Nicholas Bowman-Scargill is quickly moving up the ranks of a new wave of British watch manufacturers with the Fears family brand. Watches from Fears feature traditional styling and are spot-on for todays vintage resurgence. One could say the same about the timepieces from Garrick, and that can mean only one thing: the Fears Garrick has the potential to set the collaboration bar pretty high.Fears watches have a distinct language, and Garrick pieces remind me of marine chronometers and Breguet, a brand that has long fascinated me. When Nicholas from Fears reached out, revealing a secret that was four years in the making, I had a feeling it would be good. And I wasnt wrong. In fact, the two bra...

Since the earliest civilizations - be it Inca or Egyptian - gold was something special. The metal is indeed a meaningful one thanks to its real and symbolic value for mankind. Moreover, gold has been used as money for exchange, as a store of value, and as precious jewelry and other artifacts. The saying that someone is worth his or her weight in gold says a lot. It also brings to my mind the topic of weight. We, very literally, feel gold as an expression of wealth and luxury. But does an exclusive watch always have to be done in gold to feel luxurious? Its a question that some have a hard time answering. But its worth searching for an answer, as were experiencing some kind of lightweight lux...

I thought I was an as-found kind of a watch collector. Just get a watch serviced, and that s it. That was until I found a beautifully patinated all-black Gallet Multichron 12 with a portion of lume missing from the minute hand. That got me thinking… should I relume or not?What was I to do? One part of me wanted to keep it that way as almost a sign of respect for what the watch was. Now, I don t want to overcomplicate the sentiment here, but just as I don t try to change people and I take them as-is, I always thought I d prefer to take a watch with all of its dents, scratches, and even little cracks on its Plexiglass crystal.Missing lumeHonestly, I had not faced this dilemma before beca...

Yes, you read that title correctly. And it s true. This piece of woven polyamide with Omega-stamped hardware is more expensive than a MoonSwatch. I must remind you the Omega Swatch Speedmaster MoonSwatch is a fully functional Swiss-made quartz chronograph with a bioceramic case, Hesalite crystal, Velcro strap, and surprisingly crisp dial. Judging by these two purchases, I am seemingly getting much more bang-for-buck with my MoonSwatch. Yet I appreciate both items dearly for what they offer. The Omega strap in question is the 21mm SPECTRE NATO, which mimics the early James Bond strap with five distinct stripes. This particular strap has gray on two inner lines with a black center and black ...

Collaborations within the world of horology are a pretty common sight these days. But whenever the name Alain Silberstein pops up, I m all ears. The legendary French watch designer has a design signature that always stands out. He is able to surprise me constantly and brings a smile to my face every time. His style of design has that power. And my anticipation grew even bigger when I read that Silberstein teamed up with Beno?t Mintiens from the Ressence. The end result is the brilliant Ressence Alain Silberstein Carpe Diem' that is presented by the new platform Grail Watch.?Generally, I do not live with a lot of regrets when it comes to buying watches. However, I have mentioned before that...

One of my biggest fears is that I take things for granted. And by things, I mean both immaterial and material ones. Let me focus on the material side of my fear since this is a watch website and not a self-help platform. When you see as many watches as I do - a privileged situation, I know - it can cause an overload of the senses. You go numb a bit. Watches start to look alike, and prices become numbers without meaning. Thats bad. A watch journalist needs to be sharp and open-minded like a child. And during the recent Watches And Wonders show in Geneva, I did feel like a child again, and what I saw sharpened my senses. After an intense touch-and-feel session, I was back in on cloud nine with...

With the re-release of the Pasha Grille at Watches And Wonders 2022, Cartier has launched a model that comes very close to the design that the brand says was custom made for the Pasha of Marrakesh in 1943. But before we get into the new 2022 models, let s take a quick look back at what the Pasha actually is and when it came on the market; opinions are quite divided on that. Until the 80s, Cartier was always known for its small, often square and rectangular watches, usually made in yellow gold. Therefore, it was quite a surprise when in 1985, a 38mm round timepiece suddenly hit the windows of the Cartier boutiques. Believe me, 38mm was very large for a men s watch at the time, and some model...

China is a country of rich history, strong cultural heritage, stunning landscapes, and people that strive to refine crafts and skills to the highest level. Much of the world has known China only through damaging stereotypes and the products that leave its borders. Today, I m happy to showcase three made in China watches that are putting in the work to illuminate some of the country s history and heritage and shift the popular perception of what the label entails. Sea-Gull s 1963 Chronograph, Celadon Haute Horlogerie s Century Cloisonne Peacock and Peonies, and Ciga Design s U-Series Blue Planet collectively embody some of China s history, present, and possible future. The future of Chinese w...

If you want something done right, do it yourself. Thats the principle that offers a foundation to the story of Timenest. It s a story that begins with a gift that never was. That sounds mysterious and very poetic, but its true. Inspiration for creating the product came from a watch enthusiast who wanted to purchase a gift for a friend. That gift was supposed to be a simple yet elegant watch case, a storage solution that would serve to protect a watch at home as well as on the road. Living in Switzerland, they thought it would be easy enough. And who could blame them? The birthplace and throne of horology would be a logical place to look for watch accessories. Unfortunately, their quest was i...

The Tudor Black Bay Pro was the big one for Tudor at Watches And Wonders 2022. The watch was met with a lot of praise, but its design also sparked a lively discussion. Did Tudor make the right move by copying the design of the legendary Explorer II ref. 1655? Or is it a different watch influenced by the original Explorer II? The same questions can be asked looking at the second big Tudor introduction. The new Tudor Black Bay GMT S&G Root Beer was inspired by the iconic GMT-Master Root Beer models. The original models represent the style of the 70s and 80s perfectly. Did Tudor successfully salute that aesthetic, or should the brand have left it alone? Let s find out.For Tudor, 2022 is...

Searching for the right watch roll or watch box can be quite a journey. I have tried many boxes, including the now-discontinued Orbita aluminum case and a bunch of wooden boxes as well. None of them really wowed me, though, until I saw a handmade wooden watch box from Officina Creativo.Watch boxes by Officina CreativoI had already noticed Officina Creativo s work on Instagram, and not too long ago, my friend Ralph (@fiftyfathommilspec) brought his custom-made Officina Creativo case to the watch get-together we reported about here. I was thrilled and got in touch with Richard, the owner of Officina Creativo, to discuss the possibility to create a box for some of my Speedmaster watches. Althou...

During Watches And Wonders 2022, we saw a plethora of impressive timepieces. In the stream of new releases, we missed a familiar face that has returned to the spotlight. Piaget introduced a new version of its sporty luxury watch, the Polo Date in black. The watch not only brings a new dial color to the collection but also sees the introduction of a black rubber strap. This combination was not previously available from Piaget, so let s take a look and find out more.When it comes to Piaget and Watches And Wonders 2022, it was all about the Altiplano Ultimate Concept. This special creation that Daan wrote about?celebrates the fifth anniversary of the Altiplano line. It shows Piaget s unique ski...

Kings Day is like the 4th of July in the US, but brighter and bigger in the hearts of the Dutch people. Me, Im Norwegian, but Ill eat my hat if I don t put on something orange this week. This is easily the biggest event that takes place not just in Amsterdam but throughout all of the Netherlands. Be prepared for towns, cities, canals, streets, and parks filled with celebration. We kick it off with our #ORANGE Kings Day Special!#ORANGE is the color, and spring is in the air. And if youre just Dutch by proxy like me in my editors role, join in anyway. I mean, what better way to cheer yourself up than with a madly bright pop of juicy orange? Spring might not have warmed up everywhere yet, but w...

Fratello On Air is here, and we finally get around to answering a reader s question about vintage chronograph movements. Are there differences? Which do we like best? We attempt to answer some of these questions in a chatty, non-technical way. We hope you enjoy it! This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings Balazs and Mike love a good reader question, and after over a month of travel and tackling different subjects, it was time to respond. Our reader sent us a question about vintage chronograph movements. Which do we like, are there differences, and should some be avoided? Well, we aren t watchmakers, so the technical discussion is...

At my niece s birthday last year, the news finally broke that I had become a total watch nerd. I finally showed my family the Instagram account I had been running for a year and a half, and they asked me about the watches I owned. I named a few, and then they looked at my wife and asked, So, what are you wearing? She proudly showed them her Timex Waterbury, which I got her for around $80 a few years ago. What she didn t know was that, behind her back, I had already ordered a Cartier Tank Must SolarBeat for her 40th birthday.I got her that Timex because she had seen an actual Datejust at one of her gym classes and told me she liked it. Back then, I told her what that watch cost - roughly $10...

It s not every day that you get an invite from the folks at Tudor to come to see their manufacture and METAS laboratory in Geneva. So we gladly accepted their invitation, and Ignacio and I found ourselves in front of the impressive green building on a Thursday morning at 8:00 a.m.Tudor Black Bay Ceramic Master ChronometerSince the introduction of the Black Bay Ceramic ref. M79210CNU-0001, Tudor has a watch in the catalog that can call itself a Master Chronometer. This relatively new standard debuted in 2014 at the hands of Omega and the Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS) in Switzerland. This independent organization is responsible for the testing procedures and the actual certification ...

You might have heard the name Hora Mundi before. The dual-time watch isnt new in the Breguet collection. But until now, the travel complication could only be found in a classic case with a more traditional dial. The new 43.9 13.8mm pink or white gold Breguet Marine Hora Mundi travel watch is anything but a traditional globetrotter. The case is a modern take on the classic theme of nautical watches with very contemporary proportions and design details. And if the size wont get the watch noticed, the elaborate dial sure will.The party trick of the Breguet Marine Hora Mundi travel watch is its ability to switch between two timezones instantly. It took practice to make that possible - three ye...

I wasn t going to do this. My ego tells me Nacho asked me to write my entry in this series some time ago and that I politely declined due to general busyness. However, as time passed, I became more and more jealous of my colleagues having fun with this devilish exercise. So I slunk back to our Managing Editor, tail between my legs, and asked even more politely if I could also get in on the action. Three-piece watch collection for $10,000, here I come.I ve currently got COVID. I picked it up on one of my frequent travels for Fratello. Despite being sick with the plague, I haven t taken a day off work yet. In fact, because I could do little else, I worked through the weekend. Mostly, I was gri...

I hope you enjoyed a sunny weekend somewhere outside. And even if you stayed at home in front of the TV, the weekend was very eventful for the avid sports fan. There was MotoGP action from Portim?o in Portugal, the Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton at Anfield, and Formula 1 action from the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy. Plenty to talk about in the coffee corner, but maybe you also want to throw in some watch-related stuff. Well, if the F1 topic lingers on a little too long, you could mention a case of possible mistaken watch identity, the first topic in this episode of Coffee Corner Watch Talk. Anyway, enjoy your coffee and have a great start to your work/watch w...

The 175th anniversary of watchmaking in the small Saxon town of Glashtte may have been two years ago in 2020. The celebrations, however, are still rolling, well into the 177th year of horological activity taking place in the Mglitz valley. With the release of the limited-edition Ludwig 33 in solid gold, NOMOS Glashtte looks to honor the history of the town it has called home since its foundation in 1990.I was born in 1985. I have it in mind that I am very used to being told just how young I am by anyone even slightly older than me. However, it is only recently that I began to realize it happens rather infrequently these days. Throughout my twenties, I was uncommonly fresh-faced. Even in m...