For this eccentric collection of watches honoring Gaston-Louis Vuitton, the brand enlisted an impressive lineup of artisans for the job. The Escale Cabinet of Wonders is a trilogy consisting of Kois Garden, Snakes Jungle, and Dragons Cloud. All three watches pay homage to Louis Vuittons grandson Gaston-Louis, who held a role in the company from 1907 till 1970. Before diving into these three magnificent pieces of art, it makes perfect sense to discover where todays Louis Vuitton High Watchmaking department got its inspiration.Gaston-Louis VuittonGaston-Louis Vuitton once said during an interview that he was almost born in a trunk. Of course, he was referring to his grandfather Louis and fathe...
IFL Watches keeps knocking out one fun release after another. Among the brand s projects, we have seen some amazing dial art that varies greatly in style but is always interesting. As I said in previous articles, my favorites are the Midnight Sky and Galaxy dials used for different models. The technique of pointillism adds great depth and fun to the watches. Next, the artists at IFLW have also created some great storytelling dials. The latest in the series is the Oris Aquis Atlantis. The dial of the brand s popular dive watch tells the intriguing story of the lost empire of Atlantis. Let s find out more!IFL Watches has focused on telling fun and intriguing stories on the dials of different O...
Well, after much deliberation, Ive found what I subjectively consider the three best watches under $1,000 today. As Fratello s resident list nerd, that should be a walk in the park, right? I have made tons of lists, including multiple ones about watches in this price category. But finding the five or ten best currently available watches in a certain price bracket is inherently different than finding the three watches that I love and would buy. The truth is, we are simply spoiled for choice. Now, let me explain my picks for this list.Thomas, RJ, and Daan already had a go in this series of articles. After reading their lists, I was happy to find that they picked none of my options. Robert-Jan ...
Greg Petronzi is a passionate watchmaker who runs True Patina, a company that specializes in restoring vintage and Tudor watches. Recently, he sat down with me to share an ultra-rare Submariner 5510 that came across his workbench.Some of the best things about and Tudor are the stories. It has been a fun journey to research and write about a few myself, from an old Submariner found on the ocean floor and reunited with its original owner?to the small field watch that served in North Africa in WWII. And how about the Tudor watches that served with the Royal Canadian Navy in the Battle of the Atlantic? Then, just this month I got to write about Harold Holt, one of Australia s former prime m...
Both Longines and Seiko are well-established, long-standing names in the watch industry. That s why it makes sense that they give their signature dive watches such imposing names as Legend Diver and Marinemaster. We thought it would be a good idea to put these revamped classics up against each other. Why? First, they re both based on and inspired by older watches from their respective brands, and they re also very similar in size. Finally, they even sell for roughly the same price. But luckily, there are also more than enough differences that set these two watches apart. Thomas and Daan will tell you all about them in today s Sunday Morning Showdown.Both these watches have already participat...
When Panerai introduced the Radiomir Tre Giorni with an unusual dial color last summer, it attracted relatively little attention. Well, little attention from the watch media, that is. The moment I saw the first image of it, I knew I needed to have it. And that was a bit tricky for me because I had already broken with the brand behind it. Find out what my problem was with Panerai and how the watch cajoled me.How I got together with PaneraiFor a long time, Panerai was a cult brand. The bold appearance of its watches paired with clean Italian flair brought something new to the watch world that was dominated by rather classic designs. The connection to Italian (and Egyptian) combat divers from W...
We are trying something new here at Fratello - the Fratelli Stories series. This will be all about researching and publishing some of the great stories out there about you, our readers, and your watches. We re all here on this site because watches are significant to us, and we want to celebrate the unique ways they play a role in your lives. In doing so, we aim to uncover interesting timepieces and share the fascinating backstories of the Fratelli who wear them. As always, if you have any ideas or want to share your story, let us know in the comments at the end. Todays piece is about a pilots connection with his IWC Mark XV watch.Getting to write about what is, in essence, ones hobby is a pr...
Another Friday, another Top 5! Today, we continue our quest to find more great pre-owned picks you might love. This is the fifth article with a selection of watches that deserve your attention. As always, we try to find the best pre-owned watches from bigger and smaller brands. They can be vintage, neo-vintage, or modern. It s all about the watches you would not immediately consider when mentioning the brand. Let s find out what this week s picks are.As mentioned in previous articles in this series, we love finding the hidden gems. There is nothing better for us at Fratello than finding watches to surprise our colleagues with. These daily expeditions into pre-owned watch territory are fun an...
So you want to start a microbrand, do you? Many watch enthusiasts find themselves playing around with the idea of developing a watch of their own. Some actually pursue it. If you plan to be one of them, there are many pitfalls you may find yourself running into. As someone who has recently navigated many of them, I would love to share some tips to save you from the mistakes I made.Am I an expert? Certainly not. At the time of writing this, only a good week has passed since the presale of my debut model has succeeded. Admittedly, steam is still coming out of my ears, and adrenaline is still pumping through my veins. I am by no means running a successful microbrand just yet. But I have gone th...
As RJ said at the start of his best watches under $1,000 article, it s not easy to make a list like this at all. That s not because there aren t any options to choose from; actually, the opposite is true. Sure, the fact that they have to be new and available watches limits the range somewhat. However, even then it s quite hard to just stick to three attractive and affordable options. So that s why I went with four - I hope that s all right with Nacho. As an excuse, though, I can say that all four of them use a different kind of movement. There s a Baltic with an automatic mechanical movement, a solar-powered Seiko, a Vero that s kinetic, and an Autodromo with a digital quartz module inside.T...
It is not difficult to recognize a simple time-only watch from the 1940s. There are tons of them. They have either plain dials or dials with Arabic numerals. Not many watches from that time had hours marked with Roman numerals, and even fewer had so-called Pontife hands. And this is the first time I ve found all this spiced up with an Alpina logo!Alpina watches of various styles create a big chunk of my watch collection. In my early years of watch collecting, I watched the market closely and accumulated an exciting selection of shapes, styles, and movements. To mention a few, the Alpina La Ronde is not easy to come by, and neither is the Alpina President with its massive case. I can t forget...
Today marks an important milestone for Breitling as it launches the next generation of Aerospace. With the outgoing Aerospace Evo stock levels in flux for the past few years, it has been uncertain whether the analog-digital Grade 2 titanium watch would stay. Breitling s new 43mm Aerospace B70 Orbiter settles the debate and celebrates 25 years since the first nonstop global balloon flight in 1999. The smoky orange dial of this special edition matches the balloon s gondola, with the Orbiter insignia flanking the right of the central pinion. Can the new Aerospace soar above the clouds, or will it deflate and come crashing to the ground? Let s find out.The Breitling Aerospace is a firm favorite ...
Many fans of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms have been yearning for a non-limited edition in a smaller case - a watch like the 42mm Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 1 limited edition of last year. Well, steel stays limited, but red gold and titanium iterations are now unlimited, meaning 14 possible variations made their way into Blancpains current collection.While 2023 might have been the year of the Fifty Fathoms, the luxury dive watch will stay in the spotlight in 2024. That s because the brand has announced new 42mm versions that are taking their place in the current collection. Did Blancpain listen to the market, the collectors/fans, and the passionate commenters here on Fratello? Well, th...
To celebrate the Ocean Star s 80th anniversary, Mido introduces a new GMT Special Edition. It doesn t take much inspiration from a specific reference from the past, but it certainly looks inspired by vintage watches. And, just like the other Ocean Star GMT models, it features a so-called flyer GMT movement. Even though more and more watches at this price point are utilizing such a movement, it s still not very common. We stumbled upon this exciting new release last week and certainly didn t want to keep it from you, so let s take a quick look.Although Mido had already trademarked the Oceanstar name (yes, as one word) in 1944, the first watch carrying that name didn t come out until 1959. Sin...
Hi there, and welcome to a new episode of Fratello Talks. Excuses, excuses, excuses… Letting them get in the way of a good thing is a shame. So it s time to cut them out and enjoy watches. This is this week s topic of discussion, which Nacho, Lex, and RJ explore in detail. It s an interesting phenomenon that we ve observed lately. A new watch is announced, and out pour the single-phrase comments providing personal justification for the lack of intention to purchase. It all results in a rather dull, nasty, and repetitive rabbit hole of cynicism. But why does this happen? Is it a FOMO-induced face-saving reaction? Does it have more to do with how information is shared online? Or is it ju...
Exactly two years after the successful launch of the MoonSwatch, Swatch introduces the Mission to the Moonphase. Its a MoonSwatch Snoopy, in short, as NASA s watchdog is positioned in the upper-right sub-dial. On the battery cover on the case back, there is also Snoopy s footprint on the Moon. Clever!Omega Swatch MoonSwatch Mission to the MoonphaseAfter the first 11 MoonSwatch models in 2022 and the MoonSwatch Moonshine Gold editions in 2023, Swatch puts the MoonSwatch to work again with this Snoopy edition. Exactly two years after the introduction of the MoonSwatch, this Mission to the Moonphase with Snoopy will be available starting March 26th, 2024.This MoonSwatch features an all-white ...
Last year, Aquastar released a modern interpretation of one of its earliest watches, the Model 60. The no-nonsense black dial paired with a utile skin-diver case made it an instant hit. Now a new dial color joins the fray. The limited-production Greenwich Edition has a dark green dial that works well with the design.It took nine months, but Aquastar is back with a second dial color for its popular Model 60. It s a familiar move from the brand and a name consistent with past releases of modern Aquastar models. The Greenwich Edition features a dark green dial and Old Radium Super-LumiNova. The idea is simple enough, yet it brings a decidedly different look to an otherwise straightforward desig...
If you are not a fan of titanium watches, the Zenith Chronomaster Sport will confirm the number-one issue you might have with them. Straight out of the box, this new Chronomaster Sport feels super lightweight. If you want a watch to have some substantial heft, this is not the watch for you. But that s the only reason I can think of why you would not want this brilliant monochromatic Zenith Chronomaster Sport Titanium. I had a chance to go hands-on with it and was surprised by the tricks that the watch uses to make you fall in love with it. Let me uncover what makes this new titanium version of the Chronomaster Sport extraordinary.Daan explained in his introduction article that the Zenith Chr...
Yesterday, NASA astronaut Thomas P. Stafford (September 17th, 1930 C March 18th, 2024) passed away at age 93. Stafford was one of the 24 astronauts who flew to the Moon. Before the Apollo program, he was part of the Gemini 6A and Gemini 9A missions.Apollo 10 astronaut Tom Stafford touches Snoopy for good luck just before the launch on May 18th, 1969 - Image: NASA.Apollo 10 SnoopyTom Stafford was the commander of the Apollo 10 mission, which was considered the dress rehearsal for the Moon landing (Apollo 11). Apollo 10 took place right before Apollo 11 from May 18th, 1969, to May 26th, 1969. This particular mission was also where the Peanuts characters Charlie Brown and Snoopy were used for t...
Last July, Omega decided it was time to introduce the watch for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Ben wrote about the new Seamaster Diver 300M Paris 2024 edition here. The combination of the white dial and Moonshine Gold bezel insert struck a chord with me, but it wasnt until a few months later when I spent time in Switzerland for a golf tournament that I could try it.Seamaster Diver 300M Paris 2024One of the other guests at the European Masters in Crans Montana - a Fratello reader and guest of one of the Speedy Tuesday events in 2022 - was wearing his new Omega Seamaster 300M Paris 2024 edition.He was wearing it on this beige NATO strap and handed it over for me to wear for an afternoon. I w...
