Nezumi Studios in Stockholm has now been with us for more than 10 years. The brand s vibe is a curated range of tool watches with an automotive slant, and as a former petrolhead, I m all for it. Sadly, I haven t got a petrol-fume-smelling Triumph GT6 or a Lotus Elan anymore. But the romance of the tarmac is still intensely appealing, even if this eco-decade is trending in another direction. Going hands-on with the new Nezumi Aviera only serves to underline this Swedish brand s vision.Small brands tend to be either slightly schizophrenic in their evolution or, like David Campo s Nezumi, approachable and solid. When solid is synonymous with quality and steady evolution, you get staying power. ...
Fratello On Air is back with another episode, and this time, we talk about whether it s worth consolidating to one great watch versus having two (or more) really good watches. Of course, your definition of great and good may vary, but we think you get the gist. This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings Is it worth owning one great watch, or is variety the spice of life if it occurs at a slightly lesser level? That s our question today from one of our great listeners from Finland who goes by @zenithist_ on Instagram. It s a tough question, and while we may not have the perfect answer, we debate the possibilities nonetheless.Handgel...
You might not be aware of it when you buy a certain watch, but some can lead you down an ever-more tempting path. Those watches make you love watches even more than you already did, or they make you understand that the watch you bought is great. However, they also make you realize there s another watch out there - probably a more expensive one - that you d rather have. We call these gateway watches. They re the kind that leads you to buy a better, more expensive watch or that, at the very least, fuels your urge to get another. Today, I ll share a story about my gateway watches, two of which are probably some of the best-known offenders out there.Yes, I have certainly fallen into the trap of ...
Founded in 2007 and with the presentation of its first watch in 2009, Horage is not exactly new to the watch scene anymore. We ve seen many brands (specifically those of the micro variety) enter the stage after that. Although not a big brand regarding production numbers, I wouldn t describe Horage as a microbrand. There s too much in-house development and production going on, and the solutions and products presented are too complex to suit a microbrand.Now, before?this article shifts towards discussing how and when a brand is considered a microbrand, I d like to refer to our Definition Of A Microbrand article. With that out of the way, let s get to discussing the newly introduced Horage Lens...
Summer is just around the corner. That means that the season for brightly colored, water-resistant watches is here. And when it comes to colorful divers, no brand does them quite like Zodiac. Today, the brand introduces two new core colorways into its Super Sea Wolf Compression collection. Not that there weren t already a handful of options to choose from, but with Zodiac s ever-bold chromatic creations, being spoiled for choice is a privilege we all can enjoy. And with divers typically donning a mournful, monochromatic livery, it s great to have a brand that opts for the opposite side of the spectrum.These colorful endeavors previously focused on the brand s GMT model. These days, it s the ...
Yema is on a roll! The French brand has released a steady stream of new watches over the past few months. It s only been five weeks or so since I had the chance to check out the brand-new Navygraf Marine Nationale GMT, and since then, we have also seen the debut of the all-new lineup of Urban Field watches. But the brand does not sit still when it comes to expanding its current collections either. Yema s Superman 500 line was introduced around this time last year and has expanded rapidly. Now Yema is releasing the Superman 500 with a date function as well as two new dial colors. Time to find out more about the Yema Superman 500 Dato.It s quite impressive to see how many new watches Yema rele...
We can t complain about Seiko and global availability these days. Every so often, though, the company does release something for its home market that we d love to see everywhere. Today s new Credor Goldfeather is one such example, and it s a lovely one.I was scrolling on Instagram the other morning and stumbled on Anthony Kable s @plus9time feed (if you like Japanese watches, you should follow). Anthony is a wonderful and helpful Seiko resource with an amazing page, but he uses his IG feed to show all sorts of new releases from Japanese brands. More often than not, he shares local LEs comprised of some funky color variation or case color. The other day, though, my attention was drawn to a fa...
Say what you will, but the four new solar-powered Seiko Prospex Speedtimer 1/100 sec Solar Chronographs are no wallflowers. Controversial watches? Thats probably too strong an expression, but theyre definitely striking. The Seiko Prospex SPB317 is way more of a people pleaser. This particular Prospex turned out to be the most popular one of all the favorite sub-$1K timepieces that the Fratello team served you. The more traditional and straightforward looks of the SPB317 got 22% of your votes and came out victorious. But there aren t just watches in this edition of Monday Morning Watch News. I also came across a robot from Chrome Calibre that will wind your watch for you.Last month, several w...
Considering the pace at which Seiko and Grand Seiko churn out new watches, a year-end article with highlights simply wouldn t be enough. No, we have to do some intermediate evaluations just to stay up to date. It s only June 5th, but the following have struck us as the best new Seiko and Grand Seiko releases of 2023.Of course, the Seiko and Grand Seiko catalogs are full of great watches. But if you want something from 2023, these would be our top five recommendations.Favorite Seiko releases of 2023 - Pick #1: Seiko 5 Sports 38mmIf you are an SKX aficionado like me, you may still have to get used to its successor in Seiko 5 guise. You may lament its less hardcore feature set and the less cohe...
Celebrating the 110th anniversary of its first wristwatch, the Laurel, Seiko has announced the launch of two pairs of limited-edition timepieces in the Presage Craftsmanship Series. Each features a dial made by a dedicated artisan or craft workshop through a traditional Japanese decorative technique - enamel, urushi lacquer, Arita porcelain, and shipp enamel. All four models boast a new case shape, a fresh dial aesthetic, and an in-house automatic movement. And they are now hitting the market.Celebrating 110 years of Seiko watchmakingThis quartet joins the lineup of Seiko limited editions to mark the milestone, which we have previously covered. Thus far, we ve seen a Prospex diver, a King S...
Get ready, Indiana Jones fans! Your favorite hero archaeologist is making a grand return to the silver screen on June 30th after a 15-year absence. This fifth installment of Lucasfilms Indiana Jones franchise is billed to be the last hurrah of the saga. And with a title like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, it s hardly surprising that there would be an affiliation to a watch.On his adventures this time, Harrison Fords character Indy is sporting the Hamilton Boulton watch alongside his signature whip and fedora. At 80 years young, the actor has a fitting choice of the Boulton as a trusty companion in the film. Indeed, both Ford and the Hamilton watch hail from the early 1940s. Without d...
The last few days of May were fun for dive-watch fans. We saw more than a handful of watches come out right before the vacation season hits us. Among these fresh releases was the new and improved Maurice Lacroix Pontos S Diver 42mm. But instead of sending out a press release, the brand planned something much more fun than that. Following last year s extravaganza in Miami where we saw the introduction of the Aikon #tide, this time, we jetted to Dubrovnik, Croatia for the launch.Maurice Lacroix invited some of its most important partners and a select group of journalists to reveal the latest generation of the Pontos line. We were there to witness it, and this is what we saw.Maurice LacroixIn t...
As the title shows, this week s Sunday Morning Showdown is between the Seiko SPB317 and the Baltic Aquascaphe Titanium. But this showdown doesn t just involve two particular watches. On top of that, it s also about the differences between the more established brands and the new kids on the block. It s impressive heritage versus young bravura. It s being too big to handle versus being lean, mean, and agile. And it s also Daan versus Jorg because they will take each other on in today s battle.They will go over the differences between the two and why you might choose either one. And indeed, there s definitely something to say in favor of both sides. At the same time, they both also have their n...
For the past few weeks, Ive been thinking that we should find a better way to talk about micro- and independent brands. Somehow, using either word - or the wrong one - doesnt always do the brand justice. A microbrand can make small quantities of outstanding watches that dont cost too much. And an independent brand can make large batches of outstanding watches that dont cost too much either. Whats the catch? Can these words be interchangeable? Do they accurately describe what the brands do? For example, we could see Nodus as a microbrand, however, it innovates like a well-established, independent one. To illustrate my conundrum, I come to you again to talk about the brands latest and greatest...
Picture this. I was sipping a glass of champagne with a Dutch author on fashion, design, and history while on the second floor of Cartiers new boutique in the poshest shopping street in Amsterdam, P.C. Hooftstraat, looking at the shop window of a French fashion house that shall remain unnamed. The mannequins in the window were dressed in brightly colored jackets, shirts, and trousers that looked like close relatives of the training pants I wore to football practice in the early 1980s. And the people waiting in line to get in looked like they were on their way to football practice. I couldnt make out the watches these people were wearing, but if they matched the attire, classic or understated...
A Milgauss ref. 6541 was auctioned for CHF 2,238,000 this past March, I am sure you heard. Now that the dust has settled somewhat, we ask ourselves: was it worth it? What makes this such a special watch? And why did it outperform its estimate by so much?Lets have a look at one of the rarest regular production models from The Crown.Milgauss ref. 6541 - Image: PhillipsMilgauss history 101Lets kick things off with a very brief recap of what sort of watch we are dealing with. The story started in the mid-1950s. was hard at work releasing watches for specific professional target audiences - the Submariner for divers, the GMT-Master for pilots, and the Explorer for, well, explorers. Omegas Railm...
Another Friday, another Top 5! In this series, we take one watch or watch series and choose our five favorite references ever produced. This week, it s time for the second of three articles on the Seiko 5 line. Last week, I focused on the regular-production Seiko 5 Sports models that are currently available. The result was a solid list of Seiko 5 Sports references that show the great diversity of the line. But this week, we ll turn it up to 11 when it comes to diversity. The modern Seiko 5 Sports line is the perfect canvas for a wild variety of different creative designs. It s why we want to focus on our favorite limited editions, which are often also collaborative efforts.As I explained las...
During the uncertain years of the global pandemic, many of us dreamed of getting back out into the world. And while we dreamed, Kenneth Lam of Arken Watch Co. was doing a little more than that. He put pen to paper and brought his vision to life. This resulted in the creation of the Arken brand and its debut timepiece, the Instrumentum, a 300m-rated titanium diver with an integrated bracelet and a stark, distinctive design. Today, we were introduced to the Arken Alterum. This sequel comes less than a year after the launch of that first watch and just so happens to be a perfect post-pandemic travel companion.Rounding off the brand s two-watch catalog nicely, this new offering builds on the for...
Our journey through vintage Japanese watches continues today with the Grand Seiko 57GS Self-Dater, a chronometer-certified gem from the 1960s. The watch brought new functionality to the Grand Seiko line, and it s one that we now take for granted.We re back again with another vintage Japanese watch, and yes, it s a look at a high-end piece from 1964, which is nearly 60 years ago. I do like to keep a tally, and thus far, I ve reviewed the King Seiko 44-9990 and 4420-9990. Both of these are manual-wind beauties, and the latter boasts a chronometer certification. I ve also shared the Grand Seiko 62GS, the brand s first automatic. Today, we ll allow Grand Seiko to even the score in both brand and...
I got to spend some time with the Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba Auto in green, a diver with a dial that combines the previous big trend (green) with the latest one (fume). So if you want your dive watch hip and happening, this is your watch. This begs the question: is it all show and no go? Or is this truly the diver to get this summer?If green fume isnt your jam, you can pick a version with a white dial and blue bezel, a full-blue model, or a black variant. The green one, however, is arguably the most distinctive version. In black or blue, this is a watch that could get lost in an ocean of archetypal divers. But I am getting ahead of myself. Lets have a closer look at the Hamilton Khaki Navy Sc...
