History of the Patek Philippe Nautilus, Part 1 – The Birth an Icon, the 3700 (1976/1990)

Stating that the Patek Philippe Nautilus is an icon is probably too easy… but there is no way to evade this. The Nautilus is an icon. No debate. Introduced in 1976, and designed by one of the most famous watch-designers, who can be seen as the creator of a new species of timepieces – the luxury sports watch. The Nautilus is praised by all sorts of collectors, and it is now celebrating its 40th anniversary. Last week we explained the 40th anniversary editions  to you, and now it is time to look at the entire timeline of this watch. The first part of the history of the Patek Philippe Nautilus is of course dedicated to the very first version, the Ref. 3700.

9 years ago

Review: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Supersonnerie

When Audemars Piguet first showed the Royal Oak Concept Supersonnerie in SIHH this year, the halls were abuzz with collectors and journalists asking each other if they have already heard the sound of the minute repeater. Most reports then was that the sound is very loud, very clear, but perhaps needed a bit more tuning to sound beautiful. Fast…

9 years ago

Audemars Piguet Breaks Ground On New Museum Extension By Bjarke Ingels, To Open Spring 2019

Audemars Piguet has just announced that it’s broken ground on the new extension to its existing museum, which will house themed exhibitions, as well as space for watchmaking workshops and other presentation facilities. The extension, dubbed the Maison des Fondateurs (“Home of the Founders”), was designed by Danish architectural firm BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group. It is a pretty radical departure from the existing museum building, which dates to 1868, but at the same time it’s been designed to integrate directly into the Le Brassus landscape.

9 years ago

The New Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Flyback Chronograph BOC II

BOC II Blancpain introduces the new Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Flyback Chronograph Blancpain Ocean Commitment II (BOC II). This might be one of the longest names for a watch we’ve come across so far. The Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe was presented a couple of years ago, as the new re-interpretation of the late 1950s divers watch by […]

9 years ago

Introducing – Parmigiani Fleurier Kalpa XL Hebdomadaire Anniversaire, a solid gold movement in a steel case

Recently, the high-end brand Parmigiani Fleurier introduced a special piece for its 20th anniversary, the Parmigiani Fleurier Kalpa Hebdomadaire Anniversaire Piece unique. Apart from its nice design, paying tribute to the very first watch designed by Michel Parmigiani, the main interest was in the combination of an almost commoner steel case with a splendid hand-engraved solid gold movement. We thought it would have remained a unique iteration, but in front of the success encountered, Parmigiani decided to introduce a limited edition of 10 pieces, the Parmigiani Fleurier Kalpa XL Hebdomadaire Anniversaire.

9 years ago

An Example Of A Rolex Datejust ‘Awards For Enterprise’ Trophy Watch

Since 1976, the Rolex Awards for Enterprise have honored individuals that have taken on new or ongoing projects that improve lives or preserve the world’s natural and cultural heritages. In 1990, Argentinian surgeon, León Herszage was named the recipient of the Rolex Awards for Enterprise.

9 years ago

Speedy Tuesday – Omega Speedmaster Professional 145.022 Buyer’s Guide Part 1

The Omega Speedmaster Professional 145.022 was introduced in 1968 and comes in many variations. We get a lot of “help” requests in our Fratello mailbox asking us about this exact Speedmaster reference and how to prevent from stepping into pitfalls. In this first part of the Omega Speedmaster Professional 145.022 buyer’s guide I will answer […]

9 years ago

The Story Of Charles Vermot, The Man Who Saved The El Primero (And Possibly Zenith)

A local lad, born just about five miles away from Zenith’s manufacture in Le Locle, Charles Vermot spent the majority of his career working for Zenith’s main chronograph supplier, Martel Watch Company, before finally joining Zenith in 1959 when it acquired his then-employer. Though no one could have known it then, Vermot would go on to play a seriously important part in Zenith’s ongoing history, saving the vaunted El Primero movement from extinction.

9 years ago