Lets start with a riddle: what comes after tiger, dragon, and snake? The correct answer is horse, as you probably have guessed after reading the title. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Enamel Horse will debut ahead of the Chinese New Year at the brands Dream Shaper exhibition in Shanghai in September 2025. The watch pays tribute to the Year of the Horse. Only 10 watches will leave the atelier in Le Sentier, but the exclusive Reverso, enameled and engraved in the Metiers Rares atelier of La Grande Maison, might also speak to those who love horses.The Reverso Tribute Enamel Horse (Q39324D3 / price on request) is the fourth in a series paying homage to the Chinese Zodiac. Jaeger-LeCoultre a...
Welcome back to another episode of Fratello Talks. This week, we come to you live from Geneva for a special conversation with Federico Ziviani, CEO of Gerald Charles. For those unfamiliar, Gerald Charles is the independent watch brand founded in 2000 by the late, great Gerald Genta. Today, under the stewardship of Ziviani, the brand carries forward its founder s unmistakable design DNA while carving out a space in the world of fine watchmaking. It s not every day we get to hear directly from the person responsible for steering such a historically significant brand. Thankfully, this episode gives us exactly that opportunity. Alongside Federico, your host Nacho and Fratello On Air‘s Mike...
I have long had a soft spot for Bell & Rosss X series. The BR-X1 chronographs were some of the most technically ambitious pieces the brand has ever produced, and the BR-X5 models proved that this ultra-modern side of the catalog could also deliver good looks. With that in mind, it was only a matter of time before the BR-03 received the same treatment. Now, on the 20th anniversary of the brands iconic square case, Bell & Ross has unveiled the BR-X3.The X series has always represented the experimental wing of Bell & Ross, borrowing inspiration from aerospace and pushing the limits of design. The BR-X3 continues that story, taking the familiar BR-03 platform and amplifying it with b...
Do you remember the famous Tissot RockWatch? If so, you are probably over 40 years old. The original RockWatch debuted in 1985 and quickly became famous for its use of a granite case. Not only did it become hugely popular all across the globe, but it also sparked an entire collection of natural stone watches called Jewels of Nature. Now, 40 years after its introduction, the RockWatch makes a glorious comeback. For people who know the original RockWatch, it will spark memories from the 80s. For people unfamiliar with Tissot s RockWatch, it will be the introduction to a still-extraordinary timepiece. It s time to find out more!My memories of the original Tissot RockWatch are very vivid. They ...
Audemars Piguet is known for many things, and the perpetual calendar is certainly among them. From ultra-thin variants to recent Royal Oak Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar references, the complication has been a cornerstone of the brands horological reputation. Earlier this year, AP launched a new generation of calibers designed with ergonomics in mind inside 41mm Royal Oak models. Now, for the first time, that same technology comes in a more compact 38mm case size. Thats right - a 38mm perpetual calendar from Audemars Piguet!The release marks an important step. Traditionally, perpetual calendars in APs collections have been reserved for 41mm cases and above. While not exorbitant, this meant t...
Let me make one thing clear: when I say that elegant watches are on the rise, Im not referring to timepieces designed under the rule of restrained minimalism. Elegance doesnt have to be quiet and introverted. Au contraire, swooping shapes, curvy lines, and delicate patterns are often outspoken, but the tone of voice prevents them from becoming loud-mouthed to the brink of vulgarity. The big, bold sports watches with a retro touch here and there look increasingly like clumsy dinosaurs stumbling around in a world thats no longer theirs. The novelties presented during the 2025 edition of Geneva Watch Days help to prove my point of view.It would be too easy to state that because style never goes...
Omega not only introduced the Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th Anniversary editions in 2019 but also brought back the legendary caliber 321. On July 21st of that year, precisely 50 years after the Speedmaster became the Moonwatch, the brand introduced that movement in a platinum Moonwatch, the Speedmaster Calibre 321 Platinum ref. 311.93.42.30.99.001.Omega Speedmaster Calibre 321 PlatinumOmega added several Moonwatch variations in the past six years. Since 2019, the brand has released the updated standard Moonwatch with caliber 3861, one model in Canopus Gold and two in Moonshine Gold, a Silver Snoopy Award 50th Anniversary edition, a white-dial Speedmaster Professional, two bicolor Moonwatch vari...
It was one year ago that Awake introduced the S?n Mi collection, ushering in a significant change for the young French brand. The watches, with their Vietnamese handmade dials, found immediate success. A combination of laquer, pigment, and silver leaf results in inky-abyss-like levels of depth to each dial. Now, to celebrate a year since the first release, the S?n Mi Silver Vignette collection is here, bringing a new feature.I ve mentioned this in previous Awake reviews, but the S?n Mi collection was a game-changer for the small company. A new level of finishing for the cases, a more serious movement, and handmade dials have come together to create a highly successful line. In the last ye...
If youre looking for an affordable, outspoken sports watch that can handle rough situations, the Alpina Seastrong Diver Extreme might be for you. However, the 39mm watch that debuted last year might be too boldly colored for your taste. Alpina fixed that by releasing two new versions - one with a black dial and another with a khaki-green dial. To soften the look of its angular dive watch, the brand also added a bit of Super-LumiNova mimicking aged tritium or radium.The two new iterations in Alpinas most outspoken line are not as retro as the Heritage Tropic-Proof the brand introduced during this years Watches and Wonders. Still, Alpina did give its angular tool watch a touch of retro to take...
Welcome back to another episode of Fratello On Air. We ve been on hiatus for the last month during the summer, but we re back in action! In this installment, we detail some of the places we ve been and what we ve seen. Cars and watches have been high on the list!This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings Yes, it s been a while, but we re back together. This week s podcast is primarily about cars and watches at events in major cities. Next episode, we ll be back with a more hardcore topic, which will likely cover one of our listener suggestions. For now, settle in as we recall our travels and experiences.HandgelenkskontrolleBefore w...
It s been only a few weeks since I reviewed the Traska Commuter 38. It left a lasting impression because it is a great daily wearer - let me rephrase that: it is the best affordable daily wearer I have worn recently. It proved to be a great go-to pick among other, far more expensive watches we had in for review. But what about a GMT version of that watch? As some of you will know, I am a big fan of GMTs, so that sounds like an even better proposition. I had a chance to find out more about the improved Traska Venturer GMT.The famous Russian-French artist Wassily Kandinsky once said, Color is a power which directly influences the soul. This statement certainly applies to his vibrant, oversized...
Just before Geneva Watch Days kicked off, I joined the team from WRK Timepieces for a rather special moment. Caroline and Nasko, the husband-and-wife duo behind WRK, were about to receive the very first fully functioning prototype of their latest creation, the ACF-02, and they invited me along with them. The delivery took place at Tel?s SA in La Chaux-de-Fonds, the movement manufacturer responsible for bringing this ambitious project to life.I already wrote about the launch of the ACF-02 when WRK first announced it earlier this year. At the time, the renders and specs painted a promising picture, and I was desperate to see the finished product. But finally seeing the watch cased up for the f...
Fortis is well known in the world of horology for creating amazing tool watches. It is also one of the few brands with a track record of successfully sending watches into space. The Fortis Stratoliner S-41 collection is a modern-day space traveler s watch that has achieved just that. Now, the Swiss brand is extending the lineup with two very different versions of the Stratoliner. The first is the stealthy Stratoliner S-41 Gravity Black, and the second is the visually striking Stratoliner S-41 Reentry Edition. We had a chance to take this remarkable duo for a spin.If you are a regular Fratello reader, you will know what the Fortis Stratoliner S-41 is all about. We ve covered the minimalist mo...
From the record-breaking thinnest-ever tourbillon in the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon to the genre-defying Christopher Ward Twelve 660, thin is in! It seems manufacturers are heeding our outcries for slim watches across (almost) all categories and segments. This is a trend we can get behind at Fratello!It seems like only yesterday when almost every watch review featured a variant of the following statement: It is almost great, but I wish it were smaller and thinner. The shrinking of diameters has been ongoing for some time now. However, weve been noticing watch thicknesses coming down recently as well, so we felt it was about time to unpack the subject.Manufacturers are focusing o...
Trilobe is a brand we ve featured on Fratello before, and I was fortunate to go hands-on with the collection last April at Watches and Wonders. The Parisian brand specializes in watches with a distinctive time-telling display. A series of rotating discs shows hours, minutes, and seconds. It s a wonderfully straightforward concept that now achieves a more mainstream look with a new model. Plus, the Trente-Deux debuts Trilobe s first in-house movement.As watch fans, we re used to seeing watches with unorthodox time displays. Most are interesting, but they often feel gimmicky. Trilobe, on the other hand, has created an off-center series of rotating discs that makes sense once explained. A popul...
has always produced watches that I have gravitated towards. For a long time, though, I grappled with some of the modern baggage that the brand has taken on. Modern sports watches have a certain bling factor that turns me off. The problem is that vintage watches are either unobtainable or, if I want to take one for a swim, at risk of failing underwater! This is where the neo-vintage Sea-Dweller 16600 enters the fray.Neo-vintage is a term that loosely describes watches produced circa two decades ago. The great thing about neo-vintage watches is that, in many cases, manufacturers applied the design coherence of familiar model lines but with great (smaller) sizes and some of the key technica...
Good morning, and welcome to another Sunday Morning Showdown! Last week s installment was all about sleek integrated-bracelet sports watches. This week, we ll focus on two substantial divers that came out recently. For Geneva Watch Days, Doxa relaunched its Sub 750T with the same 45mm diameter but a slimmer 11.95mm profile. We thought putting that colorful collection up against the new Oris Aquis New York Harbor Limited Edition II with its aqua-blue mother-of-pearl dial and strap would be a good idea.Sometimes, it seems like watches are only getting smaller.?However, releases like the new?Doxa?Sub 750T and the second?Oris New York Harbor Limited Edition demonstrate that brands certainly beli...
Since August last year, Schwarz Etienne has had a new CEO. His name is Florian Brossard. I don t know if this name means anything to you, but it means a lot to me. I have been following his way through the watch industry for a while. The first time I met Florian Brossard was at the Montblanc booth at the SIHH (Salon International de Haute Horlogerie, now Watches and Wonders) in 2013. With Demetrio Cabbidu, who led Minerva at that time, he presented quite impressive watches from the TimeWriter project to a collectors group that I belonged to. That was the first time I saw the Metamorphosis live.Florian BrossardEveryone at Montblanc knew Florian. This included salespeople as well as those man...
The Hermes H08 is a remarkable success story. Emerging from the traditional and complex designs of the maison s catalog, the cushion-shaped H08 in titanium seamlessly cut through the crowd. And the sports-watch segment is indeed crowded. Yet, the H08 takes the history of the brand s multifaceted design approach and boils it down into a wearable everyday timepiece. For the launch today, the H08 receives a light gray dial with subtle and contrasting finishing in two variations. The first has a crystal-sandblasted and rhodium-plated dial against a nickel-treated circular satin-brushed minute track. The H08 with bleu Saint-Cyr numerals has the same dial with a more contrasting black-gold-treated...
The Frederique Constant Classic Perpetual Calendar Manufacture is almost a decade old, but it continues to impress and surprise. When introduced in 2016, it was the most affordable Swiss-made mechanical perpetual calendar on the market. On the verge of the watchs 10th anniversary, its friendly price is still a USP. However, the QPs updated looks are also an attractive feature. After an updated, slimmed-down version earlier this year, FC now presents three new iterations - two in steel with either a blue or silver dial and a more luxurious limited edition of 37 pieces in yellow gold with a black onyx dial.You know what? Lets start with the prices, which, as mentioned, are a typical Frederique...
