This years marks the 50th anniversary of the Sea-Dweller. For that occasion, there s the new Sea-Dweller reference 122600 with red writing on the dial. A larger case, a cyclops, red writing on the dial and a new movement. Let s have a look.The New Sea-Dweller Ref. 126600Almost 3 years ago, I wrote about the new Sea-Dweller reference 116600. You might remember that this was the long awaited successor of the 16600, but now with ceramic bezel and matte finished dial. Between 2009 and 2014, there was no Sea-Dweller in the collection. As of now, that reference is being discontinued (run for the stores, you investment buyers) and being followed up by this new Sea-Dweller 126600. A watch that?...

2017 is a special year for Christiaan van der Klaauw. This year they were qualified as a haute horlogerie brand. There are only 64 brands who are within this group and almost 90% has Swiss roots, so it is quite an accomplishment.The one and only watch manufacturer that isspecialized in astronomical watches presented three new timepiecesto us this year at BaselWorld.Christiaan van der Klaauw: The MilestonesChristiaan van der Klauw is best known forits smallest mechanical planetarium and the most accurate three dimensional moon (according to them). The first Christiaan van der Klaauw Real 3D moon dates from the 1980s and was presented in a clock. Today,Christiaan van der Klaauw is still innova...

Today, we had the chance to meet with Eterna at Baselworld 2017 and it was impressive. How impressive? Lets just say that out of the four of us who attended the discussion (plus a fifth who didn t attend), all of us ordered a watch C the same watch. The Eterna KonTiki Bronze Manufacture was so compelling, so affordable and nailed all the right details. Lets take a closer look at why.Eterna announced a new KonTiki Diver line this year (well come back in the next days with detail on these great looking and affordable divers) and chose to commemorate the announcement and the 70th anniversary of the KonTiki expedition by creating a limited edition Eterna KonTiki Bronze Manufacture dive watch. Li...

Admittedly, we at Fratellowatches have been a bit slow to pick up the story on Monta Watches. The founder of Everest Bands C universally beloved by wearers for their attention to detail C decided to go in the direction of releasing a line of high quality watches. In 2016, they debuted a 1000ft water resistant dive watch called the Oceanking and it has received high levels of praise for its thoughtful design and build quality (its all done in Switzerland), but we had not really seen one in person (actually, Robert-Jan is in the middle of testing the Oceanking as I type this). All that has changed, though, as Monta made a splash this year by exhibiting at Baselworld 2017. Lets take a look at ...

The most classic wristwatch of all times is perhaps the Datejust. Not the first wristwatch (some are still fighting over that one), but the most recognizable wristwatch that could be seen as the granddaddy of all modern wristwatches. The Datejust was introduced in 1945, in the same year that the company celebrated its 40th birthday. A lot has changed since then, but a lot hasn t changed either. Put that very first Datejust reference to a modern one, and you ll see it clearly has the same DNA. This year, introduces the Oyster Perpetual Datejust 41 in steel and white gold. Datejust 41 in Steel and White GoldI only have one Datejust myself (a vintage reference 1600 from 1969) but I consider...

Baselworld is a funny place. You have the big brands, the smaller brands and, then, you have the little surprises. Appointments are often back-to-back, but we sometimes find ourselves with small blocks of time that arent really long enough to make it back to the press center but not short enough to walk directly to the next meeting. So-we wander. And so it was that we stumbled upon Dodane C a brand from Besancon, France best known for its 1950s Type 21 flyback pilots watches for the Ministry of Defense. Theyre incredibly collectible now and while the brand makes models in this general style today C and is still owned by the family, it was this year that they chose to announce a reissue. This...

Longines Heritage 1945I can comfortably say that this year is about time-only watches. Not that we did not see any three-handed watches the previous years but the amount of coolness the brands present this year in this segment is remarkable. Omega (Railmaster), Montra (Triumph), Tissot (Ballade) or Nomos (basically any 2017 novelty) are just a few brands to mention with such watches. There was however one other brand that stood out; Longines. For many years now we got used to the fact that when it comes to BaselWorld we would see something great from them. We did not disappoint in them this year either. Their Flagship Heritage 60th Anniversary is spot on when it comes to being as close to th...

This year Nomos added?some pretty funky additions to their collection. The Nomos Club Neomatik now comes in several colors: signalblau (blue) and signalrot (red). Let s have a look.Nomos Club?Neomatik MovementThe watch is powered by the in-house 3001 DUW movement with the Nomos Swing System. It does have a power reserve of approximately 42 hours. The exhibition caseback reveals the movement and its perlage finishing. Operation is smooth and thanks to the stop-seconds function you can set time precisely. The movement is cased within a stainless steel body and sapphire crystal on both sides. The lugs are quite lengthy and the lug width measures 18mm.Clear side on the 3001 DUW in-house movement...

LIV Watches is at it again, beating all Kickstarter records for a Swiss watch, the second time in a row. With just over three weeks on Kickstarter, the company has already raised over 1.3 million dollars. ?Click here to view the live campaign.LIV prides itself on constructing touch watches, using bold, unique designs, making them available at an accessible price, directly to consumers.It started with the launch of the GX1 Swiss Chronograph in 2014, followed just over a year later by LIVs 1.1-million-dollar Kickstarter campaign for the GX1-A Swiss Automatic Chronograph.The success of both projects inspired LIV to pursue a more ambitious design, The Rebel! Click here?to view The Rebel on Kicks...

It must not go unnoticed, this change at the Seiko Watch Corporation. Grand Seiko is is?now a separate entity and will no longer feature ‘Seiko on the dial of their watches. The Grand Seiko logo will proudly show at 12 o clock on all their watches from now on.Grand Seiko SBGW252A wise move I think, as there was a bit too much confusion at times with three different ‘Seikos on the dial. First there was the brandname ‘Seiko at 12 o clock, below the center pinion you d find the ‘GS logo and ‘Grand Seiko written under that. From today on, it is just the ‘GS logo at 12 o clock and ‘Grand Seiko written under it. But not only that, Grand Seiko will b...

Every year at Baselworld, we take a look at Tissot. Its a fun brand to visit and there are always a few gems mixed in with the mainstream volume pieces. The brand has a seriously rich heritage and while they tap into that to some degree, were usually left a touch wanting C especially in the chronograph direction. Well, in 2017, Tissot has entered with something that should please enthusiasts. Lets take a brief look at the compelling Tissot Heritage 1948 Chronograph.Tissot Embraces Its HeritageWay back in 2015, we took a look at a vintage 1281 chronograph and spoke about how much we loved the brands heritage, the look and the back catalog. The new Tissot Heritage 1948 Chronograph takes a real...

Yesterday we introduced you to the Omega 60th anniversary trilogy. Today, we had our meeting with Omega and had a closer look at their new collections. We received many questions and comments about the Speedmaster. Let s try to answer a couple.Speedmaster 60th Anniversary Reference?311.10.39.30.01.001I can be super short about the new Omega Speedmaster 60th anniversary limited edition. I ordered one. So did two other guys of the Fratello Watches team. We were simply blown away by it. Based on the comments and likes we received on Instagram and Facebook and the numerous e-mails and whatsapp messages we received, you like it as well but have some questions.How many?First, there is the differen...

And its that time of year again and we always look forward to the new releases from one of our favorite brands: Seiko. Today, though, well give you a sneak peek at the 2017 Grand Seiko Baselworld novelties. Last year, this was a widely read story and we expect youre interested again! While we normally refrain from using stock photos, we will have only just walked out of the press conference held by the brand and still have a hands-on appointment in the wings. For now, lets take a look at three new models.The 2017 Grand Seiko Baselworld noveltiesThe 2017 Grand Seiko Baselworld novelties usher in a serious change that seemingly everyone outside of Japan has desired. Quite simply, the models ri...

Longines has leveraged its outstanding expertise in quartz technology to create the ultimate high-precision wristwatch: the all-new Conquest V.H.P. This collection constitutes another milestone in the history of quartz timepieces, successfully incorporating many features of todays smart connected watches, such as ultra-precision, technical sophistication and a sporty feel, without any of the drawbacks, and all this while preserving the brands signature elegance. The watch also has an in-built system that resynchronises the hands after exposure to a shock or a magnetic field, a world first that guarantees timekeeping which is as accurate as the new-generation quartz movement itself. Around 10...

Limited to 300 pieces only, Sinn introduces this 103 St Sa E watch based on one of their most classic (pilot) watches.The Sinn 103 is a classic that has been in their collection forever. Now, they introduce a version with a beautiful ivory-coloured coating on the indices, hands and numbers. It gives the Sinn 103 St Sa E this beautiful vintage look & feel. Sinn seems to be joining the retro-game that is played?by so many brands today. Is that a bad thing? Certainly not, as a lot of collectors love these details. Perhaps purists might prefer the original or at least something as ‘clean as possible, but we can t deny that ‘faux-patina is hip and happening.Besides that, the Sin...

BaselWorld kicked off with a product presentation by Tudor. Their event, always on the Tuesday before BaselWorld starts, revealed their new chronograph with in-house caliber MT5813. However, today they showed us some more new timepieces, including this Tudor Heritage Black Bay steel and gold. Let s have a closer look.Tudor Heritage Black Bay Steel and GoldRight before BaselWorld started, I wondered what Tudor would come up with. I wouldn t have guessed a new chronograph with in-house movement, but I also didn t expect a bi-color watch to happen in the Heritage Black Bay collection. My fear was that Tudor would be doomed to keep the Heritage Black Bay alive each year by introducing a new colo...

In 1957, Omega introduced three watches for professional use: the Railmaster for scientists and engineers, the Seamaster 300 for divers and the Speedmaster for sports, race car drivers and engineers as well. Now, 60 years later, Omega felt the time was right to bring hommage to these watches. Let us introduce you to the 60th anniversary limited editions of the Railmaster, Seamaster 300 and Speedmaster.Holy Trinity of OmegaThe rumor machine started a while ago already, will there be a re-edition of the Speedmaster CK2915? What about the Seamaster 300 and Railmaster? Those are also 60 years old. Very true, and of course Omega did not forget about that. You don t need to be psychic to see what ...

Last January, at the SIHH in Geneva, Cartier launched two new ‘Drive de Cartier models. Two models that, despite the name, not have that much in common besides the shape of the case and the large blued hands.?Drive de Cartier Moon PhasesOne is the ‘Drive de Cartier Extra Flat‘, the watch that made headlines, as soon as it was presented, a stunning dress watch in white- or pink gold. And the other one is the Drive de Cartier Moon Phases that were having here this week, a watch which is also not to be sneezed at.The ‘Moon Phases model shares the typical details with the earlier ‘Drive de Cartier‘ models, that were launched last year. For instance the 40mm x...

Klynt GeneveA little while ago, we introduced Klynt Geneve on the pages of Fratello Watches. The brand launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for their Swiss made automatic watch. ?You can find many similar watch ideas on Kickstarter. However, Klynt managed to come up with a design that the watch world has not seen for a while. Last time I saw such a time piece it was when Seven Friday introduced their models some 4 years ago. The two brands share several design features thanks to the same company behind the visuals of both Klynt and Seven Friday; it s a watch that looks like an haute horlogerie piece, feels like one yet comes with a very sympathetic price tag. I wore a Klynt Geneve ...

Dont judge and stop shaking your head. Just because theres a serious amount of yellow gold staring you in the face, you needn t leave this page. Just hear me out for a bit. If you read automotive magazines, todays feature is akin to that one article about an exotic that most of us will never ever be able to afford. Maybe, just maybe, we say that even if we had the money, wed never conspicuously consume such an object because it would just prove so impractical. Well, live a little and journey with me as we go big-time with a look at the gold Omega Seamaster 300. Trust me, youll want to hang around-The Gold Omega Seamaster 300 is Over the TopA dive watch such as the gold Omega Seamaster 300 mu...