The Group Stage is in the books. It s time for the head-to-head contests to begin. Over the next two weeks, we will run two quarter-final match-ups each weekend-one on Saturday; one on Sunday. Our intrepid warriors made it through blood baths of their own making, but now they need your help to fight another day. Only one man can progress from each quarter-final to the next stage. The choice of who receives that honor rests with you. Let battle commence…Now it s serious. The men have now been sorted from the boys. For this third quarter-final, the champion of Group E takes on the winner of Group F. But first, let s have a look at statistics. Almost 2,400 votes were cast in Group E. 45% ...
And so we now move into the end of November, and towards December. The final month of what has been a somewhat unorthodox year, and indeed not what any of us had predicted when we welcomed-in 2020. Its been a slightly quieter week in the world of watches in terms of news, but that doesnt mean weve had nothing of note.Weve seen Laco begins its countdown towards its centenary, Nezumi Studios launch a collaboration with thrash metal legends Anthrax, MB&F release the uniquest piece unique you re likely to find, and IWC drop a colorful Big Pilot. Lets have at it! This week, Rob and Dave take it in turns to present their top watches of Week 47, 2020.Laco Edition 95Rob: As a long-time lover of ...
This week in Pre-Owned Picks, I am selecting five watches in five categories under the sum of $3,000. My selecting process was straightforward. I filtered on the price from $0 to $3k, then chose the watch type, whether that be the complication or the purpose. Drilling down the selecting process, I based my choices purely on what caught my eye.And a lot was vying for my attention. $3k is a great budget to have to spend on a cracking timepiece. Enough to cover a luxury purchase but not so much that the bank deduction is a colossal gut-punch. The categories were harder to choose, however. I did my best steer clear of the typical sports and dress watch types, and find watches with a bit of mecha...
When introduced the Submariner LV in 2003, it raised many eyebrows. The Submariner is one of the most iconic watches in the world. Meaning don t touch it and yet did.The Submariner is one of the divers with the longest uninterrupted production up to today. This watch speaks to one s imagination and it developed itself from being a professional tool watch to a luxury item. In 2003, the Submariner celebrated its 50th anniversary.That was reason enough for to do something completely wild. And so, the idea of giving it a green bezel emerged. This Submariner 16610 received an LV indication, 16610LV, where LV stands for lunette verte. created larger hour markers for this Submariner 50th an...
When Michael wrote his article on the 1962 RADO Captain Cook, I was intrigued. However, I am not that much a fan of buying vintage divers so I was happily surprised when Rado introduced its new Captain Cook in 2017.A vintage diver surely is charming, but I like to wear my watches on daily basis. You can wear a vintage diver every day of course, but I ve had some nasty experiences with lengthy repair processes and unavailability of spare parts. Enter the new RADO Captain Cook. My most favorite edition is the steel one with the green bezel and dial on a beads-of-rice bracelet (that s why we carry it in our shop), but the new bronze cased Captain Cook is very interesting as well.Captain Cook Au...
I?am a?self-diagnosed vintage watch nerd. You can only imagine how many parcels, packages, and boxes I?have received over the years. What you cannot imagine is the creativity of some of the packaging that comes through. Watch collecting is supposed to be fun, right? Well, some of the featured wrapping techniques definitely prove it.If you have ever spent more than $3k or $5k on a watch, you can remember exactly how long you spent fawning over your new watch. I am pretty sure you spent the same amount of time studying each square centimeter of the packaging. Packaging comes in endless shapes, materials, and sizes. The packaging becomes a part of the story. It sets the scene, builds the narrat...
A couple of weeks back, I introduced the newest watch from one of my favorite brands. The Schofield Strange Lights was surely an early Christmas gift and would certainly make a very generous stocking filler. But for those of us that don t quite have that kind of spending power, I have some other options from the Sussex-based brand. I ve got straps, pens, and perhaps the most opulent, divinely crafted watch box you ve ever seen to show you. Grab a fresh mug of cocoa and warm your feet by the fire. This list is about to get festive…Do you ever wonder what to buy the watch lover in your life? It can be tough buying meaningful gifts for friends and family members that clearly (by their int...
If you are on the lookout for an affordable field watch, the chances are pretty solid that Hamilton s name will be at the top of your shortlist. With a pretty extensive range of Khaki Field watches available for under $1,000, the brand has a lot to offer. The latest addition to the Khaki Field King line-up is a stealthy full black version. I went hands-on to determine if this black version offers a new perspective on the familiar Khaki Field King.I like black. If you know me a little bit, you know that s my go-to color with pretty much everything. I have explained this before in articles. It s not a conscious effort. Whenever presented with a choice, I gravitate naturally towards anything bl...
Welcome back to another round of Wrist Game or Crying Shame and this week we take a look at a gold Omega Seamaster 120M. But first…Last week, I discussed what I found to be a lovely Patek Philippe Gondolo 5014G. Despite some cranky comments, 73% of our respondents like putting the art in deco. Today, we stay with the metal of kings with an Omega Seamaster 120M in 18K.It s amazing to think that companies once gave their longtime employees gold watches upon retirement. These days, a lot of companies look to rid themselves of their most dedicated - translation: costly - staffers before they re really ready to retire. In lieu of a gold watch, these folks often hear a chorus of, don t let i...
It s been a long road to get to this point, but we are fast on the way to knowing the identity of our final finalist. With the last of five semi-finals in play, it s time to announce the prizes in play before the final round goes live on December 7th.Hi and hello watch fans! Last night, Balazs and I took to Instagram live to announce the prizes for our long-running Watch on your Wrist contest that has been a weekly fixture during the second half of 2020. We have four finalists confirmed. The fifth will soon be known. Head over to the live Semi-Final to cast your vote and propel one lucky reader into the Grand Finale.What awaits them there are guaranteed prizes! Even fifth place will take hom...
The new Seiko Prospex PADI Monster SRPE27K1 is already quite a few months old. I know, I know It took us a while to feature the watch, but as the bard says, alls well that ends well. I finally managed to put my hands on this new, blue PADI Monster and I must say, I don t really want to part with it.The Seiko PADI collaboration goes back to 2016. This was the year the Japanese brand announced its collaboration with the worlds largest diving network. Four years and many models later (like this and this) we have yet another Seiko PADI. This time, it s coming from the 4th generation of Seiko Monsters.A bit of historySeiko introduced the very first Monsters back in 2001. Those models were the S...
has a strange power over people. Despite my industry experience, I am not an exception to that rule. In fact, perhaps it is exactly because of that experience that I allow myself to submit to its power. I ve not always been this way. I ve been through phases during which I flat-out rejected the very suggestion that I might ever own a , let alone wear one out of choice. Those days are gone. And now, as of two weeks ago, a new era has begun. I bought a . It was a pre-owned Oysterdate Precision 6694. Nothing odd about that, I hear you say. But what would you think if I told you I hadn t spent a moment s thought on this model until five minutes before I pulled the trigger? Insane or inspired? ...
We love those Speedmaster stories appearing in our mailboxes. This week on Speedy Tuesday, we have two more for you. One about a Speedmaster that helped someone with a problem with his hearing, the other one about getting that perfect daily wearer (a Speedmaster 3250.50 Mk40).The first story is submitted to us by Marcus from Switzerland. The land of watches and chocolate, but apparently only the latter applied to Marcus for a long time. Let s find out why.Speedmaster Professional Pre-Moon from 1969Marcus: I am Swiss. So it is very difficult to avoid watches. But I did so successfully for the first forty years of my life. However, that was suddenly changed. An accident flipped the script: in ...
The end of October brought a flurry of news surrounding the new Calibre 400 Aquis. A lot of the usual press channels covered the details. But what was interesting was the number of influencers on social media sharing their shots of the watch. Oris, in its wisdom, sent out examples of the new Aquis to many in the community to maximize its reach under COVID-19 restrictions. Smart move, but with the dust settling and social media checks clearing, what do current Aquis owners think of the new Calibre 400?Robert-Jan Broer went into great depth with his hands-on review of the new Aquis Calibre 400. I am pleased, but not too surprised that he was captivated by the blue gradient dial. The sunburst A...
We all love watches here, otherwise, you wouldnt be reading Fratello Watches, we love them because of their design, technology, mechanical marvels, or just simply love them for no particular reason (some people say this is the best reason to love). Sometimes this love drives us to collect vintage watches which is a path of equal parts of joy and frustration. Over time, however, I ve found that the largest amount of time is dedicated to the hunt. Learning to love that part of the process makes building a collection all the more enjoyable.According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of the verb to hunt is, to pursue with intent to capture or to search out (seek). Both definition...
After his recent triumph in the 2020 championship, Lewis Hamilton s name is the one on most peoples lips these days when it comes to Formula One. After all, he is now the most decorated driver to ever get behind the wheel.His latest win ties him with Schumacher s 7 World Titles. Hamilton also holds the outright records for the most wins (94), pole positions (97), podium finishes (163), points finishes (227), career points (3,738), and points in a season (413). Pretty impressive stuff. That said, to many people, there s another great who tragically left us long before his time. That man is the Brazilian racing legend, Ayrton Senna. In certain circles, he is still considered the greatest raci...
When it comes to watch design, vintage has been the magic word for quite some time. Call it a re-issue, a modern re-interpretation, or simply an updated version of a classic. It s hard to think of a watch industry without vintage-inspired pieces. One of the brands that has mastered the art of vintage-inspired timepieces superbly is Longines. The brand s Heritage collection is full of great watches that link to Longines estimable past. We dived into the collection to find out why the designs make them such great pieces.Retro design is here to stay. It s hard to think of a watch industry without newly introduced watches inspired by the archives of all the illustrious brands. It has been a gre...
I love my job. Seriously, its a very humbling position to be in where my employment affords me the chance to write about the things I love. Not a day goes by where I am not thankful for the opportunities I have to do this. Today is one such opportunity where I have been lucky enough to speak to some of the people behind two of my favorite brands and their latest collaboration: the Linde Werdelin Black Badger Oktopus Blue Sea.James Thompson is the man behind the Black Badger moniker. Hes the man whos worked on some pretty impressive projects as an advanced material consultant with the likes of MB&F, De Bethune, and George Bamford. Rob did an interview with James earlier this year - it s...
We last covered Genteel Handmade back in August this year. Since then, a whole season has passed. Summer made way for autumn and now, as we introduce the fall shades from Genteel Handmade, autumn finds itself giving in to the onrushing winter. And as the months get colder and the nights draw in, we all need something positive to focus on. Thankfully, these inviting hues and tactile leathers from Genteel Handmade are just the ticket…The Genteel Handmade brand is growing. As its reach widens so too does its portfolio. New leathers arrive regularly. Different colors are played with on a seasonal basis. The craftsmanship is ever more refined with each subsequent release. This season, which...
The Speedmaster World Cup Group Stage is in the books. It s time for the head-to-head contests to begin. Over the next two weeks, we will run two quarter-final match-ups each weekend. One on Saturday; one on Sunday. Our intrepid warriors made it through blood baths of their own making, but now they need your help to fight another day. Only one man can progress from each quarter-final to the next stage. The choice of who receives that honor rests with you. Let battle commence…This quarter-final is defined by adding a bit of color to the trusted Moonwatch. Red and white to be more precise. From reading the comments and looking at the number of votes, you guys like a Speedmaster with a co...
