At the 2019 Only Watch auction in Geneva, Patek Philippe surprised both everyone and no one simultaneously when its stainless steel Grandmaster Chime (ref. 6300A-010) became the most expensive wristwatch ever sold at auction. It pulverized the previous record, held by Paul Newman s personal Daytona, by over CHF 14 million. But even more fantastically, the one-off steel version of Patek s most complicated wristwatch raked in a jaw-dropping sum of CHF 31 million for charity. That watch alone amounted to over 80% of the proceeds raised for the Monaco Association Against Muscular Dystrophy at Only Watch that year. As the third consecutive Patek Philippe offering to take the top spot at Only Wat...

I m a fan of monotonous, boring, and dull watches. That sounds weird, doesn t it? But please let me explain. A watch that initially doesn t speak too loudly to me often turns out to keep me interested for a more extended period later on. And the opposite is true as well; a watch that immediately attracts me often becomes boring to me rather quickly. You ll understand that this makes for a rather delicate situation when it comes to actually buying a watch. Deciding for the Christopher Ward C65 Sandhurst, for instance, wasn t easy.Meanwhile, I ve more or less learned to deal with this kind of situation. Avoiding rushed purchases and many years of watch collecting also helps. Looking at a watch...

The first time I laid my eyes on these images I was reminded of last years shell-shock from MB&F, and am still suffering from horological PTSD. Let me explain the reason for my personal angst. I have a fairly constant desire and respect for MB&F and their creations, as mad as they are hypnotic. Comparing a $100,000+ creation from Max Busser & Friends with anything else on the market is a MENSA challenge in itself. A Rubber strap says sport, it is not groundbreaking, so why would a mere strap choice shock me? Well, last year this was introduced by MB&F, but not on a new diver or chronograph. Whoever suggested the uber-complex Legacy Machine Perpetual as the rubber-strapped MB&...

Philosophically speaking, the essence is that what remains if you do away with all the side issues. Its also the concentrate obtained from a plant or other matter and used for flavoring or scent. The Blancpain Villeret Extra-Plate 6605 is the essence of a watch. First, all the distractions - complications - have been carefully removed, and after that Blancpain went even further to get to the core of the matter. The result was a very thin watch with just an hour and a minute hand. Boring? Not if you know or are willing to learn how to savor the flavor of introvert traditional watchmaking.Allow me to make a comparison between the rose gold Blancpain Villeret Extra-Plate 6605 and food. When I h...

We all know that James Bond has worn a lot of watches throughout his years of dazzling us on the silver screen. Many of them were included in the film for commercial reasons. Some were the actor s choice. Some have aged well, others not so much. However, in the wake of the curtain falling on the Daniel Craig era, I thought it would be helpful for Barbara Broccoli and co. to have a few modern suggestions of which watches 007 should wear next time they head out into the field (or for dinner…).James Bond has lived a very varied life over the years. As such, I ve picked one or two watches for his six favorite activities, which I deem to be driving, diving, fighting, listening to evil villa...

Is it the best blue in the world? Im talking about the shade of blue IWC uses for the dials on its Le Petit Prince watches. I think it could very well be the best shade of blue; not too metallic, too light, too bright, or too dark. Anyway, IWCs signature royal blue also graces the dial of the Big Pilot s Watch Perpetual Calendar Tourbillon Edition Le Petit Prince. Other than its color, theres quite some other good stuff going on too on the face of this watch as the name suggests. Before going into that, let s take a look at the history behind the watch s namesake novella.Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900-1944) was a pilot by trade and a writer by heart. He came from an impoverished French arist...

The Omega Speedmaster is probably the most iconic chronograph in the world. However, it is not always easy to find your way into the world of the Speedmaster. There have been so many different variations in the past, and they re still are today. Since 2004, we have published 500+ stories on the Speedmaster. From hands-on reviews to very personal stories from Speedmaster owners. You ll find them all in our new Speedmaster Archive!The Speedmaster is the watch that was worn on the moon, by astronaut Edwin Buzz Aldrin in July 1969 and it is still worn by astronauts today. We ve covered the story on how the Speedmaster became the Moonwatch more than once, but we also thought it would be good to h...

I m just gonna be real with you guys - the Zenith Pilot is the most gorgeous pilot watch I have ever seen. Since the fateful moment I laid eyes on my friend Lawrence s Type 20 Montre D Aeronef Annual Calendar back in 2015, I have been obsessed with the design. For six years now, I have desperately longed to add a Zenith Pilot to my collection. I have bugged boutique staff, and I ve tried on nearly every version I ve seen in stores. I ve taken albums worth of wristshots, and I ve sworn it would be my next watch more times than I can count. And yes, I ve even opened a new bank account labeled Zenith Pilot fund to save for it. And yet, six years later, I still don t have one. So what gives?Well...

The Datejust is about as classic as it gets. It s a dressier model from , but it has all the go anywhere, do anything traits from the brand that also make it a great everyday watch. For the many of you who find it boring, I won t try and persuade you otherwise. Others, though, might be going through a struggle that I recently encountered; namely, which model to buy and how to feel comfortable with the purchase. I settled on a Datejust 16030 and this is my tale.It really doesn t matter which generation of Datejust one looks for, the variants are simply mind-boggling. This initially scared the living daylights out of me because I literally had no clue if what I was looking at was real or even...

Some brands focus on providing excellent leather goods, whereas, sadly, some other brands seem to treat them as an afterthought. It was, then, somewhat refreshing when I first came to see and learn more about the Scottish brand, anOrdains approach to what I think are some of the best leather goods around at this price point.I dont know about you, but I have found that my love of watches has taken me down a few different creative rabbit holes. Over the years, I have enjoyed a few different yet associated crafts related to watches, but the most recent one is leatherwork. I have developed a love for this natural material, and as such, I find myself paying more and more attention to leather good...

As soon as we mention Japanese independent watchmaking, from microbrand to Haute Horlogerie (please message me the Japanese translation, someone), you will get immediate associations to the dial art of Grand Seiko, so strong is their brand in 2021. The rise and expansion of GS as a separate brand has only just opened our eyes to Japans more hidden horological offerings. So while you might think its about the dials, as with many crafts emanating from the Land of the Rising Sun, there is a deeper meaning, even for a Self-Confessed (should that be Obsessed?) dialaholic. If dials were music, the discs from Japanese top indie watchmakers are like vinyl records for the soul, emitting the soft tone...

There is no getting away from it, is HUGE in the big US of A, but is really an American Company? With the most recognizable brand on any dial from Key West to Montana, the myth has deep roots. Did you know that a surprising number of people actually believe The Crown to be as American as apple pie and ice cream sundaes? That s right, and I am sorry to have to disappoint you, but it isnt. So where did this myth originate, and is there any truth to it? I mean sure is as Swiss as Raclette, right?The Origin of the #1 MythDid you believe to be a Latin term with intrinsic meaning, perhaps riffing on the passage of time itself? Well so did I, but do you know what? No, just like the myth of an A...

Lately, Ive found myself slowly getting into the Halloween mood. And though I dont own a single pumpkin-orange-dialed or all-black cased watch that would be sufficiently spooky, my Seiko SRPC35K1 Mini Turtle came to mind as a seasonally appropriate choice. In having gone back to this watch after several months of neglect, I must admit that I was positively impressed. This shouldn t have come as a surprise. It happens every single time I strap this one onto my wrist. In my opinion, its a near-perfect Seiko dive watch, and certainly better than the humble SKX. Yet for some reason, it flies well under the radar when compared to more popular Seiko divers.First of all, allow me to explain the sea...

Over these last couple of years, we have come to know Sternglas as a brand that offers Bauhaus-inspired watches. Inspired by the famous German design movement, the Hamburg brand has built a reputation for offering watches that combine style with affordable prices. But it s time to break new ground for the brand. Although the Bauhaus signature is great, Sternglas doesn t limit itself its restriction. The first proof of this is the all-new Sternglas Marus. It s a modern-day diving watch that explores new territory for the brand.When I first received the Sternglas Marus on my desk, I was quite surprised, to be honest. After reviewing a number of Sternglas watches over the last two years, I am u...

is the king of the luxury watch market today. That is by no means a bold or shocking statement. If anything, it s so undeniable, at this point you re probably checking who wrote this article to make sure his name isn t Captain Obvious. And while some of the brand s hot models, like the Submariner, Explorer, and vividly colored Oyster Perpetuals are on the simpler end of the horological spectrum, others show the range of horological capabilities the brand possesses. Watches like the GMT-Master II, Daytona, and Sky-Dweller are all examples of complications that the brand excels in not just producing, but producing really, really well.Some complain that doesn t make any complicated watches. I...

Recently, I wrote about a Panerai 3646 with an anonymous California dial due to go under the hammer at Webb s Auction House in New Zealand. One of our readers, Jeff Hess, got in touch with me to point out that my use of the term California to describe the dial was misleading, erroneous, and wrong. Now, I thought that was pretty harsh, but I m not one to take offense easily, especially when the person dishing it out has a good reason for doing so. Having looked into Jeff s justification for his claim, I found myself disagreeing with him still, but we decided together that the mysterious history of the California nickname should be shared openly with the Fratelli…So here we are. Jeff an...

I do envy Laurent Ferriers background. The man lived a rather full life before starting his own brand. As a Patek Philippe designer and watchmaker of over 30 years, he had time for Racing, coming third at the 24 hours of LeMans in 1979 ahead of Paul Newman. And this was well before he made his mark on the Independent scene. My life seems fairly devoid of panache compared to Laurents achievements. Somehow this is an intrinsic part of his particular design language. Perhaps the trademark designs of ultra-smooth pebble cases are subconsciously inspired by the aerodynamics of his racing past? Regardless of where the inspiration came from, the new Laurent Ferrier Square Micro-Rotor Retro adds a d...

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, some of them still affordable. In this installment, we will take a look at the best TAG Heuer watches from the 1990s.This week we will continue our journey through watch hi...

Way back in the late 1950s, somewhere in post-war Germany the original owner of this vintage Tissot Calatrava, Werner Sch?nhalls, received the watch as a communion gift from his grandfather. He was clearly someone who very much cared for and valued his possessions, so the value of the watch and its meaning made it far too precious for him to actually wear it.Though the watch did spend some time on his wrist, it was not long until Werner decided to keep the watch safe by placing it into a box in a drawer. As fate would have it, the watch would spend the better part of 50 years in said box. In 2019, Mr. Sch?nhalls decided to sell this watch, and I was lucky enough to be the first to notice it....

The Forstner A-12 with Bullet Bracelet is as close to a 1:1 aesthetic reproduction of the Bulova Astronaut as it can be without being one. And it is truly amazing.Sometimes, it s plain to see. Faithful re-editions of watches are rarer than they should be considering the wealth of unabashed heritage mining that goes on in our industry. When brands really have the guts to pull a page from the copy-and-paste playbook and successfully meld the desirable quaintness of old-timey designs with modern manufacturing techniques it can be glorious. There will be some who find that approach less ambitious than watches inspired by past models. But to them, I say, we have plenty of those; now let s have mo...