Okay, okay: this isn t a core collection model, because it (like most Antarctique models) is limited. However, in comparison to the piece unique Czapek entered into the Only Watch Auction 2022, this piece is readily available. There will be 77 units of this appetite-whetting prince among men. Smash your piggy banks. Raid your savings accounts. The Czapek Antarctique Rattrapante is the best thing of 2021 so far.Alright, maybe it s the second-best thing after our very own Czapek Antarctique Viridian Green Limited Edition. I didn t want to lean too heavily into that because, well, as you know I m?somewhat biased. So let s remove my verdant baby from the equation and say this: the Czapek Antarct...
It s that time of year again. The Geneva Watch Days event is here. As requested, we re aiming to provide you, our dear readers (and viewers in this case) the most immersive experience ever. Here you will find our frequently updated ticker article, with all the novelties we see throughout the fair. Don t forget to keep an eye on IG live. Frequent sessions will pop up throughout the day to keep you abreast of developments. If you miss them, don t worry. We ll add everything to reels and link to it here.Wednesday, September 1st, 17:45 PM - Greubel ForseyAs I am sure you imagine, it is nothing short of exceptional to see the works of Greubel Forsey up close and personal. We met with the brand s ...
Watch buckles and clasps can take many forms. In today s market, we are truly spoiled for choice. For some brands, the quest to manufacture the perfect clasp is eternal. At times, it can seem as we horologically smitten enthusiasts will never guess what nifty buckle innovations lay just around the bend. As watch manufacturers strive to set themselves apart, buckles and clasps, once an afterthought in design, are now becoming ever more critical to a brand s prestige.For these brands, determining what makes the perfect clasp may not be as straightforward as one might imagine. The least we can do here at Fratello, however, is to make sure you understand your options and the styles available tod...
If you ve read a significant number of my articles, you ll know that microbrands aren t my typical focus. I have nothing against them at all; they simply aren t where I look first. However, every so often something comes along that piques my interest. A recent example of this is the Orodeus Sea Odyssey.Several months ago, I was scrolling through my Instagram feed. The normal wrist shots came up as well as a bunch of stills. Then, I stumbled upon a post that showed a magazine article with a watch on one of the pages. It was from someone I follow, @analoglust. His feed was showing an excerpt from Esquire that discussed independent watchmakers and the small microbrand distributor he co-founded,...
Today, I m taking a look at the Edox Delfin Mecano model. I m not going to beat around the bush or pretend I m seeing something other than I am so I ll get right to it: does anyone else get a strong Zenith Defy vibe from this model? Yes, the Zenith Defy Skeleton models have a five-spoke design where the Delfin has a more symmetrical six-spoke design, but to canter through a watch review without pointing out that glaring similarity would be professionally questionable at best, unforgivably incompetent at worst.It is often said that there is little novelty in modern watchmaking. I would be inclined to agree in (very) broad strokes, simply because so much that can be done on the small canvases ...
Roll up, roll up! The summer has hit The Hague, and Fratello is keen to celebrate. After the fizzing success of March Mania, we are back with the Summer Splash. A new knock-out competition conceived to find the very best summer watch out there, according to YOU, the Fratelli. And guess what? You can win prizes! No, there won t be a watch available this time, but there WILL be some of the finest water-firing weapons money can buy: the Spyra 2 water cannon is reputedly the strongest of its kind ever made. Fancy getting your hands on one? Read on and take part in the comments section of this article.Eight writers will choose three of their favorite summer watches this time around and pitch them...
Since 1904, Oris has strived to make fantastic watches at accessible prices. The brand prides itself on its dedication to this mission, seeing it as an inseparable part of its identity. Through the years, watch enthusiasts have come to love Oris for this commitment to value. Indeed, this is one of the core values upon which the brand was built over 115 years ago.In this installment of A Brief History of Time, we ll explore as much as we can about where Oris came from, its struggles, its accomplishments, and its modern-day success. Admittedly, it s a bit of a daunting task to fit such a long, uninterrupted history into a single article. Nevertheless, I hope you ll stick with me, as we find ou...
The boys are back in town after a desperately long hiatus. We ve plugged in the fridge and switched on the freezer - Balazs and I are back and this week we have our top Olympic moments and some awesome vintage Omega purchases to share with you.We decided to choose our bronze, silver, and gold performers/moments from the Olympics this year, to round off what turned out to be a pretty darn exciting edition of the greatest sporting carnival of all. Normally, I don t reveal much about the show in my notes, but for posterity, I thought it best that I note down the picks for all those that don t have time to listen to the pod but might like to offer their own suggestions in the comments below. Thi...
Watchmaker jargon can be difficult to understand. You read a review about a watch youre interested in, but there are lots of words being used that dont make a lot of sense. Sometimes in the watch industry, we forget that people of all experiences are trying to enjoy the same products. We can be a little non-inclusive when it comes to our vocabulary, instead preferring to stick to traditional verbiage rather than laymans terms. So with that in mind, what is a DLC coating?Traditionally, watches are made of metal. Sure, there are watches made from non-metal materials, but usually, nine times out of ten, the watches we see are made of some kind of metal. Of those metal watches, the vast majority...
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 still affordable. In this installment, we will take a look at the best IWC watches from the 1980s.While the 1970s were a decade filled with tremendous change in t...
In watchmaking, while color isn t everything, it is certainly enough of a thing to make or break a design or to establish a connection with a brand partner, collaborator, or good cause for whom a watch stands for. Although the heroes of Air Zermatt - the Swiss beauty spot s mountain rescue team - fly a red helicopter, Hamilton chose to draw inspiration for the degrade sub-dials see on this special version of the Hamilton Khaki Aviation Converter from the crack team s logo.As you might have noticed, I m quite a fan of green and orange, but I m not averse to a bit of blue and red either! In fact, for a decidedly average-looking man, I have a surprisingly colorful wardrobe. I m not afraid to dr...
Let me start by saying that theres a clear difference between what I want, and what I can afford. But I guess that this applies to most of us. Therefore, I think that it is better to create a watch wish list that is somewhat realistic. Perhaps not tomorrow, or even a couple of months from now, but at some point, I would definitely like to own the watches on this list.Truth to be told, for a few years now, I haven t had that craving that I used to have when it comes to buying watches. I already own or have owned the watches I truly wanted. Only rarely does something come into my path that I want to add to the collection. It is a very relaxed and peaceful feeling; I must admit. But sometimes I...
Greetings, fellow readers! Wrist Game or Crying Shame is here to provide some relief from your fun in the sun with a look at the Sinn 103 St. Before we get to that…Last week, I took you back to a very different time. This was the era when IWC worked with Porsche Design and, oh boy, did they make some real doozies. One such example was the Ocean 2000. This was an incredibly pricey example, but you folks voted on the watch design itself, and wow did you gush. 62% of you wanted to fire up this Porsche and run through the gears because you found it a Wrist Game. Let s shift gears again and move onto a watch from a somewhat related brand. The Sinn 103 St is now in focus.The Sinn 103 StI thi...
Can t you hear, can t you hear the thunder? You better run, you better take cover. Or so said the Men At Work. Now, before you shake your head, thinking, There goes Brandon again with the song references, let s take a moment to consider that statement. Whether or not you actually have to run and take cover all depends on the storm s proximity, doesn t it? Let s be honest here; if it s five kilometers away, you could probably just?leisurely stroll and take cover. And sure, with these newfangled phones and radar apps, you could flick some screens and figure that out. But that s no fun, now is it? For us watch lovers, what s an even more satisfying way to determine the distance between you and ...
I believe that any great watch collection needs to feature at least one iconic chronograph. Whether you love the classic designs of the 1940s and 1950s or prefer more modern models, you are bound to be spoiled for choice. There is something magical about these watches, as they offer the added fun element of daily interaction. It is the complication that you can use every single day at your convenience, either to time things or by simply letting it run. Add a manual winding movement, and there is no doubt that you will form a strong bond with your watch. Let take a look at some of the best chronographs that are a must-have for any collection.But let me start by saying I didn t want to just co...
Can you believe it? I know I didnt at first, but there you have it. The green Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute really does go with anything. And I literally mean with anything. Do You know why? Because it s green, and therefore it probably wont exactly match your outfit of the day. And because it doesnt, it does. Catch my drift?Not too long ago, I went on a quest to find out if the rectangular Reverso was a watch that had I deprived myself of for all the wrong reasons. I found my answer wearing a Reverso Classic Monoface Large Small Seconds. Turned out I had indeed been depriving myself of an undisputed watch icon for all the wrong reasons. I just never realized that a fairly dressy rectangu...
As a bit of a follow-up to an article I published at the start of the year, let s look at some of the vintage watches I ve added this year. For good or for bad, this isn t a complete picture. However, it is fairly representative of where my interests currently lie.Like many collectors, I go through phases. I have my rabid period where I m always on the hunt for various vintage watches. I have quiet times when, if I am looking for anything, it s very specific. Those quiet times, by the way, are the WORST because this is usually when I get a message from someone I know who is ready to sell something epic. Woe is me, right? As I said, this isn t everything that I ve added in 2021 because there ...
Sometimes it s difficult to explain why we buy watches. It can be challenging to articulate the specific reasons why a particular dial or other special feature speaks to us in the way it does. Buying a watch is usually a journey filled with learning and realization that each of us undertakes with fervent passion. These journeys can be enlightening and eye-opening affairs, so in this article, I wanted to share my personal experience of how and why I bought my Grand Seiko SBGA407 Skyflake.The when element of the story is pretty simple. I bought my Grand Seiko SBGA407 Skyflake back in November 2020. This was about a month after I began working at Fratello Watches full-time. I guess I wanted to ...
If you ve spent any amount of time snooping around the world of vintage watches or the history of our culture (which we can now officially use instead of the word industry thanks to UNESCO s recent recognition - read about it here), then you will have heard of the name Gay Freres. The Gay Brothers bracelet-making company was founded in 1835 by two men who, surprisingly, weren t brothers. However, during the bracelet brand s 1970s heyday, Jacques-Hubert and Jean-Francois Gay, descendent brothers of the founder that lent his name to the enterprise, did pull the strings. One of their most famous products was the ladder bracelet that Forstner diligently brings back to life for 2021.I write a lot...
You like the idea of it, its shape, and the overall aesthetic. You ve done a little bit of research, and decided that you want a Royal Oak or even a Nautilus - but that goes without saying. Both Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe have calculated a price for these watches, which can be found in their respective catalogs.? With your eye on the price tag, you ve saved up and grown your savings to match the magic number. Alas, to no avail! Your AD says he cant help you. But not to worry, there are many alternatives that cater to your specific needs, as long as you dont mind another name on the dial. To guide you through an alternative watch world, we put together a list of shadow warriors: a bat...
