Great weather and warm temperatures make us thirst for outdoor activities. For watch lovers, these conditions are a welcome justification to grant sporty watches on bracelets a prominent role in their rotations. It was in doing so that I discovered some of my Sinn watches once more. I guess my ever-persistent focus on watches on bracelets has sharpened my perception of bracelet designs. Anyway, I was struck by the strong feel of the brand s H-link bracelet design and how well it fits the watches. That is remarkable because there was a time when I considered this type of bracelet not very attractive. What has changed?In the past, my perception of Sinn s H-link bracelet was dominated by produc...

Im still big on vintage-inspired watches, and I have a particular fondness for the Steve McQueen connection of my Hanhart 417ES. It comes on a black leather Bund with an Alcantara lining and is very comfortable for a big, legible pilots watch. This has actually made me toy with the idea of trying a Bund strap on some more modern watches, but Hanhart seems to have beat me to it. The #FliegerFriday Night Pilot is future-proof retro and mission ready in an all-black case with a full-lume dial.Hanhart is pure in its vision of avionic inspiration, but the brand s forays into the world of more modern sports watches have perhaps been less than successful. This is all about to change. Marrying up th...

The King Seiko 44-9990 is a classic reference from the Japanese brand that seemingly makes (or has made) a watch for everyone. Incredibly, this dressy watch is approaching its 60th birthday. Good design is good design, though, as it is the basis for an incredibly popular current series of watches with the King Seiko name. Today, we ll look closely at this style icon and discover why it s still relevant.A quick gander at the interwebs will reveal a number of well-informed articles on the history and development of the King Seiko 44-9990. I ll refer to some of those along the way and keep the historical exposition brief. So, why feature this watch on Fratello at all if plenty of other referenc...

Yesterday, Apple introduced the Apple Watch Ultra, the company s biggest and best watch thus far. According to Apple, its the ultimate sports watch. The Apple Watch Ultra is also the most expensive in the range with a retail price of $799 (or $999).The price, quality, and usability of the Apple Watch Ultra put it in a slightly different perspective than the regular Apple Watch. What does this mean for the watch industry and the watch-buying public? Let s look at the Apple Watch Ultra first, then try to break that down.Apple Watch UltraChances are that youve seen the Apple Watch Ultra announcement. If not, in a nutshell, this new 49mm model has a titanium casing with a sapphire crystal and th...

I know it sounds a bit haughty, but with hundreds of watches rotating on my wrist, it has to be something different to leave an extraordinary impression. The Gallet Multichron Officer truly did.If you are humble, attentive, and curious enough, any watch can leave an impression. I believe that our eclectic and rich #TBT selection in the last few years only confirms that.The great selectionI wore daring and extravagant pieces. I wore timepieces with fascinating complications. I m not too far off when I say that I ve probably tried about 400 watches in the last three or four years. I wore iconic pieces that everybody wants to have in their collections. And with the same joy, I wore watches that...

This week for us has been marked by slow digestion of the barrage of news from Geneva Watch Days. What started as an impromptu phygital event incited by Bvlgari CEO Jean-Christophe Babin two years ago has proven to be a stayer and, whats more, a proper contender in its third year. Watches And Wonders might be large, but for independent cool, nothing beats GWD.Even with our extensive coverage at Geneva Watch Days, the ones that got away include some pretty out-there pieces. As we only had a couple of frenzied days in Geneva together with what seems like four months worth of press releases, we missed a few. Sifting through the compressed news, a few weird and wonderful watches emerged from th...

Travel has returned and was in complete form during the summer of 2022. In addition to all those casual clothes that I pack, travel also means choosing a watch or two. So what did I decide to bring with me on my summer vacation?Ah yes, when it comes to packing my luggage, I still make a list. Even though I ve traveled extensively for years, I either make a list on my phone or with a pen and paper, the old-fashioned way. It s silly, but it makes me feel better, and despite having a busy schedule, lists have saved me 99% of the time from forgetting something. What s even funnier, though, is that watches always end up on the list. It s ridiculous because I forget to wear a watch roughly once ev...

For the longest time, the name was synonymous only with quality. Today, the brand seems to trigger other associations. Conversations about inevitably come to waiting lists, value development, and street robberies. It seems is only mentioned in those three contexts or a mixture of them. I was recently talking about availability with a executive when I glanced at the 1967 Datejust on my own wrist. It is a shame we end up talking only about availability, I said. For a moment, he looked startled. But you asked me, he defended. I know, but I am sorry I did. makes some of the best watches in the business. This is more than an opinion. It is objectively true for a number of reasons. Today, I wo...

In 2018, I bought my first and only Grand Seiko watch, the SBGJ201. With its 44GS style case, high-beat movement, and spectacular dial, it was the perfect Grand Seiko for me. Even the later White Birch, Night Birch, the Nature collection, the SBGW, and the SBGY series, however beautiful they were, did not make me rethink my choice. Another famous quote, the best is yet to come, was always in my mind when I saw a new Grand Seiko release. Until now. Meet the SLGH013.Grand Seiko SLGH013This week, we received the new Grand Seiko SLGH013 here at Fratello HQ. When we opened it, we all gathered around and fell silent. It was a surreal thing to witness. It was not only the striking light blue dial t...

Judging by the multitude of pictures featuring a watch and some casually strewn coffee beans, there must be a lot of coffee lovers within the watch community. Well, if you re one of them, then Singer Reimagined has just the watch for you! The new Flytrack Barista comes with a coffee timer on the dial, allowing you to produce the perfect cup of coffee with your fancy stainless steel espresso machine. All you coffee lovers, gather around. Let s take a good look at the Singer Reimagined Flytrack Barista!Almost two years ago now, Singer introduced its Flytrack collection. It consisted of three watches that featured a simplified design and movement. Well, simplified in comparison to their very im...

The shift from watch enthusiast to watch collector is a slippery slope. Even the terminology poses problems since some people with many watches don t consider themselves collectors. Also, in some cases, arriving at owning just one watch takes years of collecting - and then de-collecting. For many playing the game, though, there s an ideal collection in the back of the mind. Of course, that includes certain watches on a constantly shifting wishlist. But the ideal size of a watch collection is also an important consideration. How many watches you own - or aspire to own - can say a lot about your habits and even your personality.I m not a psychoanalyst. Freud and Jung could do a lot better job ...

Last week, watch media was saturated with news from Geneva Watch Days, and I was left impressed. But what struck me was how important this mainly independent and unstructured fair has become. To me, the biggest indicator was a few studiously timed releases from brands that were not part of the Bvlgari-led group. Said releases included a rich blue version of the Royal Oak. Word on the street was that this AP was initially leaked, though the timing seemed a tad too perfect for that. And the new AP Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar is just too blue for its own good.Does Avatar blue take the hype-led popularity of the Royal Oak to a new level, or is this blue a color too far into the world of casual ...

Youve all certainly already heard about the new Tudor Pelagos 39. It kind of stole the show last week while the watch worlds media gathered in and around the Beau Rivage for Geneva Watch Days. The new Pelagos came as a surprise but a logical follow-up to Tudors last two like-sized releases. It seems that no matter what it does, the brand manages to get people either excited or riled up. But an emotional response to a watch release can only be a good thing. Its certainly better than no reaction at all. That s especially true in a world so driven by emotions because, in the end, its just as much about the watch as how it makes you feel. That said, lets first talk a little bit about how the wat...

Last week, on September 1st, Omega raised its prices for many (or all) of its watches. On most models, we find an increase of 6%. This marks the second price increase from Omega this year.Since its introduction in early 2021, the retail price of the new Moonwatch Master Chronometer (reference 310.30.42.50.01.001) rose from $6,200 to $6,700 earlier this year and now to $7,100. Prices in the EU might vary due to the different VAT rates. This is an increase of 14% in a year and a half.The sapphire edition (on the stainless steel bracelet) increased to $8,100Price increases for all Speedmaster watchesWe also see the Speedmaster Calibre 321 in steel going up to $15,700, a watch that started with ...

Hamilton is a sponsoring partner of Syroco. This French startup is dedicated to maritime innovation, especially with the intention of reducing carbon emissions. Syroco s team is currently buckling down to break the sailing-speed world record in an effort to show what is possible. Well, I when say break, I really mean shatter. The current record is set at 121 km/h. Syroco, however, aims to reach 150 km/h. The vessel that is meant to accomplish this will carry the Hamilton logo on its flank. Now the Swiss watch brand introduces a special edition to mark the occasion.The resulting Khaki Navy Scuba Auto (ref. H82385340) is a water-sports watch that reflects the Syroco branding. Lets have a look ...

Fratello On Air checks in with a new episode, and Geneva Watch Days 2022 is the subject. Balazs and Mike discuss some of the key new releases. As always, expect banter and clear views on what s happening around us in the world of watches. This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings Geneva Watch Days 2022 is a wrap, and Balazs was there. He gives his impressions on some of the most essential new releases while Mike weighs in. Naturally, there s talk about other watch news and equipment. Enjoy!Handgelenks KontrolleBefore getting to the Handgelenks Kontrolle and our main topic, our hosts have a few items worth mentioning. Mike brings u...

Do you like it short and sweet? I hope you do because this article about the new dials and ceramic bezel inserts for the Seiko Astron GPS Solar 5X53 Dual-Time is going to be just that. But it s not because I dont like the watches. On the contrary, Ive been a fan since the very first satellite-connected, solar-powered Astron debuted in 2012. In the 10 years since then, the watches have shown a remarkable evolution. The Astron travel watch grew smaller, the movement got more efficient and intuitive, and the design became more and more sophisticated.The Seiko Astron GPS Solar 5X53 Dual-Time is new for 2022 twice over. The first iterations of this particular Astron debuted in May of this year. W...

Remember Geneva Watch Days? It happened only last week, but it almost seems like an eternity ago. The last few days have allowed us to recharge our batteries, but we have not remained idle during that time. Not at all. We have all continued to mull over everything thrust upon us in the meetings that filled our tightly packed schedule. We ve looked beyond the sensory overload that is the white-knuckle ride up and down the stairs, elevators, and narrow corridors of the Beau Rivage in Geneva, and we ve fully digested everything we saw. Now, and only now, can we truly talk about favorites from the show. And that s just what we re here to share with you. Our editors on the ground and some of thos...

Today is an exciting day. No, not because it s Tuesday; after all, Tuesday isn t renowned for being an exciting day. It s exciting because we are releasing our second collaboration with Minase in the Fratello Shop. Yes, the Fratello Minase M-3 Very Peri is here! For the first time, the M-3 is available outside of Japan, but this one houses some special changes that we think you re going to love. Best of all, it s available to whoever wants one!If you woke up this morning wondering if there was enough periwinkle in your life, I can confirm there wasn t. Purple is one of those colors we don t see enough of in the industry, so we decided to do something about it. Now, with the release of the ...

When we discussed the topic of first watches during a recent editorial meeting, several pieces sprung to my mind. There is my actual first-ever wristwatch that I got as a kid. But there have been several watches along the way that slowly but surely turned me into an enthusiast. So much so, in fact, that I left a very responsible and sensible career track to turn myself into a watch writer. I can point to a few key watches along the way that made that happen. If you care to come along for a bit of a personal story, I welcome you! If you prefer more factually informative Fratello articles, you may want to skip this one.I do not consider myself a collector, by the way. It is a matter of semanti...