Back in 2022, I reviewed a couple of Yema s Superman models, and I really liked the vintage vibes of the pointy lugs and the clean diver s dial. The 39mm size is perfect for a wide variety of wrists, and I even thought the old-school bezel lock was charming. Unfortunately, I found the overall finishing and the quality of the bracelets disappointing, and my colleagues have shared similar concerns. Today, Yema introduces the new Superman Slim. The French brand says it has raised the level of finishing, and it also fitted the watch with its in-house micro-rotor CMM.20 movement. Let s see what it s like in person.The Yema Superman 500 and the Superman Full Lume were certainly fun watches to revi...

The original Oyster Perpetual Explorer II 1655 that debuted in 1971 is probably my favorite watch of all time. I wish I d felt the same in the mid-1980s when you could pick up an unloved Freccione at a huge discount. Unfortunately, I only started warming up to the Explorer II with its steel 24-hour bezel in the late 1990s. In 2000, I bought the model that was in production at the time, the 16570. I came across the white-dial version, nicknamed Polar, and I thought I did the right thing by trading in my Breitling Navitimer for a sporty . For some reason, though, the watch never felt right on my wrist. This morning, I realized I should have bought the black-dial Explorer II 16570 instead of...

As watch lovers, we tend to be drawn to mechanical movements. There is something mysterious about the dozens of springs, wheels, pinions, jewels, screws, and plates that conspire to unwind a mainspring and turn its stored tension into a precise display of the time. I think the allure is in the fact that it is just simple enough to roughly understand and complicated enough for most of us to never fully comprehend. If you feel this way, it is easy to look down your nose at quartz watches.If you do, you are missing out. There are plenty of reasons to appreciate and even admire quartz watches. Today, I want to look at five quartz watches that prove the snobs wrong. These are by no means the abso...

Much to my amazement, 2024 marks my 10th year of writing for Fratello. Wow, how time has flown by! During this time, I ve covered all sorts of topics, but my primary focus has always been on vintage watches. I have an undying love for older timepieces, and I m thankful that Robert-Jan allowed me to kick off #TBT years ago. Aside from reviewing vintage pieces, I ve also dabbled in discussions about the market, and that s exactly what I ll be doing again today.If you listen to some of the pundits, they ll remark that the market for vintage watches is dead. Well, that s an absolute overstatement in my opinion, but there s no doubt that the bull run over the past decade has quieted to some degre...

Don t look so surprised! You already knew exactly which watches would go head to head in this week s Sunday Morning Showdown. The Vacheron Constantin Historiques 222 was probably the watch that was most frequently mentioned after Piaget released its new Polo 79 this week. And it makes sense. They re both based on an earlier version from the 70s. Both watches have a so-called integrated bracelet design and are made out of 18K yellow gold. Even their (completely random) list prices are very similar at just over $80,000. But get yourself ready to vote because, despite all of these similarities, today, only one of them can win.This week, it was Thomas and Daan s turn to pick sides. Thomas has v...

is a hallowed name in horology. Yes, like me, you may be one of those who share in a widespread exasperation at waitlist games, the difficulty in attaining a new timepiece for non-VIPs who want one, and what the brand can represent to some in this age littered with vacuous social media influencers. is divisive, and we here at Fratello have written extensively on the Crown, from stories about modern marketing pitfalls?to the evergreen appeal of a classic. Whether we feel love, anger, a sense of meh, or all of the above, we cant seem to stop discussing . This is natural considering the enormous market share that and Tudor have.For me, is not about the modern pitfalls. Rather, its about a ...

I wrote an article on the best Seiko watches under $500 a few weeks ago. The Japanese brand used to rule the affordable watch category, especially with diving watches. But with Seiko slowly moving upmarket, that territory is now open for other brands to conquer. An obvious pick is Citizen. The fellow Japanese brand offers a great number of affordable dive watches. With the Promaster Mechanical Divers, Citizen has created a series of watches that offer incredible value for money. Perhaps just as importantly, they look good too. I had a chance to go hands-on with the black NY0120-01EE and the blue NY0129-58LE to determine if these Citizen models were the new kings in town.We are fans of Citize...

After test-driving two carbon fiber Pelagos FXD Alinghi Red Bull Racing Editions in October, we painted a picture in which Tudor was a sponsor of a Formula 1 team. You said we were nuts. was already too heavily involved, and Tudor would stick to surfers, sailors, and cyclists. But what do you know? In February 2024, with the new F1 season approaching quickly, the Red Bull-owned Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team presentation revealed that Tudor is an official sponsor/partner. And on Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo s wrist was what looked like a new Tudor Black Bay in a black case with a striking Visa blue dial. It raised so many questions. Like: is the case in ceramic or carbon fiber? And...

Another Friday, another Top 5! This week, we ll focus on watches that celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year. Tomorrow is the start of the Year of the Dragon, which prompted many watch brands to release amazing limited-edition pieces depicting the animal that symbolizes luck, prosperity, and wisdom. The dragon is also an imperial icon that embodies life and immortality, and this majestic creature s flowing form provides a perfect opportunity for watch brands to show their incredible skills and craftsmanship. It has led to a stream of dragon-themed watches in the past few weeks. We have selected our five favorites that are the perfect watches to celebrate the Chinese New Year in style.If we wer...

After well over a year, we are finally approaching the moment I can launch my VPC Type 37H. I have published many articles about the development of the watch itself, but today, I want to get into the logistics and commercial side of launching my debut watch. It is another side of the project that typically stays behind the curtains, so it might be interesting to shed some light on it.But before we get into that, I have to thank my designer Max Resnick for kindly providing three new renders. He used the final production files (with the correct final proportions) to create the more realistic images you see in this article. Hopefully, these make the watch come alive a little bit more for you! I...

When Frederic Arnault (29) became CEO of TAG Heuer in 2020 after joining the brand three years earlier, it demonstrated how much potential LVMH as a group saw in luxury watches. With him now appointed CEO of LVMH Watches in charge of Hublot, TAG Heuer and Zenith, LVMH (Mo?t Hennessy Louis Vuitton) has shown its hand. Luxury watches are more relevant than ever and have a huge growth potential, and the French fashion giant seems to have found a way to unlock it. With Arnault at the helm, the LVMH watch brands are going after millennials, Generation Z, and the ultrarich. They will do so using the most modern tech and by looking at the market through the eyes of current and future affluent fans ...

The Omega Seamaster (Professional) Diver 300M has been around since 1993. It has seen several revisions and a major overhaul in 2018. With the current generation turning six this year, we wonder: is it due for an update, or is the 300M still one of the best dive watches under 10 grand?Join us as we wonder what a revised Omega Seamaster Diver 300M might look like.Is an update to the Seamaster Diver 300M necessary?Lets start with the core question: is the current form, now six years old, due for an update? I feel that I need to touch upon monetary value here to set some context. In 2018, the starting price for the Seamaster Diver 300M was $4,400, which is $5,453 today, corrected for inflation....

Casio introduces new G-Shock Squares all the time, but a new Square in the premier league, like an MR-G, is something else. Before you get too excited, I must clarify that the MRG-B5000R-1 isn t an entirely new watch. However, it is an important successor to the two MR-G Squares presented two years ago. In any case, a new G-Shock in the premium league is always noteworthy.G-Shock Square MRG-B5000R-1Casio always worked on lifting at least a part of its G-Shock series to a premium level. In 1996, the MRG-110 came close to G-Shock s iconic Square design in full metal. But it wasn t until 2018 that the GMW-B5000D-1, the first completely stainless steel model in the original G-Shock Square shape,...

This Seiko 6119-8083 sat in my safe for about four or five years. I got it fully serviced upon arrival but never really wore it. Then it popped into my mind last week when I was thinking about what watches I would nominate for the perfect vintage watch collection for $25,000…Don t panic. I m not suggesting that I wanted to shortlist it. I rightly selected its role model, Seiko s first dive watch, the ref. 6217-8001 62MAS. To be honest, though, I also haven t sported my 62MAS for a long time, so I decided to look at it. And that was the moment that inspiration came. When I opened the safe, I found the pair of my 62MAS watches sitting nicely beside their baby brother from the Seiko 5 fam...

Today, we ll look at two new Seiko Astron Morning Star GPS Solar limited editions. The watches follow familiar forms but bring dark cases and striking dials reminiscent of the early morning sky. The Astron has a huge global following, so let s see if these are to your liking.It was back in 2015 that I first laid my hands on one of Seiko s new Astron models. I was skeptical because I favor mechanical watches and was keen to see if the complicated titanium watch had any character. The result was surprising, and I walked away as an admirer of its high-quality finishing and relative ease of use. Plus, for travel, the Astron watches are great. Since then, the Seiko Astron series has expanded whil...

Many brands have a certain style or genre, while some get stuck in a favorite period, like the 60s. But in a time when even smaller brands are diversifying and offering different takes on horology, the pure focus of Schofield s Giles Ellis is brave. He has stuck to the big case design, clean lines, and graphic focus of his first watch, offering a plethora of delightful variations. But by introducing the Light, Ellis and Schofield take a smaller-cased step into the future, and we re all for it.I will add a disclaimer here: I owned one of the first examples of Ellis s wrist art, the Signalman GMT, my odd-chosen first expensive watch. And though that is no longer with me, I got tempted again l...

I don t know about the winter weather where you are, but here in the Netherlands, we ve hardly had any. We usually get a few weeks with freezing temperatures and a decent amount of snow. This year, though, temperatures hardly went below zero degrees Celsius, and we ve only had a wafer-thin layer of that white stuff. Nevertheless, we re already in February, and spring is on its way. That also means that cherry blossom season is coming, and Grand Seiko is celebrating that with two new releases. The SBGH341 and SBGH343 have pink and green dials, respectively, and both take inspiration from Japan s picturesque cherry blossoms. What might even be more exciting is that both share a new 38mm titani...

In this week s episode of Fratello Talks, we re taking a look at three affordable watches that punch above their weight. Nacho, Thomas, and Morgan have set their sights on sub-$500 offerings. This is a space in which the likes of Seiko, Hamilton, and even Tissot once reigned supreme. Today, it s the battleground for many microbrands, but there are still hundreds of options available. In this episode, we ll take a look at three. Each of the guys has selected one of his favorite watches available at that price point to highlight today. But before we have a look at these fantastic affordable watches, let s see what the guys have on their wrists.This video is blocked because you did not accept m...

If you follow my writing, you know that I am a bit of a Formex admirer. The Swiss brand offers specifications and value for money that are second to none. So when Formex teams up with a watch medium like Worn & Wound to create something special for enthusiasts, I pay attention. I was, however, completely unprepared for what these collaborators had concocted.Join me to have a look at the Formex Worn & Wound Essence Sector 39 Chronometer.Imagine that youre in an alternate universeThe premise of this collaboration is an imaginary trip to an alternate universe. Formex and Worn & Wound took inspiration from sci-fi films like Gattaca and Blade Runner. Essentially, the idea is that, i...

On February 1st, as usual, Patek Philippe communicated the new list prices to its authorized dealers. We also got the yearly list of discontinued models, which, not shockingly, includes more Nautilus references. On top of that, Patek Philippe decided to discontinue the popular Aquanaut Travel Time in stainless steel (ref. 5164A). While price increases are a fact of life, what do we think of the discontinuation of more Nautilus and Aquanaut models? Furthermore, what can we expect from Patek Philippe in 2024? It s time to put some thoughts on paper.Just like so many other brands, Patek Philippe increased its prices this year. This practice is nothing new, of course. We reported on the price in...