It s Friday, meaning we drop a new video! This week, Rob reviews this beautiful 42.5mm Seiko Speedtimer SRQ035J1 chronograph. This two-register chronograph features Seiko s 8R46 movement and a design that hearkens back to a 1964 stopwatch.Seiko Prospex Speedtimer SRQ035J1For a more in-depth article about the background of the Speedtimer SRQ035 (and black-dial version SRQ037), click here. The article explains the historical importance of Seiko when it comes to automatic chronograph movements. It also elaborates on the similarities between the original 1964 stopwatch and this new Seiko Speedtimer collection.Click on the play button at the top to start the video, or click the link to visit our ...

The protest at Fratello HQ yesterday started out in good spirits with the more progressive editors marching through the office merrily and optimistically chanting,We want solar power! We want solar power! But it didnt take long for the situation to turn grim. Thats when the purist defenders of the traditional, mechanical side of watchmaking started shouting slogans like, Quartz is dead! For a moment, it looked like things would spiral out of control, but in the end, we watch fans, no matter how fanatical, are reasonable people. And thats why we, in the end, and over a cup of coffee, pondered the question of both if or why we need luxury solar-powered quartz watches from , Omega, Breitling, a...

Zenith has been very much on my radar since a get-together with other watch enthusiasts some months ago. In particular, the El Primero Revivals and Defy series caught my attention. Thats why I recently tried on the Chronomasters A384 and A386-inspired Original, as well as the blue Defy in 41mm. Of course, I also looked at some pictures from when they were originally introduced in the 1960s. I found that the current Defy range looks especially different from its ancestors. I even thought to myself, Wouldnt it be great if Zenith introduced a modern Defy with a design much closer to that original version? Et voila-Last Sunday, Zenith shared a moving close-up of a watch that would be introduced ...

We all know and adore the Omega Speedmaster - the first watch on the Moon, official watch for NASA astronauts. The Breitling Navitimer has its own prestigious history and diehard fans as well. It is the embodiment of the quirky yet beloved slide rule bezel. These two watches are pinnacles of aviation horology. However, they aren t the best. Oh no, if anything, they are only thematic stepping stones to the true king of flight watches: the Seiko Flightmaster. It is the best of Speedmaster and Navitimer, with a few quirks and special features of its own.First off, I d like to apologize to RJ for this article. From the website that brought you Speedy Tuesday, I bring you an article about why not...

Welcome to Strap Check, a column here 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 combination. Are...

I don t know about you, but I m a music fan. In particular, I prefer rock and metal music. As a guitar player, I love music that s driven by the sweet sound of distorted riffs and crunchy solos. Naturally, growing up as a guitar-loving teenager, I found my way to the music of Metallica and The Black Album. The album sold more than 600,000 copies in its first week, hitting No. 1 in 10 countries and topping the Billboard 200 for four weeks. It was a career-defining achievement for the band. Why is this relevant? Well, today, Belgian independent brand Ressence is releasing its Type 3BBB, a new version of the award-winning model. And this watch is, in my opinion, its Black Album.The Type 3BBB is...

The Pierce Chronographe is the?result of persistence and curious genius. Its important, yet underrated, unusual, but cute. It is an original and pretty timeless watch. But, its also a watchmakers nightmare…It has a striking arrangement of sub-registers that stood out from miles away in the late 1930s. From today s perspective, the double-pusher Pierce Chronographe also introduced a surprising reversed operation of pushers, where the reset pusher sits on top. Count in the worlds first integration of a vertical clutch in a wristwatch and you get a highly flammable collecting target. The surprisingly decent price tags swinging around a criminally low $1,000-$1,500, however, don t seem to ...

October 7th, 2021, 6 pm CET. That is the exact date and time when Baltic began its takeover of my Instagram feed. It was also the exact moment when the scrappy French independent released its latest watch, the MR01. I say that Baltic took over my Instagram feed because, for days after the release of the MR01, it took a noticeable presence. Both in posts and stories, these watches were everywhere! The excitement was palpable, and only a few days after the announcement, they started to appear on peoples wrists. This overload of images showed just how incredibly photogenic this watch really is. And its not just the front that looks good. Flip it over and youll find yourself looking at a pretty ...

Way before the Speedmaster, my very first Omega chronograph was a caliber 1040. It was the gold-plated Seamaster ref. 176.005, the watch that many call the Jedi. Well, it is neither a Jedi nor a flat Jedi, but that s a story for another day. That Seamaster was the watch that spawned my interest in 1970s Omega chronographs. Many years and a good few purchases later, last year, I landed this Flightmaster 910. What happened before and since then is what this article is about.Don t worry; it will not be a sentimental ode. To be honest, I just needed a catchy title. Yet, one thing is for sure - I m pleasantly surprised by how much I love this watch. When I take it out of the box, it won t leave m...

And he came riding through town on his horse screaming, Price increases are coming, price increases are coming! The sheep looked up, stopped chewing grass for a brief moment, and put their heads back down to keep eating. And just like that, the horse was gone.If you enjoy reading about watches, you ve likely noticed a barrage of articles over the past couple of weeks discussing price increases for , Omega, and Patek Philippe watches. Seemingly, you must be interested because everyone is clamoring to talk about the subject. On the other hand, it s January and the news is slow. If you re like me, though, you haven t read any of these tales of woe because, honestly, who cares? Yet, here I am wr...

Guilty pleasures - everybody has them, but should they? As Lex explained in the first article of this series, a guilty pleasure could be defined as something that you enjoy but is frowned upon by your peers. It s a possible reason for embarrassment, especially amongst friends. But why should you be embarrassed? As Lex said, You should celebrate that you have the ability to feel such wonderful things because of your so-called guilty pleasure. That s why I want to present my guilty pleasure to you - I love the Hublot Classic Fusion Chronograph Italia Independent Pied De Poule!I have some mad love for Hublot. There, I said it… again! A little over a year ago, I wrote about five watches fr...

Here at Fratello, we love to shine the spotlight on special projects that members of the watch community are working on. Today we have the pleasure of introducing a new YouTube channel: Winters & Bui - Photography & Watches. It s being launched by Lydia Winters and Vu Bui. And if their names ring a bell, you might know them already. Perhaps from their positions at Mojang Studios as Chief Storyteller and COO, respectively. The Swedish video game developer was responsible for the creation of the well-known sandbox video game, Minecraft. But if you dont know them from that already impressive side of their career, you may have come across their Instagram pages, where they often post stun...

The geniuses at H. Moser & Cie. are the masters of fume dial art, and the Endeavour series is the perfect canvas. As the most traditionally styled case from Edouard Meylan and his artisan team, it is used to full effect. What better frame for a degrade piece of circular art than a conservative, flawlessly polished case. The H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Small Seconds Total Eclipse The Armoury is perhaps the strongest Endeavour, yet its dial is colorless.For me personally, the Endeavour Centre Seconds and Small Seconds have always had an allure. But at between 40 and 42mm, they felt large. Now, that is not due to their diameter, per se. But when the narrow bezel drops down with smooth p...

The Patek Philippe Ref. 5070P is NOT my grail watch. And thats because the watch, although the object of my desire, is not the object of my extended, difficult quest. I dont actively chase the hand-wound, old-school chronograph, so both technically and literally, its not my grail watch. Why go on a wild goose chase for something I cant afford? But in an imaginary watch world, my grail watch is a platinum Patek Philippe that would look great with a pair of jeans (and a pink sweater).Actively pursuing the platinum Patek Philippe Ref. 5070P, with its radiant blue dial and old school looks and movement, is nothing more than a foolish and hopeless search for or pursuit of something unattainable -...

There is nothing like a flash of #LUME to brighten up those gloomy winter days. And its no longer a gimmick; it has been embraced by the big hitters of horology and fashion. Who would have thought that we would see bright lume on a Lange dial or the fabric of a high-tech sports jacket?I get seriously frustrated by weak lume. I stay off-grid while Im sleeping, with my cell phone left downstairs and a watch on my wrist. While we have a digital clock radio on the night table, I prefer peering sleepily at my wrist to ask myself why Im awake at 5:00 AM. I d love the full effect of a lume dial while having a late-night walk, or for the more adventurous among us, while hiking or camping. The last t...

The way in which I find myself falling for watches matters more to me as I age. I must admit that it took a while for me to own up to that fact. In my youth, I d been intensely product-focused. I wouldn t say I pooh-poohed those that bought and wore watches for purely emotional reasons, but I regarded them as a different breed. For me, the build quality, the refinement of the design, and the intellectual merit of the mechanics mattered more.Nowadays, while those things still matter to me more than anything else when it comes to adding watches to my collection, deciding which watch leaves the box every morning and spends the day on my wrist is most definitely a matter for the heart. The Forti...

The Omega Speedmaster needs little introduction. It is one of the most talked-about chronograph watches in the world - at least here on Fratello. But as strange as it might sound, the Speedmaster doesnt please everyone. Maybe you don t care about its Moon-going history, or perhaps you dont like the shape of the case. There could be any number of other reasons why the Omega Speedmaster doesn t suit you. With that in mind, I decided to make my own list of the top five alternatives to the legendary Moonwatch.Back in the late 1990s, when I was looking for an Omega Speedmaster Professional, there was one alternative that I briefly considered. It was IWC Pilots Watch Chronograph ref. IW3706, a 39m...

Ahhh… Seiko! An indisputably beloved brand in the world of watches, mechanical and otherwise. The brand s incredibly diverse catalog caters to those new to the watch world, as well as to those more experienced looking for a serious watch. And that s without getting into Grand Seiko territory! Today, we ll be taking a look at some of the affordable options in the Seiko catalog. I spent a couple of hours looking through the current lineup and picked out my five favorites under $1000. And there s also a bonus sub-$300 pick at the end.This top-five list is an update to Jorg s list published back in 2020. And though I tried to mix things up and not pick only dive watches, they were ultimate...

Fratello On Air returns with what we think is a fun episode. We talk about big watches that work for smaller wrists and small watches for larger wrists. Balazs and Mike exist on both sides of the wrist border, so there s plenty of personal experience on this subject.Balazs and Mike are here to talk about large watches for those with small wrists and vice versa. It s a show chock full of ideas and, thankfully, watches. Some other topics weave their way in as well.Handgelenks Kontrolle and Sneakers!Before hitting the main topic of large watches for small wrists and the reverse, though, Balazs talks about one of his favorite other subjects - sneakers. First, there s a Handgelenks Kontrolle that...

Auctions are an interesting platform to see the appetite for certain watches, or in this case, Speedmasters. We recently touched on the topic of auctions and their absurdity, but thats of course not always the case. Regardless of some of the amazing results, auctions give an indication of the popularity or unpopularity of a certain watch or reference.Antiquorums Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces Monaco auction will take place today, January 18th, 2022, at 4:00 PM local time. Nine lots out of the 178 are Omega Speedmasters. Lets have a closer look at three of the Omega Speedmasters that are on the auction block today.Speedmaster BA145.022-69 Apollo XII ve covered this watch here often...