With the 2021 Formula One season starting on schedule, I check out the watch brands that sponsor each manufacturer. Some of the partnerships are new for this year, whereas some are dyed-in-the-wool. There are even F1 teams without a watch sponsor as the season gets going. But no matter the case, I cover each team and weigh in with my thoughts on whether they are a good fit for the chosen watch brand.Did you check out Episode 6.0 of the Fratello WASP Podcast? If not, open your podcast player of choice, and have a listen as you read along. I made a guest appearance to give a rundown on the first European-originated sport to feature in the series. Previously Rob and Balazs focus on the North Am...

The first thing that comes to mind when I look at 99.9% of all Prospex models is: damn thats a lot of watch! Theyre bold, theyre big, theyre present, theyre robust, and, last but not least, a Prospex diver gives you a lot of bang for the buck. The new Seiko Prospex Naomi Uemura 80th Anniversary Limited Edition Watch models in deep blue and (unlimited) dark gray, provoke the same initial reaction. But luckily this write-up will go a lot deeper than that.The professional specifications divers watches from Seiko have quite the reputation. In the field and with the desk divers crowd. Makes sense. Seiko has been at the forefront of the development of divers watches for decades. That led to many h...

During the Watches & Wonders fair, we covered the new NOMOS Glashtte Metro neomatik 41 Update in one of the industry s earliest hands-on reviews (thanks NOMOS). In that review, Jorg took the lead and shared his thoughts about the new Metro. Now it s my turn to analyze the star behind the show: the in-house DUW 6101 neomatik date caliber.If you d like to read Jorg s thoughts on this model and how he fared with it on his wrist for a week, you can find the first article here. Before I dive into what makes the DUW 6101 special, I d like to share my thoughts on the same subject:Why we needed thisThe Metro has always been a favorite line of mine. Despite that, I don t own one. Truth be told, ...

I am not a mono-brand collector, although sometimes it does seem that way. I have watches from all sorts of brands, but the majority are indeed from one brand - Omega.Although I ve touched upon the topic of Omega and its connection with my family before, I thought I would freshen up a story that I wrote a few years ago.Why do I love Omega?I am often asked why I only buy and wear Omega watches. Well, that s not entirely the case of course. I also own watches from other brands like Oris, Breguet, Nomos, , Hamilton, Seiko, Chronoswiss, Breitling, Swatch, G-Shock, and a bunch of other perhaps lesser-known ones. And in the past, Ive owned IWC, Sinn, Audemars Piguet, Linde Werdelin, and others as ...

Hi and hello watch fans and welcome back to Watching Sports and Sporting Watches. In episode 8.0 and we will begin with a short interview, as the Hungarian Horntail takes the reins and welcomes his most charming guest to the smooth booth yet…Spoiler alert: it s Rob. But that s all we re going to say about that. After Balazs has put our resident motormouth through his paces, we kick him into touch in favor of Dave down the pub Sergeant, who phones in (quite literally) to chat some hockey. This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings And to round out the show we have another exhilarating installment of Robley s Believe It Or Not....

This article about fountain pens is written by Samuel Naldi, a friend of the show and founder of Inkstable, the online magazine on fountain pens. We like his work on Inkstable, and also enjoyed his videos on YouTube about pens (and watches). Therefore, we reached out to him to see if he would be interested in trying to explain why watch enthusiasts love fountain pens too. He was, and here s his first article on Fratello. Enjoy!The emotion of a well-crafted timepiece is accurately summarized by a quote from Dan Simmons: In such seconds of decision entire futures are made. Is it the watchs value that makes it so desirable? Or is it having the perfect mechanism to track those seconds that evoke...

A chronograph is one of the most sought-after complications. Not only do I use mine to time a journey, task, or during cooking, it also makes you really interact with your mechanical watch. You visibly set a mechanism in motion when pushing the start button. When the watch has a transparent case back, it is even more fun to watch the parts respond to your command.Omega was one of the remaining big names that had something to offer in this category, but with the introduction of the new Moonwatch Master Chronometer, this belongs to the past as well. With the Moonwatch moving out of this league, I wondered what chronograph under $5,000 (or $5,000) I would buy.I am aware I should know better but...

In the past, I have spoken at length about the importance of color in watch design. Recently, thanks to a dear friend who suffers from quite serious color-blindness, I ve come to appreciate just how lucky those of us that don t really are. The thought of not being able to appreciate the subtle use of shades employed ever more daringly by watchmakers around the world, in their effort to stand out from the crowd, genuinely saddens me. What a loss it would be to not pick up the new NOMOS Glashtte Tangente 41 Update in midnight blue and not be able to enjoy those vivid flashes of Action green…That kind of colorblindness - the kind that makes it difficult to differentiate between blues and...

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.This week we will be looking at some of the best Heuer watches from the 1960s. It s a world of some of the most iconic chronographs we know. It s what made Heuer one of the most important brands of the decade.In the 1960s, we witnessed developments that challenged the status quo of watch design forever. While the 1950s introduced the sports watches next to the dressier time...

Not so long ago, I shared my thoughts on the new SYE MOT1ON meca-quartz chronograph, which brand founder Arnaud was kind enough to let me go hands-on with. I found it to be creative, proportionally interesting, and a satisfyingly executed concept. As I ve made patently clear in the past, I m a fan of the current meca-quartz movement we re seeing in this $300C$600 bracket. I think there is a lot of upside to these affordable, reliable, technically interesting (enough) battery-powered modules. However, I m not deaf to the criticism directed at any watch that lacks a mechanical beating heart. Thankfully for those that loved the SYE concept but yearned for an automatic version, I have one here f...

Now that the Watches & Wonders dust has settled, it is time to have a closer look at some of the new watches. One of the most discussed watches is definitely the new Tudor Black Bay Chrono M79360N.Truth be told, I saw the Tudor Black Bay Chrono M79360N first on pictures, not in the flesh. A day after its introduction, we received the new Tudor Black Bay Chrono M79360N watches in our office, however. These models are chronographs with column-wheel and vertical clutch mechanisms. They are priced around $5,000/$5,225.Tudor Black Bay Chrono M79360NMy colleagues Gerard and Lex were in Brussels at and Tudor, on the day of introduction. Consequently, those of us back at HQ received some quick ...

My favorite Tag Heuer silhouette receives a new facelift with the TAG Heuer Monaco Green Dial Limited Edition release. Green dials have been a bit of a hype colorway this year, and you know what? Im entirely OK with that. Im not one to jump on the bandwagon, but when a brand does the hype color as nicely as this, I can only sit back and admire the view.This tasty green-dialed beauty is limited to just 500 pieces. It celebrates this years Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, of which TAG Heuer is the Official Sponsor. The TAG Heuer Monaco is also the Official Watch of the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix. This goes to show there is more than just a tenuous link between the Monaco watch and its Princ...

The Seiko Astron GPS KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS Limited Edition SSH097J1 shows a design that is inspired by Ludens, a signature icon of the Tokyo-based creative studio. Game creator Hideo Kojima established the studio in 2015 under the slogan From Sapiens to Ludens.Lets start with an ultra-short Latin class: the Latin word ludens unfortunately has no direct equivalent in English, as it simultaneously refers to sport, play, school, and practice. But you get the drift. The term Homo ludens was first used by the Dutch historian Johan Huizinga in 1938. It was the title of his book that discusses the importance of the play element of culture and society. The humanoids called ludens are a fictional race o...

This year s introduction of the new Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch, Seamaster 300, De Ville Tresor, Constellation, and black ceramic 300M? is a good reason to catch up with Omega s CEO and President, Raynald Aeschlimann.On the first (Speedy) Tuesday of this year, Omega introduced its new and improved version of the iconic Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch. A combination of the latest innovation when it comes to movements and heritage when it comes to design. Then, at the end of March, Omega introduced the other aforementioned watches. New models in each Omega collection: Speedmaster, Seamaster, De Ville, and Constellation. Big things!The new Omega De Ville TresorIn conversation wi...

It is the first and only mechanical watch that I ever lost. The fact it was lost for almost a year made me think of it more often than the other pieces in my collection. Even though I didnt wear it often before losing it, the Tissot Carrousel became nostalgically dear to my heart. Last year I?often came home from the office a?bit earlier so I could spend some quality time with my daughter. I?always parked the car in front of the flat and rushed towards our afternoon hour of goofing around outside. The last known whereabouts of this Tissot Carrousel were the playground. Anytime we came close to some sand, I always unstrapped my vintage watch and slipped it into my pocket. As you can imagine, ...

Ninety years ago, Jaeger-LeCoultre created the Reverso. It was an ingenious solution for polo players who wished to protect the glass of their watches while playing matches. The watch became the backbone of the Le Sentier-based manufacture. The most recent execution is the stunning Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Nonantieme. This pink gold two-faced watch celebrates the ninetieth birthday of the Reverso in a complicated yet elegant way. And it also doesnt lack originality.How do you like your Reverso? As a time-only watch with a solid case back like the recently presented green Reverso Tribute Small Seconds? And where do you stand on complications in a Reverso? Proper complications like a v...

I love these contests. It s always a joy and a privilege to see the Fratelli s (often unfiltered) thoughts filling up the comments section. Beyond the amusement, these giveaways have been a source of great discussion. They ve all sparkled in their own way. I find myself learning and constantly reevaluating my own opinions. I particularly enjoy these dream watch questions. Why? Because they shine a light on how we all place a different emphasis on different design elements. Our latest giveaway piece - the Axios Flagship 40 - framed our conversation about what constitutes the perfect dive watch. So let s plunge into the inky blue, and find out what my pick of the bunch was this week…It w...

Im not a sentimental guy. Ok, maybe a bit, but there is nothing sentimental about a column reaching 50 articles, right? I guess so; still, its an awesome achievement. We never expected Watch Strap Review to have this many articles when I started it back in 2014. As this is the 50th episode, heres a bit of a look back on what we have done so far.We cannot look at the past and not contemplate the future. A lot has changed in the industry since the first Watch Strap Review article came out. Fratello received a facelift, a new logo, and a shop, as well as a large editorial team.Do we need straps after all?Ive always loved straps. I told this many items in previous reviews, but this is the sole r...

decided to make Watches and Wonders 2021 all about the Explorer. As always, the news was surprising for what came and what didn t. For some of us, the news of a return to 36mm was welcome… is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you re going to get. Each and every year, the internet wizards bring out their Ouija boards before the shows in an attempt to channel the spirits into revealing the next releases. Just like clockwork, these pundits are wrong on an annual basis. This year, everyone felt that the Explorer was due. Well, they were right, but the predictive details were woefully incorrect.The Explorer was in focus this yearFirstly, refreshed the Explorer II by giving it...

It might not be the first thing that comes to mind when buying a pre-owned or vintage Speedmaster, but what kind of accuracy should you expect from a pre-loved timepiece? Most of the buyers and collectors are more concerned about the watch s aesthetics than the technical condition of the watch, it seems. Let s have a closer look at the accuracy of the Speedmaster and what falls within acceptable parameters.In my opinion, patina has become a bit of a buzzword. Sometimes, it is as if it is the only thing that matters when it comes to buying a pre-owned or vintage Speedmaster. Sure, it is important how a watch looks, but there s more to it than the yellow or green color of hour markers. I ve ma...