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Watches – News, Reviews, Brands and Releases
Some watches are impossible to overlook due to their cult status. Others due to massive value appreciation achieved thanks to massive exposure and popularity among collectors. Let's not forget the watches you might have only seen once before and are forever etched on your memory. Let's take a look at some of the most striking vintage dial designs. As the design is a matter of personal taste at the end of the day, we might be treading through dangerous territory today. Well, Ive decided to go for it anyway It might sound unusual to try to separate the dial design from the case shape, the bezel, or the hand style, but I believe it is a worthwhile exercise. To narrow down the shortlist, I liste [...]
For many out there, Patek Philippe is the pinnacle of watchmaking. And rightfully so, with beautiful Complication and Grand Complication watches in the Patek collection. And then, of course, there are the Nautilus and Aquanaut collections, which have reached incredible heights of popularity in recent years. The Nautilus, especially, has been at the forefront of desirability for a while now.But Nautilus fever has not always been a thing. I remember my colleague buying a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1A right at list price when it came out in 2006. At the time of introduction, the retail price was 14,700. It increased to around 16K shortly after, though. Not too long ago, the local authorized P [...]
I guess by now youve heard of the Patek Philippe 5711. If not, let me brief you: basically, it is the modern stainless steel iteration of Gerald Gentas (other) classic. It is one of the most desirable sports watches on the planet. In all seriousness, any list without the Nautilus in the top ten is lying to you. It is so desirable, in fact, that Patek Philippe can command 30,400 for a new one. Better still, pre-loved dealers are seeing prices for the recently discontinued blue dial model approach quarter of a million smackers. Thats a lot of cheddar for any mouse. However, if you cant be mithered mixing it with the plebs as they chase after the boring 5711, how about you park your Ferrari on [...]
Despite its slightly divisive birth last year, the wider community now seems to have firmly accepted Zeniths Chronomaster Sport with open arms. A few of my friends and acquaintances have picked up the stainless steel version, and the feedback has been very positive. Zenith itself seems to believe in the collection, too, as evidenced by the new releases we see before us. First, we had a steel watch with a ceramic bezel. Then, we had a gold version with a ceramic bezel. Now Zenith has decided to introduce three new models in two-tone and gold with no ceramic bezels in sight.Personally, I felt that the ceramic bezels were the one thing that made the Chronomaster Sport feel so modern compared to [...]
A while ago, I posted about this watch strap made out of the leather interior of this Mercedes-Benz 300SLR (owned by Jean Todt). If you own a Panerai watch, you probably know all about this strap thing. I have seen them in all kinds of colors, materials (even elephant) and with all types of buckles and inscriptions.A very popular leather strap seems to be the ammo pouch strap. Yes, an ammo pouch. Below youll see one of a Russian soldier outfit from the early 20th century.I have seen some really nice models over at Catcherstraps, and for a decent price as well. The straps made by Ted Su are also very popular amongst Paneristi world wide. I really like the vintage Swiss ammo pouch strap by Ted [...]
I really thought that I had seen all kind of possible threads and topics on watchforums, until I crossed this post at TimeZone by beauSF.The whole thread is about watch store girls and which store has the prettiest.. Must have been a slow day at TimeZone yesterday.. ?? [...]
I seem to be on a roll with my newfound love for chronographs. This 90s El Primero chronograph might be over 20 years old, but it sure doesn't look it. Considering the brand's strong history and the El Primero in particular, whats the catch? I cant see any, so its no wonder that I've marked three of these as Chrono24 favorites. Is the mid-90s Zenith Prime the best entry-ticket El Primero chronograph out there?There is a caveat to this story, and that is one simple fact: chronographs and the complex El Primero movement are not cheap to service. So unless you have a very friendly watchmaker, make sure you get one thats recently had the spa treatment. Follow that simple rule, and this particula [...]
Nothing really new under the Sun with this Patek Philippe Nautilus 5726/1A, but you bet that they need to create (another) waiting list for it. Were talking about the Nautilus with annual calendar and moon phases display.It is no secret that I love and respect the Patek Philippe Nautilus. The original reference 3700/1A being my favourite by far, with the original monobloc case construction (porthole) and caliber 28-255C movement. A close second is a watch that was introduced 30 years later and stayed very close to the original design, the reference 5711/1A. I did a comparison article between the original Patek Philippe Nautilus 3700/1A and the (current) reference 5711/1A here.Patek Philippe [...]
Are you fired up and ready to roll some coal? Were back with another Fratello contest, and this time, chronographs are ready to light it up Our team members have chosen racing-inspired watches to help get you into a track-worthy state of mind. Qualifying begins with a winner-take-all contest between a 70s-inspired classic, the Sinn 144 St S Anniversary II, and a watch from the grandpappy of racing chronographs. The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph is gassed up and ready to go. The fast and the Fratelli, 3,2,1 ignition!The goal is simple, and so is the race. Race fans, you will vote during The Fast And The Fratelli Grand Prix to decide the best racing chronograph of the past ten years. To make [...]
You might think that finding the perfect dress watch is one of the easier tasks that might present itself to a watch collector during their journey through our shared hobby. After all, a dress watch is about as stylistically simple as they come, right?Generally held to have just two or three hands with an uncluttered, timeless dial, the dress watch genre sounds one of the simplest to master on paper. However, as time has passed, so too have the boundaries of what is considered dressy expanded. Nowadays, while dress watches still tend to be made from precious metals, their dials can have a little bit more going on and still pass the eye test. To illustrate this point (which will no doubt be h [...]
Omega Speedmaster Co-Axial Caliber 9300 ReviewIts Speedy Tuesday Sometimes, its refreshing to see other peoples opinions on a watch. On a Speedmaster for example. Today, we give the stage to ?ukasz Doskocz, Editor in chief chronos24.pl. We did a Speedy Co-Axial 9300 Review here before (click here), which was actually the best read article on FW in 2012.The legendary Moonwatch in a brand new stylistically and mechanically version. Now with manufactured automatic movement, date and large(r) steel case.Each year, the watch industry produces tens if not hundreds of millions of timepieces. At the same time as many as couple of hundreds (if not thousands) new models join myriads of already exist [...]
The much-appreciated Cartier collection the Ballon Bleu family welcomes three new models. This line, introduced in 2007, brings Cartier's calling cards to the party. Refined craftsmanship and a nod to the brands fine jewelry legacy make the Ballon Bleu the kind of crossover piece that keeps on giving. While the diameters of mens watches trend downward, the availability of larger ladies watches continues with this release, with the Ballon Bleu now available in 40mm.At 40mm wide and 12.45mm thick, this watch could easily be worn by men or women. There are a ton of options, ranging from the distinctly feminine, to the undeniably neutral. The steel version with the leather strap, boasting a dial [...]
Our visit to Chopard during the Geneva Watch Days event took us out of Geneva central to Meyrin.There, we visited the Chopard manufacture, which is home to:A) A really sexy Japanese garden.B) The kind of bar I think every boozehound would kill to have in his man cave/her she lair.C) A well-appointed and curated museum detailing the history of the brand.The star of the show here was the Alpine Eagle collection. It was the first time I'd had the opportunity to handle these pieces myself. And, I must say, there were some very nice touches I'd not noticed before.Aesthetically, the stand-out features of the collection are the dial and the steel itself. Firstly, the dial pattern is and I hadn't re [...]
What do you imagine when you think of a trip to Florence, Italy? I imagine a scene of the city during the golden hour, with a rose-gold hue bathing its gorgeous architecture. Im sipping away on my bright orange Aperol-Spritz while enjoying a fat brown cigar on one of the citys beautiful piazzas. And now, you may wonder, what watch Im wearing? Well, the Panerai Luminor Goldtech Calendario Perpetuo, of course!I wouldnt actually consider a Panerai for my personal collection any time soon. The times Ive tried them on, Ive found them too big and flashy for my 17cm wrist. And if I? had to choose one, it would be one of the Radiomir models with nearly non-existent wire lugs.So, when I first saw the [...]
Some luxury watch brands don't get talked about nearly enough. It's a real shame because some of them are actually working their socks off to contend with the bigger names in the industry yet barely getting a pat on the back for doing so. Does this then mean that it all really hinges on the name on the dial anyway? Whilst the leading names of the watch industry have certainly earned their hype in a number of ways, I think today is as good a day as any to give some love to the underdogs that deserve more attention than they are currently getting.It really surprises me just how many of the following manufacturers are widely overlooked. Youll probably even have a few of your own to add to my li [...]
Speedmaster RestorationIt is Speedy Tuesday Remember our feature on the Speedmaster Quartz LCD of one of our readers? Click here to read it in case you missed it or want to refresh your memory.This week, we feature this Speedmaster restoration project of one of our readers. A Speedmaster Quartz LCD ref. 186.0004 that dates back to 1977. It is actually a shout-out for help, read onLast week, we received pictures of this round Speedmaster Quartz LCD of one of our readers. The Speedmaster Quartz LCD was available in two flavours in the 1970s, a square shaped model and a round model. Both feature the quartz Omega caliber 1620 movement.Perhaps if you are a Speedmaster connoisseur you already no [...]
Last week, I selected my Top-5 Oris Aquis Limited Edition divers watches made for the Change for the Better campaign. For the new Aquis Hangang Limited Edition, Oris partners up with Seoul KFEM to support the cleanup of South Koreas mighty Hangang River. We go hands-on with the first of the Aquis Limited Editions to feature a green dial.Busy times at the Oris headquarters in Switzerland. The brand from Holstein has graced us with a string of new releases in 2020. From the fun and upbeat Holstein Edition 2020?to the eye-catching Oris Divers Sixty-Five a Momotaro collab to the new 41.5mm Aquis Date, there is plenty to enjoy. And those are only a couple of the latest additions to the collection [...]
Marc Newson is the designer brain behind Ikepods designer watches. Although gone for a few years, they are back on the horological map since 2010 again. Since last year, Ikepod also introduced an hour glass designed by Newson. Each hand made hourglass comprises highly durable borosilicate glass and millions of stainless steel nanoballs, and is available in a 10 or 60 minute timer.This 3 minute video demonstrates how the Ikepod Hour Glass is being crafted and will keep you interested from start to end.The Hourglass from Ikepod on Vimeo. [...]
Omega broke the internet with the release of the new Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Master Chronometer. The new Moonwatch is a hot topic, and I thought it would be interesting to make a hands-on comparison between the former Moonwatch and the new one. Everyone can see and read specifications, but how do these Moonwatch updates and changes look like in real life? Lets have a closer look.You dont mess with a classic, thats the unwritten rule. And if you do so, you need to be very very careful. And thats exactly what Omega did with the long-overdue update for their iconic Moonwatch model. Our incredibly in-depth introduction article on the new Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Master Chronometer can be [...]
Like I wrote on the 21st of December here, we decided to revive the Speedmaster Club and make it an international happening. We are now busy translating the website for the English speaking part of the world ??However, the forum is already open and people can sign up for a membership already Not only for the Dutch anymore that is. There is already some traffic on the fora, thanks to some of you Speedmaster enthusiasts who found it already!So, Speedmaster owners or soon to be Speedmaster owners, join the club!Click here to visit the Speedmaster Club site [...]
