In this series, well be sharing the Everyday Carry (EDC) items of our editorial team. The second Fratello to share the contents of his bag is senior editor Lex. What essentials does he carry with him on a daily basis?Lets start with the bag itself. Its a Michael Kors bag that I bought six or so years ago… by accident. I accompanied someone into the Michael Kors store in Amsterdam because it was sale season. And what do you do when youre with someone whos looking for stuff and you re not? You try to find a place to sit to take it easy and bide your time. Thats what I did. As I looked around a bit from my seated position, I glanced up and noticed a green camo tote bag high up on a shelf....

If you have read some of my articles already, you probably know a little bit about my taste in watches. Typically, I like to keep things rather sporty and affordable, with a side of vintage goodness, and Cartier for dessert. But sometimes, opportunities come up to dive into watches that take me fully out of my comfort zone. Lately, it seems that no other brand does that more often and better than Bvlgari. Last week, I had the opportunity to do the horological equivalent of skydiving or stepping into a lions cage. Im talking, of course, about wearing the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Chronograph Skeleton Automatic in platinum for a day.?This platinum stunner is a follow-up to Bvlgaris rec...

Some Haute Horlogerie creations can have a deterring effect. Sometimes its the price, sometimes its the style, sometimes its the materials used, and most often, its a combination of the three. Yes, watches can be very intimidating creations. So what happened when the A. Lange & S?hne Datograph Up/Down in platinum appeared at Fratello HQ?? Everybody looked at the $102,200 watch in awe and with the utmost respect. That included me, and once I put it on my wrist, my respect grew to even higher levels. But I also felt an unexpected, extremely high level of comfort. And whaddayaknow? The platinum reference wears like a pair of slippers!The Datograph Up/Down is a member of the Saxonia family a...

Lets start with the elephant in the room. Yes, I wrote a story on consolidating my collection. That was only three months ago, and I havent changed my mind. I m still culling the herd, but I m keeping the variety. There is a big difference between going from 18-25 down to 10-15 watches and a grail purge that leaves you with just two or three beauties. This is a policy adopted by some members of the #watchfam, I know, and while it is admirable, it is not for me. For some, it means selling off 70-80% to carefully distill the box down to 3-5 personal grails. But why? For many, it is simply because they panic after watching a TV program on hoarders. But starting with a three-watch collection and...

Astronaut Michael Collins, one of the three men on the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, passed away just over a year ago at the age of 90. When I was in Italy for the Speedy Tuesday event in Milan in 2019, I spoke at length with our special guest astronaut Nicole Stott about Collins. She knew him quite well, and according to her, Collins was one of the nicest guys from the Apollo program, as well as a talented painter.Michael Collins on the left, Deke Slayton in the background. Image by NASAMichael Collins, Apollo 11 astronautIn fact, Collins was responsible for the design of the Apollo 11 patch, and he orbited the Moon thirty times in the Command Module during the Apollo 11 mission. During these ...

I just think we went a little too fast. Sorry about that, Tudor. I mean, before I really got into watches, about two years ago, ?I didn t even know you existed. There was your bigger brother , and friends like Omega, Cartier, Oris, and Nomos, which all sounded familiar. But I only got to know you quite recently. You won me over with your vintage looks, modern-day technology, and modest price. But what I realized is that you re actually just using your bigger brother s success to try to be cool. Don t get me wrong, that s what you ve always been doing, and that s fine by me. I just didn t see it until now. Please, let me explain.I first started noticing you in numerous Instagram posts. Some b...

If you have ever found yourself looking for an aftermarket rubber strap for your Seiko, the name Crafter Blue will certainly ring a bell. The brand rose to fame only a few years ago in 2016 thanks to its production of some of the best fitted rubber straps on the market. Since then, many competitors have joined the market with similar products. But if youre looking for bang for your buck, Crafter Blues straps remain the best option out there. A year and a half ago, I bought one for my Seiko SRPC35K1 Mini Turtle. Its a strap that makes it back onto the watch every summer. But how does a company that started as a strap manufacturer fare in making an over-specced yet affordable dive watch?Ever s...

Why have I never bought myself an IWC? I love pilots watches, and the monochrome vibe of an IWC tool watch has always been very tempting. The challenge for me is their sizing and my tight budget. I would love to have burly-enough arms to rock a 43-46mm tool chronograph, but unfortunately, I m stuck with a twig-like 17.5cm wrist. So if you share my challenge, here s your guide on how to find a cool IWC Pilots Chronograph for less than $2,000. Spoiler alert: it s less of a challenge than you d imagine.IWC has made everything a lot more tempting with the new 41mm Pilot s Watch Chronographs that dropped last year, and theres always the smaller Spitfire series. But Ive grown to appreciate chronog...

How was your weekend? The time has come to wear your bright-colored, sporty, and fun spring/summer watches, dont you think? No, Im not talking about colorful MoonSwatches, trust me. I will leave that hot topic alone for a bit. But I do have a colorful titanium Patek Philippe with an emerald dial for you. And if youre in need of some music to ease you into the workweek, theres also an Audemars Piguet Mark Ronson project. Breguet, however, likes things quieter, and thats why the brand is now a partner of Frieze, the global art fair. That gives us plenty to talk about in this edition of Coffee Corner Watch Talk.First up is a very special Patek Philippe for a special occasion. On November 7th ...

Like many of us, I had anticipated new additions to the Oris ProPilot X range for a while. Before this, there had only been a single model in this collection since its inception in 2019. Well, OK, if you count both the titanium bracelet option and the leather strap, there were two. That all changed with the new ProPilot X Calibre 400. However, this trio of new models was probably not what anyone expected. The ProPilot X Calibre 400 receives three dial variants in 39mm titanium cases. With Calibre 400, the ProPilot X goes automatic with a date function at 6 oclock. Lets dive in and dissect what else this non-limited edition brings to the fray.Before I get into it, I am interested in understan...

In a sea of retro-inspired dive watches, Citizen calls your attention to a true retro classic of its own. In 1985, the Japanese brand introduced the original Aqualand Depth Meter. A true divers watch, it only saw one major update in the early 90s. Ever since then, the watch has remained in production without much cosmetic deviation at all. As such, it may come as a surprise that Citizen is introducing two variations of this classic model to its Promaster collection this year. Meet the Aqualand Depth Meter JP200 series.For avid divers or dive-watch fans, the Aqualand may have already earned its reputation as a serious tool watch or a collectible. For the uninitiated, though, it would not do ...

Earlier this year, Longines released the Spirit Zulu Time GMT. The watch was extremely well received, as it combined the form factor of the brands Spirit line with one of the most useful complications available - the GMT. But this is far from the first time that Longines has created a watch that indicates multiple time zones. In fact, the brand has a long history in the field, having created time-telling tools for aviators since the 1930s. Today, we ll take a look back at the earliest flight-ready watches by Longines and reflect on what they mean for the significance of its latest.These days, watches are widely regarded as products of the luxury industry. Nevertheless, we cannot dismiss the ...

I know seeing the rebirth of a 38mm no-crown-guard Submariner ref. 6538 is as likely as seeing the original Beatles again - #nothappening. Thankfully, we still have our regular Sunday daydreaming column, don t we? So, if you ll indulge me, I ll do just that.What were you doing 10 years ago? Personally, I remember that very clearly. I didn t get much sleep in those days, and not for the reasons that come to the top of your dirty minds. Rather, I was working 16-18 hours a day, seven days a week trying to build my own company in the heart of Europe.Someone in Hong Kong, however, likely has fonder memories of that time. You see, back then, there was a minty and unpolished Submariner reference ...

Here at Fratello, we often discuss how the meaning of watches is far more important than the actual value or prestige of the brand that creates them. A well-worn watch with a lifetimes worth of stories will always be the most interesting. So, for Mothers Day this year, I decided to share the story of my moms watch. Its a watch thats present in my childhood memories and immortalized in baby pictures. It might have even predetermined my fascination for these timekeeping objects. But this is not an expensive luxury watch. It s not a watch you d think twice about if you saw it on someone s wrist on the street or even in a junk pile at a flea market. To me, though, it s one of the most special wa...

For some around the world, Sunday morning is about resting. But here at Fratello, there s no rest for the wicked. We take one or multiple watches into the Showdown arena to sing with praise or sneer with cynicism for this series. Today, we look at the Cosmograph Daytona against its classic yet contemporary counterpart, the Zenith Chronomaster Sport. First impressions deem the Chronomaster Sport has an uncanny resemblance to the Daytona. However, a keen eye will notice these watches are far more distinct than they initially appear. With two writers at the ready, we dig deeper into the details and see once and for all which chronograph has the upper hand. It s your vote, however, that makes t...

My love for Angelus watches is well documented. In the past, I ve featured many models on these very pages. From the Chronodato and the Holy Trinity to collector s guides on military 215s, the articles I wrote for your (and my) entertainment span a wide variety of models. Angelus is a fascinating brand and has much to offer for a vintage guy like me.Though arguably, those models are some of the coolest ones out there, Angelus has much more than a few military pieces or a triple-date chronograph. To name a few, the Dato12, 25x calibers, or those awesome travel clocks and other timepieces are all part of the Angelus family. In this article, I want to talk about another type of watch - the Ange...

Good day, everyone. Mike is in the saddle today and here with your pre-owned highlights. With me at the helm, theres a strong chance of vintage in the forecast and likely occurrence of gold drizzle. Shall we begin?Photo courtesy of Chrono24 and Oliver & ClarkePre-Owned Highlights: Datejust 1600 Ghost DialOur first pre-owned pick comes to us courtesy of Chrono24 and the Los Angeles-based sellers Oliver & Clarke. What we have here is a Datejust 1600. If you were guessing that a 36mm Datejust would find its way into this article because of my recent obsession, you scored! However, this isnt just any old Datejust. This is a smooth-bezel model in steel and gold. More than that, though, ...

You might have already seen the in-depth article on my Day-Date 18238 (if not, you can find it here), but we also decided to highlight this beautiful gold President in a video. The Day-Date is one of the most recognizable watches in the world, and perhaps a bit of a safe, and therefore the boring choice for a watch. But, buying a nice Day-Date is not as easy as you expect, there are several things you need to consider when you re on the hunt for one.I ve been eying a Day-Date for a long time, but only in recent times (meaning recent years) did I feel I was ready for one. As I joked in the video, I needed to have a few grey hairs first, to make it feel right. But just recently, I found the...

It all started with a conversation in the office. An office that s full of people who are crazy about watches, what they are, and what they can do. The functional core of a watch is, of course, telling time as accurately as possible. The ultimate goal of any watchmaker is to build a watch that tells time perfectly. This was the case in the past when a watch served an essential purpose, but it also does so in the present, as watchmaking is founded on ancient principles that are still upheld, even in times of atomic clocks. Nowadays, a mechanical watch is both a functional and emotional object. Does the emotional element outweigh the functional one? Is the ancient quest for accuracy a noble on...

This series was actually my idea, and boy, do I regret it! The premise of this idea is to help guide a watch-loving newbie down the right path to a hypothetical starter collection. Im normally not indecisive, but here, the word doesnt even start to explain my situation. As I am in the middle of a personal consolidation of my collection, it makes the concept even more poignant. But when I try to tell you how to spend $10K wisely, these are loose guidelines only, not a gospel.Embarking on this quest was difficult, believe me. You have no idea of the number of watches Ive mentally sorted through to get to what I find is a curated but fluctuating three-watch collection. Im not mentioning which t...