Theres something instinctual about wanting to take photos of watches. Photography, after all, is all about storytelling. And Ill be damned if timepieces werent rich with stories. Today, through the power of modern smartphones, taking and sharing photos of watches is easier than ever before. And yet, taking good watch photos is seemingly just as hard as its ever been. Layer on the nuance of reflective crystals, polished steel, and tiny details, and suddenly, the task of sharing our horological anecdotes becomes a little more daunting. Turns out, though, that while mastering the craft of watch photography takes years of practice, getting your foot in the metaphorical door can be distilled down...
Honestly, the Nivada Dato is not the most fascinating watch in my collection. Nevertheless, it casts such a strong spell over me. Im surprised by how much I enjoy wearing it. Is it due to the fantastic condition that makes it look like it just left the factory? Let s dig in and see whether there is more to it than that. There are two watches that have been sitting on my wish list for quite a long time. Actually, there were two watches sitting on my wish list. As usually happens, after three years of absolutely nothing, I landed both of them within the span of two weeks. Straight after its arrival, the elusive Nivada Datomaster took a trip to my watchmaker to get some loving therapy. I can t ...
In a year where prices finally seem to be stabilizing, I think there will be a ton of attention on the May auctions in Geneva and those that will take place in April in Monaco and Hong Kong as well (after this article is being written). The pandemic resulted in a massive price hike among newer watches, but specifically with some of the smaller independent brands and then the bigger icons like sports models, Patek Philippe Nautilus, and AP Royal Oak. Weve also seen Cartier make a big leap in the past years. Meanwhile, in the vintage watch market prices have remained somewhat the same and now appear to again offer better value than their modern counterparts.For example, when a recently discon...
Isotope is a brand that most of you will not be strangers to. Fratello s own Rob has written about the Goutte dEau Compressor Diver, and Jorg has enthused over the Hydrium collection. The design of the former is something that feels familiar, as we have all seen compressor-style divers before. The design of the latter, however, introduced something unfamiliar, bold, and resolutely cool. It was a stripped-down diver with vibrant colors and unique design elements. Isotope then released its GMT 0o, a refreshing take on the travelers watch. Even more recently, the brand brought out the super-limited-edition Terra Maris. Today, we ll take a brief look at this intriguing release.The Isotope GMT 0o...
Dear Fratelli, can you relate to this? You look at a new watch for quite some time, and it climbs higher and higher on your wish list. And then, suddenly, you see it in a video or a picture in a way that you hadn t seen it before. Or, you see it on a certain strap for the first time, and you immediately know you ll be adding it to your collection. For me, that was the case with the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso. As soon as I saw it on this brown calfskin strap by Casa Fagliano, I knew a Reverso would be mine very soon.A quick disclaimer to start off with, though - I just picked up this watch a week ago, and I m still very much honeymooning with it. So, please excuse the wave of positivity as you ...
This feels unfair, or I may just be spoiled… But as the self-appointed Laurent Ferrier correspondent here at Fratello, Im left to struggle with my own creativity and grammar. Lets face it - when dealing with a brand new watch from a debut brand, its easier to write a good story than with another Ferrier masterpiece. This Classic Micro-Rotor limited edition was created together with Salon des Horlogers, the Geneva-based retailer of luxury independent horology. Established in 2018 in the historic horological mecca, the Salon is at the forefront of promoting Swiss independent watchmaking.Thinking as far back as my memory stretches, any piece of wristwear we ve seen from?Laurent Ferrier co...
Time for something a little bit different! We obviously dedicate the majority of our time and articles to the latest timepieces to see the light of day. But as many of you will know, MB&F is about more than just timepieces for the wrist. In 2013, MB&F started its line of successful MB&F Co-Creations, working together with creators of spectacular conceptual art pieces. These pieces are sometimes rooted in the world of timekeeping, including some of the most incredible clocks that we have ever seen. But the Co-Creations actually started with the MusicMachine, a unique music box created in collaboration with Reuge. Almost a decade later, both brands worked together on a new version ...
Not all NFTs are created equal. If you want to finally read about one that is relevant to your watch-collecting hobby, I have news for you. There is a class of NFT (non-fungible tokens) that offers real-world usage and facilitates physical experiences. It is known as a Utility NFT. How does that translate in your watch world? Let s hear it from Ace Jewelers, the 47-year-old family-owned retailer that is spearheading an effort to cross that chasm. The Dutch retailer has announced that it will offer an authenticity certification service to watch owners worldwide through the use of Utility NFTs.The real-world utility in question is the certification and authentication of a timepiece based on it...
In this series, we ll be sharing the EDC (Everyday Carry) items of our editorial team. First up is Robert-Jan, founder and editor-in-chief of Fratello. What essentials does he carry with him on a daily basis?In all honesty, I had to google what EDC meant. I definitely do have some things that I consider essentials, though, that I carry with me on a daily basis. Most of the things are packed in my briefcase, a brown leather bag from Castelijn & Beerens. This is a Dutch company founded in 1945 that actually started out making watch straps. Today, however, the company doesn t anymore, and instead focuses on briefcases, weekenders, laptop bags, backpacks, and so on. My briefcase has a padded...
What is this now? The seventh or eighth Nezumi I ve reviewed? I m losing count but not interest. There s something still so satisfying about Nezumi s design language that now seems all the more imperative given the presence of a mechanical Nezumi Voiture on the market as of March 2022. What could the future hold for this Swedish design studio as it transitions into a more serious player in the mechanical watchmaking realm?For those of you that don t know, I ve been collecting Nezumi watches since it all began. The very first Nezumi watch project launched on Kickstarter in 2015. The project almost doubled its target and went on to satisfy its 243 backers. There was also cause for some amuseme...
Last week we held the first Speedy Tuesday Event again. It s been a long time since the last one (for one obvious reason that has affected all of us). We received an incredibly high amount of registrations, but we were limited (no pun intended) to 50 people in total. For these 50 persons, Fratello and Omega hosted the Speedy Tuesday Event at the Omega headquarters in Biel, with quite some nice surprises in store.Speedy Tuesday Event Biel Edition 2022When I started Speedy Tuesday back in 2012 - 10 years ago - I didn t put a lot of thought into it. It sounded like a nice working title and it allowed me to write about my favorite chronograph at least once a week. The first get-together came in ...
Yes, at 44.5mm the new Vero Workhorse is a large watch. I did try, but no shirt cuff will accept this big boy except my unbuttoned denim shirt. But despite its size, it looks like nothing else, that might be a winning formula. I enjoyed the first release from Vero Watches. The Open Water saw the brand on a path of tool-inspired watches with a very modern design language. And though it would have been much easier to go down the vintage route, I m really glad that Vero chose not to. These facts and the functional comfort of the Workhorse make me wonder, is this the best microbrand tool watch of 2022 so far?I am a big fan of vintage skin-diver aesthetics, it s true. And surely, a field watch is...
Until now the only well-known mobile app to feature various watch blogs and on-line watch magazines was Watchville. After?Fratello Watches left Watchville,?Chrono24 let us know that their app would be featuring an integrated overview of watch articles from various websites, including ours. A solution without ‘removing our advertisements (hey we need to make a buck), without incorporating their own advertisements?and one that gives us a ‘visit for every actual read article.?Music to our ears, especially since the Chrono24 app is widely known and used by hundreds of thousands of people.On the 15th of March, the new version became available in Apple s AppStore. If you already have...
BaselWorld 2016Disappointing, nothing exciting, quiet, more of the same, just a few comments that were heard during the BaselWorld 2016 exhibition. More or less the same was heard during the SIHH last January.Most watch brands played safe this year, no risks taken. Line extensions mainly, where different colors or materials were used to create more options for consumers. Some brands even lowered their prices or at least are offering something in their lower price categories. Some colleague journalists and editors complained a bit, shrug their shoulders and said it was all a bit quiet this year.But is it? Perhaps, for journalists, it is more fun to write about a super exciting new collection ...
Last week,?Vulcain introduced?two new colors for the 50s Presidents Classic series. Its the most basic variant with three hands and a date at 6 oclock. Lets do a quick review to discuss the highlights of this watch.More OriginalityVulcain introduced the Presidents series to create a classical and formal watch, but with these new colors they try to transform the watch in a more unique and less conservative looking watch.Classic CaseThe steel case (316L) is very elegant and stays true to the typical Presidents case. It keeps the water out up to 5 atmospheres. On the front Vulcain placed a domed sapphire glass. On the back they installed a screwed caseback with a sapphire window to provide a ni...
At Baselworld 2015, TAG Heuer issued an interesting chronograph in the Carrera Telemeter. Following on the footsteps of this piece, the brand has decided to go retro once again in order to celebrate the 40th anniversary of one of its other racing-inspired chronographs. Our team met with the marque at this years show to take a look at the attractive TAG Heuer Monza.Head on with the new TAG Heuer MonzaRetro is back with the TAG Heuer MonzaWith the recent introduction of the Autavia Cup (dont forget to vote!!!), where online users can vote in a knockout-style contest to determine the theme of an Autavia reissue, it seems that TAG has really started to grasp the importance of their history. I on...
HublotAnd now something you have probably not seen yet. On the 3rd day of Basel World we visited Hublot to take a closer look at their 2016 novelties. The first piece we were introduced stole the show-for me, anyways. We were given the new Hublot Classic Fusion Berluti in black ceramic and 18k gold and I have to say, even though Hublot is not my main focus, those are some seriously nice looking watches. As we learned, last year marked the 120th anniversary of Parisian shoemaker legend Berluti. For this occasion Hublot teamed up with the atelier to produce 2 distinct models: the Hublot Classic Fusion Berluti All Black and the Hublot Classic Fusion Scritto.Based on the Classic Fusion line, bot...
Eberhard invited us to come see?their novelties for 2016, so we did. When they showed the new Scafograf we were immediately hooked by the splashy colorful accent-colors and the comfortable shapes of this dive watch, so lets quickly take a first look at this dive machine.Historical Piece – ScafografThe Scafograf is one of the oldest models of Eberhard. Launched in the exploring 1950s this watch has truly evolved through time. Through time, the water resistance of this piece quite varied: from 100 meters for the earliest models up to?1000 meters with the Scafograf Super in 1983. The predecessor of this year s novelty bears?the same name: Scafograf 300. The number 300 stood for a water-re...
It is Speedy Tuesday and we ve got something fresh from BaselWorld for you today: the Omega Speedmaster Moonphase Co-Axial Master Chronometer. In January, we showed you the blue version here first, but last week Omega showed us the entire collection of their new Speedmaster Moonphase Co-Axial Master Chronometer watches and we were able to take some great?images during our appointment with them. Omega used one of our images on their own Instagram feed as well, the one that shows the photo realistic Moon in detail, including the footprint left by Neil Armstrong.Not only did Omega came up with the stainless steel version with blue dial and bezel like we showed you previously, they also came up ...
In my opinion, or better said, for me personally, the Explorer was always one of the purest sports watches. An understatement, as it has no moving bezel, cyclops or other ‘super recognizable features. Except for the Oyster bracelet perhaps. The dial was very clean, no date and Arabic numerals on 3, 6 and 9.I would love to own a vintage reference 1016 or even later 14270 (we wrote about that one here in one of our #tbt features) or 114270. However, 36mm is not for me. It was in the far past, but being a student did not only made me a smarter man, but also a bigger man. I did buy one for my then girlfriend, now wife, so at least I have the pleasure of looking at it when I want.A very...
