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Results for The Royal Oak Launch Story

41,697 articles · 259 videos found · page 54 of 1399

Introducing: The IWC Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive - A Watch Made For Space Fratello
IWC Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive Apr 14, 2026

Introducing: The IWC Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive - A Watch Made For Space

Space - the final frontier. Well, with the recent launch of Artemis II and a host of space-related tech advances, there is a renewed cultural interest in exploring the stars. IWC has partnered with Vast, which is building the world’s first commercial space station, to develop its take on what a space watch should be. […] Visit Introducing: The IWC Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive - A Watch Made For Space to read the full article.

The Uber-Lange 1 Gets the “Lumen” Treatment SJX Watches
Apr 14, 2026

The Uber-Lange 1 Gets the “Lumen” Treatment

A. Lange & Söhne turns once again to its greatest hits for its flagship launch at Watches & Wonders 2026. The Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar “Lumen” bestows the translucent, luminous treatment to the top-of-the-line Lange 1 in a 50-piece limited edition in platinum. Powered by the L225.1, an upgrade on the previous generation movement, the latest Lumen edition has a grey-tinted sapphire dial that reveals glow-in-the-dark elements, including the date discs and moon phase. Over the back, the edition is also set apart by a pair of steel cocks sporting engraving of stars. Initial thoughts The Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar “Lumen” stands out as one of the most appealing Lumen models; I’d rank it up there along with the original Zeitwerk “Phantom” in terms of appeal. The Lumen treatment works best with lot of obvious luminous components, which is the case here. Flourishes like the luminous bases for each of the Roman hour numerals are a pleasing touch. The twin engraved steel cocks are especially noteworthy; the concept is classic Lange but the engraved star motif adds variety. That said, the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar “Lumen” scores highly, maybe even perfectly, in terms of intrinsic and tactile appeal. The technical accomplishment is also top class: the calendar is instantaneous, movement construction is sophisticated, and decoration is outstanding. But this arguably scores less well in terms of originality or creativity. The moveme...

Introducing: The Vacheron Constantin Overseas Self-Winding Ultra-Thin In A 39.5mm Platinum Case Fratello
Vacheron Constantin Overseas Self-Winding Ultra-Thin Apr 13, 2026

Introducing: The Vacheron Constantin Overseas Self-Winding Ultra-Thin In A 39.5mm Platinum Case

It took a while, but the 2016 Overseas Ultra-Thin finally has a successor. Ten years after the launch of the 40 × 7.5mm white gold reference 2000V/120G-B122 with caliber 1120, a 39.5 × 7.35mm platinum timepiece debuts. Introducing the Vacheron Constantin Overseas Self-Winding Ultra-Thin reference 2500V/210P-H028 outfitted with the new 2.4mm-thick caliber 2550 featuring a […] Visit Introducing: The Vacheron Constantin Overseas Self-Winding Ultra-Thin In A 39.5mm Platinum Case to read the full article.

The Cartier Roadster Comes Roaring Back: It’s Ready To Roll In Two Sizes Fratello
Cartier Roadster Comes Roaring Back Apr 13, 2026

The Cartier Roadster Comes Roaring Back: It’s Ready To Roll In Two Sizes

Sometimes, a watch release makes you feel old. The Cartier Roadster now comes roaring back, but I couldn’t help but think it hadn’t been that long since it debuted. Well, it turns out the launch of the first Roadster was 24 years ago. Anyway, Cartier has just announced a revised collection that maintains the automotive-inspired […] Visit The Cartier Roadster Comes Roaring Back: It’s Ready To Roll In Two Sizes to read the full article.

The New WRK ACF-03 Is Cleaner Than I Expected And Better For It Fratello
Apr 10, 2026

The New WRK ACF-03 Is Cleaner Than I Expected And Better For It

When I recently wrote the story of why WRK’s ACF-03 needed to happen, the watch itself was still mostly a question mark. There was enough there to suggest where WRK was heading but not enough to properly judge the watch itself. Now that it’s officially here, I think the picture is much clearer. And I […] Visit The New WRK ACF-03 Is Cleaner Than I Expected And Better For It to read the full article.

In Depth: The Horological Evolution of Jacob & Co. SJX Watches
Casio n Apr 8, 2026

In Depth: The Horological Evolution of Jacob & Co.

Since “Jacob and Jeweller” made its first foray into fine watchmaking two decades ago, Jacob & Co. has positioned itself as a master of maximalism in all its forms, both bejewelled and technical, with some of the brands’s most audacious creations free of gem-setting entirely. The story of Jacob & Co.’s rise as an independent watchmaker features a celebrated cast of constructors. While other brands focused on vertical integration, Jacob & Co. opted to become a patron of promising complication specialists and independent watchmakers, funding their visions while challenging them with its own. Now, 20 years on, Jacob & Co. has evolved into a major player in the ultra-high end watchmaking segment, and is one of the fastest growing brands in an otherwise downbeat market; according to the brand, its 2025 watch sales were close to CHF300 million at retail. The brand’s obvious success is due to both its astute commercial instincts, founder Jacob Arabo’s inimitable personality, and also its ability to bring technically demanding movements to market and iterate on them with remarkable regularity. The gongs of a minute repeating Astronomia, one of the line’s many flankers. Few brands have managed to build credibility in both jewellry and watchmaking simultaneously. On the occasion of the brand’s 40th anniversary, it’s worth looking at how Jacob & Co. has succeeded where others have failed. Chapter 1: The Quenttin Jacob & Co.’s first 20 years were somewhat quiet on...

The Watches Worn On The NASA Artemis II Mission Fratello
Omega Speedmaster […] Visit Apr 2, 2026

The Watches Worn On The NASA Artemis II Mission

This month began with the exciting launch of Artemis II on April 1st, 2026, at 22:35:12 (UTC). I stayed up to watch the launch (00:35 here) and witness this next chapter in NASA’s Moon exploration. The space-qualified watches It’s the first human-crewed lunar voyage since 1972. During that mission, all astronauts wore the Omega Speedmaster […] Visit The Watches Worn On The NASA Artemis II Mission to read the full article.

A Hands-On Introduction To The Baltic Heures Du Monde With Three Stone Dials Fratello
Baltic Heures Du Monde Mar 31, 2026

A Hands-On Introduction To The Baltic Heures Du Monde With Three Stone Dials

We already mentioned Baltic in a recent Fratello Talks episode, “The Microbrands To Watch In 2026.” Etienne Malec founded the brand 10 years ago and launched his first watch a year later. We suspect he’s planning something big for the anniversary, but it doesn’t look like Etienne needs any excuse to launch great new watches. […] Visit A Hands-On Introduction To The Baltic Heures Du Monde With Three Stone Dials to read the full article.

Hands-On With The Fleming Series 1 Mark II Redwood Watch - High-End Watch Evolution At Its Finest Fratello
Mar 31, 2026

Hands-On With The Fleming Series 1 Mark II Redwood Watch - High-End Watch Evolution At Its Finest

That’s heavy sh*t, man. Two years ago, we had the chance to go hands-on with the Fleming Series 1 Launch Edition Tantalum. In that alloy, which is roughly twice as heavy as steel, the watch made a lasting impression. It was “heavy” in hippie-speak because of its refined case shape, intricate dial details, and remarkable […] Visit Hands-On With The Fleming Series 1 Mark II Redwood Watch - High-End Watch Evolution At Its Finest to read the full article.

Hands-on – The All-New Omega Constellation Observatory Collection (incl. Video) Monochrome
Omega Constellation Observatory Collection incl Mar 26, 2026

Hands-on – The All-New Omega Constellation Observatory Collection (incl. Video)

The launch of a new collection from a brand as important as Omega is always a significant event. In this particular case, however, it is not strictly the introduction of an entirely new design, but rather the unveiling of a new family of Constellation watches inspired by a historical model’s aesthetics. What also makes this […]

Doxa Introduces the SUB 200 II Diver Worn & Wound
Seiko Mar 25, 2026

Doxa Introduces the SUB 200 II Diver

Since its launch in 2019, the Doxa SUB 200 has been one of my favorite value oriented dive watches to recommend. When it debuted, it was under $1,000 and really stood out in a crowd of vintage inspired divers. It was a particularly compelling option for enthusiasts who were after something affordable and loaded with a bit of history and was definitely not a Seiko. They were also getting that vintage appropriate sizing right before the pendulum swung all the way back toward watches under 40mm – the SUB 200 measures 42mm but wears significantly smaller thanks to the short lug profile. It was and is a great wearing, classically styled dive watch from a truly important dive watch brand.  Doxa has just refreshed the SUB 200 and the watch that was revealed this week reflects a lot of what’s going on the industry at the moment, while also appearing to serve as a worthy heir (and complement) to the existing SUB 200. The new SUB 200 II sees Doxa making some unexpected refinements to the case and also offering the watch in a new suite of colorways and a novel case treatment. Taken together, it’s a significantly more contemporary execution of something we’ve all come to associate with pure vintage nostalgia.  We’ll start with the case, which now measures 44mm in diameter. I did a bit of a double take when I saw that particular spec – we’re deep in the era of brands downsizing their iconic sports watches to accommodate the current appetite for sleeker, small-to-medium ...

First Look – The Strehler Säntis, A Fine and Intuitive Worldtimer from an Independent Mind Monochrome
Mar 25, 2026

First Look – The Strehler Säntis, A Fine and Intuitive Worldtimer from an Independent Mind

Andreas Strehler is one of the most accomplished independent watchmakers. He is known for sophisticated creations such as the Sauterelle à Lune Exacte and the Trans-Axial Tourbillon, and his work has long been associated with complex mechanics and meticulous execution. With the launch of the Strehler brand three years ago, he aimed to make watches […]

The Most Important Watches of the 1990s Teddy Baldassarre
Mar 13, 2026

The Most Important Watches of the 1990s

Given the rapid, cyclical nature of trends, it seems that the cultural zeitgeist proclaims every few years that “the 90s are so back.” I think the better question is, did the 90s ever really leave? Well, it's a good a time as any to revisit the 1990s watches that defined this seminal decade. Since the recent release of Ryan Murphy’s “Love Story” limited series retelling of Carolyn Bessette and John F. Kennedy Jr.’s relationship is gripping the pop-cultural imagination, it seems that I can’t open my phone without being digitally transported back to the 90s. While I could resist this specific flavor of nostalgia, it feels more fun to dive right in and lean into the latest obsession with the 90s, translating it into the context of watches. The 90s, after all, is quite a quirky and compelling era of watchmaking. Case sizes were getting bigger, marketing was getting flashier,  the industry was still righting itself after the quartz shakeup, and designs that still ring relevant today made their initial debuts. So without further ado, let's hop on in the metaphorical time machine to take a journey through the defining watches of the 90s. [toc-section heading="Cartier Tank Française"] Image: Sotheby's Selfishly, I’m going to kick us off with one of my favorite watches that came out of the 90s. Pretty much an immediate hit when it debuted in 1996, the Tank Française is where Cartier’s iconic design adopted a more laidback attitude. A marked shift from the forma...

First Look – The New Ulysse Nardin Freak X Gumball 3000 Edition 2 Monochrome
Ulysse Nardin Freak X Gumball 3000 Feb 23, 2026

First Look – The New Ulysse Nardin Freak X Gumball 3000 Edition 2

Collaborations between watch brands and lifestyle events are frequent, some have become commonplace, and a few feel naturally coherent. Gumball 3000 is one of them. Since its launch in 1999, the 3,000-mile rally has become a moving (quite literally) platform for performance, individuality and spectacle, rather than a traditional competition; this year, the 100 selected […]

The MeisterSinger Panthero Jumping Hour Celebrates The Brand’s 25th Anniversary Fratello
Audemars Piguet presented Feb 20, 2026

The MeisterSinger Panthero Jumping Hour Celebrates The Brand’s 25th Anniversary

There’s something in the water of the watch world. No idea what it is, but it’s making brands launch jump-hour watches. It started in 2025 with Cartier, Bremont, and Chronoswiss, to name but a few, and this year, Audemars Piguet presented a mechanical digital watch. The MeisterSinger Panthero Jumping Hour is yet another watch that […] Visit The MeisterSinger Panthero Jumping Hour Celebrates The Brand’s 25th Anniversary to read the full article.

Furlan Marri Review: The Swiss Microbrand You Keep Hearing About Teddy Baldassarre
Furlan Marri Feb 19, 2026

Furlan Marri Review: The Swiss Microbrand You Keep Hearing About

With a GPHG award, a head-turning, high-complication entry in the Only Watch Auction, and a buzz-worthy, retro-cool release in the Disco Volante collection, Swiss microbrand Furlan Marri has gone from Kickstarter to contender in less than five years on the market. Here’s what you need to know about the company, its philosophy, and what its collection looks like right now.  [toc-section heading="Furlan Marri Origin Story"] Furlan Marri was born from a partnership between two friends from different corners of the watch-enthusiast community - Andrea Furlan, a Swiss-born industrial designer plying a successful trade as a watch design consultant for major brands, and Hamad Al Marri, a watch collector and artist from Saudi Arabia. United by their mutual longtime passion for timepieces, the two joined forces in 2021 to launch their eponymous brand on Kickstarter. Its fast-track to success seemed an inevitability almost from the beginning, as the project was fully funded after 35 seconds on the crowdfunding platform, supported by an enthusiastic community of thousands that had formed around the founders. Those first Furlan Marri watches that emerged from the initial Kickstarter kickoff campaign were vintage-influenced chronographs, taking clear design cues from forebears of the 1930s and ‘40s produced by brands like Patek Philippe, Lemania, and Vacheron Constantin. The cases were 38mm in steel (upsized a bit from the 34mm - 35mm norm of the era being paid homage), the dials...

Baltic Closes Out the MR Collection with a Moissanite Bezel Limited Edition Worn & Wound
Baltic Closes Out Feb 12, 2026

Baltic Closes Out the MR Collection with a Moissanite Bezel Limited Edition

I have a very clear memory of the time period around the launch of the Baltic MR01 collection, the first in their ongoing series of micro-rotor powered dress watches. It felt like a turning point for the brand, who up until then was really known as a heritage inspired sports watch microbrand. The MR series was a real left turn, and there was excitement around it across the watch community. The use of a micro-rotor powered automatic movement in a watch well under $1,000 was completely novel, and it signaled that Baltic had ambitions well beyond iterating on classic sports watch DNA. The intervening years have proven that out, as the brand no longer occupies such a narrow niche. If you had told me in 2021 that only a few years later my favorite Baltic would be their take on a cocktail watch, complete with stone dials, I never would have believed you.  The new MR Moissanite closes a chapter for Baltic. We’re told this is the final MR to be released in the current format, and that a refresh is coming. If that’s the case, Baltic has chosen to close out this incarnation of the MR with its most ostentatious execution to this point. The two dial variants seen here each feature bezels set with baguette cut moissanite gem stones, linking these watches in style and philosophy to the 1970s inspired Prismics linked above.  Moissanite, for the uninitiated, is a lab grown diamond alternative first introduced in the late 1990s. It has many physical qualities that are very similar to...

Introducing – The Ming 56.00 Starfield, the Brand’s First Watch with an Integrated Bracelet Monochrome
Ming Feb 9, 2026

Introducing – The Ming 56.00 Starfield, the Brand’s First Watch with an Integrated Bracelet

Independent watchmaking rarely stands still, but Horologer MING has made a habit of using evolution rather than repetition as its driving force. Since the brand’s founding in 2017, Ming Thein and his team have mastered light, form and restraint, while also pushing technical boundaries behind the scenes. With the recent launch of the fifth-generation design […]

Audemars Piguet Jumps Retro with the Neo Frame SJX Watches
Audemars Piguet Jumps Retro Feb 4, 2026

Audemars Piguet Jumps Retro with the Neo Frame

Ahead of its much anticipated Watches & Wonders return, Audemars Piguet (AP) has reached deep into its archives for what in past years would have been a [RE]Master model. But now AP has renamed its vintage reissues, and it is the Neo Frame Jumping Hour that takes inspiration from a similar guichet model from 1929. This perfectly timed launch comes at a time of renewed interest in the digital display format. Initial thoughts Each time an established brand launches a completely new collection, the public response can be either positive (think Rolex Land-Dweller) or underwhelming. AP has come face-to-face with this in the past with the Code 11.59, which was bold but not well received initially (though much of the early criticism can be chalked up to cynicism). That experience hasn’t stopped the brand from continuing to diversify its portfolio away from the Royal Oak, and the latest effort capitalises on the growing interest in guichet watches. In doing so, AP reimagines an obscure piece from its own past, adding strong touches of modern design to create something with a more distinctive visual identity than one might expect from a simple jumping hours watch. Though the Neo Frame nomenclature might take a while to enter the vernacular, the guichet design feels like it’s coming to market at the right time. Ironically, the sleek profile of the Neo Frame’s case looks much like a sports smart band - albeit much glossier. Specifically, the way the polished black face connec...

Why I Bought A Third-Generation Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M Over The New Version Fratello
Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M Jan 31, 2026

Why I Bought A Third-Generation Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M Over The New Version

Recently, I bought an Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M with a 43.5mm all-brushed steel case and a sandblasted gunmetal-gray dial. This purchase came after the launch of the fully revamped Planet Ocean. With the fourth generation’s sharper facets, redesigned bracelet with polished center links, slimmer profile, and importantly, no helium escape valve (HEV) at the […] Visit Why I Bought A Third-Generation Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M Over The New Version to read the full article.

Announcing – The MONOCHROME Montre de Souscription 5, Launching 29 January 2026 Monochrome
Czapek […] Jan 27, 2026

Announcing – The MONOCHROME Montre de Souscription 5, Launching 29 January 2026

Following the recent and successful release of our fourth Montre de Souscription, we’re thrilled to announce the launch of our next Montre de Souscription. Following the release of the Montre de Souscription 1, a salmon-toned, sector dial chronograph based on the Habring² Chrono-Felix, the Montre de Souscription 2, a MONOCHROME white interpretation of the Czapek […]

TAG Heuer Heritage Director Nicholas Biebuyck on the New Carreras, Formula One, and the Future of the Brand Worn & Wound
TAG Heuer Heritage Director Nicholas Biebuyck Jan 23, 2026

TAG Heuer Heritage Director Nicholas Biebuyck on the New Carreras, Formula One, and the Future of the Brand

It can be hard to love a heritage brand in its modern guise. The chasm between the demands of the modern world and the spirit that once defined a legacy brand is usually vast, and the need to progress and stay relevant typically outweighs any brand’s need to satisfy the enthusiasts and history buffs that love it. When it comes to TAG Heuer, however, there’s a different story being told–one that truly celebrates the brand’s history while seeking a seat at the table of the upper echelon of watchmaking.  The man responsible for orchestrating that balancing act is Nicholas Biebuyck, TAG Heuer’s Heritage Director. While Biebuyck wears many hats within the TAG Heuer machine, he’s an enthusiast at his core. The man understands where the brand has been and what that history means to his fellow enthusiasts, but he also has his eyes firmly on the future. Biebuyck knows that for TAG Heuer to stand on the top step of the horological podium, it needs to innovate in every regard–including swinging for the fences with its halo products like the Monaco Split-Seconds Rattrapante. To that end, TAG Heuer has announced the release of several new Carrera models that vamp on their successful “Glass Box” design. These watches, unveiled at LVMH Watch Week, include a new Carrera Seafarer that picks up where the brand’s 2024 Hodinkee limited edition left off while nodding at a beloved, if somewhat obscure classic from the Heuer archive.  These new releases continue to telegrap...