Fratello has been here since 2004. What started out as a simple blog about watches has become a daily job for an entire team. And also let s not forget about our freelancer contributors that are so incredibly involved and committed.I m sure you might have noticed if you ve been scrolling these pages long enough, but I started out with nothing more than a standard WordPress website with a pretty standard design and minor customizations. I think I even did it myself back in those days, and believe me when I say that a few times I had entire nights without sleep because I needed to fix something in the process of designing or changing. Things were very different back then.Fratello Has A New Des...

Theres no getting around the radiant dark blue Zifferblatt of the pilots chronograph. It really is as blue as blue can be. The manually engraved gray-dialed version may be a lot more understated, but once it grabs your attention it keeps a firm hold of that. The one-of-a-kind Dekorschliff gives this pilots watch an artistic touch. Lets take a closer look at (and behind the dials of) the Sinn 358 Sa PILOT B E And DS Chronographs that recently landed at our HQ.Both Sinn 358 Sa PILOT B E And DS chronographs are timing instruments built with clarity and functionality in mind. For instance, both B E and DS models are waterproof to 10 bar ?? ?both watches meet the technical requirements as set out...

Today, we take a look at one of the most elusive vintage Japanese watches. The Citizen ChronoMaster 500M diver is here and for many, this article just might serve as an introduction.Things are different today in the vintage watch world. Secrets are few and this means that even my beloved vintage Japanese watches are now receiving more and more coverage. Okay, I know that I don t help things, but they re just too good not to share! Good examples of this are the original 300 meter Seiko divers. The 6215 and 6159 models are well known now and, unsurprisingly, they bring high prices now. However, we mustn t forget Citizen. It turns out that they were also hard at work on a truly deep diver, but ...

Wrist Game or Crying Shame is here and you ll soon see that we aren t afraid to plumb the depths to find inexpensive and intriguing watches. Let s see if today s TAG Heuer Formula 1 Professional represents a good catch. But first…Last week, I discussed the JLC Geophysic 1958 and my trying experience at the local AD. Despite that sad happening, the watch itself rose above for a convincing 83% Wrist Game win. It just goes to show that while most of us hated taking physics in school, the word itself doesn t scare us so much. This week, we ll be discussing the TAG Heuer Formula 1 Professional.The TAG Heuer Formula 1 ProfessionalThese days, it s quite hard to believe that TAG Heuer was once...

You know me by now. I m a fiery character. I d love to say it s in my blood, but my folks hail from Norwich - hardly a town known for its hellraisers. Somewhere along the way, an unnaturally large cachet of passion developed within me. This passion frequently escapes in the form of wild rants either aggrandizing or assassinating the latest watch to pass over my desk and/or spend time on my wrist.? Today, I am pleased to say it will be the former. The Echo/Neutra Cortina 1956 Hand-Wound Chronograph caught my eye the moment it was announced. I went back on forth on whether to get one but finally decided to pull the trigger. My only regret? Not getting one sooner.The watch arrived last Thursday...

Recently, we received a very interesting email from a trio of watch fanatics in Norway. The depth of research conducted by Lasse Coucheron, Fredric W. Madsen, and Magnus Berger was truly exceptional. So much so, we re very proud to feature the result of their endeavors here on the pages of Fratello. We hope you enjoy this deep dive into the Heuer 1550 SG Luftforsvaret.#gallery-1 {margin: auto;}#gallery-1 .gallery-item {float: left;margin-top: 10px;text-align: center;width: 25%;}#gallery-1 img {border: 2px solid #cfcfcf;}#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {margin-left: 0;}/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */Fredric W. Madsen, Lasse Coucheron, Magnus Berger, and photographer/transla...

When Omega showed me the 39.7mm Speedmaster Calibre 321 reference 311.30.40.30.01.001, I wasn t left with much to think about. I knew I needed it. And so it happened that a year ago, I received the message that mine was ready. I picked up the Speedmaster Calibre 321, had it resized for my wrist and started wearing it. One year on, it s time to assess whether what was certainly one of my easiest buying decisions was also one of my best…I ve done a video about this watch and written a hands-on review, but I thought it would be interesting to have a proper look back at my ownership of this watch. Am I still as enthusiastic as I was a year ago? Do I still think it would have been nicer to ...

I never quite knew the exact inspiration for the Legacy Machines until I read the latest press release MB&F had sent over. It was very much a what if? fantasy, and I adore these types of hypothetical daydreams - indeed, I indulge myself regularly in the horological make-believe. So, the story goes that Max asked himself: What if I had been born in 1867 rather than 1967?. He hypothesized how he would have designed watches had he been born 100 years prior and designing watches in the early 20th century rather than the 21st? Well, the Legacy Machines were his answer.Mechanical watchmaking 101In 2014, Max Busser released the LM101. After the zany success of the LM1 and LM2, collectors and fa...

Green really is the color of 2021 so far; at least TAG Heuer believes so. Hot off the heels of the recent launch of the green-dialed Monaco, the Swiss brand has decided to green up another of its classics. This time, the Carrera gets goods with the TAG Heuer Carrera Green Special Edition.A new shade of greenThankfully were not seeing a direct port of the Monacos green dial color here. I say that with a healthy dose of respect, though, as that shade was delicious. For the Carrera Green Special Edition, TAG Heuer has chosen a very different shade of green, verging on teal. Its a softer color and one that actually quite suits the Carrera silhouette, with the mixture of blue and green hues that ...

Its time for Two For Tuesday where we consider a pair of watches that just might have to go head-to-head to make it onto your shopping list, or in this particular case, your wish list. Today, we look at a couple of outrageously exuberant creations and present you with an epic showdown between a couple of outrageous tourbillons. Two For Tuesday: Audemars Piguet Black Panther Vs. Kross Studio Death Star promises to be a battle between good and bad, the establishment versus the newcomer, man against machine.When two tourbillons do battle things go wild. If we could travel back in time, we would be able to witness Louis-Abraham Breguet in action when he took his tourbillon creations to the Champ...

Last time out, I gave you a breakdown of all the watch and F1 team partnerships for the 2021 season. In the closing statement, I pondered the possibilities of Omega becoming an official partner of the sport for the first time. That s unlikely to happen with as the official timekeeper. But it made my imagination run wild with other possible tie-ins between carmakers and watch brands. My list today looks at a fantastical selection of collabs. These do not necessarily relate to motorsport, and some only tie a specific watch to a car model.We often dismiss it or lie to ourselves about how much we are driven by marketing. Watch aficionados especially resent the marketing tactics of our favorite ...

Fidel Castro smoked his cigars with a GMT-Master and a gold Datejust on the same wrist. Winston Churchill had a Breguet rattrapante minute repeater pocket watch close at hand. Zenith doesnt need a revolutionary or a statesman to make the cigar/watch connection, it does so all by itself. And has been doing so since 2016 when Zenith created a special El Primero Cohiba chronograph for the cigar brands 50th anniversary. Five years later the Zenith Chronomaster Open Cohiba 55th Anniversary Edition watch debuts.The fact that cigar smokers, no matter how famous they are, wear watches is nothing to write about. What is interesting though is the fact that both high-end cigars and high horology watch...

What could be an in-depth review of the grail Seiko 5718-8000 is now just a?sour announcement. I?am writing it with quite a?deep sadness.Imagine you sell a tiny part of your company - for the first time ever. You get some cash and you think about where to invest the money. As a watch nerd, I instantly thought about investing in a watch. I first leaned towards investing in some recent watch release, but my vintage DNA negated that idea. I d been searching for a decent Ed White Speedmaster for quite some time. I thought now might be the time to grab one. You know how it works, you usually land a special watch when you do not expect it. So when the elusive 1964 Olympic Seiko 5718-8000 popped up...

I ve written extensively in the past about the stunning effect bracelets can have on a watch s character. It is perhaps most apparent to us as watch wearers, consumers, and analysts, just how important bracelet design is to the overall impact created by a new product whenever we shift a watch head onto a new band or bracelet. The transformation is immediate. The watch s mien becomes something else entirely. Whatever the original designer intended disappears from your wrist and a fresh, personal hybrid remains. I myself have fully transformed from an after-market bracelet hater into a bracelet/strap specialist rater. My teammates are partly responsible for this. The other guiltiest party? For...

The last one of our four-category W&W 2021 discussion with Andrew from Time+Tide, Wei from Revolution, Frank from Monochrome, and yours truly. I hosted this video and the category is Future Forward. What are the most innovative watches from Watches & Wonders and bring something truly new to the table?Future ForwardAgain, no budgets or limitations set in this category. Listen to the picks of this small group of watch editors from Revolution Magazine, Time+Tide, Monochrome, and Fratello.? My pick is the Panerai Submersible eLAB-ID PAM01225. It is not so much about the design of this watch, but about the use of recycled materials. 98.6% of this watch consists of recycled materials. It s...

Yo, yo, yo, we ve gone decimal! I knew there was a reason we had those funny old episode numbers. Now we finally know why. The long-planned episode 10 has been delayed because for the first time this year both Balazs (Fridge) and Rob (Freezer) are in different countries (whaaat?).That s right, episode 9.1 (the second installment of our mailbag series) sees the Podcast come to you from Dresden (Germany) and Pecs (Hungary). Our intrepid international impresarios have watches from Omega, Artya, Armin Strom, and more for your listening pleasure. This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings This week, we touch on Murderball (correcting an...

In our Sunday Morning Showdown, two of our writers go head-to-head in an epic showdown for the ages. Strong opinions and hysterical hyperbole are welcome (so feel free to join in with the fun in the comments section below). And don t forget to let us know which watches you d like to see torn to shreds/effusively exalted next week. We ll try and feature as many of our readers choices as we can. In today s episode, we set out on a grand voyage for exotic dive watches over $10,000. The new 2021 Omega Seamaster 300 in Bronze Gold takes on the Glashtte Original SeaQ Panorama Date.Again we are selecting a new 2021 watch for our Sunday Morning Showdown series. But this time, the contender was not...

After the Under 10K watch and the biggest Dark Horses from Watches & Wonders, your host Wei Koh from Revolution will now guide you through the watches we think are batshit crazy.Four Batshit Crazy WatchesThis is an interesting category, as there are no limits or budgets set. As long as it is batshit crazy, everything goes. My pick? See the video to find out, but I can already tell you it isn t just one watch, but a set of watches. Anyway, leave your favourite batshit crazy watches from W&W 2021 in the comments below, and you might win this box filled with Cuban cigars from Wei Koh.What and when are the next categories up and who is hosting what?Sunday 9th May, 10pm AEDT, 2pm CET, 8am...

With summer on the horizon, you might be on the lookout for a watch with a can-do attitude. And not just attitude, of course, it also has to be a watch that walks the walk. Looks are important too. You want something that gets noticed on the wrist. Not because of the logo, but because of a recognizable silhouette and proven design cues. One thing you definitely dont want is to attract any unnecessary attention. So what you want is something that isn t too flashy, but also not too bland, not too shabby, but also not too costly. What we re looking for here, is the very definition of an all-rounder. So what about the Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba Automatic divers watch 43mm with a ceramic bezel? Le...

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 Longines watches from the 1960s.In the 1960s, we witnessed developments that challenged the status quo of watch design forever. While the 1950s ...