We are gliding on very thin ice here. Does a privately modified 116520 in full black PVD coating open a taboo topic?I have a friend that wants me to hear me say I like modern Daytona watches. He wants it so badly that he left me his 116520 for a week so that I would test it out and feature it on 52Mondayz. A week later, I got a text message asking what the verdict is. My reply? I m not feeling it. But, after much heckling, I gave the watch another chance. It stayed on my wrist a month longer. And then for another four weeks after that. I could easily start a new series called 12Monthz because of this Daytona and how I postponed writing about it multiple times. People in advertising often s...

Perhaps the most recognizable luxury watchmaking brand in Japan has just passed its 60th anniversary. Since its inception, Grand Seiko has been a pioneer in the fields of technology and aesthetics. There are few brands whose component finishing is as well-regarded as the masters of GS. And now, to mark a very important birthday in Japanese culture, Grand Seiko is debuting a rush of novelties.It can be hard to put into words the extreme admiration a watch lover can feel for their favorite brand. To verbalize what is often a completely visceral emotion can make a man or woman sound mad. But for many of us, it is totally understandable. Fans of Grand Seiko will surely be pleased to see that th...

Porco Rosso is one of my favorite films from Studio Ghibli.?If you dont know what Im talking about after reading the article, please go on Netflix and watch the movie. You will not regret it, I promise.When I received the news about these unique timepieces by Seiko, I was more than excited. Especially that they come from the brands Presage line, which I have genuinely loved since their first creations came out in 2016.?Many of you probably remember the Shippo enamel watches with those mesmerizing deep blue dials. Or the new Arita porcelain dial Presage models. With these previous timepieces, Seiko saluted the Japanese artisans who created these beautiful masterpieces using time-honored techn...

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. This week the Vacheron Constantin Metiers d Art collection is under scrutiny. It promises to be brutal. Squeamish readers, look away now…Hahaha. Ha. Wow. Forgive me. I m enjoying my freedom while it lasts. After the brutal battering I inflicted upon Mike last week, I assume my time on the outside is ...

Another week has gone by. It turns out not even James Bond is immune to the Coronavirus. But in happier news, a raft of new watches hit the market. With many new models, Grand Seiko s 60th-anniversary celebration really took off this week. We re keeping you in the loop on that with our various articles on the subject. But we haven t forgotten the other novelties and news as well. Enjoy some of it grouped here in This Week In Watches.CWC T20 QuartzIn 1980, the British Ministry Of Defence released a tender specification for the first quartz watch issued to all branches of the British forces. While the tonneau-shape case?- employed by the 70s mechanical models - was specified, the early Swiss q...

As you might have heard, 2020 is a special year for Grand Seiko - the brand s 60th anniversary. For some time, a determined team in Seikos Suwa facility in central Japan had been working on the creation of a watch that would be as precise, durable, comfortable, and beautiful as humanly possible. The re-creation of that legendary timepiece has just launched. And it is a beauty.The result of their efforts? A watch with a 14k gold filled case and a slim movement, whose precision met the highest international standard of the time. The level of their achievement was such that it was decided to call the watch Grand Seiko. Now, in this special year, a re-creation of the first Grand Seiko watch from...

Yesterday it became clear that the newest James Bond film No Time To Die will be postponed by seven months. Since we re being forced to wait until November for our next Bond fix, we thought we d step in with a solution. This week s pre-owned selection is all about some of the watches that 007 wore over the years.In the James Bond novels, 007 wore a . The brand was a favorite of his creator Ian Fleming (who famously wore an Explorer). In the movies though, James Bond wore a lot of different brands until 1995, when Omega took over. As such, I ve compiled a small selection of watches that James Bond wore over the years. All of these models are available pre-owned on Chrono24. Since Brosnan made...

The HYT H5 line might be the best looking of them all.At least that s what I think. To be completely honest, I m a bit biased about this brand. Let me explain. The watch industry has many different faces. Different audiences are shown different looks. These looks can be based on any number of sales driven factors like price points or cultural trends, for example. While the bulk of the industry creates consumable products, it is the responsibility fo some brands - some brands like HT - to exist outside of reality. To push boundaries. To break new ground. And to remind us to care.HYT has done that by combining mechanical watchmaking and liquids. Only a handful of brands even dared to experimen...

We have news of the 55th Anniversary Seiko Diver s Watch Limited Edition pieces.? Seiko celebrates its past with innovative materials and updated color schemes on its most iconic undersea watches.Here we are one year later and we re more than ready to talk about the newest Seiko releases. With Seiko, there s always something in the brand s past to celebrate. We re excited to talk about the 55th Anniversary Seiko Diver s Watches. If you re at all a fan of Seiko, you ve likely taken one quick glance at the header photo and have concerns. We ve seen these watches before and I ll certainly address that. I ll also address what makes these different while giving you my unbiased opinion.Three Iconi...

The reputedly indestructible and impenetrable Yema Navygraf II has a unique bezel sliding system that won my heart instantly.When I say Yema, the famous Superman Diver comes to mind for most vintage watch collectors. Mike reviewed the 1960s Superman with a unique bezel locking mechanism for #TBT a few years ago. We also covered last years Yema Superman Heritage Bronze re-edition during its successful Kickstarter campaign. Recently, I ran into another Yema diver watch. It is still flying under the radar, but I dare say it is at least as astonishing as the Yema Superman. If not a bit more. Meet the Yema Navygraf II.Navygraf II is my French PloprofIf the Yema Navygraf II were a few sizes bigger...

Episode 11 is about the effect of the Coronavirus on the watch shows and the watch industry in general, where we service our watches and an open discussion on the Seiko and Grand Seiko limited editions.This means we are all over the place in this episode, but we decided to touch a few different topics since it was already a few weeks ago when we recorded our last Fratello on Air podcast.After the mandatory wrist check (see below), Michael and RJ discuss these topics in this 50-minute podcast. Our Fratello-on-Air podcast can be played via Apple,?Soundcloud,?Spotify,?Google Podcast, and?Buzzsprout. This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie sett...

The latest news coming out of H?lstein will surely please the fans of the Oris Aquis Date timepieces.The brand is releasing two new models, both Aquis divers and both with a date. That s pretty much where the similarity ends, though. One of the cornerstones of Oris s strategy is to create affordable and high-quality tool watches. Whether we are talking about timepieces for pilots or divers, this DNA crops up in all of them. The brand s watches are built to last and have a very distinct Oris look. The Aquis collection is arguably the best-known Oris line among divers. The Oris Divers collection appeals to those with an active lifestyle. Both of the collection s new additions are more than cap...

Despite the cancellation of Grand Seiko s summit, the new watches are being introduced anyway (kudos for that). Thus, we re kicking off with the new Grand Seiko 60th Anniversary Professional Diver s 600M.That s right, Grand Seiko was born in 1960 and celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. Not exactly the celebration they had in mind in Japan, but I am sure we will get an opportunity to see the watches live and to test drive them. For now, we ll have to make do with the press releases they ve shared with us.Grand Seiko 60th Anniversary Limited Edition Diver s 600MThis watch might look familiar to you. It looks similar to the Grand Seiko Diver SBGA231G (that I reviewed here) or perhaps bet...

Welcome to Wrist Game or Crying Shame, where you can vote even if youre not allowed to travel! This week, well take a look at the Precision 6694, a relative oddity within the brands semi-modern repertoire. But first-Last week, I tempted you with the 90s Eberhard Aviograf, a watch that few of you had ever seen. Well, seeing it the first time brought feelings of amore as you blessed this watch with an 86% Wrist Game vote. That Eberhard was a manual wind watch and, with the Precision 6694, we have yet another for your consideration. This one just so happens to sit within an Oyster case while sporting a screw-down crown - better flex those fingers!Now before you start your collective hollerin...

This is what Louboutin s?watch should look like. At least the case back. Introducing the 39mm Farer Aldrich World Timer with a pearly dial and daring red rotor. When I first saw Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso designed by Christian Louboutin a few years ago, I was a bit meh. With all due respect to one of the worlds most revered luxury footwear designers, I?expected more. You can only imagine how amused I?was when I?turned around the new World Timer Aldrich from Farer. Not designed for women specifically, but here it is. An interesting, line-cut rotor coated in a matt racing red. A?bit off? Maybe. Do I?mind? Why would I?Farer sizeSpeaking of women and Louboutins red-bottomed shoes, this is definite...

Omega recently added two new dials for its successful Seamaster Aqua Terra collection. One in blue, and one in green. While blue could already be found on previous Aqua Terra models, green was only used for details, like on the PGA edition of the watch.An entirely green dial is new for the Seamaster Aqua Terra collection. And, quite to my surprise, I must say it looks damn good. I was already quite impressed by the green accents on the Aqua Terra PGA edition (which we reviewed here). To me, those accents made it one of the most attractive watches in this collection. And now, a few weeks ago, Omega started to deliver these green (and new blue) dial Aqua Terra watches to its boutiques.The bran...

The early 2000s saw some great Moonwatch variations for collectors. Unfortunately, it was during a time where I was still a student and didn t have the means to go after that Mitsukoshi, Snoopy, Japan Racing, or this Apollo XI 35th anniversary edition from 2004.All of these watches have long since sold out, but you can still find them on the pre-owned market. Very occasionally, you might find them in NOS (New Old Stock) condition. When it comes to regret, there are few watches I regret missing out on more than this Apollo XI 35th anniversary model. One year before its release, Omega released a special edition for a?Japanese department store called Mitsukoshi (an AD of Omega s at the time). I...

Breitling has been delivering hit after hit over the last twelve months. The Breitling Navitimer 1959 re-edition is a favorite of many including some of the Fratello team members. But does everything the brand touches turn to gold? Let s take a look at another recent release, the Navitimer B03 Chronograph Rattrapante 45 in 18k red gold.Let s just dive in straight away and compliment Breitling with making waves in the industry. With Georges Kern at the helm, the brand has found relevance amongst watch enthusiasts with a great number of releases. Some of them are re-issues of well-known classics like the Navitimer 1959 re-edition and the AVI Ref. 765 1953. Another release that stood out is the...

Jean-Claude Biver is a living legend and has been a purveyor of high-end watches since he was 18. His passion for watches stems from his childhood joy of steam machines and mechanical objects. In bustling West London, PHILLIPS PERPETUAL hosted a collection of Jean-Claude Biver s treasured collection of watches. During the evening, Biver divulged his story on his rise to the Head of the LVMH Watch Division.Spear-heading the marketing for the Royal Oak soon after its launch, Jean-Claude left Audemars Piguet for Omega. Appreciating the art of watch-making from AP and understanding the business at Omega gave him the great impetus to purchase the fledgling Blancpain brand. In a short time, he tur...

Who s not a fan of the Omega Seamaster 300M?I guess there are some of you out there. Especially hardcore Speedmaster fans. I get it; the Seamaster 300M collection is not as homogenous as the Speedmaster s. But I guess this is part of its charm. It includes watches that still look great 25 years after they first appeared on James Bond s wrist in Goldeneye (1995). Of course, over time, they changed quite a lot, yet the significant features remained the same. So, I thought it was time to take the new Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Co-Axial Master Chronometer Chronograph for a spin. In this case, the spin is, as you know, a week on the wrist. Is it going to wear heavy after a few days, or will I be ...