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The Hublot Arsham Droplet Redefines what a Contemporary Pocket Watch Can Be Worn & Wound
Hublot Arsham Droplet Redefines what Jun 13, 2024

The Hublot Arsham Droplet Redefines what a Contemporary Pocket Watch Can Be

What does it mean to be a pocket watch enthusiast in 2024? As a pocket watch appreciator (which I think is a distinct thing compared to a bona fide collector or someone who displays a real passion for these objects) I think there are at least two potential answers. The first is the type of enthusiast who is deeply invested in watchmaking history, and sees pocket watches as important historical objects. They are, for the most part, relics of an old way of life, and anachronistic in our contemporary world. But there’s another type of pocket watch enthusiast that is far more focused on the here and now, who can tell you about the rare (but often impressive) pocket watches made by some of the most respected luxury brands and independent watchmakers. Sometimes these pocket watches might be record setters, sometimes they might be contemporary art objects. Hublot, with their partner Daniel Arsham, just unveiled one that falls into the latter camp.  Arsham is a New York City based artist who works in a variety of mediums, including fine art, architecture, live performance, and filmmaking. He is known for using a variety of organic materials in his work, like sand, selenite and volcanic ash, which makes him a natural partner for Hublot, a brand that has famously challenged preconceived notions about what materials belong in a “luxury” watch. The new pocket watch revealed last week, known as the Arsham Droplet, is both a full fledged art piece as well as an example of Hublot...

Just in Time for Summer, the Maurice Lacroix Aikon Gets Some Color Worn & Wound
Maurice Lacroix Aikon Gets Some Color Jun 13, 2024

Just in Time for Summer, the Maurice Lacroix Aikon Gets Some Color

I have long been skeptical of the integrated bracelet sports watch. It’s a genre of watch that I’ve never really lusted after, and while I can certainly appreciate the craftsmanship of a Royal Oak bracelet or the collectability of a rare Nautilus, these watches have always been mostly about flaunting wealth, and they kind of all bleed together to look like one another at a certain point, which leads me to wonder what that says about the taste of those who prize them so highly. Still, everyone once in a while an integrated bracelet sports watch comes around that is almost accidentally appealing to me, usually because of how it undermines the tropes of the genre. I suppose I also just have a soft spot for the Maurice Lacroix Aikon collection. There’s something about the accessibility and variety of these watches that I’ve always enjoyed.  The latest entry in the Aikon collection from Maurice Lacroix is the summer ready Quartz Colors collection seen here. The name, as is often the case, kind of gives away what we’re dealing with. These Aikons, with references in both 35mm and 40mm, are powered by quartz movements, and they do indeed feature colors. The 35mm variants give you the option of a “Sunset Pink” or “Deep Sky Blue” dial, while the 40mm watch comes in sky blue only. The smaller versions of the Aikon Quartz Colors are also accented with diamonds at the hour markers.  The press materials for the Quartz Colors releases suggest that Maurice Lacriox was ...

Zenith Defy Revival A3648 Review Teddy Baldassarre
Zenith Jun 13, 2024

Zenith Defy Revival A3648 Review

There is no doubt that most enthusiasts think of the brand Zenith and picture, in their mind’s eye, a chronograph – a chronograph powered by the now storied El Primero automatic chronograph movement which debuted in 1969. Triple use of the word chronograph in one sentence notwithstanding, it punctuates the kind of watch associated with this powerhouse of a brand. And 1969 was a monumental year for automatic chronographs. But it was also the year Zenith introduced its punchy, ready for the 1970s, and decidedly orange dive watch: The Defy A3648. Yes, a Zenith diver was released the same year as the El Primero…and the latter clearly took off on a trajectory far different from that of its aquatic counterpart. Vintage Zenith A3648 from around the time of the watch's launch. Over the past decade or so, Zenith has proven itself to be unmatched in the watch game when it comes to revivals, homages, re-editions, whatever you like to call them (Zenith literally calls them “Revivals” so we will too). Some Zenith Revival models are modern riffs on vintage designs, with slight tweaks, while others are near 1:1 recreations. Think back to the Defy Revival models of the past two years, with both black and ruby dial options. Those were authentic recreations down to the vintage-style clasps (an under-looked component of homage, if you ask me!). At Watches & Wonders 2024, Zenith returned to the 1969 well and brought its spunky orange dive watch back to life in the form of the De...

Introducing: The Seiko 5 Sports Heritage Design Re-Creation Limited Editions Fratello
Seiko 5 Sports Heritage Design Jun 13, 2024

Introducing: The Seiko 5 Sports Heritage Design Re-Creation Limited Editions

For fans of vintage Seiko, today’s new release will be pleasing. The Seiko 5 Sports Heritage Design Re-creation Limited Edition, aside from being a mouthful, is a pair of fantastic watches. These pieces use a case design firmly rooted in the late ’60s. That’s exciting because Seiko has created another new case and is pushing […] Visit Introducing: The Seiko 5 Sports Heritage Design Re-Creation Limited Editions to read the full article.

Omega Unveils the MoonSwatch “Mission On Earth” Trio SJX Watches
Omega Unveils Jun 12, 2024

Omega Unveils the MoonSwatch “Mission On Earth” Trio

Following the MoonSwatch “Snoopy” released in late March, Swatch continues to grow its bestselling line with the MoonSwatch “Mission On Earth”, a trio of models dressed in eye-catching colours, including one inspired by the Speedmaster “Ultraman” and another by aventurine glass. Initial thoughts The Mission On Earth editions stand out from the rest of the MoonSwatch line-up, especially the Polar Lights and Lava models. Unlike earlier MoonSwatch models in muted colours, Polar Lights features a “starry” blue dial modelled on sparkly aventurine glass, while Lava is a nod to the historical Speedmaster “Ultraman” with its orange hand. The new models continue to be priced at US$270, making them the same value proposition as earlier versions – they are affordable but feel equally inexpensive. The continual new additions to the line, however, will inevitably diminish the desirability of the MoonSwatch. While this might disappoint some early adopters, it is a logical step for Swatch, since the MoonSwatch has boosted its business tremendously, while the brand has no other product that enjoys comparable demand. Earthbound The Mission on Earth collection is made up of three watches. All are similar to earlier MoonSwatch models, but the new trio incorporate a detail Speedmaster enthusiasts will appreciate: radially arranged numerals on the sub-dials, as found on the experimental Speedmasters made for the Alaska II and III projects commissioned by NASA. Inspired by...

First Look – Energising Summer Colours for the Rado Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Skeleton Monochrome
Rado Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Jun 12, 2024

First Look – Energising Summer Colours for the Rado Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Skeleton

Rado is synonymous with high-tech ceramic, which is used to great effect on its sleek, geometric designs and vintage models alike. Rado’s 1962 Captain Cook dive watch, resurrected in 2017, was given a high-tech plasma ceramic makeover in 2021. Not only did it feature a ceramic case and bracelet, but its dial was also skeletonised […]

Introducing – The Mido Multifort TV Big Date Tunes into a More Luxurious Channel Monochrome
Mido Jun 12, 2024

Introducing – The Mido Multifort TV Big Date Tunes into a More Luxurious Channel

Mido’s decision to revisit some of its vintage models and update them with contemporary specs has resulted in some very attractive yet affordable pieces. Models like the 1960s-inspired Ocean Star Decompression Timer with its colourful dial, the 1930s-styled Patrimony Chronograph and the more recent Multifort TV Big Date are winning combinations of retro details and modern […]

Schofield Watch Company Unveils the Obscura Worn & Wound
Schofield Jun 11, 2024

Schofield Watch Company Unveils the Obscura

Giles Ellis of U.K. based Schofield Watch Company had been working on what they are calling Obscura for 7 years. Just like some science fiction movies live in their creator’s imagination, until one day, the technology to bring them to life comes into existence. This new watch could only ever be made now, with the team and the combined experience they have accumulated over the past 15 years. As its name implies, it is obscure, subtly so and it is much more than the sum of its parts. The details reveal its full story. Shall we address the elephant in the room? The case is made of Damascus steel, and if you have watched enough Forged in Fire, you might have a rudimentary understanding of how this steel is formed. However, this is not your typical Damascus, as instead of ubiquitous waves of contrasting steels, the pattern resembles cellular scales. Schofield’s metalworking partner, Vegas Forge, achieves this by using enormous Nazel Hammers to smash the different steels together. The familiar Schofield case is then fully machined and finished in Sussex by acid etching the surface to bring out the texture. The case back features three smoked out sapphire display portholes that slightly magnify the elements of the manually wound Unitas 6498-2 movement that lies beneath. There appear to be some type of hieroglyphs on one side and circles that display semaphore flag positions on the other. A few of the latter appear to look like Pacman. Intended or not, obscure they sure are. ...

Citizen Dive Watches Guide Teddy Baldassarre
Citizen Jun 11, 2024

Citizen Dive Watches Guide

Citizen Watch Co. of Japan has been making watches for 100 years, and a glance at the brand’s current portfolio reveals that quite a few of those watches are dive watches. It’s not surprising, since Citizen has been in the business of supplying watches for divers since the early 1980s, and has been extending the variety of styles, functionalities, and even movement types available in the various collections ever since. So how do you decide on whether you want your first (or next) Citizen dive watch to be an Eco-Drive or an automatic? An everyday-wear Fugu, a multipurpose Aqualand, or a deep-diving Eco-Zilla? Our comprehensive guide is here to help you, with a brief history of Citizen dive watches and a rundown of all the styles available today. Swiss watchmakers began embracing purpose-built, water-resistant divers’ watches in the early 1950s, while their contemporaries in Japan came aboard a decade or so later. As many history-minded watch enthusiasts are aware, it was Citizen’s competitor, Seiko, that released the first Japanese-made divers’ watch, in 1965. However, Citizen’s Parawater, regarded as the first “water-resistant” Japanese watch, preceded it to market six years earlier, in 1959. The Parawater watches (as above) were waterproof to 50 meters of depth, an impressive feat for the era, and they were the forerunners of Citizen’s contemporary line of dive watches, which began in the 1960s but really kicked into gear with the release of the Promast...

[VIDEO] Hands-On: the Amida Digitrend Worn & Wound
Jun 11, 2024

[VIDEO] Hands-On: the Amida Digitrend

Here’s the thing about wearing the Amida Digitrend: you can’t take a traditional wrist shot with it. It’s not an insignificant point in 2024, when the watch industry effectively lives on Instagram, and the currency through which influence is thrust upon brands, collectors, and all of the other personalities who have risen to prominence in recent years is the wrist shot. We expect them when our friends pick up a new piece for their collection, and it’s the first thing we ask for when a new watch is announced with a series of renders depicting the watch in some altered state. So can a watch find success with the enthusiast crowd if it’s virtually impossible to take a traditional wrist shot? Amida deserves a lot of credit, I think, for rolling the dice and finding out in real time. Their new watch, the Digitrend, is one of the most interesting and quietly daring new watches to hit the market in the last few years. It takes a design that’s fifty years old and revives it so successfully that it forces you to wonder what’s happened to the industry in the intervening decades. How did we go from the strange and clever problem solving of the Digitrend to a nearly endless stream of Black Dialed Divers based on the same rudimentary outline?  The answer to that question is far outside the scope of this review, but it’s worth reporting that we may indeed be nearing an end to the watch market being saturated with straightforward vintage inspired sports watches. This is ...

Louis Vuitton Returns to the Escale Wristwatch SJX Watches
Louis Vuitton Returns Jun 11, 2024

Louis Vuitton Returns to the Escale Wristwatch

Louis Vuitton is steadily rebuilding its watch collecting, reorienting the offerings towards more designs with thoughtful details and decoration. Having already redesigned the Tambour, the brand now debuts the Escale Time-Only Automatic. Returning to a case design that’s been in the Louis Vuitton catalogue for well over the decade, the new Escale is a no-frills three-hander with discreet references to the brand’s trunks incorporated into the aesthetic. Initial thoughts I’ve long been a fan of the Escale case – we covered the Escale Worldtime over a decade ago – because it is simple, distinctive, and wears well. The signature Escale models in the past, however, were world time models with extravagantly multicoloured dials. The aesthetic was typical, over-the-top Louis Vuitton. I liked them, a lot in fact, but they were not for everyone, and certainly not easily legible. The new Escale, on the other hand, is a practical watch that is legible but thoughtfully designed with discreet details that evoke Louis Vuitton’s trunks. It retains the same case but with a discreet, three-hand dial. Extravagant it is not, but it has wider appeal. Inside is the same LFT023 found in the Tambour, so movement-wise it has the same strengths and weaknesses. The movement is thin and attractively styled, but could do with more refined details, like the regulator index for instance. Though not perfect (or entirely in-house), the LFT023 compares well against the ETA 2892 found in the ori...

Fratelli Stories: Shanka’s Omega Speedmaster Was A Fascination Decades In The Making Fratello
Omega Speedmaster Was Jun 11, 2024

Fratelli Stories: Shanka’s Omega Speedmaster Was A Fascination Decades In The Making

In this edition of Fratelli Stories, I sit down with Fratello reader Shanka. While growing up in Sri Lanka and Australia, he gravitated towards watches made for adventure, and none more so than the Omega Speedmaster. Shanka has been a Fratello reader for many years. Since he and I both live in Australia, I had […] Visit Fratelli Stories: Shanka’s Omega Speedmaster Was A Fascination Decades In The Making to read the full article.

Hands-On With The New Louis Vuitton Escale Time-Only Automatic Fratello
Louis Vuitton Escale Time-Only Automatic Jun 11, 2024

Hands-On With The New Louis Vuitton Escale Time-Only Automatic

On the 10th anniversary of the Escale collection, Louis Vuitton introduces its new Escale Time-Only Automatic watch with caliber LFT023. Four new references are available, each with a 39mm case in rose gold or platinum and a leather strap. Louis Vuitton Escale Many of us, including yours truly, have been craving more new dress watches. […] Visit Hands-On With The New Louis Vuitton Escale Time-Only Automatic to read the full article.

The IWC Yacht Club II Ref. 3212 Is A Genta Design I Would Like To See Reborn Fratello
IWC Yacht Club II Ref Jun 11, 2024

The IWC Yacht Club II Ref. 3212 Is A Genta Design I Would Like To See Reborn

Last year, the IWC Ingenieur returned. The original Gérald Genta design got reworked and, when launched in steel and titanium, proved an alternative to the (un)available Royal Oak and Nautilus, the most iconic of Genta-penciled watches. A recent visit to IWC’s museum in Schaffhausen, on the banks of the river Rhine, sparked a couple of […] Visit The IWC Yacht Club II Ref. 3212 Is A Genta Design I Would Like To See Reborn to read the full article.

Hands-On With The Racing-Inspired Depancel Série-R Tangerine Chronograph Automatic Fratello
Jun 11, 2024

Hands-On With The Racing-Inspired Depancel Série-R Tangerine Chronograph Automatic

The French brand Depancel has captured the hearts of people who love classic racing-style chronographs. The colorful and diverse racing chronographs of the 1960s and ’70s continue to offer plenty of inspiration for Depancel’s new models. With the new Série-R Tangerine Chronograph Automatic, the brand once again looks to the greats from the past while […] Visit Hands-On With The Racing-Inspired Depancel Série-R Tangerine Chronograph Automatic to read the full article.

Introducing – The new Formex Reef 39.5mm Bahama Blue Automatic COSC Monochrome
Formex Reef 39.5mm Bahama Blue Jun 11, 2024

Introducing – The new Formex Reef 39.5mm Bahama Blue Automatic COSC

The “Baby Reef” series of Formex 39.5mm dive watches, comprised of four watches distinguished by dial colour, was presented at the end of 2023. Now, in time for summer, it gets a new and very fresh-looking reference. It’s everything the brand enthusiasts appreciate about the collection, only brighter. Here’s the Reef 39.5mm Bahama Blue 300m […]

Fratello On Air: Do You Wear, Protect, Or Baby Your Dream Watch? Fratello
Jun 11, 2024

Fratello On Air: Do You Wear, Protect, Or Baby Your Dream Watch?

Fratello On Air is here with a new episode. We told you we’d be back! This week, our show topic comes courtesy of one of our listeners. We were asked how we’d behave with a dream watch that was purchased new. We have some thoughts and expand the discussion to vintage watches. For those wondering, […] Visit Fratello On Air: Do You Wear, Protect, Or Baby Your Dream Watch? to read the full article.