For many watch enthusiasts, a watch moonphase complication is something special! It s not the most difficult complication for brands to develop, but it s very rewarding for the owner of the watch. A moonphase disc on a dial is a nice visual element, and it certainly suits the official Moonwatch. With Omega bumping up prices of the regular Speedmaster Professional ($7,500 for the Hesalite version, $8,600 for the sapphire version), you will find some of the discontinued models to be relative bargains all of a sudden. A good example of this is the Omega Speedmaster Moonphase, and there are quite a few variations out there.Speedmaster with a moonphase indicatorMost moonphase watches use a disc w...

One of the maddest creations that I discovered during last weeks travels to the center of the horological universe was, most definitely, the HYT Conical Tourbillon Black Eklipse. The ultra-complicated watch was like a star system within a star system - a star system gone rogue. What you see is apparent mechanical chaos. Youre waiting for the watch to implode, but it doesnt. A quick hands-on with this watch, which also shows HYTs signature hydromechanical features, is an attack on the senses. Are you ready for the chaos?The Neuchatel-based brand HYT blasted onto the scene 10 years ago with a unique hydromechanical wristwatch. Fluids and techniques from the medical industry were used to create...

Without a word of warning, and while most of the watch world was still digesting the Geneva-based extravaganza that was Watches and Wonders, Seiko has done it again! The Japanese brand has just introduced four new 38mm Seiko 5 Sports models. Since 1996 and throughout its 23-year lifespan, the Seiko SKX became one of the most popular dive watches. It was not a luxury item but an everyman s tool watch - a quintessential piece in the collections of beginners and seasoned enthusiasts alike. For many, it was the first stepping stone into the rabbit hole of mechanical watches. We forgave many of its quirks, including misaligned rehauts and bezels, lack of hacking, and the fact that you had to shak...

Last weekend, researching this story was my way of returning to normality after being bombarded by sapphires, platinum, and composite bracelets with embedded diamonds. Yes, Watches and Wonders was a horological whirlwind romance, but afterward, I needed to get down from its gold-lined cloud. It s easy to become enthusiastic about $100K grail watches, I ll admit it. A single Laurent Ferrier hour hand takes 10, even 50 times as long to produce as a single digital Casio, but I still find joy in bargain cool. This story was a bigger challenge than I thought, and I was seriously considering upping the budget to $200. Asking myself the question Is it still possible to start a watch collection with...

Together with the all-new Perpetual 1908 and the yellow gold and steel GMT-Master II, the Yacht-Master 42 in titanium is one of my favorite releases this year. So when we received an invitation to the booth last week at Watches and Wonders, I couldn t wait to get my hands on it. But I actually had to fight for it because Nacho and Dave also couldn t wait to try it on. Because we were so excited, we figured some of you might be as well, so we decided to do a quick hands-on with the all-new Yacht-Master 42 in Grade 5 RLX titanium.Mike already mentioned in his introduction article that he always considered the Yacht-Master rather odd for a sports watch. The same is true for me. For some reas...

Watches and Wonders 2023 is officially over. We ve all caught up on sleep and have had a weekend to mull over everything we saw. And though the trauma of it all will require years of therapy to recover from, we ll share our favorites from the show with you today. Surprisingly, there was no overlap whatsoever. Everyone had a clear favorite (or two), but there was no bickering and arguing when the time came to lock in our choices. You may not see all your favorite editors names on the list, but everyone will get a chance to say their piece, whether on the site, on one of our podcasts, or on social media. So keep your eyes on all the Fratello channels to spot all our editor s favorites.Didn t ...

You might have read it, but did you get a chance to let the news really sink in? The Offshore turns 30 this year. Thats three decades. Thanks to a healthy diet of regular facelifts, the watch managed to become a forever-young legend. During the watchs lifetime, some iterations have gained legendary status. The Royal Oak Offshore End of Days reference 25770SN was one of them, and now that bold stainless steel PVD-coated watch now has a modernized successor. Its the 43mm Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph in black ceramic with bright yellow details.The Royal Oak Offshore End of Days reference 25770SN was a limited edition of 500 pieces. And one of them was on the wrist ...

On March 25th, Cartier expert, Fratello contributor, and friend George Cramer passed away. His passing did not come totally unexpectedly to me as he was very sick, but it was still a surprise and a shock.Cartier expert George talking (Cartier) with ThomasGeorge Cramer, Cartier collector and connoisseurGeorge Cramer, a designer by trade, was the art director and designer for Polydor, Polygram, and Philips from 1975 till 1999. In the early 1980s, he bought his first real watch, a Cartier Santos. It started his interest in watches and especially in Cartier. George turned into a watch collector and connoisseur as well as an author of many Cartier-related articles.Passion for CartierI met George ...

It s no secret that I am a fan of RZE watches. The Singaporean microbrand has existed for several years and has forged a strong identity by producing affordable yet well-built titanium tool watches. Over the years, RZE has released a slew of excellent watches, and now it s added another string to its bow with the Ascentus GMT.The Ascentus marks the first GMT watch in the brand s ever-growing stable of timepieces. It joins dive watches, field watches, and chronographs, and it is the next logical step for RZE.The RZE Ascentus GMT is rugged yet incredibly wearableDespite falling under the Ascentus moniker, this watch seems to share much of its DNA with RZE s Endeavour and Resolute collections. ...

The dust is slowly settling after a busy week of Watches and Wonders, and it s time to zoom in on some of the new releases. After taking a break from Sunday Morning Showdown last week, we re getting back into the swing of things with some low-hanging fruit. The Tudor Black Bay 54 was, undisputedly, one of the most talked-about new releases of the show. Will it replace the Black Bay 58 as the most popular Black Bay out there? Thomas and Jorg will battle it out with these two Black Bay models, but in the end, it s all about your votes. After reading both writers arguments, cast your ballot for the watch that you think should emerge victorious.Without a doubt, the most anticipated releases dur...

For Watches and Wonders 2023, Angelus presented new additions to the Chronodate collection. Currently, the brand offers four model lines - the Flying Tourbillon, Urban Collection, LA Fabrique, and the Chronodate. With these recent additions, the last line now has eight different variations for you to choose from.The Chronodate is not an entirely new release. That would be the Chronographe Medical Massena Lab that Tomas covered here not too long ago. These releases, however, bring some new looks to the brand s most accessible modern timepiece. Angelus also gave us an entirely new and berfabulous titanium bracelet to match these watches.The Angelus ChronodateOne of the most iconic models in...

The Breitling Premier debuted 80?years ago as the flagship line for the brand. A fascinating variety of models were produced over several decades. In 2018, the Premier line returned with top-of-the-line models, and Breitling continues to introduce beautiful new variants each year. In this article, we take a look at the history of the Premier along with some of the most enchanting models.As a junior watch collector, I first met Fred Mandelbaum roughly a decade ago. I had the opportunity to learn from him about some of the greatest watches, especially chronographs, produced. During my education, which continues to this day, it was hard not to become infected by Fred s love for Breitling. Legen...

Its a good thing we stuck around after the Panerai touch-and-feel session at Watches and Wonders! While we were packing our stuff, we couldnt help but notice frantic activity behind a curtain at the back of the booth. We couldnt curb our curiosity and took a peek. We got rewarded with a photo shoot in progress and a watch we didnt get to see during the presentation. What we saw was not the Luminor Due. It was something even smaller but bolder as well. The printed-out briefing lying next to the photographer revealed the name of the watch. What we were looking at was the Panerai Luminor Tre, a 31mm (!) version of the brands most iconic model. And there was one word in the papers that got us ev...

There is something prevalent in the watch world: brands use specific design elements across every model in their collections. This makes it easy to identify that a specific watch was made by a particular brand. This is not necessarily a bad thing. In a way, it guarantees that people will be happy with whatever new model they purchase from said brand. However, other brands can be recognized by the fact that each model is different, not only in terms of design and specifications but also in the use of new technology. This strategy is ballsier because such brands run the risk of dividing their fan base. This brings us to Formex and the Field Automatic.Formex went through a revival a few years a...

Forget about tool watches, retro styling, and refined elegance. Its Friday, and the weekend is upon us! It s time to dress up, let your hair down, and hit the club. Its your time to shine. You best do it with a big dose of flamboyance. For inspirational purposes, check out our curated Watches and Wonders bonanza extravaganza, featuring the likes of Louis Moinet, Roger Dubuis, Bell & Ross, and, quite unexpectedly, Oris.I didnt know that Louis-Abraham Breguet, the inventor of the tourbillon, and Louis Moinet, the inventor of the chronograph, were friends. They were. And they would ve followed and tagged each other if, back in the 18th century, Instagram had already been a thing. Jean-Marie...

Two years ago, Baume & Mercier reintroduced its Riviera collection. Since then, a few complications have been added, including a chronograph, a moonphase, and a GMT. But a dedicated dive watch was not part of the modern collection yet, despite its presence in the Riviera lineup in the 80s. So now, 50 years after the first Riviera model s debut, Baume & Mercier is launching the Riviera Azur 300m. It is a modern dive iteration of the brand s steel sports watch, featuring an anodized aluminum ring set into the dodecagonal bezel.Alongside this completely new version, Baume & Mercier is also introducing a new 39mm size for the regular Riviera. Until now, there was no middle-ground op...

For 2023, Piaget has unlocked an unprecedented challenge to create the first mechanical perpetual calendar watch for the Polo collection. This newest Piaget Polo model boasts a 4mm-thin 1255P caliber to power a triple calendar correct until the year 2100 and a moonphase indication. Piaget revealed the watch this year in a teaser launch for Watches and Wonders, and it came in a 42mm stainless steel case. To follow up, the Swiss watchmaker has just unveiled two new versions of the Polo Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin in rose gold and white gold at the Geneva show. However, as we will see with the latter model, the differences are not merely case-deep.Extravagance + elegancePiaget has a long hist...

It had a crown instead of a pusher cap. It even has new wire lugs welded on. Not many watchmakers would be excited to service such a watch, but I felt this Alpina 941 deserved to be reborn. First of all, there are not many collectors who would jump on such a severely wounded watch. After all, buying such a watch is like buying a highly damaged classic car. It looks lovely at first because it s often cheap and all original. But once you proceed with the restoration, you realize you will spend way more bringing it back to life than purchasing an already restored piece. So why couldn t I resist it, despite acknowledging all of the above?Alpina soft spotI have a soft spot for vintage Alpina watc...

Unlike some other revelations in Geneva this week, I adore the calm serenity of Laurent Ferrier. I do have the hots for the braceleted tough-guy Sport range, but if you want Ferrier purity of line, the Square and Classic Micro-Rotor models make a lot of sense. In fact, if I had the money, an LF Square and a Sport Auto could be my exit collection. What I find utterly refreshing this year are brands like Laurent Ferrier making a strong impression without being ostentatious. The new Laurent Ferrier Evergreen Collection is a case in point.To Laurent Ferrier, this is second nature, and there is so much that can be said without big words and flashy dials. The much-anticipated Biver release was qui...

Loads of diamonds, sapphire, ceramic, and carbon fiber cases in all shapes, colors, and (XXL) sizes. Yes, Hublot once again delivered. For Hublot, extravagance is a part of everyday life. The everyday life of the fashion-conscious big spenders who are not afraid to show off their hedonist lifestyle. The very voluptuous, wrist-wrapping MP-13 Tourbillon Bi-Axis Retrograde opened the introduction spectacle at Watches and Wonders. And after that CHF 150,000 watch, a massive transparent block of a watch called the Square Bang Unico Sapphire tickled the senses. Things calmed down quite a bit with the introduction of the modestly sized and subtly sculpted Hublot Classic Fusion Chronograph Orlinski ...