Even for a vintage collector like me, there is one positive side effect of re-editions. Once I spotted the recently announced new line of Excelsior Park chronographs, I realized that I might have an original piece somewhere.Early this week, Mike tagged me in his Instagram post saying that he is not upset about Excelsior Park s choice to do a Tuxedo reissue. I clicked on the Excelsior Park profile to learn more. There I spotted the entire lineup of new editions with a preorder launch that will start on March 28th at 4:00 PM Swiss time.Another re-editionBesides the Tuxedo Dial, one of four newly presented models will be a black-dial EP featuring syringe hands and Arabic numerals with creamy ye...
It is an understatement to say that the Czapek Antarctique is a successful addition to the realm of integrated-bracelet sports watches. It has been applauded by the watch media, and Czapek struggles to meet the demand. Our very own Fratello limited edition of 50 pieces sold out in an hour, which probably tells you a lot. Now though, just ahead of Watches and Wonders, the house shares the latest iteration of its hit - the Antarctique Titanium Dark Sector. A new metal and a new dial grace an otherwise familiar recipe. Lets have a closer look!Czapek will produce only 100 of these new Antarctique Titanium Dark Sector watches per year. So if you like your sports watches rare, I would urge you to ...
The king is back! But what if there are more kings to choose from? When Seiko reintroduced the King Seiko name early last year with a collection of 37mm watches, it was a stylish celebration of what makes King Seiko a beloved name among watch fans. A year on, we have seen only a select number of new King Seiko additions to the lineup, but Seiko announced new 39mm King Seiko models a little over a month ago. They were released alongside the spectacular 37mm King Seiko SPB365 limited edition. While that limited edition may have been a great eyecatcher, the new automatic 39mm models were exciting additions that will speak to many fans. We decided to go hands-on with both sizes and find out all ...
Yes, I do have serious issues with the color combination of black and yellow in watches. I do have to make one thing clear: I dont really mind a completely yellow dial. It does need to be the exact right shade of yellow, of course, and getting that just right isnt easy. But its yellow details in black-dialed watches and vice versa that I have a problem with. Why is that? It could very well be the Best Buy vibe, but there must be more to it. The fact is, I dont really know, and thats why Im trying to answer that question. Youre welcome to tag along and find out.Quite a few moons ago - it must have been the late 1990s - I owned a Breitling Superocean Diver Professional with a matte yellow dial...
Daan, Dave, and RJ sit together for this podcast and talk about their most recent watch purchases. We talk about the whats, the whys, and the hows when it comes to our new watches. All three of us bought through different channels - a boutique, a colleague, and via Chrono24. Sit back, relax, and have a drink of your choice while listening to the soothing voices of our editorial team.This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings Our most recent watch purchases from and BreguetAs always, we start the podcast with a quick round to talk about the watches we re wearing. Coincidentally (truth!), we are all wearing our latest purchases - a ...
Last October, I had my first encounter with the French brand Pequignet. I had come across this brand name before when fellow collectors mentioned it as an insider s tip for advanced in-house watchmaking at attractive prices. You rarely stumble upon anything written about this brand or its watches, which was reason enough to make me curious.Pequignet is located in Morteau, a French village near the Swiss border and not far from Le Locle. Founded in 1973, the brand has had a bit of a checkered history. It now offers a broad range of watches and even some jewelry. Among Pequignet s offerings are elegant ladies watches with quartz movements and more masculine models in both elegant and sporty d...
The Aston Martin Formula One team has turned it around for the 2023 season. The F1 car is operating at a consistent pace, only surpassed by current champions, Oracle Red Bull Racing. Thats also considering that one of its drivers, Lance Stroll, broke his wrists two weeks before the inaugural race, and the other driver, Fernando Alonso is now in his forties. Maintaining a fitness and focus level this far into an F1 career is a challenge, but Alonso still managed a podium position at the first race in Bahrain. This upward spike in popularity and support for the Aston Martin F1 team has undoubtedly raised the profile of its timekeeping sponsor Girard-Perregaux. To kick the season off, GP unveil...
…but it won t be easy to beat the Angelus Chronographe Medical Massena LAB. It s an unexpected release, and thanks to the special movement inside, it s quite different than most of the re-editions out there. So is its price tag.In the last couple of years, a kind of race has taken hold of the watch industry - finding a free trademark of a vintage watch brand and looking at its past lineup to find a potential candidate for a relaunch. I have to admit that I feel bipolar when it comes to the topic. On one hand, it pleases me to see all the nostalgic designs from Aquastar, Airain, Nivada, and Vulcain coming back. On the other hand, I want to cry when I see a new Excelsior Park watch hou...
The most accessible watches from H. Moser & Cie. are those in the Pioneer series, and without seeing any sales figures, I can say its a success. Throughout the Moser lineup, Eduoard Meylan and his design department have set industry standards for fume dials while also giving us a future-proof vision of the integrated bracelet with the Streamliner. The watch is inspired by sleek, aerodynamic 1920s designs from Raymond Loewy and his peers but still looks to the future. So where does the new Pioneer Arctic Blue fit in?As a regular sports watch with a 120m depth rating, a smooth steel case, and a vented rubber strap, it has many competitors. But with H. Mosers eye for detail and dial art, th...
The Seiko 5 Masked Rider Limited Edition takes its cues from one of my favorite vintage Seiko sports divers, the 5126-8090. This watch is a real cult favorite due to its association with a 70s Japanese TV show of the same name. Let s see if it hits the mark as a fun tribute.One could make a solid living writing about Seiko 5 limited editions. The more affordable line from Seiko is always seriously busy with new releases. Frankly, they re fun, but I don t truly bond with many of them. Today, though, that changes with the release of the Seiko 5 Masked Rider Limited Edition. Model SRPJ91 is based on the lovely 5126-9080 from 1968 and, well, that gets my attention!The Original Seiko 5 5126-9080...
When I think of typical Ressence colors, I do not think of green. The first colors that pop into my mind are black, white, and blue. But that s not to say that Ressence has never released watches with green dials before. The brand has, and the results were quite stunning indeed. In some cases, I prefer them over the versions with the aforementioned dial colors. That s why I was happily surprised to find out that Ressence founder Beno?t Mintiens picked sage green as the dial color for his new Ressence Type 8S. One year after the introduction of the Type 8, the model returns with a stunning green dial. This piece reveals the great beauty of both the chosen color and the impressive simplicity o...
This art journey begins exactly one year ago. That s when Gregory Berkowitsch walked into the Swatch shop in Brussels with an idea. He and his wife Jen Itzkowitch had co-founded a company called Magritte Editions. And along with producing a lot of merchandise based on the art of the Belgian surrealist artist, they also opened a Magritte shop right on the Grand Place in Brussels. But watches were not yet part of their inventory. So Berkowitsch walked over to the Swatch shop, which is right around the corner from their store, to see whether Swatch was willing to collaborate with them on a Magritte watch.Gregory s idea was passed on to the Swatch headquarters in Biel, Switzerland. There, it rea...
When we started discussing the Citizen CA4560-81L Eco-Drive Chronograph in the office, we talked about who this watch would be for. It s an interesting discussion. Would this be someone s only timepiece? Or would people who are looking for affordable options add this as a second or third watch to their collection? Either way, the Citizen CA4560-81L is a great potential daily wearer for those looking for a reliable and affordable chronograph with some nice design quirks. Let s check them out.Straight out of the box, this Citizen CA4560-81L Eco-Drive Chronograph is a substantial watch. Both in size and weight, it lets you know that it s there. It almost felt a bit daunting with all the smaller...
Unimatic is on a roll! The brand has been releasing a lot of new timepieces over these past few weeks and months. The remarkable thing is that a lot of them not only offer new designs but also new functions. The latest addition to the impressive list of team efforts with other brands and retailers is the Unimatic Modello Quattro U4S-T-HS. The watch is a collaboration with the renowned Canadian outdoor brand Henry Singer. This first GMT version of the brand s fixed-bezel Modello Quattro required a new approach to the brand s GMT designs. And it probably comes as no surprise that it looks really good.Can something that you love dearly become old quickly? This is the question I constantly ask m...
For many enthusiasts, a vintage Omega Speedmaster Professional is the way to go, despite the current Moonwatch ticking a lot of boxes as well. You should be able to find a nice Speedmaster Professional reference 145.022 for an attractive price, and this buying guide should help you with the things you need to know.The Speedmaster Professional 145.022 is a sought-after reference that was in production for a long time (1968C1988). It consisted of several iterations, each with small updates. Today, we ll guide you through the different iterations, how to distinguish them, and how to identify the production year.Omega Speedmaster Professional 145.022Let s also make it clear right from the beginn...
Just yesterday, I received word from Bremont HQ - The Wing - in Henley-on-Thames that a new watch would be debuting today. This is the very same watch that I have the pleasure to introduce to you now - the Bremont Broadsword Recon. This watch is the latest addition to the British (with a capital B) brand s Armed Forces collection. This series of watches form part of Bremont s close bond with the Ministry of Defense (MOD). They are the civilian counterparts to the watches that Bremont makes for the British military. The watch in question today is a limited-edition model, so only 200 pieces will be created and sold. Now, the brand s motto is tested beyond endurance. This particular watch takes...
The Datejust 1601 is about as mainstream as it gets when it comes to the famous brand. A fluted white gold bezel, 36mm case, Jubilee bracelet, and a Cyclops crystal check a lot of boxes when people envision a typical . The ubiquitousness alone probably kept me away from looking at these models, but one reached out and pulled at my heartstrings. Alas, it was not to be, but then it was…It s now bordering on nearly 18 months since my love affair with the vintage Datejust began. Funnily enough, I had completely disregarded these watches before, but I ultimately succumbed. My journey has been a bit wayward, though, with a focus on some fairly unique models. First, I chose a 16030 with a me...
Fratello On Air is here with loads of new watches in this episode. No, it s not Watches and Wonders, but it s busy nonetheless! There s a new Fratello collaboration and even a MoonSwatch! This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings The season of new watches is definitely here! Balazs and I take some time to discuss some of the latest pieces to ensure they get coverage before the Watches and Wonders onslaught begins! Settle in and enjoy!Handgelenks KontrolleBefore getting to all the new watches, Balazs kicks things off with a decidedly old watch. In fact, this is a pretty lousy piece because it s a so-called office GMT. Yes, he s spo...
Of course, it s nice to peel the stickers off of a brand-new watch. In the end, we re all a bunch of magpies who want to get their hands on the next shiny thing. But in some instances, it might be more sensible to go for a pre-owned watch instead of a brand-new one.When I look at my collection, it s a healthy mix of watches that I bought pre-owned and watches I bought brand-spanking new. Obviously, it s no exact science, but sometimes it just makes more sense - at least to me - to buy a specific watch new and another pre-owned. I d like to share my view on this matter with you today.Resale valueLast week, Thomas published an excellent beginner s guide on what to take into account when you bu...
It has been great to read about the exciting and personal experiences that my Fratello colleagues have had with Seiko. Reading about Fratello founder RJs journey with the Seiko Marinemaster and how it changed his views on the brand reveals something fundamental about our hobby. The way that our tastes and opinions about watches shift over time leads to fascinating journeys that we could never have envisioned at first.?RJs story on the Seiko Marinemaster and Daans story of having a Seiko stolen really got me thinking about why we keep finding ourselves drawn to this hobby. Besides the wonderment of mechanical designs telling time on our wrists, storied brand histories, and rare finds (among m...
