A continuous jovial smile in the often overserious world of watches comes courtesy of Konstantin Chaykin. With the debut of the Joker in 2017, the Russian watchmaker introduced the Wristmons collection of watches that combines fun with serious watchmaking. Over the past seven years, he has created 40 characters for the series. The sheer number of characters is nothing short of impressive. The newest to join the lineup is the Joker Fiat Lux. It s the first of all the Joker models to feature a skeletonized dial. It reveals a serious side of the Joker that we need to check out.Ever since Chaykin introduced the Joker in 2017, the Wristmons collection has been hugely successful. But instead of ca...

Good morning, dear Fratelli. It s Sunday again, which means we re pitting two watches against each other. This week, Daan defends the recently released Omega Seamaster 37mm Milano Cortina 2026. In the other corner, it s Thomas with the Chopard L.U.C XPS ref. 61948-5001. That s right; after the battle of the integrated-bracelet sports watches last week, get ready to wear your dressier attire for this week s battle. But will it be as close again?In the previous installment of Sunday Morning Showdown, we pitted two of the most iconic sports watches against each other. Let s first examine how that went, and then we ll turn the show over to Daan and Thomas.Last week, on Sunday Morning Showdown...

Getting your ocean-capable watches wet has been a mantra I ve taken to countless reviews. But long have I postponed taking my dive watch, the blue Tudor Black Bay 58, scuba diving.The reasons are many. Frankly, though, none of them are good enough to justify how someone (a passionate ocean enthusiast, at that) who lives 60 meters from the Pacific Ocean does not scuba dive by now.It s not you, it s me…In fact, you could say I m a thalassophile - one who loves the sea. That term comes from the Greek word for the sea, thalassa (?˦ҦҦ). This doesn t just mean someone who likes a swim during summer. No, I miss the ocean like I would miss a dear friend when I m inland for extended periods....

Of course, we can t buy all the watches in the world, and not all watches are within our budgets. So, especially as someone who professionally writes about watches, I ve learned to appreciate ones that are not in my financial scope or simply not my style. In some cases, that s harder to do than in others. But with the creations from MB&F, it s usually not that hard. Take this week s release of the collaborative effort between Bvlgari and MB&F as an example. The new Horological Machine called Serpenti is hard not to appreciate, even though it might not be within your budget or match your style, right?The Bvlgari MB&F Serpenti is the result of two very creative minds brainstormin...

Another Friday, another list! This week, we re highlighting the best entry-level models you can buy pre-owned for an affordable price. A few weeks ago, we looked at five great Datejusts. While searching for the best picks, I saw many more great non-Datejust options. That inspired this week s list of five pre-owned models that, price-wise, are great alternatives to a Datejust. They are less obvious options but equally great watches!The Datejust is often praised for being the perfect entry into the world of . I agree with that fully as the watch is the most affordable of the iconic models. Having said that, plenty of other options are not obvious picks. Look past the Datejust, and you will...

Some watches mimic an early morning sky in April; these three new Hublot Big Bang Meca-10 42mm watches have a playful backstory involving toys. When he was young, former Hublot CEO Jean-Claude Biver used to build stuff with Meccano, a toy construction system invented in 1898 by Englishman Frank Hornby. I happen to be a Lego man, but I know people who started playing with Meccano in their youth and continued building all kinds of complex constructions when they became adults. To construct a watch movement out of Meccano was a dream Biver had for ages. When he became Hublots boss, his dream came true in 2016 when the first edition of the Meca-10 debuted. The three new iterations of the toy wat...

It has been a few years since we last featured Mitch Mason on Fratello. We reported on the brand s Maelstrom dive watch series, which has been quite a success for the Singaporean brand. The new Maelstrom Tales of the Sea is an updated version of the initial Maelstrom. It features a revised dial with a lot more depth and detail. This gives the Maelstrom renewed relevance, so it is time for us to find out more about this newest Mitch Mason release.We first wrote about Mitch Mason five years ago when the brand s Chronicle debuted. Considering that Benedict Ong founded the brand in 2019, he was quick to release his first model. Fast-forward a year, and that s when the first Maelstrom series saw ...

Buying an engagement ring for my now-wife was not a problem at all. That s because I never intended to do so. I have often had problems with stereotypes and boxed solutions, so it s no wonder I was looking for something different than an engagement ring. Guess what…I google a lot. I google watches a lot too. When I think of a gift for someone dear to me, I try to put his or her name into Google. At a certain point, just for the fun of it, I started to google the names or surnames of my friends along with vintage watches. Sometimes I get lucky. Following this method, I gifted a tiny diver branded Tara to a childhood friend when I was looking for an original gift for her daughter named T...

Quartz movements were once seen as the ticking death knell of the mechanical watch industry. Many collectors scoff at these electronic pieces and will not consider them. However, there are pockets of enthusiasts who enjoy finely crafted quartz movements in equally well-made cases.Perhaps the largest knock on quartz is that its movements lack the human, supposedly hand-crafted charm of mechanical calibers. On the positive front, a quartz movement offers a grab-and-go option while allowing the watch brand to lower the case thickness. Plus, these movements typically cost less than a mechanical caliber, which could be crucial in today s sluggish market. No brand wants to reduce the price of an e...

The first Speedmaster to hit retail with a six-figure price is here! Well, that s if you dont count the complicated Speedmaster Chrono Chime. Omega introduces the platinum Speedmaster Calibre 321? with a material-matching flat-link bracelet, and at our local AD in The Hague, the price of that most prestigious Speedy is $107,500. If youre in the United States, the price is still expressed in five figures, but that s only because it doesnt include the sales tax. If you go to your watch dealer, you will read $96,900 on the price tag of the very heavy platinum bracelet and a six-figure final price on the credit card machine - unless you re in Alaska, Delaware, New Hampshire, Montana, or Oregon.S...

Hello, and welcome to Fratello Talks. In today s episode, we re taking on the challenge of building a $15,000 watch collection. Nacho, RJ, and Lex have crunched the numbers and leafed through the catalogs and each selected three modern (currently available at retail) watches that they would buy if they had a $15K budget. It s a hypothetical exercise and meant to be just a bit of fun, but ultimately, it s still a challenge trying to leverage the budget to get the most bang for their buck. So, if you want to know which watches these three members of the Fratello team would go for today, tune in to find out. But now, it s time for a wrist check.This video is blocked because you did not accept m...

I dont have a lot of vintage watches on my wishlist anymore. Some, I was lucky enough to find over the years. Others, I moved on from or saw in the metal, which changed my perspective about them. Very few examples, though, still make my heart beat faster. I must admit that most of these models come from Angelus. Sadly, we dont see these too often on the market anymore. So whenever one appears, it gives hope to our small but enthusiastic community. There are some gems still out there. This is the story of one such gem, my Angelus Chrono-Datoluxe.Keep in mind that this article is not a collectors guide. While Id love to cover the Chrono-Datoluxe in such a context, I still need to do some resea...

Two years ago, when acquired Bucherer, a multi-brand retail store with over 100 locations, it also included the jewelers watch brand Carl F. Bucherer. So, as of 2023, the crown was protected by the Tudor shield and a second brand with a history that dates back to 1888. You would think that a watch brand that came to life 17 years before the founding of would be kind of a big deal in the world of horology. Most of the time, however, the watches branded Bucherer figuratively and literally never left the shop. Consequently, according to the Swiss newspaper Bilanz, is shutting down the watch brand Carl F. Bucherer. You can hardly call that a surprise.Carl F. Bucherer, or CFB, was J?rg Bucher...

In the great Grand Seiko tradition, the horological year starts early. We already covered the brand s first releases of 2025 on January 31st, and Mike wrote about another on February 3rd. Now, less than two weeks into the month, Grand Seiko treats us to one more delight. Today, the brand announces the wonderful SBGH368 Sakura Kakushi. This release combines a rose gold 62GS-style case with an absolutely stunning dial. The resulting watch is one of this year s early highlights. Let s find out more.Ask me about my favorite Grand Seiko model, and the first that comes to mind is the brilliant titanium SBGA413 Shunbun with its stunning pink dial. I love that watch for multiple reasons. It all star...

Today marks the final day of celebrations of the Chinese New Year. The Lantern Festival closes out the festivities that started on the 29th of January with the Lunar New Year. IFL Watches created a special 25-piece limited edition of the Oris Divers 65 to mark the beginning of the Year of the Snake. The watch features a colorful hand-painted dial that truly stands out. Against the backdrop of the stainless steel Divers 65, this bespoke dial celebrates the Chinese New Year in style. So much so, in fact, that the watch has already sold out. Despite that, it s worth examining this stunning LE because those interested can still commission something similar. Let s dive in!Every year, we see a gre...

Until recently, I had only heard of Makina watches and hadn t had the chance to try one out. But that all changed when the Filipino brand offered us the chance to try out its latest creation, the Mephisto_III GMT. The Mephisto is not necessarily a new watch as the regular version was the brand s debut model in 2017. But with the addition of a GMT complication and a new dial color, today s version of the Mephisto_III offers plenty to talk about. I had a chance to wear the watch for a week and discover what this modern-style GMT is all about.When I started checking out Makina s past releases, I found just how much the Mephisto has changed over the years, Back in 2017, when the first iteration ...

Last year, Czapek introduced the new Promenade collection. Its design combines influences from the brand s Quai des Bergues and Antarctique lines. Apart from the hollowed-out lugs and mid-case, the watches look quite classic. However, the peculiar dial designs are the real stars of the Promenade collection. The same goes for the newly introduced Promenade Plisse, which comes with a textile-inspired dial design.At Fratello, we re big fans of Czapek s Promenade. Last December, we presented our limited-edition version, the Promenade Transparencies Viridian Green. That watch has a transparent and gradient green dial through which you can see Czapek s SXH7 micro-rotor movement. On the Promenade P...

Tissot released the PR516 Automatic Chronograph last month. The cool colorway and automatic caliber piqued our interest. So today, I m going hands-on with one to see what it is all about. Could this be the chronograph to buy the sub-$2.5K segment, or does it miss the mark?This video is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings This new model debuts a self-winding chronograph movement in the Tissot PR516 line. That has the potential of making it the ultimate PR516, so lets find out!The Tissot PR516 Automatic ChronographLets start with a quick recap of the PR516 Automatic Chronographs specifications. For a full rundown, track back to RJs introduction art...

Welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air. This week, we begin a two-part series on vintage chronographs. Apparently, our listeners like hearing about these complicated watches that measure elapsed time. Note that the watch content starts after approximately 25 minutes.This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings Vintage chronographs are a special category of watches. They re complex, often fragile, and strangely addictive! In this episode, we ll begin exploring what makes them so alluring. In our next installment, we ll get specific on models, movements, and what to look out for when buying.HandgelenkskontrolleOur episode begins...

A few weeks ago, I visited the Omega headquarters in Biel, and the folks there showed me this new handsome white-dial Seamaster 37mm. It ticks many boxes for me, and many of you also enjoy the return of the dog-leg lugs and vintage-style cases. Omega also shipped the watch to us, so it s time for a hands-on review. Does it live up to my expectations? Lets have a closer look.This video is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings Seamaster 37mm Milano Cortina 2026Daan already wrote the introduction article on this watch on its release date, so I will not go into all the specifications and background stories too much. If you re looking for that, you can ...