Three of us recently got together from three different countries to talk about our favorite pieces from Watches and Wonders 2021. As you ll see, the choices are eclectic!Balazs, Jorg, and Mike came together to talk about their favorite novelties from Watches and Wonder 2021. The picks were surprising! Just like the recent episode on Watches and Wonder from Robert-Jan and Rob, a did not make the cut. That didn t stop the team from discussing the newest wares from the untouchable brand, though.Pick six - Watches and Wonders 2021 This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings You can also listen to this Fratello on Air podcast via Soundc...

When my grandfather took a bath or even washed his hands, he would take off his Omega Constellation. It had some water resistance, but he just didnt risk it. He bought that watch around his 50th birthday and took great care of it. I imagine he would smile with bemusement at the size of my collection, but also with the oddly idiosyncratic way in which I interact with it and, in no small way in my mind, justify the presence of each and every watch therein…How times have changed! When I take a bath or wash my hands, I do take off my Moonwatch, I admit. But only because I am exchanging it for the Ploprof 1200M, or some other hulking diver that seems up to the occasion. It seems that for ea...

The dust clouds have barely settled after Watches & Wonders 2021, where Bvlgari introduced another record-breaking marvel. The all-new Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar is the seventh record-breaking Octo Finissimo. While this breaking of records is without a doubt spectacular and does wonders for the reputation of the brand, in the end, it s all about having people buy your watches. Without a doubt, the one Octo Finissimo to end up on most people s wrists is the Automatic version in steel. But another great option is the titanium Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT. I had a chance to go hands-on with it to find out how good it really is.Back in January, I also wrote the introduction article ...

Earlier this year, Oris dropped the third generation of the Carl Brashear Limited Edition. As with the previous two Carl Brashear watches, the popular Divers Sixty-Five is the base of this creation. Yet, for the first time, within the bronze Sixty-Five case is a new proprietary Calibre 401 movement. But how does this new watch compare with the regular SW200-powered Sixty-Five?Its now a regular occurrence that each new Carl Brashear dive watch in the collection adds another string to Oris bow. For the inaugural Carl Brashear, Oris gave us the first-ever bronze case Divers Sixty-Five. This watch was one hot tamale back in 2016. I distinctively remember the grudge match that ensued with fanatic...

So, March Mania is officially all said and done. Officially, being the keyword here. There were twists and turns along the way and our mighty champion, the Czapek Antarctique, threw us a few curveballs and knocked out some heavy-hitting opponents along the way. At the request of many readers, we decided to see what would have happened if any one of the closely fought contests had gone against our ultimate champion…On the other side of the draw, the A. Lange & S?hne Datograph Lumen destroyed the competition. As such, it had been the presumptive favorite going into the final against the Czapek. The Antarctique, on the other hand, found itself in brutal back-and-forth punch-ups every ...

Leave it to the Italians to come up with something stylish. Is that a cliche? Maybe, but thats what a cliche is all about. The HTD Safarigraph was designed in Firenze but built for the desert. The original colorway of the 39mm retro-chronograph embodies sprezzatura, or studied nonchalance.It was the Italians who made the Daytona great. Not great again, just great, period. If it hadn t been for them, would still be having a hard time convincing dealers to stock the Daytona. Im exaggerating, of course, but theres a little bit of truth in there. Paul Newman wore a Daytona with an exotic dial on the cover of a highly popular Italian magazine in the early 1970s. And since everybody wanted to be ...

Welcome to Episode 51 of Fratello on Air, otherwise known as WASP 7.0. Today were going to discuss our three favorite sporting icons and which watches wed gift them if we had the chance.We ve got disgraced and redeemed French cyclists, Swiss footballers and tennis stars, Hungarian and Irish soccer legends, a swaggering quarterback, and arguably the GOAT of all GOATs for your listening pleasure. The watches we ve handed over to these sporting heavyweights range from the ludicrous to the luxury. This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings Ending the show today we have a new segment called Robley s Believe It Or Not based on the popula...

Eric from Rico s Watches Podcast asked to appear on his show, which I gladly did, to talk about how I got into watches, starting Fratello and about collecting watches.Not only did he record a podcast, but it is also captured on video (YouTube) so you will be able to see the watches I am talking about. The Rico s Watches Podcast is great fun (he had a number of known and lesser-known guests) and he s a great interviewer.The podcast can be found on Spotify (click here), but also via Apple Podcast (click here), Google Podcast (click here), or simply go here to see on what others channels you can tune into Rico s Watches Podcast.Rico s Watches PodcastAs always with podcasts, you can t see the wa...

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. This week our writers try to conquer the skies with two Pilot s watches: The new IWC Pilot s Watch Chronograph 41 and the Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43.With the online extravaganza that was Watches & Wonders 2021 behind us, it s time to bring you another Sunday Morning Showdown. The past ...

As I am writing this article about my favorite pieces from Watches And Wonders 2021, I find myself surprised at the list of watches I m about to talk about. I know what I like when it comes to watches. I ll happily admit that I have an eclectic taste that is quite different from the rest of the team here at Fratello. Compared to the others, I m certainly a little less traditional.With that in mind, I thought I would give my take on the releases we ve seen from Watches & Wonders 2021 so far. What are some of the more left-field releases that I loved? Which watches make my top five? I m ready for the Fratelli to tell me I need new glasses or something similar, but let me assure you this; I...

Heritage is a word on everybody s lips. In fact, it has been for what feels like years, now. The watch industry is deep into the heritage warren. It is up to brands to engage wisely with this trend. Glibness should be discouraged. Ignorance is foolhardy. Sympathy is crucial to creating a watch that is at once reverential and relevant. Essentially, any attempt at creating a heritage-inspired model must result in something worthwhile. In the context of Titoni s current catalog, I m compelled to claim that the Titoni Heritage 83019 S-ST-638 more than lives up to the task. Why? Because this is something surprisingly new…Exactly how easy it is for a brand to pull off a successful heritage l...

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 dive into the world of King Seiko and Grand Seiko.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. But all of them are interesting watches. In this installment, we will take a look at the best Seiko watches from the 1960s.In the ...

I don t usually buy into the hype around things. When people around me are all praising something, I typically try to avoid it. For example, when Game Of Thrones was on TV, my friends were raving about how fantastic it was and how I simply had to watch it. I declined and didn t even give it a chance. My friends later tricked me into watching an episode, which turned out to be just as good as they had promised, so I went back and watched the entire thing. Curses! At least I wasn t trapped in the one episode a week and months/years between seasons cycle. The same goes for Bvlgari and its Octo Finissmo watches. The hype and praise are unanimous and unrelenting. Today I have been given the Bvlga...

Captain Cook? No, its Captain Nemo Im thinking of when I look at the black, shiny, and semi-transparent aquatic watch on my wrist. Lets go hands-on with the RADO Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic as we welcome a little steampunk to our lives…According to Wikipedia steampunk is a retro-futuristic subgenre of science fiction that incorporates technology and aesthetic designs inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery. I couldnt have said it better myself. One look at the black RADO Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic and ?I think of Jules Vernes Captain Nemo aboard his futuristic submarine Nautilus - a vessel both incredibly luxurious and technically advanced. It must be the mix...

Coming up with five new small brands is easy. The market is flooded with new brands that all try to create their own success. But in the world of watches, getting your name out there is tough. Additionally, the challenge to remain relevant and profitable is an even bigger mountain to climb. But there are watch brands out there whose watches have become hot property. Let s take a look at five that currently are the talk of the town.Creating a list of five successful small brands is easy. But before we dive in, it s good to elaborate a bit more. There is a big difference between the small high-end brands and the small, more affordable brands. For this list, we will focus on the latter. Watches...

To search for a watch that everybody knows? Thats easy. At least from the perspective that it has already been discovered. Often, you just need a lot of cash or enough patience (or often both). But find me a genuine, surprising, and out-of-the-box watch that no one has ever heard of, and you ll have my attention. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the Tellus Reverso.The Tellus Reverso is one of those watches that I never would have put my hands on if it hadnt been for the thoughtful and helpful members of the watch community. I bet all vintage watch collectors are quite familiar with that warm rush of excitement when you bump into something big while searching for your next watch. It doesnt happen o...

Now, two years after the original version came out in 2019, the Lucerne-based watchmaker introduces a new reverse-panda version of the Heritage BiCompax Annual. This steel watch is limited to 888 pieces.Ever been to Lucerne? Its where the headquarters of Carl F. Bucherer is situated. It places the brand in the heart of Switzerland. Land-locked to the max, but nevertheless, the brand ventured out into the world. That expansion led to 350 points of sale worldwide. Thats why the brand says it s at home in the world in its slogan.Still, in the world of watches the name Bucherer is not the most familiar one. But that doesnt mean the high-end mechanical watches that leave the Bucherer manufacture ...

Before the start of any significant watch event, predicting what we re likely to see while we await releases with bated breath is par for the course. But, while arrivals are frequently the topic of discussion, models likely to depart the scene for good are less often thrown out for consideration. Only introduced in 2016, the Air-King 116900 has been a candidate for the chop for the last two or three years. That s quite understandable, too. Fair or otherwise, it is one of the most openly reviled sports models among aficionados.Why exactly is it that the 116900 Air-King isn t popular? There are various reasons, but the most common blame is that its design isn t -like or even worthy. These gr...

The compressor case was a patented case design by Ervin Piquerez, a swiss case maker (EPSA) who sold his cases to a number of different brands such as Hamilton, Bulova, and Longines. Now, sixty years after the invention of the case, Baltic comes up with the Aquascaphe Dual Crown.Ah, the beauty of simplicity. The trusted compressor case bars hostile water trying to invade the watch case with a technically clever construction that is quite straightforward. The case uses a sealing method with an O-ring that becomes more water-tight the deeper the watch goes, because the building external pressure of the water compresses the O-ring further. And when the watch is out of the water the O-ring doesn...

Having initially been postponed due to the coronavirus crisis, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games have been announced for 2021. Following last years limited edition Olympic Games releases, Omega just has announced the Seamaster Diver 300M Tokyo 2020.?Exactly one year ago Omega introduced two modern sports watches - the ichimatsu-moyo-inspired Aqua Terra and the Planet Ocean with the red lollipop central seconds hand. Both models turned out to be a remarkable success even though Tokyo 2020 has been carried over to this year. Will this Seamaster be as successful as its predecessors? Let s see what it s got going for it…The inspiration behind the design?Just like the Aqua Terra, the design of S...