The Delta Type represents horological idea-making at its best. Nava Krishnan, the founder of Ardra Labs, found a creative and artistic solution to a very personal problem - how to display the correct time in non-standard GMT zones with 30- and 45-minute offsets.I knew that there were some three-quarter- and half-hour offsets from the standard GMT zones, but I never paid much attention to them. Like most of us, I did not need to. I live in the comfortable Central European time zone, which is one hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), formerly known as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).A mystical encounterMy lack of attention to these rarer time zones changed a few weeks ago when an image of ...
If you have ever found yourself looking at rare and collectible watches, you have surely run into dial-printing oddities - watches with third-party logos, crests, or retailer signatures on the dial. They are equal parts collectible and controversial. In this article, I will explore what makes these watches unique and what makes them polemical.This article features slimmed-down content from my book The Vintage Datejust Buyers & Collectors Guide, expanded with additional findings and thoughts. This is why this article is specifically aimed at . You will, however, find other brands with similar dial oddities.Khanjar Daytona dial - Image courtesy of Bulang & SonsDial oddities - A matte...
While we have moved away from compact discs (anyone remember CDs?), one of my memories from growing up was the barrage of Now That s What I Call Music! infomercials around this time of year. Revisiting the most popular songs from any given year is now as easy as a quick search on your music platform of choice (Spotify Wrapped, am I right?). While my greatest hits (or best sub-$2,500 watches) for 2022 will not have the same widespread appeal, I m guessing that they might strike a chord with the Fratelli.For the last year and a half or so, as my collection has matured and rounded out, I have found more enjoyment and excitement for watch releases in the entry-level luxury space. Watches between...
In April of this year, I asked myself if the Tudor Black Bay Pro was a sort of poor mans , exactly as Hans Wilsdorf once intended. Wilsdorf created Tudor as a watch brand that would offer quality and service at a lower price point - more affordable timepieces that would appeal to a larger audience. The new Black Bay Pro, I argued, was like a vintage Tudor Oyster Prince; it looked like a , was just as qualitative as a , but it didnt cost as much as a . The discussion in the comments saw the denial of any resemblance of the Black Bay Pro to the Explorer II 1655 Freccione, but was also very much about my use of the idiom poor mans . Let me address that.Lets first take a look at the expression ...
Tusen? has been around for less than a decade and, in many ways, is following a path already well-trodden by microbrands around the globe. The brand s first watch, a meca-quartz chronograph, was successfully crowdfunded in 2015. That was followed by its first automatic dive watch, produced in collaboration with the SSTS (Swedish Sea Rescue Society). Fast forward to 2021, and Tusen? launched the Shellback in limited numbers. This Swiss-made, automatic dive watch is designed to cope equally well beneath the waves or behind a desk.As someone who is quite adept at desk diving and not much beyond, my judgment of the capabilities of a true tool watch is usually limited to ticking boxes. After that...
After its tremendous success with the start of the Tonda PF collection in 2021, it was clear that Parmigiani would have to extend it. And indeed, the brand was able to surprise us again with the Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante. It is an exquisitely elegant take on the common GMT complication and, stylistically, is absolutely in line with the core characteristics of the Tonda PF Collection. The skeletonized dial of the Tonda PF Skeleton, however, provides a rather technical yet fairly traditional design. Does it suit the modern Tonda PF?When I saw the first images of the Tonda PF Skeleton, I was disappointed. Yes, absolutely! I felt so for two reasons. First, what I love so much about my Tonda PF Mi...
Occasionally, we get an email from someone with a vintage watch who is wondering whether to restore it or not. Recently, someone found a Speedmaster CK2998 in his drawer and wondered if he should send it off to the spa in Switzerland.As it may be important in judging whether to restore this Speedmaster or not, it s important to know that this was his dad s watch. His father bought it new in 1960 and was the sole owner until he passed it on to his son, who still is the current owner. He basically forgot about the watch and found it in the back of a drawer when he was looking for something else. Together with the original paperwork, the watch sat there for nearly 15 years.Restoring a vintage S...
Recently, I wrote an article with a few pointers on what to consider when buying your first luxury watch. I planned to include some good watch options as well, but there are so many that it would ve made the article too long. Therefore, I decided to just make a small series out of it. Today, I ll name a few entry-level watches ranging from under $1,000 up to almost $3,000. In the next installment, I ll include some options for a higher budget.If you haven t yet read the first part of this series, you can still do so, or you can skip to the options below. Based on the comments from that article, I think it s most important to keep one thing in mind, and that is to buy what you like. You shoul...
Fratello On Air comes at you with a new episode. This time, we re talking about our horological hopes for 2023. Of course, there s some typical banter along with some pre-holiday cheer. Settle in by the fireplace (or at the beach, perhaps) and enjoy our last episode before Christmas. This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings This year absolutely blew by, and we re now less than two weeks from entering a new one. With that in mind, we have hopes for 2023, and we get into some of our prognostications and questions. The economy looks a tad shaky, and that may spell opportunity for some and trouble for others. What will the next year ...
Well, 2022 is nearly over, and what a year it was! We saw a return to relative normality and some seriously nice new watches with it. Admittedly, it was a big year for color variants on familiar pieces, but that doesn t mean that it was a boring 12 months. Plus, watches continued to regulate towards wearable sizes for those of us with smaller wrists (yay!). With those trends in mind, I picked several of my favorite pieces. Were these the best watches? Maybe not, but they did catch my eye!This year was probably the fastest on record for me. I returned to traveling heavily, and when one goes away for a week or two, time literally flies. As a result, I often found myself viewing new releases fr...
Wei Koh, the founder of Revolution and The Rake, is proud to unveil his third Grail Watch collaboration. Meet the Trilobe Une Folle Soiree Wild Night.One of my favorite watches of 2021 was the Trilobe Nuit Fantastique Secret. The brand allows customers to customize the dial with a depiction of the night sky from a location, date, and time of their choosing. As you can imagine, this could make for an incredibly meaningful gift or commemorative piece for one s own collection. But during Watches and Wonders 2022 in Geneva, the folks from Trilobe showed us the Une Folle Journee. This beautiful new watch featured eccentric rotating and floating rings. The brand has now teamed up with Wei Koh s Gr...
Retro done differently. This is my impression of the Rado DiaStar Original 60-Year Anniversary Edition. It n is a revamped iteration of a 1960s futuristic classic that honors the past in a contemporary way. And in a world of reinterpreted tool watches, the DiaStar stands out because its more like a jewel - one with excellent material and functional qualities, that is. It is probably an acquired taste, but so is coffee, isnt it? And since we re on the topic of deviant styles, what do you think of the H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Centre Seconds Genesis with its 3D-printed parts? How about the Jaquet Droz The Rolling Stones Automaton with its revolving stage including miniature instruments? Ye...
The 1980s and 1990s Omega Constellation watches are from an era in which watch collecting almost didn t exist. If someone did collect watches, it was incredibly niche, and these watches were never aimed at collectors. Rather, they were bought because customers just needed a nice, reliable watch. With the updates that came in the 2000s, these Constellations became thick and bulky. In a way, that s a pity because, with the thinness of the cases and their integrated bracelets from the prior two decades, they would have been perfect in today s watch world.Omega Constellation Manhattan from 1982The good news is that the models from the 1980s and 90s can be found for very attractive prices in the...
Parmigiani Fleurier unveiled one of its most highbrow projects in 2021 to mark its 25th anniversary. La Rose Carree was a pocket watch based on a century-old grand sonnerie caliber from Louis-Elysee Piguet. This unique piece then led the brand to create the five-piece Les Roses Carrees Collection Grand Feu. Earlier this month, on founder Michel Parmigianis birthday, the Swiss brand launched La Rosa Celeste, the first wristwatch in this top-end collection. The unique minute repeater is a piece of metiers d art featuring Grand Feu enameling in the founders favorite blue color.At the very top echelon of watchmaking, the creation of a timepiece transforms into a painstaking, passion-driven artis...
Aftermarket bracelets - whether you absolutely love them or your feelings are mixed, they are certainly here to stay. Personally, I enjoy the option of having an affordable way to change the look and feel of a watch without always relying on straps. Today, Im checking out the Forstner Bullet Bracelet, the brands latest offering. It is inspired by a 1960s OEM bracelet manufactured by Forstner s former owner Jacoby Bender for the Bulova Accutron Astronaut. It is also rather different from what you might have imagined if you had Breitlings bullet bracelets in mind. Cast that aside, and picture something closer to Omegas 1479 bracelet but with a rounder profile. The result is not dissimilar to t...
This is the perfect series for me as a collector! I realized that I m more focused on newer watches than I am on vintage. While I love the aesthetics of vintage watches, their fragility scares me a bit. Therefore, I often buy vintage-inspired watches, and that s exactly what this series is about - vintage design combined with contemporary quality and finishing. So what watch would I like to get a modern version of? Dear Seiko, could you please make a re-edition of the 5717-8990 Monopusher Chronograph from 1964? And could you make it as true to the original as possible?This is my first time contributing to this series of articles, and to be honest, I had to think a little bit about the watch ...
In this week s Sunday Morning Showdown, we ll take a look at two affordable chronographs. This time around, that means that they retail for under $2,000. While affordable is always a relative term, in the land of chronographs, the $2K mark is definitely appropriate. For this week s matchup, we narrowed it down even more by focusing on two manual-winding chronographs under $2,000 that are powered by the Sellita SW510 movement. One is the recently introduced Baltic Tricompax, and the other is the popular Nivada Grenchen Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver (or Chronomaster for short). Both take inspiration from the past, but which of the two comes out on top? It s up to you!It s been only a couple o...
Here we have a brand-new Zodiac destro GMT. When I say destro GMT, I am pretty sure you will think of one specific oddball watch release from this year. Now, though, there is another that is pretty much the polar opposite in execution. Meet the menacing-looking Zodiac Super Sea Wolf Left Hand Drive Pro Diver GMT.Zodiac will release only 282 of these in cooperation with American adventure retailer Huckberry. For all you European watch aficionados, there is a small pre-launch of 25 pieces being sold in Scotland and another 25 in Italy.Zodiac s destro GMTI should probably refer to this new Zodiac destro GMT by its proper name, the Super Sea Wolf Left Hand Drive Pro Diver GMT. But since that is ...
Im pretty sure you havent missed the release of the second Fratello Oris collaboration. The new Oris Divers Sixty-Five Fratello Limited Edition is a watch that were very proud of and that shows our love for vintage watches in a highly detailed way. The new watch is an homage that does justice to the Oris Star dive watch from 1968. But the new Divers Sixty-Five Fratello LE is also a contemporary creation with a timeless character, a very versatile timepiece, and a true strap monster. Sinara and Lex discover and discuss the watchs many faces.This video is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings Bringing the Oris Divers Sixty-Five Fratello Limited Edi...
It feels like just yesterday that we were ushering in 2022, and now we re looking ahead to 2023 in a matter of weeks - time flies! It may be a cliche, but it s oh-so-true. This year, we saw countless new watches launched, and there have been highs and lows. It s now my job to sift through them and sort the wheat from the chaff. It s tough picking what I think are the best watches released in 2022, partly because of the sheer number and because there have been some genuinely standout launches.Thinking out loud, I guess I should set some rules to facilitate this process. Therefore, I will eschew bias and rule out our beautiful Fratello limited editions. I could quickly fill this list with NOMO...
