Youd have a hard time convincing me in March that we would see any more watch releases. With fairs postponing to next year, or cancelling, how would brands react to an unfamiliar release schedule? Even the Grande Maisons such as and Patek, set our expectations very low and swore off 2020 unveilings. But the story of this year, in general, is of remarkable resiliency in the face of adversity.As it transpires, 2020 has been a tremendous year for new watch announcements. Just flick through our help page for all new watches, and you will witness a wide variety of price points, innovation and fascinating designs. We are aware that many digital outlets are vying for your eyeballs these days. That...
We introduced to you the Longines Spirit collection last June, an important new collection for the brand from Saint-Imier. Today, we go hands-on with the three-handed Longines Spirit L3.810.4.53.0.If you d like some more background information on the Longines Spirit collection, please click here for a recap. This review is about the watch itself, how it looks on the wrist, and basically what you ll get for your hard-earned money. Without further ado, let s have a closer look at the Flieger from Saint-Imier.Longines Spirit L3.810.4.53.0The new Longines Spirit collection consists of a number of variations. Besides a Longines Spirit version with a chronograph, the three-hander comes in both 40m...
It took me several years to fall in love with vintage GMT Master reference 1675. I had ignored it so long, that I ended up paying for it. Literally. As both vintage or modern GMT Masters arent cheap, I ve decided to put together a shortlist of my Top 5 alternative Pepsi bezels for you. If you want to thank me, I will accept payment in soda form…Lets see which one wins the Fratelli s heart. To shake it up a bit, we decided to mix together a few modern and few vintage models. And we do not stick with divers watches only, you will find also some day-dates, GMTs, chronograph, and even a quartz watch. Lets get to it.Heuer Autavia GMTA few years ago my internet was exploding here and there...
The breakout British brand Fears expands its cushion-cased Brunswick collection for 2020. Two new models round-out the roster of manually wound mechanical beauties from the revived brand.I have been lucky to witness the growth of Fears watches from the early days of the revival in 2016. Following a 40-year hiatus, Fears initially established a breadth of quartz tickers in the form of the Redcliff. Even from my early exposure to Fears, there was acute attention to subtle details paying homage to its past. The Brunswick model was Fears first mechanical watch that ushered in a new era and eventually led to the discontinuation of all quartz-powered pieces.Brunswick dials bending lightLast year, ...
And now for something (not so) completely different. This is what came to mind when we found two watches from Jaquet Droz on our desk recently. Not so much different because of the looks, but more from realizing we havent covered this brand a lot until now. But its never too late. So we had a proper look at the Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Quantieme in two versions.Seeing these in the (precious) metal reminds me of the time I visited the brand in La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland. During this trip we got an insight into the history of the brand which dates back to? the mid 1700s. Back in the day, JD was known for creating timepieces and automatons. Both of which this brand is known for today.?G...
Its already been a couple of years since the people behind Eza Watches first visited our headquarters in The Hague. This was shortly before the launch of the brand s inaugural model, the Eza Sealander some four years ago.Weve stayed in touch ever since and enjoy an occasional beer with watch talk whenever they re in the area. Where they would have visited again to show us their new Eza Sealander Bronze, this time it was shipped to us due to the ongoing situation.Eza Sealander BronzeFrom the start we were rather enthusiastic about the revival of the Eza brand. And from the looks of it, so are people in the watch community. By saying that, this micro brand has been around for four years now an...
As a watch enthusiast, watches have always been my weakness. Indeed, my Omega collection could map the story of my adult life. Well, youre probably wondering if Omega was, in fact, the choice of my adolescence. Well, yes and no. I wore Baby-G to my primary and secondary school. As a student, I couldnt afford a crazily expensive timepiece so I happily made do with my first Constellation that I got when I was a kid. At that time, despite my love for Constellation, I wasnt even thinking that watches could actually become a thing for me. As you can imagine, there was not a single article to be found on The Top X Women s Watches under $1,000. Also the discussions on womens watches were really onl...
Nothing makes my day as much as discovering horological anomalies. Anything that requires me to mine through forums, archives, and the minds of experts thrills me. The sense of adventure is real! And many of them are so fascinating that its hard to pick just a few of them! Today, we ll look at an unusual crown system and watch case, a witty strap, and off-beat bezel lock systems.Some of these historic enhancements never caught on and thats why you may never have heard of them before. Many of them were cumbersome or impractical. As that was the opposite of what they were designed for, they were shelved. At the end of the day, they only gave watch owners headaches and so they ended up on today...
We received an email from our reader Jeffrey. He wonders how the watch landscape would look like if were wiped from it and its history. We try to answer that question in the best way possible. As we meander down Hypothetical Lane, we took into consideration the brand s accomplishments and innovations, but also made some assumptions. Let us know your take on this alternate history in the comments below…That hypothesis doesnt only affect todays crazy market for () watches, but it might also affect some of the innovations that introduced. Many think that was the inventor of the automatic movement, the date window, the diving watch etc., but thats not true. They might have made one of t...
Ahoy friends and all aboard for this week s edition of Wrist Game or Crying Shame. We ll take a look at the very first IWC Aquatimer Cousteau Divers. But first…Every time I try to have a little fun around here, you guys go and get all kinds of serious. And so it was with the Corum Bubble Shark Diver. You burst my bubble because this expressive diver sunk into the abyss with a 75% Crying Shame loss. Boo hoo! Staying on theme with the water ready, though, let s see if you ll turn a kinder eye to the IWC Aquatimer Cousteau Divers.Jacques Yves CousteauIf Richard Dawson were still alive and hosting one of my all-time favorite TV game shows, Family Feud, I d try to qualify as a contestant. A...
What s better than having a watch for a hands-on review? Having three, of course. Especially if that brand that supplied you with them is called Grand Seiko. While they only differ in color, the Grand Seiko SBGE253, 255, and 257 offer great versatility for any watch lover. These new SBGE models might fill the void that the previous ones (SBGE201, SBGE215, SBGE248) left in terms of looks and size.They are simple, cleaner, and more elegant. While these are not necessarily attributes of a sports model, I m sure many of you who found the previous versions too bulky will enjoy checking these out. So let us help you with that.Grand Seiko CollectionsIf we want to position these new SBGE models in G...
Back in June, I wrote an introductory article for the new Breguet Marine models for 2020. Although technically not new models, the three new additions to the collection debuted a full metal bracelet. In my article, I expressed my appreciation for the engineering, the quality, and the finishing of the watches and especially the new bracelets. Fast forward a couple of months, and I had a chance to find out whether the watches and bracelets are as impressive as I had envisioned them being. I had a chance to go hands-on with the Breguet Marine Alarme Musicale.Before I started writing this article, I thought about how to make this work. The first thing that came to mind was a photo essay of Bert ...
In May, we asked you to participate in a small contest on Instagram. We asked you to share your Speedmaster story. Why is it special to you? Why did you purchase it? And has it witnessed any memorable moments on the wrist.The rules were that it shouldn t be longer than 100 words (very challenging). Well, it took some time, and a little bit of work behind the scenes, but we re finally ready to announce the winners of this little #SpeedyTuesday contest.13 WinnersEveryone who participated is a winner of course, but we selected 13 IG stories to publish on the dedicated Speedy Tuesday website. You can find them here.We loved that astronaut Terry Virts also participated on Instagram with his story...
Today MB&F in collaboration with master engraver Eddy Jaquet releases a series of eight unique timepieces that tell the amazing stories of French writer Jules Verne. The canvas for these incredibly detailed depictions of the eight stories is the MB&F Legacy Machine Split Escapement. During the Geneva Watch Days, we had a chance to experience two of these extraordinary timepieces up close. We were amazed by the detailed brilliance of the MB&F LM Split Escapement Eddy Jaquet Limited Editions. They truly are an escape into the wonderful adventures of Jules Verne.During the Geneva Watch Days, we had a chance to check out a number of MB&F s recent creations. As Rob explained in hi...
After our planned introduction at Baselworld 2020 (remember that?) was - ahem - unable to go ahead, I ve been itching to learn more about the brainchild of Shane Tulloch, having encountered his stunning work online at the turn of this crazy year. Last week, we spoke over the phone about his brand and future vision. Here s the result of that conversation…Rob Nudds: Hi Shane, thanks for taking the time to sit down with Fratello. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your brand.Shane Tulloch: I am the founder and creative director at TULLOCH.I was born in New Zealand, and I grew up around my father s workshop, where he makes custom jewelry by hand. Growing up, I loved the energy and pas...
Ive been searching for a clear definition of what constitutes a microbrand for quite a while. Unsurprisingly, its a hot topic of debate behind the scenes. Even among the Fratelli, there is disagreement. But, perhaps more commonly encountered than disagreement, is confusion. Also, as with most things, there are exceptions to every rule we come up with. A perfect example of this confusion comes from the small independent brand Zelos. And here s why…The cleanest way Ive managed to define a microbrand is an independent brand, practicing a direct-to-consumer model, within an entry-level (<$5,000) price bracket. To my mind, a micro is one of three major brand categories along with indepen...
I love a good auction. They used to scare the heck out of me when I first got into watch collecting. But now I swear by them as great access points for all collectors. If you re just starting out you can always find the odd bargain. Sure, it may go for a low price because no one else likes it, but who knows? It could be the next big thing! For established collectors, auctions present an opportunity to acquire the holy grails of our industry. At 9 pm (UTC+1) October 1st, Veritas Art Auctioneers (based in Lisbon, Portugal) is hosting a very interesting event: Auction 100: Watches.Between September 25th and September 30th, from 10 amC8 pm daily, you ll be able to view the rather vast catalog de...
Waking up every morning and checking my inbox is a treat. As a die-hard watch lover, working within the industry means each day is a little like Christmas morning. Although many days pass without the kind of treats I d gone to sleep dreaming of, every so often I wake up to something surprising. Pleasingly, it isn t always from the brands I d expect. With the release of the Big Zero Malevich watch, Raketa fuses a few of my earliest memories from my career, resulting in something strangely alluring.Raketa is an interesting brand. It is unabashedly Russian. For those with an interest in its (very) long history (stretching all the way back to the time of Peter the Great), this is a positive thin...
I can t express how happy I was to see this Omega release in our inbox. I ve been waiting for this a long time, as the original Seamaster 300M Chronograph in tantalum, titanium, and rose gold from 1993 is one of my favorite eccentric watches.Soon after I purchased the full titanium Seamaster 300M Chronograph (2298.80), I decided my grail Seamaster 300M would be the version made of titanium, tantalum, and rose gold. A few years ago, I made the purchase. It turns out it was more than nostalgia talking. In fact, I wear it quite often.When Omega released the new 300M collection in 2018, the brand also introduced a limited edition model in titanium, tantalum, and Sedna gold. Now, two years later,...
Welcome back to our Watch On Your Wrist? Instagram extravaganza! Tag your watch snaps with #fratellowatches to be in with a chance to win!Every week, we select four images. You can vote in the article for your favorite image. The winner moves on to the semi-final round (held every fifth week between the previous four weekly winners). Win that and you re into the final, which will be held at the end of the year. There will be five finalists in 2020 and ten from next year on.Basically, if you like winning things - and there will be a prize for the champion of 2020 - this year represents your best shot. So get snapping, get tagging, and get sharing. And don t forget to vote (once) for yourself&...
