If all tanks were made by Cartier, we d have the time to live in peace. Such were the famous words of French designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac. Hes so right. Everybody prefers a (boring) life of peace over the horrors of war. Cartiers Tank is like a gun with a flower in the barrel. And of all the Tanks that Cartier built, the Cartier Tank Louis Cartier is probably THE Tank. It followed the Tank Normale in 1919, and it was the second Tank that Cartier launched. Even in its modern guises, the watch is still relevant today.All Tanks in the Cartier collection stem from the same idea. The design takes inspiration from a Renault tank in service with the French Army during WWI. Imagine looking a...
What s better than fun for you and you alone? Fun for the whole family, of course! After treating myself to a new Bosphorus Briefcase in dark blue Togo leather, I found myself feeling a bit guilty. Why? Because my darling girlfriend, who has herself amassed a pretty decent watch collection, was moaning about how she had nowhere as luxurious to store it. And so I picked up the phone and ordered the latest Petra case from Bosphorus Leather in cream. She was, to say the least, thrilled.Now, while she was happy enough with the case, I cast my famously critical eye over it. What I found was excellent build quality and a colorway that s feminine, but not overbearingly so. I was so chuffed with it,...
I seem to be on a roll this week with a renaissance for large watches. Personally, I d been taking a break from the small and the svelte, wearing the only two 44mm+ watches I have left (a quirky Schofield and the Seiko Marinemaster 300). Then, as if a sign from the heavens, the press images of the new Greubel Forsey Balancier S2 hit my inbox. The timing couldn t have been more appropriate.When I first set eyes upon the Balancier S2, I immediately recognized the case and bracelet from the Greubel Forsey GMT Sport. When I found the case had been up-sized by 4.5mm, the words too big didn t even cross my mind. To me, it was clear that even with a larger diameter, the Greubel Forsey Balancier S2 ...
Welcome to The Fast And The Fratelli. With your help, we will find the best racing chronograph of the past ten years. According to our very fair rules, each editor will select two watches that must be able to track elapsed time for at least one minute. The watches need to feature both a tachymeter scale and a mechanical movement. And let s not forget the fresh and awesome factor. But well leave that up to the Fratelli to decide. Unfortunately, you can only vote for one of mine, but they both kick gas. They are the Massena LAB Uni-Racer and the Farer Bernina.Gentlemen, start your engines! Today we bring you two vintage-inspired chronographs powered by the smooth, manually wound Sellita SW510....
The folks at Minase Watches have done a superb job in spreading the word, not only about their brand but also about Japanese independent watchmaking in general. I wouldnt be lying if I claimed that through its Divido model, Minase has awakened us to a world beyond Seiko, Citizen, and Casio G-Shock. In showing us the Divido, Minase has made it clear that the use of the German-made Sallaz polishing machine is not just reserved for Grand Seiko. Yes, Minase too has brought us the very Japanese and obsessive level finishing called Zaratsu, which is itself a phonetic adaptation of the Sallaz name. And Zaratsu, my friends, simply never gets boring.The Prime Ministers choice????The effects of celebr...
Welcome to The Fast And The Fratelli. The goal? To find the best racing chronograph of the past ten years. The rules? Each editor selects two watches that must be able to track elapsed time for at least one minute. The watches also must feature a tachymeter scale, and their movements need to be mechanical. And most of all, each watch must be thoroughly fantastic. But we ll leave that up to the Fratelli to decide.I chose two chronographs inspired by vintage designs, and they show that vintage-inspired watches can be very different. With the Prospex Speedtimer SRQ037J1, Seiko presented a modern timepiece that only has some design hints from models in the distant past. Tissot, on the other hand...
We like to talk about vintage watches a lot within the Fratello team. Though most of what we write about is primarily focused on the most recent releases and developments, for many of us, a lot of the fun can be found in the sometimes weird and often wonderful world of vintage watches. It s a world full of history, remarkable watches, incredible stories, and quirky details. It inspired us to come up with a series of articles focusing on the best watches per decade from a select group of brands. Some of them are priceless, and some of them are still affordable. In this installment, we will take a look at the best Panerai watches from the 1990s.This week we will continue our journey through wa...
If you go back to my posts on Bosphorus leather from last year, you won t have to look very hard to find the enthusiasm riddled throughout my words. I simply loved, loved, loved the Birmingham leather watch collectors case and the watch trunk, and my passion for these products hasn t diminished at all in the twelve months since. Now, I am pleased to present the first of two new products I got my hands on this week. Today, I ll be talking about the new Bosphorus Leather Briefcase, which has arrived just in time for the Black Friday madness.Why am I mentioning Black Friday right at the top of this article? Because Bosphorus leather is taking part, that s why. There is a limited window of oppo...
Omega shipped us this gold Seamaster Diver 300M Chronograph after my colleague Jorg decided he wanted to write a hands-on article on this beast.Upon receiving it, he quickly called me and said, You need to see and try this. Not entirely sure what my feelings would be on a 44mm diver chronograph in gold, I went to our office and for the first time put the Seamaster Diver 300M Chronograph on my wrist. The end of the story is, that I didn t give it back to him for at least a week. What an incredible piece! I find it quite interesting to think that this watch has remained under the radar for me all that time. It isn t exactly a new watch, as Omega introduced its chronograph models of the Seamast...
Today, Rob talks with the founder of Sternglas, Dustin Fontaine, about his background and future vision for his brand.Rob Nudds: Tell our readers how you first got started in the watchmaking industry?Dustin Fontaine: That was back in 2007 when I was working at MeisterSinger for a school job. Packing watches, doing paperwork, and other stuff. I was absolutely fascinated by the watches and still, the MeisterSinger No 1 is one of the most beautiful watches I know so far.RN: What did it feel like seeing your first product come to market? Did you take time to reflect and celebrate, or were you straight on to the next project?DF: Honestly, that was one of the best feelings ever. The idea of foundi...
Last year, Aquastar returned with a modern reissue of its most famous watch, the Deepstar chronograph. The response was overwhelmingly positive and the result was a sold out sign for all four colors. Not bad for the return of a watch brand after nearly 60 years! As fans, we wondered about a follow-up model and now we have the answer. The new Aquastar Deepstar II is here and it ranks as one of my favorite releases this year.A year ago, Aquastar returned to the fray with its Deepstar chronograph. The watch was well-received and we enjoyed covering it in both article and video form. When I think of that watch, with its La Joux-Perret automatic, I come away with a few distinctly different points...
Not all pilots watches are created equal. What I mean by that is that its a diverse genre of watches. First, you have the giant monochromatic heritage models, faithful to the true aviation timekeepers of yore. They are stark timepieces that keep legibility and functionality at the forefront of their designs. And then you have their fresh-faced contemporary counterparts. The Brellum Pilot Power Reserve LE.2 Chronometer comes in somewhere in between, but much closer to the latter. With a healthy dose of classic Flieger looks, the appeal of more modern dimensions, and a high-quality COSC-certified movement, this latest release comes in hot with a stunning green dial.Having recently covered the ...
Contrary to what you may think, I did not pick the watches I m going to talk about. That was the Kraken s doing. That said, I could not be happier with this pair of great chronographs. The Zenith Chronomaster El Primero A385 is easily my favorite watch from the Revival lineup. The quirky case shape, the light brown dial, and the El Primero movement are simply my favorite features. And I like the watch equally on a bracelet or a strap. The red chronograph hand, with its dash of color, spiced up the watch for me and matched the other contender perfectly. Speaking of contenders, we have a Speedy to race our Zenith. Not just any Speedy, though. It s the one that has the most iconic red chronogra...
Last week, Tudor invited us to check out the new Pelagos FXD MN watch. Do I like it? Do I want it? Weve had about a week now to let it sink in (no pun intended), but Ive come to the conclusion this watch is not for me. It could have been, but it isnt. Let me explain to you why.Sinara (our social media manager) and I at the introduction event for the Tudor Pelagos FXDThe Tudor Pelagos FXD in a nutshellWe explained what the new Tudor Pelagos FXD is all about in this introduction article on the day it was introduced. On the wrist, the Pelagos FXD wears fantastically. The case measures 42mm in diameter, 52mm lug-to-lug, and just 12.75mm thick. Thats a very acceptable thickness for a watch with a...
The Sinn U50 S Mother-of-pearl S Limited Edition surfaced in Geneva. Not in the lake, but in a basement nearby that housed the Baselworld pop-up during the Geneva Watch Days. The highlight of my late afternoon visit to the basement was seeing and holding the black divers watch with a shimmering light blue mother-of-pearl dial.It all started with a stiff in the Baselworld basement bar. It was an Old Fashioned, if you must know, and it landed on an empty stomach. After going to watch fairs for quite some years, I still cant seem to manage to eat on time, but anyway… With an ever-so-slight but pleasant buzz, my eyes fell on the Sinn U50 S Mother-of-pearl S Limited Edition in the brands mi...
A journey north with Fortis Watches…Wednesday, November 8th, 2021Were out of bed early and meet one another in the canteen. Today is the projected launch day. The excitement is palpable. The weather looks stunning and the windsock is barely moving. We are confident. Our meeting up at The Dome is scheduled for 8:15 am and we troop up there en masse, eager to hear the results of the high-altitude weather test.The disappointment takes a while to bed in. At first, none of us believes it. The environment seems to be on our side. The weather is serene, blissful, even. The news that the wind speeds just above our head are too high deflates us all (no pun intended). The maximum windspeed we ca...
Unimatic has been making waves in recent months with a number of excellent collaborations with big industry names. And anything that means more Unimatic watches makes me (as well as more than just a couple of people from the team here at Fratello) very happy indeed. The latest addition to this ever-growing list is the Unimatic Massena LAB U1-MLB. This diver looks back to what I would label one of the most exciting eras of watch design for its inspiration - the 1970s. More specifically, the dive watches of the era. Sound good so far? Well, read on to get the low-down on this fantastic new release.I firmly believe that theres a sweet spot in the history of watchmaking and watch design. It li...
It has pushers, but its not a chronograph. What are the flat cap pushers on the Pierce Correctomatic for? I?will tell you thanks to my first watch swap ever. If you were to read and remember one single article from this years #TBT series, you are about to read it now!It all started in July this year with my story The Top Four Weirdest Pushers On Vintage Watches. Or to be more precise, it was only a?prelude to the?real story that followed thanks to the comments under an article. LooselyWound, one of our readers, asked What about the Pierce Correctomatic, it had pushers that allowed you to adjust the timing of the balance! I knew of a few other external regulation systems, with the crazy Speri...
Are you fired up and ready to roll some coal? We re back with another Fratello contest, and this time, chronographs are ready to light it up! Our team members have chosen racing-inspired watches to help get you into a track-worthy state of mind. Qualifying begins with a winner-take-all contest between a 70s-inspired classic, the Sinn 144 St S Anniversary II, and a watch from the grandpappy of racing chronographs. The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph is gassed up and ready to go. The fast and the Fratelli, 3,2,1 - ignition!The goal is simple, and so is the race. Race fans, you will vote during The Fast And The Fratelli Grand Prix to decide the best racing chronograph of the past ten years. To m...
When the Crusaders reached the Middle East in the 11th century, they came in way too close contact with swords wielded by Muslim warriors. The blades were made of a particular metal sharp enough to slice a hair in half. Yet the same swords were strong enough to pierce through armor. Needless to say, these weapons struck fear into even the bravest and persistent God-fearing warrior trying to conquer the Holy Land. And now, theres the Sinn 1800 S GG Damaszener. It s not a sword, but a watch, of course. Still, the question remains: does the watch cut through time like an ancient sword?Damascus steel, also known as Damascened steel, takes its name from the capital of Syria. But based on archaeol...
