Hmm. I don t know if I have any right to be annoyed by someone else s endeavors rounding into shape so delightfully, but I must say that the first thing I thought when I saw the new Mitch Mason Maelstrom dive watch was, damn, I wish I d come up with that. Why am I so impressed? To put it simply: this brand, with its second model, has done what I think all microbrands should try and do; it has taken an old-school idea and brought it right up to date with a clear focus on execution.Smart design decisions. I talk about them all the time. What are they? They are clever sacrifices. Smart design has nothing to do with microchips or screens in this context: they are about knowing your audience. The...

The calf and goat watch straps collection is Genteel Handmades most versatile product line. With more than 50 leather options (spread across a variety of types and colors), a raft of threads to choose from, custom dimensions, a long list of linings, buckle and spring-bar options, and peerless customer service, it s hard to go wrong. The only question is, how creative do you dare to be?Genteel Handmade‘s goal is to make one-of-a-kind watch straps for every customer. This bespoke service is especially useful if the watch you want to treat to a new band is of odd proportions. GH covers uncommon strap widths, such as 17mm/16mm, 21mm/18mm, or 23mm/20mm. With this enormous range of personali...

Every once in a while, we see comments and questions on the Speedmaster that need to be addressed. One of them is about the water resistance of the Speedmaster. It s often mocked for the lack of water resistance, but what many don t seem to know is that, according to Omega, it s safe to swim while wearing the current Speedmaster Professional with caliber 3861.We ve covered the iconic Speedmaster nearly every (Speedy) Tuesday since 2012. But Fratello goes back to July 2004, and between then and 2012, the Speedmaster was a recurring topic as well. This resulted in receiving a lot of questions about the Moonwatch and all of its variations. For this article, we have selected the most frequently ...

The watch wish list – a piece of personal information that we keep hidden from our partners and spouses, scared by the thought of what they d think if they only knew of our secret schemes. Schemes which, more often than not, lead head-first into the purchase of a new watch. Challenged by RJ, I recently wrote an article detailing the watches I d buy for under $ 1,500. Once it was published, a number of people contacted me to ask if I had plans to actually buy any of them. This made me realize that I do get asked about my watch wish list quite often. I can t be the only one who has a list on their phone containing the dream watches they would like to someday buy, right?I must preface thi...

Over these last couple of months, I have written a series of articles on vintage watches. The primary theme of the series is to find the very best watches of some of the bigger brands from every decade. It has been an absolute joy to write these articles and delve deeper into the brands offerings - and I am far from being done. Along the way, we have even seen quite a few vintage watches that turned out to be great affordable options. It s safe to say that there are also a ton of fantastic alternative options that have not been featured in the series. With an ever-growing interest in vintage watches and many options available, it s time to have a look at some of the best vintage options und...

For IWC everything began in 1868 with the American engineer and watchmaker, Florentine Ariosto Jones, who decided to leave the USA and travel to Switzerland to look for new and better business opportunities. Basically, he wanted to escape the cost of labor in his home country, and use more affordable labor in Switzerland. Not long after, he founded the International Watch in Schaffhausen where he used the force of the river Rhine to power his machines. With its American roots, IWC has since become a household name in the Swiss watch industry. Lets have a look through the IWC brand history highlights.Florentine Ariosto Jones was a man with a plan. Jones was born in New Hampshire in 1841 and f...

Welcome back to another installment of A Brief History Of Time. Today s spotlight is on Chopard. In Part One, we went over the brand s history, from its founding in 1860 to the release of its first manufacture wristwatch in 1997. Since the release of the L.U.C 1860, the brand has done some spectacular things in the world of horology. Many of these, however, may have slipped under the radar of the casual watch enthusiast. While Chopard is still a huge name in the jewelry industry, lets face it: youre probably not here to read about that. This is a watch publication, after all. So, with our focus on its watches, today, wed like to shed some light on just a few of Chopard Manufactures greatest ...

Grand Seiko has become synonymous with its incredibly textured dials - but there s more to the brand than that, of course. Meet the Grand Seiko SBGY007 from the Elegance Collection: a Spring Drive powered dress watch whose dial pays tribute to the frozen waters of Lake Suwa. During most winters, a long ridge appears in the ice from one side of the lake to the other. Legend has it that this is the Omiwatari, or where the Gods themselves walk over the ice. When Grand Seiko puts it like that, then you know it must be good. And based on what we ve seen so far, it is.The dress watch stylings of this Grand Seiko Elegance Collection SBGY007 are unmistakable. The case dimensions also reflect its mor...

I ve been a part of the Fratello team for the better part of 10 months now, and despite the Speedmaster expertise in the ranks here, I think I was the only team member who didn t have a chronograph, let alone a Speedmaster. Just don t tell RJ, or I ll probably be in trouble! Despite still not having a Speedmaster in the collection, I have finally added a chronograph in the form of this RZE Valour. It s a great affordable watch that offers a decent bang for your buck. Let me tell you a little bit more about the watch that filled the chronograph gap in my watch box.Watch collecting is obviously near and dear to our hearts. You wouldn t be reading this article if you weren t a watch nerd like t...

When it comes to practical complications, it s difficult to argue against the everyday usefulness of the calendar. Sure, complications like the minute repeater or rattrapante are romantic, awe-inspiring displays of watchmaking prowess. But are their functions of any real consequence to most of our daily lives? Likely not. The calendar, on the other hand, affects us all whether we like it or not. Without the ability to keep track of the day, date, month, and year, our modern societies would collapse. From the humble and economical date complication to the regal perpetual calendar, these complications offer some of the most useful timekeeping information outside of hours, minutes, and seconds....

We like to talk about vintage watches a lot within the Fratello team. Though most of what we write about is largely focused on the most recent releases and developments, for many of us a lot of the fun can be found in the sometimes weird and often wonderful world of vintage watches. Its a world full of history, remarkable watches, incredible stories, and quirky details. It inspired us to come up with a series of articles focusing on the best watches per decade from a select group of brands. Some of them are priceless, some of them still affordable. In this installment, we will take a look at the best Breitling watches from the 1980s.While the 1970s were a decade filled with tremendous change...

Some luxury watch brands dont get talked about nearly enough. Its a real shame because some of them are actually working their socks off to contend with the bigger names in the industry yet barely getting a pat on the back for doing so. Does this then mean that it all really hinges on the name on the dial anyway? Whilst the leading names of the watch industry have certainly earned their hype in a number of ways, I think today is as good a day as any to give some love to the underdogs that deserve more attention than they are currently getting.It really surprises me just how many of the following manufacturers are widely overlooked. You ll probably even have a few of your own to add to my lis...

Guys, we need to talk about something. The watch industry is facing a crisis. A crisis of color. It may not seem like it, but trust me, it s true. After all, in recent years, we ve been thrown into an ocean of blue dials vaster than the Atlantic itself. We ve seen so many green dials, you d think a squadron of laughing leprechauns launched the world s largest dye bomb into the very heart of Geneva. I could even name a plethora of brown, red, yellow, and orange-dialed watches in a swath of price brackets right off the top of my head. But one color remains largely absent from the modern watch world: purple.Purple?! I hear you cry. Who wants purple dials? Prince is gone (RIP), and Barney has be...

The wait is finally over! The Seiko Prospex 1959 Alpinist Re-Creation SJE085J1 has finally reached the summit. In other words, its out as of today. Keep in mind that only 1,959 numbered pieces of this watch are available worldwide at a retail price of $3,000. So, now I ask: is this relatively faithful reissue of the first-ever Alpinist model from 1959 worth it? Lets dive deeper into the psyche of this peculiar adventure watch in our quest for answers.When Seiko announced its release of the Prospex SJE085J1 The 1959 Alpinist Re-creation, our very own Michael Stockton wrote about it. You can read the full article here. I want to touch on a point from Michael s article back in February. Michael...

If you dont have thirteen grand to spend on the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Barakuda, I might just happen to have a solution to your problem. Do you find yourself in this predicament? Then go on the hunt for a vintage Lanco Barracuda! I wouldnt recommend actually diving with it, but it can certainly save you about eleven or twelve thousand to spend elsewhere - On other watches of course.At the end of the day, Blancpain even doesnt even put Barakuda on the dial. And just take a look at that magnificent font that Lanco used when writing Barracuda on the dial between the eight and four oclock positions. And thats just the tip of the iceberg. Let me take you through all the details that make this vi...

Big brands obviously create a big hype. But even these top-of-the-market giants don t manage to hit a home run every time. And instantly labeling the less talked about watches as a swing and a miss doesn t really do them justice. Some of them are an acquired taste, and some are sleepers that definitely deserve more recognition than they get. We decided to focus on five of the most underrated luxury watches from five of the watch world s biggest brands. What are they? Keep reading to find out!Discussing underrated luxury watches requires some prefacing, as it can be a rather divisive and subjective term. In my book, underrated means that these watches deserve as much (if not more) love than t...

If youre already a fan of the Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days Automatic Bronzo PAM00671, but 47mm is just too big for you. Don t fret, I might just have the perfect solution. You could consider the new Panerai Submersible Bronzo Blu Abisso PAM01074 - a bronze, 42mm people-pleaser with an annual production of 1,000 pieces per year. Is this Piccolo Bronzo a Paneristi-worthy watch, or is this simply a creation to try and lure in a new crowd? Get ready for a wild ride that will start with a visit to Panerais website.To get an impression of Panerais bronze offerings, I first went to the official website. During my visit, I spotted four different bronze Submersible models. Three of them come in a ...

Now that the dust has settled, I feel that it is time to reflect on the madness that is the (aptly named) MAD1 by MB&F - coming in under the brand s M.A.D. Edition moniker. Typically, the first time I hear about watches is from a press release in the Fratello inbox. This was not the case here. This particular project eschewed the usual press release and was released in secret.That in itself isnt a big deal here. This wouldnt be the first time a brand had released a watch in secret without announcing it and selling out before the general public even caught wind of the project. No. The big deal here was that the M.A.D.Edition MAD1 is an MB&F watch with a price tag of less than 2,000 CH...

Happy Summer, faithful readers! It s time for Wrist Game or Crying Shame and this week, we take a look at a flashy Breitling Chronomat UTC. Before we coordinate time universally…Last week, I tempted you with the Datejust in 18K. Despite a bracelet with a lot of stretch, 73% succumbed to the temptation of this less flashy wrist nugget.? Good for you, supporters, because you have style. This week, we travel back to another interesting period with a Breitling Chronomat UTC from 1998. Let s see if this tickles your fancy.Let me take you on a sea cruiseIt s hard to remember the exact year during the 90s that I joined my family on a sea cruise. I guess it was around 1994 and I can still re...

I m not afraid to say it: steel is the most precious metal in the world. The fact that a new-in-box, 2021, olive-green Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1A-014 was recently hammered off for $376,000 proves my point. All jokes aside, steel is clearly the most commonly used building material for watches. And yet alternatives remain. What are they and why is it that steel stands pat atop the mountain of material options?We will start this edition of How Watches Work with good old-fashioned steel, before navigating from functional titanium to precious alloys (such as gold in many of its variations), and finish up with fashionable bronze - a metal with the smell of money…Another steel Patek Phil...