Another Friday, another list! Last week, we kicked the year off with a list of horological wishes for 2025. This week, we extend our list of wishes by focusing on some high-end brands. Some interesting developments in 2024 led to this new list. With personnel shifts and new introductions in the past year, we thought it would be a good idea to focus on the higher end of watchmaking and express our wishes for 2025.We saw many great watch releases last year, but these five wishes go a bit deeper than that. They are more related to brands doing well or bigger gestures that we want to see more of in 2025. You will quickly find out what we mean, so let s jump straight in!1. Breguet becoming a lead...

Tissot is expanding its PR516 collection with new chronograph models. Two quartz versions in PVD rose gold and bicolor and one stainless steel model with an automatic chronograph movement will join the lineup. The latter is based on a Valjoux A05 movement, an update of the famous Valjoux 7753. It s this full-steel model with automatic movement that caught our attention!Tissot PR516 Automatic ChronographTruth be told, I wasn t overly impressed by the three-hand PR516. That wasn t because I didn t like the design or didn t appreciate the fact James Bond wore one in Live and Let Die but because of the fixed 60-minute bezel. I think it s a missed opportunity, and it would have received more kudo...

Branding is everywhere. Branding is how companies show the outside world what they stand for and who they want to attract as customers, partners, or other stakeholders. Most of us even engage in personal branding to some degree, whether consciously or not. The profile picture and title you choose for your LinkedIn profile could be considered personal branding efforts. Branding in our beloved watch world is fascinatingly homogenous. Most luxury watch brands use very similar branding with only marginal differences to vie for your favor.The subject came to my attention as I am in the process of building a small watch company myself. I covered the first two years in a series of articles ambitiou...

It s The Muppet Show with our special guest star, the Oris ProPilot X Miss Piggy Edition! So please welcome to the stage the very first 34mm version of the ProPilot X, a fabulous collaboration with Miss Piggy. The striking pink dial befits the most fabulous pig in the universe, and so does the glimmering baguette-cut diamond that doubles as the 12 oclock marker. But where is the diva herself, you ask? Shes backstage, so to speak. The case back has a spyhole revealing Miss Piggys glamorous portrait.Miss Piggys influence spans half a century, during which time she has inspired and empowered pigs and people alike. If Kermit gets a watch in his honor, its only logical that Miss Piggy also gets o...

An incredibly cool video went online the other day on The Slow Mo Guys YouTube channel. The guys (Gav and Dan) used insane equipment to get the frame rate to 10,000 per second and the magnification to 10 for some seriously close and slow footage inside the miniature marvel of Omega s caliber 1869. That s right - they used the Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8 as a subject for their slow-motion video.This video is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings The video shows you how the gears of the caliber 1869 engage, with and without the chronograph activated. It s stunning!Check out their other videos as well here.*The header image is a...

If you follow my writing, you may have noticed I have a complicated relationship with Panerai. On one hand, I adore the brand and its design language. On the other hand, I often fail to see the logic in modern Panerai releases, including the brand s design choices. I have often lamented the odd designs of modern Panerai watches using exotic materials, flashy colors, and mechanical complications. I keep calling for more classical Panerai releases. Well, today is the day! Have a look at this lovely archetypal retro Panerai Luminor Tre Giorni PAM01628. Could this be what the doctor ordered? Or do we perhaps have more odd decisions lurking under the surface? Lets dive in and find out!The new Pan...

The new Crafter Blue Mechanic Ocean Mark II looks like a million bucks. Not literally, of course, but it does look way higher-end than the price tag would suggest. US$449 buys you a watch that punches well above its weight. This intro might read like a conclusion, but there is more to say about this robust yet sophisticated-looking diver than simply stating that its an excellent bang-for-the-buck watch.Initially, there were three versions of the Mechanic Ocean Mark II available. The reference MO2SS007.HK, limited to just 30 pieces, is already sold out. The black-dialed reference MO2SS001 and the reference MO2SS007 with a gradient gray dial remain. The latter is my favorite and the one I wore...

Hello, and happy New Year! What better way to venture into another trip around the Sun than by setting yourself up with a solid set of New Year s watch resolutions? In today s episode, Nacho, Daan, and Lex discuss theirs for 2025. They include everything from pondering potential future purchases to considering consolidating comprehensive collections. The guys also reflect on some of last year s resolutions and report on how they managed to (or didn t) stick to them. Finally, they also share a handful of non-watch-related resolutions they have set for 2025. We encourage you to share your New Year s resolutions (horological and otherwise) in the comments section below. But now, let s jump into...

In the year that Formula 1 celebrates its 75th anniversary, TAG Heuer will return to the sport as its Official Timekeeper. It s a combination that s as natural as peanut butter and jelly. With the watch brand s rich history in racing and its sponsorship of the leading F1 team, this new partnership feels like coming home. In a surprise move, LVMH outbid to take over the timekeeping duties in motorsport s leading class last October. This next step, however, feels like the most logical one that the luxury conglomerate could have taken and connects TAG Heuer to Formula 1 in 2025. It s a true return to form!One of the biggest commercial changes of the guard in 2024 was losing its sponsorship ro...

Traveling is always an opportunity to spend quality adventure time with a watch. My last trip happened to be in Tasmania, a special place for me. On the trip, I took my IWC Mark XV, which also has great personal significance.My IWC Mark XV is a watch that fulfills the role of going anywhere and doing anything (GADA). I have written about this on Fratello before, where I nominated the IWC Mark XV as the watch I would take on any significant adventure. Those adventures have included going to the bottom of one of the deepest mine shafts in Australia and plenty of ocean swimming. I even prefer the IWC Mark XV over my Tudor Black Bay 58, a watch I wear almost daily because of its versatility.The ...

We re finally back with another episode of Fratello On Air after a lengthy break from the holidays, illness, and travel! This week, we re reflecting on 2024 and some key events that shaped the year. Enjoy the episode, and we look forward to 2025! For our listeners, the watch content begins after 27 minutes.This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings Whew, it s been a few weeks since we last recorded. The holiday period was fantastic, but we had a bout of the flu. Finally, illnesses have subsided, and we re reflecting on 2024. In many ways, this was a tough year for the industry, but it was a great year for the community.Handgelenksk...

We kick off the first Tuesday of 2025 with a reader s story on his Speedmaster. This week s contribution comes from Ricardo Rio, who resides in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Ricardo has been part of the Speedy Tuesday community for a long time. He has a professional background in sports and joined BMX Freestyle cyclist Jose Torres at the Olympic Games in Paris.Competing with Olympic riflesI will begin this article by sharing that I started my sports career very young. When I was eight, my father taught me to shoot with a Diana Mod. 25 air rifle. Shooting fascinated me because of the precision, concentration, and complete psychophysical self-control it demands. I started competing at 12, represent...

Oris proudly introduced its ProPilot X Calibre 115 in 2019. The launch event back then took place in Shanghai, China. Now, five years later, the brand introduces a new limited edition of its impressive ProPilot X with a 10-day power reserve for the upcoming Chinese New Year. According to the Chinese, 2025 will be the year of the Wood Snake, encouraging inner reflection and outward progress. Oris decided to honor this occasion with a limited-edition ProPilot X Calibre 115 dedicated to the year of the Wood Snake.When Oris introduced the ProPilot X Calibre 115 in Shanghai, the emphasis was on the fully skeletonized movement. This allows the wearer to behold and fully enjoy the impressive mechan...

Last month, I had the opportunity to visit the Seiko UK headquarters in Maidenhead. As a die-hard Seiko fan, I ve always wanted to see what happens here. Does the site outsource much work, or is this a fully functional service center? The answer may surprise you because Seiko UK can handle practically everything when servicing modern Seiko watches.In October, I chatted with the Seiko UK team and asked about touring the headquarters. After all, we have many UK readers who also love Seiko. A couple of emails later, we decided on a date in early December. I rode the Lizzie Line down to Maidenhead where my friend Lawrence (@mostlymovado) picked me up at the station and then drove the final leg t...

Hunting for vintage watches is a wonderful pursuit, but it can be full of pitfalls. A mechanical object that is decades old can have all sorts of problems that may be hard to diagnose from an online listing. That is why many of the vintage watches I like to peruse in my spare time are not particularly expensive. I call these value in vintage watches. Today, we re looking at one of my favorites, the Bulova Wrist Alarm. This is an intriguing option for those looking for a mechanical wristwatch with an alarm complication.Vintage alarm watches?I have long been interested in mechanical alarm watches. This complication had its heyday in the 1950s through the 1960s, with notable examples like the V...

Welcome to the first Sunday Morning Showdown of 2025! We hope you have enjoyed the holidays and are ready for our first battle of the new year. So make yourself a nice warm cup of coffee, and let s get rolling! Today, we ll play a game called Find the Differences. OK, although that is a joke, it might be your first thought when looking at the two GMT-Master II models Mike and Jorg selected. Jorg picked the current GMT-Master II ref. 126710GRNR, while Mike picked its predecessor, the 116710LN. It s time to find which of these two will come out on top!At first glance, these two watches are very similar. The GMT-Master II ref. 116710LN was introduced in 2007 and is widely known as the first ...

The 2021 GPHG-winning CIGA Design Blue Planet is a unique take on time telling. Its domed dial with an engraved depiction of the earth tells time in a novel way. A good design firm rarely rests on its laurels, though, and the Blue Planet II brings subtle but positive changes.I remember the original CIGA Design Blue Planet from our review in 2022. Early in the text, the Seiko Think The Earth Wn-1 was mentioned, a watch I own. That s a cool piece, but it isn t easy to service - Seiko won t touch it. Plus, it wears like the center of the old board game Trouble if that means anything. The CIGA Design Blue Planet II has a similar design, but the watch is wearable with water resistance to 3 ATM an...

As someone who solely writes about watches from micro/independent brands, Im pleased to share my list of their 20 best releases of 2024. And there is a lot to talk about, of course. The list below is simply organized in alphabetical order by the brand name. All watches listed are ones Ive handled in the metal. Many others out there are worth your while too, but I have set a strict rule for myself of only writing about watches I ve had experience with. This is why you will also mostly find photos I took here. Some of the photos were shot by colleagues at Fratello or provided by the brand. However, I did indeed handle all of these watches.Because there are 20 models to review, I will share onl...

Analog-digital watches are making a comeback. Here are a few fantastic examples of compelling designs from popular brands to consider. The aesthetically pleasing design of an analog watch and the added functionality of a digital complication make a strong case for including analog-digital watches in any enthusiast s collection. Let s take a look.When I say that analog-digital watches are making a comeback, I don t mean that they represent a massive part of the enthusiast market. However, for a relatively niche category, analog-digital watches consistently punch above their weight with media coverage and chatter on online forums and podcasts. Perhaps this is because analog-digital watches are...

Honestly, I m not sure which watch I wore the most last year. I usually choose a different watch to wear daily, so keeping track is hard. My Instagram feed is a good indicator, though. My Cartier Santos Galbee XL is probably the most featured watch on there. Thats partially because it gives me the most endorphin highs with all the likes and messages it generates. But it s mainly because I love how it wears and looks. Therefore, Im calling my Cartier Santos Galbee XL my most worn watch of last year, and it probably will be in the years to come.However, there are certainly also other watches that make a popular appearance on my wrist. Below, I ll give you an idea of which watches I wore the mo...