Platinum is the heaviest of precious metals. It s hypoallergenic and unaffected by water and air. At the same time, it s also one of the rarest precious metals out there and is 30 times rarer than gold. This also means we need to be careful not to exhaust the earth s platinum stock. That s why it might be a good idea to go for a pre-owned one the next time you re looking for a pricey platinum piece. Let s take a look at what s on offer out there.After Thomas s lightweight overview, it was time for some heavyweights! The first few pieces I ll discuss below are very nice watches, but they are also way out of my league. That s why I also looked for a few platinum bargains on offer for less than...
This month, many of my fellow editors have shared their favorite watches under $1,000 in 2023. But while I ve kept abreast of everyone s picks, I was initially at a loss for what I could contribute. You see, I don t dabble in this price bracket much, and I rarely find watches in it that I feel I ve got to have. On top of that, there was that completely self-imposed pressure that I d need to pick the best sub-$1K watches possible. When faced with a challenge like this, I m sure many enthusiasts might feel similarly stuck. But then I read Gerard s article, and something finally clicked: all that mattered was how my choices stuck with me.The way Gerard described the Kuoe Old Smith suddenly spar...
There are many intersections in the world of watch enthusiasts. Depending on your crossroad, you might have an interest in watches tied to aviation, space exploration, diving and watersport, or motorsport and automobiles. Taking the automotive exit ramp, there is one name that most car enthusiasts hold above others - Porsche. While this name is synonymous with iconic sports cars, Ferdinand A. Porsche founded the lifestyle brand in 1972, nine years after designing the 911. Today, we take a look at one of the brand s latest creations, the Porsche Design 718 Spyder RS ChronographWhile lesser known than Porsche sports cars, Porsche Design has produced several critically acclaimed watches since i...
This week, we have another chronograph-fueled edition of Sunday Morning Showdown! This one s inspired by the fact that one of the Fratello team members recently bought himself a Tudor Heritage Chrono. The brand launched this model in 2010 and recently discontinued it, so if you re after one, perhaps now is the time to pounce.The Tudor chronographs from the early 1970s and 2010s onward are the ones we admire the most. You might also recall the Big Block and Prince Chronographs, but we definitely prefer the older (and later) models. Now, we all appreciate a good chronograph, but in the end, it s not easy to find ones that we truly love. We often keep coming back to the classics - the Navitimer...
The Ocean Race, previously called the Volvo Ocean Race and originally called the Whitbread Round the World Race, is currently in its fifth leg. This leg takes the five competing teams across the Atlantic from Newport, Rhode Island in the United States to Aarhus in Denmark. And while the race moored in Newport last weekend, Ulysse Nardin took the opportunity to launch its new The Ocean Race Diver Chronograph. This limited edition celebrates the race s 50th anniversary this year.As we know from other recent Ulysse Nardin releases, the brand is trying to raise awareness for the oceanic environment. In 2021, there was the new Diver Lemon Shark. The watch was co-developed with OCEARCH, a non-prof...
Can the Resurgence mark the beginnings of something bigger, even inspiring others through its name? The US is a vast country with a rich watchmaking history, ranging from Gruen to Hamilton and from Waltham to small New York factories producing Swiss-sounding watches in the 60s. But despite American microbrands hitting all the right notes these days, the calibers in their watches remain Swiss or Japanese. And with all the manufacturing and engineering history of the USA, there should be fertile ground for Haute Horlogerie too, right? By introducing the J.N. Shapiro Resurgence, the gauntlet has been thrown.A single Californian watchmaking house could indeed light the spark if the inspiration ...
I recently purchased the Oris Divers Sixty-Five 12H Calibre 400 for myself. It was a much-anticipated purchase as I ve wanted an Oris with a Calibre 400 for some time now. After a month of wearing and getting to know the watch, I have to say I m more pleased than ever with my choice. And that is a good thing, considering the 12H was not the original Calibre 400 that I was looking at.The Oris Divers Sixty-Five 12H is the first unlimited-production watch in the Divers Sixty-Five line with a Calibre 400 inside. As some of you know, the Aquis was the first line to get this movement with the eponymously named Aquis Date Calibre 400. It has since percolated into most of the other lines that Oris o...
Sometimes you run across very extreme watches that look almost menacing but intriguing simultaneously. The new Bohen StarDiver is one of those watches. My first reaction to getting it out of the packaging was an honest What is this?! The watch is the second model created by the French brand Bohen. The brand has wasted no time and energy on another run-of-the-mill dive watch. No, my friends, this StarDiver is an extreme piece in all its details. As such, this is a watch for true dive fans who love extreme timepieces developed to serve their purpose. Better still, it even boasts some pretty nifty solutions, including a unique bracelet. There is simply a lot to say regarding this Bohen StarDive...
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, we decided to focus on the Seiko 5 line. This obviously led to the question of whether to go with modern or vintage/discontinued Seiko 5 models. To make things easier, this week s article will focus on the current Seiko 5 Sports series, and we ll create a different list for the Seiko 5 models of the past.When we discussed this list in our weekly editorial meeting, some people were not necessarily gung-ho about the topic. Seiko has released an incredible amount of Seiko 5 Sports models since the introduction of the series in 2019. There are a treme...
Aquastar has been on a tear since its relaunch in 2020. Since then, we ve enjoyed a new Deepstar chronograph in two different sizes. The Deepstar II has also been a great success as a time-only rendition of the chrono. Today, we re excited to share a new dive watch that strays from the Deepstar formula. The Aquastar Model 60 brings back the brand s first-ever diver with modern specs.Yes, we ve really enjoyed Aquastar here at Fratello. Under Rick Marei s leadership, the brand has produced some truly attractive watches. Until now, though, all of the new watches have been based on the Deepstar. Today, that changes with the release of a modern version of the Aquastar Model 60. This is a far more...
I know this is subjective, especially knowing that sub-38mm watches are hot this year and I covered another one just two days ago. But that was a sub-$1K watch, not just sub-38mm, and what comes out from Hida-sans Tokyo atelier exists on a different plane altogether. That might sound pompous, and thats on me. But to my mind, every watch recognizably from the pen of Naoya Hida has been marked by greatness. Thus far, we ve seen three 37mm base models and several iterations, each proudly displaying a recognizably raw metal dial and a purity of line that echoes a Calatrava case.To me, one of the strongest pieces yet was last year s collaboration with Mark Cho of The Armoury. The Type 2C-1 and it...
TAG Heuer gives one of its most enduring timepieces a serious revamp, mixing a crowd favorite with a bold skeleton-dial approach to mark the 80th Monaco Grand Prix. The Monaco Grand Prix is one of the iconic modern races in motorsport. I remember seeing footage of Formula 1 races in Monaco from the 1950s and 1960s, showing sleek, rocket-like shapes blurred against the backdrop of a beautiful Mediterranean city. It is romantic and heady stuff.TAG Heuers Monaco, a mainstay classic for the brand today, also has strong Formula 1 ties. Actor Steve McQueen wore one in Le Mans (1971), a white-knuckle racing film drama about the 24-hour race of the same name.?Skeletons on displayToday, to mark the 2...
In general, I do not consider myself a purist when it comes to watches. However, I will raise an eyebrow or two regarding fashion brands entering the industry of luxury mechanical watches. And honestly, it s more a story of believing in specialist brands rather than being turned off by a fashion brand and its image. There are plenty of fashion brands I like and even some I like a lot, so that s not it. But the idea of staying in your lane is one that I value, especially when it comes to specialist products like watches. Having said that, I am always curious to check out new watches from non-traditional brands. Recently, I have seen some seriously interesting releases from fashion brands that...
Many collectors don t look at vintage Citizen watches when searching for their next dress piece. I hope that the Citizen Super Jet Auto Dater can change their minds.?I was not hunting for a specific watch model here. In complete honesty, I was after the movement only. I mean, I didn t want to buy just the movement, but it was why I was looking for a Citizen Jet Auto Dater. I remember how fascinated I was when I read Mike s article about his watch almost five years ago.Angry rotorAt the moment of purchase, I considered the dial style, but it was not my top priority. I couldn t stop staring at the 360-degree geared rotor with an oscillating mass around half of its perimeter. It looks like the ...
Today is a watch launch bonanza from Breitling. The brand does not want to stagger the releases and unveils seven new watches within the AVI range. This line began with the Breitling AVI Ref. 765 1953 Re-Edition from 2020, which now sits alongside 14 watches ranging from 41mm to 46mm in diameter. Each new 42mm Classic AVI chronograph pays homage to classic aircraft. The 46mm Super AVI Mosquito Night Fighter extends the Chronograph GMT range with an in-house Breitling B04 caliber and black ceramic case. Last but not least is my favorite, the stunning AVI Ref. 765 1964 Re-Edition with a manually wound in-house Breitling B09 caliber and period-correct Hesalite crystal. The 1964 re-edition has a...
Nivada s vintage catalog is exquisite, to say the least. From time-only models to chronographs, the brand had much to offer in its heyday. Since the relaunch of Nivada Grenchen, the lovely people behind the brand have concentrated mainly on chronographs, especially the Chronomaster and Datomaster models. Then there was the Antarctic family, a line offering budget time-only watches that are equally popular among the fans. But one thing was still missing - a recreational dive watch. While the Depthmaster could be considered a diver, with a 1000m depth rating, it s more like a professional mini-submarine. Yet the void is now filled with the introduction (or rather reintroduction) of the Nivada ...
Love at first sight. I experienced that with a pair of Momotaro jeans in 2018. But when the Oris Momotaro Divers Sixty-Five Special Edition came out in 2020, my heart didnt go into overdrive. I did like the denim strap with the two white Battle Stripes that the Japanese denim brand is famous for. However, the combination of the sea-green dial, cream indexes, and black bezel with bronze rim looked over the top to me. But when I saw the watch in the metal, strapped it on, and looked at it again two years later, I knew I had been wrong. The combination of colors and materials just works. And the strap not only perfectly complements my Momotaro jeans but also pairs well with denim jeans, shirt...
Our latest challenge among Fratello editors is to come up with our favorite watches under $1,000, and I guess I m one of the last ones to chip in. Its not easy to do so for me, and I will also tell you why without trying to be snobbish.As my colleague Nacho already wrote in his overview of watches under $1,000, many brands have increased their prices and disappeared from the sub-$1,000 range. Brands like Nomos, Oris, Longines, and Sinn had watches for just under $1,000 for a long time. This price range has now become the territory of just a few Swatch Group brands, Citizen, Seiko, and, of course, microbrands. So theres that, but theres also something else going on here for me.Watches under $...
It s been nearly two months since Watches And Wonders, and we ve all heard and read plenty about all the fantastic watches from the usual suspects. We all know what , Tudor, and the other big boys launched in March. Some of you may not have known that another show was running at the same time as Watches And Wonders, called Time To Watches. It featured many smaller independent brands. I visited to meet with a few of them, particularly one of my up-and-coming favorites, Behrens. Rather excitingly, Behrens announced its new novelty for 2023 during the show, the BHR030 20G.Given how impressive the project is, I was surprised to see very little other coverage across the watch media, so I thought ...
Axia Time is a new watch brand on my radar. What started as a watch company specializing in university-branded commemorative watches has now also developed several lines of watches that proudly display its own branding and nothing else. Founder John Kanaras first found himself unimpressed by the standard of commemorative watches in the late 1980s. He received one such watch when he was twice victorious as part of the University of Pennsylvania Lacrosse team.Browsing the brand s catalog, with the University and Axia Time series sharing model templates, it is easy to see how most of these can act as a blank canvas. The one model that catches the eye, with lots of personality and looking like a...
