Many watch enthusiasts have several watches from different brands and buy what they find attractive. Others stick to one brand and are more likely to buy multiple models. I m afraid I belong to the latter group. That doesnt mean that I m oblivious to whats happening in the world of watches, but as such a one-brand follower or collector, I wondered for quite some time how my growing love for the Ressence brand could happen. After all, I really see myself as a Cartier nerd, and as such, I express myself carefully.I have been a big fan of that historical Maison since the 80s when I bought the Santos. I follow the brand as close as possible, and I will certainly remain a Cartier freak/fanatic f...
Something happened, and we need to talk about it. Well, I need to talk about it. To confess, basically. I know this might sound like blasphemy to your ears, but I never cared for watches. In fact, I imagined that binding my body to the tyranny of time would somehow infringe on my perceived personal freedoms. I dont know… I read a lot of Ralph Waldo Emerson during my formative years, and stuff like that just messes with your way of looking at the world. Anyway, Id been raw-wristing for the first 41 years of my life until I ran into a bright orange G-Shock (with a tide graph), and my life has not been the same ever since.You may have never heard my name here on Fratello, but youve seen m...
We could literally make a list of new dive watches every week. The appeal of dive watches is endless. They make for sturdy daily watches and are certainly overbuilt for most of our desk-diving adventures. But if you do happen to go out scuba diving, they will also get that job done without any problem. For this article, we have selected the best affordable dive watches currently out there. What does affordable mean? That s obviously a very personal question. We have set the bar at $3,000. It s a lot of money, yes, but it also gives us a nice price range to come up with some amazing choices.We have been focusing on giving our recommendations for the best watches because we get a lot of questi...
The worlds of motorsports and watches have more than harmoniously coexisted since the former s inception. The timing element plays a key role in the adrenaline-fueled, high-octane field of motor-vehicle racing, making a chronograph an essential piece of kit for any racer worth their salt. Some of the most iconic watches in horological history have been created with this purpose in mind. Inspired by the golden era of motorsports (and some would say watches), Baltic has come together with Peter Auto to create the Baltic x Peter Auto Tricompax. This is a 70s-inspired chronograph with sporty ambitions and a sharp look. Naturally, when Baltic reached out and asked if wed like to receive the watc...
Watches at 39mm in diameter have been dubbed the Goldilocks of watch sizes. Really, 39mm is the perfect medium size for a watch for most wrists. And then, sizes typically only go up from there. Well, 39mm can t be medium if there aren t small watches balancing out one end of the spectrum. The watch industry and community have become more comfortable with smaller watches as we swing back from the large-watch extreme of some years ago. Here we ve compiled a solid collection of watches measuring 36mm and smaller that are perfect when the one-size-fits-all is still too big for your tastes. And who knows? Maybe all of our tastes could use some adjusting toward the smaller sizes.Jorg recently put ...
Seiko has been on fire with a flurry of great releases this year. These Kosuke Kawamura Limited Editions seemingly came out of nowhere. No big fuss up front. It took us by surprise when Seiko showed them to us without prior notice. What is the key takeaway of these two new limited editions? They were designed in collaboration with Japanese artist Kosuke Kawamura, who is primarily known for his collages. The resulting watches have turned out to be Seiko collages themselves, and they re pretty cool if you ask me.There is a black-and-teal version - SRPJ43 - which is limited to just 500 pieces. The orange-and-teal SRPJ41 is slightly easier to come by at 3,000 pieces. Lets have a closer look!Kosu...
Let us present the Citizen Promaster Aqualand JP2000-08E, a watch that was more important for dive-watch history than you probably realize. In 1985, almost simultaneously with the introduction of electronic dive computers, Citizen introduced the grandfather of the JP2000, the CQ-1012-50. Its caliber C020 offered features that were unheard of in dive watches before then - an electronic depth gauge, a dive timer, and a memory to store the maximum dive depth and time. As an extra service, military-issued no-decompression depth and time (no-deco) limits were printed on the outside of the watch s strap.Citizen Promaster Aqualand JP2000-08EStarting in 1959 with the Parawater, Citizen had already p...
And I believe no watch will ever be more Bond. With Bond signed on the dial, 007 signed on the crown, and Sean Connery portrayed on the case back, the Moeris 007 is another eye-opening watch find that I had no idea about.Hunting for new watches is extremely time-consuming. And I don t mean hunting for watches that you have on your wish list. I m talking about discovering watches and watch brands that you ve never heard of before. I m talking about finding hidden horological gems.Back to basicsYears ago, I often spent nights browsing watches with no specific objective in mind. It was a time when finding two or three hours to kill was not so difficult and didn t hurt that much the next morning...
Size matters! When it comes to watches, there is hardly a topic that is as heavily debated as case sizes. Watch enthusiasts love to let brands know that a watch is great, but it would have been better in a slightly different size. As a watch brand, how do you dodge that bullet? You simply create multiple sizes so there is something for everyone. And that is exactly what Christoper Ward has been doing for years. Today, the brand introduces its new C60 Trident Pro 300 Dive Watch Collection, which comes in three different sizes. On top of that, the brand introduces a series of dial variations and bracelet/strap options. But most of all, this new modern diver is a great addition to the brand s l...
As an unrepentant strapaholic, I read all of my fellow editors Strap Check articles with great interest. Ill also be honest and admit to buying way too many straps, for sure. Im changing them willy-nilly, but have mostly given up on NATOs. They are cool in the summer, but I take watches off for swimming and showering, and those extra five seconds of fiddly off-and-on procedure drive me bonkers. I ve had several instances when I bought a watch online and ordered a new strap for it before the watch arrived, so it is a deep affliction. This time, my strap check brings a touch of green by Pebro.Most watches these days have a 20mm lug width, especially if youve weaned off the 42-46mm brutes like...
The new Tudor Ranger field watch is clearly related to its bigger (not in size, but in price) brother, the Explorer. I vividly remember the first time I saw a Explorer in the flesh. It must have been the late 1990s. I was on a train, and the guy across me was wearing this vintage Explorer. I asked him about it, and he told me he had already had his Explorer 1016 for a long time.However, we all know how that went down and what 1016s go for today. Luckily, Tudor came to the rescue recently with the new Ranger, a 39mm field watch with a manufacture movement for $2,880. My colleague Nacho wrote about it in this article. In general, the watch has been well received, but just like all releases, ...
The year was 1919. The location was Grenchen, Switzerland. It was then and there that Titoni inaugurated its in-house watchmaking facilities. Through generations, the historic Swiss manufacture has been resolutely creating impeccable-value offerings destined for overseas markets. Staking its claim back on European soil in recent years, Titoni has brought us incredibly attractive styles thus far. For a century-old independent brand still assured in the hands of the founding family, fusing material tech must be done right. What comes next is the Seascoper 600 CarbonTech, one of Titonis most popular models in a brand new suit crafted in black carbon and ceramic.Family-run, Swiss, and independen...
Founder Lewis Heath made anOrdain into a respected and trusted brand within just a few years. Now, after three years and not even 500 watches produced, Model 2 has received a major update. Today, we ll see what separates the MKII from the MKI and find out more about anOrdain from the man behind it all.It s been five years now since I sold my modern car. I just found much more joy and satisfaction driving old, classic cars. When I met my wife and was about to drive her home for the first time, my newest car was from 1981. I was slightly afraid of how she would feel about my classic-car passion. I was ready for an awkward silence and strange looks, but she was truly excited. Well, I thought I ...
Just over two years ago, Hamilton celebrated the 50th anniversary of the original Pulsar by releasing the PSR. In the two years since the debut of that watch, Hamilton has given us two additional blacked-out versions, including the PSR MTX to celebrate the pending release of the latest installment in the Matrix movie franchise. While the recent releases have leaned into a futuristic style, this newest PSR might just be Hamiltons most versatile take on this watch to date.The Hamilton PSR is a modern re-edition of a vintage watch. However, both the original Pulsar and the PSR still manage to look futuristic in 2022. In fact, you could argue (it would be a stretch, but you could) that a certain...
A name synonymous with motor racing, TAG Heuer is now eyeing a bigger slice of the pie in the dive-watch segment. Luckily, the foundation was laid in 2004 when the LVMH-owned brand debuted the Aquaracer collection. No sooner had the current young CEO Frederic Arnault taken over the helm than the Aquaracer Professional 300 made a high-profile comeback. 2021 was the year to claim its stake as a luxury tool watch, for a lifestyle in and out of the waves. Winning with build quality and a refreshed design makeover, the Aquaracer welcomes back the Professional 300 with a GMT function.The Aquaracer blueprintThe Aquaracer can trace his heritage all the way back to the iconic 1978 Heuer 844 dive mode...
Ever since the brilliant mind of Edouard Meylan came up with the sleekest contender in the Integrated Bracelet category, Ive been smitten. Like being embraced by a piece of alien jewelry, trying it on last year was eye-opening. Its shape is most like an armadillos armored body, and nothing looks like an H. Moser Streamliner. For me, that is a big golden tick on my list of positive attributes. For the new H. Moser & Cie Streamliner Vantablack Tourbillon, its forte is making the dial magically disappear into space.Im not a contrarian - well, not always - and have quite a few watches in my collection that are derivative or inspired by something else. Obviously, this is unavoidable as there ...
OK folks, lets get one thing straight before we start. I am categorically qualified on this topic. Yes, I am. And we are not talking about the watch side, which is a given. You see, its no coincidence that I am as well-versed in poolside etiquette as an Irishman knows his way around a pub. I ve hung around communal pools, hotel pools, house pools, and club pools my whole life. Based on decades of dedicated presence at these facilities, I know one item you need more than your wallet, and that is a watch.Contrary to public opinion, I think the beach is overrated. And I dont say this from a lack of experience. Considering I spent my youth on an island in the middle of an ocean, beaches in the v...
You can now register to join the next Speedy Tuesday event of 2022. This event will take place on September 27th in The Netherlands. After two very successful Speedy Tuesday events before the summer, we continue our European tour with a stop in The Hague area.You can find a report on the last Speedy Tuesday event in Milan here, or you can watch the video below. Together with Omega, we try to make every event a little bit different and focus on something local.Speedy Tuesday event in The NetherlandsFratello and Omega have organized Speedy Tuesday events for dedicated Speedmaster fans worldwide since 2013. As mentioned, the upcoming Speedy Tuesday event will take place in The Netherlands. We w...
Camouflage patterns are definitely not for everyone. I would even say that camo is a love-it-or-hate-it thing. Especially when it comes to watches, not everyone is a fan of these military-inspired patterns on their dial or straps. Personally, however, I love a good camo motif. Seiko decided to introduce two new camouflage versions of its popular 5 Sports (nicknamed 5KX) models. The first is the limited-edition black-and-gray SRPJ39 created together with Japanese skateboarder Yuto Horigome. The second is the regular-production SRPJ37, which comes with a green camouflage dial. Needless to say, I was curious to find out more.Even if you count yourself as a camo lover, there are tons of differen...
If youve kept up with Fratello over the past several months, youll almost certainly be familiar with Isotope watches. The brands bold and colorful designs never fail to make a splash. Now, Isotopes latest release tones things down. The new Old Radium Bronze Pilot model takes a pinch of imagination and poses the question, what if Isotope had been around in the 1940s? And what if it had been asked to produce a watch for the Ministry of Defense? The answer to these questions is being released today in three different colorways and in the brands first bronze case. Vintage charm meets Isotopes unique design language, and the result (I think youll agree) is a great one.Theres always a certain degr...
