honoring Daniel Roths heritageIts no secret that I admire the new Daniel Roth watches introduced under Louis Vuittons La Fabrique du Temps. Master watchmakers Barbasini and Navas do an excellent job of honoring Daniel Roth s heritage and maintaining a very high standard in finishing and decoration. They are also responsible for many notable watches from other brands where they previously worked, as mentioned in earlier coverage of Daniel Rot...
Yema is always updating and improving its extensive collection. One of the main focus points of the last few years has been to equip an increasing number of its watches with a proprietary caliber. It led to the introduction of the Skin Diver powered by the CMM.20 movement last April. This year, the French brand starts with that classic-looking diver. The newest additions to the young lineup are two Skin Diver Slim Bronze CMM.20 models in gray and green. The first is a limited edition, while the second is a regular addition to the catalog. Let s find out more!I have had the pleasure of reviewing a substantial number of Yema watches over the years, and almost without exception, doing so has be...
Theres a certain kind of satisfaction that only a chronograph can offer - the tactile click of the pushers, the sweep of the seconds hand, the quiet excuse to time things that probably do not need timing at all. You know exactly what I mean; we all do it. The problem is that many chronographs either feel too precious for everyday wear or too expensive to enjoy without a little anxiety.That is where the fun little Vostra Vector steps in. This is the debut release from Vostra Designs, a new brand concept from the team behind RZE, and it immediately feels like a watch made by enthusiasts who remember what first pulled them into this hobby. Rather than chasing specs for the sake of it, the Vecto...
It s Sunday, which means it s time to wake up with a nice cup of coffee and another Sunday Morning Showdown. This week, Mike and Jorg will go up against each other in a matchup that you could see coming a mile away. They picked two gold heavy hitters and natural rivals from Omega and . Jorg chose the Moonshine Gold Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Reverse Panda that debuted earlier this week. Mike s pick is the yellow gold Cosmograph Daytona Le Mans. We have matched up the Speedy and the Daytona multiple times before, but which of these specific variants will claim the victory today? Let s find out!Both of this week s contestants are luxurious gold versions of legendary stainless steel chronogra...
This seems to be the week of the reverse pandas at the Swatch Group. You probably already saw the two Speedmaster Professional Moonwatches with glossy black and white dials that Omega launched earlier this week. Now, Hamilton also introduces three new chronograph references. They are all inspired by the vintage racing culture of the 50s and 60s and come either with a green, brown, or blue dial with silver sub-dials. Also, they all house a hand-wound mechanical movement and come with both a perforated leather strap and a steel mesh bracelet.I m a fan of Hamilton s Intramatic Chronographs. I featured the automatic olive-green reverse panda as one of the options to buy when you start your wat...
When you type in retrograde in the search box on the Fratello homepage, the results are watches in the upper echelons of high horology. The presence of a Longines is the exception that proves the rule. However, there is a brand that can be categorized as affordable luxury watchmaking and has quite a reputation for watches featuring some kind of retrograde display. For more than 25 years, Maurice Lacroix has been creating retrograde indications, and these rarely seen displays have become one of the brand s defining signatures. MLs 26th Masterpiece caliber once again showcases this technical feature. The 1975 Master Grand Date Retrograde shows a retrograde day display with a grand date and, as...
Another Friday, another list. This week, we look at some of LVMH s horological highlights of 2025. Next week, LVMH Watch Week will take place in Milan, Italy. During this seventh edition of the event, from January 19th to 21st, 2026, all nine watch brands within the group will present their first new offerings of the year. In the buildup to the event, we ll recap the top five watches we saw from the different LVMH brands in 2025.It seems like the calendar of events and releases in the watch world has no breaks. With the Dubai Watch Week as the last big event taking place late November and the LVMH Watch Week kicking off the new year in mid-January, there is just a little over a month for a l...
Hamilton is more than a steady provider of Hollywood movies. The once-American, now-Swiss brand is also active in the video game industry. It started with the Khaki Field Titanium Automatic in Far Cry 6, and later, the American Classic Boulton appeared in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. Then, last year, the 38mm Hamilton Khaki Field Automatic for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 debuted. Now its time for two Hamilton special editions linked to Resident Evil Requiem - a Khaki Field Auto Chrono as worn by Leon S. Kennedy and a Pan Europ as seen on the wrist of Grace Ashcroft, both characters in the very popular game. Both watches are limited to 2,000 pieces worldwide. Are you game?The Hamilton Khaki...
Sometimes, execution is a decisive factor in turning a simple concept into an awe-inspiring one. Armin Strom has mastered that art perfectly with its Tribute 2 series. Creating a watch powered by a caliber with a 100-hour power reserve is a simple goal on paper. With the Tribute line, Armin Strom has shown how to tackle it in many exciting ways. The latest proof of this comes in the form of the Armin Strom Tribute 2 Aurum Edition, which features a stunning gold-coated tremblage mainplate. I was lucky enough to take it for a spin.It is no secret that we love Armin Strom at Fratello. The brand is responsible for some amazing timepieces that are clearly inspired by classic watchmaking but execu...
Venezianico has been an interesting brand to watch. The Venice-based upstart has continuously upped its game since its establishment in 2017. That hasn t necessarily equated to producing more expensive watches, but we ve seen the offerings become more focused and an increasing drive toward wearability and improved finishing. Today s Redentore Utopia II represents the current pinnacle for the brand, and while it is the priciest offering, it s impressive.Last May, Venezianico strayed from its typical lineup of classy yet affordable pieces by introducing the Redentore Utopia. The watch made waves with its focus on Italian-made componentry. A handmade guilloche dial and bespoke OISA movement cem...
It has been nothing but an enjoyable experience to watch Fratello s Thomas van Straaten build his watch brand. I greatly respect the passion and determination that Thomas puts into VPC Watch Co. Today, VPC launches its second model, the Type 39VM. This new dive watch is nothing short of impressive. The fact that the Type 39VM has a 200m depth rating and a mere 9.34mm profile is an accomplishment that will undoubtedly have people talking. But I can assure you that it is only one of the many aspects that make this an impressive sophomore release from VPC. Let me elaborate on that.If you are a regular reader of Fratello, you may have enjoyed Thomas s VPC adventures in his Building A Watch Brand...
Independent Atelier is a brand-new name, but its first project arrives with a sense of depth that immediately sets it apart. Rather than launching with a contemporary design or a statement piece designed to grab attention, the platform has chosen to begin with research - more specifically, with a watch rooted in a chapter of independent watchmaking that remains largely out of reach. Project Tai Yu is the result, and it offers a clear indication of what Independent Atelier intends to explore.At first glance, Project Tai Yu may feel like an oddity. Its visual language is unapologetically Chinese and, to many people, that alone may feel unfamiliar or even slightly off-putting. There is no attem...
The Gerald Charles Maestro line expands with two new Maestro 2.0 Meteorite models, both featuring dials cut from Muonionalusta meteorite. For the first time, the brand combines this material with a small-seconds display inside the familiar asymmetric Maestro case.The project began modestly, driven by the idea of placing a meteorite dial inside the Maestro case, but it quickly grew beyond that. The team shifted its focus toward letting the material tell a story, and it certainly does. Lets take a closer look.Muonionalusta meteoriteGerald Charles sources the dial material from the Muonionalusta meteorite, discovered in northern Sweden. This iron meteorite dates back more than 4.5 billion years...
How can a brand honor a watch celebrating its 50th anniversary? The easiest thing to do is to launch a homage edition of that classic. It so happens that 2026 marks the fifth decade of the illustrious Nautilus. But while every other brand could present a special 50th-anniversary model of its celebrated icon and then sit back, relax, and enjoy the show, Patek is in a real pickle. The Nautilus, in its basic steel form, has been causing the brand headaches in recent years. The idea of celebrating that watchs 50th anniversary with a new reference could bring those back. Imagine what will happen if Patek releases a steel version of the Nautilus ref. 5811, now only available in white gold? Or how ...
We have a huge soft spot for the classic Oris Big Crown Pointer Date here at Fratello. It is one of our favorites from the brand for several different reasons, not least of all because we collaborated with Oris on a Fratello limited edition of the BCPD in 2020. Over time, Oris has updated this staple watch, but a classic, characteristic version with a coin-edge bezel has always been part of the brand s lineup since 1938. Today marks the return of the classic Big Crown Pointer Date Bullseye. It s the first time in nearly three decades that this favorite among collectors has returned to the catalog. Even better, this one is a regular addition to the collection, not a limited edition.When Oris ...
On this second (Speedy) Tuesday of the year, Omega introduces two new additions to the Moonwatch collection. After introducing a white-dial Speedmaster Professional in 2024, its now time for a reverse-panda configuration. These watches feature a glossy black dial with white recessed sub-dials and are available in 18K yellow gold and in steel.Click the play button in the image above to watch our video review, or continue reading to discover all the details of these exciting new Moonwatch variants.The Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional 310.30.42.50.01.004 (steel) and 310.60.42.50.01.002 (gold)In 2019, Omega introduced its new Speedmaster Professional case, based on the fourth generation ...
Happy New Year from Fratello On Air! We re back with a new episode, and we re going shopping. Well, maybe. One of us has his eyes on several pieces, while the other is taking a wait-and-see approach. Enjoy our 2026 kickoff!This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings Yes, we re back for another year, and it s great to be here! With a new year, we usually make resolutions. However, last year s resolutions didn t go so well. In particular, Mike failed miserably on his plan to sell watches. He was simply too lazy. So instead of making these types of predictions, we ve opted to discuss what s on our shopping lists.HandgelenkskontrolleWe ...
