I love me a good rectangular watch. So, when the all-new and limited NOMOS Glashtte Tetra Neomatik arrived, I immediately asked if I could wear it for a few days. It s big and it s bold, and therefore, it s very much a statement on the wrist. But it s also so much more wearable than you d expect. Let me tell you why I think this is my favorite watch from the NOMOS collection. Oh, and beware, dear Fratelli: after reading this you might feel the urge to get yourself a square watch!Up until now, I had never had the opportunity to wear a NOMOS watch for more than just a quick try-out session. The minimalistic design of the Saxon brand s watches, however, has always intrigued and attracted me. S...

Linde Werdelin might be based in London, but in this, its 20th-anniversary year, the brand shows us its Arctic roots. As Im in Norway, I do know that Denmark isnt exactly the Arctic, but for our readers in Malaysia, Australia, or Wyoming, it might as well be the North Pole. And with the new Oktopus Moon 3DTP, Linde Werdelin plays into the stereotype in a good way. The brand s watches might fly in the face of vintage-small-cased trends, but that is why we love them. Yes, I feel a strong Viking kinship, even if the new Linde Werdelin Oktopus Moon 3DTP makes me feel inadequate.I m not a small guy at 6 3″, but the bold chunkiness makes me question my spindly arms. As this is a big beast, I...

It is probably my least favorite part of the whole watch-collecting hobby. That feeling you get when you open your watch case and there is a watch reproachfully staring at you. Why dont you ever pick me? You reach for it, but at the last minute, you decide to grab another that you just enjoy wearing more. You have to admit to yourself, This was not the right watch for me. Contemplating ways to minimize money lost on the misfit, you walk away with your favorite watch strapped to your wrist. Maybe tomorrow-How come we end up with watches that we do not actually enjoy wearing? Is there anything we can do to prevent such buyers remorse in the future? I am particularly eager to hear your approach...

As a lifelong road cycling fan, visiting the Tour de France is just about the biggest sporting treat I can imagine. The idea of taking part in a mini-stage with my fellow journalists is a privilege far beyond any station I could believe to be mine. Hanging around the finishing area, waiting for our bike-mounted heroes to arrive so we can interview them is a dream I never dared dream. And all this is possible thanks to the event s major timing sponsor Tissot. Here s a look ahead to the race and what we can expect from this year s edition of Le Tour and the historic Stage 8, which will see the peloton wend its way to Lausanne where it will find a very happy Fratello representative awaiting its...

The Omega Speedmaster Snoopy is perhaps the most popular modern variation of the Moonwatch. The first Speedmaster Snoopy Award was introduced in 2003, and the third - and final - model in 2020. Where the first two Snoopy models were limited editions, the last version is not. That said, the Speedmaster Silver Snoopy 50th Anniversary is not that easy to obtain.In this video, I will guide you through all three versions from 2003, 2015, and 2020, giving you some background on each of them. Where the first Speedmaster Snoopy Award from 2003 was based on the then-standard Speedmaster reference 3570.50 with a Snoopy patch at 9 o clock and a case back with the same image, the second Speedmaster Silv...

The time has finally come. Most of the editors have had their chance to tell you about the watch collection that they d create for $5K. Its always a fun hypothetical situation to explore. With a snap of the fingers, you find yourself at the start of the watch-collecting road. Theres nothing in your watch box, but you have $5,000 to get started - what do you do? Now, in this scenario, we maintain our collecting experience and knowledge of watches. In the case of many of us, this comes from years of obsession with these wrist-mounted timekeepers. However, it seems these lists offer only brief snapshots of where our heads are at any given time. In my case, I had written down a list, but upon re...

Say Fifty Fathoms and most people will immediately think of the classic dive watch from 1953. The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms introduced the dive-watch aesthetic as we know it today. The Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe, however, has been a regular part of the Blancpain collection since 2013. With its more modern and minimalist looks, it is a different line of watches than the more traditional Fifty Fathoms. Within the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe line, Blancpain introduces new materials and different complications. It s safe to say that it s the brand s more progressive line of divers. The latest additions to the lineup are the Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Quantieme Complet in titanium and rose Gold.When it...

All right, we are down to the second semi-final match of our 2022 Summer Splash contest! We are closing in on the freshest, brightest, most fun watch to take on your sunny adventures. Todays contestants are Nacho with his Serica 5303-3 and Thomas with the NOMOS Club Campus Future Orange. The Serica left RJs Oris ProPilot X for dead. The NOMOS made short work of Bens Oris Aquis. This, then, is the epic battle of the Oris killers.Cast your votes once more to put your favorite in the finals of Fratello Summer Splash 2022.Thomas: NOMOS Club Campus Future OrangeI dont like to come to a fight unprepared, so I requested my candidate Club Campus from NOMOS to give it some wrist time in real life. It...

The new Breitling SuperOcean is here, and it marks the culmination of a rebirth for the brand. The SuperOcean was amongst the last in the lineup to receive a complete remodel, but I think it s fantastic. Let s dive in!Yes, since the arrival of Georges Kern, Breitling has undergone a complete revamp. Essentially, everything that we knew from five years ago has been redone, resized, and, frankly, made better. Plus, we vintage nerds have even been treated to some epic reissues along the way, including some real enthusiast-driven beauties such as the hand-wound Premier. There was one notable omission from the makeover process, though, and that was the everyday dive watch. Now, though, a new Supe...

Have you ever seen a watch online that you absolutely loved, only to then notice the big mole on its face? Or worse, have you ever bought one based on doctored photos, only to find it incredibly disappointing in real life? I ve found myself in both situations, and man, what a letdown it can be! Especially when considering dropping significant cash on a watch, it s best to anticipate and avoid these conundrums upfront. That s why I m here today to share with you, the Fratelli, my top three watch pet peeves of all time. These are the top three deal-breaking design elements for me. And no, not even the venerable Grand Seiko gets a pass!In my opinion, these design choices are flaws, but they hav...

Oh wow. What a task I created for myself. The answers given to the question posed in this giveaway were truly some of the finest generated by this exercise thus far. I am impressed and I am grateful. With so many great stories and insightful comments to sift through, picking a winner has been hard. In fact, it s been the hardest decision yet. So many of you deserved the top prize, but the Mitch Mason Chronicle with a cream dial can call only one wrist its home…Normally, I do a rundown of the top five or so comments, but this time I m passing on that format. Why? There was just?too many deserving comments, that the exercise felt like splitting hairs. In the end, I went for the story tha...

Its time for another installment of Fratello EDC, where were sharing our editorial teams everyday carry items. This time, the Fratello editor to share the contents of his bag and pockets is the viking. Does Thor pack woolly mittens and a flare gun to scare off polar bears?I ll be honestly sharing what I bring with me when I am outside of my home office. I lead a double life, pretending to be a free spirit - aka The Writer - while actually having a lovely day job that makes my life rather normal. Well, except for the eternal question of how my wife and two kids are still around. They are not always happy with me snapping open my laptop while doing a wrist shot of a prototype at the most inopp...

I really do like watching the MotoGP races on television. But seeing those two-wheeled monsters and their riders taming them live is something else. So why not call up Tissot - the brand that is the official timekeeper of MotoGP since 2001 - and ask for two press tickets, one for Nacho and one for me? It was also the perfect opportunity to once again get our hands on the Tissot PRX Automatic Chronograph. And so we asked for two of those - one blue and one panda-dialed version - to accompany us to the Friday practice sessions of the 91st Assen TT. Heres the live photo report from the famous, spectacular, and, at times, rainy Cathedral of Speed.Did you know that Tissot has been producing offic...

When John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival said, I see the bad moon a-risin', he was singing about an apocalypse, the end of days. Thankfully, there s no apocalypse in sight in the watch industry right now. The lyric, however, is still appropriate for today, albeit with a slight tweak. I m going with, I see the badass moon a-risin'. What on earth am I on about? Well, it s only the Louis Moinet Super Moon, part of the brand s Cosmic Art collection. And badass is undoubtedly the right word to describe it.I m sure this is not the first time I have described a watch as badass. It s likely not going to be the last, either. But what makes this specific watch deserving of such a moniker? Do ...

It is quite common in life and in watchmaking to know the path one must take and yet find oneself reluctant to take it. New dawns are exhilarating, yes, but they are also scary, full of risk and the unknown. Harder still to overcome is the fact that rarely do things happen exactly when we d like them to. Even the industry of time cannot escape this truth, and for one of our favorite brands here at Fratello, the moment of reckoning has arrived. Czapek, the undisputed darling of the industry in recent years, has taken the decision to move into a new, more spacious atelier in an effort to meet the soaring demand for its products.I received the press release announcing this move yesterday and ga...

Oversized watches… Are they still a thing in 2022? Sometimes, that seems hard to believe. These days, a lot of brands are hitting many collectors sweet spot of around 40mm or even a bit smaller for the slender-wristed folks. This is something I see confirmed in the Fratello offices. The majority of people at Fratello probably find their sweet spot between 38mm and 40mm. Some even prefer to go with smaller timepieces than that. So where does that leave oversized watches? The Zenith Defy Extreme Carbon shows that there is still plenty of charisma and technical prowess to be found in large sports watches. It is an ultra-light and wearable option that shows remarkable versatility.A first ...

Rikki and David from Scottish Watches sit down with Rob for the first of two crossover episodes a la Murder, She Wrote and Magnum P.I. (but with fewer murders and GMT-Masters).This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings To hear the second part of this friendly conjuncture, make sure to tune in to the Scottish Watches podcast this Thursday evening (June 30th). In the meantime, follow Dave (@floatlite) and Rikki (@rikkiwatches) on Instagram, and feel free to message the guys for a deeper dive into their support for brands I certainly wasn t expecting to be mentioned as their top ones to watch.Montblanc 1858 Iced Sea Automatic Date (@...

Weve probably all experienced it: you had been waiting for years for your favorite brand to reintroduce a certain watch that had not been in the collection for a long time. But, when it finally came out, it wasn t quite what you were hoping for. Perhaps the date window was disturbing or the hands were not clear. Maybe you preferred blued hands instead of gold ones. Or, perhaps, the watch was only available in pink gold, while you would really like a white gold or platinum timepiece. Well, it s a little-known fact, but ordering a custom Cartier watch is not such a far-fetched possibility.For years now, Cartier has had a solution to this luxury problem. Its called the Custom Order watch. Espec...

While I do have some more expensive pieces in my collection now, I actually still gravitate towards the value end of the spectrum. I started with vintage pieces from eBay and somehow evolved through microbrands and Seiko, but what about today? In starting a watch collection with $5,000, my goal would be one of quality rather than quantity.In fact, this complex exercise ties in with my own consolidation journey, one which is still ongoing and everything but easy. So I tried to view this with fresh eyes and a writer s uncolored views of horology. But we all know this is a modified truth, as most watches are good, fairly accurate, and yes, they show the time. Take these suggestions as notes fro...

The people have spoken! After the preliminaries of our Summer Splash contest, there are only four watches left. Today is the first of the two semi-finals. Who will go on to have a shot at the title? You get to decide which of the two watches proceeds to the grand final! So grab your sunglasses, get yourself an ice-cold drink, and get ready for the semi-finals of this year s Fratello Summer Splash! In this first face-off, Thor s very own Doxa SUB 300 Divingstar is up against Jorg s contender, the Tudor Pelagos FXD. They are both divers with a great history, but only one can go on. Let s find out who it will be!Let s remind ourselves of the rules set up for this contest by our head honcho Nach...