In our Sunday Morning Showdown, two of our writers go head-to-head in an epic showdown for the ages. Strong opinions and hysterical hyperbole are welcome (so feel free to join in with the fun in the comments section below). And dont forget to let us know which watches youd like to see torn to shreds/effusively exalted next week. Well try and feature as many of our readers choices as we can. Grab a hot drink, settle into a comfy chair and ponder whether the new Tudor Black Bay Chrono finally usurps TAG Heuers Carrera Sport.This week continues the trend of pitting a new novelty from Watches Wonders 2021 against a staple contender. With hundreds of watch releases from 38 brands in a short time...
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Richard Mille must have thought that a watch for polo players doesnt need a reverse function. Instead, he made sure that the sapphire crystal is simply unbreakable. Six years ago, Richard Mille created their first timepiece for this elegant but hard-handed sport.Pablo Mac Donough (born in 1982) is an Argentinian polo player who won his first tournament age 14 ( Potrillos Cup). Since 2011 he is one of the elite members of the Richard Mille team and in 2012 the first watch for polo was born: the RM053. Limited to 15 pieces only, created after Mac Donough explained the Richard Mille engineers his world of shocks, blows and forces polo players face in a game that sees solid balls launched throug...
The third times a charm, or so they say. RB take to the ice in an effort to help the NHL rename its four woefully-monikered divisions while attaching watch sponsors that reflect each lineups unique character for good measure.We briefly touch on NFL free agency, with some big moves deserving a mention, which resulted in us slipping into a weird would you rather bit that pitted the career (thus far) of Carson Wentz against that of Dolphins legend Dan Marino.The recently renamed NHL divisions get the Balazs treatment, walking away from this awesome episode with some much better titles and new watch sponsors. There is a massive controversy between Union Glashutte and Glashutte Original as Balazs...
Watches with integrated bracelets are booming right now. One of the original brands that introduced a watch with an integrated bracelet, introduced a new addition today. I am talking about the Vacheron Constantin Overseas self-winding 41mm in pink gold.While Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, and IWC asked G rald Genta for help, Vacheron Constantin approached Jorg Hysek. Initially introduced as their 222 model in 1977, it made its name and fame under the Overseas moniker. The Vacheron Constantin Overseas offers a large collection of luxury sports watches, in both stainless steel and in precious metals.Overseas Self-Winding 41mmDuring the Watches Wonders show in Shanghai, Vacheron Constantin i...
It was only a few years ago, in 2018, when Vacheron Constantin introduced its Fiftysix collection. The line was not running with a new idea. It was instead a freshly developed interpretation of a vintage Vacheron Constantin watch. The reference 6073 came to the market in 1956, hence the model line name.The inspiration for the case of the 6073 was the shape of the Maltese cross. It also happens to be the logo of Vacheron Constantin as well. The Fiftysix timepieces reinterpret this and many other features of that vintage reference in a retro-contemporary style. For this years edition VC released the Fiftysix with a new sepia brown-toned dial and a matching calfskin leather strap.FiftysixThe co...
Watches with an extra time zone indicator, like a GMT or world timer always had my interest. I am a frequent traveler, but mainly within the same time zone. Unlike a few years ago, when I traveled for the investment bank and auditing firm I worked for. I used to have a omega GMT-Master II at that time, which was my loyal travel companion. Easy to set and I didnt need to be very cautious with it.Now that I am more or less in the time zone (and traded the GMT-Master II a while ago), the need for such a watch isnt really there. At least not from a functional point of view, but as a watch aficionado I am still drawn to this complication. Thats also why I always had (and still have) this soft spo...
Ever since I started to develop a serious interest in watches, Ive been exposed to the advertisements of A. Lange Sohne in (mostly) German watch magazines. This must have been around 1997 or 1998, just a few years after the A. Lange Sohne manufacture got re-invented. Since then, Ive always had a weak spot for their Lange 1 timepiece, especially in white gold but never was lucky enough to be able to pull the trigger on one.Big was the joy and smile on my face when A. Lange Sohne in Glashutte sent me one of their timepieces to perform a review and photo-shoot on. The A. Lange Sohne Lange 1 Time Zone in platinum is one of my favorite watches, as I love the Lange 1 model and I also love tr...
At the end of 2021, I was faced with a challenge. That challenge which a number of our editors also took? was to write an article about my grail watch. Call me a pessimist, or a realist, but I would never call a watch my grail if I didn't think it was something that I could genuinely get my hands on someday. To me, there's a certain level of obtainability implied by the term grail. After all, Indy did get his hands on the grail at the end of The Last Crusade I would refer to anything more than that as a dream watch, something which I can admire and appreciate, without feeling like I need to own it someday. This is why I picked the omega Explorer II 16570 as my grail watch.But little did I k...
Happy Monday, dear Fratelli (or good day to you, whenever youre reading this) Today, Id like to talk about a pair of words that I sometimes see misused among watch enthusiasts carat and karat. As an American, I come from a country where both spellings are widely used in jewelry and watch-related media. And as the son of a jewelry-loving mother, I was fortunate enough to learn the uses of these terms very early on. Because of this, the difference between a carat and a karat always seemed clear-cut and super obvious to me, well into my early adulthood.As I got older, however, I noticed other Americans misusing these words in print. Additionally, I saw both native and non-native English speaker...
The oxymoron of a professional tool with luxurious precious metal elements is a profoundly odd concept. Yet as I have discovered, the combination of gold and steel traces back much further than I previously acknowledged. My watch selections today consist of two-tone divers with serious street cred.All these watches were selected carefully by me without any influence from Chrono24. I chose the topic and found suitable wristwatches that related to the topic. I only request the high-resolution photos from Chrono24 without the watermark. As these are only my suggestions, it is advised that you carry out your own research on the watch details and the seller. Ask as many relevant questions you fee...
Every year, Omega introduces a new limited edition of in my humble opinion the nicest chronograph ever, the Speedmaster Professional. It is one of the few watch brands, or perhaps the only brand, that gets away in my book with all these limited editions. This year, it was 40 years ago that Omega accompanied the crew of Apollo 15 to the Moon.The Apollo 15 Mission, that started on the 26th of July 1971 and safely returned on the 7th of August in 1971. On the 30th of July, the crew landed their Lunar Module on the surface of the Moon, to stay there for 4 days. This page on Wiki has a great and detailed description of the Apollo 15 mission.As you can see, Omega used the mission patch as an ins...
omega collector Mike Wood is offering 10 (!) vintage timepieces for sale at the Military Watch Resource. An incredible collection of some very sought-after omega models. Trades are not welcome according to the for sale ad, so if the money is flowing back into his passion for watches, I am very curious to know what it will beStarting in the left upper corner (and going clockwise), you see a:omega Thunderbird Turnograph in 18ct white gold and stainless steel, circa 1968. This is a very rare watch as it was issued to the Peruvian Air-Force (Fuerza Aerea del Peru). Fitted to omega USA Jubilee bracelet. (Ref. 1625);omega Mk I Great White Sea-Dweller. No original documentation. (Ref. 1665);omega B...
Its Two For Tuesday where we take a look at a couple of models often considered during a purchase decision. This week, well talk about the Oris Divers Sixty-Five and the Big Pointer Date.Last week, we spoke about two incredibly popular Seiko divers. The Marinemaster 300 took on its offspring in the Baby Marinemaster. It seems that most of you enjoy saving a few bucks while staying comfortable because the little guy took home most of your votes. This week, well look at a couple of really nice watches from Oris. The 116-year old brand from H?lstein, Switzerland has a pair of hot tickets on its hands with the Divers Sixty-Five and the Big Pointer Date.My Oris memoriesPrior to 2015, I have to ad...
When I started collecting watches in the late 1990s, my watch dealer and now Fratello contributor Gerard told me that I needed a omega Datejust. Cant go wrong with a omega Datejust as they always work. With anything.. A short and simple statement from someone who had by that time already seen and tried it all. A few years later, just after graduation, I got my first Datejust. It was a vintage Datejust from 1969, with reference 1600, on a jubilee bracelet that was clearly added later. I managed to find a couple of extra bezels, including the fluted white gold one, so I could change it to a reference 1601 when I felt like it. It was also an easy watch to wear on a leather strap.omega Datej...
A new Oris boutique opened its doors in the heart of Amsterdam. The H?lstein (Switzerland) based brand chose a historic building at Rokin 48 to be their flagship for The Netherlands.The 16th Oris BoutiqueOris, as well, was one of the brands which surprised us during last Baselworld with many interesting and attractive models. Youll find reviews of these watches here and here. And at this point, we would like to mention Oris ongoing effort to help save the oceans as well. The last initiative in this field was with the Coral Restoration Foundation, from which youll find our report here....
As far as contentious Top 5 lists go, this is about as divisive a topic as I can think of. My Top 5 omega watches EVER. And yeah, you really do need to SHOUT the ever. Why? Because if you go into a list like this half-cocked, youre going to misfire. You have to be 100% convinced (and bloody-minded at that) to even pretend that you know what the Top 5 omegaes in history are. Luckily for you (and for the activity in the comments section, no doubt), I am both those things.The funny thing about anointing myself the international arbiter of omega watches is that I dont actually own one. I never have. Ive always wanted one, but these five watches are actually to blame for me never pulling the trig...
We won't travel far into the past for today's TBT. The Breitling Spatiographe lived quite a short life between 1997-2002 and it holds a very special place in my collection. It sits as the?lonely wolf among numerous pre-1980s watches and a decent bunch of modern timepieces. What an undervalued watch!Looking back, it does not necessarily mean we have to jump seven decades in the past to show you something spectacular. We haven't featured many young-timers born around the 1990s on TBT, but today we are about to change that. The Breitling Spatiographe is a pretty unusual piece that is often easily overlooked. It has the typical strong Navitimer design DNA but comes with a bit of a twist.Witty ...
An Omega Speedmaster under 2,000 are you sure that's even possible? Sadly, this amount won't buy you a hand-wound Moonwatch anymore. Nevertheless, there are some Speedmaster variations that you can buy for around (or sometimes even under) 2,000. One of them is the Omega Speedmaster 3511.50.00 with its cool reverse-panda dial and automatic movement.Since the late 1980s, Omega has been making smaller variations of the Speedmaster that have come to know as the Speedmaster Reduced. They feature a smaller case, an automatic chronograph movement, slightly different design elements, and, of course, a more attractive price tag.Speedmaster 3511.50.00 Image via ZeitAuktion.Omega Speedmaster 3511.50I m...
One of the finest arts in the world of watchmaking brings the new dials of the Breguet Classique 7137 and 7337 models to life. The time-honored craft of guilloch takes years to master. But for Breguet, the years of training required to operate these archaic machines, are clearly years well spent.When a watch collection is defined by its adherence to traditional styles and values, the use of genuine craft techniques is essential. A guilloch dial, produced using a rose engine machine, is not just a beautiful object because of its aesthetics, but also because of the effort that has gone into making it. It is not possible, however tempting, to achieve the same effect via laser engraving or hyd...
CronotempVs is a collectors/enthusiast/amateurs community dedicated to sharing the passion of horology. Founded in Madrid in 2009, the purpose is to connect watch enthusiasts away from the public eye. The members of the watch illuminati reside around the world. Initially, they just talked watches among themselves, but things have changed in recent times. The group has worked on projects with brands like ?A. Lange Sohne, Audemars Piguet, Breguet, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Oris, and many others. And when I say projects, Im talking watches. A special watch created by both the aficionados and the brand. The granulated gold grandeur of the Chopard L.U.C Perpetual Twin CronotempVs Edition shows love...