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Monochrome
Precisely 225 years ago on this day (on June 26, 1801, or on 7 Messidor An IX, to use the French Republican calendar in force at the time), Abraham-Louis Breguet was granted the patent for what is, without a doubt, its most famous invention: the tourbillon. Designed to counter the problem of gravity affecting the […]
SJX Watches
Enjoying a new lease of life under chief executive Gregory Kissling, Breguet is continuing with the revamp and revival of its product range, this time marking the 225th anniversary of Abraham-Louis Breguet invention of the tourbillon. Breguet is rolling out a quartet of models for the occasion, starting with the compact and enthusiast-oriented Classique Tourbillon ref. 7357 that’s an old school 35 mm in diameter. That’s followed by variants of existing models. The Classique Tourbillon Sidéral ref. 7255PT takes things up a notch with a “mysterious” flying tourbillon and aventurine enamel dial, while the Tradition Tourbillon ref. 7047PT is a new look for the long-tenured model featuring a chain-and-fusee transmission. Lastly the Marine Tourbillon Équation Marchante ref. 5887PT gains a translucent, luminous grand feu enamel dial. The enamel dial of the Marine Tourbillon Équation Marchante ref. 5887PT features a Super-Luminova star chart Initial thoughts Breguet has steadily refreshed its current line up since Mr Kissling took over, while releasing a handful of all new models, like the innovative Experimentale 1. The new tourbillons mostly fall into the former category; all are based on existing models to varying degrees. Ironically, of the four new models, it’s the entry-level piece that’s arguably the most novel. The Classique Tourbillon 7357 is clearly based on the ref. 3350 of 1989, but it has a new case and dial (but retaining the small case size). The mov...
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Explore the best British watch brands through real wrist time, with picks focused on value, design, utility, craft, and long-term enthusiast appeal.
Monochrome
Alongside the sporty Fifty Fathoms, Bathyscaphe or Air Command collections, the Villeret range, named after the village in the Vallée de Joux, where Jehan-Jacques Blancpain set up his workshop on the top floor of his house in 1735, is the epitome of classic. Ranging from time-only to high complications, the entry-level model to the Villeret […]
Hodinkee
It was about halfway through James Cameron's speech on the Rolex Landing at the new National Geographic Museum of Exploration in Washington, D.C., that I glanced up. There, suspended above my head, was a familiar yellow object. To the uninitiated (and less nerdy), it might look like an alien spaceship from a low-budget sci-fi film. But I knew what it was immediately: Jacques Cousteau's soucoupe, the diving saucer from his 1964 documentary, "World Without Sun." As I listened to Cameron go on about his descent to Challenger Deep, I looked around at all these incredible objects—there was the bathysphere that William Beebe climbed into and descended to over 3,000 feet in 1934. Down the hall, the Maruti Suzuki 4x4 used by Sandesh Kadur to track wildlife in India, its tires still muddy. A dugout canoe, once upended by a hippo, used by Steve Boyes while searching for the source of the Zambezi. A Chinese terra cotta warrior. And a one-atmosphere JIM suit like the one in which Dr. Sylvia Earle walked 1,000 feet deep on the ocean floor. For a student of exploration history like me, this was nothing short of nirvana. Rolex has been a supporting partner to the National Geographic Society since 1954. Those were halcyon days for exploration and the introduction of Rolex's most legendary tool watches—the Explorer, the Submariner, and the GMT-Master. The names Rolex and National Geographic have been intertwined ever since, and I, for one, recall seeing those great print ads in the...
Hodinkee
Zinédine Zidane is football (soccer) royalty in France. Having played for his home country in the World Cup three times, he led Les Bleus to victory in 1998 and made the final in 2006, winning the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player. Photo credit: Alex Teuscher Before becoming a manager coach at Real Madrid, Zidane, known as 'Zizou', also had a prestigious career in professional soccer as an attacking midfielder at a host of European clubs, including Juventus. Widely regarded as one of the best players in history, he rose to prominence early in his career in the French Ligue 1 at FC Girondins de Bordeaux. And it was in Bordeaux that Zidane bought his first proper watch, a Cartier Pasha. Now that watch will be sold at a charity auction for ELA International as part of the Watches For ELA auction by Christie's on November 9 in Geneva. Zidane has been a supporter of ELA International - the European Leukodystrophies Association - for a quarter century. The non-profit organization is dedicated to defeating leukodystrophies—rare, genetic diseases that destroy the central nervous system. They fund medical research, support affected families, raise public awareness, and advocate for universal newborn screening. With the 2026 World Cup in full swing and on North American soil, we asked Zidane about his passion for watches, his support for ELA International, and why this Cartier has special meaning for the French soccer legend. Zidane's Cartier Pasha.Photo credit: Al...
Time+Tide
ATOWAK draws inspiration from Mars exploration to develop its Mars Age model series, which features a rotating time display.
Hodinkee
What We Know Today, Grand Seiko introduces nine new variants to the three-hander, time-and-date models in its Evolution 9 collection. If you're feeling overwhelmed by that already, don't worry. Yes, there's quite a bit of nuance to unpack here among all these references, but not all nine are really new watches, per se. Many of them are existing models, just slightly modified. If you've read the title of this article, you'll already know that the biggest updates to these Evolution 9 models are things that collectors have long clamored for— tapered bracelets and clasps with tool-free microadjustment. Yes, for those who weren't able to achieve a perfect fit with previous Evolution 9 models, they will be able to now and can adjust accordingly, especially in hotter months with more wrist swelling. The clasp design comes from the original Evolution UFA SLGB003 model introduced last year, but now has spread to the rest of the collection, in both steel and titanium versions, and both 37mm and 40mm. Gone are the 5-day Spring Drive 9RA2 calibers used in the collection, replaced entirely with the U.F.A caliber 9RB2. This means that for those who found the 37mm U.F.A models too small, the more classic 40mm versions now get the ultra-accurate caliber that features an annual rated accuracy of +/- 20 seconds (timing per month is quoted at +/- 3 seconds). This is a big deal, and I think it suggests that Grand Seiko could be making a move to replace all of its Spring Drive calibers down ...
SJX Watches
Watches & Wonders, the world’s most important luxury watch fair, will return in 2027 from April 5-11 in its traditional venue of Palexpo, the cavernous exhibition complex beside Geneva’s airport. The event takes place over a week, with Monday to Thursday being invite-only days open to members of the trade, while Friday and the weekend are ticketed public days. All of the major luxury brands will return for the fair, including Rolex, Patek Philippe, Tudor, and Chanel, alongside a range of independent marques. But 2027 will also see new exhibitors, including Breitling, Gallet and Universal Genève, the trio that make up the House of Brands, the entity set up to contain the three brands led by Georges Kern. Notably, niche Italian jeweller Damiani will also exhibit at W&W; 2027, joining giants like Cartier, Bulgari, and Van Cleef & Arpels.
Monochrome
Swiss watch exports have been volatile for some time. Sluggish, oscillating between highs and lows, they reflect a global environment marked by uncertainty – not least because China, once the engine and Eldorado of the industry, has slowed down significantly. In this context, some analysts – armed with Excel spreadsheets, demographic curves and rising purchasing […]
SJX Watches
Seiko’s Presage series has long been the brand’s standard-bearer for affordable dress watches, and the latest Presage Classic Series ‘Tomioka Silk’ celebrates Japan’s 19th-century silk industry, which earned a UNESCO World Heritage designation in 2014. With an easy-wearing 38 mm case and an enthusiast-oriented no-date format, the ‘Tomioka Silk’ collection spans four colourways including an on-trend pistachio green flavour dubbed wakatake-iro. The embossed dial pattern results in a silk-like texture shimmer Initial thoughts Seiko’s Presage Classic Series has been treating watch collectors to a tour of historical Japanese hand crafts, with dials made from materials like Arita porcelain and urushi lacquer. The ‘Tomioka Silk’ collection toes a similar line, but uses a clever optical illusion to simulate the shimmer of the region’s famous silk more convincingly than past editions. While real silk dials do exist, they are understandably uncommon. Seiko’s time-tested approach to textile-textured dials involves embossing a metal dial with a pattern that, at arm’s length, resembles the source material, such as linen, or in this case, Tomioka silk. HCC002 Most watch brands would call this concentric multi-lobed motif ‘guilloche‘, but Seiko correctly avoids this term, choosing instead to emphasise the silk-like visual presentation of the stamped pattern. The dial quality is quite good for the price, which barely breaks four figures. I understand Seiko’...
Time+Tide
TAG Heuer tees up its most golf-focused Connected watch yet, this time with a full-blown TaylorMade ecosystem to back it up.
Monochrome
The MeisterSinger Panthero Jumping Hour, introduced at the start of the year, combines a jumping-hour display with a new design language for the brand, best known for its single-hand watches. Rather than displaying the hours with a central hand, the time is indicated through a jumping-hour aperture at 12 o’clock, while a centrally mounted hand […]
Fratello
The concept isn’t new — far from it. This time, Jaeger-LeCoultre presents its sixth The Collectibles capsule collection, featuring museum-worthy vintage watches you can buy. You could also pop by the brand’s flagship boutique in London on Old Bond Street to take a peek at 12 remarkable watches, including seven Reversos, a scarce 1946 Triple […] Visit Treasure Hunting In London: Jaeger-LeCoultre Presents Its Sixth The Collectibles Capsule Collection to read the full article.
Fratello
It’s Sunday morning, which means it’s time for another showdown! This week, the new stainless steel Girard-Perregaux Laureato Fifty takes on the Vacheron Constantin Overseas Self-Winding. With this new Laureato, Girard-Perregaux impressed a lot of fans. Not only is the 39mm version spot-on in terms of size, but the redesigned enamel dial also adds a […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Vacheron Constantin Overseas Self-Winding Vs. Girard-Perregaux Laureato Fifty 39mm to read the full article.
Fratello
Hanhart introduces a new fire-service-inspired limited edition, and the Thermosphere is not shy about its source of inspiration. The 42mm watch is based on the Aquasphere series, but the bezel swaps diving orientation for breathing-apparatus monitoring, with markers designed around the time checks used during firefighting operations. That makes this more than a fancy colorway […] Visit It’s Getting Hot In Here, So Take Off… No… Strap On Your Hanhart Thermosphere! to read the full article.
Fratello
This article comes right on time, as tomorrow marks the official start of summer here in Amsterdam. Besides, temperatures are already rising well above 30° Celcius here these days, so it’s the perfect moment to think about which watches I’d like to take with me on my family’s summer vacation to the southwest of France […] Visit The Best Summer Watches: Daan’s Picks From Tissot, Sinn, Tudor, Grand Seiko, And Daniel Roth to read the full article.
Fratello
Another Friday, another list. Summer is just around the corner, so it’s time to start thinking about your watch for the season. While we understand that a simple strap change can do the trick, it is always nice to look at recent releases that could make great companions for the long summer days. That’s why […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 Summer Watches Of 2026 to read the full article.
Time+Tide
As I spend most of my week writing about the latest watch releases, it’s easy to fall into the trap of believing the hobby is all about what’s coming next. But every now and then, a week comes along that reminds you just how many different moving parts make up this interesting little world of … Continued
Worn & Wound
Our 3 for $5k series is back this week with a new entry from Worn & Wound contributor Blake Z. Rong. Blake is a Brooklyn based writer and while his selections here focus on modern watches, they reflect his personal interest in vintage, time tested designs, but in a playful and spirited way. These are not vintage recreations, necessarily, but reinterpretations of classic ideas, sometimes with a lighthearted twist. If I could cut my collection down to three watches, I figure that I could someday live the rest of my life a happy man, satisfied only by the essentials and with no horrible combination of discretionary spending and emotional attachment to finite objects to distract me. So far, that has not proven the case. But if a person only needs three watches to truly be fulfilled in any scenario, then here’s what I would do in an alternate realm: three modern watches from brands both known and worthy of being rediscovered, and versatile enough to carry you from the beach to the boardroom. What are watches if not helping us dream of these scenarios? Citizen Promaster Fujitsubo Titanium – $1,025 The irony of wearing a titanium watch is that it is a tremendously difficult material to work with: not only does it stick to machining tools, according to Citizen, but its discarded shavings also have the tendency to catch fire. And when you’ve made a watch with it, it’s so lightweight that it can feel like you’re wearing a piece of plastic. But that didn’t stop Citize...
Fratello
Maen has been gracing us with a string of interesting new releases over the past few months. First, the Swedish brand with Dutch roots released the updated Hudson 38 MK5. After that, Maen continued its partnership with Nico Leonard with the Grand Tonneau Ultra-Thin. And last month, I reviewed the refreshed Hudson GMT MKII. Today, […] Visit Maen Kick-Starts Its Boutique Exclusive Series With A New Manhattan 37 Ultra-Thin to read the full article.
Hodinkee
Basel, Switzerland, is returning as the venue for a major watch and jewelry show with the launch of Basilia planned for April, 2027. There's no word yet on which brands will participate, but event organizers say the show will give watch and jewelry brands from Asia and other parts of the world a venue to connect with buyers from Europe that don't participate at Watches and Wonders in Geneva, which is dominated by a handful of major Swiss brands, including Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Cartier. At a media conference Thursday in Basel, announcing the new fair, organizers stressed that Basilia is not a return of Baselworld, the massive event that was once the world's largest watch and jewelry fair boasting more than 2,000 exhibitors at its peak before Baselworld's final show in 2019. "Baselworld is no more. It has been more than seven years now, and it will not come back," says Roman Imgrüth, the CEO of MCH Group Exhibitions and Events, which is hosting the new fair with Informa Markets, the trade show and business-to-business events division of publicly listed Informa Plc. Basilia organizers, including MCH Group Exhibition and Events CEO Roman Imgrüth (left), announce plans for a new watch and jewelry fair in Basel. Organizers say Basilia, which will take place after Watches and Wonders in Geneva, is targeting some 400 exhibitors and between 2,000 and 5,000 visitors for its inaugural edition next year. Participants and exhibitors have yet to be identified, but organizers sa...
SJX Watches
The Patek Philippe Museum turns 25 this year, but the Geneva institution has bigger things on its mind. Open now through early next year, 1976 – 2026 Nautilus 50th Anniversary is a thematic exhibition that explores the history of the brand’s emblematic sports watch. The exhibit will showcase key references that have defined the trajectory of the Nautilus, which was designed by Gérald Genta and launched in 1976, at a time when the idea of a steel watch was generally thought to be beneath a brand like Patek Philippe. The success of the Nautilus would ultimately validate the brand’s belief that design and craftsmanship could transcend mere material, and helped accelerate Genta’s storied career as a designer. Naturally, the exhibition will feature each of the four 50th anniversary references released this year including the ref. 5610P. Past visitors will observe the exhibit is located on the museum’s top floor, which has been transformed with a temporary 1970s-inspired makeover to give the Nautilus its proper setting. Exhibition details The exhibition is included with general admission to the Patek Philippe Museum, which is open Tuesday through Friday, 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm, Saturday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, and Sunday from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm. The anniversary exhibit is scheduled to run until early 2027. Timed tickets can be purchased online, and advance reservation is recommended.
Worn & Wound
What is the ultimate first world problem? I can think of a handful. There’s the classic notion that we just have too much content to scroll through, stream, and consume. As the Boss put it, there’s 57 channels and nothin’ on. As I sit here typing up this article on hot early summer day with my AC blasting, I’m realizing it’s getting cold enough in here that I might need to add a layer. Woe is me! Just a few weeks ago, I bought a new iPhone and quickly found that Apple Music hadn’t automatically moved over all of my locally downloaded tunes during the initial data transfer. I was pretty disappointed when I realized only the second half of Turn on the Bright Lights was available to me on a late night drive home over the weekend. I just want to hear “Obstacle 1”! These are all annoyances, for sure. But none of them truly compare to the King of First World Problems, which is very obviously not being able to keep your perpetual calendar sufficiently wound. I mean, have you tried to reset one of these things recently? It can be really frustrating. Plenty of brands, like IWC earlier this year, have made moves to make their perpetual calendar movements more forgiving when resetting. Gone are the days, hopefully, when jumping past the current year means an expensive trip back to the manufacture in Switzerland. Vacheron Constantin has a slightly different solution, which is to enable your perpetual calendar to remain wound for weeks at a time by allowing the wearer...
Worn & Wound
I was trying to think back to when I first really became aware of H. Moser, and I have to think it was probably right around the time the Swiss Alp series was gaining traction (and some notoriety) in the watch community. Obviously that wasn’t the genesis of the brand, but it marked a turning point in the larger awareness of Moser in the cultural imagination of watch enthusiasts. I hate using the word “disruptive” but it really felt that way in the moment, playing as it did with the well understood shape of the world’s most popular smart watch, and making an attempt to send a statement about the importance of traditional Swiss watchmaking through aesthetic codes. It was also around that time that Moser really began leaning into color as a defining trait of their design language, particularly through “Concept” dials which completely abandon markings and branding of any kind. They never really completely turned away from this, but as they’ve expanded into new complications, experimented with Vantablack, and have generally leaned into watches that sit at ever higher price points, some of the purely playful colorful stuff that reminds me of that initial period of Moser discovery has felt like it’s been moved to the background. The latest Pioneer Centre Seconds in a colorway the brand is calling “Sun Berry” is the first reference from Moser in a long time that really brings me back to those earlier, pre-pandemic days. Collectors and enthusiasts will argue...
Fratello
I can’t believe how quickly time passes. It feels like just yesterday that I had a chance to check out the impressive Certina DS Super PH1000M STC. A quick peek tells me it was almost two years to the day that Certina unveiled the watch, celebrating the brand’s ongoing collaborative efforts with the non-profit Sea […] Visit Daring To Dive Deeper: The Certina DS Super PH2000M STC to read the full article.
Monochrome
Bremont’s lineup of rugged pilot and military tool watches has earned the British brand commissions for bespoke watches for military personnel and specialist groups around the world. Since 2019, Bremont has been permitted to use the signs, symbols and heraldic badges of the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) three armed services – the Royal Navy, the […]
![The Evolution Of A Freak: Introducing The “Crowned” Ulysse Nardin Freak [X]](https://www.fratellowatches.com/cdn-cgi/image/anim=false/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/FREAK-X_ULYSSE-NARDIN_2323-500-Lifestyle-COVER.jpg)
Fratello
The Freak is no ordinary watch. It was nothing short of a watchmaking revolution when it came out, and to this day, it remains an oddity that speaks to ingenuity and originality. The crownless watch was a trendsetter. It opened the door for Nouvelle Horlogerie watchmakers to come onto the world stage and, in the […] Visit The Evolution Of A Freak: Introducing The “Crowned” Ulysse Nardin Freak [X] to read the full article.
Monochrome
Every June, Geneva becomes the meeting point for the world of high precision. Held annually at Palexpo (June 16 to 19, for the 2026 edition), the EPHJ trade show brings together more than 20,000 visitors and over 800 exhibitors from the watchmaking, jewellery, microtechnology and medical technology sectors, making it the largest high-precision industry exhibition […]
SJX Watches
California-based independent watchmaker J.N. Shapiro has unveiled the Infinity Series Radiant chronograph, the brand’s first complicated model available to the general public. Like the special order series released last year, the Radiant is built around a well-known La Joux-Perret monopusher calibre, but this time the watch features a tantalum case and choice of two dial configurations. Initial thoughts The Infinity Series is how it all started for J.N. Shapiro, and while the southern California-based watchmaker subsequently introduced the Resurgence — taking ‘made in America’ to the extreme — the Infinity Series makes use of third-party movements to make the brand’s inventive hand-turned guilloche dials more accessible. The Radiant chronograph takes after the 14-piece limited edition unveiled last year for the Boston-based ‘Escapement’ collector group. The Radiant is functionally identical, using the same La Joux-Perret cal. 5000 monopusher chronograph movement. But while the Escapement chronograph featured a movement that had been customised for fellow Alternative Horological Alliance (AHA) member Ming, the Radiant gets its own anthracite-coated livery complete with the brand’s ‘infinity weave’ logo. The movement itself has its own interesting backstory, but the handmade dials and weighty tantalum case do more to help justify the pricing of US$35,900. By the standards of mass market watchmaking this is a steep ask for a straightforward complication,...
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