Are you ready for something new from the watchmakers from Mnster in North Rhine-Westphalia? If you are, we can introduce you to the toughest MeisterSinger so far, the Unomat. The German brand launches a 43mm steel sports watch that is water-resistant to 300 meters. And because of a soft iron shield and dial, its also anti-magnetic.The new Unomat beats the 200-meter water-resistant Salthora Meta X and Metris by a margin of 100 meters. And by doing so, the Unomat earns the title of the toughest MeisterSinger so far. Its also quite a shocking watch if you compare it with the sophisticated, soft-spoken Bell Hora with its capacity to softly chime the hour. The burly Unomat is quite the opposite,...

Wrist Game or Crying Shame is back again and it s time to go glamping. That s right, we are going to add a high-end touch to something normally very casual when we look at the Swatch Tresor Magique. But first…Oh, what a time we had last week when I dangled the Bulova Royal Oak in front of your beady eyes. An astounding 79% felt that the $3,900 asking price was akin to highway robbery and gave this sheep in wolf s clothing a Crying Shame loss. I wasn t surprised and I enjoyed all your comments. Today s subject isn t a pretender by definition, but one could say that it s attempting to box well above its weight class due to the addition of some unexpected fanciness. Let s take a look at t...

When I rotated the one and only watch on my wrist back in the day, I remember how obsessed I was with its accuracy. Every few days I set the time against a known source to be sure I always had the most precise time possible.? ?Since more watches have entered my collection, I?seldom wear the same watch for a few days in a row. Even if a watch comes for review, I?switch it during the day, just to refresh my eyes. I?dont know what your vibe is, but when I?have a?watch on my wrist for one?day only, watch accuracy is not an issue for me. Once I?put the watch aside, I?have no clue when it comes back on the wrist. That means I?always need to set and wind it again to feel like I?have the most precis...

I fully realize that my taste in watches is not what you could call traditional by any stretch. I adore the likes of URWERK. I love bold black and bright yellow color schemes. And I can t get enough of the liberal use of alternative materials in watchmaking (think carbon fiber composites!). That s not very classic, yet I do have a healthy respect for timeless classicism in watch collecting.Being a part of the Fratello team, I, of course, have a strong appreciation for the Omega Speedmaster and its historical journey to the stars. I may not own a Speedy just yet, but that s only because I m taking some time to find the right one. There are many other staple watches that many of our kind covet...

I cant believe it is already nine years since I published my first Speedy Tuesday story. In 2012, I posted a picture of my Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch on Facebook with just It is Speedy Tuesday, as it was a Speedmaster and a Tuesday. Fast forward to today, and Omega now drops its new Speedmasters on Tuesdays (deliberately). You could say a lot has happened in the last nine years.Since then, weve published nearly 500 Speedmaster articles and the Speedy Tuesday hashtag has been used over 280,000 times on Instagram by Speedmaster enthusiasts and collectors. In 2017 and 2018, we even had the opportunity to create two Speedmaster Professional watches, the Tribute To Alaska III and the Ultr...

Munichtime?is an event that is not for press or retailers, but for you, the watch enthusiast or collector. We ve visited Munichtime ourselves a number of times in the past, and this year we are an official media partner for the first time. We believe in events like this, where the end consumer can (finally) see, touch and try the watches in the flesh and ask questions to the brand s representatives. Where Baselworld and the Geneva SIHH are typical industry events, Munichtime is an initiative for the consumer.Munichtime 2018Approximately 37 brands can be found exhibiting on October 26-28 at the Bayerischer Hof Hotel in Munich. These are:?A.Lange & S?hne, Bayerischer Meisterschule fr das ...

Here it is, our updated Vintage Seiko Buyer s Guide. The thought of pulling together a directional like this sounds audacious, but as youll see, Seiko makes, and made, a lot of things relatively easy for us. But-as with all things in life, there are caveats. This guide wont focus on all Seiko through the years, but well focus largely on watches from the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s and pictorially, Ill feature some seldom seen watches to whet your appetite.Vintage Seiko Buyer s GuideThis Seiko 6619-8230 is a masterpiece…large and beautifully designed!Here on Fratello, we ran an in-depth article on Seikos vintage Sport Divers and this made a lot of sense because the watches are truly...

We receive a lot of questions from people that give us a budget and ask us about the best watch they can buy for that. That s too difficult to answer without knowing you to be honest. A watch is so personal, we wouldn t even recommend buying a watch for someone else only if you really know that person. We made an exception when an Italian reader asked us what to buy for his daughter (and give it to her in 18 years from now), but giving us a budget without any context is very difficult.You Asked Us:?What Watch Should I Buy To Celebrate a Life Event?That said, we received an email last week from one of our readers by the name of Moe regarding a watch to celebrate a special occasion. He likes t...

For many enthusiasts, a vintage Omega Speedmaster Professional is the way to go, despite the current Moonwatch ticking a lot of boxes as well. You should be able to find a nice Speedmaster Professional reference 145.022 for an attractive price, and this buying guide should help you with the things you need to know.The Speedmaster Professional 145.022 is a sought-after reference that was in production for a long time (1968C1988). It consisted of several iterations, each with small updates. Today, we ll guide you through the different iterations, how to distinguish them, and how to identify the production year.Omega Speedmaster Professional 145.022Let s also make it clear right from the beginn...

We ve reported to you about Klokers before, including a hands-on review of the KLOK-01 model almost 2 years ago. Well, based on that white dial model, Klokers introduces to you their KLOK-01 with Midnight Blue dial.KLOK-01 Midnight BlueThe patented display of this 44mm x 11.5mm watch is now available in this stunning blue colour. According to Klokers, the Midnight Blue is inspired by the ‘blue hour , a phenomenon that happens just before Sunrise and after Sunset. During these two moments, the colour of the sky is more intense blue than it normally is.Midnight Blue with Milanese BraceletTo us, in all honesty, the Midnight Blue dial of the new KLOK-01 watch is just very nice. Because of ...

Two former designers of Audemars Piguet started their own brand Gorilla in 2016. Affordable watches with a unique design and an interesting choice for materials. We covered them before a few times, so I dont want to get into detail too much regarding the story about the brand Gorilla. At some point you have to stop doing this I guess. This time it is solely about two of their new watches, the Bandit and the Mirage.Fastback GT Bandit and MiragePart of Gorillas Fastback GT collection are this new Bandit and Mirage watches. Inspired by cars and watches, Gorilla took their inspiration from the 1977 Firebird Bandit for the Bandit watch and the Ford GT 40 for the Mirage watch. The Ford GT 40 is fa...

The long-awaited stainless steel GMT-Master II with Pepsi configuration was introduced exactly at the same time as Tudors Black Bay GMT?with a?Pepsi bezel. Since Tudor belongs to , this wasnt a matter of coincidence.GMT PepsiThere was never a sporty GMT model in Tudors heritage, as far as I remember (or can find). I know about their vintage Submariner models, but I never saw an equivalent for GMT-Master in their collection. As far as goes, the GMT-Master has been part of their history since 1954 when their reference 6542 was introduced. When cancelled their aluminium bezel models around 2007, that also meant the end of the much-praised Pepsi and Coke bezels. The new ceramic bezels were o...

Some brands don t like it when you talk about the price first, but it is the first thing people ask about when they see a watch. Before we go into that, let s have a closer look at this Chopard L.U.C All-in-One that was presented to us in Basel last March. Limited to 10 pieces only, so we might be a bit late but the Chopard website doesn t indicate this watch as ‘Sold Out or words with equal meaning.There are no less than 14 indications featuring a tourbillon, a perpetual calendar, sunrise & sunset times and astronomical orbital moon phase, with a 7-day power reserve. Boom! There you have it, it becomes clear that the Chopard L.U.C All-in-One is a grand complication that can defin...

With todays look at the Seiko H558 Arnie, we find ourselves heading down a precarious path into the realm of the celebrity watch. Dont worry, well speak a little about the man this watch takes its name from, but well spend more time on why this product of the 1980s deserves more recognition aside from its relation to a film star and politician. Oh, and lest I forget, this watch falls under the Tuna category and while I stated that we were almost complete on cataloguing those great watches, a return to the subject with the H558 is a real case of Ill be back. You knew that was coming-Steve McQueen, Clint Eastwood, astronauts, Jochen & Nina Rindt: the list of celebrities who now have a watc...

Golf and watches go together very well. Although there are only very few golf players who actually wear a watch during the game itself, the association is clear. Precision, prestige and enjoying the finer things in life. Last weekend was the final of the Omega European Masters 2018 in Crans Montana, Switzerland. A tournament that has been around since 1923 and title sponsored by Omega since 2001.Omega European Masters 2018On the golf course in Crans Montana, you will find the most beautiful scenery you can wish for. The golf club Crans-sur-Sierre has a length of over 6200 meters and is located at an altitude of approximately 1500 meters. Walking this legendary course will treat you with some...

Last weekend we joined Longines to the capital of Italy for the launch of their latest watch. After the launch of the Longines Conquest VHP last year they have been working on a cool GMT version which has some nifty features. So without further ado let s have a look at the presentation in Rome of the Longines Conquest VHP GMT Flash Setting.Conquest VHP GMT LaunchAfter all guests had gathered at the ‘La Lanterna‘, the man himself, Walter von K?nel (president of Longines) with?Juan-Carlos Capelli (Vice-President and Head of International Marketing) at his side?presented the addition to the V.H.P. line. Proudly presenting the Longines Conquest VHP GMT Flash Setting. As this new watc...

Since the release of the Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Ultraman, we get some questions about the original version from 1968. Time for us to recap our article from 2016 about the Speedmaster Ultraman reference 145.012-67. This will give you some more background on the original Speedmaster Ultraman.For the Speedy Tuesday Ultraman, Omega and us (Fratello) wanted something more colourful, like the 2004 Speedmaster Professional Racing for the Japan market. A few brainstorming sessions later led us to Ultraman. The original Speedmasters with the orange hand from 1968 that can be seen in the 1960s TV series Ultraman are simply amazing and appreciated by many collectors.Omega Speedmaster UltramanWe don...

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the Red Bull Air Race, with a short pause between 2011 to 2013. Since its return, a year later, it became one of the most spectacular flying competitions. Spanning over four continents (Europe, North America, Australia and Asia) and over 40 locations from the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway to the Zayed Port in Abi Dhabi, it offers a rather large variety of different sites. The 2018 race calendar included France, Japan, USA, UAE among many others. The Red Bull Air Race also came to Budapest, Hungary. It happens to be the capital city of my home country. On a pretty picturesque track over the River Danube and in front of the magnificent Parliament...

Chronomat is derived from? CHRONOgraph for MAThematicians and came to life in 1941. It was one of the first watches with a slide-rule (patented by Breitling in 1940) and this watch was delivered to the market in 1942. The Breitling Chronomat has a long history, which can be found in this article on WatchUseek?and is definitely worth reading if you re into vintage Breitling Chronomat watches. In our Breitling expert interviews with Fred and Rene about Breitling, you can also find some interesting stories about some early Chronomat models.I am not sure if the person who is interested in the Breitling Chronomat B01 Chronograph 44 that we have on Fratello today is the typical collector who is in...

For well over a year now, Ive had the pleasure of handling, reviewing, and owning most of the limited edition watches made for the Divers Watches Facebook Group (DWFG) with 45,000+ members and counting at time of publishing. All of the watches Ive reviewed have been worthwhile, thoughtfully designed, and on the affordable side of things. The bulk of these watches have come from micro-brands often founded in Asia and with watches constructed in the same part of the world. Examples of such are pieces from Gruppo Gamma, Crepas, Borealis and Zelos. As mentioned, theyve all been worth my time, so I was excited when Andreas Gregoriades contacted me about the groups latest limited edition collabora...