The watch industry acts conservatively. Too much innovation is considered risky. Accordingly, many new watch models are, to a certain extent, predictable. As much as we love to be presented with what we hoped for, real surprises make our hearts beat faster. So, let s take a look at those less anticipated novelties that made us sit up and notice. Let s explore the three most surprising new watch models of the recent past.In 2020, watch brands are even more cautious than in 2019. Unemboldening sales numbers have slowed the flow of new models. The closing of facilities due to Corona has nearly stopped the delivery of newly produced watches.That was different in 2019. Remember the riot-like reac...
Glashtte Original has created quite some waves with its annual editions. The craftsmanship in dial making has resulted in some stunning dials in previous years. In this video review, we ll take an in-depth look at the annual models for 2020. The brand decided to tone it down a bit for this year but the results are equally striking.Back at Baselworld in 2018 Glashtte Original released the first annual editions to much critical acclaim. The annual models are the perfect showcase of the incredible level of in-house dial making. At Baselworld 2018 the brand introduced the Sixties and Sixties Panorama Date featuring a remarkable textured green dial. In 2019 followed by the same models with a Fi...
Look at your perfectly framed , Omega, or Breitling vintage ads and tell me, have you ever thought to frame the old Seiko ads too? Our colleague Jorg did some elaborate work over the last year and compiled a shortlist of 31 remarkable print ads. His selection revealed many interesting facts and insights. You can find them here or here. Once you ve polished-off those articles, grab some extra popcorn, and continue with this one, and this one too.The fact it took so many articles is unsurprising. There are a lot of ads. But now, its time to turn the ship and head to Japan.Growing Seiko clanAs we see the vintage Seiko tribe growing quickly (blame Mike), we are sure a look back on some of the ...
The word icon is thrown around way too often for comfort, in my opinion. But, like it or not, every brand has them within its history. The definition of the word - a person or thing regarded as a representative symbol - lessens its grandiosity and clearly makes it the perfect descriptive term for the TAG Heuer Carrera, a model which has, alongside other iconic pieces from the brand (such as the Monaco) defined the company s character for decades. Now it s time for the latest chapter of this icon s history to be written with the release of the TAG Heuer Carrera Sport Chronograph 44 mm Calibre Heuer 02 Automatic Watch.Updating icons is a tricky task. You cannot deviate too much from the script...
Dive watches are immensely popular amongst watch aficionados. However, most of them are never used for the task for which they re designed. I ve been diving for quite some years now. As such, I ve always worn a dive watch from my collection alongside my trusty dive computer. Here are five watches that I actually used while diving.Often people are afraid to use their watches in or underwater. The fact is that the meters indicated on a watch do not correspond to the actual depth you can take it underwater. I can imagine that that leaves you a bit puzzled about the actual depth the watch is suitable for. All kinds of rules circulate the Internet, but in general, a watch rated 200 meters waterpr...
And we re back with another episode of Wrist Game or Crying Shame, the weekly go or no go article where you choose whether to launch. This week, we take a look at a modern rendition of the Speedmaster Mark II. But first…The old saying of size doesn t matter rang true regarding last week s Air-King for $3,950. Despite its un-kingly diameter of 34mm and lofty price tag of $3,950, condition counted. And your votes counted as well as you crowned it with a 57% Wrist Game win. But what happens when a king abdicates its throne? Who shall be the successor? Today s watch isn t so much of a follow-up, but more like an addendum. Enter the Omega Speedmaster Mark II.The Speedmaster Mark IIIf you r...
Today, Omega introduces its gent s Constellation 41mm. We had the opportunity to go hands-on with the new Constellation 41mm, a watch based on the 1982 Manhattan.If you re looking for a historical overview of the Constellation Manhattan, check out our previous articles here and here. The Omega Constellation 41mm watch is very similar to the recently introduced 39mm version. But there are, of course, a few differences that I would like to share with you, along with some lovely hands-on images taken by our friend @nd_graphy. Thanks!Omega Constellation 41mmBut first of all, let me tell you that I believe that the Constellation based on the 1982 Manhattan is an under-appreciated watch. I happen ...
If you were to ask watch enthusiasts what their favorite complication is, the answers will be very diverse. Ask them to list the most practical, and it is likely that GMT functionality would land near the top. Especially for frequent travelers, a GMT watch is the perfect timepiece. The all-new quartz Grand Seiko SBGN011 and SBGN013 could be the ideal travel companion for many of those frequent travelers.When finding the right GMT-watch for your travels, a question could be whether you prefer to travel stylish or sporty? I prefer the latter, but by no means does one necessarily exclude the other. And that s certainly true when it comes to the Grand Seiko SBGN011 and SBGN013.Although they are ...
It s video time here on Fratello and this time we re taking a long look at Vintage Seiko Divers. However, we re not looking at some of them - we re going through all of them.It has been almost two years since we published an article on the top vintage Seiko divers. I gave a brief rundown on every model that Seiko produced starting in the 1960s up until 1980. The article continues to generate serious traffic, but we felt that it was high time to add a more personal touch through the medium of video.This video is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings A companion piece to a popular article on vintage Seiko diversRecently, I made my way up to Fratello ...
Last week I showed you my five picks for an Omega Speedmaster watch under 3,000 USD. Someone commented about the Speedmaster 57 Replica 3594.50. That Speedmaster watch wasn t in there, and it should have been.I stand corrected. The Omega Speedmaster watch with reference 3594.50 is actually one of my personal favorites in my Speedmaster collection. The fact that it wasn t in there, is that I thought it would be more expensive than $3000USD. But in fact, when looking on Chrono24, I can actually see some offers that are just below this amount. And that, my dear Speedmaster friends, makes it a very interesting purchase. So yes, the Speedmaster 57 Replica 3594.50 should be in last week s list for...
Real watch aficionados love vintage watches. With real aficionados, I mean people who collect and admire watches for what they are as products. Investors love vintage watches as well. We ve all seen vintage watches fetch dazzling prices at recent auctions. But are vintage watches, like their contemporary counterparts, suitable to wear on a daily basis?We need to get something out of the way here first. When is a watch considered vintage? Antique dealers consider a product antique when it s 100 years or older. They consider a product vintage when it s over 20 years of age. But in my opinion, a 20-year-old product can just be old as well. It seems that there s more needed for a watch to earn t...
The deep quietude of an odd summer brings about meandering thoughts. One such thought that came to mind is whether we should desire the return of the Tudor Submariner.Last week was a pretty big deal in the watch world. Tudor unveiled a new blue Black Bay Fifty-Eight. I wrote a quick summary of the release and explained that while it was a pretty simple move, it answered the call of many hungry fans. Since that time, we ve seen nothing but positive comments on this relatively affordable in-house diver that happens to wear beautifully. And look, I like it - I really do, but I have my concerns. My concerns aren t really related to this watch, but about Tudor in general. Somehow, I always come b...
When did you last see a watch ad that made a lasting impression on you and wasn t created decades ago? While plenty of brands in different industries have found great success in finding new ways to connect to their audience through advertising, the watch industry is hardly creative in both ideas and execution when it comes to advertising. But that doesn t mean there haven t been great promotional campaigns. Let s take a look at five creative watch advertising campaigns that have great iconic value.If anything, watch brand advertising has hardly changed in decades. For years watch brands have been painting a static picture of an aspirational world of luxury in their advertising. Unfortunately...
Back in the first week of March, Seiko introduced three new limited edition divers to celebrate 55 years of Seiko divers. The moment they were released, people had a lot to say as is usual with the release of Seiko divers that commemorate some of the most iconic of divers out there. Seiko decided to release three different re-creations of legendary Seiko divers watches from the first decade of Seiko divers. The first out of the three is the Seiko SLA037J1 55th Anniversary and sees an official release this month. It s the modern re-creation of the iconic 1965 diver. Let s find out how it?compares to the original and the previous re-editions.I love the discussions that new Seiko re-editions e...
In this Sunday morning column, 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. This week, I feel the need - the need for speed! In a clash of the chronographs, the Daytona?116500LN takes on the Omega Calibre 321 Ed White.But before we race ahead of ourselves, let s turn our minds back to last week s brouhaha. I have to say; I was a little surprised to take home the Regatta Trophy. As...
Welcome to This Week in Watches for July 4, 2020 the Independence Edition. Today, the USA celebrates its independence from the UK. And the UK? Today, the pubs reopen! Who knows which will cause bigger fireworks, but we wish you all well. Now, let s get into some news.Yema Flygraf PilotSpeaking of independence, Yema is a company on its own that s doing some great things. We ve got an early scoop on a new release from them called the Flygraf Pilot. Firstly, the 39mm three-hander has a 24 hour inner ring and boasts 990 feet of water resistance. Then, Yema equips the watch with its in-house MBP1000 automatic under either a black or grey matte dial.I really like the dial details and the fact that...
To us - the passionate watch community - the idea of watches going out of style seems unlikely. Then again, we are not the majority. Although our internet echo chambers may often convince us that 99% of the general populace lives, eats, and breathes luxury watches, we have to accept that isn t the reality. Society could shift against us and our treasured ticking totems.I m guessing that a lot of us don t give two hoots about whether watches are in or out of style. I would happily wager that some of us are positively allergic to the concept. It seems likelier still, that some of us would almost relish the idea of being outsiders, or being known as those who actively shun the norm in favor of ...
It may be Friday, but I am throwing back to Thursday with a range of some of my favorite watches featured in Fratellos #TBT column.I, like many of our readers, got into watches via a family member. There is something about a watch passion that endemically rubs off on those nearest and dearest. The era you enter the watch-game can have a long-standing impact, however, almost like a time stamp. Your eyes widen on the latest and greatest at the time you get your first watch fix, and thats it for life. Watches that were discontinued only one- or two-years prior can seem like relics. The longer youre in the wrist-game, the more you realize that watches mostly receive only minor cosmetic updates o...
You ve probably read our enthusiastic reviews on the new Bvlgari Octo Finissimo watches. Today, we show you a video review of the three Bvlgari Octo Finissimo watches that are about to hit the boutiques this month.Nothing beats trying the watch on the wrist yourself, but a video might be a good alternative if you aren t near a Bvlgari boutique. In this video, we will show you the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo in polished ceramic, satin-polished stainless steel and in rose gold (on a leather strap).Bvlgari Octo Finissimo reviewThe side-by-side comparison of these three references (ceramic ref. 103368, satin-polished steel ref. 103297, and the rose gold ref. 103286) shows how different they will appe...
Vacheron Constantin gets a little moonstruck with its latest addition to the limited Collection Excellence Platine with a Patrimony case and platinum dial.As part of the Fratello team, I am subject to many press releases from PR representatives and directly from brands. Often, there is a sense of deja vu. Either I am living in The Matrix, or the new watch is presented with such a minor change that it hardly constitutes a dedicated write-up. Such releases tend to feature in our weekly round-up that is This Week In Watches.Slipping through the cracksThe Watches and Wonders 2020 announcements certainly filled many spaces in that column, but somehow the new Patrimony Retrograde Date with Moon Ph...
