Roughly a month before the SIHH in Geneva, where Richemont brands (a.o.) introduce their novelties to the press, retailers and consumers, Jaeger-LeCoultre presents their Master Ultra Thin Moon Enamel already. Limited to 100 pieces only, this watch features a dial that is completely executed by hand by a few artisans trained in Le Sentier, where the Jaeger-LeCoultre manufacture is located.Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Moon EnamelThe Master Ultra Thin collection is among our favourites, as we wrote in this article on their Master Ultra Thin Perpetual Calendar.? Jaeger-LeCoultre uses the Master Ultra Thin not only to show their?hand-guilloch blue enamel dial but also their moonphase indic...
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ANALYSIS OF RESULTS AT PHILLIPS (BACS RUSSO), CHRISTIE'S, SOTHEBY'S ANTIQUORUMChart RECAP ON NOVEMBER 2016 WATCH AUCTIONS GENEVAAUCTION HOUSETTL LOTS*QTY SOLDSOLD %TOTAL VALUEAVG. PRICEPHILLIPS (Bacs Russo)19117793%CHF 27.513.625CHF 155.444Christies32327685%CHF 14.702.500CHF 53.270Sothebys31327788%CHF 7.088.750CHF 25.591Antiquorum55545081%CHF 5.700.000CHF 12.667TOTAL AVERAGE %1.3821.18087%CHF 55.004.875CHF 61.743*Net of withdrawn lotsNOTE: Amounts quantities sold include after sale results as of November 16, 2016 and may be ongoing.It was an eventful auction weekend here in Geneva. Predicting auction results is much like predicting the weather: there is an underlying science, but it ...
I was instantly attracted to the Breguet Tradition when it was introduced in 2005. Despite the movement being based on Breguets historical Souscription and Tact pocket watches, using the design as a wristwatch was no less than groundbreaking. Never before had Breguet used this construction to show the mechanics of the movement above its baseplate, resplendent for the wearer to admire.When it comes to watches I love two things: simplicity and mechanics. The Breguet Tradition ticks both boxes. In its initial form, it is a simple two-hander, with only a power reserve indicator as a complication. Which, by the way, I consider an adequate feature for a hand winding watch. Looking at the watch, be...
Arcadia is the boutique brand of the Fleurier Watch Company that was originally found in the 19th century and brought back to life in 2007. With three types of collections (four if you include the watches made on request), Arcadia is able to?fulfill the demand of all sorts of watch consumers. Arcadia has a Contemporary line of watches to which the reviewed AC01-V2 ?belongs, a Vintage collection that grabs back to chronographs of yesteryear and a collection especially for ladies.We received an Arcadia AC01-V2 for review and wed like to share the pictures we took with our readers.This AC01-V2 chronograph by Arcadia has this unusual shape and is packed with all kinds of cool details. The AC01-V...
Visiting Seiko at Baselworld 2017 was, once again, an experience marked with numerous new releases and an exciting blend of technology mixed with retro cues. We showed a preview of the Grand Seiko releases the minute the press conference had concluded (which coincided with the embargo lift) and we'll show some more pictures of those here. The focus, though, will be on the watches from the parent brand. Let's take a look.Seiko at Baselworld 2017The Seiko SLA017 62MASThe most eagerly awaited release from Seiko at Baselworld 2017, and perhaps one of the most anticipated overall, was the reissue of the famous 62MAS. We ran, and reran, an article on my original piece from 1965 in advance of the s...
In this Sunday morning column, 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 don't forget to let us know which watches you'd like to see torn to shreds/effusively exalted next week. We'll try and feature as many of our readers' choices as we can. This week its the turn of the Vacheron Constantin 4500V. Let the battle commence.Rob NuddsIt seems like were gearing up to feature the Holy Trinity of manufactures right off the bat in Sunday Morning Showdown, but thats no bad thing Last weeks inaugural outing for the SMS series went down a storm, with...
The omega GMT-Master (II) finally stepped out of the shadow of its diving brother, the Submariner. With the introduction of the ceramic Pepsi and Batman (on Jubilee) recently, the hype is real. Long waiting lists and market prices far over retail result in disappointed customers, but that doesnt seem to slow down the demand. On the contrary.I can imagine why the omega GMT-Master II is so much in demand. It is a great daily companion, with the added value of an extra timezone. I had my share of GMT-Master watches, including a few vintage 1675s and a GMT-Master II 16710. When I was ready to purchase a GMT-Master II Ceramic or Batman in 2017, I was confronted with the above-mentioned demand for...
During the Baselworld novelty presentation at Maurice Lacroix, we were happily surprised by the new Masterpiece collection. Apart from the Square wheel' and Mystery' line-up, perhaps the most interesting novelty was the Masterpiece Gravity. We already posted some live wristshots on our @fratellowatches Instagram account. Now, we present our hands-on review of the Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Gravity with better photos.Maurice Lacroix describes the Gravity as the force that is intended to attract admiring glances'. And to be honest, the Gravity was the first thing?that caught our attention on the presentation tray, containing some of the novelty watches for this years Baselworld.The large and ...
Welcome to my race track. On the left side, we have the TAG Heuer Monza, and on the right side of the track, theres the Omega Speedmaster Calibre 321. This race is part of our contest, The Fast And The Fratelli, where you get to decide which watch wins and goes on to the next track. The goal of this race is to find the best racing chronograph of the past ten years.Weve set some rules for fair play. The watch must have been produced in the last ten years (since 2011), it must be mechanical, and it must be able to measure elapsed time for at least one minute. Also, it must feature a tachymeter scale. Oh, and it must be awesome, of course As you can see, we will not exclude limited or special e...
A favorite pastime of mine is to scroll through the archives of Bal ezss extensive Watch Strap Review series. In most cases, Im hunting for inspiration to pair an ol faithful watch with a fresh strap. However, in this case, my investigation on Watch Strap Review centered around whether Fratello Watches had previously covered acclaimed British strap-maker The Strap Tailor. Surely, the emerging brilliance of this one-man-band(maker) had graced our Sedna-toned pages? Well, yes, but only recently, and not in the scope of a full-blown review of not one but TWO of his straps. So, lets get to it.Weve featured The Strap Tailor on Fratello before via the most recent Studio Underd0g Mint Ch0c Chip wat...
I kid you not, the sharks are already trying to charge you nearly 20,000 for the new omega Submariner. The new omega diver didnt solve the ongoing issue of dealers taking abuse. Its not necessarily the fault of grey market dealers, because remember, these watches have to come from somewhere. Luckily, there is a fine alternative hiding in plain sight: the omega Sea-Dweller.Anyway, without starting a rant about ridiculous market prices for the new omega Submariner watches, I thought about the omega models that you can actually buy. For an amount close to the retail price of the new Submariner, you could pick up the very handsome Sea-Dweller. The omega Sea-Dweller 16600 is the first omega I bou...
If I said to you, Men are strong and do all the hard work would you agree? What about Girls are not as good at sport as men? Or Men are messy and unclean?? We'd like to think stereotyping has no place in today's society, right? So why, when we strike up a conversation with someone about watches, do we suddenly fall into a bad habit? You're wearing a pilot's watch, so you must be a qualified pilot? There's one If we think about it long enough, the statement feels about as substantial as saying all divers need a dive watch.Of course, it's not a true statement. Professional divers have access to a whole host of computerized equipment to help them navigate the big blue. In the same vein, a pilot...
Imagine the shame: I'm an editor doing three to four stories a week at Fratello Watches, without an Omega Speedmaster to my name. How did I get the job, and how could I even be allowed to have my byline on the website sans Speedy? My colleagues keep asking why I dont own a Speedmaster proper peer pressure. It's not like I haven't tried on the Speedmaster Professional or had the budget, but I remain confused and Moonwatch-less.Let me try to be objective and truthful about this. First, please forgive me. I have been writing about watches for a couple of years now, and I am a contrarian by nature. This means that even if something is intrinsically beautiful, I will shy away from it if it is pop...
Not too long ago, I wrote about the best Seiko JDM releases of the last 25 years. The next step was obviously to pick the best Grand Seiko JDM releases. But its not that simple. Ever since 2010, Grand Seiko has officially had an international focus. So JDM releases would technically be releases created in collaboration with Japanese retailers or the special Grand Seiko boutique editions. On top of that, I would love to add a Grand Seiko to my personal collection soon. So I decided to tap into the world of Grand Seiko limited editions and pick the best of the many that are out there.The big question when it came to this list, however, was whether I should go with the models that people genera...
You (presumably) are a person seeking a watch. Perhaps you know which watch. Perhaps its THE watch. However, more than likely, youre at least open to options, if not openly shopping. Here we present a few curated choices a la dating profile, with watches and the owners they seek. Today, its eligible German watches. A Stowa Marine Classic is pining for its Captain. This A. Lange Sohne Saxonia is searching for its sugar daddy/mama. And the Sinn EZM 3 is ready to party with its adventure buddy. All they ask is to be your one and only (GADA alert!).Call these German watches GADAs (go anywhere, do anything), if you like. Indeed, the lack of water resistance or addition of diving bezels will rank...
Its no secret that we are fans of the Rado brand here at Fratello. Especially the vintage-inspired timepieces. These throwback fancies are loved by many Fratello team members. But the brand also made its mark in the 1990s with the introduction of a series of black ceramic watches. The material, the color, and the minimalist design propelled the Rado name to the forefront of the watch industry. The all-new Rado True Square Automatic Open Heart is a brand new addition to the Rado collection that takes us back to that time. And it brings back a lot of memories.Whenever I think of Rado, I think of its fully black ceramic watches. As a teenager, the sight of a black Rado Ceramica in a retailers s...
It's over, ladies and gentlemen. A whole seven days of Watches And Wonders in an unseasonably cold and snowy Geneva. And as unexpected as the sub-zero temperatures and frozen precipitation were, there were plenty of surprises taking place within the beige-cloth-lined plywood walls of Palexpo. Especially in the not-so-plywood comfort of the omega booth. But it's not all about omega. Around 38 brands shared their latest creations with us these past few days. And though we were not able to cross the full 38 off our list, we certainly gave it our best shot. As we settle back into a more sustainable rhythm, it's very therapeutic to reflect on what we saw the things we liked, those that surprised...
Gianni Agnelli, former Head of FIAT and Italian industrialist was famous for his flamboyant style. Nicknamed The Rake of the Riviera, Mr Agnelli was always wearing his carefully selected timepieces over his cuff.In the autumn of his life he has been spotted wearing this large especially for that time OMEGA Seamaster PloProf over his cuff. Earlier even but already a bit grey haired he has been spotted wearing this wonderful classic Patek Philippe World Time ref.1415 HU timepiece. Jake featured him on his Patek Blog last year and states that this picture dates back to approximately 1960.We found a similar Patek for sale over at Chrono24, worlds leading market platform for timepieces. Selle...
On this Speedy Tuesday, we show you 10 Instagram accounts you want to make sure to follow to get your dose of Speedmasters on a daily basis.Weve been using the SpeedyTuesday tag since 2012 ourselves, and theres our?official @SpeedyTuesday account of course. However, so many people out there have interesting Speedmaster content on their accounts, we thought it would be nice to share our favourites with you.In no particular order, here are the 10 Instagram accounts you want to follow:10. @SpeedyJapanA Speedmaster enthusiast from Japan is running this @SpeedyJapan account, where he posts and reposts images of our beloved Speedmasters. He is calling all Speedmaster fans in Japan on his account....
World Travellers WatchesSome call it the best time ever, others hate it. Travelling around the world comes?in many flavours, be it for work, leisure or perhaps even both. If you are a regular world traveller, you might want to have a world traveller's watch to accompany you on these trips. They help you to show you in a glance the time where you are currently located as well as your home time. Very convenient to keep in touch with your family and friends at home, or with your colleagues, of course.I selected three different world traveller's watches from three different manufactures: De Bethune DB25 World Traveller, Glashutte Original Senator Cosmopolite, and the Patek Philippe 5930G Wor...