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Year in Review: Eight Predictions for 2025 SJX Watches
Vacheron Constantin VC will all mark Dec 26, 2024

Year in Review: Eight Predictions for 2025

Twenty twenty-five will be shaped by several factors, ranging from major anniversaries for a trio of important high horology brands, to economic reality where the slowdown in demand will reshape retail channels (and already led one watch brand to go bust). And the coming year will also see the still-unknowable Rolex strategy unfold, which might happen under the radar but will definitely be interesting. Big watches for a big year Next year will be a milestone for trio of important brands. Audemars Piguet (AP), Breguet, and Vacheron Constantin (VC) will all mark significant anniversaries: 150 years at AP, 250 years of Breguet, and 270 years for VC. This implies some major timepieces or even mechanical objects are on the way. Such watches are practically convention as landmark anniversaries are often platforms for brands to launch major watches. Some of the most complicated watches in contemporary watchmaking were anniversary creations – Patek Philippe marked 150 years with the Calibre 89, and then 175 years with the Grandmaster Chime. The Patek Philippe Calibre 89 launched in 1989 for its 150th anniversary. Image – Patek Philippe Museum In 2005, when VC marked its 250th year, it launched the Tour de l’Ile, which was the most complicated wristwatch in the world at the time, and also the most expensive wristwatch sold at auction that year. With that in mind, VC might be working on something that lives up to its status as a maker of haute horlogerie complications. The Vac...

12 Technical Achievements in Watchmaking from 2024 Teddy Baldassarre
Dec 25, 2024

12 Technical Achievements in Watchmaking from 2024

The word I keep reading to describe the watch industry in 2024 is “conservative.” There is certainly a case to be made for that view (and my colleague Bilal Khan does so quite eloquently in yesterday’s article), but there is also, I feel, ample evidence of the industry’s ongoing (and, to my mind, essential) devotion to doing new things on the technical side. In this day and age, with the watch business so diversified, so international, and so independent of one another in their schedule of releasing new products (the Spring windfall that is Watches & Wonders Geneva notwithstanding), it can be easy to overlook these innovations when you’re trying to tie up the watchmaking year in a neat bow. Of course, every watch brand has its own approach. Sometimes it’s about setting records (Jaeger-LeCoultre, Piaget); sometimes it's about elevating a brand’s repertoire to the next tier of complexity (Breitling, TAG Heuer); often, it’s just about taking a fresh approach, or adding a clever twist, to existing complications (Nomos, Swatch). For those who may have missed them or even forgotten about them, here are the technical innovations in the horological world — major and minor — that I found worthy of attention in 2024. Ball Model M Roadmaster A With the Roadmaster M Model A, Ball Watch introduces a mechanical alarm function to its predominantly rugged, tool-oriented lineup for the first time. But it’s not just any mechanical alarm function but an “Alarm-Matic...

Reunited With My Grand Seiko Tough Quartz SBGX341 - Back From A Long-Overdue Watch “Onsen” Session Fratello
Grand Seiko Tough Quartz SBGX341 - Dec 23, 2024

Reunited With My Grand Seiko Tough Quartz SBGX341 - Back From A Long-Overdue Watch “Onsen” Session

Sometimes the little chores in life feel like herculean tasks, don’t they? I’m not just talking about lubricating that squeaky hinge on the front door; I’m also referring to taking your beloved watch to a watchmaker for some love and attention. I know what I’m talking about. Not only does the hinge of my front […] Visit Reunited With My Grand Seiko Tough Quartz SBGX341 - Back From A Long-Overdue Watch “Onsen” Session to read the full article.

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...

Mühle Glashütte Celebrates 30 Years With The Teutonia IV Big Date Edition 1994 Fratello
Mühle Glashütte Dec 16, 2024

Mühle Glashütte Celebrates 30 Years With The Teutonia IV Big Date Edition 1994

Mühle Glashütte is a German watch brand with a deep fan base. The company is known for its robust and affordable watches. While the original brand began in 1869, the modern incarnation was resurrected in 1994. Today, we’ll highlight the sixth generation of the family now working with the company. We’ll also mention the final […] Visit Mühle Glashütte Celebrates 30 Years With The Teutonia IV Big Date Edition 1994 to read the full article.

Introducing A Tougher Shade Of White: The Urwerk UR-230 Ceramique Fratello
Urwerk UR-230 Ceramique If you Dec 11, 2024

Introducing A Tougher Shade Of White: The Urwerk UR-230 Ceramique

If you compare horology and science, Urwerk must be fundamental science. The house does not ask what people need. Instead, it asks what is possible on the fringes. The Urwerk UR-230 is a prime example. Its dual-turbine system allows the user to regulate the watch’s winding. Does anyone need that? No. But who cares? It […] Visit Introducing A Tougher Shade Of White: The Urwerk UR-230 Ceramique to read the full article.

The Highly Anticipated Omega Speedmaster Pilot Has Landed Worn & Wound
Omega Speedmaster Pilot Has Landed Dec 10, 2024

The Highly Anticipated Omega Speedmaster Pilot Has Landed

One of the cool things about the Omega Speedmaster is that it can truly be just about any watch it needs to be. It’s the Moonwatch, of course, but it’s also a racing chronograph, a dressy chronograph, a chronograph inspired by WWII era military watches, and it can even be a plastic toy. That, I think, is what makes it “iconic,” an overused word if there ever was one in our trade, but one that nonetheless applies perfectly to the Speedmaster. It’s also, from time to time, a pilot’s watch, and Omega’s newest release, part of a late-in-the-year drip of new product that has the brand positioned as one of the big winners of 2024, is a Speedmaster that is purpose built for the skies in a way we rarely see the Speedy outside of Omega’s quartz offerings.  The new Speedmaster Pilot, as it is known, has been the subject of speculation for much of this year. Leaked images of the watch on the wrist of US military pilots generated a great deal of discussion on the forums and Instagram, and our friends at Fratello provided a great overview of everything that was known about the Speedmaster “Flight Qualified” back in September. That watch (the one seen in the leaked images) appears to be made for military personnel only. The one seen here can be thought of as the civilian version. It differs somewhat in aesthetic details, but in terms of specs and features it appears to be identical, and offers its own unique Speedy experience.  This is a two register Speedmaster wi...

Insight: The Modern Performance Chronograph Movement SJX Watches
Vacheron Constantin has Dec 10, 2024

Insight: The Modern Performance Chronograph Movement

High-end chronograph movements of today tend to have in common a vertical clutch and column wheel. Such “performance” chronographs are typically also automatic, and practically every high-end watchmaker, from Audemars Piguet to Vacheron Constantin, has its own take on the modern “performance” chronograph. The chronograph movement as we know it today is actually a fairly recent invention. Despite being common in today’s chronograph constructions, the vertical coupling, or at least its concept, is decades-old. The Pierce cal. 130/134 launched in the 1930s is regarded as the first commercially available wristwatch with a vertical clutch. There are examples of even older stopwatches that relied on crude forms of the vertical clutch, but most were either prototypes or small-batch production. But the large-scale use of the vertical clutch only started in the late 1960s, when Seiko debuted the cal. 6139. Launched in 1969, the Seiko cal. 6139 was a vertical clutch movement produced on an industrial scale. Not only was it among the first-ever automatic chronographs, but the cal. 6139 also was objectively the most advanced amongst them. Compared to the modular construction of the Breitling-Heuer Chronomatic Caliber 11 and the fairly classical architecture of the Zenith El Primero, the Seiko cal. 6139 was endowed with a vertical clutch and a novel construction all around. It was, however, an industrial, no-frills movement at heart. The one that started it all – the cal. ...

Event Report: Celebrating Breitling’s 140th Anniversary At The Brand’s Boutique In The Hague Fratello
Breitling s 140th Anniversary Dec 6, 2024

Event Report: Celebrating Breitling’s 140th Anniversary At The Brand’s Boutique In The Hague

Last week, we organized an evening with Breitling at the brand’s impressive boutique in our hometown of The Hague, Netherlands. We invited a fairly large group of Fratelli to look at the current Breitling collection. But Fred Mandelbaum, our special guest, was also there, and he brought part of his extensive vintage Breitling collection. So […] Visit Event Report: Celebrating Breitling’s 140th Anniversary At The Brand’s Boutique In The Hague to read the full article.

Does The Seiko Turtle Still Punch Above Its Weight? Fratello
Seiko Turtle Still Punch Above Dec 3, 2024

Does The Seiko Turtle Still Punch Above Its Weight?

Seiko is a brand that many consider the gateway drug to entry-level mechanical watches. It is also a rare example of a watchmaker that produces anything from affordable timepieces to expensive and high-end watches. The Seiko “Turtle” exemplifies the brand’s ability to punch hard in the affordable segment. The Seiko SRPE93 (formerly known as the […] Visit Does The Seiko Turtle Still Punch Above Its Weight? to read the full article.

In-Depth – Inside Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons’ Impressive, Newly-Opened Rolex CPO Collection Monochrome
Rolex CPO Collection When it Nov 28, 2024

In-Depth – Inside Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons’ Impressive, Newly-Opened Rolex CPO Collection

When it was officially announced back in late 2022, the Rolex Certified Pre-Owned Programme (also known as RCPO) made some noise. The fact that the world’s largest watch brand officialized its interest in second-hand, certified and authenticated watches proved that this segment of the market was never to be neglected anymore. It took a little […]

Interview – What to Expect from Universal Genève when it Relaunches in 2026? Georges Kern Gives us all the Answers Monochrome
Breitling made Nov 26, 2024

Interview – What to Expect from Universal Genève when it Relaunches in 2026? Georges Kern Gives us all the Answers

About a year ago, Georges Kern, also known as the CEO of Breitling, made a resounding announcement for the watch community; the acquisition of historic brand Universal Genève and its planned return as a watchmaker in 2026. A brand known for its innovative designs and movements, benefitting from a certain aura in the collecting community, […]

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 – Seiko Meets Street Culture With The 5 Sports HUF Limited Edition SRPL33 Monochrome
Seiko Meets Street Culture Nov 22, 2024

Introducing – Seiko Meets Street Culture With The 5 Sports HUF Limited Edition SRPL33

Seiko’s humble and fun 5 Sports series of watches are revered for their value-for-money, and often fresh combinations of colours and styles. Through numerous limited edition, the Japanese powerhouse also likes to have a little fun with the platform, resulting in some very visually impactful watches, tying in watchmaking with pop culture, movie starts or […]

First Look – Breguet’s Marvelous Tradition Chronograph 7077, Now in Blue Monochrome
Breguet s Marvelous Tradition Chronograph Nov 21, 2024

First Look – Breguet’s Marvelous Tradition Chronograph 7077, Now in Blue

The Breguet Tradition collection is not only a tribute to the brand’s past, with clear historical references and movements that are designed to mimic those of antique pocket watches, but it’s also home to serious complications. And one of them is, without a doubt, the Tradition Chronographe Indépendant 7077. A complex watch built in a […]

Introducing: The Monochromatic Zenith Defy Skyline C.X Edition Fratello
Zenith Defy Skyline C.X Edition Nov 19, 2024

Introducing: The Monochromatic Zenith Defy Skyline C.X Edition

Since Asher Rapkin and Gabe Reilly founded Collective Horology in 2018, the company has become known as one of the leading US-based retailers of watches from independent brands. But Collective has also collaborated with several brands on an impressive number of limited editions. For its tenth collaborative effort, Collective teamed up with Zenith again for […] Visit Introducing: The Monochromatic Zenith Defy Skyline C.X Edition to read the full article.