When people mention Pepsi in the watch world, they refer to the red and blue colors on a GMT or dive bezel. s GMT-Master was the first watch with such a bezel, but Seiko also made numerous watches with red and blue bezels. In a surprising turn of events, Seiko has now launched two new watches in an official collaboration with Pepsi. The Seiko 5 Sports SRPL99 is a 38mm dive watch with a Pepsi dive bezel, while the Seiko 5 Sports SSK047 is a 42.5mm GMT watch with a Pepsi bezel. Both proudly feature the Pepsi name on the dial and case back, come in a Pepsi-can-inspired box, and are limited to 7,000 pieces.In 2023, G-Shock launched two watches in collaboration with Coca-Cola. You can also find ...

The latest creation to leave Qian GuoBiaos bench is the Double Balance Wheel, a watch that takes a quieter approach than his last major release, Facing The Sky 2.0. By contrast, Double Balance Wheel is stripped back to the essentials. It is about balance, proportion, and mechanical harmony. And yet, it is already making its mark. The watch has been pre-selected in the Mens Complication category at the 2025 GPHG awards, while Facing The Sky 2.0 has earned a spot in the Mechanical Exception category. Two very different watches, two nominations, all from a one-man brand producing only a few watches a year.As an independent watchmaker, Qian GuoBiao is not a man in a hurry. In an industry that ca...

Welcome back to another instalment of Back to Basics, our series aimed at newcomers to our lovely shared hobby. As always, the information presented here will be as simple and accessible as possible. That means it may all be familiar stuff to the more seasoned watch enthusiasts among you. However, if thats the case, I would urge you to share your insights and experiences. Lets join forces in making this article as helpful to newcomers as possible! This time: how to clean your watch for maximum bling power and longevity.Cleaning your watch may sound pedestrian, but it is worth noting that the wrong practices can ruin your prized timekeepers. Similarly, neglecting cleaning can result in equall...

I dont know how many others within the Fratello community are big gamers like I am, or rather, was. I spent more hours than I care to remember playing the first Halo during my university years. The poor student that I was, all those hours were spent playing the free demo version of the game. That meant only multiplayer, and no campaign. Whats more, there was just one map. It was called Blood Gulch, and I remember it vividly. Two teams pitted against each other in a battle to capture the flag: red vs. blue. Today, I want to talk about another battle of the colors: green vs. blue. But theres no futuristic interplanetary warfare going on here. Im talking about the Lume Wars.Most of us seem to h...

Sunday morning! Time for a cup of coffee and another Sunday Morning Showdown. This week, Mike and Jorg go head-to-head in a battle of the titanium high-beat chronographs. Mike s pick this week is the titanium Grand Seiko Tentagraph. The first blue dial model was released in 2023 and got a follow-up this year. However, the new brutalist Tokyo Lion model somewhat overshadowed this new white dial model. So, it s time to spotlight the original Tentagraph. It goes against the Zenith Chronomaster Sport Titanium, unveiled early last year. This one quickly became Jorg s favorite Chronomaster Sport, and it only makes sense that it is his pick in this battle of the lightweight high-beat chronographs.F...

Whenever I see a MoonSwatch in the wild, and there are many of them, it s likely no longer on its original strap. Many people have changed it out for something more comfortable, like a rubber or textile strap. I also wear my MoonSwatch on an aftermarket strap, because even though it s easy to adjust, the standard strap is not that comfortable and looks a bit cheap. At the beginning of the year, Swatch introduced new rubber straps for its MoonSwatch collection. I bought one for my Mission to Saturn, so it s time for a hands-on review.Did you know you can get your battery changed at any Swatch boutique? After three years with my Omega Swatch Speedmaster MoonSwatch Mission to Saturn, it was t...

Theres no shortage of Seiko releases these days, but few pique our interest quite like a new Alpinist. The rugged field watch has earned cult status over the years, balancing quirky charm with real-world capability. Now, with the introduction of the Seiko Alpinist SPB531, the brand adds a Europe-only edition in a deep, moody blue. Thats just in time for upcoming colder climbs and late-summer treks.To appreciate what makes this limited edition worth a closer look, it helps to revisit the Seiko Alpinists roots. Lets kick things off with a short Alpinist history 101 before we look at this latest release.Seiko Alpinist history 101The Seiko Alpinist line emerged in 1959 with the Laurel Alpinist, ...

For the first time ever, Cartier will showcase a curated selection of heritage watches from its iconic Tank collection in the heart of Amsterdam. The exhibition will take place in Cartiers beautifully appointed boutique on the P.C. Hooftstraat - a location the Maison has proudly called home for exactly 50 years. This milestone coincides with another major celebration: the city of Amsterdam s 750th anniversary.Cartier boutique Amsterdam. Image by Alexandre Tabaste.Cartier s 50th Anniversary in AmsterdamCartiers journey in Amsterdam began in 1975 with the opening of its first official boutique in the city. Since 1994, the Maison has made its home on the P.C. Hooftstraat, just steps from the ic...

Another Friday, another list! This week, we move on from the ongoing retrospective of the first six months of the year. It s time to change the topic. This week, we kick off a trilogy of lists focusing on affordable watches. To be more specific, over the course of the next three weeks, we will look at the best watches under $500. Next week, we will pick our five favorites from small brands, and the week after, we will pick our favorite quartz watches under $500. But we kick this small series off with our five favorite mechanical watches from big brands.Before we do, let s talk briefly about why this has become a trilogy of articles. The reason is simple: there are too many great watches to c...

HP Hercules watches, originally crafted in post-war Germany, made a comeback in 2022 under the leadership of Swiss watchmaker (of Dutch origins) Adriaan Trampe, formerly of EZA watches. The brands rebirth leans on nostalgia, but aims to recharge it with modern mountaineering efforts. I got a chance to go hands-on with the Hercules Hand-Wound Double Barrelled.These watches are made to order and cost $5,995. Lets have a closer look!The Return of HP Hercules WatchesThe original Hercules timepieces were created by Henzi & Pfaff in Pforzheim. With a reputation for rugged yet elegant designs, they reached their literal peak in 1953 when mountaineer Hermann Buhl summited Nanga Parbat (one of th...

Introducing the S.U.F. Helsinki Myrsky MY-G Pineforst, a new limited edition from the Finnish brand. This time, the pilots watch, inspired by a WWII-era Finnish fighter plane, comes with a lovely Pinefrost green dial. There is plenty to unpack here, so lets dive straight in.The new S.U.F. Helsinki Myrsky MY-G Pinefrost is limited to just 50 pieces and priced at $2,470 excluding VAT.S.U.F. HelsinkiBefore we get into the watch, perhaps doing a quick refresher course on S.U.F. Helsinki makes sense. S.U.F Helsinki was founded in 2003 by Finnish watchmaker Stepan Sarpaneva. The name stands for Suomalainen Uhrinvalmistus Fabrikki, or Finnish Watchmaking Factory. While Sarpanevas namesake second br...

In 2024, Anoma introduced its first watch: the A1. The piece caused quite a stir among watch fans and sold out quickly. Subsequent releases with different dial colors have followed suit, with far more demand than supply. Now, there s a new addition known as the A1 Optical, and from the photos, these pieces will likely be gone moments after the official ordering window opens.I was fortunate to spend a few moments with the A1 Slate at this year s British Watchmakers Day. As a London-based company, it was nice to meet Matteo Violet-Vianello, the founder, briefly and try on an Anoma. The watch felt composed, mature, and expensive. For a newer brand, it isn t priced as an inexpensive foray, but ...

There is just something inherently different about a Day-Date. Putting the brand s top-of-the-line model on your wrist isn t quite like wearing a gold Daytona or GMT-Master. Why? The obvious answer would be that it s not a sports watch like the other two. But that s too easy. The true answer has more to do with the aura of the Day-Date. From the moment it was introduced until this day, the Day-Date has always been the brand s top-of-the-line model. The watch has been spotted on the wrist of a long list of famous historical figures. Combine the two, creating an aspirational aura that you feel once you put it on your wrist. This year, added a new Day-Date 36 ref. 128235 to the lineup with an...

A couple of weeks ago, we discussed what we considered some of the best watches of 2025 overall. We realized that chronographs were somewhat underrepresented in that episode and couldn t let that fly. Today on Fratello Talks, we re discussing the best chronographs of 2025 (so far). You join Nacho, RJ, and Thomas in the studio, each of whom has selected three of their favorite chronos released over the year until now. So, if you re looking to do a bit of on-the-fly timing (or want a perfectly soft-boiled egg), put your finger on the pusher and get ready; it s time to look at some of 2025 s most remarkable chronographs. But first, time for a wrist check.This video is blocked because you did no...

Do you remember tyre watches? I had completely forgotten all about them until the founder and owner of Volan, Diederik van Golen, visited our Fratello office a year ago. Being a boat and car guy, he devised a modern interpretation of the tyre watch concept. These were only drawings back then, but they looked great. A few months later, he visited again with a prototype, and more recently, the early working models. He designed two of them, one with a rubber tyre for those who are into (classic) cars, and one with a wooden deck for those who are into yachting. Meet the Volan Type One watch!The first time I saw a tyre watch was at Marvin in Switzerland many years ago.?Later, my colleague Tomas R...

Last month, we introduced the new Tissot PRC 100 Solar Quartz in 39mm. The watch was met with near-resounding praise for its design, approachable pricing, and ease of use. For those of us with smaller wrists, though, the size was on the edge of wearability. That s where the new 34mm version comes into play.My colleague Lex provided a detailed synopsis of the 39mm PRC 100 Solar Quartz and explained how its technology works. To recap, the key advantage is that the watches don t need to sacrifice dial design due to the presence of an underlying solar cell. Instead, the functionality is integrated into the sapphire crystal and connects to an internal case-mounted zebra connector. This sends powe...

If you are a longtime reader of Fratello, you know I am a fan of Unimatic. I have often sung the brand songs of praise for developing one of the watch industry s most recognizable and versatile visual design languages. The minimalist approach to watch design works miracles almost every time for the brand. As Unimatic founders, Giovanni Moro and Simone Nunziato are industrial designers by trade, so it might not come as a surprise. But good designers do not always guarantee great designs. But the versatility of Unimatic s minimalist style never ceases to amaze me. The latest series of watches displaying this is the new Unimatic Diving Heritage collection. I had a chance to go hands-on with the...

When the Sternglas Marus 2.0 dive watches landed on my desk, I had to dig into the Fratello archives. I knew I had written about a Sternglas diver before. As it turns out, that was the first iteration of the Sternglas Marus released in 2021. Four years on, we re graced with a duo of new Marus divers. The Sternglas Marus 2.0 is a drastic evolution from that first-generation model. It comes in a stainless steel version with some nice Bauhaus details and a more classic bronze PVD version. Time to find out more.If you look at these new Sternglas Marus 2.0 divers and compare them to the first model, you will understand that I was surprised. These two new watches look somewhat different from the i...

I bought my first Omega Speedmaster Professional in 1999. This is also when my Speedy collecting officially began. During those 25 years of buying (and selling) Speedmaster watches, I made my fair share of mistakes. This was mainly because, back then, there wasn t as much information available as there is today. But I also made a handful of mistakes that could have been prevented. They say you should learn from your mistakes, and I certainly did. Today, I hope that you will also be able to learn from my mistakes.The first Speedmaster that I purchased in 1999.Five mistakes I made while collecting Omega SpeedmastersThings are very different today than they were 25 years ago, or even 10 years a...

Seiko is an absolute titan in the watch industry. The number of key timepieces in the brand s catalog is too long to list here. Nevertheless, it s a brand that has faced an identity crisis over the last half-decade or so, I would argue. The new SRPL91 and SRPL93 Seiko 5 Sports series show just how magical the brand can be in the entry-level segment. Can their launch signal Seiko s regaining some of that mojo?We often cover Seiko at Fratello. It s an important brand, not just objectively (which it is), but also spiritually, as many of us here at Fratello own a Seiko watch. In fact, a couple of us started our mechanical watch journey with a Seiko (including me, with a 7002). Our Managing Edito...