In June 2020, Longines introduced the Spirit collection, which included three-hand models and a chronograph. Last year s Spirit Zulu Time got a new GMT complication, and Longines has another Spirit in store for you this year. Meet the Longines Spirit Flyback, a 42mm stainless steel chronograph with a flyback function, available with your choice of a blue or black dial.Longines Spirit FlybackFor this new Spirit Flyback, Longines decided to revisit its heritage as the developer and producer of some of the most beautiful chronograph movements (13ZN, anyone?). Even more interestingly, Longines was the first to have a wristwatch with a flyback chronograph (13.33Z) back in 1925. The company from S...
It s been only a week since Ressence graced us with its new Type 8 in sage green. It s a unique piece in both its design and choice of color. Seeing that uncommon green shade shows the brand s individualistic character once more. But if you thought that was it from Ressence, you are mistaken. Today, the brand introduces the new Type 1 Round. It is a new take on the brand s Type 1 that introduces a great new case design. But it doesn t stop there. Ressence founder Beno?t Mintiens also updated the dial design, making this new Type 1 Round a surprising next step for the brand and the Type 1 collection. Time to find out what makes this such an exciting development for Ressence.Great design is ...
Tissot created its golden ticket to success with the PRX, a watch that was a godsend to enthusiasts. That sounds overstated, but think about it. When the Le Locle brand dropped the bomb, the market was (and still is) saturated with vintage divers for every budget. Retro is still hot, but what about the hallowed category of the Integrated Bracelet? From celebs to truck drivers, everyone lusts after a taste of the Genta magic, but the watches are grail-worthy for a few reasons - their design, exclusivity, and big-ticket prices. Now IFL Watches gives us bespoke dial art with a difference.A bona fide integrated bracelet will have the center link (or part of it) integrated into the case end, whic...
It s been roughly 18 months since Breitling introduced the first Top Time Classic Cars Editions. During a big event in Geneva in 2021, the brand proudly presented three new Top Time models connected to American sports cars from the 60s. The colorful Top Time watches celebrated the iconic style of both the chronographs and the cars from that decade. And they did so with great success. Breitling now introduces the new Top Time Classic Cars Editions as a next step. Three of them are updated versions of the models we saw in 2021, but there is also one great-looking new addition to the lineup. Time to find out more about the new Breitling Top Time Classic Cars Editions for 2023.The Breitling Top...
Breitlings horological journey through three generations of the founding family was very much the history of the chronograph, notes the brands historian Fred Mandelbaum. When Breitling revived the historic Premier line in 2019 after a 50-plus-year hiatus, the brand aimed to capture that vintage flair in a modern interpretation. Today, the Swiss heritage watchmaker is adding six new Premier models, each in a 42mm case. Five are made of stainless steel and one of 18K rose gold, and all feature a COSC-certified manufacture caliber B01.This video is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings The birth of the PremierBreitling is synonymous with the chronogra...
Just a few weeks ago, Louis Vuitton presented its high-end watchmaking pieces at one of the brand s chalets in Courchevel, France. But there was also another big announcement afoot. In the presence of Louis Vuitton s head of watchmaking Jean Arnault and master watchmakers Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini, the plans for the resurrection of the Daniel Roth watch brand was unveiled.The revival of Daniel RothA few days before, the news got out that Arnault would be reviving the Daniel Roth brand. In recent years, it was in somewhat of a hibernation mode with Bvlgari (also an LVMH-owned brand), but Daniel Roth has an interesting history. Roth (1945) was a watchmaker that worked for Jaeger-LeCoul...
It was the era of Nirvana, Pierce Brosnan s James Bond, and the iPod. The 1990s and early 2000s were also, in some ways, an interesting era for watch design. And because of this, these two decades are also ripe for the picking when it comes to neo-vintage watches that fly a little under the radar and yet offer exciting value propositions.?Before we begin, it is worth mentioning that this is in no way an exhaustive list of good options from the 1990s and early 2000s. And you can probably see some of my taste and bias for tool watches in this list. But hopefully, this does offer a spark for conversations in this space, and I would love to read your recommendations of watches to look out for fr...
The first month of spring is a special one for many reasons. At Fratello, it is mainly due to our latest collaboration, the new Fratello Nivada Grenchen Racing Chronograph. We are offering five dial variants with 10 watches in each color for a total of 50 pieces. The exclusive pre-order week starts NOW and ends on the 26th of March at midnight CET. This week, you can get one of the 50 Fratello Nivada Grenchen Racing Chronographs for a special price of only $1,499 (excluding VAT). Head over to the Fratello Shop and get yours now.But only after you have read the article. We are super excited about this collaboration as it focuses on a genre of watches that most of us love - chronographs. N...
Don t get me wrong, I love writing about unreachable grail watches from brands like Laurent Ferrier, Vacheron Constantin, and Greubel Forsey. But I also remain rather grounded in real life, with my all-metal G-Shock in red probably my most worn watch this year. And I started with Seiko and microbrands on a sub-$500 budget. Seiko might have pumped up its prices, but both Japanese big-brand and microbrand watches can still be found with serious specs for under $300.And lets address the dive watch terminology too, for real. Ive never strapped on a set of air tanks (yet), but I have always loved the genre. A 200C300m depth rating simply spells Solid with a capital S to me, and it s comforting in...
When the press release for the new Seiko Astron GPS Solar Medecins Sans Frontieres Limited Edition SSH133 dropped in my mailbox, I thought of two things. My first thought wasnt related to Seiko, surprisingly enough. I saw the symbolic red color of Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders in English) combined with white and silver tones and thought of the Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch Tokyo 2020 Limited Edition Rising Sun. It was only after I cleansed my color palette that a completely different-looking Seiko creation came to mind. And although it s almost a diapositive watch, the watch that came to mind made the new one happen. I was thinking about my 2012 Astron GPS Limited Ed...
Last week, I bumped into a beautiful Sea-Dweller 16660 that I had never held in my hands before. Most Triple Six models I ve come across had a glossy dial, but this one was an early 1982 model with a matte dial and a faded bezel. It simply looked stunning. So I looked up the watch and found one for sale. Another watch I came across is an Omega Seamaster De Ville. This a very different watch with a ditto price tag, but it s definitely something of interest.Image: Paul DugganOmega Seamaster De Ville in goldHere s a 34mm full-gold Omega Seamaster De Ville that is for sale for US$1,400. Before Omega made the De Ville a separate collection in 1967, the name was often used in the Seamaster collec...
Seiko has been on a GMT kick lately. While the Seiko 5 GMTs were a fan favorite from last year, the new Prospex Baby Marinemaster and Sumo diver GMTs are great additions to the catalog. One item is missing, though - a true mechanical travelers watch. One with a rotating bezel. Its time for the Japanese giant to give the people what they want. Dear Seiko, please bring back the Navigator Timer!I am not quite sure how the Seiko Navigator Timer entered my consciousness, but I am sure I have Michael Stockton to thank for it. My confusion stems from my collecting timeline and this article of his. I got into watch collecting in 2017, and this article was published in 2015. Somehow, I stumbled acros...
We re back with another vs. Tudor face-off in our ongoing Sunday Morning Showdown series. After last week s battle of the GMTs, we decided it was time to put together a showdown between the Submariner and the Tudor Pelagos 39. It s been only two weeks since Robert-Jan and Jorg duked it out over the Sea-Dweller ref. 16600 and the Tudor Pelagos. This week, we decided to follow up on that battle with a similar one between a discontinued reference and a current Tudor model. Could the Tudor s Pelagos 39 beat the Submariner ref. 14060? Make sure you read through until the end and cast your ballot for the watch that you think should emerge victorious.Looking back at that battle two weeks ago, ...
Jaeger-LeCoultre is a brand with a certain je ne sais quoi, except for its superstar rectangle. For me, the brand is imbued with a similar mystique to but is refreshingly less mainstream. I actually have a rectangular goal for this year, which might involve a Reverso or a certain Frenchie, but what about the rest of the brand s catalog? Yes, Jaeger-LeCoultre is more than the Reverso, even distractingly so.I still remember Jaeger-LeCoultre from the crazy 2000s when the brand flirted with big tool watches in the Master Compressor series. That now represents serious value for money if you dont mind a big beast on your wrist, and it is my wild card for the pre-owned market. I had a long talk wi...
It has been almost a year since I bought my Doxa Sub 200 in yellow. I finally caved after summer upon summer of having this nagging itch for a colorful dive watch. As soon as the sun came out, I felt there was a hole in my collection. I longed for something lighthearted, fun, yet rugged - ideally, a dive watch with a bright dial in an outspoken color. Now have a look at the Doxa Sub 200 in Divingstar yellow. It fits the bill rather well, does it not?Yes, it does! It is the perfect fun summer watch. Although-perfect? I am afraid it is not actually perfect. In fact, it has some rather odd features that do not serve to make its case. Lets get stuck into it and see if we can grasp what Doxas ent...
Following the launch of its initial concept watch last year, Awake continues to develop its Mission To Earth line. Building upon its prior design and leaning further into the astronomical background, the latest concept - the Awake Mission To Earth Chapter III - combines two trends that seem to be having a moment recently, making this a sports watch that is very much of its time.Aside from the Mission To Earth concept last year, we also saw titanium watches from Oris, Zodiac, Omega, , and Tudor in 2022. This lighter metal has been used in watchmaking for years, but it is on a bit of a hot streak as more and more titanium offerings become available. Awake uses 70% recycled titanium, seeking to...
Another Friday, another Top 5! In this series, we take one classic watch and choose our five favorite references ever produced. Four of these references will be based on the historical importance of the specific watch in the grand scheme of things. Though there may be some overlap, its not a question of which references are the most collectible or of the highest value on the market. The fifth pick is our Fratello favorite that considers the current market price and collectability, potentially making it a sleeper reference. As such, the last pick could be described as our wild card. This week, we ll take a look at the Seiko Marinemaster. What are the best references in the history of Seiko s ...
Vintage-inspired watches are popular among collectors, and brands, both big and small, offer us many options for all types of watches and all budgets. But today, I would like to suggest that there exists a sub-genre of vintage-inspired watches - super-vintage ones that look like new old stock but from a brand created only a couple of years ago. As in, watches that use modern technology and manufacturing techniques but look old. Am I making any sense? Anyway, what were going to talk about today is the brand Fleux Watches and its first two-watch collection - the FLX001 and FLX002.?Yes, vintage-inspired watches are everywhere, whether from Swiss brands reviving old references or microbrands rel...
The Circula AquaSport GMT is the third piece from the German brand that has made it to my wrist. And so far, the watches havent disappointed me. I find the 1970s styling appealing, and the subtle color choices are something I definitely can get behind. I tried two versions of this dive-ready travel watch, both the blue version on a matching rubber strap and the anthracite model on a very retro beads-of-rice bracelet. But calling them blue and gray doesnt really do justice to the actual shades and subtle color combinations. Thats what I experienced during this hands-on encounter.Before diving into the deep colors of the Circula AquaSport GMT, lets very quickly go through a bit of brand histor...
Christopher Ward needs no introduction here. The British brand has made a name for itself by providing good value and original designs for reasonable prices. Christopher Ward also seems to be coming up with cracking collections every couple of months, and today is no different. The Sealander line is expanding and adding two new models, the C63 SH21 Blue Marine and Snow Leopard. Both models are based on CWs in-house caliber SH21, and that s a big deal.?The new C63 SH21 models belong to the expansive Sealander collection, which debuted a couple of years ago. Although Christopher Ward has been covered extensively before, you may not be familiar with the Sealander line of watches. It sits betwee...
