The Biatec Majestic Chronoshop 09 is a limited edition of just nine watches, and its the result of bringing together one Slovak and two Czech watch-loving parties. Young Slovak watch brand Biatec started its operations in 2016. Chronoshop has been in business since 2007, and journalist Jan Lidmasky has been writing about watches for 20 years, making him the veteran of the trio. The result of their joint efforts is a watch with a color-changing yet minimalist embossed dial.The Biatec Majestic Chronoshop 09 celebrates the opening of Chronoshop s new premises, which happened in the middle of last year. The watchs limited production of nine pieces links to the new boutique s address in Prague, ...

Ollech & Wajs is a brand that is not covered all that often. There is much to like, though, when one starts to investigate the brand s history as well as its current offerings. Indeed, it is a brand that resonates with me. Something about Ollech & Wajs s no-nonsense tool-watch designs and rich past makes for a compelling mix.The company has a good history of producing tool watches that were often loved by soldiers, divers, and adventurers. I recently reviewed the C-1000 A, a modern rendition of the classic Caribbean 1000 dive watch.The modern Ollech & Wajs C-1000 AThe brand was founded in 1956 by Joseph Ollech and Albert Wajs. Its incredible to think that just eight years later, ...

Artem unveils four new colors for its range of Signature Nylon watch straps. These colors - Burgundy, Sandstone, Atlantic Blue, and Khaki Green - arrive in time for the Northern Hemisphere s summer season. With a choice of brushed, polished, or black DLC-coated hardware in either 19C20mm or 21C22mm widths, the straps offer a tremendous variety to tailor to your collection. I went hands-on with all four straps and will offer my thoughts on them and the pitfalls of getting nylon straps just right.I am very particular about my nylon straps. The hardware has to sit in just the right place for it to be worth wearing. The fixed keepers, or loops, must reside equally on either side of the watch cas...

Breitling and Fratello hosted an event at the brand s beautiful boutique in The Hague a few weeks ago. During this event, guests could try out the new Breitling Top Time B01 models, including the new Martini Racing edition. To boost the event, Breitling arranged for a Lancia Delta HF in Martini execution to serve as a prop outside the boutique.Maturo s Lancia DeltaThe iconic Lancia Delta HF resonates with anyone who was passionate about rally cars in the 1980s and early 1990s. Lancia designed the HF Delta Group A rally car to compete in the World Rally Championships, and it achieved its first win at its debut in 1987 and its last in 1992.The Lancia Delta HF at our event was prepared by Dutch...

It s Friday, and we are back with another list! After skipping it last week because of the new TAG Heuer releases, we are back with another Top 5. With June just a few days away, it s already time to start looking back at some of the best releases so far in 2025. We ll kick off this multi-week series by highlighting some of the best releases from small independent brands. We have seen quite a few impressive ones, although not all of them are entirely new models. Some new variations of existing watches have also proven to be winners in our book. So let s jump in and take a look at our five favorites from 2025 so far.Before we get going, this list is a mixture of releases from microbrands and ...

It must have been 1999 or 2000 when the GMT-Master II ref. 16710 was incredibly high on my wishlist. I even had the official advertisement for this model as the wallpaper on my Windows desktop. But I was a student, and the GMT-Master II was out of reach. GMT-Master II 16713The GMT-Master IIThe GMT-Master has been one of my favorites since I developed an interest in mechanical watches. The history of the watch certainly plays a role, but I also deeply admire the design of this iconic pilots watch. With the introduction of the reference 16760 (Fat Lady), added the independent hour hand, making it an even more convenient travel companion. In 1989, the GMT-Master II ref. 16710 succeeded the...

When Rado announced the comeback of the Anatom series, it brought back many memories. I vividly remember that my mother was a big fan of the black ceramic Rado watches in the 1990s. So while I was checking out the promo materials of Pete Sampras and his Movado Museum Watch back then, my mother was eyeing a Rado Ceramica in the shop windows of several German retailers. In the end, she settled for multiple less flashy watches from other brands, but I m sure she would have enjoyed one greatly. Plus, the fact that she, as a non-watch person, loved the Ceramica so much has always stayed with me. So it s no surprise that I was more than happy to try out the latest additions to the Rado Anatom line...

Yes, a Ressence watch certainly stands out from most other watches. The apparent simplicity, rounded shape, and thoughtful use of color make Beno?t Mintiens creations very distinct. The brand s oil-filled watches - the Type 3, 5, and the recently introduced 7 - best express the founder s functional philosophy: a mechanical watch should tell you the time in the most user-friendly way. That sounds very logical, but behind all that simplicity lies a world of research, development, and experimentation. We visited Beno?t at Ressence s headquarters in Antwerp, Belgium, to learn more.The biggest challenge is that all Ressence watches have a mechanical movement at heart. That s one of Beno?t s non-...

A few weeks ago, invited me to attend the World Endurance Championships 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. This series, which also includes the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans, took place on May 10th in Belgium. Hypercars and GT3 racing cars compete for six hours at this beautiful track. This years winning car was a Ferrari 499P driven by Calado (UK), Giovinazzi (Italy), and Guidi (Italy).Just before the start of the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and the World Endurance Championship has been the partner of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) since 2016. It s the official timepiece for the endurance races in this series, including the 1,000 Miles of Sebring (United States), the 6 Hours of Portim?o (...

Ask me whatever you want; there are no secrets. Do you want to know where the movement is from? The automatic caliber 1031-1 was developed in collaboration with Chronode SA. Please come up with something a bit more original. The spring bar? Okay, the spring bar is made by IsoSwiss from 316L steel and attaches the Atelier du Bracelet strap to the case. That strap, by the way, is made from 100% recycled material. Its re/cor exterior is from Cordura, and Ecovative makes the Forager inside. All in all, the 100% Swiss Pragma watch you see here is made with 82.7% recycled materials, and there is full disclosure about where everything comes from. That s impressive on paper, for sure. But how does t...

I turned my car into Annelinde Dunselmans yard somewhat apprehensively. Was I in the right place? Nothing suggested I was about to walk into the atelier of a high-end independent watchmaker. Bathing in the spring sun, the building looked more like a sentient member of a lively family in the eastern Dutch city of Zwolle. I would later find out that it is. Annelinde emerged in front of my car and waved me down. Just park here; welcome! This would not be like any other watch brand or manufacture visit, and that just might be good.Annelinde Dunselman invited me into her home and atelier to talk watches. As the founder of her eponymous watch brand, she recently released her first watch, the Dunse...

We re all more than familiar with the Speedmasters, Submariners, and Royal Oaks of this world. We re even familiar with the Ingenieurs, Reversos, and Andy Warhols. But many watches in top brands catalogs are painfully overlooked. On today s episode of?Fratello Talks, we re taking a look at a handful of them. You might not hear about these watches every day, but we believe they deserve more credit than they get. Of course, these will just be some of the many underappreciated watches out there, so if we missed one of your favorites, be sure to let us know. But now, let s see what the guys have on their wrists today.This video is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change co...

The UK s leading watch publication, Oracle Time, announces a new watch event for the enthusiast community. Hands On Horology will take place on the 14th of June 2025 at Protein Studios, Shoreditch, London, UK. Showcasing more than 40 brands, from independents to globally recognized watchmakers, the event will have something for everyone. There will also be many opportunities to place watches on wrists, where they belong, hence the name Hands On Horology. Taking it further, some watches will be available to purchase, providing a nice souvenir from the trip. The single-day event will be split into morning (09:30C13:30) and afternoon (14:00C18:00) sessions.Many returning from Watches and Wonder...

When Aaron Taylor-Johnson was announced as an ambassador for Omega last week, it raised more than a few eyebrows - not just in the world of horology, but among die-hard James Bond fans as well. The British actor, long rumored to be on the shortlist to become the next 007, recently visited Omegas headquarters in Biel, Switzerland. The timing, I would say, is far too perfect to ignore.Omega and James Bond have become inseparable since GoldenEye in 1995. The Seamaster has graced the wrist of Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig alike, evolving with each iteration of the British spy. With Taylor-Johnson stepping into Omegas spotlight, many are wondering: Is this the clearest signal yet that hes the m...

Yema s Superman is undoubtedly my favorite model in the French brand s extensive collection. I have enjoyed trying many of the Superman versions released in the past few years. My absolute favorite has long been the Superman FAF Search And Rescue Limited Edition, which came out in 2022. That watch presented a retro style with a lot of charm that made it stand out immediately. Last year, the brand released another standout Superman in collaboration with French watch blog Le Petit Poussoir. The Superman Tropical CMM.10 Limited Edition is a charming take on the brand s diver that, for the first time in Superman history, comes with a tropical dial. With some nice cream-colored touches and a beze...

This year, introduced no fewer than eight new Daytona references, but only one made it to the brands press room during Watches and Wonders. The seven other iterations remained hidden. Luckily, a visit to the brands Brussels offices revealed that 2025 marks the year introduces three new Daytona watches in three gold alloys with meteorite dials. We still didnt have the whole picture, but at least we had the chance to catch up with a trio of astronomical, exclusive creations.In addition to those three, among the seven under-the-radar Daytona references are two more that we want to mention, even if we didn t get to see them when visiting the offices in Brussels. First, hiding (in plain sight)...

We are back with another installment of Back to Basics, a series of articles aimed at newcomers to the watch hobby. This time, we will examine high-end finishing techniques. If you are new to the watch world, you may wonder what causes the massive differences in price between watches. One of many aspects at play is higher-end finishing techniques. While you may not be immediately in the market for such a watch, it is great fun to explore the craft that goes into it.So today, we will look at a handful of finishing techniques you might encounter on higher-end watches. These are just three of an endless range of crafts, but they illustrate a point. Lets get stuck in.Dial finishing: GuillocheCut...

When the new Hublot Classic Fusion Essential Grey models hit our screens, they immediately stood out. We always love seeing what the brand comes up with for its Classic Fusion. After all, the watch tells Carlo Crocco s original Hublot story. But there is more to it than that. The Classic Fusion also still looks just as relevant as it did when it was first introduced. The new 42mm and 45mm monochromatic gray models show that perfectly. They are the latest additions to Hublot s Essential Grey series and might be the best yet.The idea of Hublot s Essential Grey series is simple but effective. The brand has created a monochromatic version of one of its models sold exclusively through its website...

While my love of vintage-infused watches is cyclical, my love of dive watches is constant. There is just something about the purity and a sense of purpose that will always keep the genre on my favorite list. When done right, as with the shape and size of Certina s DS Super PH1000M STC, a touch of retro can truly dial up the desirability scale.Certinas DS line represents value-for-money sports watches, and Ill admit to having a favorite in the larger-than-life presence of the orange-dial PH1000M. But a deep petrol blue might just sway me as I unbox the new DS Super PH1000M STC edition with its good cause in mind.Certinas brand strengthsOver the last few years, Certina has risen as a solid Swi...

The Summer Olympics will kick off in Paris in less than a month. Zenith has created the Defy Skyline edition Paris to help celebrate the occasion. It uses a different style of dial, which may leave potential buyers wishing that this limited edition watch wasn t only offered in France.Omega is the first brand that comes to mind when we think of the Olympics and watches. However, during my recent visit to a Patek Philippe exhibition in London, I saw that other brands are excited to celebrate the major sporting event. Zenith is also getting in on the act, but the brand s release is far more subtle. There s no direct linkage to the upcoming fortnight, but the timing is good. The new Defy Skyline...