Whats new about the Brellum Wyvern GMT LE1 Ghost Chronometer? If the name didnt give you a clue already, Im sure the picture answered the question. The latest iteration on the brands slim-and-sporty GMT model sees it taking on a black mantle. Both the dial and case have received a generous helping of the somber tone. However, its not all doom and gloom. The Wyverns signature color accents are still present, and the deep navy blue dial offers a subtle backdrop for the ensemble.If youve kept up with our coverage of new releases, youll recognize the Brellum Wyvern GMT. I covered its release earlier this year and got a chance to go hands-on and share my experience with the watch. The Wyvern has ...
And we re back with another shootout round of The Fast And The Fratelli! Over the last few weeks, we ve seen fire and flames. We ve seen both some close wins and complete and utter destruction. It s our contest to find the best racing chronograph, and if you ain t here to race, take your gas back home! Today, Carl F. Bucherer takes on Omega in an underdog story for the annals of horology. Can the young Manero Flyback leave a Speedy in the dust? That is up to you, so don t forget to vote!I can hear the maniacal laughter coming all the way from Germany. Rob s oh-so-obvious pick must have him feeling pretty haughty. And to be completely honest, I don t think I really blame him. His Speedmaster ...
The Titoni Heritage Automatic Chronograph isnt a contender in The Fast And The Fratelli. But it well could have been, if only it had roared into HQ before the Fratelli prepped and tuned their favorite racing chronographs for the competition. A bit of a shame, since the Titoni ticks all the boxes. It has a tachymeter scale, its mechanical, and the combination of red and light blue numbers on an off-white dial is pretty awesome for sure. So, although the Heritage Automatic Chronograph wont win the race, I still took it out for a test drive.The Heritage Automatic Chronograph 94019 S-ST-682 is not the first model we ve featured from Titoni s history-inspired range. Rob wrote about the three-hand...
We who write for Fratello are passionate watch lovers like you. But our writing bears the risk of persuading ourselves to fall in love with one or the other watch or even follow one of the current trends in design. Next to the inescapable vintage trend and the continuously evolving diversity of structured dials in all imaginable color hues, the unbroken demand for what has been named luxury sports watches also haunts us Fratello editors in our dreams.Very few of these sports watches are indeed appropriate companions for really sporty situations. Many are too valuable to risk smashing against sports gear or on the ground when our enthusiasm gets the best of us. Others are plainly uncomfortabl...
You might have noticed several new brands, especially those born on crowd-funding platforms, are using the direct-to-consumer model to slash prices and therefore provide accessible or attainable luxury. Maybe I m a grumpy old cynic or maybe I m just tired of seeing the same uncreative blurb pushed under my nose already well past its sell-by-date despite the enthusiasm of its presentation suggesting it s the freshest of the day s catch. But whatever it is, I m thoroughly sick of this abuse of language and obfuscation of truth. Let s spend a few minutes defining why this practice is a problem and actually serves to harm rather than help the segment of the market those peddling this nonsense pr...
Recently, I went along to the London stop of the IWC roadshow in Covent Garden. It was an excellent opportunity to view watches that seldom see time in a boutique. Take, for instance, the Big Pilot Top Gun Mojave that is garnering a growing waitlist. IWC also demonstrated the relative mass of a selection of its materials. A block of Ceratanium is far lighter than an equal size block of steel, yet still solid and scratch-resistant. The mass delta may not surprise anyone, but experiencing Ceratanium with a 1:1 comparison gave me a newfound respect for material science advances. IWC makes a further advancement today with its first-ever Big Pilot s Watch with a chronograph.Not only is the new Bi...
Rich, action-spiced brand history and an innovative and kick-ass design you would hardly place being 60 years old. I always wanted to try this Zodiac Sea Wolf, and now, here it is. In its full glory on an original Zodiac-signed JB bracelet. And it came with the box. I am a curious subscriber to the vintage add-ons newsletter by our friends at Hodinkee. Like many of us from Europe who already know that we wont buy anything anyway due to huge import customs fees, I?always open the email in no rush. Three years ago, in March 2018, a full-set Zodiac Sea Wolf 1781B?appeared in the Hodinkee Shop and sold for a stunning $4,500. In July this year,?another piece resurfaced on the Hodinkee Shop for an...
Its time for a shootout round! This week, the pre-quarterfinal shootout for The Fast And The Fratelli has begun, with Lex and Ben in a blistering fight. Your voting counts, as it decides who drops out ignominiously, and who comes one step closer to the podium. Today, lined up on the grid is the powerful Ed White Speedy versus the homage champ Uni-Racer from Massena LAB. This is the Norwegian writing the intro after fueling up the Uni-Racer with a distinct feeling of being the underdog in this race. But let s fire up the engines, and you, just vote!As always, both editors will be presenting their watch and giving all the reasons why they believe it should emerge victoriously. Were not just ai...
You must think Ive lost my marbles, surely the Explorer II is a tool watch. Or am I simply on a roll after a well-read article on Explorer I alternatives this week? Well no, and Ill give you my reasons. Unless your daily choice is a vintage Daytona or an 18K white gold AP, the Explorer II is not a tool watch - not anymore. Not for mere mortals anyway. It is a fresh white-dialed GMT watch, perfectly comfortable for traveling, in most cases under an expensive shirt. But even as the underdog it is rather predictable. The Grand Seiko 44GS 55th Anniversary Limited Edition is the sharp alternative. But what about the sensitive Zaratsu polish? Well like the , its not a tool is it, so Ill welcome ...
There is a general consensus within the Fratello offices: for the price, you can t go too wrong with a Sternglas. We all have more expensive watches. Our collections are replete with relative mechanical miracles. The pedigree of some industry legends cannot be matched, of course. But when it comes to a solid, reliable, tastefully designed beater that can carry you from work to the weekend, Sternglas has a raft of decent options.Better still, in my opinion, is how accessible this brand is for budding collectors. Budget is often an issue in the early days of watch collecting, and Sternglas offers an enticing value proposition. In the same way that no serious watch guy or girl will sneer at a C...
We all know watch brands who use exhibition case backs. Some do this to display especially beautiful or complicated movements. However, some of the beloved entry-level watches do so simply to show the wearer the beating heart inside. Seeing the balance wheel oscillating and the rotor spinning around has captured the interest of many of us, leading us deeper down the rabbit hole of watches. But Perrelet often takes a different approach. In its Lab Peripheral line, a subtle rotor spins on the front of the watch. I had a chance to check out two models from the collection - the Three Hands & Date and Dual Time Big Date.Born of the quest for dynamic design, the front-mounted rotor is Perrelet...
Inside all of us, there lives a magpie. For some, the magpie is the dominant beast of the subconscious. It compels its host to seek out shiny things wherever they may lie and scavenge them to beautify their nest. For others, the magpie is small and softly-spoken. But when poked, prodded, or mildly cajoled, it can t help but poke its beak out into the unknown world in search of glittering goodies. I would profess to have a smaller internal magpie than many. However, even I cannot deny that my fluttering forager has stirred thanks to Schofield s latest release. It s a pair of new Treasure Watches that exemplifies the strapline at the very heart of the brand: All We Make Is Treasure.It s hard n...
It s time to burn rubber in Round 2 of The Fast And The Fratelli. You voted, you voiced your opinion, and now two watches have been eliminated from the race. Two qualifying racing chronographs from Round 1 are warming up their tires for a head-to-head shoot-out. This time, we pit two writers against one another for the knockout stage. Who will win? You decide! So, buckle up, get voting, get sharing, and most importantly, get commenting for your chance to win a Traxxas Bandit RC car.Before we drop the clutch, let s back up to round one. Lex gave us the first taste of things to come with his choice of the Chopard Mille Miglia and the Singer Reimagined Track1. They were two good options of raci...
Im only kidding, of course. No need to commit a cyberpunk sci-fi fashion faux pas this early in the week. The latest Hamilton Pulsar dons the black mantle for you, also featuring the iconic green digital text of the 1999 cinematic masterpiece The Matrix. This limited edition release provides fans of both the Hamilton PSR and Wachowskiss iconic film with a perfect wrist-dwelling companion, just in time for the latest sequel in the franchise coming out later in December. Are you ready to acrobatically dodge some bullets in slow motion? Youd better be because this one is taking us straight into the gritty digital sci-fi universe. Is it the One to have though?I hope youve had enough Matrix puns ...
Nezumi, from my neighboring country of Sweden, is a tough fuel-infused brand with a penchant for colorful dials. Rob has professed his love for the brand and I get it. For me, it s moved mecha-quartz up the ladder of cool, adding some super fresh dials along the way. Here is yet another bright piece of wrist candy, this time with a German racing inspiration. How on earth could this make me disappointed?Well, for one simple reason: the new Nezumi Voiture RUF 2 could ve raced up the charts in our ongoing The Fast And The Fratelli contest… if only it had used a mechanical movement! The goal is to find the best mechanical racing chronograph of the last decade, and this new Voiture from o...
Lets call this brand new Seiko watch by its real name. No, not SRPH61K1, as much as that rolls right off the tongue. Id rather go with the Seiko fan-bestowed nickname - the Samurai. The latest makeover of the Seiko Samurai sees the Japanese brand look to its Navy for inspiration. The Samurai as we know it today has been around since 2017. But the previous model (discontinued in 2008) came into the collection in 2004. Back then, a shorter minute hand, a longer hour hand, and a totally different seconds hand made the rounds over a flat dial housed inside the rugged, angular, titanium case. Its signature knurled crown and square profile remain to this day, even in the latest take on this staple...
I love end-of-year retrospectives. It s very enjoyable to go back through a brand s output within one calendar year and compare releases and release strategies around the industry. Although change happens slowly in this business, our lives move very quickly. As such, taking a moment to reflect on developments and novelties can be as cathartic as it is useful for understanding context. NOMOS Glashtte has had another impressive year. In fact, it has been one of the more active (and featured) brands on Fratello. That certainly has a little bit to do with my almost obsessive fandom, but I m pleased to see that the feeling seems to be mutual among the Fratelli.This year saw a cavalcade of core r...
The Swiss town of Villeret is the birthplace of Blancpain, and the brands most traditional, dress watch-like models are found in this namesake collection. When someone says, Blancpain Villeret, it conjures images of white dials, elegant hands, and even moon phase displays for some extra panache. The Blancpain Villeret Quantieme Complet 6654 could be the poster boy for traditional Haute Horlogerie. Imagine an archetypical dress watch with a bit of complicated fluff, and you might well imagine this very same watch. But does it even fit in our modern world? I tried to find out.With a steel case, a white dial, and a couple of complications to make it more interesting, this Villeret is an archaic...
Are you looking for a beautiful watch to pair with your ugly Christmas sweater? A classy companion for the happiest time of the year? A way of keeping your eye on the time between spiked-eggnog-and-turkey-induced naps? Omega has your back! Not just one, but three new stunning models for the Globemaster Annual Calendar lineup are introduced just in time for the end-of-year festivities. These rather festive releases include a steel watch with a pale pine-green dial, a two-tone model with a burgundy dial, and a Sedna Gold bezel, as well as one in full 18K Sedna Gold.As the end of November rolls around, and December sneaks up on us all, theres no better time to get into the festive spirit. And w...
It s Omega versus Breitling - two major players in this last round before we go to the shoot-outs starting on December 1st. In the left track, we find a modern interpretation of the classic Speedmaster, the Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8. It s been praised for its use of ceramic materials and the beautiful, laser-ablated decoration of the movement. In the right track, we have the modern version of the iconic 1980s Chronomat, featuring the return of the rouleaux bracelet.#gallery-1 {margin: auto;}#gallery-1 .gallery-item {float: left;margin-top: 10px;text-align: center;width: 50%;}#gallery-1 img {border: 2px solid #cfcfcf;}#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {margin-left: 0;}/* see gallery_shortcode(...
