However you look at it, Cartier has always been the creator of shaped watches and the brand never renounced their past. Their creations from the twenties and thirties are still a returning theme in the collection, as they often have obtained an iconic status. Stunning examples of Cartiers shaped watches are the curved cases of the Tank Americain and?the?Tank Cintr e?and?Tonneau?pictured here.These are watches that fit like a glove on the wrist and look so handsome halfway under the cuff. This is what most of us probably see as shaped cases. ?But there are less well-known examples, produced in very small quantities, that are even more extreme when it comes to case design.1923 For instance, wa...
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Brace yourself, Web3 is coming at you, whether you get it or not (yet). Panerai is not the first major watch brand to enter the NFT waters, and it certainly won't be the last. As?the brands entry ticket into the Web3 territory, the Italian-Swiss watchmaker has chosen a new product-release concept for the Radiomir Eilean Experience Edition.The keyword here is Experience. Panerai is offering you a multi-dimensional experience, packaged with both physical and digital components, along with one on the wrist the new Radiomir Eilean. This is the first Panerai Experience Edition watch that is accompanied by a sailing trip on the Mediterranean and an exclusive NFT in a cryptographic wallet. Let us u...
During Watches And Wonders 2022, we saw a plethora of impressive timepieces. In the stream of new releases, we missed a familiar face that has returned to the spotlight. Piaget introduced a new version of its sporty luxury watch, the Polo Date in black. The watch not only brings a new dial color to the collection but also sees the introduction of a black rubber strap. This combination was not previously available from Piaget, so lets take a look and find out more.When it comes to Piaget and Watches And Wonders 2022, it was all about the Altiplano Ultimate Concept. This special creation that Daan wrote about?celebrates the fifth anniversary of the Altiplano line. It shows Piagets unique skill...
omega Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Master II 116680For us, one of the nice surprises this last Baselworld was definitely the stainless steel omega Yacht-Master II ref. 116680. A few years ago, omega introduced the Yacht-Master II. It wasnt a successor to the Yacht-Master ref. 16622 but an addition to the collection. While the Yacht-Master was connected with yachting, there was no specific feature of the watch that would support the men on boats. Except for being water resistant. The Yacht-Master II is one of the few omega watches with a real complication besides a date feature. The regatta (countdown) chronograph will help skippers in the yachting competition to have a perfect start. In this artic...
Hey team, its time for This Week in Watches and we have lots of news this week!? Im already listening to Bubl and would like to get back to it so lets get into it!RJ Watches ARRAW Spider-Man CarbonFirst up on This Week in Watches is the RJ Watches Spider-Man Carbon.? This 100-piece, 45mm carbon-cased watch features an in-house RJ-3005 manual wind movement that looks like its floating in a spiders web.? The case back is done in titanium and has some pretty cool Spider-Man inscriptions on it.? Honestly, Im at an age where I look fondly upon my comic book buying days and Im sure there are other (far wealthier) people who feel the same.? At 19,200 Euros, theyll be getting something a bit more ...
When Omega introduced its Speedmaster Professional Moonphase in 2003, it wasnt an entirely new model. Already back in 1985, Omega introduced the SpeedyMoon 385.0809 and two additional references. The 2003 model, reference 3876.50 for the leather strap version and 3576.50 for the one on the bracelet, is based on the 1980s SpeedyMoon.In this article, I will have a closer look at the now discontinued Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonphase 3876.50 and try to explain why it is underrated, in my opinion. It has been discontinued since 2018, so you will have to search the pre-owned market for one or try to reach out to some authorized dealers who still might have one in stock. This Speedmaster Pr...
Today's TBT will be Baselworld 2017 focused as we're still basking in the afterglow of the show. And, even though we've covered it already, I'll use this column as a platform to discuss why I, a vintage diehard, ordered the Omega Speedmaster 1957 reissue. Maybe my purchase of this watch surprises you and maybe it doesn't, but let's discuss it anyhow.The trio of 60th Anniversary Pieces during our AppointmentA Trio of Beautiful WatchesOmega, if you've not yet read, debuted a trio of 1957 reissues to mark the 60th anniversary of introduction for the Railmaster, Seamaster and the Speedmaster. Omega allows you to purchase these watches in one of two ways: individually or as a set of three. To cl...
Welcome to This Week in Watches for September 12, 2020 the olio edition. Olio is one of those crossword answers that refers to a collection of things. Boy, do we have a mix today!Before we dive into the olio, I thought Id take a brief moment. Yesterday was the 19th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. In some ways, that awful day feels like yesterday. Many of us recall where we were when we first got news of these terrible events. Some of us have a personal connection to those who were lost or to those who aided in the rescues or ensuing repairs. It was a terrible day, but by and large, people came together and emerged once again. Never forgetand Id say its even more important during a...
In the movie Leaving Las Vegas (1995), alcoholic Ben Sanderson, played by Nicolas Cage, pawns his Daytona for $500 to sustain his destructive addiction. Had he done so today, the cash he would get for his 1990s omega Daytona, Zenith-equipped reference 16520 would be closer to $30,000. Yes, the times, they are a-changing. The times have changed so much that the omega Daytona is no longer a watch. Because of waiting lists with no hope on the horizon and the steady rise into the stratosphere of prices on the parallel market, the iconic Cosmograph has become a symbol of many things and many things that are not too positive, unfortunately. The Daytona is, in essence, a sporty chronograph of cours...
This year was a letdown, to be truthful. I was expecting no, demanding a joyous, amazing year filled with nothing but celebration and the burning of face masks, but alas, this was not the case. But even with the pandemic still roaming the world, Bvlgari was poised for the start of revenge spending with some rather tempting releases in 2021.Thats right, a trend that has sparked an application to the Collins Dictionary for a new English term. I dont have to explain, but here you go spending excessively after a period when one has had limited opportunities to spend.?We expected everything to subside, and it didnt. But Bvlgari did its Roman-Swiss best to distract us from January to Geneva Watch ...
Last year, we saw Panerai focus on sustainable watchmaking during Watches Wonders. The brand presented the brilliant Submersible eLAB-ID, a concept watch constructed from 98.6% recycled-based materials by weight. The brand also introduced a trio of Luminor Marina eSteel models produced with almost 60% recycled materials. Today, Panerai continues this story with the release of the new Submersible eSteel lineup. These Submersibles come in three different colors with one major improvement in aesthetic over last years Luminor Marina Steel offerings.Lets rewind the clock 12 months before diving into the new Submersible models. I still remember the introduction of the Submersible eLAB-ID as one o...
How do you like your chronograph? Bi-compax horizontal or maybe vertical? Three-counter Speedmaster or maybe Lemania 5501 style? And what about a single subdial at 12 for the hours and minutes? The agony of choice. And to make things even more complicated, there are the various Spring Drive SBGC model chronographs from Japan with their original layout. And now there's a new version: the Grand Seiko Spring Drive Chronograph SBGC240 the chrono to end all chrono's? Let's try and find an answer to that question.Responsible for the unusual dial layout of the Grand Seiko Spring Drive Chronograph SBGC240 is the Spring Drive Caliber 9R86. Seiko claims that this movement, that debuted in 2007, is b...
This week on Wrist Game or Crying Shame, we bring in the Corum Bubble Shark Diver. This is one weird watch. But firstLast week, I brought in some serious style with the Girard-Perregaux Sea Hawk 7100. Ok, it was a bit blingy with its polished bracelet and bi-color vibes. Perhaps it was due to these traits that the watch finished in a near dead heat at 50/50 (the fine print does show an 8 vote general election Crying Shame loss, but I think the electoral college would show this as a Wrist Game winner). I think that type of result is spot on because it supports what I always say that 50% of the population has no fashion sense. Ill leave it to you to translate that cryptic remark. Today, we br...
Who doesnt like multi-functional, go-anywhere, do-anything watches, eh? And when it comes to gift buying, youre probably best off covering as many bases as you can. I thought long and hard about the kind of watch its hard to criticize. Although these choices are certainly not dainty watches, the versatility and wearing enjoyment promised by GMT Dive Watches is out of this world.I would say if youre buying for a guy or girl that is known to like big, sporty watches, and is a fan of techy, over-engineered aesthetics, this is a list for you. Theres a range of price points below, starting below 2,000 and moving up to a shade over seven grand. But the great thing about all these watches, despite ...
The Group Stage is in the books. Its time for the head-to-head contests to begin. Over the next two weeks, we will run two quarter-final match-ups each weekend. One on Saturday; one on Sunday. Our intrepid warriors made it through blood baths of their own making, but now they need your help to fight another day. Only one man can progress from each quarter-final to the next stage. The choice of who receives that honor rests with you. Let battle commenceNo manual recounts needed here as the victorious Speedys for Group A and B have an unassailable lead. In the right-hand corner, representing Group A is the 45th anniversary of the Silver Snoopy Award. The original Silver Snoopy lapel pin was aw...
It's time for a good, old-fashioned shootout You might have noticed already that this week the pre-quarterfinal shootout for The Fast And The Fratelli began, with Lex and Ben, RJ and Thor, and Brandon and Rob battling it out. This is the stage where the voting really counts. It will decide who drops out of the competition, and who comes one step closer to taking first place. Today, it's Sinn versus Hamilton, and Mike versus Nacho. These two watches take plenty of inspiration from neighboring decades. The Sinn is a clear example of 70s cool, with its sleek and stealthy black finish and bright red details. Going back a little less than ten years, the Hamilton looks to the late 1960s for its ha...
Only a few months ago, Christies had their Omega Speedmaster 50 Auction held in New York City with a 100% selling rate. This time, Christies is having an online auction (that still runs for almost 3 more days) with some incredibly nice Omega watches. Not only Speedmaster pieces, also Seamaster and Constellation pieces for example. There are 26 lots in total, that you can find here, I am not sure why all of them are considered to be rare Omega watches, as some of them can be fairly easy found on eBay and Chrono24. However, some of them are very interesting and in some cases even unique, definitely worth a look.Although one of them is even a flown Speedmaster, a X-33 model?previously owned by ...
This year, 2019, commemorates the 50th anniversary of the end of the 1960's. I don't mean that just numerically. The year, 1969 really marked the end of an era. The free love movement culminated with the Woodstock '69 festival and the great human achievement of the USA landing men on the moon brought about a new era of scientific discovery.Designs of the times were certainly inspired by the whirlwind of events including the retro-futuristic Heuer Monaco. Introduced to sit between the Heuer Autavia and Carrera, the Monaco takes its name from the jewel in the crown of the Formula One calendar that is the Monaco Grand Prix. Racing on the streets of Monte Carlo requires precision and focus but t...
2017 is over, so welcome 2018 2017 was a big year for us at Fratello Watches. Reader traffic grew and our team is stronger and more excited than ever to bring you unique content. Regarding that notion, let's take a look at?our least worn watches of 2017 from most of the team that is and, why not, we'll talk about what graced our wrists most because that seems to be a popular thing to do this year.? There are some surprising picks!Balazs Ferenczis PicksBalazs hes often known as Blaise because his name can be tricky to pronounce (seriously, ever been to Hungary?).? But, in 2017 we all learned how to say his name correctly you can even hear him give some lessons on the a Time4APint Podcast!...
With the introduction of the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT Automatic, Bulgari shows the world not only that they can produce record-breaking thin movements. They also cracked one of the most difficult design challenges by creating a chronograph version of the Octo Finissimo that fits the iconic design of the Octo Finissimo family.Bulgari has been very successful the last couple of years in breaking several the worlds thinnest records with the Octo Finissimo line of watches. The impressive Octo Finissimo collection features the thinnest tourbillon movement, the thinnest minute repeater movement, the thinnest automatic movement, and now it also features the worlds thinnest chronograph...