The pilots watch is one of the most popular genres of watches around, perhaps second only to dive watches. Since most owners of dive watches dont dive, and divers dont necessarily use them anymore, they are often referred to as desk divers. How about pilots watches? Do they still have a role to play, or should we start referring to them as desk flyers?Lets have a look at how the role of the pilots watch changed over time and what use it may still have.A micro-history pilots watchesLets start with some Pilots Watch History 101 in the most condensed form possible. You probably know that arguably the first mens wristwatch in 1904 was a pilots watch - the Cartier Santos. The genre, then, is clos...
Hello, and welcome to this week s episode of Fratello Talks. This week, we ask ourselves: how useful are GMT watches? Lex, Morgan, and Nacho join forces to take an honest look at this most popular of complications and how useful it truly is in real life. They also share some personal experiences with GMT watches, explain the difference between flyer and caller GMTs, and talk about their favorite multi-time-zone watches they ve owned. But before we get into it, you know what time it is… It s time for a wrist check.This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings This video is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies....
Out of all the Speedmaster watches in my collection, the Speedmaster Calibre 321 is one of the pieces I appreciate most. Without making this article a love letter to the watch, let me explain several things that make the Speedmaster Calibre 321 incredibly special.For the price that you ll need to pay for this watch, these are things you can and should expect. The normal Speedmaster Professional Master Chronometer retails for $7,500 ($8,600 for the sapphire version). The Speedmaster Calibre 321, however, has a $16,700 price tag. Ive touched upon the ownership of the Calibre 321 in this article and compared it to that other re-edition of a few years ago, the 60th anniversary, here.Speedmaster ...
Every month in 2023, we introduced a special Fratello X REM strap for the Omega Speedmaster. Our eighth strap this year, made for the month of August, pays tribute to the Omega Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday 2 Ultraman watch we introduced to you in 2018. It s also appropriate as a September release, as later this month, part of the Fratello team will head over to Tokyo for this year s first #SpeedyTuesday event.Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday 2 UltramanThe Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday 2 Ultraman, or ST2, was introduced on July 10th, 2018, and was spoken for within two hours. The responses were massive and very positive by collectors of both vintage and modern watches. Some people were lucky enough to o...
Welcome, Fratelli of all shapes and sizes, to this week s episode of Fratello Talks. Today, Thomas, Morgan, and Nacho gather around the Fratello podcast table (and light up a scented candle) to discuss a topic that s been weighing heavy on their minds (and wrists) lately - big watches. All three have recently bought new pieces, and in all three cases, they ve been the biggest watches in their respective collections. Naturally, this has them wondering: are we going insane, or are bigger watches ripe for a comeback? Perhaps it s a general fatigue of smaller timepieces or even an adjustment into a state of broader appreciation for timepieces big, small, and everything in between. We don t claim...
Welcome, one and all, to this week s episode of Fratello Talks! Today, two of the men behind the lenses here at Fratello sit for a chat about watches, photography, and the sweet spot where those two things meet. Morgan and Nacho share their stories on how they first discovered photography and eventually started shooting watches. They also share some tips and tricks they ve found (the hard way), which may help you become a better watch photographer. All that and more, but not before…This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings Wrist checkIt s a quick one this week as Morgan and Nacho are both wearing the same watch. Full disclos...
Go anywhere, do anything… Please rethink that. Honestly, what watch would be suitable to literally go anywhere and do anything a person could go and do? There are very few watches that you can use anywhere, in any situation, and for any purpose. And I even think there s only one. But the expression, although nicely coined, often isn t used literally. Many in the watch community use a more general meaning.So this article isn t about an ancient Indian mace made of wood or metal, nor is it about an indigenous democratic socio-political system of the Oromo. Instead, it s about the watch I d wear in situations where my watch is likely to struggle.Gerards go anywhere, do anything watchLet me...
In this 28th episode of Fratello Talks, hosts Lex, Thomas, and RJ discuss useless features in watches. It s not only about complications that one never uses but also about useless functions, such as a power reserve indicator on an automatic watch or a screw-down crown on a 30m-water-resistant watch (yes, this exists). We also try to come up with features that haven t been invented yet but would be useful.This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings Wrist checkFor this recording, the guys are wearing a Sea-Dweller 16600 (RJ), an Oris Divers Sixty-Five Momotaro (Lex), and a VPC prototype in 3D-printed steel (Thomas). Lex currently has...
It was one of those idle moments when I was scrolling through my Instagram feed. That feed is 100% watches, so I usually scroll through quite quickly while tapping twice every once in a while. But suddenly, I saw something I hadn t seen before. In a way, the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M in the photo looked very familiar…yet also very different. I scrolled back up to the picture and took a second look. And then it struck me: the guy had swapped the bezel on his Seamaster 300M, exchanging its original black one for a blue one - and it looked fantastic!That guy is Watch.Tommy, an avid watch enthusiast and poster of fine watch photography on Instagram. I had chatted with him about watches be...
A few months ago, I visited the Tissot headquarters in Le Locle, Switzerland. I not only went there to have a look at the impressive production site but also to have a peek inside the brand s archives. Its a big room with a huge amount of Tissot watches, ranging from the brand s very early pocket watches to todays pieces.The Tissot Sideral StoryWhen going through the vintage watches with the brand s heritage manager, we stumbled upon the Tissot Sideral S models. These mechanical watches from the 1970s utilized fiberglass cases in very funky colors. This material was light (four times lighter than steel), unscratchable, and unaffected by temperature changes. Developed and manufactured in Swed...
Its time for another episode of Fratello Talks! This week, you join Nacho, Daan, and first-time podcast guest Morgan (Fratello s photographer) for a chat on GADA watches. This topic has been on our minds lately, with most editors writing articles on their GADA watches. These are the pieces in their collections with which they re not afraid to go anywhere and do anything. We get deeper into the topic today, discussing some hypotheticals, including our grail GADA watches and the future adventures we d love to take our watches on. Tune in; it s a good one! But first…This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings Wrist check!If you h...
I m lost trying to pick my GADA watch. Its another incredibly difficult task from the editorial team in The Hague, probably conjured up to test us non-Dutch editors to see who cracks under pressure. And it worked by giving me a panic attack for about 30 seconds (that felt longer). Any story about one favorite watch of my choosing is near impossible, regardless of whether its the perfect beater (no, I dont use that term either), a party piece, or a no-holds-barred dream watch.GADA is a term I have never used in a story, to friends (well, mine are mostly virtual Instagram buddies), or on an IG post. Why? Because it is impossible to pick just one watch for everything. But when I have twenty-som...
Several watches and brands pay homage to certain aircraft or vehicles. Even more are designed specifically for flight or racing. But I get excited about watches that capture something special about these modern machines we humans obsess over. The REC Watches Limited Collection does just that. These watches contain physical pieces of the vehicles they represent, making each unique. It lets one wear a piece of history and engineering on their wrist in a way few other brands can offer.REC Watches is a Danish company with an international focus. Run by self-described petrolheads and history buffs, the vehicles that inspire and go into the brand s watches come from all over the world and across t...
I had to think pretty hard about my approach to this topic. Its not that I dont have a watch that would qualify - I do. Rather, its because my ideal go anywhere, do anything watch is not one I own…yet. There will, however, come a day when the Sea-Dweller ref. 16600 becomes my GADA watch, and I knew why from the very moment I put it on my wrist.The go anywhere, do anything watch is an interesting concept. As my fellow Fratello editors have already explained, it is very much dependent on your regular activities. And while I don t necessarily have a super active lifestyle, one thing I want from a GADA watch is the reassurance that it can handle anything without any problems. My GADA watc...
Sometimes I am jealous of people who have just one watch. However, that almost seems like something from the distant past since its so common to have more than one watch these days. Even if youre not a watch collector or enthusiast, you probably have a watch that is dear to you because you received it from someone special or a watch that you bought because of its design. And alongside that one, you ll likely also have, for example, a smartwatch that you use for workouts or other things.There are not many one-watch people anymoreA friend of mine was a typical one-watch guy. He bought himself a Explorer II in the early 2000s, and that was it. And he wore it every single day until he got his O...
Welcome to this week s episode of Fratello Talks, where we dive head-first into quartz watches. Lex, Thomas, and Nacho gather in the podcast studio to discuss their love for battery-powered timepieces. There s a lot to like about them. They re reliable, accurate, and typically more affordable than their mechanical counterparts. And though quartz watches sometimes can get a bad rap, there are plenty of impressive electronic timekeepers out there worth admiring. While the immediate association of quartz movements with cheaply produced, disposable watches certainly exists for a reason, there are also plenty of high-end options.This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing ...
Fathers Day is celebrated in many countries on the third Sunday in June. That means that this coming Sunday (June 18th) is the day to honor all the dads out there. Indeed, the day starts with an excellent breakfast and some self-made gifts or drawings, but a well-considered gift can also be part of the celebration.If youre out of inspiration for a Father s Day gift, let us help you. It can be a bit of a struggle to find the right gift for Dad, but we will give you an overview of various things we, as fathers, would like to receive ourselves. Weve come up with some ideas for watch- and non-watch-related Father s Day gifts in different price categories.Dad always taught you to use the proper t...
My wife isn t into watches that much. I mean, she really likes the Cartier Tank Solarbeat that I got her for her 40th birthday last year. But she doesn t have any other watches other than that and a Timex that tries to be a Datejust. I do know other couples, though, in which both people are watch enthusiasts. And what I found interesting was that some of those couples share their watches, while others absolutely don t. Some even have two of the same watch! So that s why I d like to ask you today, do you or would you share your watches?Let s go over these different scenarios because I think there s something to be said for both. And I ll start with the positive side of things.Sharing is carin...
Whether its the scream of an Italian-made V4 or the howl of an inline-four Japanese engine, nothing disturbs the cool and collected look of the Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 with its soothing ice-blue dial. Its like being so deeply in love that even an endless stream of flirty text messages from Eva Mendes doesnt make an impact. Tissot quietly released the light blue PRX automatic watch, but that didnt go unnoticed. Thats why I had a very personal rendezvous with the watch at the famous Assen TT circuit.It was during an afternoon at Fratello HQ that we were all of a sudden confronted with the existence of the Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 Ice Blue. The editorial team present that day reacted with a un...
I have quite the backlog of artisans for Watch Strap Review, but don t worry, I will get to everyone in due time. The next in line - and a brand whose products I ve wanted to see for a while now - is today s atelier, MSBespoke from Malaysia. The company s presence on social media is small, but how it showcases its creations is outstanding. So it was no brainier for me to check MSBespoke out. Luckily, Syafiq, the man behind the brand, was happy to work with me.He sent me three straps, three very different models. They demonstrate the versatility and attention to detail that MSBespoke has. We will dive into the straps I ve received, but first, here are some words about the brand.MSBespokeI hav...
