We kick-off our selection of the most interesting factory fit and aftermarket vintage bracelets with the legendary Bonklip-style bracelets.I was never a bracelet guy. My Omega Speedmaster 60th LE was never fitted on the original bracelet it came with. I didnt even bother to look at it properly. The first thing I did with my Breitling Chrono-Matic, Flyback Seiko 7016-8000?was to switch the original bracelet for some fine leather. It s a habit that s hard to kick.My interest in steel was only sparked last year when I went to pick up my Mido Rainbow diver s watch. It came on the often-hated Bonklip-style bracelet, sometimes referred to as unwearable. As I forgot to take a replacement strap when...

I ve had the Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th anniversary Moonshine Gold limited edition watch, in my collection for a little more than one year. It s time to share some takeaways now the dust has settled.Last year in March, right before Baselworld (when that was still a thing), I was invited to Biel. I was promised something special. On the 12th of March, which happened to be a Tuesday, I was about to witness the launch of a very special gold Speedmaster. Reference 310.60.42.50.99.001 commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission. The result of this mission? Man s first steps on the moon. On their wrists at the time was the Omega Speedmaster Professional. You know the story, I ...

Inspiration comes from all places. For the Echo/Neutra Averau Versante, that place rises high above civilization. 2,649 meters above, to be precise. The mighty Dolomites of Italy have breathed life into this project. But does that breathe signal a wind of change, or is it all just a lot of hot air?Tearing press releases/design inspiration to pieces could fuel a dedicated blog. For those of us who ply our trade translating press release jargon into digestible content for the masses, it would be a nice way to let off some steam. But when it comes to the Echo/Neutra Averau Versante, I m not feeling that steamy at all. In fact, I m feeling pretty good about the mountainous inspiration of this ti...

When Swatch Group decided to pull out of Baselworld in 2018, I expected that it would be the beginning of the end. When pulls out as well, it is done, I said numerous times.And last week, not only (and Tudor) and Patek Philippe pulled out, also LvmH made the decision to leave Baselworld. Also not totally unexpected, as Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of the Bvlgari Group told me in January that the reason for being in both Dubai and Baselworld, was a contractual thing. That all LvmH watch brands would be pulling out, was a bit of a surprise though. Oh, let s not forget that Breitling also made an early move out of Baselworld.Things will be very different from now on, and the annual pilgrimage t...

I ve had the Wild Horologists & Team LCF888/01 on my wrist for a while, and I must say, I m not bored of it yet…These days, in the age of crowdfunding websites like Kickstarter, new brands are ten a penny. And although many of the old guard - those who position themselves as protecting the old ways of watchmaking, emphasizing inimitable heritage and traditional artisanal skill - balk at this sudden rash of newcomers, threatening to overturn the industry, their existence is, in my opinion at least, a very good thing. While very few (if any) of said upstarts succeed in making good on their threats, what they have achieved in their droves is engagement with a young and hungry audience...

Are you a fan of vintage-inspired watches? Then the MILUS Snow Star could be the perfect watch for you…MILUS is an independent, 101-years old, family-owned Swiss watch brand located in the heart of the Swiss watch industry, Bienne. The brand was recently revived by Luc Tissot, a direct descendant of the famous Tissot watchmaking family. Tissot and his team certainly have an extensive background in the watchmaking field. Accompanying the rebirth of the company is the reissue of the well-regarded Snow Star. A classic from the archives, the Snow Star belongs to the world of tool and military watches popular with many watch enthusiasts.A watch at the heart of historyThe MILUS Snow Star off...

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 we celebrate/denigrate everyone s favorite hero in a half shell, the Seiko Prospex Automatic SRP777 Turtle.It s hard to hate such a solid, well-built, well-regarded beater like the SRP777. For the price, it s even harder to get something better. But as our resident punch bag, I thought I d take o...

Uncertainty seems to be the only certainty at present. It s an odd time indeed and for some there s little comfort to be found. Let s do our best to focus on the watches we enjoy today and will continue to enjoy after life returns to a relative state of normalcy.It was February 14th - Valentine s Day for the single and forgetful - that I flew to Orlando with my family for a weeklong vacation. We saw the mouse, made a light saber, took a Disney cruise, and I picked up a couple watches including the fantastic Oak & Oscar Olmsted. It was a great vacation, but it was already a little strange. The USA had cut off travelers from China and the large groups from the massive country were notably ...

I don t know about you, but I am getting pretty fed up with working from home, not going outside, and not able to meet with people.That s why I thought it would be nice to bring some gold to the table. A little shine in this darkness. A gold watch does not have to be crazily expensive, of course, but the fact is that this precious metal does have its price. Especially in times like this, the prices on precious metals skyrocket. Anyway, buying a gold watch should be done for different reasons than the average gold price per gram, of course. I love the tone of gold and the weight. And, honestly, it just wears very differently from a steel watch.My first gold watch was one I purchased back in 2...

Breitlings newest elegant but sporty timepieces are moving the women s watchmaking towards a new kind of youth-influenced, minimalistic aesthetic. The latest Navitimer 35mm collection perfectly captures classic codes which are true to Breitlings DNA, while taking a modern approach to the brand s signature model.The Breitling Navitimer Automatic 35 comes with four different dials: mother-of-pearl, blue, copper, and silver. The case - available in stainless steel, 18-karat red gold, and also a mixture of the two - measures 35 mm in diameter and just 9.92 mm thick. The case itself is sporty and modern, while the size makes the whole design more feminine and elegant.Flowing from the case middle ...

Last week, we discussed whether or not watches would ever become obsolete. Hopefully, we went some way towards allaying any fears you may have had on that front. This week we dig into whether the frequently heralded return to smaller, more classical diameters is finally about to crest the horizon…For several years now, the watch industry seems to have been waiting for a sudden and stark reversion to smaller watches. It s a funny thing for the industry, which is, one would assume, in control of itself to a degree, to be waiting for. But, of course, no commercial enterprise can operate in ignorance of its customers desires. And so, while the watchmaking industry does tend to dictate wha...

Saving the Eberhard Contodat, the first chronograph with a single disc date display gave me a big headache.The golden rule of watch collecting has been repeated numerous times on Fratello Magazine pages. Condition, condition, condition. Did your eye-brow pop in disbelief after you looked at the Eberhard Contodat pictures? Well, let me reveal a caveat to the golden rule. Sometimes, rarity wins out.And I dont mean unpolished--Submariner-rare- Im talking about models produced in way lower production volumes that come up for sale once a year or even less often. The exception to the golden rule also follows, that if?a better example of the same model surfaces (and I highlight the IF here), you ta...

Introducing the new Breitling Chronomat that takes design cues from the future-classic 80s watch. The new Chronomat continues a burgeoning trend of revisiting heritage models from Breitlings esteemed back catalog.Under the leadership of Georges Kern, we have seen the Ref 806 from 1959, and Ref 765 from 1953 get the revision treatment. Also, the recently announced Top-Time with bow-tie dial. But these come from the Willy Breitling era. For some collectors, Breitling didnt begin until the 1980s.Legendary FutureFirst, a little bit of history. Breitling, during the 70s, was in a bit of a rut. This was true for many Swiss brands, left reeling from the onset of the quartz crisis. and Patek Philip...

A surprising release comes our way in the new Breitling Superocean Heritage 57 and we have all the details. Let s dive in…Breitling has been on a roll for a couple of years now. When looking at releases such as the Premier, the various limited edition reissues, or the reintroduction of the Top Time, it s clear to us that the brand has returned to form.Under the leadership of Georges Kern, Breitling has done what so many have us have been asking for such a long time. That means producing watches in human sizes and respectfully honoring its back catalog. With today s Breitling Superocean Heritage 57, the trend continues. Oh, and let s add a little spice to the soup because this just mi...

With a little wink of course, but in a week when my Ploprof has been described by one commenter as the perfect survival tool, it seemed like an opportune moment to pick our top-five pre-owned survival watches.Well, I thought about this, and came up with a few more models for you to consider when it s the end of time. Besides the discontinued Ploprof in steel, I selected a Panerai, a Breitling, a , and - perhaps the sanest choice - a Casio G-Shock. But one with a little twist, of course.All watches are pre-owned and picked from Chrono24.? Every week we pick a few pre-owned watches from Chrono24, the largest market place for wristwatches in the world - watches that we love ourselves, or think ...

Founded nine years ago, Nezumi studios is a design Maison based in Stockholm, Sweden. The brands first model, the Voiture, came to life through Kickstarter. Since then, the brand has released a series of handsome meca-quartz chronographs at reasonable prices. Today, we check out one of the catalogs mainstays, the Nezumi Corbeau.We all have our secrets. Im not talking about the big stuff. Im not talking about gambling on the sly or the quart of whiskey you keep in your pencil case. And Im certainly not talking about what you get up to after dark while your neighbors assume youre tucked up in bed like any other self-respecting citizen. No, Im talking about those little corners of the industry ...

This is the first Christopher Ward watch ever to combine GMT and worldtimer functionality. It also happens to be the first watch in the C65 divers range with a screw-down crown.Having to wait to share this news with you for a couple of weeks has inspired me. One day, I will name my dog EMBARGO. I love the word. Its the sound of it. When you say it out loud, your mouth is full of the word. Ive become fond of the word since I started writing for Fratello and began encountering news releases with a publishing EMBARGO. While embargoes can be frustrating, being on the press side of them is a real privilege.Its a unique feeling to know about a watch before the entire world learns of it. The highes...

Batavi s?aim is to give watch lovers something for the eye and for the soul. A?combination of vintage?aesthetics mixed with Dutch minimalism. A watch to enjoy, be proud of, and one that can be worn daily without worries.Batavi Amsterdam Kosmopoliet GMTBatavi is a young Dutch watch brand based in Tilburg, The Netherlands. The addition of Amsterdam, below the brand name in the dial, is purely for recognition and attention purposes. The first model of the brand, the Noordzee - which translates to Northsea in English - was a rather mediocre 100M sports watch with a Miyota movement and uni-directional diver s bezel. Batavi has now, however, very much improved its game for its second watch, the Ko...

It s #TBT time and we take a closer look at a polarizing favorite in the Seiko Monster SKX779.I can still recall visiting Marshall Fields at the Somerset Collection in Troy, Michigan and stumbling across a bunch of Seiko divers. I d done some reading about Seiko s quality and the fact that one could pick up a truly robust mechanical watch for around $200. And even though I didn t pick one up that day, I was pretty impressed with what I saw. The Seiko Monster SKX779 is a nice example of what the Japanese brand routinely offered during the period.? It s also a good example of a relatively recently discontinued model that collectors love.A Cult Classic From the BeginningI remember reading forum...

Today marks the return of the Breitling Top Time, a legendary vintage chronograph from the 1960s.If you were hoping for some fun news during these different and difficult times, we think Breitling has taken a good shot at answering the bell. With the new Breitling Top Time, we see the return of a fabled name and the use of a dial design that s bound to excite both collectors and lovers of chronographs. The watch also debuts a new Arianee blockchain certificate program to help prove authenticity and to transfer ownership of a watch should it be sold to a new owner. You can read more about this on Breitling s site.The Breitling Top Time ReturnsThat s right, the Breitling Top Time returns and t...