I cannot believe it has already been a full year since I last published my favorite summer watches. Time flies when youre having fun! While I am often one of the first to submit my list articles, this year, I am one of the last writers to submit my summer watch picks. Why? Well, it s because I was on an early summer holiday to the French coast, enjoying sun, sea, and good food. What watch did I wear? Well, you can probably guess it was a certain little do-it-all number that tends to hog all my wrist time these days.Still, in summer, I find myself drawn to other watches as well. I love a good summer watch, and several keep tempting me. So, without further ado, lets dive into my summer watch p...
IFL Watches has transformed numerous timepieces with hand-painted dials. Now, the brand has worked its magic on the Doxa Sub 200 to create the Aquamarine Reef Turtle. And while it s not an official collaboration, Doxa has approved of IFLW s work. Spoiler alert: this might be my favorite artsy edition yet!One look at the IFL Watches website reveals a vast array of pieces that an artist s brush has transformed. It s certainly a unique experience compared to the run-of-the-mill watch catalog. With art, it s also okay that not every release will appeal to every onlooker. This is why the brand offers so many different choices and the option to custom-create a bespoke piece on order. Today s Doxa ...
It s Friday, so it s time for another list. Today, we continue our series of articles highlighting the best watches from the first half of 2025. It s been a busy year so far in the watch world, so every category has an abundance of great options. In today s article, we put the spotlight on the best new GMTs we ve witnessed up close. This varied list shows the incredible diversity that is possible in the world of GMT watches. Let s find out what our five favorites are.I m a huge fan of GMT watches, so making a list like this is special to me. It gives me a good idea of potential additions to my ever-growing wish list. After a busy couple of years full of GMTs, the number of releases in the ca...
The mighty Datejust turns 80 this year. That makes it one of the longest continually produced watches out there, which is no small feat. At Fratello, we intend to celebrate with a series of articles on the model, which I get to kick off today.I would like to start the celebrations with five facts about the Datejust you (probably) did not know. If you already knew all five, you can consider yourself graduated and ready for a new hobby! Lets dive in!Image: PhillipsLittle-known Datejust fact #1: An anniversary modelLets start the list with a relatively easy one that few people realize today: the Datejust was an anniversary model when it came out. The company celebrated 40 years when it int...
If Ulysses had worn the Parmigiani Tonda PF Sport Chronograph Rose Gold Sandstone when encountering the Sirens while sailing the Mediterranean, he wouldnt have had to tie himself to the mast. With its luxurious presence and soft colorway, the watch on his wrist would have left the Sirens speechless and, thus, harmless. Parmigianis new iteration of the Tonda PF Sport Chronograph is a mythical watch that oozes relaxed Mediterranean vibes with its softly shimmering dial and textured rubber strap.Two years ago, Parmigiani Fleurier introduced the Tonda PF Sport line. The collection is the successor to the Tonda GT product family and presents as a collection of timepieces for active leisure times ...
The Heuer Skipper ref. 7764 was never high on my shopping list. Actually, it was not on it at all. The opportunity to grab it came unexpectedly. My ongoing two-month watch fast was interrupted, so I went all in. Here are my thoughts after six months with this watch.Yachting chronographs have a special place in my heart. I guess it s the same for many collectors. Playful and colorful dial structures give these watches a spirit, strong individuality, and distinct character. Over the years with #TBT, we ve looked closely at classy examples by Yema and Gallet, as we did with unusual pieces from Seaboard Yacht and Airin.The same but differentThe iconic yachting minute counter in red, white, and b...
Orange is a popular color for dive watches as it s one of the most visible colors underwater. It offers a strong contrast against the blue or green hues deep down, helping divers quickly read the time or elapsed dive duration. Even though colors like red and orange fade first at great depths due to light absorption, in the recreational diving range (down to ~40 meters), orange remains one of the best choices for a legible, high-contrast dial. Its also a stylistic nod to vintage dive watches and remains a signature look for specific models. Although Omega has used the color on various Seamaster models, the Diver 300M has never featured any orange - until today.This video is blocked because yo...
Why is there a GMT-Master II in the picture when this story is about quirky GMT watches? Well, that s because no matter how far off the beaten GMT path you stray - set the path with a 12-hour dial combined with a 24-hour hand and a 24-hour bezel, and nearly everybody followed - a lefty GMT-Master II Sprite or Starbucks, will always be the quirkiest. The mirror image of an icon can create so much discomfort for the watch-loving brain that the left-handed Sprite and Starbucks -? IMHO, the watch equivalent of a venti salted caramel mocha frappuccino with five pumps of frap roast, four pumps of caramel sauce, three pumps of mocha, double-blended with extra whipped cream - needed a mention, eve...
In the last installment of our series on our favorite summer watches, Robert-Jan took a slightly different approach that I loved. Connecting watches to destinations made it more personal. Additionally, it sparked a lively discussion on a variety of topics in the comments. But my brain is also wired similarly to his. Whenever I think of summer watches, I associate them with places I have been or want to visit. That s why I based my list of favorite summer watches on the combination of summer and locations.Unlike Robert-Jan, I will limit the season to summer because it offers me direction regarding colors. I will spice up my look for the summer with some nice straps instead of a bracelet, my u...
Today s new Ming 37.02 Monolith is the latest variant using the brand s popular case design. While the case coating is the big news here, it s worth a closer look. After all, small changes sometimes lead to significant results.The 37-series of watches from Ming has stood as the more affordable range since 2021. During these four years, we ve seen the underlying case serve as a platform for several types of watches. Moonphase pieces with date windows (yes, we re still getting used to these on a Ming), divers, manual-winding models, and automatics have all received the 37-series treatment. In that respect, the new 37.02 Monolith is the latest edition, but it s a sweet one.A bit of backgroundBe...
What does it mean for a watch to be stealthy? Does that translate into one that is as dark as possible on the wrist, even if it means forgoing readability? A good example would be the Omega Speedmaster Dark Side Of The Moon Black Black, a fully blacked-out ceramic Speedy that is as undercover as it gets. Or does stealthy mean a watch that is fully blacked out except for its functional elements? An example of this is the new Peren Regia Lunar Eclipse Dark, or Regia LE Dark, as the brand refers to it. The blacked-out case and dial are contrasted by bright white hands and markers, so it s always easy to read the time. I had a chance to take the stylish Regia LE Dark diver for a spin to find out...
Back by dope demand, Fratello EDC is here again for the first time since 2022! In this series, the Fratello team members let you take a peek into their bags and share their Everyday Carry (EDC) items. Lex will kick things off by sharing his daily essentials. What does he carry with him, and does he still schlepp the same stuff around as he did three years ago?To answer that last question: no, but I wish I did. One of the items in my 2022 EDC was my 2016 Montblanc Heritage Rouge & Noir ballpoint pen in coral red, my favorite pen of all time. With looks inspired by the 1906 Rouge et Noir fountain pen, it celebrates the 110th anniversary of that technically advanced writing instrument. Its ...
If we mention the name Tusen?, most of you will immediately think of the popular Shellback diver. The Swedish brand has released a small selection of models in the past few years, but the Shellback has made waves as one of the best affordable dive watches on the market. Now, the young Gothenburg-based brand surprises us with a new series of dress watches. The Supervintage collection is something entirely fresh that I hadn t expected from Tusen? - three colorful dress watches with remarkably shaped cases and funky, eye-catching dials. It s time to find out more about them in a hands-on review.The three new Tusen? Supervintage models instantly stand out. They also perfectly fit the rise in pop...
When I say the word Casio, many thoughts come to mind. I m willing to bet that mechanical watches don t enter the picture, though. Notably, those are exactly what we re here to discuss, as the brand is introducing its first-ever line of mechanical pieces. The Edifice EFK-100 collection is big news, so let s get to it!Yes, this is happening! Casio is releasing the first line of mechanical watches in the company s history. The new Edifice EFK-100 marks a dramatic departure from the brand s all-quartz lineup. Whether it s the simple F-91W, the mighty G-Shocks, or the more elegant Edifice collection, the thought of a mainspring inside the case seems like a wild proposition! Are we ready for this...
It has been exactly 50 years since the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project mission occurred. The goal was to see whether the Apollo and Soyuz systems could connect (dock) in space and to investigate whether rescue operations could be performed together. The launch occurred on July 15th, 1975, and the docking happened on July 17th.Stafford and Leonov during their encounter in space in 1975 - Image: NASAASTP MissionAlexei Leonov and Valery Kubasov were on board the Soyuz 7K-TM spacecraft, and Thomas P. Stafford, Vance D. Brand, and Deke Slayton manned the Apollo CSM-111. NASA equipped its astronauts with the Speedmaster refs. 105.012 (Slayton) and 145.012 (Stafford and Brand) housing caliber 321, while ...
Every so often, in football (or soccer), we see a talent unlike any other - a player with a style of his own. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Andrea Pirlo, and Ronaldinho spring to mind. Similarly, Erling Haaland doesn t fit any stylistic molds. He has now teamed up with Breitling for the Erling Haaland Signature Chronomat editions, available as a chronograph in 18K red gold and a GMT in a combination of steel and platinum.The steel and platinum GMT comes in a limited series of 500 pieces, while the gold chronograph sees only 250 pieces produced. A third version of only five pieces is exclusive to Haaland and a handful of his relatives. Since that one isnt publicly available, I will not cover it here. L...
With Doxa being a relatively small brand, it s not every day that we get word of a new model. Yet, here we are, and while we ll see that the new Sub 750T Clive Cussler is a limited edition, we re hoping the new case foreshadows a serial-production launch. But let s focus on the release at hand. This piece celebrates a few milestones.The new Doxa Sub 750T Clive Cussler is the latest diver honoring the famous fiction author. While it is a posthumous release, Cussler would have turned 94 today. Also, 2025 is the 20th anniversary of the film Sahara, which starred Matthew McConaughey as Cussler s most storied character, Dirk Pitt. What better way to honor these two milestones than to release a ne...
The central theme of Zenith s 160th anniversary this year is blue. The brand s color inspired the spectacular dial of the new G.F.J. and a trio of celebratory ceramic releases we saw during Watches and Wonders. Zenith also introduces a new blue dial for the new Chronomaster Original. But fans of the brand know better than to label it just another blue dial. The blue sunray dial of this new Chronomaster Original hints at the dial of the legendary Zenith A3818 Cover Girl that graced the cover of Manfred R?ssler s book on the brand. As a result, this release has more historical relevance than a simple change in dial color might imply. I had a chance to experience the watch for myself.One glance...
The colorful 1950s are back in the shape of the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Limited Edition Seafarer II. With its deep blue dial, fresh turquoise accents on the minute counter, and lively yellow touches, it refreshingly presents itself with an unmistakable nautical touch. This novelty harks back to a 1950s Heuer chronograph, the Seafarer tide-indication watch made for the historic American sporting label Abercrombie & Fitch. The spirit of the Carrera Skipper is also strong within this 500-piece LE, which we will nickname Seafarer II because its birth name, Carrera Chronograph Limited Edition, doesnt tell you anything about this history-inspired seagoing sports watch.In 2023, TAG Heuer ...
Yes, I know this series is supposed to be about watches for summer, but is there such a thing as a typical summer watch? I think I ll go against the grain and refer to my picks as holiday watches instead, as preparing for a vacation is when I carefully select the watch (or watches) I want to bring with me.G-Shock Riseman GW-9200-1ERI took a G-Shock on my last holidayMy family already had our big holiday in May when we visited South Africa. We flew to Cape Town and enjoyed a fantastic two weeks exploring the famous Garden Route. Since South Africa can be unsafe in some areas, I decided not to bring anything expensive and took my G-Shock Riseman instead. I bought this watch many years ago but ...
