After the extraordinary Panerai Combusin Experience in Italy – on which we reported here – we had the possibility to sit down with Panerai CEO, Jean-Marc Pontroue (JMP). Coming from Roger Dubuis, he s now Mr. Panerai, and we were eager to know what that means for him.#gallery-1 {margin: auto;}#gallery-1 .gallery-item {float: left;margin-top: 10px;text-align: center;width: 50%;}#gallery-1 img {border: 2px solid #cfcfcf;}#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {margin-left: 0;}/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */The setting is the?terrace of hotel?Avgvstvs in Forte Dei Marmi, adjacent to it s green and at that time sun-drenched garden. Is has to be said that, after the experi...

After a sell-out release of the original Ocean Crawler Dream Diver earlier this year, the Rochester, New York-based brand is back with a new limited-edition re-issue. The newest release features three new dials including a Blue Carbon Fiber, Red and Orange dials colors.The original Dream Diver release debuted with a run of 300 units. This reissue will see the same number of watches hit the shelves, with each striking colorway strictly limited to 100 units each.The Ocean Crawler Dream Diver has been designed to be the ultimate diving watch. Every single watch has been wet tested to ensure it can withstand depths of up to 2000 feet. When designing the Ocean Crawler Dream Diver, the brand consi...

This year we ll already see the 8th edition of the Only Watch initiative. The biennial auction of unique luxury timepieces from which 99% of the proceeds go directly to muscular dystrophy research projects. For the Only Watch 2019 auction, 50 timepieces?are?generously provided by their manufacturers.Of course, at Fratello, we ve been following the Only Watch initiative from the beginning and respect its noble cause enormously. We re glad to see that in the last seven editions no less than 40 million Swiss Francs have been raised and used to change the lives of thousands of children, teenagers and young adults around the world. Besides the results of the auction, we re always interested to se...

Welcome back to This Week in Watches – we have some exciting news this week, so let s get right down to it!Hamilton Chrono-Matic 50First up on This Week in Watches is a new Hamilton.? We received word a little over a week ago that Hamilton was celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Caliber 11 with a limited edition release based upon its highly collectible vintage Chronograph E from 1972, which is otherwise known as the Count-down GMT Chrono-Matic.? Hamilton was one of the original partners in the Caliber 11 automatic that debuted in 1969 along others such as Breitling, Buren, and Heuer, so it s fitting that they decided to take part in the celebrations.? Admittedly, Hamilton chose a ...

Although Zenith still produces watches way beyond my comfort zone, I m glad they remember and honor their past as well. In most of the currently available model lines (DEFY, Chronomaster, Elite, and Pilot), conservative models can be found. I see the Zenith DEFY Classic 41 mm as one of them.I m a great fan of most integrated bracelet(*) watch models. So yes, I like the Patek Philippe Nautilus, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, the IWC Ingenieur, and the Vacheron Constantin 222 and Overseas. I like the Girard Perregaux Laureato, and I could have liked the Piaget Polo S if its bracelet, quality-wise, hadn t been such a disaster. Ultimately, I have to admit that it even might be possible that I m ...

Do you feel cool when you spin your 60-year old bi-directional bezel on your diver in both directions? Hold your horses. There is a watch that rotates its plexi crystal in both directions: the Basis Alarm Watch!Full disclosure. I cheated on my Vulcain Cricket. Actually, on my four Vulcain Crickets. I got a bit tipsy in a bar at Budapest airport while waiting for my plane. Being in a good mood, I got involved in a tiny affair with another alarm wristwatch. It started online soon after we met and since then we see each other occasionally.?Basis Alarm WatchHave you ever heard about Basis watches? Me neither. An exotic name, pretty generic face, but an extraordinary heart. Months before I first ...

We had the opportunity again (click here for the first interview) to ask Andrew ‘Beef Johnston some questions. So we did, on golf, watches, and hip hop.English professional golf player and soon-to-be father Andrew ‘Beef Johnston was in The Netherlands for an event, and we could ask him some questions. Johnston, who has been nicknamed ‘Beef since his youth (and decided to keep it) plays golf since age 4 (he was born in 1989) and becomes a professional golf player in 2009.Andrew ‘Beef Johnston is an ambassador for Audemars Piguet, and you can find him wearing a Royal Oak before and after the game. With Matt Wallace, Jimenez, and a long list of other golf pros, Johns...

Ok, you outlanders, it s time for the latest installment of Wrist Game or Crying Shame and we take a look at a watch made for real toughies, the Yema Bipole Duopoly.Are you a tough son of a gun?? If so, you ll want to stick around to take a look at the Yema Bipole Duopoly.? But first, let s discuss last week s entrant, the Panerai Luminor 1950 Fiddy.? Like a song that s still suffering from having been played way too much on the radio – I still find Bryan Adams Everything I Do tough to suffer through – it seems you guys still haven t hopped back onto the early 2000 s Panerai train.? And while I d call you lot a crying shame, it turns out that a Fiddy for just under a stack and a...

This coming Thursday, September 19th, the Space for Art Foundation will host an extraordinary event.In the presence of astronaut Nicole Stott, which joined our Speedy Tuesday event earlier this year in Milan (full report here), the Space for Art Foundation will host a fundraiser event and impressive exhibition of space art (by children). Most famous is perhaps the spacesuit that is crafted and designed by children and actually used in space (and on Earth).According to the official website, The Space for Art Foundation unites heroic children around the world to help them overcome the challenges they re facing through the wonder and awe of space exploration, an appreciation of their role as cr...

On the inside of Lodger, David Bowie s concept album from 1979, there are images of an Omega Speedmaster Professional and a Flightmaster. We did some research on how these watches ended up inside the Lodger album.David Bowies Lodger, the last of the three Berlin period albums, is a concept album about a homeless traveler, released in May 1979. It received much less press enthusiasm than predecessors Low and Heroes, even though record label RCA compared it to Sgt. Peppers and despite hit songs, DJ and Boys Keep Swinging. Lodger did not meet the high expectations Bowie had set with his previous work. Nonetheless, the album became gold in The Netherlands and The United Kingdom.David Bowie s Lod...

It took us some time to have a closer look at Timex x Todd Snyder Beekman because it took us some time to find its original inspiration Timex Southampton for side by side shooting.It is easy to become posh when collecting watches. But I challenge you, when was it the last time you left the house with a quartz watch on your wrist?Why shall Timex Beekman be in ones collection?A collector once said: A true collector shall have all the variety of watches in his collection and should be able to rotate a stellar 10K timepiece with a 100 bucks quartz piece. Would you like to know the name of the collector so you can go and punch him? Dont google. Just read the name under the headline of this articl...

Slowly but surely the new Seiko 5 Sports collection becomes available in most parts of the world. This week it was the turn of our homeland, The Netherlands, and we went there to witness.Seiko Netherlands chose the bi-annually and famous Trade Mart in Utrecht to introduce the new 5 Sports line to their existing, and newly interested, dealers. At this Trade Mart fair, a dedicated booth was set up to show the feeling and image of this fresh, sporty, and easily accessible line.Further investigation of the Seiko 5 Sports seriesWhile all(*) ?models were on show here, we took the opportunity to investigate the actual content of the new series further. Making a breakdown of all models shed some ins...

Tudor introduces the Black Bay Chrono Dark to celebrate its partnership with New Zealand s national rugby team. It is a limited edition of which the number of available watches will increase over time, as it is related to the number of All Blacks players since 1903.Currently, there have been 1181 players in New Zealand s national rugby team since its existence, so that s the number of watches that will be made available by Tudor. That said, in countries like The Netherlands, rugby isn t really a thing, so the association with the All Blacks isn t relevant. If it were soccer, it might have been a trigger for Dutch people to go after this watch, for example, but it wouldn t work in the USA. So...

Let s have a look at three watches that hardly get attention from enthusiasts. It doesn t mean these are all easily accessible or even available at all, but they might be an interesting alternative to the Datejust, GMT-Master and Explorer models, for example.In every price segment, you can find something nice. In a lot of these segments, there are watches that might fit your taste and budget – either new or pre-owned.?Every watch enthusiast probably recognizes the conversation discussing possible next purchases – based on your love for the design, the complications and price – and someone answers: ‘For that money, there are some serious contesters. Ever thought abou...

We are proud that the Fratello team was chosen to be the first to lay hands on a Yema Speedgraf prototype that goes on pre-sale next Friday!I always find an unusual way of introducing my wife to a new watch that occupies (or is about to occupy) our household. Whether for a week or forever. Anyway, the evening when I unboxed the Yema Speedgraf prototype stamped 0000, we went for dinner to town. Before we left the apartment, I stood in front of my wife, looking straight to her eyes. I gave her a serious, slightly worried face, slowly raised my hand and put it on her shoulder. As dramatic as I could make it sound, I asked my wife: Do you know, what the biggest issue is in the life of a watch co...

Today we have a trio of watches: an Alien watch with a crazy faceted crystal, an unreal spider web watch from a brand youve never heard of before and a marine miracle and fascinating colorful dial.Question of the week. Ehm, life.One of the biggest riddles in a watch collectors life is to figure out the right number of vintage watches to have in ones collection. I can assure you there are a lot of approaches, opinions and recommendations on this topic. Rather than trying to solve the question for you, we will add some vintage inspiration that might reignite your collectors spirit.Technos Kaiser SignalDid you like our recent #TBT on the flashing red dot Mondia TopSecond? While browsing dealer ...

This report is about the kick-off of Panerai s new approach to Limited Editions, the Panerai Comsubin Experience. Panerai now offers buyers a unique experience when they purchase one of their special and highly limited models. This year, at SIHH 2019, we saw three different models offered, each including an exceptional package.We explained this already briefly in our article on an interview with Mike Horn; these three special editions are linked to two Panerai ambassadors and Panerais history employing the Italian Navy or Marina Militare. Concerned models are the Submersible Chrono Guillaume Nery Edition (PAM983, 15 pieces), the Submersible Mike Horn Edition (PAM985, 19 pieces), and the Subm...

Wrist Game or Crying Shame returns with a look at a true legend: the Panerai Luminor 1950 Fiddy.? Do you have what it takes to wrist-tote one of these giants?Last week, on Wrist Game or Crying Shame, we asked you to envision taking a time machine back to the 80s or 90s, working hard, but then playing equally as hard on the ocean blue.? Along with this traveling and choice of leisure activities, we also bade you to consider wearing the Submariner 16803 Bluesy.? And while the watch we showed you quickly disappeared from internet history (remember, it was listed in Miami), roughly 64% of you were happy to channel your inner Robert Redford or later career Kevin Costner and saddle up with this c...

Due to the holidays and travelling schedules, episode 5 of our podcast is a bit later than planned, but we made it. Available on Buzzsprout, Soundcloud, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast and Spotify. This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings Michael and RJ talk about Longines and our partnership with them on finding the oldest Longines watch in The Netherlands. This contest came to an end a few weeks ago, and the winners (and us) travelled to the Longines headquarters in St-Imier, Switzerland, to have a look at their production facility and their impressive museum. RJ shares some of the highlights of this contest and the trip to St-Im...

We travel a lot to visit watch events, but most are in the surrounding countries. However, we found our way to China for a special occasion last week.Oris launched the Big Crown ProPilot X in the centre of Shanghai, with amazing views of the famous Bund skyline in the background. With this event report, we want to take you behind the scenes and show you what has been shown to us in Shanghai.ProPilot X Event ReportAfter 17 hours of travelling, we arrived in the centre of a warm and humid Shanghai. Here we are welcomed by co-CEO Rolf Studer, David and Mona Weber, Michael Meier and Marco Gemperli followed by a nice dinner.In a relaxing atmosphere, we get to enjoy a selection of traditional Chin...