Here at Fratello, we re fans of microbrand watches. There s something about these watches, often from younger, smaller brands, that the heritage brands can t offer. We write about many of them. Thomas even started a microbrand of his own, and even RJ occasionally admits to appreciating them from time to time. But what makes these microbrand watches so different from those offered by more mainstream brands? Why would you choose to buy a microbrand watch instead of one from a possibly more trustworthy and better-known brand? That s exactly what we re going to address below.I know the word microbrand can be a bit confusing. Everybody seems to have a different definition. Gerard has already gone...
Urwerk is confused. The brand doesnt know if its new watch has a green or gray face, and a compromise entered the name. The Urwerk UR-100V Hunter Green is sober green with hints of cool gray. Hunter green - Hex code #2c5f34 - is a lush, cool-toned green color between blue and green. If you want to mix the color yourself, youll need 17.3% red, 37.3% green, and 20.4% blue. Once youve done so, the color might evoke feelings of balance and peace like you feel when standing in a vast forest. What happens when you put on the Urwerk UR-100V Hunter Green, I wonder…Urwerk befuddles me. First, the press release talks about how its new UR-100V Hunter Green shifts colors between gray and green but...
Working at Fratello has its perks. One of them is that, on rare occasions, we get access to our absolute grail watches. I had such an experience just a few months ago when I spent time with a Submariner ref. 5508. Today, I get yet another such opportunity. It s my pleasure to go hands-on with the A. Lange & S?hne 1815 Chronograph ref. 414.028.If you are looking for a highly critical review full of clever consumer advice-look elsewhere. I can already give away that the 1815 lives up to all my expectations, cementing itself firmly at the top of my list of dream watches. This, then, is more of an ode to the 1815 Chronograph. If you re up for that, lets dive in!Some historical context for t...
Heres proof that you can learn something every day! I was under the (false) assumption that I was aware of basically every modern Speedmaster ever made. I have seen so many of them in my 25 years of collecting, including the ones some of you brought to the Speedy Tuesday events in the past decade. But when browsing the interwebs, I bumped into a Speedmaster I had never heard of or seen. Its the Omega Speedmaster 3511.60 40th Anniversary Grand Prix.Speedmaster ref. 3511.60 - Image: Watchnian via Chrono24The 40th anniversary of the SpeedmasterThis 1997 Speedmaster celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Speedmaster collection. The Grand Prix part remains a mystery to me. Still, I guess that thi...
Rugby fans worldwide are looking forward to the annual Six Nations Championship that kicks off on January 31st in Paris, France. This year s tournament will end with a trio of matches on March 15th. It will be interesting to see whether Ireland can defend its title or if we will witness the crowning of a new champion for 2025. Breitling and Six Nations Rugby celebrate their fourth season of working together with the Six Nations Chronomat limited editions. These watches celebrate each competing nation with a Chronomat Automatic GMT 40 and a stylistically matching Chronomat 32. Let s find out more!These new Chronomats follow a series of Chronomat B01 Chronographs released in 2023. Ben reported...
Welcome back to another episode of?Fratello On Air! This week, we discuss a popular request from our listeners about traveling with watches. We ve discussed this topic before, but it s been a while since we last did so. For our listeners, we begin the watch content after 32 minutes.?This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings Traveling with watches is a typical topic on forums and boards. Some may think it s a tired subject, but with new collectors always entering the fray, the theme deserves more attention. Plus, with new schemes arising to defraud watch wearers, it is constantly on some folks minds.HandgelenkskontrolleTo kick off...
In general, the watches on the Timex website are all quite affordable. You can get an Easy Rider for as little as $50, but even for the rest of the watches, $100C300 is often enough. However, that s not true with the watches in Timex s Giorgio Galli collection. The automatic S1 with a Japanese Miyota movement sold for $450. Then came the Swiss-made S2 with a stainless steel and titanium case construction, and that watch sold for $950. Today, Timex presents the grand finale of the S Series, the limited-edition Giorgio Galli S2Ti. Its skeletonized case and bracelet are solid titanium, and the mid-case is forged carbon. This, too, is a Swiss-made, automatic watch, and the price is set to $1,950...
It predates the Nautilus, Ingenieur, and Overseas and debuted three years after the Royal Oak. So why is the Girard-Perregaux Laureato, a very relevant 1970s timepiece, not on the same appreciation level as the other luxurious sports watches with an integrated bracelet? Its not just the Genta name missing because the 222, the predecessor of the current Overseas, is also a non-Genta design. German designer J?rg Hysek drew the 222, and it was an anonymous GP employee who created the 1975 bimetallic Quartz Chronometer, a tonneau-shaped watch with an octagonal bezel and the forebear of the Laureato. The answer lies in GPs reputation. The brand s recent history has not been as steady as the compe...
When you sit down and think about it, the beginning of the year is an arbitrary time to think about goals. Sure, the calendar changes, but plans can be made anytime. For a collector like me, though, the beginning of the year is as good of a time as any to set resolutions. It forces me to take action.Last year, I was clear with my resolutions. I focused on smaller, simpler watches and a pocket watch, and I made good on these goals. I added some fantastic pieces and several pocket watches. Best of all, these gems were much less expensive than the watches I collected in the past. A new year, though, must mean new objectives. I have some typical aims but finally, after years of collecting, a sur...
Today, we have news of a limited-edition release from Ulysse Nardin - the Blast[Amoureuxpeintre]. This is an interesting take on the brand s Blast, combining UN s creative spirit with the artistic focus of an increasingly popular designer.Ulysse Nardin is well known for its distinct watches, which often feature skeletonized dials, highly complicated movements, or both. The brand may be historic, but stylistically, the bulk of the collection is anything but. With the new Blast[Amoureuxpeintre], Ulysse Nardin has partnered with Vsevolod Sever Cherepanov, a designer who has worked for Nike and 1017 Alyx 9SM and created several brands. His designs are often monochromatic, and he tries to express...
Listen, marginal gains matter in the world of high watchmaking. Thats why the Greubel Forsey Hand Made 2 is better than the Hand Made 1. Greubel Forsey set out to create a watch 100% made by hand, and with the Hand Made 1, the brand almost reached its goal. That extraordinary watch from 2019 was 95% made by hand. Six years later, the Hand Made 2 does better than its predecessor with 96%. A 1% difference might not be much, but as I said, the little things matter, and numbers dont lie. But can they tell a story about beauty, expertise, ambition, innovation, and passion? Thats why solely talking about numbers doesnt do the Greubel Forsey Hand Made 2 justice.The 2019 Greubel Forsey Hand Made 1 c...
Welcome to another episode of Sunday Morning Showdown. Last week, we put the vintage and modern steel versions of the Vacheron Constantin 222 up against each other. Even though there are quite a few years between those two watches, you d probably be happy with either. This week, however, we expect the matchup to be more polarizing. The bold Omega Speedmaster Moonphase Meteorite - Daan s choice - is a watch made for the true Speedmaster enthusiast. On the other hand, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Chronograph Calendar - Thomas s contender - is any watch enthusiast s dream, but it s certainly a little more reserved.Let s see which of the two will claim the honor of winning another one of ...
Gerald Charles continues to release new watches with artfully crafted surfaces. Today, the Maestro 9.0 Roman Tourbillon White Gold is the focus. It features a handmade dial and exotic movement. As a limited edition, it joins a previous release with a rose gold dial.Earlier this week, we detailed the?Maestro 2.0 Ultra-Thin Lapis Lazuli, a watch made to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the?Gerald Charles brand. Now, we re taking a closer look at the new Maestro 9.0 Roman Tourbillon White Gold. The dial is a tour de force, but the timepiece is equipped with a highly finished tourbillon from Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier.The Gerald Charles Maestro 9.0 Roman Tourbillon White GoldThe Maestro 9.0 R...
Since 2012, Nomos has supported the German office of Doctors Without Borders, also known as ?rtze ohne Grenzen. The humanitarian aid organization was set up in December 1971 in Paris by journalists and doctors to provide an emergency medical response and help people afflicted by crises in conflict zones or victims of natural disasters. This neutral, Nobel Peace Prize-winning organization prioritizes the welfare of those suffering regardless of their political or religious backgrounds. Doctors Without Borders is also a non-profit operation. Therefore, any kind of contribution makes a difference. With a series of limited-edition timepieces, Nomos has already raised over $1.3 million to date. W...
New releases do not often surprise us at Fratello. Once you know the brands and follow their developments for long enough, most new watches feel somewhat familiar or expected. Well, todays release does not fall within that category. Today, we welcome the new Louis Vuitton Tambour Convergence collection in the montre guichet layout.Louis Vuitton offers the new Convergence in two versions. You can have your pick of a rose gold model or a platinum variant with snow-set diamonds. RJ and Max had the opportunity to photograph the gold one for this article. Both feature a new movement from La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, caliber LFT MA01.01. Lets have a closer look!Montre guichetLet me star...
It s great to kick off the new year with a watch from one of my favorite brands. The Aquastar Benthos H2 is a welcome release that should appeal to a wide audience. It s affordable and, best of all, fits beautifully.The original Benthos 500 was a highly innovative mechanical dive watch that debuted in 1970. With its chronograph-like operation and slow 60-minute elapsed-time counter, the watch differed from other heavy-duty divers. It was produced for several years into the decade until, somewhat suddenly, the watch market was turned on its end. Quartz entered the market and forever changed the landscape. Today s new Benthos H2 looks like what might have been if the Quartz Crisis had not begu...
Another Friday, another list! This week, we dive into the vast world of pre-owned . More specifically, we try to find some of the best affordable (relatively speaking, of course) Datejust models. As a result of the price drops on the pre-owned market over the last 12C18 months, many of the overly expensive models now have much friendlier prices. While the Datejust has always been the perfect entry-level , today s prices make it even more attractive. We picked our five favorite Datejust models, which are also perfect if you want an affordable .What inspired this week s list is a personal wish for the year ahead. Like most watch fans, I also have a list of wants. It s become a rather long wi...
Some of my earliest watch-collecting memories concern vintage Heuer. The 60s chronographs, with their captivating names, left an indelible mark in my subconscious. How could they not? The breadth of choices, from clinical (the Carrera) to zany (the Monaco), has always been a veritable feast for the eyes. Yet, have watch collectors ever witnessed a sub-series of watches so prone to over-interest and periods of complete and utter disregard?Indeed, the vintage Heuer market exhibits the strangest dynamics among commonly collected watches. I can recall periods when nothing aside from was hotter. Unfortunately, these eras of flying very close to the Sun were followed by an Icarus-like fall. Why ...
With TAG Heuer being the Official Timekeeper of Formula 1 again, the five versions of the new TAG Heuer Formula 1 Chronograph in titanium dont come as a surprise. There are four regular mechanical chronograph models plus one tribute watch in cooperation with the Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 team.No, youre not mistaken: we only received three of the five new titanium versions of the TAG Heuer Formula 1 Chronograph. Two of the ones here are part of the regular collection, and the Formula 1 Chronograph Oracle Red Bull Racing is a tribute to the spirit of motorsport. This year, TAG Heuer is the leading watch brand in F1 once again, so what better way to celebrate than through a collection of larg...
Today, after a two-year absence, Farer reintroduces the new GMT Bezel Collection. Four watches comprise the lineup. They include two diameters and several color options. Automatic movements, a healthy spec sheet, and affordable pricing make the return of these watches a welcome one.While Farer continues to offer different styles of GMT watches, the GMT Bezel Collection has been missing from the brand s core lineup. Now, though, it s back, and with two size options to consider, the watches should work on a wide range of wrists. Plus, as mentioned, during a time of optimistic prices from many watch companies, Farer continues to offer its wares for fair sums.The Farer GMT Bezel CollectionBefore...
