Today is, of course, the last day of February, the day before the madness begins! As Rob highlighted, we love a good competition. Thus last week we wondered how cool it would be to celebrate our championship with a bang, and here we are. Do you fancy the brand-new Hamilton Intra-Matic Auto Chrono? Check out what you have to do to win this watch!Play the game!To win the Hamilton Intra-Matic Auto Chrono, all you have to do is:Subscribe to our NewsletterFollow Fratello Watches on InstagramSubscribe to our YouTube channelTake part in #MarchManiaSounds easy, right? It is. As soon as the March Mania tournament kicks off tomorrow, go ahead and dive right into the comments section. We ll be looking ...

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 time, two top echelon chronographs trade blows. The Omega Speedmaster Dark Side Of The Moon in ceramic and the IWC Pilots Chronograph Tribute To 3705 in Ceratanium.In some ways, these watches sit at opposing ends of the spectrum. The recently-announced IWC Pilot s Chronograph pays tribute to the ...

Rob dials in Maurice Lacroix HQ to speak with Thiebaut Bentz, International Product and Marketing Director of the brand to discuss Friday s release of the Aikon Venturer GMT. A short and snappy episode, tune in to stay on top of this week s watch news. This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings Rob s keen to know a few things about the new Aikon Venturer GMT. He asks the thinking behind the design, what Thiebaut s favorite element is, and whether we can expect more from the Venturer GMT in the future. Bentz shares his insights into Maurice Lacroix s target demographic with women and millennials high on his list of priorities going ...

We re two days out from March. Normally, that wouldn t get me so excited. I hate spring. It s my least favorite season. My dear old mum used to express horror at how openly I derided the gamboling lambs, fresh green shoots of optimism, and the soft, diffused post-winter sunlight. What can I say? All that new life puts me on edge… Give me autumn - the season of death - any day. But not this year! Oh no, this year, spring holds the greatest treat of all - another knock-out competition on Fratello. This time, we ve admitted 96 watches we reviewed last year to the March Mania arena. Only one will walk away victorious… It s time to play ball…As you will see in the coming week or...

Just yesterday, we reviewed the new limited edition Alpinist 1959 Re-creation. That watch was an expensive throwback to the original Laurel Alpinist. Today, we look at a series of new pieces dubbed the Alpinist 1959 Modern Re-interpretation series.It s clear that the release of the limited edition 1959 Alpinist Re-creation was a proper surprise. Granted, this watch kicked off a series of watches that is now quite popular. Still, the original Alpinist was and is incredibly rare. The fact that Seiko went down this path is a benefit, though. I say that because almost every time they announce a reissue of sorts, they bring moderately priced serial production watches with modern touches. Today we...

We like to talk about vintage watches a lot within the Fratello team. Where 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. It s 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. But all of them are remarkable watches. This week we ll kick things off with the best watches from the 1950s.The best watches from the 1950s? What does that actually mean? Every week we try to c...

Oh boy, I am like a kid in a candy shop right now. This is the kind of stuff that really gets my horological spidey senses tingling. Lately, I have made no secret of the fact I am a big-time URWERK fanboy. I have no regrets and make no apologies for the fact. Today I get to indulge this adoration by going hands-on with one of the latest offerings from the Swiss masters of innovation: the UR-220 Falcon Project.There is an old saying that you should never meet your heroes because you ll only be disappointed. I think this has a certain level of aptness for the watch world too. When you see some watches in the metal for the first time, ones that you ve dreamed about, sometimes that experience ca...

Here we are in the first part of 2021 and that means it s watch release season! Both Seiko and Grand Seiko have brought their wares, so expect a lot of coverage in the next couple of weeks. Today, we ll focus on the Seiko Prospex 1959 Alpinist Re-creation.I must say that these 1959 Alpinist-themed watches took me by surprise. It s certainly not an unhappy surprise, but as I ve often alluded, the Alpinist has a bit of a fragmented history. It debuted in 1959 and made in several forms for the next six or seven years before disappearing. It wasn t until 1995 that Seiko resurrected the Alpinist name and on very different-looking watches. Within the last year, Seiko has added more watches to the ...

Last year we brought you the Speedmaster World Cup; this year, we re ratcheting things up a gear with Fratello s March Mania…Here at Fratello, we love a good competition. Why? Well, we simply love the sweet smell of victory. No, I m kidding, as much as watching my fellow editors crash and burn at my feet would amuse me, the closest I got to sniffing the title last year was a Semi-Final flattening at the hands of our eventual Speedmaster World Cup champion, Balazs. As such, the smell of victory is unknown to all but one of our team. And while the sharp saltiness of last year s tears has sustained the rest of us into 2021, we re sick of swallowing defeat. It s time to go back to war. How...

Welcome back to Wrist Game or Crying Shame, where, this week, we take a look at the IWC Portuguese Vintage. To consider this one, you ll require a large wrist and a pretty large wallet. Before we head down the path…Last week, I discussed a fancy piece of horology with the Breguet Tradition 7027. What a stunner! Thankfully, most of you agreed as this watch danced its dapper duds to a 74% Wrist Game win. Heck, even our most prolific commenter, Chow, is thinking about donning his leisure suit every week to find a reason to wear such a watch. Please send us a pic! This week, we stay on the slightly dressier side of things, but we up the size spec with one of history s all-time favorite big...

We recently published an article on the Yacht-Master 16622 that I bought last October. I used to have one in 2007, but it had to pave the way for another purchase. Regrets, I have only a few. This is one of them.Sometimes you regret selling a watch, which was also the case with the Yacht-Master 16622. I managed to buy one back, from the same year as my previous one. And in better condition. Together with Karina, I sat down and discussed the most under-appreciated sports out there.We hope you enjoy our video on the Yacht-Master 16622. Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to catch our videos. We are currently publishing two per week....

I ve written quite extensively on the new Grand Seiko 9SA5 Hi-Beat 36,000 movement before and indicated that it could (as I think many of us hoped it would) become a new cornerstone of the brand s catalog. Today, with the official announcement of the new platinum-cased Heritage Collection Series 9 SLGH007, we get to see the 9SA5 in action once more. The only danger with this release? That you ll be too bewitched by that beautiful black dial to notice…The Heritage Collection Series 9 SLGH007 watch is a special piece. Sure, it features one of the brand s most impressive movements. Yes, it has an artful dial. Of course, it is fashioned from platinum. But what is perhaps most important abo...

After I?finished last weeks TBT about the Heuer Monaco, I?immediately thought of this watch. The original copycat is what I?call my lucky Alpina Monaco AL 55-126 44 pick. Now was the perfect time to pull it out from the safe and give it some wrist time. ?Neither the Heuer Monaco ref 73633 nor the Heuer Monaco ref. 1133G (the gray date version without the 12-hour counter)? are particularly accessible watches today. Thats exactly why I went for this unusual Alpina when it popped up on eBay. I?bet I?am not the only one thinking, that the designer who first sketched the Alpina AL 55-126 44 had a few Monaco watches around.No hunting of the Alpina MonacoSo how exactly did I stumble across a watch ...

I ve often said that the real skill in watch design is creating something that is new that initially looks familiar. True art can and perhaps should be challenging, but challenging does not mean ugly. It does not mean unpalatable. Objects should encourage you to ask questions of them. The best provide you with satisfying answers over time. The latest wave of NOMOS Glashtte limited editions sees the oft-overlooked Club Automatic line get three new entrants. We have one in onyx, one in navy, and one in a very fetching olive.All three of these new models are presented on different bands. The onyx dial is presented on the popular NOMOS Sport Bracelet. Both the navy and the olive dials are sugge...

Yesterday and today, Grand Seiko s and Seiko s Media Experience is taking place. Digitally, of course. Where this is used to be a separate journey to Japan, and a fully packed congress room in Basel, we re now following Grand Seiko and Seiko on our screens.The same will apply for Watches & Wonders and Time To Move, but it is the way it is. Nevertheless, Grand Seiko had a +1 hour presentation on their new global strategy and new watches for 2021. Remember the 2019 24 Seasons collection? Meet the four new GMT 24 Seasons watches of the Grand Seiko Heritage collection.24 Seasons – Grand Seiko GMT24 seasons? We have four! Correct. But in Japan, they experience each season (Spring, Summe...

This new IWC Pilot s Watch Chronograph ref. 387905 is a tribute to the famous and highly collectible 3705 from the 1990s. This IWC Fliegerchronograph Keramik, as it is called, was introduced in 1994 and made of - you ve guessed it - ceramic. This watch s production lasted just a few years, and the total production of this IWC was around 1,000 watches.Today, we show you the IWC Pilot s Watch Chronograph Tribute to 3705. Indeed, a very similar watch to the original 3705 from 1994 but with a few important differences. When written in full, the differences consist of the case diameter, the case material, and the movement. Yet, I will still call this a tribute, as sometimes it is not so much abou...

It is a testament to the individual ingenuity of watch designers the world over that I come to work every day and find something to be excited about waiting for me on my desk or in my inbox. I m a big fan of microbrands, as may well be obvious from my previous writings on the subject, but what I often find more compelling than the products themselves is the brand identity they are wordlessly able to create. How tough is it to build a recognizable brand across multiple ranges in a heavily saturated marketplace that ceaselessly stacks the odds against the new guy? Well, according to Leon Leong and the Boldr Venture Un.Dark, while it may not be easy, it is certainly possible. Especially, that i...

Oh, no. Not another article praising the new Speedmaster, I hear you say, as your eyes snap to the title of my article. Without a doubt, this piece is going to talk about the current Speedy. So, if you are fed up with the topic, feel free to navigate back to the main page and look for another write-up. No hard feelings. However, let me quickly try to sum up what I d like to talk about if you ve stuck with me this far.The main idea behind getting the latest Speedmaster was to check it out, of course. I wanted to see a few things up close, namely: how is it compared to a vintage piece? Does the bracelet feel as good as it looks? Can you use the bracelet on other models? Is this iteration of th...

This one s going to be really interesting. For the first time ever on Fratello, we re giving you the chance to design your very own watch and then win it! This concept comes to us courtesy of Von Vogel, a Danish brand that wants to give its customers complete agency when it comes to assembling their perfect watch from a raft of interchangeable components.Simple or complex? Steel or rose gold? Sporty or dressy? Rubber or leather? White? Blue? Black? Silver? The choice is yours. Von Vogel gives customers (and now Fratello readers) the chance to design their own watch using a straightforward customizer tool on the brand s website. Click this link to check it out.The prizeFor once, I can t reall...

The world of collecting watches has changed drastically in the last 10 years or so. While the Nautilus and Royal Oak were considered ugly and over-expensive nonsense watches in the 2000s, they are now the most coveted (and over-expensive) watches today. Only seasoned collectors were after a Nautilus or Royal Oak, now they seem to be the watches every starting collector is aiming for. But is that the way to get into this hobby? Read on to find out…These models are the typical grail watches of today, but that doesn t make them the obvious choices for beginners. In this article, I m offering you 10 tips based on my own experience as a watch collector for just over two decades. I made plen...