Living just 45 minutes away from the Glashtte Original factory, and having worked across the road from the building for three years, following six years with the Swatch Group, you d think I d know everything there is to know about Glashtte s (arguably) longest-running watchmaker. And yet, thanks to a series of understandable coincidences I do not. I enjoyed learning more through the prism of the Glashtte Original Senator Cosmopolite in blue, pictured below for your pleasure.It really is a looker. The lustrous blue dial may well be the aspect that catches your eye first, but the case s arresting proportions will do doubt have some subtle effect on that also. Despite a 44mm diameter and 13....

The Royal Oak Offshore has been incredibly popular since its introduction in 1993. At some point - seems like ages ago - almost everyone neglected the regular Royal Oak, including the 15202, and went completely mad on all the Offshore variation. The Safari themed Offshore was everywhere, for example. Today, I ll take a look at the Royal Oak Offshore 44mm chronographs.For a long time, I neglected the Royal Oak Offshore. Too loud, too flashy, too much everything, basically. That changed when we visited one of the biggest Royal Oak Offshore collectors in The Netherlands in 2018 and did this long report on the original Royal Oak Offshore, also known as ‘The Beast . If you haven t read it, ...

It doesnt happen every year that Christmas Eve falls on Thursday. The last time it happened was in 2015 and over the last few years, I found myself thinking which watch would I choose for a Christmas Eve #TBT. Since I recently and quite unexpectedly landed an Alpina 943 Chronograph, my choice this year was clear.? Why? It is as beautiful and fragile as a Christmas ornament. I have to say, I am quite careful when handling and wearing my vintage watches, but I pretty much wear all of them with no remorse or concern that they will become more used, damaged or even broken. The Alpina 943 however is by far the most fragile watch I have. I remember when I unboxed it and tapped the crystal for the ...

Welcome back to Wrist Game or Crying Shame. This week we put on our fancy duds with a look at the Cartier Tank Basculante 2390. But first…It turns out that the once unpopular Omega Dynamic Chronograph is a rip-snorting cultish success these days. Despite its initial sales flop, a full 69% of you favored this low calorie Omega. If those 800 or so positive voters had only bought one of these watches, perhaps it would still be in the lineup today. This week, we are moving onwards and way upwards with a look at a watch from one of the most luxe brands arounds: Cartier. Enter the Cartier Tank Basculante 2390.Visiting a Cartier boutiqueI often talk about my formative years in South Florida. ...

As soon as I saw the Tudor Royal, I thought OysterQuartz. s quartz watch with an integrated bracelet produced from 1977 (a very good year) till 2003.And before you ask, I think that s a good thing. Watches with integrated bracelets are hotter than ever? - except for the 1970s - and I have a weak spot for the OysterQuartz. In the early 2000s, I had a OysterQuartz Datejust and I enjoyed it a lot. Tudor seems to be on the ball when it comes to watches that appeal to collectors and enthusiasts. Does their Tudor Royal have this effect as well? Let s see. I picked the 41mm reference m28600-0005 with sun burst blue dial.Tudor Royal 41mmThe Tudor Royal 41mm has a day-date complication, which I rar...

Blue dials have been incredibly popular in our industry since mechanical watchmaking burst into life once more in the late 80s and early 90s. Today, we take a closer, side-by-side look at two blue dialed variants of watches we ve covered separately earlier this year in their more muted skins. And I need your help deciding which one wears it better. Allow me to welcome to the stage, the Seiko Astron SSH077J1 and the Seiko Prospex SPB187J1 dive watch.Here on Fratello, we love Seiko. And if you re looking for an article that sums-up why, this may well be it. Here we have two completely different 2020 releases. Both of these watches are well made. Both are reasonably priced. But perhaps best o...

Of course, over the course of 2020, Omega introduced more than three Speedmaster watches. However, the release calendar was significantly scaled back in comparison to previous years. It seems that Omega took the feedback on limited editions very seriously.In all honesty, I somewhat regret the fact that there was no limited edition Speedmaster Professional for 2020. I love the standard Moonwatch, but I also like to add some variation as I consider myself to be a collector of Speedmasters. A limited-edition is not a bad thing, but what is bad, is that there are people who just buy them to flip them immediately to make a quick buck. It drives up the prices, and - just as bad - takes the spot of...

In this podcast, I talk with OMEGA s Mr. Andreas Hobmeier, Vice President of Production and Procurement, about Master Chronometer and the role of METAS. We speak about all the facets of Master Chronometer, and why precision and anti-magnetism is such an important topic.I recently had a wonderful conversation with Mr. Ansdreas Hobmeier, to which you can listen below, or use one of the many platforms out there. Our Fratello on Air podcast is available via Buzzsprout, Soundcloud, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Deezer,? Stitcher, and Spotify. Below, you can also find an overview of what Master Chronometer is about, and the role METAS plays.Podcast with Andreas Hobmeier This podcast player is blo...

We take a look at a fun and highly affordable release in the guise of the Timex MK1 Mechanical. Spoiler alert: for this price, this is about as good as it gets.The rise of Timex has to be one of the more fascinating stories over the past several years. Historically, Timex was America s version of Seiko. They were known for making inexpensive, yet durable watches with hundreds of styles. When I was a kid, their mechanical time teacher watch was a typical gift at some point. Somehow, though, the company faded a bit during the later 80s and 90s. While watches like the Ironman series kept them well afloat, their mechanical watches disappeared. The hand wound Marlin kicked things off several ye...

Who doesn t like multi-functional, go-anywhere, do-anything watches, eh? And when it comes to gift buying, you re probably best off covering as many bases as you can. I thought long and hard about the kind of watch it s hard to criticize. Although these choices are certainly not dainty watches, the versatility and wearing enjoyment promised by GMT Dive Watches is out of this world.I would say if you re buying for a guy or girl that is known to like big, sporty watches, and is a fan of techy, over-engineered aesthetics, this is a list for you. There s a range of price points below, starting below $2,000 and moving up to a shade over seven grand. But the great thing about all these watches, de...

Usually, around this time of the year, you look back at the year that (almost) lies behind you. Due to the current situation, there isnt much to look back at or I simply just want to forget about it as soon as possible. And while thinking about it and translating that feeling to watches, something else came to mind. Sometimes you sell a watch and many years later you think, why? So heres my list of watches I (sort of) regret selling or not buying.When it comes to watches Ive always been pretty straightforward. Either I love it or hate it, or as Rob likes to call it I find one naughty or nice. Looking at where my watch adventure started back in the days, the focus has really been rather narro...

As the festive season approaches, many of us are gearing up for some serious gift-giving. But before you get to give those gifts, you ve got to decide what to buy! If there is a dedicated watch nut in your life, I ve got a few slick storage suggestions for him or her. And if you feel you ve been particularly good this year, but doubt Santa cares given you re the distinguished side of 40, feel free to treat yourself. No one s going to hold it against you. It s been a rough year, after all…Despite the madness of this pandemic, I ve had a pretty fun year. Sure, I miss my family, my friends, and my home, but I m happily settled in Germany with my girlfriend and (most crucially) my watches ...

If you collect watches (or are thinking of starting a collection), keeping them safe and protected is wise. Finding adequate coverage for a collection that could very quickly be worth thousands is essential. In the past, however, finding sufficient coverage from a company with the necessary understanding of and experience in the watch industry was just about impossible. With that in mind, HODINKEE set out to change the insurance experience.The company formed its own insurance agency, partnered with the world s largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company, Chubb, and created HODINKEE Insurance, a modern, streamlined insurance for watch collectors.Like many watch enthusiasts...

It s no secret that we are fans of the Rado brand here at Fratello. Especially the vintage-inspired timepieces. These throwback fancies are loved by many Fratello team members. But the brand also made its mark in the 1990s with the introduction of a series of black ceramic watches. The material, the color, and the minimalist design propelled the Rado name to the forefront of the watch industry. The all-new Rado True Square Automatic Open Heart is a brand new addition to the Rado collection that takes us back to that time. And it brings back a lot of memories.Whenever I think of Rado, I think of its fully black ceramic watches. As a teenager, the sight of a black Rado Ceramica in a retailer s...

So I won the Fratello Speedmaster World Cup 2020. Actually, I didn t win anything; it was the watch I was assigned to as custodian for this competition s length. Is it my merit that we came out first? I doubt it. It has to be the charm of the 321 Ed White.One thing is for sure; I have not written so much, so many times about one single watch than I did about the 321 Ed White. So this article will be my victory lap. Let s how a look at each piece now. We ll pay tribute to my amazing teammates who took up the glove (and failed), one after the other ???Group E: Balazs and 321 Ed WhiteI presented my four Speedies pretty late in the World Cup, being in?Group E. More came after me, but more about ...

Here we are, in the final run-up to Christmas! It s been a long time coming in a long year. There s been a lot of up and downs, but at this time of the year, we like to focus on the good stuff. Christmas should be fun and enjoyable - Goodness knows we need it to be this year!Thankfully the watch world doesn t disappoint and delivers some fun and grooviness. Santa is immortalized in watch format (FINALLY!) - that is itself should be enough, but there s also some other coolness if you read on!Konstantin Chaykin Santa 2020 WristmonChristmas is nearly here. This time next week, Santa will have been down your chimney or other appropriate entry point and deposited vast numbers of gifts under your ...

Well, what a massacre the Grand Final turned out to be! Perhaps we should have had the Ed White ranked higher when we started the competition. Somehow, despite it clearly being beloved by the Speedy community, it feels like a bit of a dark horse winner. But I m all for dark horses - the darker the better! And this dark-dialed beauty finally put the dog to the sword, slaying the Snoopy most of us thought would win…But what did we?want to happen? Who did we?want to win? As the rounds progressed, we all threw our allegiance behind different survivors. Some of us championed the Alaska over the Tintin in that memorable back-and-forth quarter-final. A plucky one or two hopped on the seriousl...

Its no secret - we love a chronograph or two here at Fratello. Theres the obvious Moonwatch, but Navitimers and Daytonas get some attention too. But there are plenty of cool chronographs outside of the trifecta of iconic two pusher timers. Todays Pre-Owned Picks selects chronographs worth a punt on the largest online watch marketplace. All watches are offered with original box and papers.All these watches were selected carefully by me without any influence from Chrono24. I chose the topic and found suitable wristwatches that related to the topic. I only request the high-resolution photos from Chrono24 without the watermark. As these are only my suggestions, it is worth always carrying out yo...

Fratello is a broad church. We want everyone that visits our site to feel welcome and find something for them among our many pages. As such, in the run-up to Christmas, we want to focus a little more on ladies watches. Of course, these articles are mostly for our female readers, but also provide valuable insight into some of the watches the women in your life may be lusting over this yuletide.Today, two of our editors, Kristin and Franziska, share a recent email exchange regarding the perfect watch for the festive season. We d love to know your thoughts on the format, so drop us a note in the comments section at the end of the article.19th November 2020Dear Franziska,I hope you are doing we...

When Longines introduced their Legend Diver a few years ago, it came in two flavors. A date and a non-date. At some point, Longines decided to only continue with the date version.Sure, Longines has its Skin Diver without a date, but that s not the same. I was very happy - and a little bit surprised - to see that the Longines Legend Diver in bronze has no date. I am not really in favor of date windows on a watch (exceptions exist of course), so I am biased anyway. We did a Wrist Game Crying Shame article on a Legend Diver No Date and you were brutal as well though, 78% voted for the Legend Diver without a date. Now, they make one again! And it is in bronze!Longines Legend Diver BronzeWhat we ...