Shipping a watch is a pretty easy and smooth operation. Well, until it isnt. In such cases, its essential to be ready and educated if things go wrong. Sometimes your watches need to move around the globe without your personal protection. When RJ and Nacho fielded the idea of sharing some advice and experience on shipping watches with our Fratelli, I had a sneaking suspicion it would be assigned to me. And honestly, I am delighted it was, as this very idea has been sitting on my to-write list for over a year. So let me dust off my notes and share some insights on shipping and packing watches that youll hopefully find useful.The art of packingWhy was I chosen for this piece? First of all, I co...

What better way to spice up your Moonwatch than with a strap that includes fragments of lunar meteorite? Meet the Moon DNA strap from the Scandinavian company REM Straps. The brand is the brainchild of watch enthusiasts Totte el Siddig and Roger Clementz. Totte has a background in design, and Roger is an engineer. The straps they sell originate completely from Sweden, from design and manufacturing to packaging and shipping.The leather that REM Straps uses comes from Nissafors, a very small place with less than 300 inhabitants. Tanning of the leather takes place in T?rnsj?, another small place north of Nissafors. There, the leather is tanned and processed using traditional plant-based methods...

In the land of the rising sun, the love runs strong, and the heart ticks away the moments worth remembering. These Japanese watches are prime eligible bachelor(-ette?)s looking for their ideal wearer to pick them up and while away the hours in sweet adoration. Today, it s the elegant Grand Seiko SLGA007, the jazzy Kurono Tokyo Chronograph 2, and the shamefully easy Casio MQ24-7B2. They re all fun, in their own way. It s just up to you to which watch you ll say, ˤϡäǤ (Konnichiwa, daisuki desu - Hello, I love you).We here at Fratello have been showing Japanese watches a lot of love lately, to which I say, Kanpai! From a flurry of articles about different elements in the G-Shock line, to...

There s no stopping Grand Seiko! Today the brand introduced its third new reference for 2022, the Grand Seiko White Birch SLGA009. Granted, the other two (SBGA471 and SBGH295) were US-market exclusives, but that s not how the internet works, of course. When news of the new White Birch reached our inbox this morning, I had to look twice to see how it differs from the 2021 Grand Seiko SLGH005. But after taking a closer look, I can confirm that it indeed does!If you re as old as I am and used to playing computer games on PC, Amiga, or some old-school consoles, the title of this article might sound familiar. It refers to a proper old-school game from 1989, called Xenon II - The Megablast. Normal...

It doesnt take more than a quick glance at the new Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Bacchus to realize it. This is not a watch. If youre in the know, the name Les Cabinotiers will make you nod, as it is the single division of this storied manufacture that I would give an arm and a leg to visit. Set aside for Pieces Uniques like this grande complication, most wrist and pocket watches (yes, for your vest pocket) from this inner sanctum of VC do not have a price tag.As the saying goes, if you have to ask, you cant afford it. Suffice to say we are talking hundreds of thousands of Swiss francs, but this is wholly irrelevant. Like my grail watch, this is about something othe...

That s right, we re trying to do keep our podcast on a tight weekly schedule! Fratello On Air returns and this week, Balazs and Mike talk about some wishes for 2022. This isn t a pure recap of a recent 2022 Watch Wishes article, so tune in for new content!Balazs and Mike are keeping the microphone hot! Both return, and while Balazs is not feeling his best, they re here to talk about what they re looking forward to in 2022. Some of those wants are realistic, while others are hopeful thinking.Handgelenks Kontrolle and on to 2022The Handgelenks Kontrolle kicks things off with Balazs wearing his bi-color Datejust 16013 and Mike sporting his Breitling Superocean Heritage 57.? Then, we talk about...

Its always an exciting day when Seiko reveals a novelty. An excitement amplified by the fact that two new watches are being released! Im referring to the new special edition releases for the Seiko Prospex Save The Ocean line. These take the form of a Seiko Monster (SRPH75K1) and a Baby Tuna (SRPH77K1). Though the base models are not new, the color combination and dial are. Both watches feature the signature textured dials that we have come to enjoy from this line of watches. So how do these two new divers hold up in the metal? Well, the undeniable charm of both Monster and Tuna not only shines through, but is complemented by the metal bezels, lovely blue textured dials, and yellow accents.If...

New watches: who doesn t love them? As fans, the latest releases keep us interested and thirsty for more. We ve never had so much to choose from, but have we finally reached the point of too much of a good thing? Let s discuss.Ah, the good old days… It wasn t so long ago when most watch brands released their newest wares on an annual basis. Baselworld and SIHH were the in-person forums where all was shown - and shown all at once! Attending these shows and providing coverage on all the new watches was a test in stamina and memory. As a reader, it probably felt like pure overload. After all the dust settled, though, people could sift through the news from these shows at their leisure for...

The year 2021 saw many significant changes come to the watch industry. Not many of them, however, felt quite as significant as Patek Philippe announcing that the 5711 Nautilus would be discontinued. Sure, this was followed by a number of releases in the Nautilus product line, including the now-infamous green and Tiffany blue-dialed versions. Nevertheless, the message was clear: Patek does not want to become a one-watch brand. And as iconic and beautiful as the 5711 is, there are plenty of other models that deserve far more recognition than they currently get. Swimming upstream or going against the hype doesnt really seem like the logical thing to do for most brands, who simply want to sell a...

To understand why it seems that everybody on Earth wants a , I decided to try and look at it from the inside. Not by trying to see things The Way, but from within the brain of the consumer. Thats right, I will dive into the brain to try and figure out why your Lizard Brain has you lusting after watches. Im not a brain surgeon, nor am I a neurologist, but after plenty of research and putting one and one together, I think the key to explaining the ever-growing urge can be found hidden inside the mirror neurons. Open your mind, and bear with me.You ve heard of the so-called Lizard Brain, haven t you? The Lizard Brain is the popular term used for the limbic system inside our brains. While thi...

The start of the year is one of my favorite times for writing. Why, you ask? Well, it s because the year is so fresh and new. There are no new trends yet for 2022; we still need to give the year a chance to find itself and decide what it wants to be. With that in mind, it s the perfect time to appreciate what already exists with the clarity that the new year brings. Some of a brand s more impressive work can get lost among the noise of its flagship launches. With that in mind, I wanted to take a look at Breguet s Marine Collection. Why? Because I believe it s the unsung hero in the Breguet family.Breguet had a solid year last year. While it released a couple of new additions to the Marine li...

Every watch enthusiast can think of a great discontinued timepiece that should return to the spotlight in a more modern version. At the Fratello offices, we are no different. It inspired us to come up with a series about watches that the Fratello editors would like to see make a comeback. Some of the watches are iconic, some of them are less popular. But all of them are loved by at least one of our editors. Let s look at some of our favorites in this series. Jorg kicks off with the IWC Ingenieur SL Jumbo Ref. 1832.In Fratello team discussions, we regularly dive deep into the archives of a brand to talk about some of the watches from the past that we love. As a result, the question, Wouldn t ...

Aevig is not a brand located inside the Arctic Circle or in Valhalla itself. Nope, Aevig is the brand of Chip Yuen, and hes based in the Netherlands. Chip, with a background in arts, design, filmmaking, and Chinese food - thats the family business - founded Aevig in 2013. His love for watches from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s shines through in every Aevig timepiece. Aevig is the ancient Norse word for eternal, and it represents Chip s never-ending pursuit of perfection on his way to Valhalla. My first encounter with Chips watch vision resulted in a hands-on with the Aevig Thor, a linen-dialed dress watch of modern proportions.My first impression of Chip was that hes a precise and persistent guy...

After my story on the grail watch I wouldn t wear, this is my second story this week with a lateral view on watches. From a $750,000 grail to a $250 Timex Marlin Automatic Peanuts Charlie Brown, both are equally important to keep our love of wristwear alive. A watch? I have the time on my phone, on my laptop, on the coffee machine, and in the car. Surely I dont need it on my wrist! Consider this a quote from any Macbook-toting, Yeezy-wearing member of Generation Z. Could a cartoon-character watch like the Timex Marlin Automatic Peanuts Charlie Brown convince such a person?We can only hope that the trend of going off-grid will work as a counterbalance. An increasing number of people leave...

We like to talk about vintage watches a lot within the Fratello team. Though most of what we write about is largely 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. Its 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, some of them are still affordable. In this installment, we will take a look at the best Breitling watches from the 2000s.By the turn of the millennium, Switzerland had proudly...

If you ve been paying attention since 2017, you might have noticed that Omega has been up to something. Every first (Speedy) Tuesday of the year, the brand has released either a new Speedmaster or something Speedmaster-related, like the caliber 321 re-introduction in 2019. This year, the 65th anniversary of the legendary chronograph brings us the Omega Speedmaster Calibre 321 in Canopus Gold, reference 311.50.39.30.01.001.I am very proud and honored to be able to go hands-on with this new Speedmaster Calibre 321. It s an incredible reproduction of the first Speedmaster CK2915, but in Omegas own white gold alloy, Canopus Gold. As the name suggests, it features the beloved 321 chronograph move...

Do you remember your first watch? Most of us probably have some hazy memories from our early years that we cant quite decipher. Personally, I remember a very small (likely under 30mm) Mickey Mouse watch on a blue leather strap. Theres also a picture in which a five-or-six-year-old me is wearing something on an orange strap on my right wrist. The picture is accompanied by the feeling that it was a cheap toy, rather than anything used to actually tell the time. But the only tangible memory, the only one I can empirically back up with a watch that is still around and ticking, is that of my Casio F-91W.Im sure many of you have similar stories. For a lot of people, the first watch is something th...

The recently relaunched Zodiac Super Sea Wolf line has made a big splash in the watch world. To say such a thing is similar to declaring the Pacific Ocean a pretty large body of water - an obvious understatement. Zodiac s heritage reissues have certainly struck a nostalgic chord with a large segment of the watch-buying public. These vibrant and cheerful timepieces have connected with many harboring a deep-seated desire to own and wear something fun. This is in contrast to - or perhaps because of - the gray gloominess of our times. If there is any single constant that could account for the success and enthusiasm towards these pieces, it would undoubtedly be their bold use of color. Bright and...

For many out there, Patek Philippe is the pinnacle of watchmaking. And rightfully so, with beautiful Complication and Grand Complication watches in the Patek collection. And then, of course, there are the Nautilus and Aquanaut collections, which have reached incredible heights of popularity in recent years. The Nautilus, especially, has been at the forefront of desirability for a while now.But Nautilus fever has not always been a thing. I remember my colleague buying a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1A right at list price when it came out in 2006. At the time of introduction, the retail price was $14,700. It increased to around $16K shortly after, though. Not too long ago, the local authorized...

Western culture likes to take things easy. Take the seasons, for example. We have four of them. But Japan has 24 sekki that mark natures ever-changing seasons. And thats a good thing because the nuances of these 24 periods are way more subtle than the ones we know. For example, in Japan, they have a name for the time when autumn turns to winter. They call that sk, the time of the year when the first frost blankets color the landscape. The Grand Seiko Sk Frost SBGH295 and SBGA471 are frosty beauties with a warm afterglow that capture the natural phenomenon. The two watches are U.S.-exclusive special editions (NOT limited editions, just special ones) that are part of the Grand Seiko Herita...