When Seiko launched the first all-mechanical Presage collection in 2016, it was a clear statement. With the Presage line, Seiko presented affordably priced automatic watches that punched way above their weight. Presage takes center stage as Seikos leading mechanical watch collection, the Japanese manufacturer proclaimed. And although most watch fanatics focus on watches and collections with a longer history, Seiko wanted to focus on a new generation of mechanical watches for the current and future generation of watch wearers/lovers. But Seiko still needs inspiration from the past to put Presage in the spotlight. This time around, the brand has found it in the 60s. So, whats (not) to like ab...

Founded in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1891, Angelus built a reputation during the 20th century as one of the most influential horological manufactures. The brands excellent in-house movements and vintage timepieces are coveted by collectors worldwide. My colleague Balazs is a big fan of the brand and owns a couple of vintage Angelus watches. Unfortunately, the brand was one of many that succumbed to the Quartz Crisis. After remaining dormant for over 30 years, Angelus was revived in 2015 by Swiss movement manufacturer La Joux-Perret. Since then, it has become the new sounding point for La Joux-Perret to display some of its most impressive mechanical marvels, including the model we see here today -...

Breitling made 1,000 pieces of this Old Navitimer with the red and white logo at 3 oclock. Thats a lot more than there are pilots in the flight demonstration team of the Royal Canadian Air Force. But no matter: piloting the 1995 Breitling Old Navitimer Snowbirds Limited Edition is a lot easier than doing barrel rolls with a CT-114 Tutor. You just put it on your wrist, close your eyes, and pretend youre a Canadian Maverick. Or Iceman, its up to you.Of all Breitlings, the Navitimer is the one I like the most. I ve owned quite a few of them - my favorite being the Navitimer Fighters ref. A13330 with its brushed case and bracelet- and loved them. Unfortunately, thanks to finding myself tempted b...

When the Grand Seiko White Birch SLGH005 watch was first introduced in early March, I was overwhelmed by the pictures and video we received from Grand Seiko. I couldnt wait to go hands-on with this watch, but, unfortunately, it took a bit longer than expected. But now it is here, and I will tell you what has transpired between the Grand Seiko White Birch SLGH005 and me.I really thought that this watch would be a no-brainer. In fact, I thought I could just order it unseen. I was wooed by the press material and images on Instagram. Simply put, it looked perfect. Well, for once, I am glad I wasnt too trigger-happy. Upon receipt, it was proven once again that sometimes you need to see the watch ...

Welcome, watch-wearing persons to Wrist Game or Crying Shame! This week, we head back to 2008 to take a look at the Panerai Luminor Marina PVD Destro. Are you sinister enough for this one? Before we find out…Last week, I truly enjoyed myself when talking about the original TAG Heuer Formula 1. This cheap and cheerful watch even brought out some great stories from you fine folks about your adolescent years. Sadly, it wasn t all fun and games because the high school bullies gave this one a wedgie to the poor TAG. As a result, this one flunked out with a 56% Crying Shame loss. Boo! Now, let s head to the next decade and talk about the Panerai Luminor Marina PVD Destro. Are you ready?To Te...

Genta is on-trend right now. Across all areas of the industry, we have seen brands riding the Genta-wave with aplomb. While some trends come and go, others stick around because they re timeless. I think we can all agree that the designs of one Mr. Gerald Genta fit that timeless category perfectly. But, with so many brands now taking inspiration from the legendary designer, are we seeing the saturation of the homage market? The Ergon Adventum is a microbrand proposition that wears its inspiration on its sleeve. It doffs its cap to the legendary designer but also maintains its own style and personality.I ve long been an avid follower of the microbrand scene. I love seeing the creativity expres...

Surprise, surprise: we get asked this a lot. What s the best watch to buy? Such a question cannot help but elicit further questions. What s your budget? Will it be your only watch? What do you like, for goodness sake? Mostly, however, despite the well-intentioned questioner desiring a solid, definite, concrete answer, supposed experts like my Fratello brothers and me, prefer to side-step the question - to place the burden of choice back into the hands of the buyer. Well, for all of you that find that tactic unsatisfactory, I have an answer: the Tudor Black Bay 36 M79500-0007 is the best watch on the market right now. And here s why…History, aesthetics, function… These things coa...

There s a line from a song in the musical Chicago that goes, give them the old razzle-dazzle. It seems that Ulysse Nardin‘s design team may have taken that to heart when working on the latest iteration of the Freak X. One look at this new watch from Ulysse Nardin and my eyes are drawn in by the mesmerizing geometric dial pattern. Now, if I can just tear myself away from it for a moment-Photo credit: Smithsonian Magazine (smithsonianmag.com)Origins in maritime camouflageWhile the jarring and sharp contrasting black and white lines make me think of something from a Batman villain s wardrobe, the original inspiration for this stems from a specific type of camouflage used by the British an...

Sometimes it s just fun to be grouchy! Who doesn t love a good whine session every so often? Well, that s me, and today, I m going to talk about three popular modern watches that I simply don t get. However, I will bring solutions…We now live in an age where there are luxury products that seemingly everyone has to have. No, these aren t your run-of-the-mill newest iPhones or the latest Air Jordan sneakers. Instead, these are some mega pricey objects and many are watches. Here s the thing, though, as a watch lover, I just don t get some of these watches. Every watch I ll show you today is undeniably nice, but the secondary prices have the aroma of tulips if you know what I mean. Like I ...

Depending on where you are in the world, it might be starting to look a bit like summer. In my neck of the woods (Dresden, Germany) we re alternating our modes of transport between cross-country skis, rollerblades, and catamarans on a near-weekly basis. Back home in Britain, I ve heard that Manchester is careening from 25 degrees one week to a cozy 4 the next. Anyway, knowing my kinfolk that s still warm enough to reach for the board shorts and lager, so let s say it s time for a list of my top six summer stunners chosen for every situation.Summer is a fabulous time of year. All the doom and gloom of winter (especially a Covid winter) will soon be behind us and with restrictions looking to e...

What up, indie fans! Long time no see! It s been a while since my last Independent Insights column, but I have a small collection of cool things I d like to share with you. This week I have some more prominent brands in the melting pot as well as one microbrand. Before I get started, I d love to hear more from you regarding these articles. Do you like hearing about the bigger independent brands too, or do you prefer the small brands? What do you want to see in this column? I d love to hear more from you! OK, let s do this.Czapek Antarctique Emerald IcebergLet s start with a good one. Let me preface this by apologizing: Czapek has already sold out of this watch. Czapek & Cie. released the...

If it wasnt for a constant stream of new Astron GPS Solar models leaving the manufacture, I may have been led to believe Seiko only had eyes for the past. Retro rules in Japan. And although thats the same as in the rest of the watch world, Seiko is particularly active in reviving the past with re-editions and/or re-interpretations. Seiko helps watch lovers on different budgets relive the past with all kinds of models in different product families. One of the brand s more affordable releases is a revealing trio of open-heart Seiko Presage Style60s watches.Re-interpreting a memorable designTell me honestly, what was the first thought that popped up in your head when you first saw a Presage Sty...

MeisterSinger became famous for its first single-handed watch in the early two-thousands. Ever since then, I ve been a fan. To me, the N01, the original MeisterSinger single-hand watch, looks just as fresh today as it did 20 years ago. Today, we re taking a closer look at the new Bell Hora and see if it lives up to MeisterSinger s charm of simplicity.I was happy to find the newly introduced Bell Hora made available to us by Meistersinger. Having a hands-on experience with this kind of watch really helps. Being able to see the dial in natural light or to listen to its charming chime is essential. The Bell Hora is, like the N01, a watch with just a single hand and no further distracting func...

Hi and hello watch fans, and welcome to Episode 59 WASP 9.2. Balazs is in Hungary; Rob is in Dresden but soon to hit the road once more. As such, a whistle-stop episode of WASP was recorded in between many other things, so our dedicated listeners don t have to go without their weekly fix of Skilly Music s sweet theme tune… This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings Today we talk about the Champions League finalists (and how we called it way back in Episode 9.0), the best watch to wear (or not) while rock climbing, and the watchmaking stories from our own pasts. Do we have heirloom watches in our families? Have we got a family...

Recently, I chatted with one of my favorite artists, Misha Mansoor, about his newfound interest in watches and how it all started. Misha is the founder and one of three guitarists in the American metal band, Periphery. His collection starts with an interest in watch mechanisms and grows to the appreciation of design and history. Whether youre into this type of music or not, Misha is a highly knowledgeable and passionate collector of watches and one of the nicest guys in the music business.Periphery is one of my favorite rock bands in existence. As soon as I heard the opening riff to Icarus Lives from Peripherys eponymous first album, I was hooked. The music is heavy for many tastes but is al...

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 priceless, some of them still affordable. In this installment, we will take a look at the best watches from the 1970s.In the 1960s, we witnessed developments that challenged the status quo of watch design forever. The sheer amount of watc...

We can never get enough MING around here on Fratello and we are pleased to announce another new piece from the scorching hot brand. This time, there s a twist, though, with the first collaboration. Let s check out the new 17.09 MING Massena LAB Limited Edition.Collaborations are all the rage days and people love to see how two forces come together to create something appreciably different. With the new 17.09 MING Massena LAB Limited Edition, we get that in not just one, but two new pieces. To be clear, we expected something else from MING on the exiting 17.09, but we didn t expect this. As we ll see, the result is something in keeping with the MING design ethos (clean and modern) but add...

This year, Zenith dropped a modern update to the legendary El Primero Chronograph: the Chronomaster Sport. With such an iconic watch receiving an update, there was naturally a lot of coverage, and it was quite a marmite design. On the one hand, people loved the classic A338 blueprint brought in the modern age with a ceramic bezel and up-to-date aesthetic. However, the other hand had people less than enthralled that Zenith dared to touch the timeless A386. Some people felt it looked a particular little like a chronograph from a neighboring Swiss brand-The Chronomaster Sport: now in rose gold!Either way, the new Chronomaster Sport was sportier and cleaner, featuring updated aesthetics and impr...

Do any of you remember the concept of a party? Its when a group of people comes together to celebrate something. A birthday for instance or a wedding anniversary. Corona put an end to parties. But anniversaries dont, so when Seiko wanted to celebrate its 140th anniversary the company came up with a clever idea; a watch to replace the cake. The SRPG47K1 is the birthday cake and to share it with a large group of worldwide friends, it is cut in no less than 11,000 slices. We put the Seiko 5 Sports 140th Anniversary Limited Edition watch on the wrist. Heres how it tasted.Lets dig into the cake that is the Seiko 5 Sports 140th Anniversary Limited Edition. First, we look at the size C if youre cra...

During the exhilarating March Mania, we found out that we all love to compare the incomparable. If you had to choose between an eclectic Big eye chronograph Mondia, a juicy three-hander Frenca, or a famous weirdo Spaceman, which one would you go for? Inspired by March Mania I?called my friends from 10ora10 and asked them to send us three watches that have very little in common. They are all watches, but thats about it. Each one is alluring in its own way. Lets see which one gets under your skin.Blood-red FrencaYouve never heard of Frenca before? Me neither. Nor had the almighty Mikrolisk.de, that knows quite a lot. Bookmark it though, it might come in handy in the future. Truth is, I?do not ...