If you ve been following the Fratello Instagram account recently and paying particular attention to our stories, you might have noticed that I popped up to Glasgow a couple of weeks back to visit anOrdain founder Lewis Heath and his delightful team of artisans based in the East End of the city.While I was there I learned an awful lot about how enamel dials are produced, and the patience it requires in not just the painstaking research and development phase, but thereafter. Oftentimes, the team is firing three dials simultaneously in the hope just one will survive the delicate process. The method is truly amazing but the craftspeople behind that method are more amazing still.I expressed my ad...

When it came out in 2012 BaselWorld was buzzing because of it. The buzz kind of died C and so did BaselWorld, but thats an entirely different matter C in the nine years that followed. The flagship model presented as some kind of ber GMT, but it never quite make it to the top of peoples wish list. Partly because it all started with models in various precious metals with hefty price tags. But also because a complicated annual calendar with dual time zones is very un-. But still, the Sky-Dweller is the misunderstood genius you need in your life.I declare 2021 the year of the Sky-Dweller. And thats because since this year the ostentatious Sky-Dweller in steel with a white gold, fluted bezel,...

Man, what a watch world we live in these days. Instagram. Hype. Waitlists. Premiums. Whether we like it or not, these are factors that have largely come to define the most popular segments of the collecting scene. As a watch brand, it can be a tricky landscape to navigate. What, exactly, do you do to survive? Do you humble yourself, observe the trends, and allow the desires of the market to dictate your offerings? Or, do you double down on what you do best and resolutely forge ahead?Good question, especially since both options may lead to absolute doom. Give the people too much of what they want? You run the risk of becoming yet another chided bandwagon jumper. Let your hubris get the best o...

Welcome watch fans, to another very special episode of Watching Sports And Sporting Watches. Today, I (Rob) am joined by Fred Buyle, Ulysse Nardin ambassador, professional freediver, passionate conservationist, and, perhaps most interestingly for our community, a real watch guy.You d probably expect a lot more ambassadors to be as into watches as Fred clearly is, but it really isn t the case. I ve encountered sports stars and celebrities that have no idea what their agent is telling them to strap to their wrist. I think that s a real shame. When I was working for NOMOS Glashtte, we discussed the possibility of hiring an ambassador -something the brand has never done - frequently. We came cl...

If youve been following high horology seriously for a while, Chopard will no doubt be a familiar name. The brand has certainly been making a splash in the watch world for some time now.? I dare say, however, that for as many who know and appreciate Chopard s work, there is an equal or even greater number who simply do not. Many of us may associate the name with jewelry, gem-laden womens watches, the Mille Miglia, or even a more controversial model, the Alpine Eagle. Unfortunately, many collectors are still unaware of just how much history the brand actually has, not simply as a jewelry maker, but as a legitimate player in the world of horology. Today, Chopard is not only one of the last maj...

In an industry already saturated with grey and black-dialed dive watches, it takes a brand like Doxa to make a collector really sit up and take note. The new and evocative Doxa Whitepearl dive watch is a new interpretation of the rugged and retro Sub 200 series C a subaquatic watch that extends the brands relationship with color, now in a 7th shade.It isn t just dive watches that Swiss-based Doxa is well-known for. There are other strings to its bow that need some recognition, but dive watches are certainly its forte and over the recent years it has become increasingly difficult not to mention its contribution to the dive watch world, especially when speaking of those occupying the mid-range...

You can opt for a BP with a standard black dial C with white numerals and indexes or retro-colored ones in the Heritage version - or silver in the Edition Las Vegas, or deep Le Petit Prince blue, if you d prefer. Of all these dial executions, the IWC Big Pilots Watch IW501015 is by far the wildest. Unexpected, even, although what once was blue now turns green in the world of watches. Green is THE color right now. So what would you do if you had the choice? Would you go for black, blue, silver, or radiant green instead?There are two types of green in the IWC collection. There are four Spitfire references with a bronze case and a matte green dial that has strong military green vibes. And there...

We like to talk about vintage watches a lot within the Fratello team. While the daily routine is largely focused on the most recent developments in the world of watches, the most fun for many of us lies in the 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 Omega watches from the 1980s.While the 1970s marked a time of tremendous change in the watch industry, the 1980s showed the effects of that ...

I fear that if Certina keeps on doing what it s doing right now, soon I ll run out of superlatives to describe the brand s watches. About a year ago, Certina s new DS Super PH500M VDST was introduced to the market. In 2021 we have yet another DS Super PH500M to drool over, and this might even be better than its sister model.?I mean that in the sense that it s much more of an ordinary watch. There is no connection to an association and no orange dial. What we have is a simple yet functional diver for a fantastic price. So without further ado (and to use a cheesy pun from my dear Rob): let s dive in.?Vintage DS Super PH500MWhen the VDST version came out last year, I already talked about the in...

In 1949, an unknown Czech car called the Aero Minor Sport shocked the worlds best racers. It came second at the 24 Hours Le Mans race, right behind the winning twelve-cylinder Ferrari. Meet the Bohematic Minor, a titanium-cased chronograph with an unusual mesh dial that pays tribute to this successful race car.Its a fascinating story. Only two prototypes of the racing car Aero Minor were ever made and both raced the same 24 Hours Le Mans race. Out of 60 racing cars, only 19 made it to the finish line, including both the Aero Minor cars. Not only did the Czech drivers Krattner and Sutnar come in second after the Ferrari, but their average speed of 99.664 km/h was also the absolute best perfor...

As soon as you enter the world of mechanical watches, it seems like you enter an alternate reality at times. Especially when you have the privilege to write about luxury timepieces, watches that cost thousands and often tens of thousands of Euros are not uncommon to end up in your hands. While experiencing expensive timepieces from up close is absolutely amazing, there is always the reality that most of them will never be a permanent part of my life. But it s time to dream a little and come up with a list of vintage watches I would buy if they were affordable.When it comes to the question of what is affordable, it s obviously very personal. It has as much to do with your spending power as mu...

Have you noticed these four lines of text above the 6 oclock on the Breitling ref. 3865? This -like fairytale read amuses me each time I see it. And trust me, I cant help but notice it each time I look at the dial. It is truly awesome and something I m very happy to share with you today.When one says Breitling, most see pilot chronographs. Divers watches come to mind only later. I bet any diver that does jump to mind is somehow unusual. Let me guess, you see the spectacular slow-motion SuperOcean ref. 2005 or the true collectors grail Breitling ref. 1004. I doubt you, the Fratell, thought about the modest but equally interesting skin diver Breitling ref. 3865.Meeting Breitling ref. 3865The B...

Earlier this year, I had an online talk with Montblancs new Managing Director Watch Division, Laurent Lecamp (43). Amongst other things, I asked him about his favorite new watch in the collection. That must be the new, bronze 1858 Geosphere Limited Edition 1858, he answered. This new Geopshere is inspired by a 2,000 kilometer solo journey by legendary mountaineer and adventurer Reinhold Messner in 2004 through the Gobi Desert. The watch reads like a logbook of that adventure thanks to the colors used, different details and the laser etching on the back. I had to find out more. And now I want to wear the Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Limited Edition 1858 upside down.I didnt just talk about the lat...

How many chronograph nuts do we have in the house tonight? Judging by our loyal following of Speedmaster fans, Id venture to guess quite a few. But whether you love you some sub-dials or just prefer a nice three-hander, we all know what a chronographs main job is: to record elapsed times.When you think about it, this fairly obvious function that unites all chronographs is nevertheless rather remarkable in the swath of its utility. Need to time something? Anything? Its got you covered. 100m sprinter Jesse Owenss 10.3-second Olympic victory in 1936? Check. A life-saving 14-second fuel burn during the Apollo 13 mission in 1970? Double check. My 6th-grade science teachers record-setting trip to ...

Wrist Game or Crying Shame is here with a look at the TAG Heuer Carrera Telemeter. It s a watch that gave us a window into at least part of the brand s future. Will you fall for its trailblazing ways? Before we get to that…Last week, I shared the IWC Fliegerchronograph IW3706 with you and all I can say is, WOW! You fine folks brought this one onto the runway with an 83% Wrist Game landing. I know these were popular, but this blew me away. Do we have a future collectible on our hands? Perhaps, but that s a discussion for a different time. This week, after only a week off, we go right back to talking about the Carrera. However, this TAG Heuer Carrera Telemeter is a newer watch that is so...

Gorilla Watches does not release new watches too often. But whenever the brand announces a new model, I m always keen to find out what s next. Gorilla s newest release is the surprising Fastback Thunderbolt Chronograph. The brand takes inspiration from vintage muscle cars and race cars, so a chronograph makes sense in that daylight. But the Fastback Thunderbolt Chronograph is a very surprising watch. It breaks new ground for the brand in multiple ways.When Gorilla Watches first announced the Gorilla Fastback in 2016, I was interested in finding out what the brand was all about. A brand founded by former Audemars Piguet designers Octavio Garcia and Lukas Gopp obviously came with expectations....

It s a well-known fact among the watchmaking community that I m a Schofield fan-boy. Despite this consistent fandom, I always do my best to take a step back from the novelty in question and ask myself how I would feel if I were coming to this brand cold? My relationship with Schofield started when I was at the British School of Watchmaking. Giles Ellis, the brand s founder, had blazed a trail I wanted to follow. As such, my connection to the brand is very emotional and knotted up with my own personal history. Putting that to one side as best as I can, however, I can say right off the bat that I think the latest addition to the Beater family might just be the brand s best yet. And here s why&...

From G-Shock to High Accuracy Quartz, the Big Three of Japan - Casio, Citizen, and Seiko - are constantly disrupting and contributing to the watch industry. But though their watches may be unique, they make sure to reserve some of the best exclusively for home, the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM). These pieces, like Oceanus and The Citizen, are unknown to most non-Japanese and rare in that they can only be sourced through specific channels. Let s look at an example from each company that captures the essence of what Japan decided is too good for the rest of the world.Japan, specifically its industries, has been ubiquitous for more than a half-century for excellent quality at a value. This cha...

Last weekend, on July 10th, it was three years ago that we - together with Omega - introduced the Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Ultraman, or ST2. In this article, I look back on that special day, and on the Speedmaster ST2.ST1 and ST2 side-by-sideSpeedy Tuesday UltramanA few months after the successful launch of the first Speedy Tuesday, the Tribute to Alaska III (or ST1), we had another idea for a special Speedmaster watch. The idea was for a watch that should be a nod to the rare Speedmaster Ultraman, which is basically a standard Speedmaster Professional 145.012 with an orange chronograph second hand. A lot of extras were added to the Speedy Tuesday Ultraman, including a luminous silhouette ...

When talking about watch collecting, it s important to remember why we re in this hobby: to have fun. At least that should be why. Yes, let s admit, it can be easy to get into heated debates over which brand has the finest movement finishing, the slickest adjustable clasp, or even, *gasp*, the highest resale value. But when it s all said and done, it s always best to view our personal watches as things that bring us joy. After all, there s something to be said for the guy who rounds off his box of Pateks and Langes with a Gerald Genta Mickey Mouse Retro Fantasy just because it makes him smile.To me, the new TAG Heuer Connected Super Mario Limited Edition has the potential to be that one re...