We recently learned that, chaired by Evelyne Genta, the Gerald Genta Heritage Association has been established. Evelyne, a citizen of Monaco, today lives in London and has founded the association to pay tribute to one of the greatest watchmaking designers and encourage and reward promising young talents.Evelyne Genta establishes the Gerald Genta Heritage AssociationFor years and years, Gerald Genta s designs have intrigued watch aficionados worldwide. We were amongst them, proving the fair amount of coverage of Gerald s work from the early days here at Fratello Watches. First articles on this design genius appeared here and here early 2009, that s 10 years ago. We even organized a Gerald Gen...
A Chicago based start-up brand by the name of Carpathia Watch Co. has debuted their first watch, the Ascent. Aiming to combine vintage appeal and modern trends, the company is bringing luxury timepieces back to the city that was once home to several 19th century watch companies. With a reputable mechanical movement and design elements inspired by Chicago, Carpathia hopes to bring the reputation and quality of Swiss watchmaking to their city.Carpathias founder Mark Para is no stranger to the watch world; as a long time horolophile and watch designer, it was only a matter of time before he set out to start his own brand. Mark and his wife Helena have dedicated themselves to building Carpathia ...
A few months ago, I wrote why I did not buy the famous and much praised Grand Seiko Snowflake. Today I will tell you why I bought the Grand Seiko SBGJ201 Mt. Iwate instead.Without writing too much about the background story (you can read that here), I was undoubtedly after the Grand Seiko SBGA211, or Snowflake. I was mesmerized by the structure of the dial, ever since I handled it during my first trip to Japan in 2015 to see the Grand Seiko manufacture. Sure, there were some cons for me as well about this watch, like the power reserve indicator and the titanium material, but the beautiful snowflake structure of the dial and the Spring Drive movement were more important to me. Theres nothing ...
After reading this article you will definitely start thinking about what car to match with this watch. Ideally? A new old car. Ladies and gentlemen (or just gentlemen according to current analytics on readers, but we believe we will attract more female fans in days to come!), fasten your seatbelts. We are about to explore a unique 70 years old marvel C the Marvin Tyre watch.Watch in a tyre?Very few watches can achieve embedding a unique selling proposition into its name in a way that allows you to instantly get the whole story and not sound generic, superficial or made up. No over the top headline needed for an article about the Marvin Tyre watch. It is a simple descriptor, yet it has that w...
Our friends over at Hodinkee have something cool to offer today: an?IWC Pilots Watch Mark XVIII Edition HODINKEE. A limited edition timepiece that IWC did together with the team at Hodinkee, based on the famous Pilot s watches from 1948 and onwards. Inspired by the old, but definitely using some pretty cool innovation: a case made of Ceratanium, an alloy that is as light as titanium and as scratch-resistant as ceramic.IWC Pilots Watch Mark XVIII Edition HODINKEELimited to 500 pieces only, this IWC Mark XVIII Edition Hodinkee will tick a lot of boxes for collectors of cool watches. What about a 39mm case (not too big, not too small), a dial without a date aperture and the aforementioned Cerat...
Many of you will know that we, the authors at Fratello, are privately active on several social media channels. For instance, we love to take part in discussions and share our suspected knowledge in Facebook groups. Besides our effusive interest in horology in general, we have our personal specific fields of interest. And so it comes that you ll often find us dwelling at specialized groups which reflect our personal preference or specialism.It will be no surprise that you ll find me in Facebook groups like ‘Omega Mania and ‘#speedytuesday . However, there s another, probably lesser known, field I m interested in. And that is Casio G-Shock Squares. In this weeks You Asked Us insta...
Grand Seiko brightens up our morning by introducing no less than 4 new references in their Elegance collection. Not only do they come up with a new hand-wound movement (caliber 9S63), they also introduce you to their new 39mm case design.Let s have a closer look.Grand Seiko Elegance Hand-WoundThis news hit us early this morning (4:20am local time). A new movement is a big thing, as always, and especially when it was already 8 years ago since the last hand-wound Grand Seiko movement was introduced. Today, Grand Seiko unveils their caliber 9S63 movement. A movement with a small seconds hand at 9 o clock and a power reserve indicator at 3 o clock. The new Grand Seiko Elegance watches with this ...
SIHH is fun for many reasons. Its a great place to catch up with our fellow journalists from all over the world. Its also great to get a taste of this years buzz from the Richemont brands. Last but not least SIHH is an amazing experience for fans of the independents. These brands often have limited marketing budgets compared to the big names like Cartier, Panerai or Audemars Piguet (also independent of course). They dont often organize huge events, and press roadshows around the globe. So, seeing them and actually their whole staff together in one place is as rare as it gets. More important than that, of course, are the novelties they are bringing to the show each year. H.Moser? & Cie is...
When A. Lange & S?hne present their novelties they always do so with a modest amount. This year was no exception apart from the fact that they announced to launch a new Lange 1 each month up to its 25th anniversary in October. But as those are yet to be released, so let s have a look at their other novelty, the new Zeitwerk Date.Another anniversary for A. Lange & S?hneBesides the Lange 1 there is another occasion for A. Lange & S?hne to celebrate. This year is the 10th anniversary of the Zeitwerk, which was first launched back in 2009. Where A. Lange & S?hne is known for their big date, the Zeitwerk is one of the few watches out there which comes with a large digital time dis...
Before I get to this stunning looking IWC Big Pilot Constant-Force Tourbillon Edition Le Petit Prince, I have to admit something. I never read Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince) as a child.It was only a few months ago that I decided to order the book, as I felt that what I have missed, I want to catch up together with my young daughter. So, I started reading it to my five-year old daughter, only to realize on the 2nd page already, that she might be a bit too young to understand. I tried until page 25 and although she listened very carefully, I am sure she didnt get much of it. Every time I choose a book from her collection to read her a bedtime story, my eyes are drawn to Le Petit Prince. I...
There is no better time to write about this watch than now. I am not sure if it is me or the gaskets, oils and tiny particles in all my 60+ year old watches that dont feel very comfortable experiencing the temperature shocks of walking from cold streets to well heated meeting rooms. Anyway, if there is one mechanical timepiece designed to enjoy this freezing January weather it would be the surrealistic LIP Thermometer from 1970.Surrealistic LIP ThermometerSurrealistic, obscure, funky, unorthodox – you choose. I genuinely believe that the design of this LIP Thermometer with reference number 42670 deserves each one of the previously mentioned adjectives. French. Very French. Think of it ...
The watch everyone came to admire at their booth this year was the Baume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic Perpetual Calendar. It is a beautiful watch, easily the most photographed one in their booth at SIHH 2019.However, lets not forget the fact that their Clifton Baumatic collection received an extension with 5 new other models (6 all together, including the perpetual calendar). The basis of these new models is two features: the introduction of a red gold case and a gradated blue dial. So far, the Baume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic models only came in a steel or two-tone case. The dial options were white or black. With the new releases from Baume & Mercier in 2019, this is about to chan...
Under the bright booth lights at Baselworld, its far too easy for a watch like the Omega Seamaster Titanium Tantalum to disappear into the ether. With its soft colors, the watch blends into the light earth tones that Omega employs within its confines (or did, as 2018 was the last year for the brand at the show). And so yes, I consider this to be a bit of an already-forgotten piece despite the fact that it hasnt shipped to boutiques yet C its planned for March. Therefore, I thought it wise to bring this Seamaster back to the forefront with a hands-on review. I kept and wore this watch for nearly two weeks and took a lot of pictures because, with this watch, the details are key.2018 – Th...
Back in December last year, Oris invited us to Zermatt for a presentation of their 2019 models. And not only for a presentation, however, for a marvellous day of skiing as well. So far for our writing being totally unbiased.While most of the models are under embargo and will be presented during Baselworld this year, one model was already introduced publicly by Oris two weeks ago. The?Oris ProDiver Dive Control Limited Edition.The all new and limited Oris Dive ControlOris ProDiver Dive Control Limited EditionThe thing was that Oris introduced this model a few days before the havoc of SIHH 2019 broke loose. I see a high risk of the watch being snowed under and forgotten because of that. And I ...
ABOUT ARTISANS DE GENeVE – OF INDEPENDENT CRAFTSMENArtisans de Geneve is a watchmaking Maison based in Geneva, Switzerland. We offer an exclusive service of watch modification based on styles we propose. Our modifications are made exclusively upon request on a very limited number of timepieces,? in our workshops in Switzerland, by independent and highly skilled craftsmen. Artisans de Geneve gathers the best Swiss experts and manufactures around essential values of savoir-faire, excellency and uniqueness. We are an independent Maison and this independence is a testament of quality and creativity.Visit the website for more information: www.artisansdegeneve.comArtisans de Geneve and Juan ...
A chronograph watch is a practical wearable measuring device that can record intervals of time upon the will of the owner of the chronograph watch, as well as telling the time of the day.Chronograph Mechanism ExplainedA stopwatch or a timer is different from the chronograph, its an instrument that only measures short intervals of time, this is a much simpler type of time recorder as it lacks the addition of telling the time of the day.The word chronograph should not be mixed up with the word chronometer as chronometer refers to accuracy, but a chronograph watch may also be rated by an independent rating institute such as C.O.S.C. and if it passes the stringent rate tests, it will receive a c...
Between the introduction of a new watch and the actual delivery to the market can be quite some time. Weeks, months and sometimes even over a year. It is one of the biggest frustrations of watch consumers.In some cases, it is understandable that it might take a little longer, when specific materials are used or when a watch is completely hand-built and hand-finished. The Panerai Submersible BMG-Tech PAM00692 I have here today is a watch that belongs to the first category. It uses BMG technology, a new light-weight metal that consists of different alloys. After this watch was introduced in 2017, it took a while before it hit the market. We recently received the Panerai Submersible BMG-Tech PA...
In today s edition of #TBT, we ll focus on a unique chronograph, the Tissot Mediostat.? We ll do our best to keep up the good work on Tissot, so consider this as a follow-up to our earlier #TBT on the Tissot Antimagnetique and the modern reissue, the Heritage Petite Seconde. ? It was only recently that I?heard Mr. Biver dropping a seemingly irrelevant note in a?podcast interview. While sharing his stories and ideas with a passion genuine to only him he mentioned that he wears his chronograph watches with the chronograph always running. I?had to stop the interview for a?while as I?was so amused by this concept. I?had never thought about wearing my chronograph watches always running. I?often p...
Again interesting matter here at You Asked Us. One of our regular readers, Jordy, sent us a question about the possible discoloring of Luminova and Super-LumiNova.You Asked Us: Will Super-LumiNova, just like Tritium, Discolor When It Ages?Here s the full text of the question:From: JordyMessage Body:Hi guys!This is a question that s been keeping me busy for quite some time now. I m relatively new to watch collecting and started my addiction when all new watches were produced with Luminova and Superluminova.We all know that the older types of lume discolor when it ages. Is this the same with Luminova and why did they introduce Superluminova? What types of lume are there? Can we expect a slight...
Nowadays it seems that something new is coming out of the Omega Headquarters in Biel/Benne every week. If you think like that you are not far from the truth.As the die-hard Omega fans might know, the brand did not start its life as Omega SA.? Louis Brandt established his business in 1848 in the city of La Chaux-de-Fonds. The name if the company; La Generale Watch Co. ?After the founders death his 2 sons took over the business and in 1894 they released their new movement. It was the 19-ligne. At the time the movement was one of the most accurate calibers around. It was revolutionary for every component could be replaced without modification by any watchmaker in the world. Furthermore, the per...
