There are 94 watches in the current Roger Dubuis lineup. Say what you will about them, but in any case, theyre remarkable and unmistakable. Since vanilla is not a favorite flavor at Roger Dubuis s HQ in Meyrin, all 94 watches in the RD catalog are polarizing creations - or are they? The new Excalibur Monobalancier Titanium is perhaps the least upsetting watch that RD makes. With its gray titanium exterior and matching open-worked movement, it paradoxically combines soothing shades with bold, edgy lines and shapes. And just like every Roger Dubuis timepiece, the new Poin?on de Geneve-certified Excalibur in titanium proves to be incredibly photogenic.Shall we first get the small matter of the ...
Fifty years after Sir Roger Moores first appearance as secret agent 007, Bonhams auctioned off some of his belongings in the Sir Roger Moore - The Personal Collection auction. Among them was a mohair dinner suit jacket he wore in Octopussy, a personal Gucci notebook, his Olympia SM3 Deluxe typewriter, his passport (from 1991 to 2001), shoes, lots of (sun)glasses, and his Omega Speedmaster Mk40.A reproduction black and white photographic print from the original taken by Peter Ruck, signed in black ink by Sir Roger Moore - Image: BonhamsSir Roger Moore debuted as James Bond in the 1973 movie Live and Let Die. Starring in Bond movies until 1985 (A View To A Kill) also resulted in Moore using ex...
This year, Zodiac celebrates 70 years of the Sea Wolf, one of the very first dive watches as we know them today. But it s not the only thing the brand can be proud of in 2023. Expanding the range of materials that Zodiac uses in its watches was also a major touchpoint. We ve seen ceramic, titanium, meteorite, and bronze added to the range. Currently, a complete revamp of the Super Sea Wolf line is in the books, with new models arriving every month. Last but not least, the revival of the Sea-Chron can also be bookmarked as pretty significant. This was the move Zodiac made this year that stood out most to me.Suppose you ve been reading Fratello for a long while now; you might remember Mike s 2...
Today, Baltic introduces the Hermetique Tourer collection. This is an adventure-focused everyday watch that comes in four colors. As we have grown accustomed to from Baltic, the styling and proportions are distinctly vintage. Still, the lack of faux patina makes these watches feel fresh and current at the same time. And all of this comes at a price lower than the average regular service. Time to go hands-on and see whats what!If it all looks and sounds a tad familiar, that makes sense. The case shares much of its styling with the IWC Hermet case from the 1940s. Baltic subtly refers to this inspiration in the name Hermetique Tourer. Still, this is far from a straight homage. I got to wear th...
At first glance, you might think that these two new Unimatic models look like ones youve seen before. And you wouldnt be wrong. However, you will see that the design does indeed differ from the brand s previously released models. As always with Unimatic, the devil is in the details. But there is more to these releases than just their looks. The Unimatic Modello Uno U1S-PD3 and U1S-PD5 form a set of new ProDivers with some seriously nice new features. The U1S-PD5 takes things to new depths for the brand thanks to its 500m water resistance rating. And the best thing is that the changes required to achieve that make it even cooler.Unimatic has brought out several new watches this year. The main...
The automatic Zodiac Sea Wolf with a calendar and shovel hands has been on my wish list for a long time. One finally came to me recently, and it came untouched, with not even a scratch on the lugs or a crack in the bezel. It s safe to say that it doesn t get much better than that.About two years ago, I wrote a story about my sunshine Zodiac Sea Wolf 1781W, which rightfully belongs among the most desirable vintage Zodiac watches. Design-wise, it is pretty far from the original Sea Wolf, but the radiant orange with light blue bezel makes it an ultimate vintage summer watch.Image: Wanna Buy A Watch?Discovering the shovel-handed Zodiac Sea WolfIt may have been a year or two since I first bumped ...
For the past few months, Ive been pondering something: is there a limit to how much value we can get in a watch? We might not be able to answer this question today, but I wanted to pose it anyway. And why have I been pondering this? Well, over the past three years, Ive reviewed dozens of micro- and independent-brand watches. Today I ll share the best ones I ve found that retail between $1,000 and $2,000, watches we can wear every day, not keep in a watch box or bank safe. You know what Ive realized? I dont believe that spending more than this could get us that much more value. In other words, would spending $3,000 really make a difference? How much more can we get for the additional $1,000? ...
In our The Best Watches Under $5,000 series, I noticed some of my colleagues had already selected some great pieces. Some of their picks could have been on my list, like the Nomos Zrich Weltzeit and the Tudor Pelagos LHD. As with our previous series, where we had set the budget to a more modest $3,000, we apply the same rules - three new watches and one pre-owned watch, each under $5,000. These days, the euro is nearly equal to the US dollar and Swiss franc. Theres just often a big difference in VAT. All prices mentioned include VAT, though.Theres so much out there that can be had under $5,000, but as we also already did a guide for watches under $3,000, I selected watches between $3,000 an...
This week on Fratello Talks, RJ, Lex, and Nacho discuss their parallel passions beyond watches. Because, believe it or not, it s not just watches that these guys spend every waking hour of their lives on. However, the approach and nature of their passions are no different. It has been an ongoing discussion here at HQ, so today we share with you our parallel passions (or PPs, as Lex so elegantly put it).This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings This video is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings But before we do, we should check out what the guys are wearing on their wrists today! Thi...
It is hard to imagine today, but there was a time when magnetism hardly played any role in watchmaking. It wasnt until the mass adoption of electricity that magnetic fields became an issue. Today, with all of our gadgets and devices, it has become a key priority in watchmaking and a topic worth exploring in some detail.You are reading these very words on a device with a magnetic field of its own. And there are likely only a handful of inches between it and your watch. So yes, this topic is relevant to you as a watch lover. Lets dive in!Testing the antimagnetic properties of the METAS Master Chronometer-certified Omega caliber 8800 (video here)What is magnetism?First things first: what is mag...
Throughout its 190-year history, Jaeger-LeCoultre has regularly undergone shifting pursuits. When the brand settles into a role as a maker of Haute Horlogerie calibers, avant-garde creations the Gyrotourbillons are the order of the day. Or, as seen in the early to mid-2000s, JLC can also produce competent sports and automotive-inspired wrist machines. But even with these dramatic shifts in approach, two hallmarks tend to endure - the Reverso and elegant round wristwatches. This new pink gold Master Ultra Thin Moon exhibits the latter in conjunction with a sumptuous gradient midnight-blue dial with a sunray finish.The Master collection is the traditional round watch of the Jaeger-LeCoultre ro...
Much of my fascination with watches comes from the appreciation I have for the craftsmanship that goes into creating these little machines for the wrist. At many watch brands, that craftsmanship has already become highly automated. Well, not at anOrdain, where it literally takes years to get the perfect result on those beautiful and fragile enamel dials that the brand manufactures. Its new Model 3 is designed in collaboration with Method Studio, another Scottish-based company that specializes in woodworking.In May of this year, anOrdain premiered a new case on a limited-edition Model 3 in collaboration with Hodinkee. The watch came with a spectacular dark gray hand-engraved sunburst dial. On...
Rejoice, non-speculating, veritable fans! The day you thought would never come again - the day you get the call from your AD - is coming sooner than you think. All the signs point to it. The prices on the secondhand market are dropping. And some models, especially the Explorer and the Air-King, have become available in some locations. Also, some authorized dealers are reporting - off the record, of course - that more stock is coming in.If you want to buy a steel sports , just ask your local AD, the one in the city youre visiting, or the airport boutique. I know; youre tired of asking and getting no for an answer. Maybe you re even tired of looking at your phone because the calls you get ar...
Last week, our first Speedy Tuesday event of 2023 took place in Japan. It was a one-day event in the beautiful Nicolas G. Hayek Center building in Ginza, Tokyo. Besides sharing our passion for the most iconic chronograph in the world, we were treated to a special presentation by Omega on Speedmaster dials. We also received a thorough explanation of the Spirate technology that debuted earlier this year in the Speedmaster Super Racing. Although the event was in Tokyo, some guests came from abroad to enjoy this special day with other Speedmaster fans.Speedy Tuesday began in 2012 with a wrist shot of a Speedmaster while I was on holiday in Cannes. I shared the wrist shot on social media and put ...
Did you find yourself waking up today with an aching desire for a watch that is just a little bit more special? Something with a historic movement, perhaps? Something very limited so you dont run into others wearing the same watch? Maybe even something equal parts vintage-looking and sporty? Well, if so, then today is a good day. Montblanc and Collective Horology have got you covered! Introducing the 1858 Minerva Monopusher Chronograph Blue Arrow P.05.Limited to just 33 pieces and retailed exclusively in the US by Collective Horology, this should be plenty rare. Lets have a closer look at what this collaboration entails.Collective HorologyLet me start with Collective Horology. The Southern C...
Finally, after months of wondering when it would break cover, the new Seiko SPB411 Navigator Timer reissue is here. This might be the most highly anticipated release from the Japanese brand in some time, and it looks good! Today, we ll look at the specs, pricing, and availability. Later, we ll follow up with a hands-on review.When it comes to watches, we always seem to want what we cannot have. This is also true for Seiko, although the brand has been doing a heck of a job when it comes to delivering retro-inspired timepieces. Still, many of these have come from its back catalog of dive watches. Perhaps it s the relatively recent return to travel or a general feeling of wanderlust, but GMT wa...
Welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air. This time, we talk about alternatives for three of the most popular watches in existence - the Submariner, Speedmaster, and Calatrava. These watches aren t one-for-one options but are either meant to give off similar feelings or serve a similar purpose. Enjoy the ride! This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings Sometimes it s difficult to justify spending so much money on a watch. Pieces like the Submariner, Omega Speedmaster, and Patek Philippe Calatrava are pricey selections indeed. In this episode, we offer up some alternatives and talk about why we think they would work. There are...
Brands introduce attractive and affordable watches every year, but I m particularly struck by how many good offerings I ve seen in 2023. If you re in the market for such a watch, I can only imagine how hard it must be to pick the right one. I know we re not at the end of the year yet, but let s take a look at some of the best affordable new watches out there.Both attractive and affordable are highly subjective terms, of course. Whether you find the watches below attractive is not for me to say. But I think if I stick to a budget of roughly between $500 and $1,500, we can all agree that it s a fairly affordable price point for mechanical watches. And if you already own a lot of watches, then ...
Wear a winner from Casio - The Chronograph is both a professional stopwatch, which allows you to be part of the action, and a super accurate electronic watch with an adjustment-free calendar. This is a quote from a 1978 Casio advert promoting the 52QS-14B and F-100C, both of which used the advanced module 52, enabling elapsed time measurements to 1/100th of a second. Not much has changed, and these words could be valid for the recently introduced A1100 re-edition in Casio s Vintage collection. Some things have changed, though; what are they? We ll find out in this review.Casio Vintage A1100 seriesWhether or not we can classify the A1100 as a professional chronograph is up for debate. As ment...
Union Glashtte is a brand that I somehow often forget about, but it s not because I don t like its horological creations. Au contraire, I really like some of Union Glashtte s watches, so the announcement of the new 1893 Johannes Drrstein Edition Chronograph was once again a reason to check in with the brand. This limited-edition chronograph celebrates 130 years of Union Glashtte timepieces. Produced in a run of 300 units, the Johannes Drrstein Edition Chronograph is a tribute to the classic chronograph pocket watches of decades gone by. It comes with a special manually wound movement that takes a step back in history and a fantastic-looking vertically brushed dial.Before we get into the...
