Community & Culture
SJX Watches
In Depth: Patek Philippe Star Caliber 2000
SJX takes a deep, technical dive into the Star Caliber 2000, the pocket watch Patek Philippe launched in 2000 to answer three "unsolved problems" inherited from its grand-complication tradition — the desynchronized running equation of time, an imperfect Westminster chime, and the celestial display. Developed over eight years under engineer Didier Faoro (with patents naming Faoro and Paul Buclin), the piece was deliberately conceived not to chase the complication count of the Calibre 89 but to build a more coherent, integrated instrument. It's a reminder that Patek's real flex is institutional watchmaking knowledge accumulated through restoration — the kind of soft power no complication-count rival can buy.
Fratello
Why Watch Renders So Frequently Leave Us Underwhelmed
Fratello's Henry Black turns founder RJ's experience with the Oris Artelier Hölstein Edition 2026 — which underwhelmed in its June 1st launch renders but won him over in the metal — into an argument that CGI systematically undersells the finishing, dial texture, and proportions that watches actually live on. The commercial stakes: renders that make good watches look "airless and emotionally inert" work against sales, and Fratello's ask is that brands invest in real launch photography even if it means waiting longer.
Reviews
Fratello
We Didn’t Scratch It! Hands-On With The Stone-Washed Montblanc Iced Sea Automatic Date 0 Oxygen
Fratello goes hands-on with Montblanc's stone-washed Iced Sea Automatic Date 0 Oxygen (ref. MB137541, €5,300/US$5,600/£4,600), a 41mm, 300m diver whose pre-aged dark-gray case is achieved by tumbling the black-coated steel with actual rocks from Mont Blanc. Reviewer Lex Stolk loves the distressed 1970s-badass aesthetic and praises the solid, fine-adjustable bracelet, but faults the movement — a Sellita SW200-based MB 24.17 with just a 38-hour power reserve, which he calls not on the level of a €5k-plus watch.
New Releases
Fratello
Forstner Brings Out Bracelets For The IWC Mark XV
Forstner has released three bracelets with dedicated end links for the IWC Mark XV: the Flat Link (US$160), the President/1450 (US$188), and the Jubilee-style Model J (US$188). Each uses solid 316L stainless steel with fitted end links tailored to the reference, tapers to 16mm, and features Forstner's milled push-button clasp with toolless micro-adjustment. The pitch is obvious commercially — original IWC bracelets are pricey and hard to source separately, leaving a gap Forstner is happy to fill at under $190 a pop.</parameter> <parameter name="categories">["pilot", "vintage"]