It s not every day we run into someone wearing an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Watch from 2002. But when you meet Jerrel Manbodh of Manbodh Watches, chances are good that you will see him wearing that special Royal Oak watch made of Alacrite.Royal Oak Concept Watch on a PloProf braceletOn location at Manbodh WatchesFor this Fratello Talks podcast, we went on location with Manbodh at his watch boutique. We talk about the watch business, the development in the vintage and pre-owned market over the last few years, and, of course, about his favorite watches.This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings You can also find our podcasts ...

I m always happy to learn that there are still watches that can surprise and confound me. My recent discovery, the Fortis Easy-Math, belongs to that group.I live in the heart of Europe. The last two weeks were really warm and sunny, finally, and made me and my kids spend the whole weekend outside, biking, playing football, or just fooling around in the sun. It was also a time to dust off and bring some of my summer watches back into the light. Looking back to last year, I remember two vintage pieces that stood closest to my heart. I had some memorable moments wearing my gray Nivada Datomaster?with orange accents. The second watch I really enjoyed wearing last year was a gray Fortis Marinemas...

Norqain is quickly making a name for itself in the horological world. The young brand has already become a sponsor of the New York Marathon, hired Jean-Claude Biver in an advisory role, and come out with a new, high-tech composite material for a new line of sports watches. While all of this is impressive, the best-selling watch for Norqain happens to be the Freedom 60 Chronograph. A handsome watch, this latest edition in ice blue might be the best-looking one yet!Cold As IceIce blue is no stranger to watch dials anymore. You could even say that this particular light blue shade is having a bit of a moment in 2023. After all, many people are willing to sacrifice some hard-earned money to add t...

Today is June 1st, which happens to be the 119th birthday of the brand Oris. Incorporated in 1904, Oris has enjoyed over a century of independent, Swiss, and - most importantly - fun watchmaking. Another full revolution around the Sun marks the release of this year s H?lstein Edition, a special-edition watch for Oris fans that embodies some of the brand s more unique fun. If you get excited about purple watches like some of us at Fratello do, this birthday may be a good one for you too.Last year s H?lstein Edition was the Full Steel Worldtimer, a radical love-it-or-leave-it chunky sports watch la 1999. In my opinion, it s cool in the way that all-white Reeboks with jeans are cool (again). ...

In the last couple of years, we ve seen many watch brands increase their prices. That trend makes some of the classic brands less affordable and less attainable. But it also means that new brands can move into the void that was left, and that s exactly what Tool Watch Co. is doing. Pieter Jansen van Rensburg, the brand s founder, started in 2021 with the Arctic Field, which had a meteorite dial. Then he introduced the AMA diver with mother-of-pearl dials. Both models were made out of titanium and cost $1,000 and $600, respectively. I won t tell you the price of the Tool Watch Co. Diver that I m discussing today just yet. All I ll say is that I think it s quite impressive how much value the b...

Isotope is now seven years old. While still an ankle-biter in the horological world, the brand has grown and developed enough to feel like a new logo and branding are in order. To celebrate its anniversary and the new logo, Jose Miranda approached Romaric Andre - an even fresher face and the creative mind behind seconde/seconde/ - to create a watch marking this occasion. Introducing the Hydrium Seconde/Seconde/ in all its glory.Instead of a watch that celebrates new beginnings, here we have a fresh take on a memento mori watch. It is a piece to remind us of our mortality. The death of the old logo is remembered along with a gentle nudge to remind us that our time is slipping away. The Isotop...

Its almost the end of the month, but I could not leave you without another Watch Strap Review. We might take a few weeks off in June, but rest assured, we will return with some more ateliers soon. Until then, however, I have an exciting brand for you all the way from the Windy City, Chicago. Veblenist offers many straps, some of which come in styles that I ve never seen before. Howard, the name behind the brand, put together an eclectic collection for me. Lets see what he sent me.I received several straps from Veblenist, so prepare for a long article. As always, I tried to match these straps with watches that fit their style best. However, if you do not like my pairings, I suggest you check ...

About a month ago, Mike and I visited the Swatch Group office in Eschborn, Germany. It was an excellent opportunity to meet our friends from the company who we had not seen in a long while. Furthermore, they were gracious enough to present us with some of their latest creations from the first half of 2023. The new Certina DS Action Diver was among these beautiful timepieces, 43mm in full black. Mike and I were both blown away by the piece. I decided I needed some alone time with it when it became available.I received the watch a few weeks ago and was about to take it on a trip. The new Certina DS Action 43mm diver is out today, and here are my thoughts on the watch after wearing it for about...

Fratello On Air returns with a look at six divers under $1,000 each. We could do this episode any time, but summer is the perfect time due to casual wear and loads of water-related activities. We ve picked a fairly wide range of pieces from a wide array of countries. If rotating bezels are your thing, sit back and listen! This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings So, you don t dive? Well, neither of us does either, but we do spend a fair amount of time in the water during the summer months. And hey, maybe one of us will dust off the snorkeling gear at some point. Regardless of actually strapping on a tank, divers have become a go-...

Dont you love it when a watch brand seems everlasting and single-minded? Vacheron Constantin, for instance, was founded in 1755 and has been in pursuit of timekeeping perfection ever since. Now thats horological street cred. I am a guitar guy. Stories of Banner Gibsons and pre-war Martins leave me drooling. Yamaha, meanwhile, makes a similarly great-sounding acoustic. But wasn t that the company that made outboard motors and lawnmowers?Is it such a bad thing when companies diversify? From a creativity perspective, it makes perfect sense. Cross-pollination can lead to innovation. But what about credibility? Today, I am looking at some examples of well-established watch brands that did not sta...

Its payback time. For Laurent Picciotto, it is. Picciotto is the founder of the Chronopassion boutique at 271 Rue Saint-Honore in Paris. And thats not your run-of-the-mill watch shop. The brands in the store are of the exotic kind, and it reflects Picciotto s trust and belief in Nouvelle Horlogerie. If youre hunting for out-of-the-box watches, this is where you (traditionally) go. And when it comes to MB&F, the store is of historical importance. The first MB&F watch ever was sold at Chronopassion back in 2007. In 2022, the MB&F LAB right next door to Chronopassion opened its doors. Now in 2023, the MB&F LMX Paris Edition, an exclusive to the new boutique, comes out. This purp...

Yes, the MoonSwatch is old news by now, and the dead horse has officially been beaten well into nirvana. And one can consider the MoonSwatch a cash cow, with Swatch having sold considerably more than a million pieces to date. After all, the Swatch Group confirmed to have crossed that milestone almost six months ago. What on earth (excuse the pun) could be the group s endgame with the MoonSwatch?Remaining relevant with new MoonSwatch releasesAt the time of writing this article, we ve already witnessed three more models in addition to the 11 releases last year. And as numerous individuals and publications have pointed out, these releases do leave a lot to be desired in the creativity departmen...

The Seiko King Seiko collection is expanding with two new references, SJE089 and SJE091. Seiko reintroduced the King Seiko collection back in 2020 with 38mm models, and last year, the brand showed us the new 37mm models. The new King Seiko SJE089 and SJE091 references measure 38.6mm in diameter but only 10.7mm in height.King Seiko SJE089 and SJE091They re not only slimmer than the previous King Seiko models with the 6R movement but also even thinner (okay, 0.2mm) than the original 1965 KSK model. This reduction is not only thanks to the enhanced and thinner 6L35 movement but also a new case construction and a lower box-shaped crystal. Thus far, we ve seen the use of the 6R31, 6R33, and 6R35 ...

Michiel Holthinrichs has always been on a very personal path to horological enlightenment. Having trained as an architect, his method of watch design is marked by a fresh, studious approach. How it shows is in the way Michiel seems to have a deeper, more thoughtful agenda than a lot of small brands, and he doesn t shy away from polarizing designs. The pure otherness of Holthinrichs Watches has always resonated with me as we certainly have enough homage in this world. And by introducing the Deconstructed, Michiel is cementing his position within European horology.True, I might be slightly biased, having one of his first Ornaments in my collection. Mine s a bespoke version, a highly personal a...

My Cartier Santos Galbee XL (reference 2823 from 2006) and Explorer (reference 114270 from 2004) are both stainless steel sports watches. Both of them have quite iconic dials, and both also look best on their original bracelets. But still, the two are not often compared to each other. Maybe that s because Cartier and are each in a league of their own. But if I could only keep one, it would be very hard to choose which one has to go. Let me show you how similar they are, and while we re at it, I ll also highlight the small differences for you.I already put my Cartier Santos up against the Omega Speedmaster Professional in a Sunday Morning Showdown once. Those are also two watches that seem ...

Over this past month, a substantial part of the Fratello writers team wrote about their favorite currently available sub-$1K timepieces. And it has been a great exercise that has revealed many different options. We all agree that there is no real right or wrong, just personal preference. Sure, you can debate the specs and designs, but in the end, it s all about wearing a timepiece that makes you happy. Having said that, there certainly are watches that we could classify as the best buys under $1,000. However, instead of giving our favorites from the long list of personal entries, you, the Fratelli, get the chance to vote for yours. Today, we ll line up all the different options presented, an...

Tudor has been in the headlines quite a lot this year, especially with the brands new releases from Watches and Wonders. Included in those new releases was an updated version of the Tudor Black Bay in a dressier form, updated with sunray dials and MT-series movements. But todays story is about what I would consider the legitimate grandparent of this series of watches, the Tudor Oyster.?With the interesting news around so many Watches and Wonders 2023 releases in recent months, I thought it worthwhile to focus on a vintage watch. For those of you who have only ever dabbled in new or modern watches, the humble Tudor Oyster is a watch that truly could serve as your first foray into vintage with...

Monday Morning Watch News kicks off your week with three novelties - the revised Maurice Lacroix Pontos S Diver, the race-inspired Bremont Isle of Man TT Limited Edition, and the Vulcain Cricket Andre Didixein CronotempVs Collectors. The Pontos S Diver came to life with the help of Croatian freediving world champion Lidija Liji?, while the Bremont is the timepiece of the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy lap record holder and six-time TT race winner Peter Hickman. Lastly, this Vulcain Cricket is dedicated to the grandson of the founder of the watch brand, who also played football for Madrid FC, the current Real Madrid FC.How long can you hold your breath underwater? Not as long as the Croatian free...

There is an unmistakable and common connection between watch brands, adventure, and exploration. Brands often support or commemorate a human exploit, whether it be climbing the tallest peak or discovering a legendary shipwreck. Omega is inextricably tied to the Moon landing, while is linked to deep-sea exploration. Thanks to Jacques Cousteau, Doxa has a deep connection with the study of underwater flora and fauna, as well as exploration in general. This is thanks to Clive Cussler and his iconic fictional character Dirk Pitt. Doxa recently released a unique commemorative version of the SUB 300T, which bears the name of the famed American novelist and underwater explorer. Let s take a look at...

The Casio G-Shock G-2100 started as a fun, almost-ironic resin take on a certain oak-named grail watch and other 70s octagons. Quickly earning its CasiOak nickname, the model was a fresh new take from Casio. Priced at about $110 when launched in 2019, it was a massive success. Today, its close to becoming a classic G-Shock in its own right with a big choice in finishes and module tech. The big step came in 2022 when Casio dropped the all-metal GM-B2100 series. The brand had resisted the temptation to launch an all-metal CasiOak for obvious reasons. Poorly made aftermarket shrouds and bracelets for the resin octagons sold like hotcakes as Casio played a long game. When the three metal-cased ...