The world of auction houses can seem a distant, intimidating, and elite environment simply because of the sales that grab the headlines. Few of us can imagine ponying up the kinds of prices that recent blue-chip watches have commanded when they went under the hammer. But that isn t to say auction houses are only for the rich and the famous! In fact, luxury watch auctions - whether attended in person or digitally - can be great opportunities to obtain some fine pieces at a good value. At the very least, they can be an opportunity to learn about a particular cross-section of this industry to which we dedicate so much time.Today, we re shining a light on Ineichen Auctioneers based in Zrich, Sw...

OK Fratelli, pop quiz: 39.7 or 42 millimeters - that is the question! Of course, youve already seen the watches in the picture above. But I think those measurements alone would already give away which watches were talking about. Yes, we re discussing the Omega Speedmaster. And to be more specific, the First Omega in Space (FOiS) and its bigger brother, the Professional Moonwatch. I never thought I would be able to pull off wearing the 42mm Professional Moonwatch on my 17cm wrist. So, I decided to get the 39.7mm FOiS. But one year later, I ended up selling it and got myself the new Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch. Heres why!Before I really got into watches, I had a 43mm Seiko SNP005 Kineti...

Grey can be seen as a nondescriptive and cold color, but in reality, it can be so much more. The razor-sharp Audi RS color Nardo Grey appearing on vinyl-wrapped M3s by arch-rival BMW only underlines one thing. Like the new look for the Oris Big Crown Pointer Date, there is an inherent elegance to a sharp grey that just works. But, there are an equal amount of grey items that will look at home in a hospital ward if you get it wrong, so just be sure to pick the right shade.Consider this my curated collection of some of the coolest items to be born from the grey mists of COVID boredom. Watches and gear in #SHADESOFGREY are cool accessories that work with dark blues and blacks but will fail with...

Fratello On Air is here with another vintage-focused episode. This time, we talk about our favorite models from Certina. If you enjoyed our previous episode on Tissot, this will be right up your alley.Before Balazs and Mike get to the heart of the matter, there is some news related to current events. Then, it s time to move on to what has become a tradition - the Handgelenks Kontrolle.Handgelenks KontrolleNeither Mike nor Balazs chose a Certina for today s episode, but hopefully, you ll enjoy these choices just the same. For Balazs, he s wearing his hi-beat Grand Seiko 5640, a lovely example with both a day and date wheel. Mike is wearing his newly arrived Citizen Homer HO140501 from 1964.Ce...

Two years ago, the young German brand Vandaag released its first watch. It was the quartz version of the Schallmauer we see here today. Its timeless design combined with some interesting details set it apart from other microbrand offerings and saw it gain popularity. The brand followed up with other models, including the Tiefsee dive watch. Now, two years after its launch, Vandaag brings back its very first model in the form of the Schallmauer Automatik. The brand has replaced the quartz movement with a Swiss automatic chronograph and has added a number of upgrades based on owners feedback. Four new models of the brands signature chronograph will be available for pre-order on Kickstarter. I ...

March is a very exciting month for the world of watches. It ends with Watches And Wonders but begins with a number of other events. These include the Bremont Townhouse, where the Henley on Thame brand showcases its novelties for 2022. In doing so, Bremont becomes the latest watch brand to join the long-standing tradition of partnerships between Formula 1 teams and watch brands. It does so in style, and with three new watches, specially made to honor its partnership with Williams Racing. But the brands relationships will deliver more than just watches- But more on that later on in the article. For now, lets focus on the highlight of the partnership, the Bremont WR-22. It s a classically inspi...

We already briefed you about the new Seamaster Ultra Deep in titanium, but Omega also adds three models in steel. Available on a steel bracelet and on a rubber strap.The technical specifications of the caliber 8912 movement, the pending patents, the ISO 6425 certification, (etc.) are all identical to the Seamaster Ultra Deep model I discussed here. What s different, is the case shape and the material of the case and bracelet. To start with the latter, the steel that Omega uses for the Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep is called O-Megasteel.Seamaster Ultra Deep in O-MegasteelThree different models, in total 6 variations (on strap and bracelet) are available in this new O-Megasteel alloy. It i...

Parmigiani is still a young brand, yet the build quality of its watches is nothing short of astonishing. The watches coming out of the brand s Fleurier workshops exceed the standards of high-end icons that sell for far more. In fact, Parmigiani has built complete watches for some of the most praised high-horology brands. Parmigiani itself, however, is still is more of an insiders tip. The restrained marketing of the past surely played a part in that. But Parmigiani has resolved to change this by appointing Guido Terreni as CEO, and the new Tonda PF collection that originated under this new management has created quite a stir. The signature model of this new collection is the Tonda PF Micro-...

Let me address the elephant in the room first. Did you also think, hey, that new Aqua Terra in- (fill in your color of choice) looks like a great alternative to the Oyster Perpetual I cant buy at my local dealer? I know I did. The Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M 38mm with five new colorful dials is a fantastic alternative to not just the 41mm OP, but also the 36mm version of that watch C I still have no clue why ever canceled the perfect 39mm OP. 38mm is the sweet spot for a luxury sports watch with a touch of color; it releases a perfect dose of color. Another important aspect of the watchs power to impress is the structure of the dial. Gone is the nautical, horizontal teak pattern, and i...

Remember the Seamaster Ultra Deep from 2019? It is the Omega watch that played a role in Victor Vescovos Five Deeps Expedition, and went down to 10,927 meters. Now, in 2022, Omega introduces a version of that watch you can actually wear (as the 2019 piece had a thickness of 28.5mm). Meet the Seamaster Ultra Deep in titanium. It s part of the Planet Ocean collection and able to go as deep as 6,000 meters, or 20,000 feet.I saw and tried on the 15,000m water-resistant Ultra Deep when I was in the Omega Museum in Biel, Switzerland. It s an incredibly impressive watch, and definitely not suitable for normal wear. One could have guessed that the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean collection would receiv...

The Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch in Moonshine Gold. There is an almost magical ring to those words that refers to the brilliant Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Apollo 11 50th Anniversary. That is, up until now. Today Omega introduces two new Speedmaster Moonwatch models in Moonshine Gold that show how glorious the combination of Omega s proprietary gold looks with two new very classy colors. The first comes in full Moonshine Gold with a very dark green dial and bezel. The second model comes with a panda dial executed in gold with black subdials and a black bezel. Both Speedmasters are proof that an Omega Speedmaster in Moonshine Gold is something truly special.It doesn t seem that long ago that O...

Omegas current Seamaster Professional Diver 300M has become a proper staple of the brands collection. Beloved by fans of the brand and still one of the best dive watches under $10,000, it feels like we cant get enough of that watch. So finding out that Omega has decided to bring the watch worlds most popular color to the collection was exciting indeed. Youve most likely seen the classic blue and black models. Ask RJ which his favorite is, and hell quickly tell you its the white-dialed model with a black ceramic bezel. My personal favorite was the black ceramic and grade 5 titanium model - until now! Now, out of all the releases we have seen from Omega today, theres something about this SMP 3...

Almost ten years after Omega introduced the Co-Axial Speedmaster 57, the brand comes back with an updated, slimmed-down model. The outgoing one had an automatic movement. This update, however, features a hand-wound caliber. In addition to the updated matte black sandwich dial with faux-patina details, the watch is now available in three additional colors. Let s take a quick look at what Omega has exactly done here.The new Speedmaster 57 is still a very recognizable watch, very much inspired by the CK2915. The case, although smaller in size, stays pretty much the same shape-wise, with a steel bezel and straight lugs. The dial still features a small seconds sub-dial at 9 o clock and a chrono...

Once again, Ill try to swing the spotlight onto what I feel is a secret hidden in plain sight. This series is not based on bargain hunting, as your eyebrows might be raised already. It is simply a personal take on the impossibly narrow algorithms of Instagram and Facebook. is a perfect example of this. While we lament the impossibility of acquiring a Submariner or even a Tiffany-esque-blue 36mm Oyster Perpetual at its retail price, it is our own fault. has a substantial catalog of non-Submariner goodness, so dig deeper, and you might find a hidden treasure.Perhaps could ramp up production of the Submariner, but will it ever? I understand the brand just as much as I question the madness of...

Birth of the Cool is a compilation album by American jazz trumpeter and bandleader Miles Davis. Released in February 1957 by Capitol Records, the album is a landmark in jazz history, featuring unusual instrumentation and innovative, rich, layered arrangements heavily influenced by classical music. The music on Birth of the Cool is an important evolution of post-bebop jazz, and it helped other jazz artists to evolve further. And the Heritage Black Bay was the birth of the cool Tudor. The introduction of the retro-styled dive watch a decade ago this year was a giant step (John Coltrane pun intended) in becoming a brand that lived outside the shadow of . It also proved to be a benchmark in mode...

Titoni often goes under the radar here in Europe. That s a shame because the Swiss brand makes excellent watches. They re made to do their job without the unnecessarily aesthetic flourishes many brands use to distract us from inferior-quality products. Titoni s Seascoper 600 is just one such model from the brand s catalog.You may recall reading a review of the Titoni Seascoper 600 back in December 2020. Ten points if you did. That s because Rob reviewed the watch back then and was largely impressed by it. Coming in at $1,595, he believed there was a lot of watch on offer in return for parting with that cash. He was impressed by the level of quality that the Seascoper gave prospective buyers....

Is this perhaps the most obvious Bring Back request so far? There certainly is a vocal community out there that would love to see a return of the Tudor Prince Oysterdate Submariner. And though is perhaps not keen on the overlap, having clearly differentiated the Tudor dive watches from its own by creating the Pelagos and Black Bay lines, wouldnt it just be fantastic to see this vintage icon make a comeback? There is something so uniquely charming about the vintage Tudor Submariner watches. It comes from the more daring approach that took with its sister brand. Not afraid to mix it up, there are plenty of different dial-and-hand configurations out there. But if I could ask for just one to c...

The Globemaster Annual Calendar debuted in 2016, and not too long ago, it received a few dial updates. One of them is the green-dialed model that I have here, reference 130.33.41.22.10.001. To tell the truth, when the 41mm Globemaster Annual Calendar came out in 2016, I wasnt immediately a fan. I love the 39mm Globemaster, but the annual-calendar version that came one year later had a few things about it that I didnt appreciate. The 12 months written on the dial was the most notable one, as I found that the text was too in-your-face. At least that s how it looked in the press images.But as soon as I put the watch on my wrist, I found that it wasn t disturbing at all. There are some watches t...

It s not even March and I have no doubts that we are looking at one of the most unexpected reissues of 2022. The mid- 50s pre-Speedy chronograph, the Rodania Geometer, rises from the grave of horology once again. This time, it s under the surprising Massena LAB label.The entire watch community enjoys contemplating what is going to hit the market in a given year. Especially when it comes to anniversaries, everybody gets very excited and shares their wild guesses. But I bet nobody saw the Geometer coming back this year. Sorry, this century. And nobody saw it coming back to life by William Massena s hands. But ooh boy, what a witty release it was!Not Rodania, but the Massena Lab GeometerIt was...

Composing a Best Of article is never an easy task. You need to have an excessive knowledge of the brand you are about to dissect. Model lines, various executions, and one-off pieces, if they exist, all have to be part of the pool you are choosing from. On top of that, one must keep in mind that Top XY or Best Of lists are subjective topics and, as such, need to be taken with a grain of salt. Well, Im no Tissot expert by any means, but Ive been a fan and collector of the brand for a long time now. So much so that when I was asked to compose this article on the best vintage Tissot watches, I was happy to take on the task.My method was pretty simple: instead of focusing on my true favorites, wh...