Summer is in full swing, and by now, most people have selected their favorite summer watches to take with them on holidays. But after the summer is over, you might want to think about a new timepiece to add to your collection. What about a new chronograph? You know that we collectively love chronographs here at Fratello, with one particular chronograph at the top of that list. That s why we wanted to take the chance to find out what some of the best recently released chronographs are. Are there any new kids on the block that give the iconic chronographs we all know and love a run for their money? Let s find out.For this list, we focused on watches that have been released recently, whether as...

Until recently, the Citizen NJ0150 has only been available in Asia, but now it s also becoming available in Europe. We received several of them in our office last week, and my eye was immediately drawn to this yellow version, the NJ0150-81Z. One of the first things I did was put a picture of the watch on my Instagram account, and the next thing I knew, my DM box was full.One of the funniest remarks I received (but also one that clearly shows what s going on here) came from someone telling me that he has been on the waitlist for a yellow-dial Oyster Perpetual since day one. You don t have to squint to see the resemblance to a . And other than the yellow dial, with the magnifier on the date wi...

Hey, everyone! Nacho here, checking in from sunny Cascais, Portugal to tell you about my holiday watches. Right now, I am enjoying two weeks of R & R by the Atlantic. But that hasnt stopped me from getting a little bit of homework done in the form of this article. This is my first summer holiday in a long time, so when packing for it, I felt a bit of pressure to get it right. My first thought was to pack more watches than I might need. But I quickly decided against that in favor of a more minimalist approach.In total, Ive taken four watches with me - two for work and two for leisure. But lets face it, theyre all just tagging along for leisure, and the work will be a happy side effect. Tw...

Parmigiani Fleurier is not all about the sell-out Tonda PF. Without a doubt, the PF inaugurated a new era for the Swiss independent brand last year to rave reviews. To the wider market, the flagship collection may seem like an overnight sensation. The truth is, its aesthetic evolution has a lot to thank the Tonda GT for. Having debuted a year prior in 2020, the Tonda GT elevated the classic Tonda looks into a new series of sports-luxe watches. And the best part is that the Tonda GT has brought along an annual calendar chronograph. Annual calendar chronographs are few and far between. The latest Tonda GT Chronograph Steel models featuring a coveted annual calendar with gray and red panda dial...

My persistent hunt for the Ernest Borel Flash was rewarded by the unexpected landing of unobtainium - an original (and pretty minty) box, a charging device, and an original manual. Oh, and another crazily patinated Flash that nobody wanted…Someone from the UK listed an Ernest Borel Flash with a cardboard-like brown dial on eBay maybe a year ago. A notification instantly popped into my mailbox as I still had my crawler active. I clicked on the link excitedly, but the price tag was a downer. The seller linked my original article on Fratello in the listing and expected a fat sale, I guess. The watch needed a movement overhaul, a new Plexi, and obviously, someone to release the stuck pushe...

Women s watches, men s watches. Gender draws design lines in the sand that can be difficult to cross, if one even wants to. I prefer watches not to be gendered at all, and I think we re seeing the beginnings of a shift towards that with some brands. But within watches that are still firmly labeled for and marketed to the feminine, I ve found a few that I appreciate. Not every watch I like needs to be a tool watch. In the case of the Citizen Calendrier for women, it s more capable than some of the men s watches I own, and it looks quite good being so.I have to admit, I m biased: I chose this watch for my girlfriend over a year ago. I don t know now whether I picked it because I liked it more ...

Mr Jones Watches, the beloved and quirky watch producer out of London, is back with a new release. A Perfectly Useless Evening is a variation on a theme, the popular A Perfectly Useless Afternoon. As the title suggests, it reimagines the setting of the artwork of the watch as taking place at night. And art is key to Mr Jones. In fact, Mr Jones doesn t really care about telling time. That s most apparent in a watch that features an anonymous figure lazily floating around a small pool as the dial and hands. If you can tell the time, you re missing the point.Mr Jones Watches has a cult following among watch and art enthusiasts alike. We at Fratello certainly love what the brand is doing. Nacho ...

The circle of life. No, Im not referring to The Lion King. Instead, Im talking about the 222, the Vacheron Constantin watch that evolved into the Overseas and re-appeared earlier this year as the Historiques 222. And when it did, it painfully pointed out whats wrong with the current Overseas. It even rendered it obsolete.If you look at the circle of life as a philosophical concept, the premise is that you start at the end and end at the beginning. The 222 debuted in 1977 as a watch that celebrated the 222nd anniversary of Vacheron Constantin. The barrel-shaped case got a notched, round bezel with design elements of the Maltese Cross also seen in the integrated bracelet. The 222 came in three...

Usually, we approach watches seriously. Very seriously, in fact. But once in a while, a watch immediately brings a smile to your face because it is simply fun. It doesn t happen all that often, but a good example landed on my desk at the end of 2021. The Isotope HydriumX Will Return was bold, colorful, and based on a very clever concept. The new Isotope Hydrium X Blink is another colorful addition to the Hydrium lineup. Is it as good as the HydriumX Will Return? I had a chance to find out how big the smile on my face would be after wearing the Hydrium X Blink for a couple of days.The thing I absolutely loved about the Isotope HydriumX Will Return is that it was a clever take on such a famili...

The G-Shock DW-6900 is too big for me. I know this from having the all-white Stormtrooper version for two days before selling it. And for such a huge watch, the screen is woefully small, so whats the big (pun not intended) deal? This Bamford x G-Shock Triple Blue DW-6900BWD is no review sample. I bought it after penning my release story on it, an inherent danger of writing about watches. But for $178, what risk was I taking?The Bamford x G-Shock Triple Blue DW-6900BWD turns out to be a textbook example of black being a slimming color. Either that or Ive typed so much over the last six months alongside gym sessions that my wrists are beefed up. Whatever the reason, it fits, even with its mass...

Believe it or not, I don t yet own a Studio Underd0g watch. When the brand burst onto the scene in 2020, I was very taken by the Watermelon flavor. And yet, the brand s debut found me in a period of consolidation. Adding another occasional chronograph just wasn t on my list of things to do. Regardless, I covered the release with the positivity of a would-be purchaser, had only my situation been different. Earlier this year, Richard Benc, the brand s founder, honored Fratello s early enthusiasm for his efforts by choosing us to partner with him to release the Aubergine charity special edition. We have some more news for you after four months removed from that well-received collaboration. If t...

This is not a pilot watch. You will find these words on the Fortis website next to the Flieger F-39. Wait, what?! I look at it and think, Pilots watch with all-round abilities and a sporty, contemporary look. That s probably the direction Fortis wants to steer the target audience that won t consist of pilots exclusively. Never mind the idea or the concept, the watch s price is right. It sits just under $2K with its list price of $1,950. And thats just one of the reasons why the Fortis Flieger F-39 Automatic on a black leather strap is my pick for this installment of our series Finding The Best Watches Under $2,000 Today.If I were to actually get a Flieger F-39 Automatic, it wouldnt be my fir...

This year, it was a bit more difficult to make my watch selection for my summer holiday. Usually, we travel by plane to visit my wife s family in Ponferrada, Spain. But this year, because of the chaos at the airport in Amsterdam and the high prices for renting a car, we decided to drive all the way there. And when you re driving as many as 2,000 kilometers one way, you need to make some stopovers. That means it s not very safe to bring along a large part of my watch collection. And besides, who needs dress watches or more fragile pieces when most of my days during our five-week trip will be filled with pools, beaches, and sunbathing?I m sure many could even do without a watch in such a situa...

Every once in a while, we see comments and questions on the Speedmaster that need to be addressed. One of them is about the water resistance of the Speedmaster. It s often mocked for the lack of water resistance, but what many don t seem to know is that, according to Omega, it s safe to swim while wearing the current Speedmaster Professional with caliber 3861.We ve covered the iconic Speedmaster nearly every (Speedy) Tuesday since 2012. But Fratello goes back to July 2004, and between then and 2012, the Speedmaster was a recurring topic as well. This resulted in receiving a lot of questions about the Moonwatch and all of its variations. For this article, we have selected the most frequently ...

There is no shortage of reissue watches in todays market. It seems we have a taste for vintage aesthetics combined with modern reliability and ready availability. It is a winning recipe, and Benrus is tapping into it once more with the Benrus Type II. I have spent some time with this one on the wrist to see if Benrus managed to bring the Vietnam-era military vibe.Previously, Benrus reissued the Type I, which is nearly identical to this Type II. The difference is in the dial. Whereas the Type I is fitted with a dive-style dial, the Type II s dial has more of a field watch design. A double array of Arabic numerals displays both civilian and military time. Other than that, there is one big diff...

Mslm from Bosphorus Leather contacted me the other day, just hours before my recent review of the Turkish company s products went live. He informed me that Bosphorus Leather was about to release a watch winder. As someone who has never owned or designed a watch winder, I wasn t bothered. Out of politeness and in respect of our long-standing professional relationship, I told him to send me some pictures regardless. I ll do my best to put together a quick release article, I said, wondering what on earth I could say about a watch winder that, curiously, he seemed unwilling to ship to me for review. And then I saw them. I don t often criticize how a brand names its products, but here I m going...

After a long wait, I finally spent some meaningful time with the Oris Divers Sixty-Five Chronos Limited Edition. Released in February this year, this Divers Sixty-Five is a 200-piece collaboration between Oris and WatchTime s sister publication, Chronos. The Divers Sixty-Five has had a fair share of partnership creations, notably with the Carl Brashear Foundation. But its latest special edition with a media publication demonstrates its versatility. Originally, it may have seemed like a flight of fancy for Oris to reinterpret its vintage skin-diving watch from the 60s. The Divers Sixty-Five, however, is now a full-blown collection of its own. The range currently sits 24-strong (with alternat...

I have been a keen follower of RZE since its debut. I have previously reviewed a few other watches from the young microbrand, and each one left a positive impression. The RZE Valour Field 38 watch is no exception to that pattern. With that in mind, let me say something about this watch - it is not a game changer. Don t expect it to redefine any aspect of the watch industry in 2022. But, similarly, don t be disappointed by this as that s not RZE s intent with the Valour Field 38.RZE has always aimed to produce well-built titanium watches that can faithfully accompany their owners in their day-to-day lives. The brand tries to offer watch styles that suit everyone s taste, all while being fully...

This is just an assumption, but I imagine that most watch people know of the Holy Trinity brands. Even if you are not into watches, you may have heard of Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin, and Patek Philippe. Theyre popular brands talked about in rap songs and movies. Similarly, you may know of watches called the Royal Oak, the 222, or another one that sounds straight out of a Jules Verne novel, the Nautilus. To keep things simple, Retter, a new brand from the United States, mashed up the best parts of these models into one watch. This is the Retter 22.?I honestly didnt know what luxury sports watch and affordable luxury meant until I saw the 22 in the metal. What I mean is that I didnt g...

Last week, I had a most pleasant encounter with an AquaLion. No, Im not suffering from heatstroke. It wasnt a sea lion, but a mechanical divers watch made by Vertex. And I also saw a Freelancer on a motorbike. Not an unusual sight, you say? Correct, but in this case, Im talking about the Raymond Weil Limited Edition Freelancer Chronograph Bi-Compax Limited Edition. The brand just introduced two chronographs that are inspired by a motorbike customized by the artisans of Meister Engineering. Another piece of fine engineering is the new metal bracelet on three versions of the Casio G-Shock GM-B2100 CasiOak. Good stuff for a Monday-morning watch talk in the coffee corner.Vertex popped onto the m...