Every price segment has its king, and for watches under $5,000, it s Tudor. Luckily, Thomas and Jorg already had their turns in this series, and both featured Tudor watches as their first picks. That s good because now I can focus on other interesting stuff. Although the budget is quite comfortable, it s certainly not an easy category. Generally speaking, the more expensive watches are, the less the price represents the material value of the product. I feel this becomes more noticeable with watches in the $2,500C5,000 range than with less expensive ones. That s especially apparent with my first two picks.The fact that Thomas and Jorg already had their turns also makes it a little more diffic...

It s been a while since I ve been up close and personal with IFL s customized takes on the evergreen G-Shock, and this time, it s personal. After all, I do live pretty close to the Arctic, so I feel an affinity for the CasiOak Orca.But we have plenty of readers far away from Europe, let alone the chilly Arctic region. Yes, I do feel a kinship with orcas and ice floes, but we have summer here too. And neither orcas nor polar bears roam our beaches. That would be pretty cool, but it s beside the point of this cool octagonal G.Evocative and evolved dial artIFL Watches in Sweden has evolved from its first forays into custom Casios and is now a force to be reckoned with. I ve had an up-close rela...

Buying a watch for oneself is often a big decision and not necessarily made quickly. I dont know about you, but I have often agonized over a purchase. I ve read reviews, researched peoples impressions of a watch through forums, and done about as much reading as one could without becoming obsessive. Buying a watch as a gift, though, can seem so much harder.?There are several brands and even specific watch models that seem to speak of the classic beauty and even romance of watches for a loved one.Buying a watch as a giftBuying a watch as a gift is a topic we have covered here on Fratello before. We dedicated a whole podcast episode to it because of popular demand earlier this year. Evidently, ...

Welcome to a new Sunday Morning Showdown. Whereas last week s contestants were much higher upmarket, this week, we re putting two more common, mid-tier divers up against each other. The Tudor Black Bay 58 in blue was introduced about four years ago. Ever since then, it has been a very popular vintage-inspired dive watch. But how can it be that we ve never put it in the ring with another popular diver? Well, maybe that s because the perfect opponent just didn t exist yet. That has changed now because, last week, Seiko released the SJE119, a blue version of the updated Marinemaster.This is an exciting Sunday Morning Showdown because it s the first time Tudor and Seiko will compete against each...

After we saw the new Tudor Black Bay Pro and GMT S&G, we shared our thoughts with you on the design of these watches and the direction Tudor is taking with them. Not all of my Fratello colleagues are fans of these new releases, but several of us here actually do like these watches for what they are. I belong to the latter group. I actually like the Black Bay Pro and GMT S&G, and I d have a hard time choosing between the two.Following the introduction at Watches And Wonders, Tudor let me spend some time with the Black Bay Pro to have a closer look at it. Honestly, I don t even feel like addressing the obvious, as even Tudor doesn t make it a secret that this watch is inspired by the v...

It s with great pleasure that we announce our upcoming event, An evening with Fratello on June 18th, in the beautiful city of The Hague, The Netherlands. That s right, we can finally meet with you again, and we re really looking forward to doing so. We love to talk about watches, not only online but also in real life, in a nice environment with a drink and a bite. We re guessing that you do as well, so we hereby invite you to sign-up for the Fratello event on June 18th using the form below.Before the pandemic, we hosted many events. Mainly, these were together with brands (Blancpain, Glashtte Original, Grand Seiko, Omega, Oris, etc.). But we also hosted independent events with just a bunch ...

You d better sit down now. The Turtle Astronaut is a bi-metallic 24-hour watch with a sector dial, lumed, printed, and applied numerals, red detailing, an arrow central seconds hand, a push-down crown, twisted lugs… and a deadbeat Chezard movement. ?Shall I repeat myself, or will you read that again? If I were a gypsy king, the Turtle Astronaut would be my second choice after whatever gold watch. This watch is so awkwardly different that, in a way, it s actually cute. If I didn t see the watch and had just read the above description, I would think it was an April Fools frankenwatch to entertain readers. Well, it s not. I am serious. And the Turtle Astronaut is a seriously great watch ...

Dual-crown divers are enjoying a bit of a revival these days. While some brands are coming out with new designs, others are exploring their back catalogs. Alpina has a rich history dating back to 1883 and was there when diving and dive watches entered the zeitgeist. Launched in 2016, the Seastrong Heritage line was established as a tribute to the water-going watches of yesteryear. Poised as a fresh take on a classic design, this line offers modern technology in a vintage-inspired package. We will see that this is much more than a pretty face in a new case.There has been no shortage of dual-crown dive watches released in recent memory. We ve seen them from fresh-faced microbrands and the big ...

It s safe to say the new 3861-equipped Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch caused a big splash at Fratello. Since the launch in January 2021, at least four team members obtained Omega s first Master Chronometer Moonwatch. All smiles, then? Well, overall, yes. The Speedmaster is one of my most prized possessions, and not just in terms of watch collecting. Every time I wear it, I can t help but spend some me time ogling its many intricacies. However, on the wrist, a niggling feature, or lack thereof, began permeating my psyche and spoiling the wearing experience. In this somewhat different Strap Check article, I aim to tackle my reservations about the bracelet and remedy them with a solution. Does it ...

It s time for another installment of Fratello EDC, where we re sharing our editorial team s Everyday Carry (EDC) items. The third Fratello to share the contents of his bag and pockets is OG Gerard, aka G2. What essentials does he carry with him daily?As a guy who likes to travel light, I don t particularly like calling these items essentials. Rather, I d say they re necessities. They re necessary to lock the house, necessary to start my car or unlock my bicycle, and necessary to do what I like or have to do. The things I carry have no specific hierarchy, so let s start with the largest of them.G2 s EDC necessities - Starting with his 2nd BrainWHERE would I be without YOU? My Think Tank bag p...

Wines, food, and many other finest things the world knows are French. But watches? True, France was once a prominent watchmaking country a few hundred years ago. Names like Breguet, Le Roy, and Le?pine ring a bell for watch-history enthusiasts. However, like with so many other countries, watchmaking at some point migrated from France to Switzerland, which had perfected mass production. Now, however, watchmaking is making a return to France (some may say it never left). Pequignet is a true manufacture d horlogerie, creating its Royal calibers at its facility in Morteau. March LA.B is bringing unique French design (and calibers) to the table. And Serica? Well, what s not to love with this vint...

The history of the GMT-Master goes all the way back to 1954. This is when the brand introduced the first reference 6542. developed the watch in close collaboration with Pan American Airways for its pilots. What some people don t know (and what I didn t, until recently) is that also developed a left-handed version of the GMT-Master ref. 6542.There s not much known about that particular execution of the GMT-Master Destro, besides the production year (1959) and that it was auctioned back in 2018 via Phillips Auctions. What amazed me is that the folks at didn t communicate anything about this during the introduction of the new GMT-Master II 126720VTNR when we met them in Geneva. Last week, w...

You might have seen the H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Concept Minute Repeater Tourbillon before. Maybe not in the metal, since its a very exclusive and elusive watch. But maybe youve seen the 43mm titanium Haute Horlogerie creation with its Electric Blue Concept dial and hammers and gongs on the dial side somewhere online. Some say lightweight titanium is the ultimate material for a minute repeater because it resonates so well. But still, Moser decided to create a smaller 40mm version in heavy 5N red gold as well. The brand from Neuhausen am Rheinfall has also placed inside of it a new Grand Feu enamel dial in Aqua Blue on a base with a hammered texture.Who said that the minute repeater is t...

Manufacture Breguets Tradition collection is the gift that keeps on giving. It has graced us with its modern aesthetics and high complications since 2005. The family of open-worked wristwatches has expanded to glowing acclaim with the Quantieme Retrograde 7597, donning a new retrograde date function. In less than two years, the 7597 model has welcomed a new color variation in regal blue contrasting with its emblematic movement in anthracite.As architecturally imposing as it is visually enticing, the 7597 carries the torch to embody Abraham-Louis Breguets design codes from over two centuries ago. The timepiece is a mechanical reinterpretation of the souscription (subscription in French) and t...

There are some people who refuse to buy a watch simply because they find its lume performance unsatisfactory. I am not one of those people. I mean, I do enjoy good lume on a watch, especially when I put my kids to bed or walk from the garden to the kitchen. But lume is certainly not an essential part of a watch for me, nor is it a specific reason to get a watch, for that matter. Well, that s how I felt until I wore the all-new Yema Superman Full Lume for a few days. With this one on the wrist, I couldn t wait for the sun to go down so I could enjoy that fully Super-LumiNova-lit dial. I ve finally experienced first hand how exciting lume can be!When I think about the lume in my own collection...

If you ask me to name a random rally car, chances are pretty big that I will immediately mention the Lancia Delta HF Integrale. This iconic rally car from the late 80s and early 90s is still one of the coolest silhouettes the world of motorsports has ever seen. So when I saw a Lancia Delta pop up in the promo materials for the latest Unimatic collaboration, I was immediately intrigued. For the latest collaboration, the Milanese brand teamed up with Italian car company Automobili Amos to create new and unique Unimatic Modello Quattro models. Time to find out more.The guys at Unimatic have released some stunning collaboration timepieces over the last couple of years. The wide variety of exec...

The Omega Speedmaster Mk40 3820.53 is a bit of an oddball in the collection. Besides the Professional, Omega has always had a number of Speedmaster variations in the catalog since 1969. In the 1980s and 1990s, the Speedmaster Reduced was an alternative to the Moonwatch for those who wanted a smaller watch, one with an automatic movement, or simply a slightly more affordable choice.Besides the Speedmaster Reduced, Omega also had the Speedmaster Racing series (with Schumacher and Andretti as ambassadors) and this Speedmaster Day-Date model. It s a 39mm Speedmaster watch with the well-known lyre lugs and black tachymeter bezel. A self-winding movement (caliber 1151) provides the time, chronogra...

Ulysse Nardin s ties to the ocean and its exploration run as deep as its inky blue depths. Since 1846, the Swiss brand has consistently produced marine chronometers for those who navigate the vast bodies of water that cover 70.8% of our planet. Today, Ulysse Nardin takes steps in a new environmentally conscious direction. The brand introduces The Ocean Race Diver, a watch made largely of recycled fishing nets. Over the course of the 175 years that Ulysse Nardin has been around, our oceans have suffered greatly. According to the UK, 640,000 metric tonnes of used fishing nets are discarded or lost every year. Ulysse Nardin embarked on a mission in 2020 to turn the problem into a solution. The ...

Get ready for a winding episode for this week s Fratello On Air! Balazs and Mike return after a one-week hiatus with news from the road. Enjoy this open discussion! This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings Mike has been on the road for much of the last month and Balazs is gearing up to leave. Movement around the globe forms part of today s episode along with a couple of news bits. As always, though, it s time to start with a Handgelenks Kontrolle.Handgelenks KontrolleBalazs is sporting the new Nivada Datomaster Mecaquartz and we discuss this affordable entry model. We also muse about how this watch looks like the Nivada Dato 4368...

I love blue dials, so Im not even attempting to be objective. The most difficult thing for me here is to not mention my Seiko Marinemaster 300. But Ive already mentioned it in a few stories already, so Im remaining schtum. Besides, my love of blue goes beyond mere wristwear. So here, you ll find some of the best blue divers watches from Grand Seiko, Blancpain, and JLC, as well as versatile #DEEPBLUE gear to match up with them. But I don t mean diving gear…Yes, I love divers, and I have some diving gear. But so far, the vest, valves, and hoses have been great photo props and nothing more. Am I ashamed? Nope. This is not 1976 when a tool was a tool. These days, divers watches are simply ...