Founded in 1883 of alpine origins, Alpina is a name synonymous with robust watches for the outdoors. The Swiss brand introduced the Extreme line to the Alpiner collection in 2005 at a time when monster watch sizes were all the rage. Reflecting the modern hybrid lifestyles, the Extreme line has undergone its most significant design refresh this year. The latest release is the Alpiner Extreme Automatic in a sensible 41mm case and three colorways to cater to both urban settings and rugged environments.A fresh lookAlpina first revealed this design renovation at Geneva Watch Days 2022 with the Alpiner Extreme Regulator, which Thomas covered here. The new look instantly won me over. It is super st...

You may have heard of Movember, a November-long event in which men grow a mustache to raise awareness about prostate and testicular cancer. Did you know October is also a big month? For nearly four decades, Breast Cancer Awareness Month goes into overdrive in October when there is a lot of pink around. Understandably, you may not notice it if pink doesn t enter your periphery or if you re not exposed to any media source for women (or, ahem, any women). In that case, it may take a watch brand and watch media to bring it to your attention… And here we are!Zenith Chronomaster Original PinkAs a time-limited offer during the month of October, Zenith has released a pink-dial Chronomaster Ori...

Seiko divers rank among my favorite watches of all time. I tend to believe that Seiko has carved out a relatively unique design language for a genre that spawns multitudes of copycats. Four-o clock crowns, signature hands, and a penchant for simplicity are some of the traits that come to mind. The Seiko Ashtray?series that debuted in the mid- 80s is unmistakably a Seiko. However, it s different than anything else in the collection, and frankly, I love it!It s true that less than a decade ago, I was wondering if Seiko would join the already burgeoning retro trend. Fast forward to today, and I m hard-pressed to name a famous former model that hasn t been recast in a modern form. On the whole, ...

I recently reviewed the Formex Reef GMT. As much as I admired that watch, it did not quite strike a chord with me. It was a tad too elaborately styled for my liking. I hinted that I would try another Formex that might be more up my alley. I strapped on the Essence Leggera FortyOne for a few days of testing but ended up wearing it for several weeks. In fact, the Formex Essence Leggera played a funny little trick on me-The Formex Essence Leggera FortyOne is a forged carbon and ceramic evolution of the brands innovative do-it-all line. While it might be stylistically less versatile than its steel siblings, it is even more impressive.Exotic materials, exotic constructionFormex cleverly combined ...

A smartwatch does quite a lot. From a watch enthusiast s standpoint, however, it doesn t do nearly enough. Sure, you can get watch faces that display the time in analog. But the similarity to an actual mechanical watch is akin to a child s R/C car versus an actual car. Where are the gears? Where are the complications? In short, where is the horology? It may seem like such a technological device must forgo the mechanics of time for simple emulation by necessity. I m here to say that smartwatch developers are missing a huge opportunity. The grandest one, even.For all of its computing power, a smartwatch like the Apple Watch allocates very little of it to telling time. Sure, it displays the tim...

Zodiac released a new limited edition to its line of Super Sea Wolf GMT watches last week. This time, we get a black dial and two shades of blue on the bezel. A traveler s watch for those with a taste for 60s design.Zodiac named this the Blueberry. Now that is a bit of a cheeky move. Lets unpack that before we look more closely at the watch itself.Blueberry originsI just have to address this watchs name. Browsing the press materials, I found that Zodiac describes how the blue is inspired by the ocean. The brand specifically refers to the lighter blue as Mediterranean, representative of light breaking through the surface while the darker shade is -alluding to the inky depths below. So we wou...

The Air-King used to be a very odd watch in the catalog. So odd, in fact, that many predicted the model would soon be discontinued. This did not happen. Instead, s designers refreshed the Air-King earlier in 2022, adjusting many of the elements that were previously criticized. Comparing both watches side by side, we now wonder: did they succeed?This video is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings When Lex first saw the refreshed Air-King - reference 126900 - he found himself in an unexpected spot: he actually liked it. He couldn t say the same for the previous version - reference 116900 - which was in production for the past six years. And he wasn...

Yes, I know. I have stated this before (maybe even three or four times), but the term grail watch is not static. Rather, it is as dynamic as the watch market is. But I ll tell you this: I am not all that objective when it comes to Laurent Ferrier s pieces. In fact, I should be disqualified right now from writing this article on the Laurent Ferrier Grand Sport Tourbillon Golden Brown. But this is Fratello, not The New York Times. Most stories will be colored by our personal taste, which is why we invite your comments. Even if they are severely critical of my own point of view, it s all good.Our passion for watches doesn t have a cheat sheet, nor can it be entered into an Excel document for ca...

Gold-and-steel watches have been divisive for ages. You either love them or you don t. There seems to be no middle ground when it comes to the combination of utilitarian steel and luxury gold. Within the Fratello team, opinions differ as well: we have the principle haters, the case-by-casers, and the unabashed lovers of the gold-and-steel combo. But in the last year or two, we have seen a slowly growing appreciation for two-tone watches. Likewise, there are brands that have focused on putting out great releases in gold and steel. So it s time to list the top five gold-and-steel watches of 2022 thus far.Historical context usually plays a big part in the appreciation for two-tone watches. It s...

Before we start, please allow me to ask you a few questions. Has your strap collection gradually grown into something that s hard to overlook? Are your straps stored in several different pouches, cases, and drawers? Have all your NATO straps started to tangle up in that old shoebox? And, most important of all, is this whole situation stopping you from changing straps as much as you d like to? Well, don t worry. I was in exactly the same situation, but this storage solution from IKEA has completely changed my life!Before I came across this (strap)life-saver, my strap storage situation was a complete mess. My rubber straps were in a small metal box that I got with one of my straps. All the lea...

When I was given the task to pen down my thoughts on my perfect watch collection for $5K, I knew one thing: I didnt want to end up with a two-watch assemblage. If you know me (or have ever heard an episode of Fratello On Air), you are aware that Im a sucker for chronographs, so I needed one of those in the lot. But thats not the ultimate sports tool watch. That label must go to a diver. And what is a chrono/diver collection without a proper dress watch to balance it out? There, Ive got my parameters. Now I just need to find the right pieces.I must admit that I started my list with the diver and worked my way up (or down, depending on where youre looking). The second had to be the chrono, one...

This is a big deal. An ultra-rare Paul Newman Daytona (aka PND) ref. 6263 with a Lemon dial in an 18K gold Oyster case has surfaced to the auction block. This 1969 vintage is one of only three in this exact configuration ever known to have appeared in public. When this very watch emerged for the first time in 2013 at an auction in Geneva, it caused a sensation. It was fittingly dubbed The Legend due to its fabled existence. In under a decade, this grail watch in outstanding condition is now in the hands of Christies for a good estimate of CHF/US$3-5 million, no less!The LegendThe Legend is part of the Rare Watches Christies Geneva Live Sale to be held on November 7th, 2022. The auctioneer ...

Today on the historic grounds of the Tower of London, Bremont unveils a trifecta of watches based around the ENG300 movement. Dubbed the H1 Generation the name alludes to British clockmaker John Harrisons H1 marine timekeeper. In keeping with Bremonts home country, the movement references the longitudinal gains made by Harrison in navigation. Not only this, but the Longitude model in 2021 was also the first to receive Bremonts H1 Timing Standard, the brand s version of ISO3159:2009 Chronometer testing. This also takes place on British soil at Bremonts Manufacturing and Technology Center, also known as The Wing in Henley-on-Thames. Of the three new watches to carry the momentum of the ENG300 ...

I admit I was a Sega kid. Only later did I purchase a Nintendo and realize that I had missed some great classics. Mario Kart is one of the later-discovered titles that I loved best - and I still do. Now that I have a Nintendo Switch in the house, I find myself playing the game with my daughter on rainy autumn days. Its a great one, especially with two players, and it s always a lot of fun.TAG Heuer Mario KartAccording to TAG Heuer, the Connected Super Mario LE that came out last year was such a must-have among fans that the brand decided to do two more limited editions with Nintendos plumber. One is a Formula 1 Chronograph, and the other is a Formula 1 Chronograph with a tourbillon.TAG H...

Every time I strap this watch on, I feel there s room for more chronographs with big lume dots in this world. Four straight days with the Yema Valjoux 92 chronograph proved how comfortable and versatile a gold-plated chronograph could be. There is so much to talk about today. I haven t featured this decent chronograph sooner because I hoped to get my hands on Yema s history book first. It was supposed to be released in English maybe a year ago, but Yema decided not to publish it after all. I didn t investigate the reasons much, and I haven t managed to get ahold of the French original. I will ask the brand to send me a copy, though, as I hope to learn more about this Yema Valjoux 92 chronogr...

Last week, my colleague Daan wrote (or, more accurately, ranted) about the size of watches. He wants to see fewer millimeters from brands because he has a small wrist. However, he tried to argue that it is close to normal, as the average mens wrist size is 17.39cm.I noticed that many comments supported his request for smaller watches, but I also read a few comments from readers who completely disagreed.Wear the watch you want to wearWhat sometimes amazes me is that many people are so hung up on the dimensions of a watch. And that doesn t merely apply to the watches they wear but also to the choices made by others. Not too long ago, my colleagues Sinara and Sofia posted a little video on TikT...

Diving chronographs - yea or nay? I know, there are more polarizing things in the world. But still, I know people who love both dive watches and chronographs yet suffer from a short-circuiting brain when an underwater timepiece gets a chronograph bonus. I tried to keep an open mind when going hands-on with two new versions of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Chronographe Flyback. Theres a very lavish red-gold-and-blue version that doesnt look like a tool watch at all, and a ton-sur-ton titanium version that more or less does.They are the same, and yet they are very different. Both versions of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Chronographe Flyback have a 43 14.9mm case with a 2...

I ll be honest: I m not much of a black-dial guy. Sure, black goes with almost any attire, but if I m not buying my one watch, a black dial would always be my last choice… That is, of course, unless you pair it with gold. More specifically, gold print, hour markers, and hands. Then, my friends, it s a whole different story. That combo is enough to make me weak in the knees. I m not alone in this sentiment either, judging from the massive popularity of black-and-gilt-dialed vintage watches. And Longines, a watchmaker with 190 years of history, certainly has a few of those in its back catalog! Channeling the spirit of some of its 13ZN chronographs of the 1940s, today, the brand introduce...

I feel as though we are living in a post-MoonSwatch world. It s tough for any new release in a polymer case with a quartz chronograph caliber to shake comparisons to the Bioceramic MoonSwatch. Such was the splash of the Omega Swatch collab that there s a distinct line between pre- and post-launch in the watch landscape. So much so that the Breitling Endurance Pro, which came before the MoonSwatch, has been cast in the shadow. This may have to do with the higher price point of the Endurance Pro - over ten times more than the MoonSwatch - but also the Breitling s unique shape as opposed to the iconic lines of the Speedmaster. Not to be outdone, the Endurance Pro returns with an even bolder a...

These days, GMT watches seem to be the latest craze, and this is not without reason. For many watch fans, the GMT is a favorite complication thanks to its timezone-transcending practicality. I also love a great GMT watch. That s why I am all ears when a new GMT model is unveiled, especially when it comes courtesy of the Parisian brand Serica. Serica s founder Jer?me Burgert has built his brand on a combination of vintage styling and a great eye for technical detail. Today, Serica releases the 8315 GMT Chronometre. The brand s third model combines a new complication with plenty of familiar charm. Let s find out more.What I love about Serica is that Burgert walks his own path when it comes to ...