This week on Fratello Talks, we examine the Patek Philippe Cubitus. Nacho, Lex, and Daan join forces to discuss this hotly debated release from one of the world s most prestigious watch brands. Initially leaked via a magazine ad, the watch did not receive the warmest welcome from watch enthusiasts. And despite journalists at the launch event providing some positive silver lining to Patek releasing its first new collection in 25 years, the online rhetoric remained rather cynical. Today, we speak on the topic and provide our honest take on what has become one of the year s most polarizing new releases. But before we get into it, it s time for a wrist check.This video is blocked because you did...
Hello, and welcome to Fratello Talks! Today, Nacho, RJ, and Thomas discuss some of the best watch bracelets, looking at every element that goes into one, from end link to clasp. There s nothing worse than a bracelet that feels cheap or like an afterthought. The way you fasten it to your wrist is truly an important part of any great watch. And, as opposed to straps, which are ultimately disposable products, a bracelet feels much more like an integral part of the watch as a whole. In this episode, the guys take a look at examples of great bracelets from , Tudor, Omega, and more. Thomas even lends us some of his insights from having recently worked on designing and producing a watch for his bra...
Exactly five years ago, just in time for the European Masters golf competition in Crans Montana in 2019, Omega introduced an extraordinary lightweight watch: the Seamaster Aqua Terra Ultra Light. The watch was suddenly back in the spotlight again during the Olympic Games Paris 2024, and for those who weren t around in 2019 and missed the initial Ultra Light, it raised a few questions. So let us recap on what makes this watch so special!Seamaster Aqua Terra Ultra LightOmega spent two years developing this ultra-light watch, working closely with Rory McIlroy, one of the most successful golfers of all time. McIlroy, from Northern Ireland, joined Omega in 2013 as an ambassador and is often assoc...
Welcome, dear Fratelli, to this latest episode of Fratello Talks. Today, Nacho, Lex, and Thomas spotlight some of their guilty pleasure watches. Everyone has at least one; most of us can list at least a handful. These are watches that, though we like them, we aren t too quick to admit it. This can be due to a number of reasons, whether it s a brand s (arguably undeserved) reputation, a particularly eye-watering price tag, or even just a case of off-the-wall design. And though we often highlight carefully curated lists of favorites, we rarely reach into the back of the shelf for these oddball picks. But before we check those out, let s see what guilt-free watches are on the wrist today.This v...
It s no surprise that I am a fan of the Doxa Sub line of watches. My first new Swiss-made watch was a Doxa, though it was not one of the iconic cushion-cased designs. Today, I ll go through four of Doxa s key dive-watch offerings and hopefully help you determine which one is right for you.When looking through Doxa s catalog with a friend who is new to watches the other day, I noticed how confused he got. It s understandable because Doxa s naming conventions don t always make sense. Why, for example, is the 1,200m-rated dive watch called the 300T? So, for the sake of clarity, I am going to briefly run through four of the brand s most popular watches and the merits of each. One thing worth not...
Hello, and welcome! You re listening to Fratello Talks. This week s episode features RJ, Daan, and Nacho, three members of the Fratello team who join forces to wax poetic about some of their favorite affordable watches. This is the first volume of what will almost certainly become a recurring topic for the podcast. There are simply too many great watches with reasonable prices to cover them all in one episode. But over the next 26 minutes and nine seconds, you ll hear all about a handful of them, with the primary focus placed on three. These are the same watches you ll find on the guys wrists this week. So, without further ado, let s jump into a wrist check.This video is blocked because you...
Welcome to this latest episode of the Fratello Talks podcast! This week, Nacho, RJ, and Daan have prepared a watch market update for you. We often like to circle back to this topic as things evolve and change. The guys go through the facts and figures (so you don t have to) and summarize different trends and patterns, breaking it all down with their unique industry insights. We ve all heard talk of a slump in the market, but is it actually the case? Are the speculative buyers backing out? And what does the current state of things mean for collectors and enthusiasts? All that and more in this week s episode. But before answering those questions, it s time for a wrist check!This video is block...
Dive watches are some of the most popular sports watches in the world, steeped in romance and a sense of adventure. While some have become the stuff of legend, others have not received quite as much attention. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox Polaris is one that I feel many often overlook. Its history, however, is fascinating and certainly worth knowing about for any (dive-)watch enthusiast.Today, we are getting deep into Memovox Polaris history. I even raided the Jaeger-LeCoultre museum for some historic watches so that we could take pictures in our Fratello studio. If you were at the museum and found yourself staring at an empty Polaris cabinet, I apologize! To my chagrin, La Grande Maison did...
Welcome to this week s episode of Fratello Talks. Today, Nacho, RJ, and Daan ask themselves the question: where did all the watches go? Whether consciously or otherwise, watch spotting is something every watch-minded person partakes in. It may be when walking down the street, at your office, in a restaurant, or even on holiday - essentially, anywhere where there are people wearing watches. But sometimes, a lack of watches can be as noticeable as the watches themselves. And recently, RJ has felt that he s seeing fewer watches on people s wrists. Is this about the specific location? Or does it have to do with awareness of watches and increasing thefts? Certainly, you ll never find yourself ask...
On June 3rd, 1965, Ed White was the first NASA astronaut to perform a spacewalk. White, who died during the horrible accident with Apollo 1 on January 27th, 1967, performed his EVA (extravehicular activity) wearing the famous Speedmaster 105.003. Therefore, we decided to come up with a new Fratello REM Speedmaster strap available in a 19mm width. But don t stop reading now if you have a 42mm Moonwatch because a 20mm version will also be available.Ed White, wearing two Speedmaster 105.003 watches during his spacewalk on June 3rd, 1965The Ed White SpeedmasterThe Omega Speedmaster 105.003 is often called Ed White by collectors and enthusiasts since this watch was worn during his spacewalk. Th...
For me, had a golden era. It was from the middle of the last century right up until the mid-2000s. Many of our fellow enthusiasts and collectors seem to share this impression and veer towards this long period of design in their horological journeys. Why is this the case? I think it s probably for a few reasons. One of the major ones, though, is that, over time, has become more and more focused on luxury. Or, you could say, the nature of luxury has changed. You see, even back in the 1960s and 1970s, was already targeting consumers with notions of aspirational wealth, status, and success. However, with the introduction of the six-digit models in the mid-to-late 2000s, this became even more...
Sixteen years ago this month, my friend and legendary chronograph collector Chuck Maddox passed away. The Speedmaster Mark II was the watch that got him into watches and Speedmasters specifically. However, his quest for the Speedmaster ST 376.0822 became incredibly famous. He searched for this watch with the intensity that King Arthur searched for the Holy Grail. He began calling the Speedmaster ST 376.0822 the Holy Grail because he was that obsessed with it.Speedmaster ST 376.0822 - Image: PhillipsOmega Speedmaster ST 376.0822 Holy Grail (1987C1988)If you are unfamiliar with Chuck and his work, visit his website, Chronomaddox. It s a great source of information for chronograph collectors, a...
For many of us, today s announcement of the TAG Heuer Formula 1 Kith represents a return to where everything began. The original Formula 1 watch from 1986 was groundbreaking, and for many collectors, it was their first luxury Swiss watch. This may sound like PR speak, but it rings true for me as it was, in fact, the first nicer watch I owned.Message to TAG Heuer - it s about damn time! I say that lovingly because I m sure that bringing back the original Formula 1 from 1986 was a carefully considered decision. Should the watch come back differently? Should it be larger? Or should the materials differ from the original? Thankfully, as we ll see, the new TAG Heuer Formula 1 Kith has returne...
It has been a busy few months for Omega, introducing the Apollo 8, Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch with a white dial, and the new Speedmaster 38 models. I expect to see some more Speedmaster releases in 2024, not least of all because it is a significant Apollo 11 anniversary. But we should also not forget about Apollo XIII. The mission, which took place in April 1970, was nearly fatal for NASA astronauts Swigert, Haise, and Lovell.Fratello REM Straps - Apollo XIIIWhile Snoopy might be the reminder to Speedmaster fans of that mission, it s bigger than Charles M. Schulz s comic character, of course. To spotlight the Apollo XIII mission, we decided, together with our collab partner REM Str...
Thanks to a watch friend, I finally had a chance to put this watch on my wrist. The Lip Galaxie is stunningly clean and simple. In real life, it looks even better than it does in pictures. Here is my recap of the 24 hours I was granted with this distinctive French watch. But first, allow me to provide a bit of context…In April 1973, Lip faced a crisis amid the Quartz Revolution, which led to the discovery of management s plans to downsize, sparking worker outrage. Seizing three hostages, the employees barricaded the factory and faced a violent police intervention. They escalated their resistance by seizing 65,000 watches and factory plans and initiating a continuous occupation of the f...
Five years ago, Omega introduced the last limited-edition Speedmaster models. Who would have thought? After a good ~25 years of introducing many different Speedmaster limited editions, sometimes even more than one per year, the brand just stopped. Well, not entirely, of course, because although the Speedmaster Calibre 321 and Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award 50th Anniversary are technically regular-collection models, they are still challenging to obtain due to limited production.Speedmasters from 2019 to 2024However, Omega has introduced several Speedmasters in the past five years. Lets have a quick rundown of the Speedmaster models Omega has introduced since 2019.Speedmaster Apollo 11 Limite...
Hello, and welcome to a rather unruly episode of Fratello Talks. It s a Friday afternoon at Fratello HQ, and Nacho, Lex, and Thomas gather around the mics to list some of the best watches of 2024 so far. The guys have all picked three of their favorite releases from this first quarter and three additional honorable mentions. However, despite their best efforts, it doesn t take long until the structure crumbles and their chat diverges into a discussion on some of their favorite (and not-so-favorite) new releases of the year so far. But before that, they share the watches currently on their wrists.This video is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings This...
From March 3rd to March 13th, 1969, the Apollo 9 mission took place. On board were astronauts James McDivitt, David Scott, and Russell Rusty Schweickart. The mission s goal was to have a flight with the full Apollo spacecraft, meaning that the command and service module (CSM) and lunar module (LM) were there. But this mission was also to show that the crew could fly the lunar module independently and that it could rendezvous and dock with the command and service module again.Fratello REM Strap - Apollo 9To commemorate this mission, the Fratello REM strap for March 2024 has the docked modules engraved on the strap. We opted for a white strap, not entirely by coincidence, since Omega annou...
In this installment of Back to Basics, we will go into a seemingly simple question that has a deceptively hard answer. How do you tell if a watch is good? As always, this article is aimed at newcomers to the watch hobby, but I see many veterans still struggle with this too. We see watches with very similar specs but sometimes with prices orders of magnitude apart. Sometimes that is justified, and sometimes it isnt. But how do you tell? What are the giveaways that show you whether you are dealing with a quality watch?As always with Back To Basics, I would like to invite you to share any of your additional insights in the comments below. These articles are to help newcomers find their footing,...
Welcome to this week s episode of Fratello Talks. Today, you join Nacho, Morgan, and Thomas, who join forces to discuss a number of their watch pet peeves. The guys are feeling particularly grumpy today, so they decided to go on an extensive rant, listing some of the things watch brands do that rub them the wrong way. There are plenty of groan-inducing factors to consider, whether it s a lack of micro-adjustment, gratuitous exhibition case backs, deployant clasps, lack of AR coating, or sub-par timekeeping. We start slow but finish feeling like we just scratched the surface. All grievances aside, it turned out to be a fun episode. But before the rant begins, it s time for a wrist check.This ...
