Montblanc has embraced the retro-styled looks well for a lot of their watches over the last few years. With the Minerva archives as a legit and extensive source of inspiration for both design and movements. The latest introduction to the Minerva inspired 1858 collection is the Montblanc 1858 Monopusher Chronograph. A smart addition that comes in a regular steel version and a limited edition bronze version.Over the last couple of years, Montblanc has increasingly invested in giving the Minerva name prominent place in their collection. What seemed like an odd couple at first, has quickly drawn the interest of many watch enthusiasts. I have to say I was wary at first because the names didn t se...

While the watch world is busy with the ongoing breaking news of the two fairs and major-brand launches/non-launches, the rest of the world continues to tackle the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic.If you read a lot of watch news, you could be forgiven for thinking the industry is on its knees. Here at Fratello, we re trying to take a more positive approach. Surely this industry is not just a victim? What about those who have sprung into action to support? We dont hear much, but there are watch brands, large and small, who have launched initiatives that deserve your attention.Luxury GroupsLVMH announced a donation of 16 million Chinese yuan (2.1 million euros) to The Red Cross So...

The latest Yema limited edition release with a blue-white-red French Air Force insignia is cold-bloodedly cool and confirms the obvious. The Yema Superman is a magnifique watch.Yema has equipped the French Air Force with indestructible and high-precision timepieces since the 1970s. The first models that left the Yema manufacture were designed to serve the Air Force Diver Rescue team during helicopter-borne sea rescue missions. Over the next five decades, Yema watches were also used by fighter pilots. Thus, the Superman?model became a unique?sea-air military tool watch.The latest Yema Superman release was jointly designed with the French Air Force. The combination of the original Yema design ...

Although the Bvlgari Octo receives a lot of attention these days, there s another icon in the brand s collection that shouldn t be overlooked. The Bvlgari Bvlgari! Today, we introduce to you the Bvlgari Cities Special Edition 2020.Originally introduced back in 1975, the Bvlgari Roma was given to 100 of the brand s best clients. Even in those days, without e-influencers, it mattered. As a result of Bvlgari gifting these watches to certain clients, the brand received tons of requests to extend the production of the Bvlgari Roma. There was an analog and a digital version (I tried to find a pre-owned digital version but without much luck) that had BVLGARI and ROMA engraved in its gold bezel. The...

It was only a few years ago, in 2018, when Vacheron Constantin introduced its Fiftysix collection. The line was not running with a new idea. It was instead a freshly developed interpretation of a vintage Vacheron Constantin watch. The reference 6073 came to the market in 1956, hence the model line name.The inspiration for the case of the 6073 was the shape of the Maltese cross. It also happens to be the logo of Vacheron Constantin as well. The Fiftysix timepieces reinterpret this and many other features of that vintage reference in a retro-contemporary style. For this year s edition VC released the Fiftysix with a new sepia brown-toned dial and a matching calfskin leather strap.FiftysixThe c...

In this Sunday morning column, two of our writers go head-to-head in an epic showdown for the ages. Strong opinions and hysterical hyperbole are welcome (so feel free to join in with the fun in the comments section below). And dont forget to let us know which watches youd like to see torn to shreds/effusively exalted next week. Well try and feature as many of our readers choices as we can. Are you ready for round two? Next up is the A. Lange & S?hne Odysseus with a sumptuous new dial.While you may still be drooling over the A. Lange & S?hne Zeitwerk extravaganza we featured this morning, we re coming right back at you with the second post in our SMS double-header. That s right, there...

In this Sunday morning column, two of our writers go head-to-head in an epic showdown for the ages. Strong opinions and hysterical hyperbole are welcome (so feel free to join in with the fun in the comments section below). And dont forget to let us know which watches youd like to see torn to shreds/effusively exalted next week. Well try and feature as many of our readers choices as we can.Heres something a little different for you, dear readers. Previously, in Sunday Morning Showdown, two writers have adopted polarized positions on a single watch. Today, were taking that idea and messing with it. Instead of one writer rating, while the other spends their time hating, weve picked one family f...

The Overseas line by Vacheron Constantin is on the move. It is stepping out of the shadows cast by the Royal Oak and Nautilus. Capitalizing on a groundswell of positivity, Vacheron Constantin is bringing us more options to choose from.?Ok, don t tell my wife about the new blue dial Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin. Last year in May, my wife and I attended a Havana Club and Vacheron Constantin party, in Whitehall, London. Sipping Airmail and Dark ‘n Stormy cocktails certainly lowered our inhibitions. Before long, we were inquiring about beautiful Vacheron Constantin Overseas watches that may have (definitely) been beyond our means. Luckily, the helpful staff members were more than happy t...

Looking back at January 2019 almost seems like looking back at a different period in time. But it doesn t mean everything is a distant memory. Last year saw Hermes release one of the best watches of the SIHH 2019 with the Hermes Arceau Lheure de la Lune. A little over a year later sees Hermes introducing five new Hermes Arceau L Heure de la Lune models.In a string of excellent releases last year at the SIHH, the Hermes Arceau Lheure de la Lune stood out. Despite its classic looks, it gave us something fresh and new, as you can read in Robert-Jan s article. The concept, technique, and execution are all incredibly well thought out. The Arceau Lheure de la Lune showed that Hermes is able to cre...

The manufacture from Le Sentier had big plans to properly launch the new and updated Master Control series in Geneva this year but unfortunately had to change track to make it a digital introduction only.Too bad, I have to add, because I would love to go hands-on with the new Master Control watches. The entire line receives an update, from the Master Control Date to the Master Control Chronograph Calendar. My favorite JLC complication for many years, the Geographic, also is part of the new line-up.The Master Control collection is a classic looking watch, without being too classic. The danger with very monochrome looking classic watches is that they tend to look or becoming boring. Nobody wan...

Welcome to a special episode of This Week in Watches. I say special because it s a one-brand show today as we bring you the Panerai Edition where I ll run down each and every new model for 2020.What you ll notice in this Panerai edition is a real focus on case materials. It s almost as if Panerai has transitioned into a Formula 1 chassis builder with its suite of cool composites. And for those who have scoffed at reduced water resistance in the recent past, rest assured that 300 meters it the theme here. Let s get to it.PAM01118 - Luminor Marina Carbotech 44The Luminor Marina Carbotech 44 closely follows yesterday s PAM01117 Luminor Marina. This watch also celebrates the 70th anniversary of ...

Have you noticed how many brands have jumped on board with the matching-strap-dial trend? Jaeger-LeCoultre presents a striking design that falls in line with this year s hottest look. Deep red juxtaposed with a stainless steel case gives JLC s most famous model a shot in the arm. This Reverso One has bags of character and demands your attention.If youre into bold colors, your prayers have been answered. The next time you re checking your watch collection for something striking, remember?Jaeger-LeCoultres take on red. The rectangular design features a 30-m water-resistant case that is 40mm length, 20mm width, and 7.9 mm thick. Made of stainless steel, it features 27 brilliant-cut diamonds (0....

As far as anniversaries go, this one is cool. While we re used to hearing about brands or specific models/model families celebrating significant (or often seemingly arbitrary) dates in their history, it is less common to celebrate the anniversary of a component, or, in this case, a?substance that went on to change a brand s history. But here we are. Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for Luminor, the tritium-based glow-in-dark goo that turns 70 this year.And how did Luminor s inventors Panerai choose to celebrate? By jumping the lume shark on a pair of rocket-powered water-skis, of course. While the Luminor name is now better known as the family that first brought the luminous sub...

The story on the iconic IWC Portugieser watch is one that is well known in enthusiasts circles. Today, IWC introduces an update of their entire Portugieser collection. From a three hands watch to a perpetual calendar.But first, lets do a quick rundown of the Portugieser and why it is such an iconic watch. Back in 1939, IWC watchmakers created a big watch on special request by two dealers from Portugal (hence the name) that had the precision of a pocket watch. At that time, IWC was well known for its precision pocket watches and the Portuguese dealers wanted to have that same level of accuracy in a wristwatch. Smaller wristwatches were the trend in those years, but unable to deliver the same ...

The Cartier Pasha celebrates its 35th birthday this year. With the help of designer Gerald Genta, the Pasha de Cartier (as the French say) was meant to be a sporty/sportier watch than they had in their collection at that time.Sportswatch is not the word that comes to mind when I look at the Cartier Pasha. Having said that, compared to the watches in the collection back in the day, it really fit. According to Cartier expert George Cramer s book, Cartier – The gentleman s files, the Pasha was meant to be a masculine, sportive, and waterproof watch, but with the stylish elements that are so typically Cartier.The original Pasha was introduced in a 38mm diameter. That certainly wasn t a sma...

Today, on #TBT we take a look at a Citizen Crystron Diver, a truly satisfying watch that won t break the bank. In fact, a visit to the bank might not be necessary.I never tire of highlighting the tit for tat behavior exhibited by Seiko and Citizen. These days, the heavyweight Japanese duo duke it out but it s less obvious because they re also battling it out with others. But back in the 70s and 80s, things truly went back and forth like an Ali-Frazier bout.High-beat movements, quartz, and solar exemplify just some of the technologies where the two followed each other in lockstep. In 1973, Citizen debuted its first quartz watch under the Crystron name. This answered Seiko s earlier Astron. ...

Greubel Forsey is known for taking functions a step further. They look at the way other brands have dealt with such complications, scratch that, and reinvent the way we see or use the same thing.Greubel Forsey consistently receives positive reviews. The brand s revolutionary approach has proven to be successful in the past, especially with the QP a equation, which has won 2017 s GPHG award for the Calendar Watch Prize.If it isn t broken, don t fix it - or so says the proverb. Few industries take this mantra to heart as ardently as our own. So, what happens to a watch that doesn t see fit to change fundamentally? It will be released with a twist, of course! In the case of the Greubel Forsey Q...

HYT s only model family that does not bear any chemical symbols, the SOONOW (as in Soon Now), is now a family of 5. Black and grey base tones with a touch of color, that s what signifies the SOONOW collection typically. However, now there is a new addition, the most vibrant of them all - the HYT SOONOW DROP THREE.With its exciting and audacious colors of orange, turquoise, and burgundy red, the SOONOW brings a fresh design outlook to the table. The very first SOONOW models were already extraordinary. HYT integrated its (genuinely) unique fluidic mechanism and convoluted, skull-shaped capillary into this model family. The SNOONOW DROP THREE goes one step further with its astonishing color sch...

Welcome to Wrist Game or Crying Shame, the weekly online reality show that lets you decide whether a watch stays on the island or takes the slow boat home. We even allow keimschleuder to vote! This week, we focus on a beacon of glowing light during these dark times with the Chronoswiss Timemaster. But first…Last week, I showed you a two tone Daytona 116523 with a slate grey dial. And while it s not my jelly, it seems to be your jam. The salt and pepper Daytona just barely pulled itself over the chin up bar. As a result, it mustered a 53% Wrist Game victory. What the Chronoswiss Timemaster eschews on gold, it makes up with a glow of another kind. Let s take a look.The Chronoswiss Timem...

The most daring and outrageous Horological Machine to date. MB&F has outdone itself by basing its new HM10 on our beloved furry friend.MB&F resides in the highest tiers of independent Haute Horlogerie. The Friends part of the name has given Max Bsser free rein to allow his wildest fantasies to materialize. Fighter jets, spaceships - objects of pure childish glee. So what does he choose to pluck from his deep imagination for the latest technical marvel? The stub-nosed, short-legged, and stocky British Bulldog. Possibly, the last thing anyone could have predicted. But then again, thats the kind of prank befitting a man of Maxs mentality.New Horological Machine N10Since 2007, the Horo...