Introduced in 2022, the Alpina Alpiner Extreme Regulator Automatic marked the Geneva brand’s entry into the integrated steel bracelet sports watch trend. At Watches & Wonders Geneva 2023, we went hands-on with two versions, a black dial variant on a rubber strap, and a blue-and-black dial piece on a steel bracelet. Alpina was acquired by…

As more and more of my Fratello teammates come out with their picks, it gets challenging to compose a list of the best watches under €3,000. I get that these are subjective lists, but we do not want to discuss the same brand and model repeatedly. I tried to be creative here while keeping my…

In my career covering the watch industry for more than 15 years, I’ve never reported news that Rolex purchased a watch retailer. As far as I know, Rolex has never purchased a watch retailer before, and the brand’s stated policy is that Rolex supports but does not engage in selling its watches to the general…

The collaboration between Audemars Piguet and American designer Matthew Williams’ label 1017 ALYX 9SM seems poised to gain collectible — shall we say grail — status with its target audience. Who that is and, more importantly, what its implications may be to Audemars Piguet are the complicated questions that lie behind a more or less…

Sponsored post presented on aBlogtoWatch for advertiser Back when North American giants like Bulova and Hamilton stalked the land, American watchmaking was a toothy, robust affair. Components ranging from canon pinions to cases sprung forth from Yankee factories nationwide, with a locus in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. But after the proverbial Swiss asteroid struck in the…

Here’s an absolutely shocking story that none of us saw coming on what was otherwise an ordinary Thursday in August (generally the sleepiest month in the watch industry). News has just broken that Rolex is acquiring renowned retailer Bucherer. You read that correctly. After a nearly 100-year-long authorized retailer relationship between the two brands, Rolex…

Sponsored post presented on aBlogtoWatch for advertiser Old friends Hakim El Kadiri of Elka Watch Company and Alon Ben Joseph of Ace Jewelers reconnected over shared ties via the now-defunct ELKA of Amsterdam. Fast forward several months, and they’re proud to present the Ace x Elka Watch Company Diversity Series, a set of four limited-edition…

It’s not often that someone reaches out to me and says he would like to celebrate his 50th birthday with one of my watches — any quirky watch of my choice! Last Saturday, I got an intense workout with my friend while working on his garden project. At just about noon and feeling pretty tired,…