In this podcast, Balazs and Mike sit down on the very last day of 2020 and hit upon a couple of key topics. Collaboration watches and re-release hope for 2021 are in store in this latest episode.Our Fratello on Air podcast is also available via Buzzsprout,?Soundcloud,?Apple Podcast,?Google Podcast,?Deezer,??Stitcher, and?Spotify. This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings The Handgelenk KontrolleMike kicks things off with this newly received MING 18.01 H41 Diver.Balazs goes vintage cool with his funky and unusual Omega Geneve Dynamic.News UpdateWe then hit the news and talk about the Speedmaster World Cup and our favorite Speedmast...
I have a lot of odd habits. I think it s probably normal for those with minds to which the hobby of watchmaking appeals to have a few neuroses. One thing I am particularly particular about is how I store my watches. As such, I ve been on the hunt for a smart, uniform solution to house my ever-growing collection that now numbers north of 70 pieces. After much trawling, I came across the Bosphorus Leather Watch Collector Case that holds 15 watches. It was one of the two products I purchased from this relatively young company from Turkey and I couldn t be happier with it.Everyone has different preferences when it comes to wristwatch storage. Some collectors prefer to keep their watches in their...
2020 was quite a year in all respects and that s true regarding timepieces. Here were some of my favorite watches over the past 12 months.I recently penned an article on the vintage Japanese watches that entered my collection during 2020. That was a seriously fun article to write, but what about new watches - Japanese or not? Well, I am here to say that this year, of all years, was one of my favorites when it came to new releases. Perhaps I focused more on them than in the recent past, but I don t think so. With so many approachable luxury releases (and many in my favorite dive genre), I really enjoyed myself. Oh, and then there were the bracelets! Seriously, for such a wild year, watch comp...
There is hardly a better indicator of timeless design principles than the continued existence of those principles in the modern world. Here we have a watch that certainly gave the German manufacturer Junghans worldwide recognition. In todays #TBT we have the OG Junghans Max Bill.An architect, painter, sculptor, writer, typographer, graphic designer, and also an industrial designer. You can hardly find a museum that doesnt showcase at least some pieces of his work. Max Bill, the man responsible for even heavy-weight collectors having great respect for this small German manufacturer. Max Bill was born in Switzerland and studied architecture at the Bauhaus school, Germanys foremost school of de...
It was only back in September that I sat down with Nicholas Bowman-Scargill, the 4th managing director of Fears watches. After a long chat about the challenges in the early part of the year, Nicholas finally broke out his Globe-Trotter watch case. Awaiting inside were four Brunswick models in various styles - two from previous years with the original Brunswick and 2019s Brunswick Blue. But also two brand Brunswick watches including todays subject, the Brunswick Salmon.Flashback to this time last year, I went hands-on with the predecessor to the latest Brunswick variation. The Brunswick Blue seemed like a perfect companion for a Barbour jacket/Hunter wellies country walk. At the time, I had t...
If the 1970s Daytona took the 1970s Heuer Skipper on a romantic trip to a desert island, the latest Christopher Ward s C65 Chronograph is probably what they would bring back as a memory of their passionate encounter…Christopher Ward (the brand, not the man) fought COVID last year with a bold diver release that introduced a thick transparent sapphire dial. At the end of last summer, CW revived the legendary EPSA cases with inner rotating inserts operated by an extra crown. Todays C65 Chronograph is the most recent Christopher Ward release that caught my attention. Do they succeed in getting yours?The C65 Chronograph. Original or not?To be honest, I was instantly intrigued when informat...
We can t wait to step into the new year, for obvious reasons, but we do reflect on 2020 as well, of course. It was the weirdest year ever, with no real events taking place, no get-togethers with our readers, not able to travel to Switzerland and talk to brands, to see what s new. And yet, despite that, we ve had a lot of fun writing for the Fratelli. Below, you ll find our Top 25 articles of 2020 in reverse order.It is interesting to see which articles performed best in 2020. It doesn t necessarily reflect one s personal interest in certain watches or brands, but it does indicate what the majority is most keyed-in to. So here it is, our Top 25 most popular watch articles in 2020. You will no...
It s the last Wrist Game or Crying Shame of 2020. Let s end this crazy year with the kooky Milgauss. But first…Last week, just before Christmas, I proposed the Cartier Tank Basculante and your response was a resounding Tank you very much! The Cartier absolutely crushed it with an 87% Wrist Game win. I m not sure if that proves that you all have class or a thing for discontinued watches. Regardless of your motives, you ll have your chance to decide on another bygone timepiece with today s Milgauss 116400.The Milgauss returns in 2007It was way back in 2007 when reintroduced the modern anti-magnetic Milgauss. I recall this period of my life because I was living in a somewhat secluded ...
Old Bamford s been busy this year, but despite his interesting work with LVMH, his own brand, and our friends at Time+Tide, he found time to collaborate with Casio on one of my favorite G-Shock limited editions of recent times.Funny story: I am so anal about my watch collection, I decided that I needed exactly two more G-Shock squares in my collection to fill one row of six cushions in my Casio storage case. Prior to Bamford and Casio announcing their collab, I had four. As soon as I got wind of the new release, I placed an order (with real money) and took delivery of my very own Bamford Casio GW-M5610BWD20-1ER shortly before it launched.…see what I thought about it long-term.Alas, t...
It points out that, in 2020, here on Fratello, I wrote 38 articles. I m writing because I m passionate about watches, so I liked writing every one of the articles. But there s liking and loving. Some of them I enjoyed C probably only a tiny bit C more than others. Looking back on this strange year, I noticed that I love to write in-depth articles about watches that I really know well. More than about watches that were just introduced or presented, I m not such a news-junky anyway.Five 2020 Articles I Loved Writing MostIn ascending order, here s my 2020 Top-5 list of articles that I loved to write just that tiny bit extra over the others:5. Seiko 5 Sports Brian MayBy choosing the presentation...
The Speedmaster First Omega in Space is now being discontinued. What makes the Speedmaster FOiS 311.32.40.30.01.001 so special and do you need to order one while you can?The word has been out for a while already: the Speedmaster FOiS is being phased out. Omega also confirmed to us that it s over and done with. In a lot of countries, they are already sold out and not being restocked. In some countries, you might still be lucky to find one at an Omega boutique or an authorized dealer.Although I like the design and idea of the watch, I never felt a lot of excitement for the Speedmaster First Omega in Space. Mainly due to the sapphire crystal and the modern case back. The number of votes for thi...
The resemblance to the legendary Explorer 1016 is undeniable. After a week on the wrist with the prototype, I see more than a distinct expedition legend. The Davosa North Pole has self-esteem and ice in its veins. Its clinical charisma has won me over. We spoke to the man who is the brain behind this 500 pieces limited collection. I was always fascinated by stories or events, whose details remain unclear or mysterious, says watch designer Mario Gaspar. When I asked him which explorer is depicted on the majestic case back engraving, he replied, I dont know.Iwas understandably confused.Davosa North PoleThe first undisputed expedition to reach the North Pole was that of the airshipNorge, which...
We are living through a golden era of sports watch design. I ve alluded to it countless times this year and blurted it out loud on more than one occasion. At the end of the craziest year I can remember, I can say that despite all of the awful things that transpired in 2020, the luxury sports watch market is fizzing with optimism. I don t mean that to sound glib; in these dark days, we must rush towards the light where we find it. And thanks to Bvlgari the sun is shining brightly towards the future…In 2017, Bvlgari released the Octo Finnissimo Automatic in blasted titanium on a matching bracelet. That case, inspired by the designs of the legendary Gerald Genta, became legendary itself o...
My journey into Seiko and it s watches has been a relatively recent part of my watch collecting journey. Technically, I haven t added any Seiko watches to my collection yet, but there s an excellent reason for this.I m one of those people who go down the rabbit hole when learning about a brand. I like to look at the brand history: where it came from, the older watches in their back catalog, and- Well, that s where I got stuck. Some of the best looking pieces for Seiko came from its back catalog. Seiko did some really cool work back in the 60s, 70 and 80s. While some of the cool pieces did see the light again in the form of reissues, some other seriously badass watches have not been so lucky....
During its short History, Sternglas, the Hamburg-based brainchild of Dustin Fontaine, has managed to turn out a serious number of smart, wearable timepieces for a variety of budgets. On Fratello, were quite fond of this small company, having had the chance to meet with the founder and his team in Munich earlier this year (what a lifetime ago that seems now-). During the Inhorgenta Fair, we were able to try on a great many pieces in the Sternglas catalog. The Edition Companion was one of my surprising favorites, and heres why-Sternglas is a difficult brand to put in a box. As the entry-level price point dukes it out with brands such as Daniel Wellington, Olivia Burton, and Larsson & Jenni...
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 dont forget to let us know which watches youd like to see torn to shreds/effusively exalted next week. Well try and feature as many of our readers choices as we can. After the excitement of our Speedmaster World Cup, it s time to get back into the groove of the Sunday Morning Showdowns. And this is quite a special one. For the final SMS of this year, two iconic Omega James Bond wristwatches go head-to-head.Well, that was a body blow. We waited five years since Spectre...
First things, first, Happy Christmas to all of the Fratelli! From the team here at Fratello Watches, we hope you all had a wonderful day yesterday and that there were many horological gifts under your Christmas trees! Whether those watch-based gifts were from friends, family, or even self-bought - thats not important!Around this time of the year, brands (or, more specifically, the people working for the brands) traditionally tend to have wrapped things up for the Christmas break. Yes, even the watch industry needs a Christmas break! That said, there have still been some exciting things that came up this week. Lets have a look!Grand Seiko GS9 club and SBGE263 Eagle US LEIn some exciting news ...
The first time I encountered Titoni I was presented with a brand I had literally never heard of. And by the time I came face-to-face with these watches in the metal, I d been working in the watch industry for almost 15 years. Had I been being completely pig-ignorant or was there something else at play here that might provide me some sort of excuse for having never heard of the brand before. I decided to find out what I d been missing…Titoni is a Swiss brand. Its prices run from around $450 for the ladies quartz entry point, right up to just over $2,000 for the master series collection on a bracelet. Despite it occupying an affordable price bracket and possessing looks akin to somethin...
My recent article on the new Royal Oak Offshore made me curious about the pre-owned market for these models. Spoiler alert: don t expect anything cheap here. But, I am also happy to see that some of the prices are rather sane. Making some of the AP ROOs more interesting than a new over-retail .I never have owned a Royal Oak Offshore watch. At the time, when I purchase my Royal Oaks, I was just more into those than the Offshores. That said, one of the first APs I ever saw was Gerard s Royal Oak Offshore triple date model (reference 25808ST). If I am not mistaken, he disliked the white date hand so much, he bought a little bottle of Revell paint and made it anthracite. Unthinkable today, but t...
There is no way around it, 2020 has been a weird and eventful year. Looking back at this year, it might be wise to remind ourselves of the amazing releases to which we ve been treated. Some of them defined the year in watches, and some of them you might have forgotten about. It s the latter that could make for a nice Santa gift. Perhaps you neglected to put them on your list, but Santa stepped-up and scribbled them down on your behalf. Why? Because Santa knows best. So let s find out what gifts he came up with that weren t on your list.Before we get into Santa s list of treasures, just a quick look back at watch releases in general for 2020. As per usual, we have seen some amazing releases, ...
