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Results for Display vs Solid Caseback

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Display vs Solid Caseback

Sapphire window vs engraved metal. Haute-horlogerie standard since 1985 vs the Submariner / Daytona / Speedmaster heritage.

Daniel Roth Unveils Extra Plat Souscription SJX Watches
Blancpain Jan 21, 2025

Daniel Roth Unveils Extra Plat Souscription

Continuing with its revival, Daniel Roth debuts its second modern-day timepiece, the Extra Plat Souscription. Hewing to the formula established by the Tourbillon Souscription, the Extra Plat Souscription stays faithful to the 1990s original in size and style, but is equipped with an all-new calibre developed from the ground up. Like the Tourbillon Souscription, the Extra Plat Souscription debuts as a 20-piece limited edition in 18k yellow gold, matched with a guilloche dial in solid 18k yellow gold. Initial thoughts As with the Tourbillon before it, the Extra Plat Souscription looks and feels like the original at a distance, but reveals a higher degree of refinement up close. This is especially evident on the dial that is covered in finely grained guilloche, done with a hand-operated straight-line engine. In fact, the Extra Plat is arguably more sophisticated than the equivalent original, more so than the Tourbillon. The 1990s-era model was fitted with Frederic Piguet movements, either manual-wind or automatic depending on the variant, which were fine calibres but relatively industrial and widely used by higher-end brands like Blancpain. The DR002 in the new Extra Plat, on the other hand, is a new construction with the refinements expected in a watch of this calibre (and price). It’s shame that the movement is concealed behind a solid back, but that will become an open back with the subsequent, regular-production version. While the new Extra Plat is a beautiful homage th...

The Five Best Current Regulator Watches - Featuring Louis Erard, Chronoswiss, Patek Philippe, And More Fratello
Patek Philippe Jan 15, 2025

The Five Best Current Regulator Watches - Featuring Louis Erard, Chronoswiss, Patek Philippe, And More

Regulator watches are not often the first, second, or third pick for a collection. The watches with a large central hand to indicate the minutes and smaller sub-dials to display the hours and seconds are an acquired taste. This non-coaxial configuration might seem odd initially, but quickly enough, you will get used to reading the […] Visit The Five Best Current Regulator Watches - Featuring Louis Erard, Chronoswiss, Patek Philippe, And More to read the full article.

Omega Introduces the Speedmaster Moonphase Meteorite Worn & Wound
Omega Introduces Jan 14, 2025

Omega Introduces the Speedmaster Moonphase Meteorite

Something we’ve learned about the Speedmaster over the years is that it can be, quite literally, anything. The Speedy is effectively a brand unto itself, with watches in the collection that strike just about every note possible in watchmaking. There are traditional vintage inspired Speedmasters, modern and tactical Speedmasters, Speedmasters with a jewelry focus, Speedmasters that exist to display Omega’s prowess in chronometry, and Speedmasters that are overtly obsessed with NASA and space exploration. There are even plastic Speedmasters and Speedmasters with Snoopy on the dial (which of those Speedys is made for children is an open question). Speedys come in all sizes, are made in every metal imaginable (plus some not-metals), and, even though Speedmasters are, if nothing else, chronographs, they’ve been made with a whole bunch of other complications as well. This is all just to say that in the world of Speedmasters, it’s hard to be surprised in 2025. So when Omega began teasing a new Speedy on social media recently and the guessing game began, every suggestion seemed possible.  Today, Omega announced the new Speedmaster Moonphase Meteorite, a 43mm stainless steel Speedy with a meteorite dial (in two finishes) and double moonphase display at 6:00. It also features a new caliber capable of displaying the correct moonphase for both the northern and southern hemispheres.  This isn’t the first time Omega has incorporated meteorite into a Speedmaster. My personal ...

Review: The Ressence Type 9 Worn & Wound
Ressence Type 9 Last year Jan 13, 2025

Review: The Ressence Type 9

Last year, when Ressence announced the Type 8, it was met with great excitement and surprise by their fans, including yours truly. A simpler and less expensive Ressence wasn’t something that seemed on the horizon. The watch was a stripped-down take on the seemingly magical Ressence display, reduced to hours and minutes. A lack of numerals, matched with an expansive, heavily domed dial, gave the Type 8 a different mood from Ressence’s other watches. Rather than leaning toward the technical, they felt meditative, which is perhaps to say, they felt less about the engineering and more about the resulting experience. I shared my thoughts in a review you can read here. A year and a half or so later, Ressence has dropped one of the biggest surprises of 2024: a follow-up to the Type 8, which is logically called the Type 9. This wasn’t at a big event like Geneva Watch Days or Watches and Wonders but rather a random week in December, making it even more unexpected. Adding to the shock, it’s another departure from the Ressence norm, featuring their most compact case, and yet continuing the simpler hours and minutes only dial. However, where the Type 8 felt like a radical change, the Type 9 feels more like a spin-off. It’s not a new story but a subplot or side quest. Perhaps, even an alternate take on the Type 8. Case Typically, with Ressence, the dial is the star of the show, but for the Type 9, it’s the case. The dial is special, too, but it feels like a variation on the...

Breguet Combines Engraving, Lacquer, and Guilloche for the New Year SJX Watches
Breguet Combines Engraving Lacquer Jan 10, 2025

Breguet Combines Engraving, Lacquer, and Guilloche for the New Year

To celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year, Breguet has done something adventurous with its typically formal dress watch. Created to mark the upcoming Year of the Snake, the Classique 7145 “Snake” is still ultra-thin and time-only, but features a solid gold dial bearing a stylised serpent motif realised with a combination of guilloché and engraving, with translucent green lacquer for colour. Initial thoughts The new Classique has been masterfully reworked to give it an entirely different look that departs entirely from the traditional silvered engine-turning that is a Breguet signature. For fans of Breguet’s old-school aesthetic, this is probably too far from tradition, but for someone seeking something different, this might strike a chord. Aesthetics aside, the guilloché and engraving entail a higher level of craftsmanship than ordinary engine-turned dials. In fact, the snake dial is arguably more complex and refined in technique than the dial on last year’s Dragon edition. The dial complexity is reflected in the price of US$74,600, which is substantially more than the basic time-only Classique, but on par with prevailing retail prices for metiers d’art dials. Exquisite dial work The Classique “Snake” is all about the dial, which highlights the art of engraving, guilloche, and miniature painting. The engraving employs a bas-relief technique that gives the snake a sculptural form. The motif is first sketched and then sculpted by a skilled artisan using chisels...

First Look - Tissot Knocks It Out Of the Park Again with the PR 516 Automatic Chronograph Monochrome
Tissot Knocks It Out Jan 10, 2025

First Look - Tissot Knocks It Out Of the Park Again with the PR 516 Automatic Chronograph

Lately, it seems that Tissot can do little wrong. Release after release shows an impressive sense of style, historical inspiration and solid mechanics, all the while remaining true to the brand’s relatively affordable pricing strategy. Following the immense success of the PRX Powermatic 80 and subsequent PRX Chronograph collections, Tissot is now pushing the PR […]

Fratello Talks: Our New Year’s Watch Resolutions 2025 Fratello
Jan 9, 2025

Fratello Talks: Our New Year’s Watch Resolutions 2025

Hello, and happy New Year! What better way to venture into another trip around the Sun than by setting yourself up with a solid set of New Year’s watch resolutions? In today’s episode, Nacho, Daan, and Lex discuss theirs for 2025. They include everything from pondering potential future purchases to considering consolidating comprehensive collections. The […] Visit Fratello Talks: Our New Year’s Watch Resolutions 2025 to read the full article.

TAG Heuer is Once Again the Official Timekeeper of Formula 1 SJX Watches
TAG Heuer Jan 6, 2025

TAG Heuer is Once Again the Official Timekeeper of Formula 1

On the back of the hefty, 10-year LVMH-Formula 1 sponsorship deal signed last year, TAG Heuer now returns as the official timekeeper of Formula 1, just in time for the sport’s 75th anniversary in 2025. This is a homecoming of sorts of TAG Heuer, which was official timekeeper for F1 for a decade from 1992. In fact, the brand’s roots in motorsports go back several decades - Heuer was the first luxury watch brand to display its logo on a Formula 1 car in 1969, and the first to sponsor a team in 1971 when it partnered with Scuderia Ferrari. And TAG Heuer famously signed Ayrton Senna as an ambassador in 1988, just before he became a champion driver. Jack Heuer (centre, in blue) at Ferrari in Maranello In fact, the brand name itself references F1: well before TAG Group acquired Heuer in 1985, the Saudi-owned group was already shareholder in McLaren and only sold its stake in the automaker and racing team last year. TAG Heuer’s return to F1 comes at an opportune time, with the sport having evolved into a global entertainment franchise under the ownership of Liberty Media. According to F1, it now boasts an audience of 750 million fans, many of whom are drawn into the sport by the hit Netflix series, and also an upcoming film starring Brad Pitt.  

Hands On: Urwerk UR-150 Scorpion SJX Watches
Urwerk UR-150 Scorpion As Urwerk Dec 18, 2024

Hands On: Urwerk UR-150 Scorpion

As Urwerk has matured as a brand, its products have evolved to become more wearable. The recently launched UR-150 Scorpion embodies this evolution. The UR-150 incorporates the familiar Urwerk time display – but with a retrograde twist – but in a sleeker, curved case that hugs the wrist. Initial thoughts The UR-150 continues the emphasis on wearability established by the compact UR-100. The UR-150 is bigger and bolder, but despite its size, the curved case profile allows it to sit well on the wrist. This contrasts with many of Urwerk’s past models, which tended to have wide, flat case backs that were less ergonomic. The curved case also looks good, especially since it continues the line of the domed sapphire crystal. This design moderates the hyper-mechanical aesthetic of many Urwerk models, leaving the UR-150 a little more elegant, albeit in a war machine-like way. In some ways, the UR-150 seems descended from the UR-100. It has a similar tonneau shape, but more streamlined. And it has the signature satellite disc wandering hours, but enhanced with a retrograde minute hand (that’s no doubt borrowed from the UR-210/220/230). The combination of the retrograde minutes with the satellite disc display is notable for Urwerk as the brand historically kept this time display on its simpler watches, while the top-of-the-line satellite cube display was accompanied by the retrograde indicator. This leaves the UR-150 as something of a bridge between two distinct lines of the br...

Hands On With The A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk - Luxury Personified WatchAdvice
A. Lange & Sohne Dec 18, 2024

Hands On With The A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk - Luxury Personified

The A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk is possibly one of the coolest “digital” display watches out there, so why not hit the streets of Sydney to see how this unique model from the Saxony brand wears in everyday life? What We Love The uniqueness of the digital time display Amazing movement finishing The size and proportions to suit a range of wrists What We Don’t It is probably not an everyday watch for many people being 18k gold The digital time may not be for everyone It isn’t a piece that everyone can afford Overall Score: 9.1 / 10 Value for Money: 8.5/10 Wearability: 9/10 Design: 9.5/10 Build Quality: 9.5/10 It’s no secret that A. Lange & Söhne makes impeccable watches. In fact, calling them watches is almost sacrilege as they really should be referred to as timepieces, or as I like to think of them, mechanical works of art! In all honesty, it’s very hard to fault any pieces from A. Lange & Söhne – they are one brand that puts so much emphasis on perfection that every piece they make is almost that, perfect. From the way they finish the movements, to the cases, to the double assembly. Each piece of the approximately 5,000 they make each year is as close to perfect as you can get in a watch, to the point where what makes any one of their pieces not perfect is personal preference really. Do I like this design, this style and the size for my wrist? Their prices are also on the higher end, so depending on your means, they may be out of reach, but I’d say thi...

Introducing - A Brand New Ressence Collection, the Compact Type 9 Grey and Aqua Monochrome
Ressence Collection Nov 28, 2024

Introducing - A Brand New Ressence Collection, the Compact Type 9 Grey and Aqua

Two years after introducing the Type 8, its most minimalist time-only watch, Belgian independent watchmaker Ressence expands the concept with the launch of the new Type 9. Like all Ressence creations, the latest model incorporates the brand’s patented ROCS (Ressence Orbital Convex System) display module, with time indicated via revolving sub-dials – the so-called “beyond […]

The November 2024 Geneva Auctions Retrospective - Highlights Fratello
Nov 26, 2024

The November 2024 Geneva Auctions Retrospective - Highlights

Recent auctions in Geneva concluded with a relative bang. Eye-watering results occurred for some truly rare pieces. For many watches, though, the sales were solid but not awe-inspiring. I’ll kick off today’s article with my thoughts on the market, and then we’ll look at several lots. My colleague Lex recently penned an article about the […] Visit The November 2024 Geneva Auctions Retrospective - Highlights to read the full article.

Auction: Japanese Watches in Demand at Phillips’ Toki Sale SJX Watches
Seiko Nov 25, 2024

Auction: Japanese Watches in Demand at Phillips’ Toki Sale

A thematic sale of watches related to Japan, Toki just concluded at Phillips in Hong Kong over the weekend, notching up HK$61.8 million with fees, equivalent to US$7.95 million. Comprised of watches sold in Japan or made for the country, the catalogue included familiar names like Seiko and Casio, but also independent watchmakers like Masahiro Kikuno, along with a host of limited editions by Swiss brands for the Japanese market. A novel concept given the dominance of Swiss brands in watch auctions, both in terms of value and volume, Toki surprised on the upside. The 115-lot auction included lots of surprising and notable results, like HK$1.14 million (about US$147,000) for the Casio G-Shock Dream Project, double the original retail price. Thomas Perazzi at the rostrum. Image – Phillips Toki and the subsequent main sale showed the momentum established during the Geneva auctions two weeks ago carried on into Hong Kong. The strength of the sale is also credit to the Phillips watch department in Asia led by Thomas Perazzi, which conceived Toki a year ago with the help of Tokyo-based consultants for Phillips, Kaz Fujimoto and Genki Sakamoto. The unusual theme was realised well with a carefully curated catalogue. Many of the watches in Toki were simply unavailable anywhere else. With only 35 made and all sold via a lottery in 2020, where else can one find a solid-gold G-Shock? This reflected in the diverse nature of the bidders. Most bids in the sale came from phone bidders an...

Introducing - The Beautiful Blue Silk Dial of the Ressence Type 8 Indigo Monochrome
Ressence Type 8 Indigo Founded Nov 25, 2024

Introducing - The Beautiful Blue Silk Dial of the Ressence Type 8 Indigo

Founded by Belgian industrial designer Benoît Mintiens in 2010, Ressence is renowned for its ingenious no-hands display of the time. Sleek, minimalist, futuristic watches with innovative mechanical solutions, Ressence tells the time with revolving sub-dials powered by the brand’s patented Orbital Convex System (ROCS). Like planets orbiting the Sun, the time indications circle the dial […]

Breguet “Marie Antoinette” Watch to go on Show in London SJX Watches
Breguet Marie Antoinette” Watch Nov 22, 2024

Breguet “Marie Antoinette” Watch to go on Show in London

The fabled Breguet no. 160 “Marie Antoinette” (pictured above, image credit Baruch Coutts) was reputedly made for the last queen of France, but was so complicated that it took decades to complete, by which time the queen was long dead. Stolen in 1983 and then recovered in 2007, the legendary watch started by Abraham-Louis Breguet will be on display for the first time outside of the L.A. Mayer Museum for Islamic Art In Jerusalem since its recovery. From December 12, the Breguet “Marie Antoinette” will be on show at the Science Museum in London (which is also home to important George Daniels creations, including the unfinished watch and the Space Traveller II). The Breguet Marie Antoinette is  part of Versailles: Science and Splendour, an exhibition dedicated to the scientific and technology discoveries related to the French royal court in the 17th and 18th centuries. The exhibition explores a 120-year span of scientific progress at Versailles, illustrating the scientific endeavours accomplished during the reigns of Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI. The mythical watch While the exhibition will include over 100 exhibits, watch enthusiasts will know the highlight is Breguet no. 160, the grand complication commissioned in 1783, by Marie Antoinette’s lover according to legend, hence its longstanding nickname. A no-expense-spared commission, watch no. 160 was only completed in 1827, having been delayed by A.-L. Breguet’s exile during the French Revolution. By the t...

Chronicles of Precision: The Quest for Equation of Time Part II SJX Watches
Nov 19, 2024

Chronicles of Precision: The Quest for Equation of Time Part II

Continuing from part I of the history of the equation of time. In the late 17th century, London’s clockmaking landscape experienced a remarkable surge of innovation and collaboration, fuelled by interactions among prominent horologists and the broader scientific community. Among this period’s leading figures were Christian Huygens and Robert Hooke, who made substantial strides in crafting clocks that could precisely display solar time without the need for cumbersome equation tables. This era marked the advent of the equation cam, a revolutionary mechanism designed to reconcile the disparities between solar time and mean time. Inspired by the analemma-a figure-eight pattern illustrating the Sun’s varying positions in the sky throughout the seasons-these mechanisms featured a distinctive mathematically calculated kidney-shaped cam, symbolising a pivotal step forward in horological precision and accuracy. At the heart of this innovation lies the cam and lever mechanism, an integral component of the invention. It comprises a shaft propelled by the clock’s mechanism, completing a full rotation annually. Affixed to this shaft is a meticulously crafted kidney-shaped cam, tailored precisely to match the annual fluctuations outlined by the equation. This cam engages with a follower and a connected lever, facilitating the seamless translation of its rotational motion into practical adjustments within the timepiece. Drawing of an equation pendulum by Ferdinand Berthoud (1...

Girard-Perregaux Casquette 2.0 Review Teddy Baldassarre
Girard-Perregaux Casquette 2.0 Review I Nov 4, 2024

Girard-Perregaux Casquette 2.0 Review

I enjoy a good retro-revival, but I especially love it when it’s a super-niche piece like the Girard-Perregaux Casquette. First introduced back in the 1970s, the very cool Casquette was brought back in 2022 in the form of the Casquette 2.0. According to GP, something like 8,000 examples of the original Casquette were produced between 1976 and 1978. That unique driver-style case with LED display was basically unchanged for the 2.0, which came in a slick, black ceramic case. Now, we see the release of a new Girard-Perregaux Casquette 2.0 Titanium and Gold, which I was able to get my hands on and spend some time with. Luxury digital watches are few and far between but I have to say, there is nothing like the Casquette out there. As someone who has seen and handled just about every watch out there, I personally would rather plunk down just shy of five grand on this digital watch over many, many mechanical pieces in that price range. Where the inaugural Casquette 2.0 was done in a black ceramic and bracelet, this new iteration  opts for a Grade 5 titanium case with yellow-gold GP logo and pushers and a matching titanium bracelet with rubber lining. It is absolutely insane to see this level of quality and finishing on an LED-display watch, but it sparks so much joy in my heart to see a brand have the guts to do so. The case dimensions are spot-on for a piece that needs some wrist presence to properly convey its vibes. The sleek, angular case measures 42.4mm tall and 33.6mm wi...

Introducing - The MeisterSinger Bell Hora Edition Notre Dame Monochrome
Meistersinger Bell Hora Edition Notre Oct 14, 2024

Introducing - The MeisterSinger Bell Hora Edition Notre Dame

While single-hand watches are the mainstay of German brand MeisterSinger, it would be a mistake to associate this display with simple watches. Since its foundation in 2001, MeisterSinger has sported many complications and, in a surprising turn of events, the Bell Hora. Known as a sonnerie au passage, this complication chimes on the hour, every […]