Good morning, Fratelli! I hate to shock you before you ve had your first sip of coffee this morning. I know you re expecting Lex s usual introduction to the week. However, due to his summer break, I m taking over. But don t worry; Lex will be back next week. Now that I find myself with my feet firmly up on the soapbox, there are a couple of things I want to talk about. First and foremost, I want to address the elephant in the room - my new (to me) titanium Panerai Luminor PAM00055, a watch I d describe as having a lovely coffee-colored dial. Call it mocha, chocolate, tropical, brown, or whatever you like. But please, just don t call it tobacco.I get why that was the term formerly used by Pan...

Fortis makes tool watches. In fact, the folks there make pretty damn good tool watches. How do they do that? By testing them in the harshest possible conditions to make sure they can cut the mustard. Think about it: of all the luxury watch brands that make tool watches, how many go into full detail about the all-important testing procedures? I can t think of many. And I can t think of any that are quite as transparent as Fortis about testing the Stratoliner S-41 White Dust Supernova in space.Space is a theme often bandied around in the watch world. The great unknown offers infinite fascination. As a result, many brands have jumped on board the hype train with space-themed designs and concept...

This article is completely based on homesickness. Once again, I m spending the summer with my in-laws in Spain. Of course, I had to make a watch selection for the trip, and I left my Cartier Santos back in Amsterdam. I think it was the right thing to do as it s very warm here in Spain, and without any quick adjustment, it would ve just stayed in my watch roll all the time. However, I do think of it every once in a while, so when I saw that a Pre-Owned Spotlight article was coming up, I knew what the theme would be. And why not make a little more special by just focusing on Cartier CPCP watches?By the way, it s not like I m not happy with what s on my wrist instead of the Santos. I ve been we...

If youve been a fervent Fratello reader for the past year or so, you might have heard of Traska watches. I covered the Venturer GMT a couple of times and the Seafarer, the brands super-compressor-style diver. Both models, objectively speaking, offer great value, with good movements, great finishing, hardened steel, and attainable price tags well below $1,000. So you might be interested to know that Traska is making four of its five models available for purchase Sunday, August 13th, at 11:00 EDT (thats 17:00 Central European Summer Time) with immediate shipping. To that end, well take a quick look at all four models and highlight a few key specs they all have in common.??Common characteristic...

Welcome to another edition of Sunday Morning Showdown. Today, our editors go head to head in a battle of the GMT divers. It s a category that is not extremely popular with watch fans. But there are quite a few options out there that combine the functionality of diving and traveling in one watch. Recently, we have seen quite a few new dive GMTs from different brands. In today s match-up, the brand new Longines HydroConquest GMT takes on the Seiko Prospex GMT that was released just last month. But which watch will take the GMT diver crown? Our writers are ready, so let s get this battle going.Today s showdown is a remarkable one. Generally speaking, there are dive watches, and there are GMT wa...

Many watch aficionados have been lamenting the fact that many watch movements have gotten bigger over the past two decades. Enter the Jaeger-LeCoultre Caliber 101. This is a lesson in miniaturization that some modern brands should take heed of. So, what cutting-edge 2023 technologies were used to produce it? None. It is almost a century old!The Jaeger-LeCoultre Caliber 101 is an impressive feat of engineering and watchmaking. I have had the privilege of handling several of these, and the scale is uncanny. I will do my best to convey some of the awe I experienced in this article.Image: Amsterdam Watch CompanyJaeger-LeCoutre DuoplanBefore we get to Caliber 101, we have to back up a bit. JLCs j...

It took us a while to get our hands on the not-so-new Nivada F77. I made the request a while ago, but the watch sold out so fast that it took the brand a while to find a prototype to send me. But all s well that ends well, as the saying goes, for a few weeks ago, an F77 with a blue dial and no date landed on my office table.After having seen both black and blue versions in Geneva earlier this year, the reason I went with the blue dial was simple: the blue one stands out way more than the black one. And it has nothing to do with last year s craze for watches with integrated bracelets and blue dials.Blue or black?I love a beautiful dark blue dial. If you have read my story about my Grand Seiko...

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 of brands still release their takes on this category of watches. In particular, those operating at more affordable price levels have put in the effort to come up with models of their own. This week s list gives you five affordable options for modern sports watches with integrated bracelets.Many watch fans feel t...

Lex started this Watches We Just Dont Get series a few weeks ago with hand-winding perpetual calendars. Now its my turn, and I am sure many of you will disagree with me, but its about a complication that doesnt 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 watches. When I get up in the morning, I see the date on my smartphone and can remember it for the rest of the day. I must move my eyes to the upper-right corner of my screen to see the date when I am in the office. But I get it, and a date window is also practical. The complication I am picking on in this a...

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 Geneve goes luminescent.To me, the Daytona is a great chronograph, but its not one of my grails. No had been on my list except for the ber-tool ref. 1655 Explorer II. But that all changed with a blue-registered Daytona transformed by Artisans de Geneve that I could easily put way up there on my grail list. The Swiss atelier work...

Hamiltons 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. Lets have a closer look!Although you are spoiled for choice when shopping for a Hamilton Khaki Field, none previously came on a titanium bracelet. That changes today as the brand introduces four new watches on titanium bracelets to choose from.Hamilton Khaki Field TitaniumBefore we get to the bracelets, lets have a look at the four new watches. ...

This might be the #TBT discovery of the year, featuring a surprising, witty, amusing, and even slightly naive watch. I am not hesitant to say that the watch you are looking at is one of the rarest of the rare. Meet the Medana Special Calendar with a day/date display and setup like none I ve ever seen.I don t think much about what else could be out there for me to discover in the realm of vintage watches. On one hand, I don t rule out the possibility that there are still many never-discussed old technical concepts. On the other, with tons of examples studied over the last five years, it s extremely difficult to discover a watch with a complication or case construction that I ve never heard of...

Yellow is the color of summer, warmth, flowers, bumblebees, and fun. At least, thats how I see it. As such, its a color I love to see on a watch, and although only a few brands fully embrace it, its hard to get wrong. The new Sternglas Naos Automatik Edition Yellow livens up the brands most classic dial with a great big burst of summer.Rather like London buses, you wait ages for one, and then two to come together. After years of seeing a variety of Sternglas models appearing on Instagram and being reviewed across various websites, my first hands-on encounter was quickly followed by seeing my brothers new watch purchase and now taking the Naos in hand. That intensive exposure over a short per...

Looking for a watch to travel and dive with in style? Maybe the new Longines HydroConquest GMT is something for you. There are four color versions to choose from - blue, black, brown, and green - and each has a unique character. The HydroConquest line launched back in 2007, and this redesigned GMT dive watch is the first one in the collection with dual-time functionality. The best benefit is probably that the new watch is a flyer GMT, making it a proper travel watch.Some people argue that a dive watch doesnt need a complication. Even a date is often considered too much. I partially agree but only if you find yourself in a spot in this world where diving is pleasant all year round. Most peopl...

I often read worries about vintage watches and their fragility on social media and in our comments section. If you just prefer modern watches, that is fine, of course. However, if you love vintage watches but feel apprehensive for fear of buying into trouble, this article is for you. There are some simple rules to follow that will ensure you can enjoy your vintage watches almost as worry-free as your modern ones.The following may be familiar to seasoned watch aficionados. If you are new to the hobby or just new to vintage watches, I hope this is helpful to you.Worry-free ownership starts with selecting the right vintage watchesI remember when I got into watches a little more seriously, I saw...

If there s smoke, there s fire. Smokey Bear - the wildfire prevention mascot of the United States - stands prominent in the mind of every American child that s been camping. Introduced to the public in 1944, Smokey Bear is one of the United States longer-lived mascots. He s been teaching us about wildfire prevention and safe campfire etiquette for generations. Now, Vero Watch Co., champion of the modern American field watch, is celebrating Smokey Bear s 79th birthday with a pair of special watches.Vero is based in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Though maybe not quite as much of a tinder box as, say, where I live in Northern California, in recent times, nowhere in the American W...

There s a long shadow since the events of 2020 that have skewed the sense of passing time. With major sporting events such as the Euros 2020 and Tokyo Olympics being moved to 2021, we are already gearing up for 2024 s schedule. Returning to the regular four-year cycle means the delta between each ceremony temporarily condenses to three years for both events. It still renders me in disbelief that next year is the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, and therefore, the new release from Omega caught my colleagues and me completely off-guard. Nevertheless, we will discuss this surprising new 42mm stainless steel Omega Seamaster Diver 300M with Moonshine gold relief bezel here.Despite this new release ...

Temperatures are higher than ever this year. For some, that s a good thing because it can never be too hot. For others, it s a reason to increase the number of cooling plunges into the pool. Meanwhile, Nomos, in its turn, keeps launching new watches. This time it s a summer duo of its Ahoi Neomatik 38 Date in Sky and Sand. Let s see what the watch - that works equally well on the beach, in the office, or on a classy rooftop - looks like!Right now, I m on my way to spend the summer in Spain with my wife and kids. We decided to go by car this year, so I m writing this article from the southwest of France. The temperatures are pretty acceptable here, in the mid-twenties. They will increase the ...

This introductory article about the square TAG Heuer Monaco Chronograph Racing Blue will not mention Steve McQueen. It will, on the other hand, talk about the emblematic French Racing Blue that once graced famous race cars made by brands like Matra Simca, Ligier, and Alpine. The color and the cars are the source of inspiration for the latest Monaco, a limited edition of 1000 pieces in a titanium case. TAG Heuer and motorsport are closely connected. The Carrera might be commercially the brands number one, the square Monaco that debuted in 1969, is the fan-favorite.The oddly shaped watch-the first square-cased water-resistant chronograph equipped with innovative Calibre 11-got a big boost in p...

It s hard to deny that if you want a great watch under $5K nowadays, Tudor is the first brand to turn to check your options. With the Black Bay and Pelagos lines, Tudor has two fan-favorite lines that offer great variety. With the introduction of the new Black Bay Master Chronometer and the Black Bay 54, the brand added two more great options that add to that variety. I was particularly interested in taking the new burgundy Black Bay Master Chronometer for a spin. With a METAS-certified movement, a slimmer profile, and an updated design, this is the future of the 41mm Black Bay. Could it also be my future new watch? A week on the wrist brought some much-needed insights.I love what Tudor has ...