It s hard not to get a little carried away when talking about Japanese watchmaking. There s something enchanting about Japanese culture that gets the creative juices flowing. You suddenly find yourself filled with inspiration, and words begin to fill the page in front of you. The narrative unfolds, and suddenly, there we have the new Fratello Minase M-3 Nori sat before you. Not every story comes first, however. Yes, sometimes the story inspires the watch, but other times, the watch inspires the story, as is the case with the Fratello Minase M-3 Nori. Deeply etched in the verdant allure of Japan s natural aesthetics and refined craftsmanship, let s take a closer look at this tasty snack.W...

Almost a year ago, Nomos introduced the 37mm version of its Club Sport Neomatik. It came as a more mid-sized companion to the 42mm size already in the collection. Now, the brand from Glashtte is introducing yet another size with a new 39.5mm case. Each of the sizes has exclusive to choose from. The 42mm version comes in black and dark blue, and the 37mm comes in green and a lighter shade of blue. The press release says that the tabac, ember, and smoke dials of the new Club Sport Neomatik 39 take inspiration from an Indian summer. But I think it s a different kind of Indian summer than I expected.Image: TECON GmbHAfter high school, I spent a year living in Canada, and there, everyone underst...

The best way to introduce a new dive watch is to go for a dive. And thats what we did before the unveiling of the third watch that celebrates the 70th anniversary of the Fifty Fathoms. Marc Hayek, President and CEO of Blancpain, showed up more than ready to take a plunge. On his wrist was a 45mm dive watch in white gold, the Fifty Fathoms Tourbillon 8 Jours on a black nylon NATO strap. But in the end, the Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 3 in Bronze Gold outshone that complicated tool watch with great ease.It wasnt all about watches on the eve of the presentation of the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 3. It was also time to dive into matters that were a bit more important. And...

Oris is one of the frontrunners when it comes to environmentally responsible watchmaking. To shed light on its green activities, the H?lstein house has released an ocean-friendly Aquis with a dial made of fishing nets reclaimed by Bracenet. The question is: is this a green gimmick, or does it make for a truly good watch? Time to find out!I went hands-on with the 36.5mm and 43.5mm Oris Bracenet Aquis models to see what is what.Oris BracenetFirst things first: what is Bracenet? Bracenet is a company based in Hamburg, Germany, specializing in repurposing old fishing nets. Founded in 2015, Bracenet recovers fishing nets from our oceans, cleans them, and makes them into bracelets by hand, whi...

New watch brands pop up regularly these days. And though it would be impossible to cover them all, sometimes, for one reason or another, one will catch our eye. This was the case with Balmont. The young French brand marks its debut with a series of four well-specced, nicely designed, understated, and versatile watches. These models carry the BDX name, with numbers designating the color of the dial. Silver and anthracite sunburst-dialed models complement the black and white options. There is also one special version with a black California dial, ton-sun-ton hands, and smoky-orange color accents on the minute track, dial text, and outline of the numerals. The brand gives this model, limited to...

Fratello On Air returns with an admittedly noisy episode. Our apologies, but the show must go on! This week, it s a lighter show as we discuss our recent whereabouts (watches included) and hit upon some new releases. Enjoy the show and the clattering of plates, glassware, and cutlery. This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings Yes, Balazs is on the move again and this time he s competing with a cacophony within the Detroit Lufthansa lounge. Again, we apologize for the ruckus and the audio quality. Mike is within the cozy confines of his London abode. This week, we discuss some new releases and recent activities. We hope you take pl...

Every month, we re introducing a new Speedmaster strap with the Swedish brand REM. Our ninth one for 2023 is this white Saturn V strap, which works especially well with white-dial Speedmaster models.Saturn VThe Saturn V rocket carried the Apollo 8 to Apollo 17 missions from 1968 to 1972. Additionally, in 1973, it carried the first Skylab mission. Successful missions before Apollo 8 used the predecessor of the Saturn V rocket. Since Saturn V played an essential role in many of the Apollo missions, we thought it would be nice to commemorate this rocket with the September 2023 edition of the Fratello ?REM strap.This time, we chose white leather with red stitching and an engraved image of the S...

The market for affordable GMT watches is crowded, to say the least. That s because this genre of watches is incredibly popular these days. So it is no wonder that Bulova is now introducing a GMT version of its famous Oceanographer re-edition. It comes in three versions - stainless steel Pepsi, rose gold root beer, and gunmetal gray (with a lume dial). But the best part of it all is that it s powered by the Miyota 9075 flyer GMT movement. Let s take a quick look at the Bulova Oceanographer GMT, which I will hereby dub the Devil Flyer.Mike s original OceanographerThe vintage?Bulova Oceanographer Snorkel made its debut in the 1970s. You ll recognize the characteristic C-shaped case that s so ty...

When I hear the name Benrus, the first two timepieces that come to my mind are the Type I diver and the DTU-2A/P field watch. These two models are much loved among fans of military watches. But Benrus also created more classics in the past that are worth checking out if you re just learning about the brand. One of them is the Benrus Ultra-Deep ref. 6089 from the 1960s. It was part of a series of Benrus dive watches created when scuba diving took off. The new Benrus Ultra-Deep celebrates the classic model in style by maintaining the original size and details. This makes it a great modern remake of its 1960s counterpart, something that fans will most likely appreciate. I surely do.Benrus is on...

Even the intense shot of caffeine from the double espresso didnt change what I saw. At the top of the stairs lay a shiny unicorn - not something you see every day. It appeared very calm, serene, and peaceful, even when I got closer to the top of the stairs. The eyes of the magical creature seemed to be fixated on something… Something on my left wrist. Oh, but of course, the reflective animal was looking at the bright Full Metal Casio G-Shock GM-B2100GD-5A on my wrist. The lustrous rose gold color is a perfect complement to the creatures lustrous silver appearance.Unicorns are not my specialty, but I do know a little bit about them. For instance, I know that theyre the size of a horse, ...

The Louis Moinet Cosmopolis is what happens when the earth and sky collide. On the dial of this unique piece, 12 fragments from outer-worldly meteorites found their place. It took Jean-Marie Schaller, owner and creative director of Louis Moinet, 20 years to collect the different stones. They fell from the heavens onto our planet after traveling billions of kilometers through the universe.Time is the central element in every watch, but the Louis Moinet Cosmopolis adds another dimension. Im not talking about complications, functions, or other mechanical examples of artisanal excellence. No, Im talking about a philosophical dimension. It all starts with Louis Moinet s leader Jean-Marie Schaller...

Yes! It is my turn to find my idea of the best watches under $5,000. It is actually a more challenging segment than you might expect, especially if you want to exclude the sub-$3,000 price bracket that we previously covered. Brand after brand seems to be vacating this segment in a quest for ever-higher price brackets. It can almost make you feel as though $5K isnt a boatload of money. Well, it is, so I want to find us some truly fantastic watches to justify spending it.Lets have a look at what I consider some of the best watches under $5,000 on the market today. I will present three new watches and one pre-owned bonus pick.The best watches under $5,000: Grand Seiko SBGN027The fact that $5,00...

I was surprised when I was first presented with the new Titoni Seascoper 300 Color Block Edition. The first impression it gave me was that it s a stealthy piece, but the bright orange dial is definitely there to make anyone think otherwise. When I thought about that in relation to the watch s name, I think Titoni did a very clever job choosing the name to go with the aesthetic. Usually, when I think of a color-blocking watch, I think of bright colors all over. But this Seascoper 300 Color Block Edition uses a different way to bring the concept to life. It only uses its bright orange dial to draw attention. And it does it well.Dive watches with an orange dial are somewhat of an acquired taste...

Sadly, I m a tad too late with this review. The summer is over, and unless you are lucky enough to enjoy warm weather much more south or west of where I live, you will be testing this German diver next year. Then again, who said that a dive watch could only be worn during the hot months from June to August, right? Either way, I have the Union Glashtte Belisar Date Sport Pro here.It s smaller than the regular Belisar Date Sport and has a better depth rating. It also carries a higher price tag, but let s not jump the gun. Here are the details.Union GlashtteIf I need to bring you up to speed, here are a few facts about Union Glashtte s past. Johannes Drrstein founded the original company in...

Yes, here s the battle that you all knew was coming. When the Omega Swatch Speedmaster MoonSwatch was introduced about a year and a half ago, it was an immediate blockbuster and still is. A sequel in collaboration with one of the other Swatch Group brands was inevitable. Two weeks ago, Blancpain and Swatch introduced the Scuba Fifty Fathoms. Its case is a Bioceramic version of the 42.3mm one from the Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Series 1, and it houses an automatic Sistem51 movement. The quartz MoonSwatch far outnumbers the five versions of the Fifty Fathoms. But let s see how the Scuba Fifty Fathoms holds up against the MoonSwatch in the ring.In general, the hype around the Scuba Fifty ...

Many people dream of owning a Porsche or Ferrari, and I did too as a kid. But for many years now, it has been the G-Class (or G-Wagon) that I consider my absolute dream car. It doesnt have to be a Mercedes-AMG G 63 (AMG); I will also settle for a G 500. But the latter will already set you back $230,000 here in the Netherlands, where car prices are absurdly high due to taxes. The G 63 will increase the outlay to $300,357. Of that amount, we d pay $144,557 in taxes.Mercedes-AMG G 63 Grand Edition - Image: Mercedes-AMGMercedes-AMG G 63 IWC Big Pilot s WatchMercedes told me that these cars cant be ordered anymore as a new (electric?) version is expected in 2024. That said, the price (before ta...

We all know about the Dirty Dozen, the mil-spec group of watches produced in 1945, many of which never saw combat. While collectors scour online auctions to find vintage examples in good condition, we humble watch enthusiasts are presented with a few modern options. First is the Timor Heritage Field WWW, which is perhaps the most legitimate heir to the original Dirty Dozen. Then there s Vertex - another one of the 12 - that took the path of modernizing the original with the M100A. While the Timor retails for $955 and the Vertex for just under $2,100, theres plenty of space in the middle for other modern interpretations that also are more affordable. These range from Christopher Wards Sandhur...

About 100 years ago, Longines started to design and produce rectangular watches in the popular Art Deco style. In 1997, Longines revamped a rectangular watch from its 1927 collection and called it the DolceVita. However, it was a modern interpretation of the original 1920s model. Today, Longines introduces the Mini DolceVita, which has even more elements of those nearly century-old watches.Longines watch from 1925 - Image: LonginesLongines Mini DolceVita brick-style braceletI am a sucker for nice bracelets, and thats exactly what sparked my interest in this new Longines Mini DolceVita. Whereas the stainless steel link bracelet of the 1997 DolceVita model had little to do with the elegance of...

Another Friday, another Top 5! Last week, we took a look at some of the best recent releases with stunning green dials. As of this week, we would love to proudly add the Fratello Minase M-3 Nori Exclusive Edition to that list. Obviously, last week s article was part of the buildup to that new release. This week, we will move on to a different concept than a dial color but one that is built on color nonetheless. For this week s Top 5, we selected the best recently released blacked-out watches. Often seen as stealthy timepieces, these all have black dials, black cases, and, of course, black bracelets or straps. The concept can lead to stunning visual results, but would you ever buy one? Let ...

Dont you love it when watch brands dare to veer off the beaten tracks? We have plenty of middle-of-the-road watches, so something unique is always welcome. Well, we have something like that today. Meet the Arcanaut Arc II DArc Matter with a slate composite dial and lume in four color choices.And these arent just unique-looking pieces. They will also be rare. Only 25 of each color will be available in 2023. However, small future batches are to be added. So if you want one, act decisively.Arcanaut Arc II DArc MatterWhat we have here is the familiar Arcanaut case, CNC machined in Copenhagen. It measures 40.52mm across and has a very distinct shape. The lugs, for instance, are executed in negati...