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Results for The Longitude Problem

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The Longitude Problem

The 200-year navigation crisis solved by John Harrison\'s H4 marine chronometer (1759); the lineage to modern COSC and Master Chronometer.
Revewing The Hublot Big Bang MP-11 Water Blue Sapphire: A Serious Watch That Doesn’t Take Itself Too Seriously WatchAdvice
Hublot Big Bang MP-11 Water Aug 24, 2026

Revewing The Hublot Big Bang MP-11 Water Blue Sapphire: A Serious Watch That Doesn’t Take Itself Too Seriously

The Hublot Big Bang MP-11 forms part of Hublot’s Manufacture Piece collection, and for good reason. Now, it’s time to take it out for a test drive… What We Love The Water Blue colour is sensational in person The movement is Hubot showcasing what it does best The undeniable wrist presence What We Don’t It is a large watch, and not for those with smaller wrists The older-style rubber strap is not easy to get the perfect fit, when compared to the newer style Will be out of the price range for many watch buyers and is a substantial investment Overall Rating: 8.4 / 10 Value For Money: 8/10 Design: 9/10 Wearability: 8/10 Build Quality: 8.5/10 There are some watches that look impressive in a press release, but when you finally see them in the metal, they somehow manage to be not as much. Then there are watches like the Hublot Big Bang MP-11 Water Blue Sapphire, where the opposite is true. The photographs give you an idea of what the watch is all about, but they really do not prepare you for what it looks like on the wrist. The MP-11 has always been one of Hublot’s more outrageous creations. First introduced in 2018, it was designed around a movement with seven series-coupled barrels and a 14-day power reserve, all packaged inside a relatively conventional Big Bang-style case. The Water Blue Sapphire version takes that already unconventional construction and places it inside a transparent blue sapphire case that allows almost every part of the movement to remain visi...

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Blancpain Introduces the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary Limited Edition Worn & Wound
Blancpain Introduces Aug 24, 2026

Blancpain Introduces the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary Limited Edition

You know, I actually wasn’t going to write about this watch. An $18,000 vintage inspired dive watch from a brand that doesn’t hold a ton of personal relevance to me was just not super high on my list of priorities as Geneva Watch Days prep is now in full swing (this time next week, I will be surviving on CHF 10 Coke Zeros). But, over the weekend the collective watch internet kind of lost its mind over the new Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary Limited Edition, so I shifted my to-do list around a bit and, well, here we are.  Of course, there have been a lot of memes and jokes about this watch sharing a certain similarity to the Seiko 62MAS and the many, many reinterpretations and reissues of that watch over the years. I’m frankly less interested in those aesthetic similarities than I am in the very conceit of this watch, what it illuminates about Blancpain, and the way it fits into the neverending conversation around price sensitivity that we’ve been having for months as we see MSRPs shoot higher and higher. But what I’ll say about the appearance of the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe 70th Anniversary Limited Edition is simply that, at this point, 70 years on from the advent of this type of watch, I don’t think any brand really owns the aesthetic identity of something so generic. Lots and lots of watches from all kinds of brands look like this, just like lots and lots of watches look like a Speedmaster, or a Calatrava. The design tropes of these wat...

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The New Straum Expedition: Built For Those Who Crave Adventure Fratello
Ming ly beautiful scenes Aug 24, 2026

The New Straum Expedition: Built For Those Who Crave Adventure

Are you looking for a watch representing the overwhelmingly beautiful scenes of Norwegian nature? Straum has you covered with the Jan Mayen line. But what if you want a watch to actually wear on an adventure or expedition to experience Norwegian nature firsthand? That’s where the new Straum Expedition comes in. The new Expedition is […] Visit The New Straum Expedition: Built For Those Who Crave Adventure to read the full article.

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Recommended Reading: 'Universal People, Universal Dreams' Is A Timely, Heartfelt Telling Of One Man's Collecting Journey Into The Rarest Of The Rare Hodinkee
Grand Seiko Aug 24, 2026

Recommended Reading: 'Universal People, Universal Dreams' Is A Timely, Heartfelt Telling Of One Man's Collecting Journey Into The Rarest Of The Rare

Last week I kicked off a mini-series where I'm finally taking some great books off my shelf and sharing them with the world. We covered a brand-backed "Grand Seiko" book by ERG Media, which set a great tone. This week we're looking at another brand-focused tome, the much more recently released "Universal People, Universal Dreams," which documents the hyper-focused collection of one man. But it's more than a book about Universal Genève. I first met the author and publisher, Luca Mignini, a few years ago, though I'm not exactly sure where. Maybe at an auction in Geneva? At some point, he just turned into a fixture in my vintage watch sphere, a person who could turn up anywhere there was a vintage watch. At the famed antique fair in Parma, Italy? Sure. Luca Mignini and Max Bernardini He had a prototype Universal Genève Space Compax/Polerouter Sub dive watch made for the U.S. Navy, which I shared in my photo report from the fair. On that same trip, he just randomly showed up as I was looking at Patek 1518 dials with Max Bernardini (Uncle Max, to his close friends) at his shop right across the street from "The Last Supper" in Milan. That later encounter makes sense, as Bernardini (and his team, including Mauricio Gimenez, who is named as "The Trusted Advisor" in the book) was instrumental in curating the collection. Mignini frequently travels between his home in Rome and Milan, where he serves as a professor at Bocconi University.  During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mignini and B...

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Wren Introduces the Diver One Abyss Worn & Wound
Wren Aug 24, 2026

Wren Introduces the Diver One Abyss

Are you afraid of the dark? No, really—it’s one of the most common phobias and for good reason. The dark represents the unknown, the impossible, and the very idea of danger. And while that uncertainty often leads to an understandable (and innately biological) fear reaction, it also makes the dark exciting beyond measure. Why else would we send divers down to the crushingly dark abyss of the deep ocean? New York City-based microbrand Wren has taken that question head on, and turned it into a dive piece that embodies the environment it’s inspired by: The Wren Diver One Abyss. The single most striking thing about the Abyss is, of course, its namesake. The dial is black, with a black bezel, but it’s not a “normal” black; instead, Wren has made use of the Koyo Orient Japan-derived Musou Black water-based acrylic paint that absorbs 99.4% of visible light. Unlike other such “superblack” paints, like the infamous Vantablack, Musou Black is commercially available, and while it’s not quite as dark as the former, it bears a lot of similarities in composition. Koyo keeps the full breakdown close to their proverbial chest, but basically, what makes it “darker than dark” is its ability to bounce light back out, giving the human eye nothing to latch onto. This makes the color read as bottomless, giving it a strange, disconcerting “depth”, which Wren furthers by using a sandwich construction method for the markings and indexes (additionally coated with Super-Lumi...

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Introducing - The Peacock Black Hole III Curved Guilloche Central Tourbillon; Bold, Complex yet Attainable Monochrome
Omega Aug 24, 2026

Introducing - The Peacock Black Hole III Curved Guilloche Central Tourbillon; Bold, Complex yet Attainable

The tourbillon, one of the most fascinating technical devices created, remains today a technical challenge that often comes at a cost. And when it comes to centrally positioned tourbillons, the landscape becomes even narrower. Only a handful of watches, mostly from independent watchmakers or high-end brands, feature this specific regulator: Omega (the first on the […]

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The Evolution Of “Ultimate Simplicity” - Introducing The Minase Mastercraft J3 Fratello
Minase Aug 24, 2026

The Evolution Of “Ultimate Simplicity” - Introducing The Minase Mastercraft J3

As time passes, you often accumulate stuff. Visualize what’s in your attic, and you’ll know what I’m talking about. Now, Minase is doing the opposite. The new J3 is a model inspired by the M3, but instead of adding details to that watch, Minase removes what it deems unnecessary. You’re looking at the evolution of […] Visit The Evolution Of “Ultimate Simplicity” — Introducing The Minase Mastercraft J3 to read the full article.

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Why I Bought The Rolex GMT-Master II Ref. 16710 Fratello
Rolex GMT-Master II Ref 16710 Aug 24, 2026

Why I Bought The Rolex GMT-Master II Ref. 16710

This summer, I finally realized a lifelong dream — owning a Rolex GMT-Master II. More specifically, I always wanted Rolex’s famous pilot and traveler’s watch with a red-and-blue bezel. As fate would have it, I bought mine the same year Rolex discontinued that configuration from the current catalog. That decision didn’t influence my purchase, though. […] Visit Why I Bought The Rolex GMT-Master II Ref. 16710 to read the full article.

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Parmigiani Fleurier And The Collector’s Path Beyond The Obvious Brands Fratello
Parmigiani Fleurier Aug 23, 2026

Parmigiani Fleurier And The Collector’s Path Beyond The Obvious Brands

The journey of a watch collector often unfolds like the passage of time itself. In many ways, it is sequential, but it is often marked by profound moments of discovery. For so many of us, we begin our collecting journey by learning about the well-known names. Brands such as Rolex, Omega, and Patek Philippe rise […] Visit Parmigiani Fleurier And The Collector’s Path Beyond The Obvious Brands to read the full article.

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Spending Time With The New Ollech & Wajs Early Bird EB-24 Fratello
Aug 23, 2026

Spending Time With The New Ollech & Wajs Early Bird EB-24

There are watches named after places, people, and the animals their designers admired on long-ago fishing trips. And then there is the Ollech & Wajs Early Bird, a watch named after a satellite. I liked this watch so much that I bought the re-edition. I have a bit of a long-term fascination with the Swiss […] Visit Spending Time With The New Ollech & Wajs Early Bird EB-24 to read the full article.

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The Photographer Preserving Centuries Of Pocket Watches Fratello
Aug 22, 2026

The Photographer Preserving Centuries Of Pocket Watches

Today, we have a slightly different story here on Fratello. This is the experience of one New Zealand photographer who has been diligently capturing the mechanical lives of pocket watches at the Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland Museum. There’s a big difference between commercial watch photography and museum archiving. Commercial photography is about selling a fantasy […] Visit The Photographer Preserving Centuries Of Pocket Watches to read the full article.

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Hands-On With The Girard-Perregaux Neo Constant Escapement - Could We Catch The Purple “Butterfly” Inside? Fratello
Girard-Perregaux Neo Constant Escapement — Aug 22, 2026

Hands-On With The Girard-Perregaux Neo Constant Escapement - Could We Catch The Purple “Butterfly” Inside?

Why use a traditional, coiled balance spring when you can use a 14-micron-wide and 120-micron-“thick” silicon blade instead? With the latter, Girard-Perregaux set out to overcome the inherent challenge of fluctuating power delivery in mechanical watches. The goal for the 235-year-old Swiss watchmaker from La Chaux-de-Fonds was to achieve consistently superior precision. The quest involves […] Visit Hands-On With The Girard-Perregaux Neo Constant Escapement — Could We Catch The Purple “Butterfly” Inside? to read the full article.

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Hands-On: The Sylvain Pinaud Tourbillon Hodinkee
Aug 21, 2026

Hands-On: The Sylvain Pinaud Tourbillon

Earlier in April, right before the kickoff of Watches and Wonders, Swiss independent Sylvain Pinaud announced his third major creation since the founding of his workshop in 2018. First came his Monopoussoir Chronograph, then arguably the more recognizable time-only Origine series. This third entry in the collection is the pragmatically named Sylvain Pinaud Tourbillon—any guesses what complication this watch holds?  I kid, but the new watches are an absolute treat to see and handle in person. Even though the intense wave of new releases from dozens of brands in Geneva may have quickly steered the online conversation away from these new watches toward Jubilee dials and Nautilus desk clocks, these watches did not go unnoticed by collectors. Thirty of them, to be precise. The Sylvain Pinaud Tourbillon was announced in three limited editions of ten pieces each, priced at CHF 180,000, and all three variants sold out within days. But before we get to the new watches, you might be asking what the situation is with the watchmaker these days, given that every decently well-known high-end independent watchmaker seems never to struggle with demand. That's pretty much the case here, too. Long story short, Pinaud and his team of 8 produce around 25 watches per year, and the Origine series has been fully allocated through its planned run through 2027. Given the sell-out of the Tourbillon and the sunsetting of the Origine, it kind of sounds like there isn't much to offer a prospective ...

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Maen Jumps on the Stone Dial Bandwagon with New Versions of Its Manhattan 37 Ultra-Thin Worn & Wound
Maen Jumps Aug 21, 2026

Maen Jumps on the Stone Dial Bandwagon with New Versions of Its Manhattan 37 Ultra-Thin

Ahead of the launch of the new stone dial editions of Maen’s Manhattan 37 Ultra-Thin, I got to test drive the Obsidian Snowflake variation. This was my first time seeing one of the models from the collection in the metal in addition to previewing one of the new dial materials. While stone dials have been used in watchmaking for decades and aren’t an entirely novel trend, I do feel they’ve been a bit overdone. However, I tried to put aside my eye roll for yet another stone dial and appreciate what’s interesting about these particular executions. So, here are my hot takes after going hands on. First off, I have to give the brand credit for the choice of the stones for the collection, which are relatively unique. Instead of the typical trifecta of tiger’s eye, lapis lazuli, and malachite, Maen has opted for onyx, golden swan, and obsidian snowflake. While onyx is another mainstay, you can’t go wrong with the classic look of an all-black dial, this time with a stone twist. Moving on, I’ll admit even as the resident woo-woo girl, I was not too familiar with golden swan. Even though I didn’t see this one in person, the photos look gorgeous – the mix of rust and black give the same versatile look as your go-to tortoise shell sunglasses. This variant seems like it would literally go with everything and make a great daily wear. Saving the obsidian snowflake for last, this stone is perhaps the most artful and offbeat of the lot. If you’re a person who loves neutr...

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Just Because - The Unique Frederique Constant Classic Tourbillon “Julie” and New Personalisation Horizons for the Brand Monochrome
Frederique Constant Classic Tourbillon “Julie” Aug 21, 2026

Just Because - The Unique Frederique Constant Classic Tourbillon “Julie” and New Personalisation Horizons for the Brand

Customisation or unique pieces are nothing new in the Swiss watch industry, but are usually reserved for high horology or smaller ateliers, necessitating a level of flexibility that more established and mainstream brands can hardly achieve. That said, we had the opportunity to go hands-on with a unique piece recently that, besides its intrinsic singularity […]

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The Top 5 Omega Models From The 1990s Fratello
Omega Models From Aug 21, 2026

The Top 5 Omega Models From The 1990s

Another Friday, another list! This week, we follow up on last week’s list that was based on a discussion we had on Fratello Talks three weeks ago. In that episode, Robert-Jan, Nacho, and I discussed the ultimate decade for watches. RJ and I chose the ’90s as our favorite because new technology significantly improved overall […] Visit The Top 5 Omega Models From The 1990s to read the full article.

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Orient Mako Gets a GMT for the First Time in Five Cool Colors WatchRider
Oris ed UK retailer Aug 20, 2026

Orient Mako Gets a GMT for the First Time in Five Cool Colors

Orient has given its long-running Mako sports watch a GMT function for the first time. Five references have appeared for the Autumn/Winter 2026 collection, comprising four regular models and one 4,000-piece limited edition. The watches were listed as in stock by an authorised UK retailer on 20 August 2026. Orient’s own global catalogue and press archive had not yet added them at the time of writing, so broader regional availability remains unconfirmed. A Larger Mako With Familiar Equipment The Mako GMT uses a 42.8 mm case made from brushed and polished 316L stainless steel. It measures 49.5 mm from lug to lug and 13.4 mm thick, making this a substantial watch rather than a compact travel companion. Each version has a sapphire crystal, a solid caseback and 20 bar, or 200 metres, of water resistance. The three-link steel bracelet has solid end pieces and a deployant clasp. Around the dial is a 120-notch unidirectional bezel carrying a 24-hour scale instead of the usual elapsed-time markings. The New F6P22 Automatic GMT Calibre Inside is Orient’s F6P22 automatic GMT movement. The current listings state a power reserve of approximately 40 hours, hacking seconds and an accuracy range of +25 to -15 seconds per day. The movement drives the normal hour, minute and seconds hands, the date at 3 o’clock and a fourth central hand that completes one turn every 24 hours. There is an important limitation. The GMT hand cannot be adjusted independently on this first version. To show ...

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Hands-On with the Studio Underd0g 02SERIES (Gen2): A Refreshing New Take on the Famous Dirty Dozen Worn & Wound
Studio Underd0g 02SERIES Gen2 Aug 20, 2026

Hands-On with the Studio Underd0g 02SERIES (Gen2): A Refreshing New Take on the Famous Dirty Dozen

In the span of six short years, independent brand Studio Underd0g has positioned itself as a leader in the contemporary British watchmaking wave. Founded by designer Richard Benc in 2020, the brand quickly made a name for itself in the industry with an irreverent and cheeky style that adds a refreshing spin to the sometimes stodgy business of watch design. Studio Underd0g pairs unique colors with quality finishing while “reject[ing] all that needs to go, like stuffiness, pomposity, and the reluctance to try anything new.” The 02SERIES brings together that fun-loving spirit and the brand’s commitment to boundary-pushing innovation. This summer’s release of Gen2 – the second iteration of the field watch collection – makes meaningful improvements to a fan-favorite. Studio Underd0g’s 02SERIES offers a modern take on the famous Dirty Dozen – a group of twelve watch brands tasked by the British Ministry of Defence to create a field watch for military-issue during the last half of World War II. Chief among a long list of specifications the brands had to meet, the watches were to be tough, reliable, and highly legible. Nearly all field watches today pull their aesthetic from the form-factor popularized by the Dirty Dozen, and I was curious to find out what Studio Underd0g could offer apart from the typical iterations so often seen in this space. After a week on the wrist, I can say that the 02SERIES (Gen2) is unlike any field watch I’ve encountered before and is ...

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