In the nearly 15 years since I began collecting watches in earnest, the watch industry has experienced significant growth. The last couple of years, however, have been a challenge. Inflation, geopolitical events, and other headwinds have now emerged. This has resulted in a tough market and high retail prices. So, what should brands do to reignite the passions of collectors and buyers? We don t have all the answers, but we discuss the topic in today s episode.This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings Yes, it s tough out there, and while there s plenty of interest in timepieces, the watch industry is working through a slow period. H...

The mighty Datejust turns 80 this year. That makes it one of the longest continually produced watches out there, which is no small feat. At Fratello, we intend to celebrate with a series of articles on the model, and today it s my turn to choose my all-time favorite. That s not an easy task, though. At one point, I thought I had already bought my favorite Datejust. However, I sold it after only a couple of months. I ve never regretted that decision, but every once in a while, the Datejust crosses my mind. Ultimately, it s still one of the most classic watches out there, and there are countless variations. Maybe that s precisely why it s so difficult to pick a favorite.One thing s for sure:...

Panerai is no stranger to working with the Italian Navy. The two have joined forces on watches, technical tools, and other products for over a century. As watch enthusiasts, we ve become accustomed to these collaborative projects featuring the bold Marina Militare typography on the dial. Today, the partnership expands and is dedicated to the Aviazione Navale, or the Italian Navy s aviation branch. Let s take a brief look at a pair of new, serious-looking Submersible Marina Militare models.Watches like today s new Submersible Marina Militare pieces will likely resonate with collectors. As this informative article shows, adding these two words to the dial is typically reserved for the most des...

The greatest watch story ever told is the story of the Omega Speedmaster, the first watch worn on the Moon. Thats a fact. Another fact is that luxury in general is not about selling products. Rather, it is about emotion. That certainly is the case with post-Quartz Crisis luxury watches. The key to successfully selling mechanical watches in a world with no functional, practical, or instrumental need for them is crafting a compelling brand and/or product story, then consistently communicating it with emotional resonance and empathy across every customer touchpoint. But is this kind of in-depth emotional storytelling - including the history of the brand, the genius of the founding watchmaker, a...

IFL Watches has transformed many different watches. At times, the pieces are unofficial collaborations, but today s release brings IFL together with an exciting Italian brand. Venezianico has even created a new dial color for the piece. The Arsenale Venus celebrates Venice and should make for a unique collectible.IFL Watches continues to collaborate with new brands. The finished products are unique, colorful, and relatively affordable. Best of all, each is unique with a hand-painted dial. Todays new Venezianico Arsenale Venus continues the trend, but ups the ante as a more official collaboration.The IFL Watches Venezianico Arsenale VenusThe?IFL Watches Arsenale Venus is based on the Venezian...

Back in March 2022, the watch world experienced something rarely seen - a global frenzy, not over a mechanical masterpiece or a limited-edition grail but, instead, a battery-powered, (Bioceramic) plastic-bodied chronograph. The original Omega Swatch MoonSwatch collection dropped without much warning, causing scenes that rivaled those of sneaker releases. People queued overnight outside Swatch boutiques, resellers flipped watches at four times the retail price, and collectors - some seasoned, some new - debated whether it was genius, a gimmick, or both.Now, three years later, the MoonSwatch has moved beyond its initial hype. Its no longer a novelty; its a category of its own. The latest cha...

Melancholy can be described as a gentle sadness that feels good due to its connection to nostalgia, self-reflection, and the appreciation of beauty - in art and music, for instance, as well as in watches. The feeling of melancholy typically emerges in adolescence or early adulthood, which spans from the late teens to the mid-30s. This is a period of development and significant life transitions and milestones. If you were born in the 1990s, you would be between 25 and 35 years old today, meaning melancholy is no stranger to you. Why not roll yourself in nostalgia, return to the 90s, and discover the watches from that era? Some of the all-time classics are the same age you are and are still w...

Good morning, and welcome to the Sunday Morning Showdown you knew was coming. Today, we put Casio s all-new mechanical Edifice EFK-100 up against the fan-favorite Citizen Tsuyosa. We re still not entirely sure why Casio took this new path, but, like the Citizen Tsuyosa, the watches punch way above their weight. Both brands offer a design with an integrated bracelet, an automatic movement, and decent water resistance, all for just under $300. Which one is your favorite? Make up your mind while reading Thomas s and Daan s defenses below, and get ready to vote.The new Edifice EFK-100 is Casio s very first watch collection with a mechanical movement. This came as quite a surprise, but it was a p...

Since were celebrating the 80th birthday of the Datejust, we thought it would be a good idea to have the Fratello writers pick their favorite one of all time. Theres a lot to choose from, to say the least, but I didnt have to think too long and hard to come up with my pick. My favorite Datejust is an adopted one. That s right: my pick wasnt a Datejust by birth, but it became part of the family a bit later. My pick is the Turn-O-Graph ref. 116263, a last-generation steel and yellow gold watch with a very dark charcoal-gray dial and a swanky Super Jubilee bracelet with a suave concealed clasp.When launched the Turn-O-Graph ref. 6202 in 1953, it was a standalone model that didnt belong to an...

I am going last in this series of EDC articles, and that only seems fitting. While I do choose the products that I use daily with great care, I hardly connect to a greater EDC concept. This often results in a bag filled with a lot - and I mean a lot - of random stuff. The items often pile up over time, and whenever I empty my bag and go over the contents, I swear that I want to reduce the amount of stuff I carry with me. Now, I must say that I have become more efficient by simply emptying the bag more often and removing the things I don t use. Still, this is a long intro to a story that is messier and less deliberate than the well-curated bags of everyday items some of the other Fratello tea...

Another Friday, another list! This week, our series of lists covering the best watches of the first half of the year comes to an end. We have reviewed the main categories over the past few weeks and will conclude our recap with our five most surprising watches of the first six months of 2025. Weve seen several releases that surprised us for different reasons. Let s find out which five left the biggest impressions on us!Sartory Billard By Studio Underd0g SB05 Sunfl0werRight before Watches and Wonders started, Sartory Billard and Studio Underd0g released one of the most exciting watches of that release-studded week. As I explained in the article, the SB05 Sunfl0wer broke new ground for both br...

Our watches are not the only things we carry with us every day. Sure, they re the primary focus of what we do here at Fratello, but sometimes it s nice to shift that focus onto other elements of our everyday carry (or EDC). Today, I ll contribute to the Fratello EDC series by walking you through a handful of items I carry with me most days.Realistically, the only things you ll always find on my person are my watch, keys, sunglasses, phone, and wallet. But going beyond what you ll see if I empty my pockets, I ll also show you some of the essentials I carry in my work bag. Since I last covered my EDC three years ago, plenty of things have changed. Almost everything has been replaced in one way...

Casio is probably one of the strongest brands in the watch world. It is so, however, primarily in the digital-watch world with its G-Shock sub-brand. The Japanese company has produced analog watches for a long time already under its other sub-brand, Edifice. Those watches always came with battery- and solar-powered quartz movements. Well, no more! Casio just entered the mechanical-watch market with the Edifice EFK-100 collection.I got a chance to go hands-on with the full range of five debut models. Join me for a closer look at a new player in the world of entry-level mechanical watches.Casio EdificeThe Casio Edifice sub-brand has been around since the early 2000s. It represents a line of an...

We are now in the final stretch of 2022, but instead of looking back on this year s Speedmaster releases, which we already covered last month, I thought it would be nice to see what kind of milestones we re having in 2023. One of them is the 10th anniversary of the Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon.The Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon was quite a game changer, and not just for Omega fans. Suddenly, all my -wearing friends were eyeballing the other brand from Bienne. This Speedmaster not only featured a full-ceramic case but also a ceramic dial. The watch was, dimension-wise and movement-wise, the same as the 44.25mm Speedmaster Co-Axial Chronograph Chronometer that Omega released in 2...

The young Czech brand Bohematic has had a lot going on this year. To appeal to a more worldwide clientele, the guys behind the brand decided to change the name to Robot. And to get some attention, they partnered with the legendary Formula One driver and launched the Robot Minor Emerson Fittipaldi Limited Edition.He is driving like Fittipaldi! my dad used to shout when someone overtook our slow car at such a high speed that the only thing we could see was the swirling dust. I was little, and I could barely pronounce Fittipaldi. My father, however, was just three years younger than him. After I did some math, I realized that when I heard my dad shout his name, Fittipaldi had already retired fr...

I don t think I could ever be a one-watch guy. I love the idea of it, but I also like switching up the watches I wear nearly every day. Sometimes I want a sporty chronograph; other times, I want a grab-and-go piece that I can put on without worrying about setting the time. Sometimes I want something a little more laid back. You know the feeling. As a watch collector, it s tough to suit all moods with one watch. It s the curse of our beloved hobby. Therefore, I wore a lot of different watches in 2022, but which ones did I wear the most? Were there any particular watches that earned significantly more wrist time than others?Well, I guess the fact that I wrote this article indicates that the an...

Today, were taking a look at this new Nera Rogue BW. Peren has become a household name in the microbrand universe. In particular, the brands divers under the Nera moniker are well thought-out and widely appreciated. Previously, they were fitted with a signature petrol-color dial, but now there is a version with a black dial as well. You may think the watch could lose its unique character with this change. However, I am happy to report that it does not.I have spent some time with the new Peren Nera Rogue BW on the wrist. This is how we fared-PerenWe have covered Peren before. Nacho previously reviewed the petrol-dialed Nera Rogue, and he was very enthusiastic. Watch lover Andy Bica runs the m...

Surely its not just me? I imagine that all of us watch fans have entertained the notion of being a watchmaker, even if just for a fleeting moment - going to work, sitting down at our workbench, and spending the day creating a marvelous machine that redefines horology as we know it… OK, so perhaps that level of imagination is just me. But on a more realistic level, I ve always been fascinated to better understand exactly how a watch movement works. I know the theory behind it all, but in terms of learning and understanding, doing something always trumps reading about it. When offered the opportunity to do just that at Cimier s Watch Academy in Biel, I literally jumped at the chance!Cimi...

After the whole world came to a stop in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, things seem to finally be returning to a relative state of normality in the Western world. And as we emerge from our long hibernation, some of us are beginning to follow through on our dreams of travel. Independents/microbrands have seen this coming and are offering many options for affordable GMT watches. They are affordable because they cost below or just around $1,000 and come with robust constructions and decent specifications. Im beginning to travel again, so its nice to see brands stepping up their game. In this article, Ill highlight three of 2022 s best GMT watches from independent brands.Independent brands ha...

I learned something while putting this column together. I knew that December 26th is Boxing Day in some countries, but thanks to the Encyclop?dia Britannica, I now know that in Great Britain and some Commonwealth countries, particularly Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, Boxing Day is a holiday on which servants, tradespeople, and the poor traditionally were presented with gifts. Think Tudor watches, not es - sorry, I just couldnt resist. In the 21st century, Boxing Day is now a day associated with shopping and sporting events. But in non-Commonwealth countries such as the Netherlands, but also Poland, Romania, and Iceland to name but a few, December 26th is called the Second Day of Christm...