One fantastic aspect of living in London is that big events happen here. Museums, auction houses, and boutiques put on amazing displays for locals and visitors. Best of all, most of these shows are free and take place in lovely locations. Roughly three weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit the Patek Philippe Rare Handcrafts 2024 London Exhibition at the brand s salon on New Bond Street, and it was a feast for the eyes.Perhaps I am aging, but I appreciate handcrafted artisanship on watches more than ever. Previously, I understood the effort it took to create the watches, yet I often found them fussy and overwrought. Maybe I was looking at the wrong watches, or the setting wasn t comfortab...

I will admit to being slightly too optimistic here, a usual fault of mine when attempting a pre-owned search. But thats a personality trait Ive acquired after working in sales for more than 20 years, and I consider it a prerequisite for success. Still, finding a solid gold sports watch under $10K is possible.Gold is expensive, and even if pre-owned prices have gone down, $10,000 isnt the big wad of cash it used to be. But the allure of lustrous gold is strong. Added as a prefix to the term sports watch, though, it is a hot ticket with added respect attached to vintage.Image: SabiwatchesIWC Yacht Club ref. 811I must admit that I am not au fait with the IWC Yacht Club other than its newer, mor...

Diver s, field, and pilot s watches are among the most popular variations in the time-only-watch universe. While Circula already covered the first two, now with the ProFlight, it also ticks the last box. Although unmistakably derived from Circula s ProTrail, this ProFlight model immediately impresses with its modern pilot s watch face. It s probably thanks to a quirky, dedicated font and a unique take on the German Flieger triangle with those two dots at 12.Circula ProFlightMy first Circula review was a surprisingly pleasant experience. Although now, knowing the brand, it is not much of a surprise anymore, this second one was no less exciting. As mentioned, it s clear that the ProFlight was ...

As we continue this year s Fratello Favorites series, picking the best watches at several specific price points, we have arrived at the $5,000 limit. This is where we start to see some of the biggest names in watches come into the equation. As I mentioned last year, rising prices mean that some brands whose watches could have made the cut are no longer an option. That said, there are still plenty of brilliant watches to choose from. The $5K ceiling is also where my comfort zone ends, so it s one last chance to select a lineup of watches that I d not just be happy to add to my collection but where doing so is still realistic.To mix things up from my previous Best Watches Under $5,000 article,...

On the last Tuesday of every month, together with the Swedish REM company, we introduce a new strap for the Omega Speedmaster. As July 2024 marks the 55th anniversary of the Moon landing, we introduce the Apollo 11 strap to you. It s also in time to have it on your wrist on July 20th, which marks the official date of one of mankind s greatest accomplishments.Apollo 11On that date in 1969, NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Buzz Aldrin landed the Lunar Module Eagle on the Moon s surface. A few hours later, on July 21st, they climbed down the ladder and were the first humans to set foot on the Moon. The third astronaut, Michael Collins, stayed in the Command Module Columbia that flew in ...

Its not the name of the watch that sparked off wild thoughts. No, its the watchs look. The dial of the Laurent Ferrier Classic Micro-Rotor Di Rosa shows a 12-armed character named Ah! Ah! Ah! Herve Di Rosa is a French artist who loves to travel the globe in search of the mysteries of creation and the immaterial realms of thought. On his quest, he created the Diromythology in Foumban, Cameroon, which features Ah! Ah! Ah! The motion of the shapes, their geometrical positioning, and the smiling face in the middle made me think of a secret society that uses this image on banners that hang in dungeons. This watch didnt make me think of the micro-rotor inside. Instead, it made me fantasize about t...

The Divers Sixty-Five is something of a fan favorite among Oris aficionados. And why wouldnt it be? It oozes the charm of a vintage dive watch, and it is well made and attractively priced in todays competitive landscape. So when Oris announces new versions, I pay attention. And, as a former owner of a green-dial Divers Sixty-Five, a new green dial triggers me even more. That is precisely what we have here, so I had to go hands-on to see whats what.This is the new Oris Divers Sixty-Five Date 40mm in forest green with a Sellita caliber inside. Lets have a closer look!A familiar Divers Sixty-Five under the dialLet me kick things off by clarifying that this is purely a new colorway for an existi...

Geneva-based Pragma is the brainchild of Christopher Wegener and Kai-Hsuan Liu. Wegener has 21 years of experience in watchmaking; he worked for and F.P.Journe, for instance. Liu is the brands Creative Design Director. He has a background at Hermes and a studio of his own, and his forte is fusing natural and technological elements. Do both founders expertise and talents come to light in the Pragma P1 – Perseverance, a collection consisting of four watches? One things for sure: theyre very ambitious. Pragma exceeds the standards for Swiss Made certification with watches 100% manufactured in Switzerland from 82.7% recycled materials. And since Pragma preaches full transparency, the bra...

When I buy a watch, its because I like its design, its (hi)story, the people behind it, or a combination of all those and other things. I ve never bought a watch because I thought it would be a good investment and I could make some quick money from it. However, it is still possible for a watch in your collection to become significantly more valuable than when you bought it. According to Chrono24 s data, that s exactly what happened to my Cartier Santos and my Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso.It s not like I m suddenly a millionaire now. However, an increase of 57% on the Reverso Duoface and a respectable 37% on the Santos Galbee XL is quite significant. What do you do when the value of your watches ...

We kick off this Tuesday morning with the world premiere of the new Armin Strom One Week Manufacture Edition. It is the follow-up to last year s inaugural redesigned One Week First Edition, which was nothing short of impressive. Both watches celebrate Armin Strom s debut in-house caliber from 2010 in a sleek, modern way. The ever-impressive movement is paired with a stylish, sporty case and an integrated bracelet. This exterior pairs beautifully with the industrial aesthetic of the movement to create an impressive new One Week Manufacture Edition. Can it top last year s First Edition? I had a chance to find out.When Armin Strom presented the One Week First Edition, my colleague Dave was an i...

The Sphaera Epoch Classic Rusty is not just a timepiece; it embodies emotion wrapped around your wrist. It whispers tales of yesteryear and adventures untold, with each glance at its weathered face stirring a deep, resonant connection to the timeless dance of hours and minutes. This watch doesn t just mark time; it marks moments, imbuing them with an aura of antiquity and the warmth of a cherished heirloom. It s a companion that carries the weight of history and the promise of the future, all while sitting quietly, ticking away the seconds with the steady heartbeat of a bygone epoch.How did you like that intro? It was generated entirely by AI, in this case, using Microsoft s Copilot. We migh...

Some watches make an instant impression. They dazzle and overwhelm you, leaving you dazed and confused. The Chopard L.U.C Qualite Fleurier isnt like that. This is a watch that, after youve first seen it, gets under your skin. It seeps unnoticed into the watch-occupied caverns of your brain, only to make an appearance months later. At Watches and Wonders this year, I had the pleasure of seeing all the Chopard novelties. These included the elegant and understated L.U.C Qualite Fleurier in Lucent Steel, a sublime watch that underwent very demanding tests to achieve a seal of approval from the Fondation Qualite Fleurier. Recently, I have been thinking about that watch more and more. My thoughts ...

The Fratello Favorites series has taken us to the $5,000 limit, and that s a tricky place to play. This was once the land of opportunity, but it now feels like no man s land in a search for the best watches. Rising prices mean that brands like Omega and have disappeared from the scene. That s okay because there are plenty of nice watches, but since my colleagues have already published articles, many pieces have been discussed. So I ll take a slightly different direction with my choices.For most people, $5,000 is not a small sum. Despite the crazy rise in retail prices among luxury brands, many consumers haven t decided to open their wallets further. Unfortunately, this means that they need ...

I am happy to present a new edition of Back To Basics, our series aimed at newcomers to our beautiful watch hobby. This time, we will examine some of the most common materials used to make watch cases. Why would you pick a titanium watch over a stainless steel one? What is the difference between 316L and 904L stainless steel? What are the pros and cons of ceramics? How do gold watches differ between brands?In this article, I will try to answer those questions and several more. I will try to keep it as simple and easy to digest as possible, but we may get a tiny bit technical here and there. Without further ado, lets get stuck in!Stainless steel, the most common watch case materialsStainless ...

It s Sunday morning, so grab a cup of coffee, and prepare for a showdown rooted in history. Most of you will know the story of Grand Seiko and King Seiko, which goes back over six decades. We decided to put two modern watches from them up against each other. Jorg picked the Grand Seiko SBGW305, while Robert-Jan chose the King Seiko SJE089. Both writers will make their cases, but in the end, you get to vote for the winner of this battle between Grand and King Seiko.The story of Grand Seiko and King Seiko dates back to the early 1960s. Back then, Suwa Seikosha (Grand Seiko) and Daini Seikosha (King Seiko) were on a quest to develop highly accurate movements. Unlike many stories would have you ...

It s always exciting to discover a new watch brand, even more so when it was founded in your hometown. As we re practically neighbors, I sat down for lunch with Vincent Bakker, one of the three founders of Calgari, to learn more about this Amsterdam-based brand and its watches. The adventure started by selling off-the-shelf watches, but soon, the founders wanted to develop designs of their own. That s how their first collection of meca-quartz chronographs came about. I went hands-on with two of them - the Dimora Panda and Pierre Morlet.As we sat down, Vincent told me this all started as a fun project between three friends. He and his friends Tim and Thijs had always wanted to start a company...

Two of the colorful new Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba watches are easy. One comes in yellow and the other one in orange. But the third one is a bit more puzzling. Is it pink? No, I think the right name for the color Hamilton so boldly decided to use is magenta, a purplish-red hue. You could say its a shade of pink, but because of the different saturation, it looks bolder and stronger than pink. Why did Hamilton pick magenta instead of more traditional pink? Maybe because it s the color of universal harmony and emotional balance? Nah, I think the brand just didnt want to bring yet another pink watch into this world.Case closed in terms of colors, I suggest. We have a bigger fish to fry - the wate...

Omega has quietly introduced a trio of updated Seamaster Aqua Terra models to its catalog. These three new references cover the full size range in the Aqua Terra lineup, feature all the upgrades found in the Shades collection, and add a new micro-adjustment system for the bracelet. But whereas the Shades quintet had a lot of fun in the sun playing with color, this latest three-watch launch is staying in, playing Radiohead on repeat, putting eye-liner on, and painting its nails black. But just because these watches offer a moody contrast to their colorful relatives doesn t mean one (or several) of them won t be your new favorite Seamaster Aqua Terra.A little less than two years ago, Omega del...

Another Friday, another Top 5! This week, we look at some of the best Audemars Piguet releases of 2024. With a new CEO Ilaria Resta now leading the brand, it will be interesting to see what the future has in store. In her first six months on the job, we have seen quite a few interesting AP releases. As we all know, they still have Fran?ois-Henry Bennahmias s signature on them as developing different models often takes years. Nevertheless, it is the start of a new era at Audemars Piguet, and we decided to look at the first timepieces of that new era.After working for Audemars Piguet for 29 years, Fran?ois-Henry Bennahmias said goodbye at the end of 2023. Ilaria Resta formally took over on Jan...

Let me begin with a piece of advice: if you think you actually want to buy this watch, you might be better off just going straight to the Laventure website instead of reading this article. By the time you ve finished, chances are that the reference of your choice will have already sold out. Now, for everyone else who simply enjoys reading about a well-designed and hot new watch, let me introduce you to the new Laventure Transatlantique II GMT. It s a little smaller than its predecessor, there s a new chocolate and caramel colorway, and one version is also available in steel and yellow gold.I ll admit I still slap myself sometimes for not having bought the Laventure Marine II with a solid gol...