Proper 70s vibes. These were the immortal words spoken by our esteemed managing editor, Nacho Conde Garzn, when I sent over this funky revival watch from Orient. Specifically, this new World Map watch takes its cues from the 1969 Orient World Diver. However, we can assume that the original watch lived its best life in the 1970s. This new limited edition of 1,500 pieces is part of Orients Revival collection. As this year marks Orients 75th Anniversary, the Revival collection continues to reissue classic timepieces from the brand s back catalog. Although we saw the World Map watch brought back before in 2021, the execution here, especially with the vintage cursive logo on the dial, brings bac...
Another Friday, another list! After three weeks of affordable watches, it s time for a change. Today, we want to focus on the newest collection. To be more precise, we want to look at alternatives to the Land-Dweller. Six months ago, The Crown unveiled the new Land-Dweller collection during Watches and Wonders. Since then, we have slowly begun to see these watches popping up in the wild. But what if the Land-Dweller is not for you (yet)? We selected five watches that might be great alternatives. Let s find out more.Before that, though, I must confess something: when I first saw the Land-Dweller, I wasn t immediately a fan. My gripes with the new models were predominantly focused on the di...
Spinnaker is back to haunt you. Once again, the Fleuss dive watch - not a watch named after a character from the movie Ghostbusters, mind you, but after influential diver and dive engineer Henry Albert Fleuss - is the medium that makes ghosts appear. The Spinnaker Fleuss Automatic Seconde/Seconde/ 2025 Edition is available in two variations - the 40mm Phantom Steel and the 43mm Phantom White.Spinnaker, a brand founded by a group of enthusiasts in?Hong Kong?in 2013, is doing it again. Like in 2023 and 2024, the brand and Parisian watch artist Romaric Andre, better known as seconde/seconde/, created Halloween-themed dive watches. And for the first time, you get to choose between two sizes.The ...
During my 12 years of living in Germany, I participated in numerous high-level business meetings. You know the type - sitting around a table, wearing a suit, and drinking coffee from Alfi pitchers. As you can tell, that wasn t always fun, so I often amused myself by checking out the watches on people s wrists. Most were quite normal, but every so often, I d come upon a crisp, clean Glashtte Original. The new stainless steel Senator Excellence Panorama Date Moon Phase references seem like the perfect example of what I d sometimes encounter. And instead of just seeing them, we were able to take them for a spin.Glashtte Original is a brand that I ve followed closely since it re-emerged in 199...
Christopher Ward expands its versatile Sealander family with a striking set of four new models, the C63 Sealander Stones. This time, the spotlight is on natural stones, crafted into dials that make each watch one of a kind. The lineup includes malachite, charoite, turquoise, and tigers eye.The Christopher Ward C63 Sealander Stones models are limited to just 150 pieces per variant. For a price between $1,050 and $1,295 (depending on strap/bracelet choice), CW manages to overperform in the value department once more. Lets have a closer look!The Christopher Ward C63 SealanderSince its debut, the Sealander line has served as Christopher Wards modern all-arounder - a true GADA (go anywhere, do an...
Audemars Piguet is celebrating its 150th anniversary by introducing plenty of novelties, and they re not watches. The brand from Le Brassus is also presenting new movements. The latest perpetual calendars now feature an ingenious crown, for instance, but the biggest news of the year is undoubtedly the launch of the Royal Oak Jumbo Extra-Thin Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph RD#5. This watch features the caliber 8100, a completely new take on the mechanical chronograph movement. The AP watchmakers did away with the age-old principle of the heart-shaped cam. It s safe to say that Audemars Piguet has reinvented the chronograph with its new caliber 8100.Before exploring the meaning of A...
Though people often focus on specs and price when talking about watches, we believe that design is just as important, if not more so. Today, on Fratello Talks, we re diving into the present and future of watch design. Nacho, Daan, and Thomas discuss current design-focused brands and the individual designers who put pen to paper and don t get nearly enough recognition for their work. They wrap up by pondering what the future of watch design might look like. There are certainly a handful of brands that give us a taste of it, especially microbrands, with their famous ability to adapt and try new, wild ideas. But regardless of what watch design ends up looking like, there s no doubt that excitin...
In 2023, Seiko debuted its Prospex GMT models. Based on the groundbreaking 1968 300m-rated Professional dive watch, the current offerings have a similar form, including an external rotating bezel and strong case shape. The watches have proven popular, and since the initial release, the brand has predictably announced several limited editions. Today, we have a new entrant, and it s arguably one of the best. Meet the SPB534 Seashadow, a limited model for the European market.Throughout much of my early?Seiko-collecting period, the brand focused on regional or country-specific limited editions. The trend remains, but there s been a greater focus on global limited releases. Now, it seems that the...
Christopher Ward is not scared to go against the grain with its new releases. It has become a big part of its success. The brand seemingly slapped purists in the face with a manual-winding integrated-bracelet sports watch not too long ago. In itself, that s nothing spectacular. However, if you are a Gerald Genta devotee, you know this was not part of the man s original concept. But what if this clever twist delivers an impressively slim watch? The result challenges my purist ideas about Genta s work in more ways than one. Let me explain.If you are a fan of Gerald Genta s trilogy of sports watches with integrated bracelets, you know there was more to the concept than just great looks. Genta d...
Fall is hitting us hard here in the Netherlands this week. Temperatures are dropping, and so are the leaves. But autumn doesn t have to be a season defined by rain and storms. In Canada, especially, the period from September to November can be quite enjoyable, with the sun hitting the multicolored leaves on the country s beautiful maple trees. Perhaps those maple leaves were the inspiration for the new Oris Cervo Volante Big Crown Pointer Date. Its gradient dial goes from bright orange to deep red, perfectly resembling the color palette of those magnificent maple trees during the Indian summer.Oris had some great releases during Geneva Watch Days last month. The Big Crown Calibre 113 and t...
When many collectors think of the Speedmaster, they immediately imagine the classic Moonwatch with its Hesalite crystal, 42mm asymmetrical case, and hand-wound chronograph movement. But for those willing to cast their net wider, the Speedmaster family offers a surprising variety of curves, quirks, and historical detours.So, following the wonderful response to our original article on this, I thought it only fair to mention a few more for discussion. Thanks to our readers for their suggestions; there were some great ones! Without further ado, below are five more non-classic Speedmasters that deserve a spot in your collection, each for different reasons.The Omega Speedmaster X-33Launched in 199...
Lets start with the name - Laureato. Its Italian, which we happen to like here at Fratello. Roughly translated, it means crowned for success or crowned with laurels, a reward once given to winners of sports competitions and, later, to students and artists. In Italy, laurea is also the equivalent of a master s university degree. So yes, it is a name with heritage and meaning. There are no portholes, no ships, and no German academic titles here.Of course, the Laureato does bring to mind some familiar names. Gerald Gentas designs for the Royal Oak, Nautilus, and Ingenieur defined the genre of luxury sports watches in the 1970s. But Girard-Perregaux was no bystander. In 1975, the brand introduce...
By now, everyone is aware that the Santos de Cartier is hot stuff. Cartier has certainly realized this and keeps releasing new versions of its square all-metal sports watch. I still love my Santos Galbee XL ref. 2823. However, as a true Cartier Santos fan, I can t get enough of all the new variations La Maison comes up with. Today, the brand released two new variations of the large model. The first one has an all-steel construction and a sporty black dial with Super-LumiNova, while the other features an all-titanium case and bracelet with a classic silver dial.You may have seen the black dial with Super-LumiNova before. There are an all-ADLC Santos de Cartier and another with an ADLC bezel t...
Stylish, thought through, sophisticated… These are just a few words to describe the 35mm Japan-only Raymond Weil Millesime Moon Phase. This limited edition of 100 pieces was brought to life with Masayuki Hirota, the editor-in-chief of Chronos Japan Edition. The small watch is clearly a historically inspired Millesime, with its sector dial marking the hours, minutes, and seconds on distinct tracks. However, the classical moonphase indicator with a smiling moon has been replaced with something more contemporary. The two-tone silver and slate-blue dial shows our Moons authentic shadows, recreated using NASA imagery, at 6 oclock.The 35mm Japan-exclusive Raymond Weil Millesime Moon Phase Sp...
Most watches we get in for review are round. They have three hands and maybe a date, but that s about it. That s why we were all very excited when we opened up a box with not one but two spaceship-like watches inside. Both the Maghnam Noor and Mohareb look like they could take off from your wrist at any given moment. The Noor doesn t even tell you the time if you don t want it to. Its dial hides underneath a Grade 5 titanium shell and only appears when you push the designated button. The Mohareb, a watch inspired by warriors, shows you the time through its biretrograde layout and offers the possibility to choose between four skins.Jordanian watchmaker Sohaib Maghnam and Hader Alsuwaidi, foun...
Lume-dial watches crank up the funk in the best possible way. While they re nothing new these days, the amount of joy they can bring to watch lovers never loses its novelty. Here are a few lume-dial watches to choose from, as well as an open question: what others could you add to this list?Admittedly, I ve only recently been able to experience the pleasures of owning a watch with a fully luminous dial. You see, I am now the proud owner of a vintage TAG Heuer Formula 1 quartz watch, specifically, a reference WA1211. This is from the classic TAG Heuer F1 line, and this specific reference was introduced in the late 1980s (records suggest 1987).The vintage TAG Heuer Formula 1It is a 34mm dive wa...
It s Sunday morning, so it s time for a cup of coffee and an epic showdown between two similar timepieces. After last week s battle of affordable divers, we now turn to a less popular genre - the classic moonphase watch. Last week, Tudor surprised us with its new 1926 Luna. The latest creation certainly had people talking. That s why we want to put it up against the Longines Flagship Heritage Moonphase. It s been part of the brand s collection since 2023, and last year, Longines expanded the lineup with three new models. Can Longines beat Tudor? Let s find out.When Tudor announced the new 1926 Luna, some things stood out immediately. For starters, it is the first Tudor watch with a moonphase...
Some watches come with great stories. The new Venezianico Bucintoro 1976 is one of those. It is the second model in the brand s Legacy of Time series. So, what is the story? If you re over 40, you re probably familiar with the Concorde. British Airways and Air France used the supersonic jet to fly from Paris and London and across the Atlantic to land in New York in just 3.5 hours. From 1976 to 2003, the Concorde was the majestic flagship of the airlines fleets. With the new Bucintoro 1976 chronograph, Venezianico honors this legendary supersonic jet in grand style.The Italian brand went to great lengths to make this new Bucintoro 1976 limited edition truly special. Venezianico will produce ...
Would you rock a stone-dial watch? I would. And I also could. Previously, only a handful of brands ventured into stone dials, and those that did reserved them for highly expensive pieces. Today, however, technological advancements have made stone dials far more accessible to produce. This benefits watchmakers and watch fans: smaller brands can now experiment with the aesthetic, while the public can enjoy a watch with a stone dial at a more approachable price point without any apparent loss in the perceived value of the watch. There are stone-dial watches for every budget, from affordable yet distinctive creations by Dennison to exclusive models from , which has a long history in this field. ...
A. Lange & S?hne expands its Saxonia lineup with two striking new versions of the Saxonia Thin. Available in 18K Honeygold and 950 platinum, these limited editions are paired with glossy onyx dials, showcasing a minimalist design taken to its most sophisticated extreme. The black gemstone surface gives the Saxonia Thin Onyx an even more dramatic presence. Both versions are limited to 200 pieces, which I am sure will land with eager collectors in no time.The Saxonia Thin Onyx in contextOriginally introduced in 2011, the Saxonia Thin embodies the less is more design philosophy. Since its debut, the Saxonia Thin has been A. Lange & S?hne s most restrained model - no date, no seconds han...
