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CronotempVs is a collectors/enthusiast/amateurs community dedicated to sharing the passion of horology. Founded in Madrid in 2009, the purpose is to connect watch enthusiasts away from the public eye. The members of the watch illuminati reside around the world. Initially, they just talked watches among themselves, but things have changed in recent times. The group has worked on projects with brands like ?A. Lange Sohne, Audemars Piguet, Breguet, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Oris, and many others. And when I say projects, Im talking watches. A special watch created by both the aficionados and the brand. The granulated gold grandeur of the Chopard L.U.C Perpetual Twin CronotempVs Edition shows love [...]

As I am writing this article about my favorite pieces from Watches And Wonders 2021, I find myself surprised at the list of watches Im about to talk about. I know what I like when it comes to watches. Ill happily admit that I have an eclectic taste that is quite different from the rest of the team here at Fratello. Compared to the others, Im certainly a little less traditional.With that in mind, I thought I would give my take on the releases weve seen from Watches Wonders 2021 so far. What are some of the more left-field releases that I loved? Which watches make my top five? Im ready for the Fratelli to tell me I need new glasses or something similar, but let me assure you this; I was weari [...]

Today, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Chopard Manufacture, the brand introduces the L.U.C. Quattro Spirit 25. This new limited piece in ethical gold also marks the first jumping-hour movement from the manufacture.Last year, during Geneva Watch Days, we had the opportunity to visit the Chopard headquarters. Things were relatively quiet for obvious reasons, but we did have an opportunity to visit an in-house museum filled with both vintage pieces and the newest models. It was an eye-opener for me and I gained a real appreciation for Chopard. Specifically, I spent a lot of time looking at modern L.U.C. pieces. These are from the Chopard Manufacture and represent the best of what the [...]

Given the current situation, you could be forgiven for having forgotten what it's like to travel. On the other hand, not flying out on a near-weekly basis, helps remind you where you actually went and when. It was last August that we went to Switzerland for the Geneva Watch Days event. Back then, there were a lot of watches that were still under embargo and the Chopard Alpine Eagle XL is one of those.?The atmosphere at Chopard was amazing and relaxed as we had plenty of time to look at all the novelties. Right next to a well equipped private bar we got a first glimpse of the new Alpine Eagle XL chronograph watches. All three models were available, two in steel, and one in gold and steel.Chop [...]

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 [...]

Last week, the news that Rolex, Tudor, and Patek Philippe were postponing their 2020 releases was confirmed across the board. That announcement vague as it was sired more questions than answers. The most pressing? The future of Baselworld. With yesterdays confirmation that all three brands will step away from the storied fair, we have more grain for the conversation mill.Thats got to be curtains, right? Im yet to encounter a different reaction. Ive heard people even myself desperately?trying to present this news as anything but a death knell for Baselworld, but it doesnt seem to be sticking. But before we take a slightly deeper dive into what got us to this point, lets bluntly address the ne [...]

Last October, Chopard introduced their Alpine Eagle, a new watch with a familiar face. We decided to use our hands-on experience with the Chopard Alpine Eagle for an episode of our 52Mondayz feature.To be honest, I was a bit surprised to see the return of Chopards 1980s model called St. Moritz. The Chopard St. Moritz was a watch designed by the then 22-year old Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, now CEO of Chopard. A sporty luxury watch aimed at a new type of clientele at the time, young and successful men and women who enjoyed a somewhat jet set-ish lifestyle. A bit like how St. Moritz is, a luxury alpine resort town which was (in 2014) the second most expensive place in the world for tourist and bu [...]

Look at the brain on you, watch friend, its This Week in Watches for August 17, 2019.I must admit, I really enjoy Quentin Tarantino movies.? Theyre stylish, long, full of crafty dialogue, great musically, ridiculously detailed, and tend to be obnoxiously violent.? Yes,?I can safely say that a new film from Tarantino qualifies as a must-see for me.? I was a freshman at university when we somehow made our way to the mall movie theater to see?Pulp Fiction and to this day, I still think its the most incredible film Ive ever seen in a theater.? And so, it was this past Thursday night that?Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the mans 9th film, opened here in Germany and my wife and I paid more than dou [...]

The Chopard Mille Miglia 2019 Race Edition is easily the coolest looking MM edition of the brand in a good few yearsC at least for me.Last year Chopard celebrated the 30th year of their partnership with Mille Miglia, a prestigious car race that goes from Brescia to Rome and then back to Brescia covering over 1,600km in the south of Italy. If you are a watch nerd, you have probably heard the name Mille Miglia in connection with Chopard. Like this one of their, if not the, longest running partnerships, one can expect something special from Chopard in connection to Mille Miglia every year. Like they did in the past, Chopard released two models this year to celebrate the partnership; a 1000-piec [...]

Some brands dont like it when you talk about the price first, but it is the first thing people ask about when they see a watch. Before we go into that, lets have a closer look at this Chopard L.U.C All-in-One that was presented to us in Basel last March. Limited to 10 pieces only, so we might be a bit late but the Chopard website doesnt indicate this watch as Sold Out or words with equal meaning.There are no less than 14 indications featuring a tourbillon, a perpetual calendar, sunrise sunset times and astronomical orbital moon phase, with a 7-day power reserve. Boom There you have it, it becomes clear that the Chopard L.U.C All-in-One is a grand complication that can definitely be seen as [...]

Chopard L.U.C. 2017It's always a treat to visit Chopard when we are visiting?BaselWorld. Despite their success and status in the industry they managed to stay humble and friendly. This year Chopard showed us six new watches and all of them were amazing. Honestly, I could imagine myself wearing each and every one of them for a different reason. And so I did if only for a few minutes before the watches found their ways to the next table to mesmerize the other journalists sitting there. Big ShotI think we went backwards this year during the presentations. I saw the most expensive and complicated watch first. The L.U.C. Perpetual Chrono for example, a 45mm hand-wound platinum grand complication [...]

Chopard L.U.C GMT One Rose GoldA few weeks ago we visited London for a special presentation by Chopard. Their manufacture line, L.U.C, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. For this special occasion the company released two new models; the Chopard L.U.C GMT One and the Chopard L.U.C Time Traveler One. In our previous article that we published a few weeks ago we already talked about four models. The versions of the Time Traveler One made of steel, rose gold or platinum. We also covered the steel GMT One as well. However we also saw something that day that we could not discuss with you before.Rose GoldChopard made three versions of the Time Traveler One, you might already have wondere [...]

Chopard L.U.CLondon in the Fall has an exceptional atmosphere. Maybe because I usually visit the city at this time of the year, but I've always enjoyed walking the streets of UK's capital. It was one of this perfect Autumn days that I arrived for a short but sweet watch introduction?by Chopard. If you have to mention something about independent family owned brands, such as Chopard, it has to be the fact that most of the people involved with the brand speaks with such a charisma and passion, the average spectator has a feeling that every word they say comes from their hearts. Pure and honest joy when they discuss a new project they are about to launch. At least this is how it seems for us. Th [...]

Chopard Superfast Chrono Porsche 919 Black EditionWe are a very lucky group of guys as we get invitations to a variety of events organized by brands. Just recently our very own Bert published a report about his visit to the Passione Caracciola experience with IWC and now here is my report?on a different yet somewhat similar event; the 24-hour race at Le Mans. If you are a petrol head, and I have to say I am a bit, it cannot get any better than Le Mans. You do not feel this until you are there though. That experience is something I have trouble to explain even though I feel that I have a good command of the English language. It's a two day circus filled with A-list celebrities, parties, fans? [...]

Remember our previous article on the Chopard L.U.C. Engine One by our contributor Angus Davies? Earlier this year, during BaselWorld, we got?acquainted with the Chopard L.U.C. Engine One H Tourbillon in titanium. Limited to 100 pieces only.L.U.C. Engine One H TourbillonThe L.U.C. collection of Chopard is as you probably know already their most prestigious selection of watches that are being manufactured in their Chopard facility in Fleurier, Switzerland.The Chopard L.U.C. Engine One H Tourbillon has more or less the same appearance as the previous discussed Engine One Tourbillon, but with a different shaped case. Clearly influenced by racing cars, the dial had a number of red accents and t [...]

Mille Miglia 2013Chopard has been partner of this famous (and beautiful) Italian rally since 1988. Every year, Chopard introduces a sporty Mille Miglia limited edition to commemorate the rally. This year, Chopard showed us the Mille Miglia 2013 timepieces when we were in Basel visiting the biggest watch exhibition in the world.Chopard is not only a family-owned business by the Scheufele family, they also share another passion: the Mille Miglia. This passion for the Mille Miglia is shared by Chopard's Co-President Karl-Friedrich Scheufele and his father, Karl Scheufele III, Honorary President of Chopard. Karl-Friedrich Scheufeles wife sometimes accompanies him as well as a co-driver.The Mille [...]

This week on Wrist Game or Crying Shame, we bring in the Corum Bubble Shark Diver. This is one weird watch. But firstLast week, I brought in some serious style with the Girard-Perregaux Sea Hawk 7100. Ok, it was a bit blingy with its polished bracelet and bi-color vibes. Perhaps it was due to these traits that the watch finished in a near dead heat at 50/50 (the fine print does show an 8 vote general election Crying Shame loss, but I think the electoral college would show this as a Wrist Game winner). I think that type of result is spot on because it supports what I always say that 50% of the population has no fashion sense. Ill leave it to you to translate that cryptic remark. Today, we br [...]

Welcome to This Week in Watches for June 20, 2020 the more edition. Weve got more of everything on the eve of Summer so lets get to it!Corum LAB 02First up this week is the Corum LAB 02. If you want more skeleton, this just might be your watch Just remember to bring at least CHF 180,000 because thats where life with this manual wind flying tourbillon (cal CO 300) begins. The massive 45mm case is available in several shades of gold and with or without diamonds. Corum calls out 10 of each style, but they will also allow you to choose colorful gems and other modifications. A power reserve and date function also show on this piece. When I think of older Corum, I think of the Golden Bridge and th [...]

Hello homebound friends, we welcome you to another episode of This Week in Watches for April 4, 2020. We have a decent amount of news today, so lets get to it!Ollech Wajs COVID-19 AidIts nice to know that while youre homebound, there are companies at work trying to do the right thing. Zurich-based Ollech Wajs sent a couple emails over the last week. Firstly, theyve announced that every watch sold will result in a donation of 100 CHF to the Italian Protezione Civile.?If you head to their site, youll learn that equates to roughly 10% of the sales price of most watches. Second, OW is in the process of making and donating 10,000 surgical masks to front line professionals. Will this save the wo [...]

Welcome to This Week in Watches for November 30, 2019.? For those of you who celebrated Thanksgiving, we hope you had an enjoyable one and are still working through those epic leftovers.? For those who didnt perhaps you decided to take part in the madness known as Black Friday.? If youre still looking for something new, perhaps this weeks news will present an ideaWolbrook ReturnsFirst up on This Week in Watches is a look at some new watches from a brand that disappeared some 50 years ago: Wolbrook.? Wolbrook made watches that were assembled in France, but the ones I recall used skindiver cases that were found on many brands of the day.? Interestingly, Neil Armstrong had one during his test p [...]