Last week, in the year s final episode of Fratello Talks, RJ, Lex, and Nacho presented their favorite watches of 2024 to you under six predetermined categories. In the episode s accompanying article, there was a poll through which you, dear Fratelli, could vote for your favorite watch among the 18 nominees. After a week of voting, it s time to unveil which watch takes home the honor of being the Fratello readers choice for the best watch of 2024!The watch that won the competition did so with an impressive 26% of the votes. That s impressive indeed because number two got 11%, while number three earned 9%. All right, without further ado, here s the top three of your favorite watches of 2024. C...

Anti-hype watches provide an opportunity to look further afield at options that fly under the radar despite hailing from renowned brands. Today, I am looking at examples of such watches that I would consider adding to my private collection. When thinking about anti-hype watches, it was important to me to explore options I found interesting, physically attractive, and emotionally appealing. But first, I think I need to explain what I mean by anti-hype watches and how I came to formulate this list.Yes, anti-hype watches are worth your time?Before we begin, I want to make a very brief case as to why anti-hype watches are worth your time. The idea that we gravitate towards what is popular is a k...

Welcome all to a new year and a new season of Fratello Talks, your favorite watch podcast in the whole wide world. What should we expect from the world of watches in 2025? Nacho, RJ, and Lex share their predictions on today s show. Some of these are wishful thinking, but others are educated guesses based on anniversaries, notable dates, and insider secrets we swore blood oaths not to break. Okay, maybe nothing that secret will be revealed. But it s still worth tuning in because some of these predictions may just end up coming true (or be hilariously wrong). Being aware of some of the anniversaries taking place, which may be celebrated with corresponding releases, will certainly give us an id...

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you celebrated in style last night! As you may know, every year, we recap all the Seiko and Grand Seiko releases we covered here on Fratello. Last week, we published an overview of all the 2024 Seiko releases we wrote about. This time, we ll focus on the Grand Seiko releases we covered in 2024. As we all know, with a stream of reference numbers as names, it can be hard to remember which watch is which. Thats why we created this overview of all the Grand Seiko goodness of the last 12 months.Grand Seiko celebrated the 20th anniversary of its Spring Drive-powered watches in 2024. Due to this, the brand graced us with several new Spring Drive releases, reminding ...

With the new Ultra-Chron Carbon, Longines continues bolstering its already impressive lineup. Plus, the watch features the brand s first-ever carbon fiber case. This is a beautiful dive watch with an outstanding movement.Longines reintroduced the stainless steel Ultra-Chron in 2022, and it was praised for its 36,000vph movement and design, which evokes the 1968 original. Now there s a new variant. The Ultra-Chron Carbon follows a similar form but looks strikingly different.The Longines Ultra-Chron CarbonThis watch uses the brand s first carbon fiber case and pairs it with a titanium crown, bezel, and case back. Due to this, the 43mm by 48mm diver weighs just 80 grams. A domed sapphire crysta...

Talk about acquired taste. Root beer sure is. Its peculiar flavor comes from the sassafras tree. I like it, but others think it tastes like rusty water. The GMT-Master (II) Root Beer is like that too; you either love it or dont. Ive always been a fan of the watch. Although Im usually not a fan of brown watches, the soft, creamy, dark goodness that defines the Root Beer is completely to my taste. But what flavor, exactly? Is it the vintage GMT-Master ref. 1675/3 in steel and yellow gold with an acrylic crystal and tritium lume? Or is it the current GMT-Master II with pink gold and a ceramic bezel insert?In the current catalog, you will not find not one but two watches with the Root Beer nic...

As 2024 comes to a close, its time for our recurring Year in Review article on the last day of the year. First, I would like to thank all of you for coming to Fratello and consuming your daily dose of watch content on the online magazine, our YouTube channel, or our Instagram page. It means so much to us! Also, a big thank you to those who commented on our articles, social media posts, podcasts, and videos. We enjoy reading your comments and often discuss them in the Fratello office.2024 - what a ride it was!Goodbye, 2024!I dont know about you, but 2024 passed in the blink of an eye. The first half was packed with traveling abroad for us as watch brands hosted many events before and after Wa...

For those in the Northern Hemisphere, this time of year is associated with cold and dark days! But fear not; it is a scientifically proven fact that bringing color into your life can cheer you up. Some colors, like yellow, trigger the release of serotonin in our brains, making us feel happy. Watches with colorful dials, therefore, are good for you!I can think of no better reason to consider buying a watch with a colorful dial than the idea that it will make me a little happier. This seems like as good a reason as any to consider a new watch purchase. Throw in the notion that this time of year is associated with gift-giving, and we have a powerful capitalist combination. So, without further a...

It s hard to believe that 2024 is just a day away from being over. Yet, as quickly as these last few weeks have flown by, in hindsight, it s been a big year for watches. As is now tradition, the Fratello team takes turns sorting through the best watches of 2024 and sharing our favorites with you. Today, I have the privilege of playing us out. So, with just one brief word of context coming up from me, let s take a look at my top four favorite releases of 2024.To be honest, I feel it s a bit redundant to say it at this point, but I ll make a quick note for the benefit of those less familiar with this series: the watches in this list represent only a very thin and subjective slice of the countl...

We often hear statements like, This watch is a true classic, or This is a timeless design. Typically, such statements refer to big names in the watch industry, such as and the Submariner, Omega and the Speedmaster, or Audemars Piguet and the Royal Oak. That s either because their designs are simple and indeed timeless or because they were novel and odd when they first came out. What they all have in common is that they age well like a classic car, a well-tailored suit, and a good pair of sunglasses. But with those terms, we generally refer to the entire product, not just the design. Its a package - the brand, the materials, and the wrist of the star who wore it best. The 1945 Dirty Dozen wa...

Sunday Morning Showdown has become a Fratello tradition. Every Sunday morning, two Fratello writers go head to head, fiercely defending the timepieces of their choice. In 2024, we have seen lots of heated battles and even more heated debates in the comments section. The series seems to be a trigger for some strong opinions fueled by the writers picks and the arguments that accompany them. That s why it s great fun for us to write and read the articles and comments. In this overview, we ll look back at a small selection of the most remarkable battles of 2024.While most Fratello writers are taking a much-deserved holiday break, its nice to look back at where weve been. In this article, I will...

Casio G-Shock presents a high-end MR-G model inspired by Japanese craftsmanship every year. A regular MRG-B2000 is already on G-Shock s top shelf. However, models designated with resounding Japanese names, such as Tsuiki, Tetsu-Tsuba, Sadanobu Gassan, Shougeki-Maru, and Hana-Basara, are the epitome of G-Shock technology. The Juryoku-Maru: San, a katana specially made for G-Shock by master swordsmith Teruhira Kamiyama, inspired the 2024 MRG-B2000JS-1A.G-Shock MRG-B2000JS-1A Juryoku-Maru: SanTeruhira Kamiyama is a young swordsmith of exceptional talent. He is also the leader of the katana world?in modern Japan. Kamiyama s pursuit of the strength and beauty of the Japanese sword aligns with G-S...

Another Friday, another list! It s the last Friday of the year and, therefore, also the last list of 2024. We could still make plenty of lists about the best watches of 2024, but we decided to go ahead and release one final list looking back at the past 12 months and leave it at that. Sure, we could cover the best chronographs, dress watches, complicated watches, etc. But we decided to go with the best dive watches of 2024. After all, dive watches are the kind that lands on our Fratello desks the most often. On top of that, we have seen some amazing takes on the genre. So here are our five favorite divers of 2024.We had many different ideas when Nacho and I started contemplating this year s ...

It all sounds very impressive, but what does a Titanium Core Nano Shell?case mean? According to Chronoswiss, its an unprecedented symbiosis of Grade 5 titanium and high-tech composite, permanently merged at a molecular level. The red high-tech material makes up this? 42.6 14.5mm watch case, which Chronoswiss then pairs with an equally fiery dial with many delicate details. Yes, the Chronoswiss Delphis Firestarter is a red-hot release.You cant say that the Delphis Firestarter is a surprise. After all, Chronoswiss, the brand from Lucerne, already gave us the 44mm Open Gear ReSec Electric Blue. But no matter how blue a watch is, the impact is much greater in red. Sure, the new red creation mi...

According to some, 2024 was a slow year for new watches. I beg to differ! It might have been slow in sales but not in new models to choose from. I haven t been writing as much for the magazine as I did in the past or as I would like to, but I have been following all new releases of 2024 with great interest. The list of interesting new watches is almost too long to make a nice selection without forgetting or leaving out a few pieces. You will find all the 2024 releases we covered on this page.You may have noticed that my taste in watches has slowly evolved over the past few years from sports watches to somewhat dressier ones. My focus was on sports watches for a long time, and I still love th...

You may not know this, but in the Netherlands, we celebrate Christmas on the 25th and 26th of December. This means many Dutch people still have one fancy dinner tonight before Christmas is officially over. What do you do for such a nice occasion? Exactly - you dress up nicely, which means you also wear your favorite dress watch on a slightly nicer strap than usual. Well, that s where the straps from a company called Boundary Layer Studio come into play. Its Signature line of straps uses premium fabrics by the famous Italian company Loro Piana. Even though this Strap Check article might come a bit late for this year s Christmas holidays, let s see if these straps are worth considering for nex...

One perk of being a writer in this industry is the opportunity to wear some nice and sometimes exquisite watches. They don t always have to be expensive watches to make an impact. For example, I remember trying the new Swatch What If Break Free collection a few months ago. Despite it being so far from Haute Horlogerie, I still feel it s quite special, and that s what counts. But when I can wear a watch from a brand I have a soft spot for, like Breguet, its extra special. This time, its the Type XX Chronographe 2067 in stainless steel, a much-discussed watch when it came out in 2023.Breguet Type XXBreguets Type XX was and still is a watch I admire. I ve been eyeballing the previous generation...

Since 2017, Maen has released numerous high-quality watches that blend retro touches with modern style. Now the brand is back with the new Manhattan 40, an upsized take on the popular 37mm model. Per the company s normal course, versions with and without a date are available for order. There s also a special stone-dial option for a limited period.Indeed, when we visited Maen at the WatchPro Salon in London, the watches were impressive. Highly finished cases, thin but strong bracelets, and lovely dimensions were the highlights for us. I was taken with the Lunar Classic 36, a watch that fits my smaller wrist perfectly. Still, the squarish Manhattan ranks as one of the brand s most popular mode...

At the end of every year, we like to reflect on all the watch goodness we have seen. In good tradition, Seiko has graced us with a consistent stream of new releases. So, as we do every year, it is time to look back at the Seiko releases from the past 12 months. This article will highlight the Seiko releases we covered on Fratello in 2024. While it is nowhere near a complete list, it gives a good overview of the great diversity of the brand s novelties. Come along as we highlight some of this years best Seiko watches!As most of you know, Seiko releases hundreds of new references annually. To me, this year initially felt like a relatively slow one for the brand. However, that was mainly due to...

It s time for a look at the best watches of 2024, according to me! These lists can be challenging to compile because the year is long and sees many releases. I ve managed to winnow it down to seven picks, though, so let s begin.Choosing the best watches of 2024 marked a change for me. In the past, approachable watches dominated my lists. This year, it seemed that more affordable watches comprised dial updates and color changes. Therefore, my list contains more Haute Horlogerie than usual.The best watches of 2024 - The Lederer Triple Certified Observatory ChronometerWhy did the Lederer Triple Certified Observatory Chronometer get me so excited? After all, it s a 44mm CHF 146,000 stainless ste...