The chronograph is easily one of my favorite watch types. Unlike a diver or field watch, the chronograph is a tough one to master. There s lots of info on display and the wrong design choices can lead to a visual mess. And then there are the movements; buyers LOVE to talk specifications. Thankfully, the big brands now offer some really compelling choices.With watches, we often talk more about what we don t have instead of pausing to examine the current landscape. We say things like, that s great, but, or, I wish brand X would have done such and such instead. Honestly, the complaints now border on the ridiculous because, at the risk of sounding crazy, I think we are currently in the midst of ...
You may not have heard too much about the Edox SkyDiver, but it s been around for quite some time. For almost 50 years, in fact. Established in 1973, the SkyDiver line was created for an elite military unit. It s tough. It s durable. And now, almost half a century after it first emerged from the Edox facility in Switzerland, it has been treated to the best modern manufacturing techniques have to offer, and an origin-era-appropriate colorway for 2021.The Edox SkyDiver Neptunian is one of those pleasingly over-engineered dive watches that is probably unlikely to ever be pushed to its physical limits. And despite the fact that s par for the course for most dive watches (the vast majority of whi...
Desk diving is without a doubt the favorite pastime of many watch enthusiasts. The number of diving watches that will never be used for their intended purpose is enormous. And at Fratello, a majority of the team is also guilty as charged. Luckily we also have some people on the Fratello team that do take their diving watches into the water and test their true functionality. But for all of you that do not go diving this summer, we have made a list of the eight best desk diving watches that look great in the office. Additionally, they will make for a great watch summer watch. So let s desk dive in!The thing that has always surprised me the most when it comes to discussing watches is how some p...
Breitling: Instruments for Professionals. Many watch enthusiasts will be more than familiar with this slogan, and I would be willing to bet we all could rattle off a few of Breitlings most famous models. Lets be real C who among us has not heard of the scuba-ready SuperOcean or the legendary aviation chronograph, the Navitimer? Some of us may not realize though just how important Breitling has been to the watch industry throughout its illustrious history.Unfortunately, a truly comprehensive review of the brand and all of its models is beyond the scope of this article. We do hope, however, that this two-part overview will highlight the most important moments in Breitlings history, and help to...
The first scratch hurts the most. To ease your pain, the Independence 21 Limited Edition comes pre-scratched. Just kidding. Still, scratches play a big role in the appearance of this new sports watch. And thats because each one of the 200 midnight blue dials is brushed by hand, which results in 200 uniquely scratched patterns. The superlative of scratching is skeletonizing. If you keep taking away material, light will eventually seep through. It doesnt exactly work like that, but the Norqain Independence 21 And DLC Skeleton Limited Edition watches still have a lot in common.Norqain might not be the biggest or the oldest watch brand, but that doesnt say anything about the brands collection. W...
CronotempVs is a collectors/enthusiast/amateurs community dedicated to sharing the passion of horology. Founded in Madrid in 2009, the purpose is to connect watch enthusiasts away from the public eye. The members of the watch illuminati reside around the world. Initially, they just talked watches among themselves, but things have changed in recent times. The group has worked on projects with brands like ?A. Lange & S?hne, Audemars Piguet, Breguet, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Oris, and many others. And when I say projects, I m talking watches. A special watch created by both the aficionados and the brand. The granulated gold grandeur of the Chopard L.U.C Perpetual Twin CronotempVs Edition show...
I like the quiet contenders. On school sports day, theyre the ones that lag behind at a snails pace, reserving their energy before pulling a last-minute trick out of the bag and surging past everyone like a little Duracell Bunny. If theyre particularly cunning, theyll throw a curveball and trip an opponent up, ever-so-sneakily before the finish line. Im also quietly competitive. I like to gather all my facts. Observe other people. Study their strategies before conceiving and executing a nefarious master plan…Is that what smaller watchmakers do, do you think? They may not stand directly under the limelight or indeed, have the financial backing or the marketing they need to steal another...
We like to talk about vintage watches a lot within the Fratello team. While the daily routine is largely focused on the most recent developments in the world of watches, the most fun for many of us lies in the world of vintage watches. Its a world full of history, remarkable watches, incredible stories, and quirky details. It inspired us to come up with a series of articles focusing on the best watches per decade from a select group of brands. Some of them priceless, some of them still affordable. In this installment, we will take a look at the best Longines watches from the 1970s.In the 1960s, we witnessed developments that challenged the status quo of watch design forever. The sheer amount...
Porsche Design s Chronograph 911 GT3 can be configured in many details to perfectly match an owner s car. Every watch is an individual piece made to order, and it is exclusively available to owners of a Porsche 911 GT3.In the past, when there have been discussions on the relevance of a luxury watch, one argument was that you can wear a watch in a bar to underline your personality. Your precious car parked anywhere outside just didn t have any effect while you were inside. With Porsche Design‘s Chronograph 911 GT3 this changes because your watch shows which car you drive!This watch has some characteristics which distinguish it from other Porsche Design models, and you can only buy it if...
This article is a direct counterpoint to the article I released 90 minutes ago. Whenever Only Watch lights up the internet, we are reminded of one thing: there s no accounting for bad taste. Truthfully, however, what I define as bad taste could be seen as quite the opposite from another man s point of view. Exactly how far apart my taste is from that of the future owners of these watches will become apparent when they go under the hammer in November. Before then, though, why don t we have a bit of fun sharing our candid thoughts on the below…Please dive into the comments and tell me what you think of the watches featured in this article and the one from earlier today (you can read it h...
Every other year, we re treated to that midsummer rush of madness known as Only Watch. The charity auction has done really, really well to establish such a foothold in the industry. The event is now highly anticipated by those of us tasked with covering industry releases full-time. It is a shot in the arm. It is a welcome refresher. To me, it is like Christmas morning except unlike my time as a child, I have absolutely no idea what I m going to unwrap. And I love it…You can t beat a good surprise. Every time Only Watch rolls around, there are a handful of brands that stand out head and shoulders above the rest. Remember the De Bethune/URWERK collaboration from 2019? It still stands out...
We love the challenge of a good list here at Fratello. Especially when it comes to smaller budgets, it s a great challenge to figure out the best options. With ever-increasing prices, it s not always easy to come up with a list of affordable contenders. For this list, we picked the best mechanical chronographs under $2,000. As it turns out, there are plenty of options available for the money. But some of the obvious picks of the past are not an option anymore. So let s find out what the best chronographs under $2,000 are.I am going to honest…I am one of those people that loves making lists. It doesn t matter whether it s about music, sports, or watches. When it comes to watches, I have...
Its no secret that within recent years, interest in vintage watches has absolutely boomed. Not only have truly vintage pieces been selling for higher and higher prices, but for the latter half of the 2010s and now going into the 2020s, brands reaching back into their annals, pulling out historically important timepieces, and reproducing them has proved to be a winning business strategy.With this ever-surging interest in the wristwear of yesteryear, several brands have reemerged in the collective consciousness of the watch community at large, attracting both the newly-acquainted and long-time fans alike. Nivada Grenchen is one of these. Whether youre familiar with the brand and would like a r...
If it hadn t been for this magnificent watch catch, I would never have learned that the Japanese had a Bond-like hero that fought bad guys too. In the 1965 TV drama Spy Catcher J3, Agent J3 drives a flying Corvette Stingray, but more importantly for todays story, he wears the Calendar Auto Orient Swimmer Worldtrip.Orient was one of those watch brands that I?was aware of but kept towards the bottom of my attention list for a long time. You know, we cant have them all, can we? I?somewhat liked the King Divers and the Weekly Orients, but not so much as to buy it. It was the stunningly creative dial on the Calendar Auto Swimmer Worldtrip that made me buy the first Orient watch for my collection....
We know Genteel Handmade best for its luxurious, fully customizable straps. Recently, I ve even been wearing my first fully custom band from the brand (a wiskey Maya leather deployant with brown stitching and a red goat lining) so I can fully attest to the awesome results of this flexible service. However, today the brand adds a new string to its bow. Say hello to Cordura watch straps C tough fabric straps that are certainly built to last.Cordura is a nylon material that is extremely durable, water-resistant, and abrasion-resistant. Following on from Genteel Handmade s recent decision to introduce Ready-To-Wear leather straps, so too are Cordura straps now available off the shelf. Why? Cordu...
Reputation is everything in this industry. Brands with a good rep can sell products sight unseen. But it takes time to get to that stage. While is handing out branded blindfolds in exchange for willing clients credit cards as their authorized dealers herd them into an almost stockless store, the rest of the industry is fighting tooth and nail for a slice of the pie. The phenomenon has opened up some truly tempting avenues for other brands of similar heritage to raise their own prices or plug the gaps left by a rapidly ascending entry point. Meanwhile, the sideways-thinking independents are getting creative. Brands like Moser have more of an opportunity to show us what they can do. And in ...
Start your engines, folks, because it s time for Wrist Game or Crying Shame! This week, we fire up the TAG Heuer Carrera 1964 from back in 1996. Let s see if it will hoist champagne on the podium or go out in a DNF. Before we go there…Last week, we discussed a watch that supports racing of a different kind. The Yacht-Master II was intended for sailboat racing and it seems that that small crowd was the only group who voted for this watch. As a result, this one capsized with a 73% Crying Shame loss! This week s watch is far more of a classic, but it is a modern reissue of sorts. Let s see what you think about the TAG Heuer Carrera 1964.We ve often written about how TAG Heuer has continu...
I m in a good mood today; a very good mood indeed. Why, you ask? Well, you may have recently noticed my continued love affair with the Swiss masters of avant-garde, URWERK. So when we get wind of a new launch, my happiness levels inevitably skyrocket, as is the case today! So I m delighted to introduce you to the new URWERK UR-220 SL Asimov.Let s address the name first of all. Asimov all sounds very Russian, doesn t it? Well, if that s what you were thinking, you d be partially correct. The name is actually a reference to the Russian-born American writer Isaac Asimov (1920-1992). The writer s 1941 science fiction novelette, Into The Nightfall. To briefly summarise, the story is about the com...
We continue our stroll on memory lane and take a closer look at some of our Watch Strap Review alumni and what they are up to these days. Last month it was Delugs from Singapore. This time, we received a few straps from our friends in Finland, FinWatchStraps.It s been almost exactly two years since we reviewed them for the first time. Since then, as you might have expected, many things have changed with FinWatchStraps. While in the first article, the leathers mainly were suede, Nordic reindeer, or Swiss ammo, this time, we have a smorgasbord of exotic leather straps for you. So, let s tuck right in.FinWatchStrapsI was delighted to find FinWatchStraps back in 2019. I d never seen any ateliers...
For a watch brand that has only been available at market for 13 years, Gr?nefeld has already left a remarkable imprint on the world of independent timepieces. The Dutch Horological Brothers, Tim and Bart Gr?nefeld, not only carry on their family tradition as watchmakers, but also, having become true masters of their craft, produce only grail-level material in extremely small numbers. In this next installment of our Brief History Of Time series, we aim to enlighten those just learning about this exclusive manufacture as to why their watches are already, despite their relative youth in the worldwide market, considered nothing less than top level.Bart and Tim Gr?nefeld credit their passion for ...
