We like to talk about vintage watches a lot within the Fratello team. Though most of what we write about is primarily focused on the most recent releases and developments, for many of us, a lot of the fun can be found in the sometimes weird and often wonderful world of vintage watches. It s a world full of history, remarkable watches, incredible stories, and quirky details. It inspired us to come up with a series of articles focusing on the best watches per decade from a select group of brands. Some of them are priceless, and some of them are still affordable. In this installment, we will take a look at the best Sinn watches from the 2000s.By the turn of the millennium, Switzerland had proud...
Hey there, indie fans. Long time no see. It s been a little while since I ve had the chance to put together an edition of Independent Insights. That s not to say that there hasn t been any noteworthy news, more that things at Fratello Watches have been super busy- in a good way. The good news is that I have made a bit of time, as I have five independent or microbrand projects I have been following that I wanted to share with you all. Alright then, shall we take a look?RZE Resolute 2022 and Resolute SupercompressorI ve written about RZE a few times on the pages of Fratello. It ranks high as one of my favorite small, independent brands, and I have two pieces in my collection already. I enjoy w...
Ive heard them called unwieldy. Ive heard them called unattractive. Believe it or not, Ive heard them called unwearable. But no matter what anyone on the outside of the Casio G-Shock Mudmaster bubble says to me, it wont change my mind about these watches. They are indestructible, inimitably cool, and, quite simply incredible.Recently, I had the chance to go hands-on with the new Mudmaster GWG-2000, and today, Ive brought along the two previous generations from my own collection to explain some of the key differences.We frequently mention on Fratello how important it is to try a watch on before judging it on the black-and-white specs alone. Dimensions on paper are quite often misleading. If I...
Here at the Fratello offices, we get a lot of questions from you, our readers. Probably the most-asked questions are centered around the topic of what to buy for different budgets. The most popular budget question is what watch to buy for under $5,000 in different watch categories. Thats why we decided to set up a small series of articles focusing on the best watches that you can buy within that budget. In this installment of the series, we will look at the best vintage-inspired dive watches available for under $5K. Lets see what stylish, historically inspired options the industry has to offer.As I mentioned in last week s list, dive watches are by far the most popular watch genre nowadays. ...
The question in that subtitle is directed at Longines. It s not that I don t think 40mm is a good size, but this is just so much better. Dont get me wrong, there are plenty of folks out there who are still uncertain about wearing any sub-40mm wristwear. But just don t use the term unisex or even mention the fact that it works on both men and women. In the face of #watchfemme and the new wave of 36-38mm sweetness, does that make the new Longines Spirit 37 perfectly pitched at everyone?Just the other day, I had a client meeting in which a woman was wearing a 42mm Explorer II while I was wearing my 37.7mm Serica 4512. Did I feel emasculated? Nope. This is reality, and the fact that brands still...
Made in USA is a phrase that gets proudly and quite obviously stamped on the products that earn it. It may be a bit over-zealous in its marketing at times, but please excuse our enthusiasm; it gets harder and harder to find American-made products every day. When we do, we Americans are thrilled to see that they live up to the standards that the Made in USA designation rides on. I can t put my finger on exactly what those qualities are, but I know they have something to do with steel, leather, innovation, underdog determination, and excellent customer service. Coincidentally, one can find these qualities in the selections for this Made in USA edition of Watch Dating Profiles. Timex s American...
There are many people who have similar watches in their collections. Heck, there are even collectors who specialize in one specific model and all of its different iterations. So why cant a Tudor Black Bay 36 and Fifty-Eight sit next to each other in the same collection? That was exactly my thought when I went out and bought the Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight while I already owned the Black Bay 36. But somehow, the Fifty-Eight won the battle for wrist time and the Black Bay 36 left the ring crying. What happened!?As a new collector, I wasnt even really aware of Tudor as a brand. Omega, , IWC, Cartier, Oris, and NOMOS were names that sounded familiar. I could even name or recognize some of their ...
I don t remember many three-handers which have made me ooh and ah as much as this Elgin diver. It s rich in details and colors, yet it s still pretty elegant. When I hear the name Elgin, I associate it with Waltham or Illinois watches. And I mostly think of pocket watches with beautiful dials. Anytime I visit my watchmaker, there is a new Elgin pocket watch laying around.Elgin in your pocketThe original Elgin company, founded in 1864, was an old American watch manufacturer that closed down in 1968. During those 104 years, the company produced about 60 million watches. We haven t covered Elgin much in the past, but the brand has many decent and interesting watches in its product history. For ...
The pursuit of perfection is a doomed undertaking. Take the creation of the perfect watch, for instance. Building an ideal watch that is entirely without technical and aesthetical flaws, defects, or shortcomings is the watchmakers vision. Unfortunately, it s one that will never materialize. But when you change perspective from creator to audience, perfection is something that can be perceived. Some hear perfection in Bach, see it in a statue by Michelangelo, or experience it when wearing a Cartier Tank Solo. And that experience can lead to strong feelings - love, even. Lets try and find out why you cant help but love the Cartier Tank.The Cartier Tank was designed by Louis Cartier at the end ...
Welcome to Strap Check, a column on Fratello where our editors showcase their favorite watch/strap combinations. We all know the feeling. When youve been wearing a watch for weeks on the same strap, there comes a time when the excitement starts to fade a little bit. Maybe thats the time when you start looking. But looking for what? A brand new watch? Sometimes the answer lies not in the watch, but the strap on which you wear it! From the classic to the unique. From cheap NATOs to bespoke leather and special bracelets. This is where we get excited about perfect combinations that make you feel like youve got a brand new watch on your wrist. So tune in every week for a new Strap Check. Are you ...
Oh, how I love my Tudor Black Bay! It was my first good watch and the rebirth of my collection. My Black Bay also marked the birth of my first child, and for these reasons, it has tremendous sentimental value. But to be completely honest, it is not a perfect watch. My main point of contention has always been the bracelet. The end links have always seemed a bit too wiggly-jiggly, and the sides of the links feel weirdly sharp on my wrist. It s unfortunate because I love the rest of the watch, but also because the oyster bracelet just sits in the box. I hardly ever wear it because it s just too uncomfortable, and I ve been longing for a bracelet that could cure all my woes. So when given the ch...
Time to bring out and dust off the Fratello crystal ball and also read the tea leaves in the Hublot mug we have at HQ. With a stream of novelties on the horizon - Watches and Wonders is just a couple of months away - some veteran references will have to go bye-bye. Its the circle of watch life. And even , Patek Philippe, Tudor, Omega, and Grand Seiko cant escape it. The crystal ball and the tea leaves predict the end of models like the Air-King and Milgauss from . It also seems the steel Aquanaut 5167A has come to the end of the line. While we re at it, let s have a look at a few other brands and watches that are in dire straits.Nothing lasts forever. But some things last considerably longer...
After the success of its Excellence Guilloche Main in 2021, Louis Erard is back with a new, follow-up model - the not-so-subtly named Excellence Guilloche Main II. Louis Erard continues to highlight traditional metiers d art with its second hand-guilloche dial. It s a celebration of a classic and traditional technique with strong ties to the watchmaking industry.This is the second time Louis Erard has reinterpreted the art of guilloche, and it is precisely the same technique that Breguet popularized in the 18th century. It s an intricate and highly-skilled art where the craftsperson s hand must complement and work with the manual lathe. Special cam, feeler, and crank setups determine the des...
With Nacho having kicked off this series with his picks, it s now my turn to select three watches within a $10K budget. In all honesty, I was struggling with this concept. For me, the desire for a particular watch comes first, and how I budget for it is a secondary thought - it s heart over mind. I m keen to know if any of our readers have five figures set aside expressly for jump-starting a respectable watch collection. In my experience, watch collecting was a journey with a bumpy start and full of mistakes. I m probably still making those mistakes now but learning a little more each time. For some, it s too much risk to make a costly mistake. So, rather than deterring the curious from this...
We ask a lot of our watches. Sure, they have to tell the time, but we also ask them to look good and impart something about ourselves to the world. We also require that they go with us… everywhere. Water resistance - once an indicator of how well a watch could stand the rigors of daily life - has been incrementally cranked up to levels that most of the currently rated watches will never see. And neither will their owners. The eternal search for daily beaters and GADA (Go Anywhere Do Anything) watches, along with projecting a level of our own utility to the world via our watches has resulted in a market largely weighted towards watches that can survive harsher conditions than most human...
Its not every day that we get a new Oak & Oscar release, so when one comes along, I tend to give it a long look. Ive enjoyed how the small Chicago-based brand has kept a consistent design ethos since its first watch in 2015. That trait of instant recognizability is something that fans seem to love. And why not? Oak & Oscar makes solid watches that serve a purpose while boasting big-brand level finishing. Thankfully, todays new Humboldt GMT continues those trends.Since 2015, weve watched Oak & Oscar morph from a maker of limited-edition watches to a brand that offers serial-production pieces for a period. The Olmsted 38, for example, is still on offer in two of its three colorways...
rOmega has released Apollo XI editions of the Speedmaster since 1969. The first was the famous gold Speedmaster Professional with a burgundy bezel, a massive gold dial with onyx markers, and a gold bracelet. Only 1,014 of these watches were produced. Of them, a number were presented to the Apollo astronauts, President Nixon, and a few more important people who played a role in NASA s space program.Again in 1980, Omega introduced a gold Speedmaster Professional Apollo XI. There were 320 numbered pieces in total, 20 of which were white gold. However, you could say that Omega made these Apollo XI limited editions a recurring event starting in 1989. That year marked the 20th anniversary of the M...
In the current world of watchmaking, it s always an achievement when a brand develops its own genuinely in-house caliber. The time, money, and know-how required to achieve such a feat is not small. With its MSA01 movement, MeisterSinger did just that, and now the German brand presents the second generation of watches to use this beautiful automatic caliber. Allow me to introduce the MeisterSinger Singularis.MeisterSinger set up shop in the German city of Mnster, Westphalia, in 2001. Since then, it has dedicated its time and effort to producing a range of exceptional mechanical wristwatches with character. In a world of cookie-cutter concepts, you can t say that MeisterSinger hasn t gone its...
Its no secret that we are fans of the eloquent design language of Nezumi Studios. Unfortunately for me, the new 10 Year Anniversary Voiture Chronograph is perfectly timed with my newfound chrono-love. From focusing on clean dialed divers watches and petite field-watch cool, the allure of a many-registered dial has proven too tempting.As a writer for Fratello, I am already used to being ribbed for my lack of a Speedy. My answer to that is coming this year. But now, Nezumi Studios in Stockholm will only cause problems for me, yet again. I am in the middle of consolidating my collection and have already got a taste for the meca-quartz Voiture. Now, that petrol-infused reference has an even more...
Our headquarters has recently been swimming with Hamilton s latest fare. Pleasingly, the American-born, Swiss-made brand saw fit to send us a big box of its newest watches for review. And the Khaki Aviation Pilot Pioneer Bronze is the first under the lens.It s always a treat for us to get our hands on all the models in the catalog rather than just the selected few the brand wants to crow about. Why? Because it allows us to make choices, to decide upon our favorite models, and choose how best to cover them. When it came to the Pilot Pioneer Bronze, RJ took such a shine to it that he made a short video tribute, which you can now watch below.https://vimeo.com/682580165Of course, it is our job t...
