Independent watchmaking has a knack for unearthing hidden gems in the most unexpected places. In this case, that place is Ninghai, China, home to master watchmaker Qian GuoBiao. His latest creation, Facing the Sky 2.0, marks the return of a concept he first unveiled back in 2018. The original Facing the Sky, a bold 43mm…

There’s a unique charm that comes with historic visions of the future. Futurism is a constantly moving target in design, and as ideas surrounding the future change, they leave entire, often fascinating, aesthetic genres in their wake. British designer Tej Chauhan has built an acclaimed career around exploring these past visions of the future, and…

This week on aBlogtoWatch Weekly, it’s a party! Rick has, count’em, five guests, all of whom are wearing black. In addition to Ariel, David, and Ripley, special guests Pete McConnell and Kevin Roberts are in the house. Ariel’s presence was unplanned, as he’s in Italy, where Pope Francis has just died, so he’s feeling special…

It’s Sunday again, and for our showdown this week, we set up a clash between two polarizing watches that inspire no shortage of fervid opinions. First, there is the brand-new Rolex Land-Dweller that the brand unveiled during Watches and Wonders a few weeks back. It goes up against the much-debated Patek Philippe Cubitus, which debuted…

Origin Story As the watchmaking industry strives for greater female representation, Shona Taine emerges as a pioneering female presence within the Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants (AHCI) and a formidable horological talent demonstrating evolved technical innovations and aesthetic sensibilities. Exhibiting at the upcoming Indies.NYC event on April 28th at Hudson Yards alongside established independents like…

Harry Belafonte is a hero to many, including Fratello reader Billy Denty. This is for good reason. A successful musician who sold more than 3,000,000 albums, he was also a man of immense social conscience. He led a remarkable life, and today, thanks to one Fratello reader, we get to see Belafonte’s Wyler watch up…

Best described as a “horological supergroup” formed by six individuals from different sides of the luxury watch industry (all with very impressive resumes), Artime is a fairly new name within the the high-end independent scene. Very new, in fact, as the Swiss brand was founded in 2021 and didn’t formally release its first model until…

Today, we’re celebrating King’s Day here in the Netherlands. It’s actually our King’s birthday tomorrow, but that’s a Sunday, so the festivities take place today. A lot of people already started partying last night, during King’s Night, and this morning, the flea markets opened up all around the country. But the most important way of…