We received a box filled with German delights from Glashtte. For this podcast, we picked the Glashtte Original PanoMaticLunar with (forest) green dial to talk about.We covered this Glashtte Original PanoMaticLunar earlier this year written by Balazs, but we received the watch as part of a bigger collection for review and thought it would be nice to chat about it on this Fratello on Air podcast episode. This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings Our Fratello on Air podcast is available via Buzzsprout, Soundcloud, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Deezer,? Stitcher, and Spotify.We talk about the dial, made by Glashtte Original in th...
Nothing beats buying a new watch! We re happy that so many of you purchased the new Fratello Oris Big Crown Bronze Pointer Date! We also receive a fair few questions from interested readers who want to know what s inside the box. And so, RJ and Bert decided to oblige with a short unboxing video for you…This video is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings Detailed information on this new Oris can be found here....
When I initially started Watch Strap Review, my goal was to introduce as many new brands to the watch community as I could. I wanted to make sure that the selection is broad. Whether we are talking about the amount of money a strap costs, the material used in its creation, or its origins. Well soon reach 50 articles, and then Ill have a quick look back, but for today I have yet another brand for you. The country of origin? Iceland! The brand in question? None other than 1787 Straps.I was really excited when the parcel from Eidur (Mr. 1787 Straps) landed on my desk. Not necessarily because of the designs, but also because I knew that what Eidur has to offer is pretty unique. I mean, you did n...
A few days ago, we heard from Fratello s sparkling-eyed sweetheart, Balazs. In his very popular article, he referred to me as the annoying little Brit, which, thanks to the arrival of my new, black British passport is now officially true. I am annoying. I am quite little. And, alongside my Irish nationality by birth, I can now start singing God Save the Queen should the fancy ever take me. I earned this nickname by insisting he write a run-down of his Top 10 Badass watches. He complained before ably turning in a masterpiece. Pleasingly, the comments were engaged and plentiful. One of them asked me to chime in with my Top 10, and so here we are…Where to start? Mostly, we talk about watc...
With the festive season just around the corner, it s time to start planning the perfect gift for the stylish woman in your life. Imagine this: a Christmas tree, a velvety wine, twinkling lights, and… Wait… What s missing from this scene?Watches, of course! And lots of them! Christmas is always the perfect time to treat yourself and your loved ones, and 2020 is no exception. This year we have seen many exciting launches. Which of them will conquer your loved ones heart during this magical season? We ve got a few suggestions for you in this, the best Christmas gifts for women who love watches.?Omega Tresor Moonshine Gold for the Romantic Business WomanTwo years ago, Omega introduce...
In todays selection, you will meet an under-the-radar vintage Tissot chronograph with a Lemania movement, an unusual Worldtimer, and a quartz Tissot that helped get them through tough years and survive. We also wont forget the constantly running monopusher Mediostat or the later lube-free plastic experiment Astrolon Watch…Vintage Tissot T12 ChronographOne of the many models in the Tissot T12 line that includes a simple three-hander or compressor-style dial. They all share a chunky, round, and literally hard to overlook case with hidden lugs. This is 70s style at its best. The chronograph version might be a surprise for you, especially due to the fact that it is powered by a Lemania 87...
This year has been weird, I don t have to do much explanation here. It also applies to my watch collection though, but I am not sure this has anything to do with Covid-19. In previous years, I purchased more watches, and with a higher value per watch. Interestingly enough, the 7 watches I bought in 2020 range from $215 to $14,000. Make sure you re ready to see some quirky choices!For me, it is not so much about the price tag or brand name on the dial. I either like a watch or I don t. However, I have been known to be a bit rash on occasion. Several times this year, I pulled the trigger without really thinking about it. This generally leads to more amusement than regret (as some of the Fratel...
Welcome back to Wrist Game or Crying Shame and this week let s look at the racy TAG Heuer Kirium F1. Let s see if you fancy this once futuristic chronograph. But first…Last week, I served up a cold frothy glass of root beer style. I chose the newest two-tone GMT-Master II with a bicolor bezel. You folks were thirsty and ably chugged down this with a 71% Wrist Game bottoms up! This week, we stay a bit flashy, but head back to the early 2000s with a watch - well, the line anyhow - that was once quite popular. We re choosing the most unique model in the lineup, though, with the TAG Heuer Kirium F1.The TAG Heuer Kirium Formula 1Noted TAG Heuer site calibre11.com tells us that the Kirium...
There s no denying that 2020 has been one heck of a year. Any way you cut it, it s been one we ll all remember for a long time. And thankfully, the luxury watch industry has been providing us with plenty of interesting things to keep us distracted…2020 saw the release of several new models from Breitling, Tudor, and Bvlgari. Today, in Episode 26 (we re back on track with that), Alon and Rob discuss these novelties and pick out their favorites. For the most part, this is a Podcast full of happiness, sweetness, light, and unbridled positivity. That is except for the part when Rob loses his mind (and almost his lunch) while expressing his fervent dislike for one headline-grabbing novelty ...
Im not gonna lie; Reservoir was not on my radar too much before its GT Tour Blue Edition landed on my table. Actually, it landed in front of my door for six hours before I could arrive home to pick it up (thank you, DHL), but thats another story. Not checking this brand out sooner was a grave mistake because this watch is nice. Like, very nice.But of course, as you would have it, having a great watch on the wrist is only one piece of the pie. We need to look at other attributes like the movement, finishing, accessories, and the price. So why dont we jump right in?ReservoirIf you re not familiar with the brand, here are some interesting facts about Reservoir. Firstly, while the watches are Sw...
I have covered the Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo XI Moonshine more than once here. That includes a long-term review on the watch after exactly a year of ownership. But never before I did an article on the bracelet alone. Here we are though: Meet the Nixon bracelet review.The bracelet of the Speedmaster Professional Apollo XI Moonshine deserves its own article. It is that good, in my opinion. And, to be frank, I didn t expect it to be this good. The specifications didn t lie about the small clasp (14mm)? and got me a bit worried at first.The Speedmaster Nixon BraceletBut boy was I worried for nothing. I mean, it is not everyday one spends the amount of a nice car on one watch. It was ...
Unthinkable today, but in the 1960s, Seiko had two of its own factories competing with each other to create the best possible watch. These two factories were Suwa Seikosha and Daini Seikosha. At Suwa Seikosha, the Grand Seiko was created in 1960. A year later, Daini Seikosha came up with the first King Seiko. The competition between these two collections went on till the 1970s.We went quite in-depth about King Seiko in this and this article. And yes, we are fans of those vintage King Seiko watches. You can pick them up cheap (search for the King Seiko 44-9990) from local market places and eBay, for example. But those days might be over starting today, as Seiko introduces the King Seiko KSK S...
Who d have thought Bronze cases and red dials would become an almost mainstream thing here on Fratello? We certainly didn t see this coming, but here we are. Following on from last week s very special limited edition Oris Fratello Big Crown Pointer Date, we have another autumnal vision in bronze for you to feast your eyes upon. The Rado Captain Cook in bronze with a rich burgundy dial joins the club…A year ago, that club seemed pretty exclusive. But now, thanks to the Oris and this latest addition to the Captain Cook range, the Burgundy Bronze Brigade is gaining new members at an unprecedented rate. And why not? It is a color/material fusion that makes perfect sense. Green dials with...
Earlier this year, the watch world was pleasantly surprised to see Czapek s sportiest model to date arrive. the Czapek Antarctique Terre Adelie was, to many (including this writer) a revelation. It took an already strong brand in a new direction. The case, hands, dial, markers, and integrated bracelet established Czapek as a major player in the luxury sports watch sphere. Now, with the follow-up release of the Czapek & Cie Antarctique Passage d Drake, we get another look at this remarkable addition with a brand new dial…As you might imagine, I review a lot of watches. While I would say I m quite easily excited by any brand doing anything good, I am also prone to persnickety critici...
On May 24th 1962, Commander Scott Carpenter was the second American to perform an orbital space flight onboard the Aurora 7 spacecraft. So busy was he taking photos of frost particles, or fireflies that he went off course and overshot the landing by 400km. But from the smooth launch, sitting atop the Mercury-Atlas 7 rocket, to splashdown, the Breitling Cosmonaute was Carpenters watch companion. This journey makes the Cosmonaute the first Swiss chronograph worn in space. But my story about the Breitling Cosmonaute is much more personal. And it begins precisely ten years after Scott Carpenters space flight.The start of a family traditionThe year is 1972, four years after my father won the Germ...
It s bromance time. TAG Heuer and Bamford Watch Department. Most of you will at least be familiar with the Aquaracer line from TAG. These entry-level dive watches have a lot of fans in the community and are nothing if not reliable and well-made watches.They ve always been a little safe in their design from my personal point of view. Reliable? Yes. Solid? Yes. Exciting? Perhaps not so much. Now, this is something I have said very frequently on the site - Taste is subjective. My tastes will differ from yours. With that in mind, I think the new Bamford Aquaracer proves exactly why TAG Heuer keeps going back to George Bamford and rekindling this bromance.TAG Heuer Bamford AquaracerThe Aquarace...
Welcome back to our Watch On Your Wrist? Instagram extravaganza for the last time in 2020! We will soon find out who will be the lucky winner of this year s contest!In case we need to bring you up to speed, this is what happened so far:Every week, we selected four images. You could vote in the article for your favorite image. The winner moved on to the semi-final round (held every fifth week between the previous four weekly winners). The winner of each semi-final went straight into the final.The previous Semi-Finals were one, two, three, four, and five.Over the course of the contest, we have collected over 80 images from Instagram from different users. We checked who tagged our account or us...
I swear to God; this article topic was Robs idea. I mean, what is a badass watch, anyway? Thats not an easy question to answer. The topic is subjective, to say the least, but thats not the only issue. Even if I had an idea in mind, limiting the possible candidates down to watches below $1,000 would be a challenge, at best.This is exactly what this annoying little Brit did to me. Alright, he is not annoying, but he gave me quite a headache with the topic. So I hope you enjoy my Top 10 watches that are badass under 1K. And dont forget to let us know which watch youd add to this list.Disclaimer: The watches are not in any particular order, just the way they came to my mind. Enjoy!1. Any vintage...
We ve seen many new watch brands over the last few years. Norqain was one of them. Many of the initiatives were attic start-ups, born out of a passion for watches. Those often lack a solid plan to become a real well-known watch brand and mainly rely on gut feeling. Norqain was not one of them.Norqain was founded in 2018 by Ben Kffer. And like so many start-ups, this one was to fulfill a dream of building an own independent watch company. But when Norqain came to the market in 2019, it became clear that it wasn t just another well-meant microbrand startup. It appears that the company C besides to fulfill a dream C has been established on solid foundations of know-how and experience. Ben s fa...
Well, well, well. None of us saw this coming. The Omega Speedmaster World Cup has reached the incredibly sharp end of the competition. By this point, we expected to have just four contenders still standing. However, a neck-and-neck contest ultimately marred by voting irregularities in Quarter-Final 4 (between the Speedy Tuesday 1 and the Silver Snoopy 50th Anniversary) saw both watches qualify in a magnanimous dead heat. They join the easy winner of Quarter Final 3, the Ed White 321, championed by Balazs. And so, rather unexpectedly, it is time for you to pick between your favorite of three for the second slot in next week s final…We alluded to the issue of voter fraud in Thursday s Se...
