The Sinn 103 is one of the oldest models in the brands catalog. It is a classic pilots chronograph that has been around since the 1960s. Today, the 103 is equipped with an automatic movement. However, some early versions came with hand-wound calibers. This latest limited edition follows that template. Lets have a closer look.The Sinn 103 St Ty Hd is priced at $2,590 and limited to 1,000 units.Sinn 103 St Ty Hd specificationsAt heart, this is a pilots chronograph. Sinn uses a 41mm steel case that normally measures 15.9mm thick. However, this new hand-wound version reduces that to 14.8mm, including the domed acrylic crystal. The push-pull crown and non-screw-down pushers also utilize Sinn s D3...
Today, the American independent brand Vero is launching an exciting collection of watches for those who live and breathe the outdoors. Whether that s in a professional capacity or a recreational one, these modern field watches should resonate with people who love nature. These watches are robust, colorful, and affordable. Not only that, but they also have a fairly uncommon and interesting kinetic caliber inside. If that sounds intriguing, join me for a quick look at the new Forest Service Edition watches from Vero.A different kind of partnership?This new collection follows in the footsteps of the Smokey Bear watches that Thomas wrote about last summer. Today s models are the first officially...
Another Friday, another Top 5! After last week s Chinese New Year watches, it s time to look at some production errors, specifically discolored dials. Paying extra money for a production defect seems like a crazy thing to do. In the world of , however, this is far from an uncommon phenomenon, with dials like these sometimes commanding significant premiums. Especially when it comes to dials, there is a lot of interest in obvious production errors. Often, their value is determined by scarcity, an understandable factor in any type of collecting. But let s not forget that quite a few of these dials also look very cool. So let s not think about money for a second and forget that we are looking ...
What comes after black and blue? Indeed, green. Thats the way of the watch world. And thats not necessarily a bad thing. Take the new Jacques Bianchi JB200 Posidonie for instance. Three years after the launch of the Marseille-based brands black JB200 Grand Diver and one year after the blue JB200 Poulpro comes a dive watch with a green shade inspired by Mediterranean Posidonia oceanica, aka Neptunes herbs. And at Jacques Bianchi, they do smoke the herb because inside this 150-piece limited edition is a fume dial.Since reading the press release for the new Jacques Bianchi JB200 Posidonie, I ve had the 311 (and originally Human Rights) song Whos Got the Herb? stuck in my head. I guess thats wha...
Breitling has unveiled a stealthy new Chronomat limited to 250 pieces and exclusive to the UK market. It s the marvel of monochrome that many, including me, have wished to see Breitling s hero watch become. While other dial colors and accents are flashy and stylish, something is reassuring about a classic black dial with a steel case. In some ways, muted tones showcase the purity of the design without distractions. Taking this further, the new UK limited edition forgoes the striking red accents commonly featured across the range. Instead, Breitling applied a matte white coating to the chronograph seconds hand and used white numerals for the rehaut s decimal scale. While the anthracite sub-di...
Cuervo y Sobrinos is a brand that has made its mark with its unique story and remarkable timepieces. Over the last couple of years, I was lucky enough to go hands-on with several Cuervo y Sobrinos models, and I greatly enjoyed them. The timepieces often have interesting tales behind them, and the brand s standout design signature makes it fun to experience any of its new creations. It is enough reason to talk to Cuervo y Sobrinos CEO Massimo Rossi. It was a long talk about the brand s history, clients, and plans.From the moment I put the Cuervo y Sobrinos Buceador Caribe on my wrist in 2021, I knew there was something special about the brand. The Buceador Caribe is not your average dive watc...
Baltic is on a bit of a roll with its releases. The young brand seems to have its finger firmly on the pulse of the horological community, continuously offering affordable alternatives to vintage watches with modern build quality and sharp pricing. Better yet, Baltic s designs have a type of effortless style that seems to resonate with a large audience. So when I heard about the release of the new Baltic Prismic, I wanted to get hands-on with these watches. I did, and here is how we got along.The new Baltic Prismic comes with a choice of four dial colors as well as a leather strap or a mesh bracelet. It is priced at $990 (ex. VAT) on leather and $1,050 on the bracelet.Baltic Prismic specsLet...
The Sicura Smoke Watcher has been around for five decades, but I discovered it only a few months ago. At first, I thought it was a joke, but it s not! The Sicura Smoke Watcher is one of the most peculiar 1970s weirdos I have seen so far. And I have seen quite a lot of them…Let s frame the story with some context. During the 1960s and extending into the 70s and 80s, smoking was widely accepted and permitted in various settings, including workplaces, hospitals, schools, bars, restaurants, and even public transportation like buses, trains, and planes. However, as scientific evidence highlighting the health risks of secondhand smoke emerged during the 1970s and 1980s, regulations restric...
It s funny to think that, at one time, digital displays were seriously advanced technology. On top of this, items that featured such readouts, like calculators and watches, were incredibly expensive and seen as a luxury. Today s new Casio Casiotron TRN-50 pays direct homage to this period because it s a 50th-anniversary reissue of a similarly named watch from 1974. If you re into Casio or digital watches, this one looks like a guaranteed hit.I still remember my dad sitting down at the dining room table every weekend, going through the bills. Along with his checkbook and trusty Parker T-Ball Jotter, there was a funky little machine standing at the ready. It was a navy blue Sharp calculator wi...
Christiaan van der Klaauw (CvdK) is a brand known for its astronomical complications. Its watches feature miniature planetaria, small three-dimensional versions of the Moon, and entire star systems on the dials. More often than not, the celestial bodies on CvdK s watches are part of an ingenious complication. That s still the case on this new limited-edition stAriadne developed in collaboration with Ace Jewelers. This time, however, a few more stars have been added to the dial to give it a little something extra. And that s exactly the exciting touch you d expect from two true watch enthusiasts like Pim Koeslag and Alon Ben Joseph.Pim, CEO and master watchmaker of Christiaan van der Klaauw, ...
Imagine a statement piece that combines high-end mechanics with animated art to create a wrist-mounted spectacle. Louis Moinet s Astronef Techno does just that, turning heads for all the right reasons. As an extension of the Astronef family, its flying satellite double tourbillon now perches above a color-bursting, microelectronic dial crafted from silicon wafers.The novelty made its sneak-peek debut last week, capturing the imaginations of many. Now the independent Haute Horlogerie brand is ready to share it with a global audience. In typical Louis Moinet fashion, this unique piece boasts a host of inventive features and attention-grabbing moves. In fact, itd be better to see it in a video ...
The Lapinist Watch Studio is a well-known source for case restorations of vintage Grand and King Seiko watches. Aside from his work, Kamil Rybarczyk, the Lapinist himself, also handcrafts display backs for these watches. Today, we re pleased to report that his newest project is ready, and it should be sweet music to the ears of collectors. Sapphire crystals are now available for select vintage Seiko models.The Lapinist Watch Studio, located in Poland, does some incredible work on intricately shaped vintage Seiko watches. More impressively, he has developed a technique that mimics the incredibly flat Zaratsu polishing found on so many of these pieces. In 2021, Kamil expanded and began machini...
Last year, we were treated to the brilliant Sinn T50 series. After trying the three watches out, I became an instant fan of the full-titanium, Goldbronze, and two-tone versions, and the last one made a particularly lasting impression. This time around, the German brand is extending its U-series of dive watches with four new models. Three new U50 versions feature the brand s Hydro technology (essentially, an oil-filled case). Consequently, these new U50 models follow in the footsteps of their bigger brother, the Sinn UX. On top of that, the brand is also releasing a limited-edition U50 with a luminous dial. It seems like this year is the year of the popular Sinn U50.The U50 was first introduc...
Last year, Thomas gave an introduction to Citizen s Miyota operation, with a focus on the Miyota 9-series movements and their use in many microbrands we are familiar with. The consensus is that this popular family of automatic calibers offers plenty in terms of specifications, variety, customization, and value. Today, I m looking at the 8-series movements, and it s hard not to draw the same conclusions.It s tough to pinpoint precisely when the microbrand scene took off. Still, if you were there in the late 2000s or early 2010s, you will likely be familiar with the Miyota 8215. At that time, it was the standard choice for limited-production automatic watches. When Miyota introduced the 9-seri...
Omega has increased the price of its Speedmaster models quite significantly in the past few years. While one could buy the classic Moonwatch for less than $5,000 not even that long ago, the models with a sapphire front and back crystal are rapidly approaching the $10,000 mark. Granted, it s not the same watch that it was before 2021. The Moonwatch now has a new case, bracelet, dial, and Master Chronometer movement. However, if your budget doesn t stretch so far or you want something different, there are some interesting options available on the pre-owned Speedmaster market.Today, I ve selected three different Speedmaster models. We ll look at a modern but discontinued straight-lug variation,...
You may recall that Fortis sent 13 Stratoliner S-41 watches into space on a rocket last year. Yes, actual outer space, past the Karman line and over 100 kilometers above the Earth s surface. These 13 special watches were recovered, and Fortis made them available for collectors to buy via application only. One application slot was opened specifically to Fratello readers, giving one lucky individual a chance to own a piece of Fortis history and a watch with a genuine extraterrestrial tale to tell.We had many interested readers apply to buy one of these watches, and a big thank you to everyone who took the time to write in. Sadly, though, there could only be one winning applicant. After reading...
The 2024 tennis season is getting started, and Zenith is ready for it with a new titanium version of its Chronomaster Sport. The lightest and most robust version of the Chronomaster Sport is a great match for the highly intense and entertaining Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) championship. Zenith is the main sponsor and official timekeeper of the championship, in which time (pressure) plays an essential role.Unlike a traditional tennis match, a UTS match is played over four quarters of eight minutes each. This creates time pressure, which makes the matches more intense for the players and increases the entertainment for the audience. In addition, the atmosphere at the tournaments is more info...
This week, Fratello On Air returns with an episode featuring a hypothetical question. This is a recurring series, and this time, we ask what would make us buy a new Seiko. We ll cover more than just sports watches and settle on a few key asks to one of our favorite brands. Enjoy the show! This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings What would make us buy a new Seiko watch? It s a good question and one that has many different answers. You ll be able to predict some of them, but others may surprise you! We hope you enjoy the show, and please feel free to comment if you have other suggestions for the Japanese powerhouse!Handgelenks Kon...
Watches can get expensive - seriously expensive. There are no two ways about it. Luxury watch brands naturally aim their efforts at an affluent clientele. I have noticed, however, that most watch aficionados I meet have pretty regular jobs. And with pretty regular jobs come pretty regular incomes. So, if you are into watches but not on a Wall Street banker s income, are you treading on thin ice? Are you playing a rich persons game? Just asking for a friend, you know.Not necessarily. But there are some pitfalls to be wary of. In this article, I want to explore some ideas that you can apply to ensure this largely money-driven hobby doesnt become a liability.There is no right way to be into wat...
Today, we won t talk about the latest release from Atelier Wen. We will briefly discuss a new venture from the Chinese marque called Inside the Atelier. This is a behind-the-scenes look at the various suppliers supporting the brand s watches. It focuses on the people, their inspiration, and where they work. The first episode is out, and it s a highly satisfying way to spend 25 minutes.Atelier Wen has proven highly popular over the past few years. The Hong Kong-based microbrand has captured fans with its focus on handmade guilloche-patterned dials and overall attention to detail. All of this comes together at an incredibly attractive price. I mentioned in my recent article on the Atelier Wen ...
