Christopher Ward released a great stream of watches in 2025. One of our highlights, based on seeing the pictures and reading the press release, at least, was the C63 Sealander Extreme GMT. While we have seen more technically savvy releases from Christopher Ward, the C63 Sealander Extreme GMT is a reminder of what makes it such a strong brand. This watch looks like one of the best adventure-inspired GMTs currently out there. Will it live up to that? Let s find out.If there is one thing that Christopher Ward has become known for, it s offering incredible value for money. And that s exactly the first thing that came to mind when Nacho and I saw this release come in. On top of that, this is a st...
Happy New Year, everyone! We hope you had a great end to 2025 and a fresh start to 2026. On this first Friday of the year, we continue our series of lists covering the best watches of 2025. Today s list highlights watches that you may have overlooked last year. Here are the five watches that surprised us the most. I must add that they surprised us in all the right ways and thoroughly surpassed our expectations, so let s start the year off by remembering them fondly.Before we kick 2026 s series of lists into gear, allow me a quick word on how we compiled this one. We created a list halfway through 2025 that we also used as input for this. But we swapped some of the watches on it for ones that...
Welcome to the fourth season of Fratello Talks! To kick off the new year, we re discussing some of the best entry-level watches to start a collection in 2026. Daan, RJ, and Nacho come together to present some of their favorite options available today. Many of the watches discussed are great if you re looking to start a collection. However, they also serve as a fun purchase, even for seasoned collectors. So tune in, check out our picks, and let us know which ones would be yours. For now, though, let s start with a wrist check.This video is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies....
If you were one of the lucky ones who got a MoonSwatch when they first came out, chances are your watch s battery is dead by now. Thats always an awkward moment. How do you replace the battery? Is it a demanding job, and what type of battery do you need? We re here to help.Contrary to its manual-winding big brother and shining example, the Omega Speedmaster Professional, a Swatch MoonSwatch runs on a battery. Most watch lovers prefer a mechanical movement in a watch, but some people swear by a battery-powered quartz movement. These watches always run and keep accurate time. However, after a few years, it will stop when the battery dies. Of course, even a mechanical watch needs maintenance fr...
Another year has gone by, so its time for this yearly ritual of looking back at the past 12 months and mentioning the noteworthy occasions and events. It always takes me a few days to collect and curate my thoughts on the year here at Fratello and in the watch industry.The number of watch events exploded in 2025Whereas the watch industry mainly revolved around the SIHH and Baselworld watch fairs - just two major events - in the past, in todays world, there are many large exhibitions. This year began with the LVMH Watch Week in Paris, initially planned for California but canceled due to the devastating wildfires in the state.Toronto Timepiece ShowBig and small watch events across the worldAft...
The story of the Omega Speedmaster and the enigmatic Alaska Project begins not with the Moon landing but seven years earlier, long before Neil Armstrong uttered his legendary one small step phrase. In 1962, during the Mercury-Atlas 8 mission, astronaut Wally Schirra found himself orbiting Earth with his Omega Speedmaster 2998 strapped to his wrist. Following the successful splashdown, at a time when mass media was flooded with photographs of astronauts and rockets, one image from Schirras mission made its way across the Atlantic and onto the desks of Omega executives in Switzerland - Schirra, suspended in weightlessness, wearing his Speedmaster.Until that moment, no one in Biel truly realize...
We re closing in on a new year and rounding off 2025. RJ will shine his light on the past year in an article tomorrow. However, I thought it would be nice to take a look at which posts became the most popular of the year on our Fratello Instagram account. Besides, while writing this article, we re also closing in on 250,000 followers, which deserves a little mention and may as well be celebrated by going over our social media highlights. So, without further ado, here are the watches that received the most comments, likes, views, and shares on the Fratello Instagram.That s right; besides writing articles and creating hands-on reels, I also ensure you don t miss a beat on Instagram. I can ofte...
Every year, the watch industry delivers a flood of releases that range from quietly brilliant to perhaps a little forgettable. Indeed, 2025 has been no different. Amid anniversary reissues, limited editions, and the like, a handful of releases stood out to me as watches that genuinely got things right. These are not necessarily the most expensive or technically extreme watches of the year. Rather, they re a selection of ones that felt considered, wearable, and emotionally resonant.It is always hard to compile a list like this, especially since 2025 was a strong year for watch releases. What ties these together is not a single design language or price bracket but, instead, a shared sense of p...
Note from the Managing Editor: As part of our end-of-year process, the editorial team and I look back on the year to see (among other things) what some of the best-read stories of the year have been. Although this is usually an internal process, I thought it would be interesting to share it with you, our readers. This year, there was a clear winner, with readership numbers well into the six figures; no other article came close to RJ s introduction of the Omega Swatch Speedmaster MoonSwatch 1965 released all the way back on February 27th (you can read the full article below).Now, though the ongoing relevancy of the MoonSwatch is hotly debated, the numbers don t lie. In fact, the third most-...
Pink is a fun color, regardless of how we feel about whether or not it s purely feminine. Recently, I had the chance to spend some time with the pink Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Automatique ref. 5007 12B44R NAFA. Here are some thoughts.When I first encountered the new 38mm Blancpain Fifty Fathoms with the pink mother-of-pearl dial, Ill admit I raised an eyebrow. Pink - historically coded as feminine, often relegated to the so-called womens watch category - has never been a dominant color in the world of serious tool watches. And yet, in recent years, that unwritten rule has started to crumble.Weve seen pink chronographs, pink sports watches, and even pink-dial divers, all signaling a slight shif...
As the year draws to a close, it is time to look back at some of our favorite Sunday Morning Showdowns of 2025. The series has become a Fratello tradition by now. Every Sunday morning, two Fratello writers go head to head, defending their watches of choice. This year, we have witnessed another series of entertaining battles, which have led to heated debates in the comments section. This makes Sunday Morning Showdown not only a writer s favorite but also a format that you, the Fratelli, seem to love. Thanks to that, it s great fun coming up with a pairing of watches every week, writing the article, and reading your opinions. In this overview, well look back at a small selection of the most re...
We have a fondness for Certina here at Fratello. Now owned by the Swatch Group, the brand offers good bang for your buck with its solid modern lineup of tool and dress watches. But Certina is also one of those brands that is such a treasure trove for vintage-watch hunting, and one of its many treasures is the Argonaut.Hunting for vintage watches is a great deal of fun. Some brands have seen high or perhaps even bloated prices on the secondary market. People will pay what they are willing to pay. This was particularly evident during the COVID years, as general enthusiasm for watches seemed to reach a fever pitch. There are other brands and model lines, however, that are real bargains, present...
We re just a few extra days away from the end of 2025. While the watchmaking industry remains in flux due to global economic uncertainties, creatively, this year has been one of the best in recent memory. When product success isn t guaranteed, brands tend to target the well-off collectors who are wealthy enough to weather the storm of any global downturn. In that sense, we witness a resurgence of gold and other precious-metal timepieces. Some of my picks for the year s best watches reflect this shift to more premium gold pieces. But I still make room for stainless steel watches, and my choices range from $2,250 to priceless. Let s get into them.I don t buy that many watches for myself each y...
Another Friday, another list! We hope you had a wonderful Christmas Day with plenty of delicious food and refreshing drinks. As you recover from potential late-night celebrations, we offer some light entertainment today. For our series of best-of-2025 articles, it s now time to look at some of this year s best small-brand watches. After last week s list of complicated heavy hitters from some of the industry s big names, we d like to highlight the smaller brands that are making waves in the watch world.Before we dive into our list of five favorites, I d like to make a disclaimer regarding the term small brands. We could have lengthy debates about what that term entails, but we won t. Whether ...
In the case of Pragma, being called a goody two-shoes is a plus. Typically, the moniker describes someone who is prudish and self-righteous. A goody two-shoes is an ambitious overachiever striving to be perfect; remember that one teacher s pet in your class in high school who nobody liked? Behaving excessively virtuously can be off-putting in personal interactions. Still, when a manufacturer gives its all to outdo and outshine the competition in different fields of the watchmaking realm, it becomes admirable. After all, the result of its ambitions is a silent object rather than an uncommonly good and therefore annoying person whos probably too vocal. Lets find out if the new Swiss Pragma P1 ...
We mostly write about mechanical watches here on Fratello. However, we certainly get excited about the occasional solar-powered watches we see released. Solar-powered watches are ideal grab-and-go pieces. They are always running and often come in very capable configurations to withstand most everyday situations. It s no wonder that big brands, such as TAG Heuer, Seiko, and Tissot, offer a range of options in this category. Let s take a look at some of our favorite solar-powered watches of 2025.It was quite a good year for these watches, actually. TAG Heuer introduced its solar-powered Formula 1 collection, Tissot launched its brand-new PRC 100, and Seiko brought us more limited-edition Speed...
The final round of the second Louis Vuitton Watch Prize competition will commence in the spring of 2026. The initiative aims to support and celebrate independent watchmakers who challenge convention. It highlights creativity, technical mastery, and a strong personal vision. Thats not just a clever way of connecting the brand name to some serious horological street cred; it is also a commendable initiative to put the spotlight on some of the biggest up-and-coming talent.The 2025C2026 Louis Vuitton Watch Prize attracted submissions from around the world. From these, 20 semifinalists were selected and evaluated by a committee of experts. This group included 65 collectors, enthusiasts, and indus...
Merry Christmas and welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air! We re back with an episode on Christmas Eve, and we re talking about our favorite Seiko watches of all time. That s a tough mission, but like Santa s job of delivering toys to all the children, we re up to the task! Grab some mulled wine, settle in by the fireplace, and enjoy the banter.Folks, we ve been on the road for the last few weeks. America, Japan, and Germzany are just some of the places we ve been. However, we re back just in time for Christmas, and we re excited to talk about one of our favorite brands. Seiko has an impressive history and has made significant contributions to watchmaking. In this episode, we discuss...
It s gifting season, and Jaeger-LeCoultre serves up a tantalizing prospect in the form of the Master Control Classic. Despite the 1950s aesthetic, the Classic in the name pays homage to early Master Control watches of the 1990s. This era is becoming a burgeoning nostalgia kick in the watch industry for buyers entering their 50s. Okay, the watches are not only for this age group. However, the 90s were when people now in their 50s were in their mid-to-late teens. As everyone can agree, that tends to be a stage of life for which we experience nostalgia. Nevertheless, the pared-down style of the Master Control Classic can appeal to all ages. And given the stainless steel case s 36mm diameter, i...
Merry Christmas, everyone! As we approach the end of the year, it is time to look back at some of the best Grand Seiko releases of 2025. The past 12 months have been packed with new watches from brands all over the industry, but we saw some amazing novelties from Grand Seiko. From the impressive Tokyo Lion Tentagraph to the brilliant Ultra Fine Accuracy models to a string of wonderful dials, the Japanese brand surprised us time and again. Let s go over the highlights of 2025 from Grand Seiko and find out more.Grand Seiko is good at finding excuses to celebrate. Whether it is the anniversary of a series, caliber type, or something related to the brand, amazing releases always mark these miles...
