Take your logo-maniacal tracksuit to the dry cleaners, and when you come back, have a coffee, relax, and read this article on Fratello. It will tell you that being exuberant and extravagant is so passe and that boring is back. Better still, boring watches are going to save the world. I m not talking about dreadful, mundane watch creations that bore you with their lack of substance. No, I m talking about classic timepieces with an understated appearance, ones that dont overwhelm and overpower you with their size, odd shapes, and wild colors. Im talking about luxury watches that take their time to woo you, working their way into your life and onto your wrist by implementing the five stages of ...
For todays edition of Pre-Owned Spotlight, I am going back to my vintage roots. You can take the watch geek out of the vintage boutique, but you cannot take the vintage boutique out of the watch geek. That doesnt sound quite right, but you catch my drift.I have decided to track down some vintage chronographs, money no object. I found three that would elevate even the best collections out there. So strap in - no best-value or affordable alternatives today, just three amazing vintage chronos!Image: Amsterdam Vintage WatchesRare vintage chronograph #1: Oyster Chronograph 6034 Pre-DaytonaLike RJ, I am not much of a Daytona guy. The design never quite clicked for me. Early ones, however, do spe...
The IFL Watches Tissot PRX Moji is the artisan company s latest limited-edition project. It brings a decidedly colorful and whimsical look to a very popular platform. Modified watches that show a level of craftsmanship are hot right now, so let s take a look at this new entry to the fold.One look at the IFL Watches website reveals an interesting phenomenon. Most of the small company s watches are sold out! As someone who generally keeps his watches stock, I was admittedly surprised by the popularity of modified pieces. Then again, when I look at IFL s past creations, I can see why collectors love them. They re colorful and somehow not tacky. It also helps that IFLW uses popular but affordabl...
Remember when Louis Vuitton s Tambour line was all about loud and bold statement pieces? Well, neither do I… But before we knew it, the luxury line transformed into something that whispers class rather than shouts it. Twenty-one years since the debut of the original model, 2023 s 40mm Tambour marks a rebirth of this collection. Cradled in our hands today is the Tambour Automatic 40mm in steel and rose gold.From substantial show pieces, the Tambour has gracefully transitioned into a slimmer, more refined drum-shaped silhouette. The latest iteration presents itself with casual elegance and sculptural, fluid lines, promising a new direction of sophistication. This new unisex design is ava...
It has been over a decade since I last bimbled through the gently winding roads of Glen Coe on my trusty old Yamaha. Yet the picturesque backdrop of Scotland at its rugged best has stayed with me ever since. I never imagined I would see that mountainous landscape being the inspiration for a watch dial. To be honest, Tom Clemence, founder of Clemence Watches, had to point out precisely what I was looking at after the Munro Ridgeline caught my eye back in September.Asymmetry is a fun thing to see on watches. I don t mean just a date window drawing attention to itself as it sits awkwardly beside a stunted index, nor a power reserve indicator blemishing the prettiest of textured dials. True asym...
Most of the time, when we talk about horology, we describe watches. Less often do we discuss the brands and their founders. And even less often do we talk about brands that solely focus on making straps. Perhaps this is because straps are accessories. A bit like a cover band at a concert, they re not the stars of the show. However, some of us like straps so much that we say things like, Ive got new shoes for my watch! Yes, there is an entire subculture of straps aficionados, and I am proudly a part of it. After all, watches used to be primarily sold on straps before metal bracelets became more common. And there are now dozens of types of straps, from Marine Nationale and NATO to two-piece le...
Another Sunday, another showdown! This time, we are covering watches for globetrotters. This is the battle of the sporty steel-bezel GMTs, the Explorer II versus the Grand Seiko Evolution 9 GMT. Jorg will defend the Japanese contender, and Thomas will take the Swiss corner. If you are in the market for a high-end steel travel watch, this one is for you! Oh, and if youre not, you are still welcome to vote!But, of course, before we get into all of that, we have to look at last weeks battle of chronograph giants.Omega Speedmaster vs. DaytonaLast week, RJ and Daan pitted the current Speedy against the current Daytona. Granted, this may have been a home game for the Speedmaster since we have qu...
I ll just come clean straight from the get-go: my watch-collecting journey was heavily affected by Instagram s influencing power. I most definitely bought a few watches because they looked so pleasing in pictures on the social media platform. I ll also quickly add that I ve already sold most of those watches because they didn t fulfill the high expectations that all those perfect pictures led me to have.I already wrote a story on how I think Instagram influenced my watch-collecting behavior. But the fact that I m posting pictures of my watches also means I m influencing others into buying their next watch. And this isn t something that I m just assuming. Every day, I get questions in my DMs ...
Another Friday, another Top 5! After two weeks with different travel watches, it s time to move on to something different. This week, we will put the spotlight on some of the less obvious choices. But these are watches that deserve every bit of attention, I can assure you. We have selected five Haute Horlogerie timepieces that you can buy for $10,000 or less. These timepieces not only look stunning but also bring some wonderful complications for relatively affordable prices.In a world of over-stimulation of popular models from the likes of , Omega, Audemars Piguet, and Patek Philippe, it s easy to forget that there are so many more great brands and timepieces out there. And as a team, we are...
A few months ago, it finally happened: I got the call from my dealer that I could pick up one of the store s very last Daytona 116500LN models with a white dial. By the way, while we re on the subject of the dial, what is up with everyone referring to this model as the Panda? Has anyone ever seen a panda bear with rings around its eyes instead of solid black circles? I m curious to hear your thoughts about that in the comments below!Anyway, for obvious reasons, I consider myself very lucky to have received the outgoing model shortly before its official discontinuation. The Daytona 126500LN that unveiled at Watches and Wonders this year started arriving at stores in September, but I find i...
From November 16th to 20th, Dubai Watch Week will take place. This event hosted by Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons exists to promote horology in the best way possible. Over 60 watch brands are participating this year, including , Audemars Piguet, Breitling, F.P.Journe, Czapek, Grand Seiko, H. Moser, Hublot, MB&F, Oris, Tudor, Trilobe, Ulysse Nardin, and many more. But besides watch brands exhibiting and introducing new watches in Dubai, there are also talks, panel discussions, and masterclasses to put watchmaking and horology in the spotlight.An event for everyoneWhat s good about Dubai Watch Week is that it s open to the public, unlike some of the other big shows where you still need an invita...
As watch lovers, we spend our lives slowly building our unique visions of the perfect watch collection. If you are like me, the perfect collection is a dynamic concept. My idea of it develops as I do. To this end, I have sold the lot and started over several times now. And even when I am in a less drastic mood, I tend to let some watches go in favor of others at times.And then Nacho asked: what if you could start over with a $25,000 budget? Pretend you dont have any watches yet, but you have an available $25K budget. So here we are. This is how I would spend it to build my current idea of a perfect watch collection.Some ground rules for building my new perfect watch collectionAs briefed, I w...
With the mood of the vintage watch market in line with the upcoming winter temperatures, now is about the right time to look for something unusual. I went deep into my safe to bring to light the Atlantic Seahunter, a low-budget piece with so many talking points.To start, there s the brand. If you collect vintage watches long enough and don t limit yourself to usual suspects like Omega, , Zenith, or Breitling, you ll most definitely bump into Atlantic. It s the kind of brand that pops up a lot in the UK, Sweden, and Poland. There are tons of beautiful watches with the Atlantic logo on the dial, yet you probably don t have that urge to pick one up. Call it missing brand aura.Stunning Atlantic ...
Whoever knows Nomos knows the Tangente. The model was part of the first collection of watches that the brand from Glashtte launched in 1991. Since then, many different editions have also come out, and almost every color has found a home on a Tangente dial. Apart from stainless steel, the case has also been produced in 18K yellow gold. So, how can Nomos keep it fresh? Well, I think the brand s designers have found exactly the right way to grab our attention again. May I have your attention, please, for the Nomos Tangente Rose Gold Neomatik?About a month ago, I was lucky enough to visit the company s home base in Glashtte for its fourth Nomos Forum. This is an annual event where Nomos presen...
Once you have experienced your fair share of watches, you develop a taste for certain specific watch features. Call them the opposite of your pet peeves. They are the details that make a good watch great for you. Some may be objectively better features, while others are completely personal preferences.In this article, I will share some of mine. These are the watch features I thoroughly appreciate and wish more watch brands would get right. Lets get stuck in!Interestingly, the small jump between the lug and end link works hereWatch features I appreciate: properly integrated end linksYou may have heard me rant about end links before. The humble end link is a dead giveaway of the level of atten...
Nearly two years after the official announcement of the project and almost a year after the first round of sales, the Code41 Mecascape Sublimation One is available for order once more. The first run sold out quickly, but Code41 has now opened up order slots for 30 new pieces. This is a gorgeous object that would make for a fantastic conversation piece, and it s worth recapping.It was December 2021 when Nacho first detailed the Code41 Mecascape Sublimation One. The unorthodox timepiece was unlike anything we d seen before, and despite its high price, our readers were quite taken with it. Furthermore, about a year later, buyers snapped up the initial production run quite quickly with others le...
The new Certina DS Super PH1000M is here, and it celebrates one of the brand s most important dive watches that first debuted in 1970. More than that, though, this release further establishes Certina as a leader in offering attractive and capable dive watches at a reasonable price. If you haven t had them on your radar, perhaps it s time!It s hard to ignore the turnaround at Certina. Just a few short years ago, the brand had a heavy focus on quartz chronographs. These were and are still a key part of the lineup, but ever since the DS PH200M launched in 2018, watch fans have received a slew of compelling choices. Models like the titanium DS Action Diver and the DS Super PH500M are just some o...
One day ahead of the global launch of the revamped Breitling Avenger, Georges Kern, Breitlings CEO since 2017, appeared on my smartphone screen to talk about the new watches. The first question I had for him was the simplest of the lot: which new Avenger model are you wearing today? Well, he didnt have to answer that one because when the CEO moved his left arm, the black-dialed Navitimer on his wrist was clearly visible. Never mind; more questions were ready to go. I could still find out about his favorite new Avenger of the collection, which includes plenty of Avenger B01 Chronograph 44 models, two stealthy Night Mission chronographs, a 44mm GMT, and a slightly smaller 42mm Automatic model....
I have gone on the record admitting that I am anything but a value hunter. Especially when it comes to unnecessary luxuries, I look to fulfill the desires of the heart, not the mind. But that doesnt mean I dont enjoy when watches punch above their weight. I do! Some watches, like David facing Goliath, unwaveringly take on competitors in much higher segments.Today, I would like to have a look at a few that sprung to mind for me. These are watches with specific qualities or features that you wouldnt expect in their respective segments. Lets get stuck in!Great value in case finishing: Longines SpiritIf you follow my writing, you know that I have a thing for case finishing. Nothing beats razor-s...
For this months Fratello REM strap, we took one of our teams favorite Speedmaster references as a starting point. The Omega Speedmaster 57 reference 3594.50 - also known as the Broad Arrow - officially debuted in 1997 as the Speedmaster 57 Replica. This watch flew under the radar for many years, but recently, it seems to be receiving some well-deserved attention.Omega Speedmaster 57 3594.50We have covered this watch several times here on Fratello. Three of us here own this reference and cant stress enough how nice it looks and wears in the flesh. I cant speak for the others and their Speedmaster 3594.50 watches, but mine is pretty special to me. It s not only because I love the looks of t...
