Let me make something crystal clear: Im not a watch fundamentalist. I dont live by the strict rule that you can only wear an X-type watch when you are doing an X-type of activity. If I did, I probably couldnt wear any of the watches in my modest collection. Since Im not flying a spacecraft, I wouldnt allow myself to wear my Speedmaster, for instance. But - yes, there is a but here - there are limits when it comes to the initial function and purpose of a watch, the execution of it, and the way its being worn. After seeing the unveiling of a classic dive watch in an exotic alloy last year, I first thought of putting together an article about dive watches for shallow people. Visiting Watches an...
Next year will mark 30 years since Cartier released the Must de Cartier Tank Art Deco. Maybe I should feel embarrassed that I don t recall ever seeing it before. But the moment I spotted it last week, I instantly fell in love. If it weren t quartz and in the ballpark of $10,000, it would be mine already.Find me a man or woman who doesn t like the Cartier Tank. This classy watch is so individual and original that it is difficult, maybe impossible, to find a single thing that would keep you from liking it. At the same time, Cartier is not a brand that I would expect to put a colorful dial in its classiest model. That s probably why I never looked into the brand s older watches hoping to discov...
Today, we ll take a brief look at the Sarpaneva Dragonskin, a watch that owes its existence to a fellow watch journalist. It s a fascinating watch with a great story. Plus, it brings together watchmaking and artisanal materials. What could be better?Justin Mastine-Frost is the Director of Digital Content for Sharp Magazine, one of Canada s leading men s lifestyle journals. He s also a longtime watch journalist who has developed relationships with several founders of watchmaking companies. One of his favorites happens to be Sarpaneva. The Finnish watchmaker has a spectacular reputation for nouveau-gothic watches featuring bold designs and fantastic finishing. Justin mentions that he has owned...
Seiko has possibly the widest range of entirely in-house-manufactured watches in todays market. Everything from Spartan Seiko 5 watches to highly complicated Grand Seikos will be found. Since 1974, the company has even had a Haute Horlogerie branch in the form of Credor. And for those who are quick at arithmetic, that is precisely 50 years this year. That s a cause for celebration!Credor introduces a special edition of its Eichi II watch to mark the occasion, limited to 30 pieces. Lets have a closer look at this latest creation.The Credor Eichi IICredor introduced the original Eichi in 2008. It was a 35mm dress watch with a power reserve indicator at 10 o clock. The 2014 Eichi II saw that in...
Although I have worked in the watch industry for years, this year marked my first trip to Watches and Wonders. When I was a vintage dealer, I simply had no business at the fair, and I had to skip it in my first years at Fratello due to personal circumstances. This means I went into it with quite a bit of experience but also with a newbie mindset to the event itself.When our shop manager Laurits asked how events like this influence us Fratello writers, I felt I might be the right one to pick up the gauntlet and try to answer that question.The influence of seeing the watches in real lifeThe first reason why attending events like Watches and Wonders is crucial for us is so that we can handle al...
Youve seen the press pics, and youve read the comments. Now its time to slip on and try out the double-denim Patek Philippe duo - the World Time Date 5330G and Nautilus Self-Winding Chronograph 5980/60G. I had to find out how these somewhat controversially styled watches felt and wore in reality. While I was at it, I also managed to get a little time with the Aquanaut Travel Time 5164G, which comes in grayish-blue attire that reminds me of faded jeans.The comments under the introduction article for the new Patek Philippe World Time Date 5330G and Nautilus Chronograph 5980/60G and their jeans-look straps were not casual like denim, to say the least. Sure, the new white gold and blue Aquanaut ...
Hello, and welcome to an on-location episode of Fratello Talks. Today, Nacho, Daan, and Lex are coming to you from the Watch Valley event in Utrecht, where Swatch Group novelties for the first half of 2024 were unveiled. They ll run through some of their favorites and give opinions on the different brand s new watches and directions, with a sprinkle of the usual banter. You ll have to excuse the difference in audio quality; it comes with the territory of recording outside the Fratello studio. What doesn t change is that we kick things off with a wrist check!This video is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings This podcast player is blocked because you ...
I would be lying if I didnt admit to being a big fan of Japanese craftsmanship, especially the emphasis on artfully inspired dials. Orient Star is the top-tier division of big-box brand Orient, a well-known entity if youre already into watches. The biggest draw is that Japanese brands have a particular design mindset and quality ethos, as we can see with the new Orient Star M34 F8 Date.Orient Star is making a comeback, and it shows. Weve already looked closely at the celestial inspiration behind the new M Collections, and these two new M34 F8 references are very significant. In our watch rabbit hole, we all know about the big value of Mako divers and the evergreen Bambino. But this time, we ...
Heirloom watches are special, and I have a few, including two pocket watches. But there is one in particular that has given me sleepless nights while hiding in a dark corner of my case. Finally, I set out on the mission of bringing my grandfather s Tissot Seastar back to its glory. And after a three-month sojourn in England, it has returned - with a (shock, horror!) repainted dial.Why was this heinous crime committed, and why me, who should know better? You should never repaint a dial or polish up a vintage case - that s the gospel. You will ruin the value and legacy of a family heirloom, right? Well, except when someone in his early watch-collecting days had a dial repainted in the wrong co...
Today, in the Fratello Shop, we re excited to bring you an item with a real story. These are watch rolls, but they re a little different than the everyday, mass-produced holders found online. No, these rolls are handmade and come from a small village in Slovakia. The reason for their existence relates to one of our longstanding editors. There was never a plan to bring these to market, but after another Fratello team member saw them, a plan to offer them in the Fratello Shop?came to fruition.In 2011, I moved from the United States to Germany. At that time, I owned a few decent watches. Still, in all the craziness accompanying an international move, I was concerned with safely stowing my watch...
A few weeks ago, after many months of nagging, I finally received a SpaceOne Jumping Hour for a hands-on review. As someone in constant communication with Guillaume Laidet, the brand s founder, I was fortunate enough to have followed the project from the jump-off to the point where, last year, my much-deserved beer at the Grand Duke pub in Geneva after a long drive from Germany was spoiled by him showing me one of the prototypes. Like the one I have here, that watch was a carbon model, albeit not a Destro. I told him he needed to send me one whenever the project was a go. That day finally came, and the SpaceOne Jumping Hour Destro Forged Carbon landed on my table.Full disclosure: Im not a le...
As with the years before, I looked forward to this year s edition of Watches and Wonders. I looked forward to the buzz, the week-long immersion in top-shelf horology, the close cooperation with Fratello team members, and, of course, being reunited with several colleagues from the industry. Beforehand, expectations on what the brands should present weren t hotter than lukewarm. During the last year, it became clear that the watch industry seems to sail in challenging weather. Nevertheless, Watches and Wonders didn t disappoint me, even without a real show-stopper.After the show made clear that the industry is indeed holding back, news on the worrying market situation continues to reach us in ...
On this (Speedy) Tuesday, Omega is introducing a sparkling new bunch of Speedmaster 38 models. Two are in Sedna Gold, two are in Moonshine Gold, and four variations are in stainless steel. If any of you are looking for a sport-chic, diamond-set watch with firm roots in chronograph and space history, your time might be now.The new Speedmaster 38 in Sedna Gold with a brown dialSpeedmaster 38Back in 2017, Omega introduced the Speedmaster 38 model. The most popular model was, without a doubt, the Speedmaster with a cream dial and brown oval sub-dials, also known as the Cappuccino. This model, with and without a diamond-set bezel, was made of stainless steel and 18K Sedna (rose) Gold.Speedmaster ...
Another gold commemorative Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo 11 1969 Tribute to Astronauts is coming up for auction. This one belonged to NASA astronaut Richard F. Gordon Jr. (1929C2017).Image: RR AuctionGordon s commemorative gold Speedmaster Apollo 11Omega presented only 34 of these watches to NASA astronauts in 1969 and the years after. Occasionally, these gold Speedmaster models gifted to the astronauts turn up at an auction. Gordons number 20 (out of 1,014 gold Speedmaster Apollo 11 1969 watches) will go up for auction later this month at RR Auction.Richard Gordon was part of the third group of astronauts that NASA selected in 1963 for the Gemini and Apollo programs. With 4,500 flyi...
Zenith introduced two new models worth discussing this year for different reasons. The brand s Defy Skyline Chronograph was a logical next step for the series. It even felt like the watch had been part of the collection for some time. It just seems like a natural progression for the Defy Skyline. The second big new introduction was the Zenith Defy Extreme Diver. Fans of the brand have been questioning whether we would see a return of a Zenith dive watch. That question was answered this year with this new duo. As it turns out, the Zenith Defy Extreme Diver is surprisingly less extreme than we expected - in a good way! It s time for a closer look.As a fan of Zenith, I am always most interested...
It is no secret that I was impressed by a specific model in Cartiers Watches and Wonders 2024 drop. After all, I wrote the introduction article and featured it in my W&W favorites article. In case you missed both, I am talking about the Cartier Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph. I have had a chance to go hands-on with it, and it did not disappoint. So lets take a moment to dive a little bit deeper into this complicated Cartier.The Cartier Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph comes in your choice of platinum or yellow gold. Both are limited to a mere 200 pieces. The platinum model has a price of $53,000, while the yellow gold version costs $46,000. So to say this review is practical consumer adv...
You ve probably seen all the Watches and Wonders 2024 recap articles and read how this year s releases weren t the most exciting ones. But, as I ve already stated in my favorites article, that certainly doesn t mean there weren t any releases worth mentioning. Today, I d like to highlight two watches we haven t yet covered here on Fratello. They both feature a black dial with an ever-intriguing jumping-hour complication. They re also both new versions of previously available models. That doesn t make them any less interesting, though. Let s take a quick look at the Monsieur de Chanel Superleggera Intense Black and the Chopard L.U.C Quattro Spirit 25, also in black.I always find watches with ...
Five years ago, at Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (aka SIHH, the predecessor to Watches and Wonders), Audemars Piguet shocked the watch world. When AP launched the all-new Code 11.59 By Audemars Piguet collection, the reception was lukewarm at best, but most reactions were straight-up negative. In particular, the dial design got a proper beating. To be fair, I didnt care much for it either. The 41mm Selfwinding s lacquered dial with its three Arabic numerals didnt seem to fit a Haute Horlogerie watch with a ditto price tag. But now it s 2024, and AP has presented two Code 11.59 By Audemars Piguet Selfwinding models that show progress. I decided to show the 41mm and 38mm models so...
It s been a week since we flew back from Watches and Wonders 2024. These last seven days have served well in processing everything we saw during the show. As much as the consensus might be that this year was a bit slower than the last two, there were still plenty of new watches. Brands seem to have aimed more at doing a spot of housekeeping and subtle refinement (with some notable exceptions, of course). Having had the benefit of being able to mull it over, I didn t have too much trouble finding five favorites from the show.In putting together this list of favorite Watches and Wonders releases, I ve decided to try to include some watches that fall slightly outside my comfort zone (I think yo...
I appreciate a manufacturer that listens and responds to customer feedback to evolve its products. It seems obvious to most that this should be the case. But you may be surprised how many companies mindlessly ignore criticism to focus on churning out the same stock. Thankfully, Artem continually seeks improvement to maintain its customer base and expand its horizon. As with Artem s Loop-Less? sailcloth strap, the Australian outfit applies the lessons on comfort and out-of-the-box wearability to its classic collection. Does it work? Let s strap in.The Classic sailcloth collection is where Artem cut its teeth. Before its expansion into NATO straps, hybrid FKM rubber, and colors, the Artem Stra...
