When I started my watch journey 16 years ago, Hamilton was a brand to which I instantly felt connected. There s no doubt in my mind that was thanks to my grandfather, who was a lifelong enthusiast of the American railroad. He was an honorary member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, and he had an unrelenting passion for trains and anything related to them. His entire Cleveland basement was filled with locomotive memorabilia, including lanterns, bells, signals, and, yes, watches. Though he collected many brands of American timepieces, Hamilton watches were his favorites by far. Even my grandmother, who knows and cares little about watches, can vouch for my grandfather s ...
This year has been a year of many changes that we ve all slowly had to get used to. On a personal level, I ve noticed two distinct changes to my watch-collecting tastes, and they re ones I wouldn t have expected as 2021 first rolled in. First, I ve finally converted to the dark side and embraced a love for titanium watches. Second, I ve found a new appreciation for pilot s watches when undertaken in a more modern style. Today, I am looking at the RZE Fortitude, a watch that combines these two features into an interesting proposition.I feel that, with enough time, I may have eventually embraced titanium watches anyway. There are too many positives to discount titanium indefinitely. Pilot s wa...
A few months ago, we did a podcast in which some of our team talked about their favorite G-Shock watches. We received quite a few messages based on that podcast, so we decided to do another talk about G-Shocks This time, however, we did it on video.Rob Nudds talks with Lex, Nacho, and RJ about their favorite G-Shocks and how they got into buying their Casio G-Shock watches. Lex brings his JDM G-Shock model in navy blue, while Nacho talks about his first Casio and the DW-5600E he picked up. RJ talks about buying his first Casio back in 1986 and his 2003 G-Shock 5000SP 20th anniversary edition.Lex s GW-M5610NVLex, who is old enough to vividly remember the introduction of the G-Shock in 1983, t...
When I started Fratello in 2004, there was no bigger plan or strategy at hand. It was all about having fun! And now, almost 18 years later, we have many plans, but it is still about having fun.Back in 2004, there was no Instagram or even Facebook (I think it opened up to the public in 2006). If you wanted to blog about watches, you had to buy server space, a domain name, and install a CMS (Content Management System). And that s what I did because I was bored at work (sorry, former employer). Rather than putting a lot of time and energy into the forums that existed then, I d invest it in something that I owned myself.Rob and Gerard in front of our office buildingIt would take me at least anot...
In 2022, Grand Seiko celebrates the 55th anniversary of its famous design language, known as the Grand Seiko Style. This particular style came to life in 1967 with the introduction of the 44GS case. This celebration calls for a limited edition from the Japanese manufacturer. Meet the Grand Seiko SBGJ255, the latest Hi-Beat GMT addition to the brand s Heritage Collection.If this watch looks familiar to you, there s a good reason for that. I had to look twice when the press release came in from Grand Seiko, as it looks a lot like the reference SBGJ201 that I bought back in 2018. Besides taking a closer look at the new Grand Seiko SBGJ255 limited edition, I will also do a side-by-side compariso...
We brought you quite the handful in #TBT this year. To help you decide which vintage watches you should push higher on your bucket lists, I?created 10 interesting vintage watch categories and nominated my winners. Looking back through our weekly Thursday vintage boost, I am proud to say that it was a great mix of watches. They ranged from previously unseen pieces and $100 bargain to bizarre quartz watches, eye-watering provenance, and all-original, never-before-touched grail timepieces. Which parameter is the most important for you when choosing your next acquisition? Here are 10 categories showcasing how rich and diverse the passion for vintage watches can be.#1: Complication of the year: M...
I have always had a soft spot for both independents and microbrands. The microbrand genre is an ever-evolving one, spanning everything from budget-friendly $150 Submariner-ish divers up to meticulously crafted watches over $3000. But one thing marks this refreshing part of the #watchfam, and that is personality. Going hands-on with the Celegin Draken merely confirms my theory, with its suave personality winning me over.Some microbrands are a love-or-hate affair, but shining through each design is the sheer enthusiasm of the founders. My first new mechanical wristwatch was from a budget microbrand, and this accessibility is key to each success story. Leonard Celegin is the founder of the epon...
Every year, we see watches not getting the attention we think they deserve. In 2021 again, some watches were underrated. But what does that mean - underrated, underestimated, or undervalued? These words all seem to indicate that a watch is not appreciated highly enough. But in what sense? Are its technical specifications on a higher level than is generally believed. Is its price lower than the actual product is worth? Or could it be that people just don t value the watch due to its appearance?Looking at the reader numbers of the articles about the following watches, we could tell that these watches weren t very much in demand this year. Let s start with what is, in general, a popular watch m...
We welcome you back to Wrist Game or Crying Shame with a take on the Cartier Ballon Bleu. Will you take it or leave it? We ll have to see, but before we get there…A couple of weeks back, I showed you the JLC Master Control Ultra Thin, and an overwhelming 93% of you did the right thing by awarding that watch a Wrist Game win. Hey, 7%-ers, it s ok to be flat-out wrong sometimes! This week, with the Cartier Ballon Bleu 36 on deck, we will talk about something decidedly more divisive. It s just the kind of article that should help blow some time while you wait for New Year s Eve (seriously, this period between Christmas and NYE just feels like a weird no man s land).Cartier and such…...
When we talk about Tissot and 2021, there is one obvious place to start- the Tissot PRX. Its release was an instant success. It suddenly, and kind of out of nowhere, refreshed the Tissot brand from top to bottom, and it gave the brand s core collection a new anchor. When I think of Tissot now, I think of the PRX. That is a crazy thing to say for a novelty, even if it is based on a model from the archives. As the year draws a close, I wanted to share my previously unaired thoughts on the model and what it could mean for the brand going forward.Or should that be backward? When I looked back on the articles weve published this year about Tissot on Fratello, I noticed something. Weve been lookin...
Ive seen some wild things in my time. I dont even need to include my life outside of watchmaking in that statement for it to hold fast (and yes, I do have a life outside of watchmaking before any smartypants mention that in the comments - it just happens to be very small and stunningly uninteresting). Yes, a life spent at and around the bench has thrown some real treats and travesties my way. Ive seen watches from big brands, small brands, brand-new brands, and reborn brands alike. Ive seen classics and failed attempts at breaking through the sapphire ceiling in even measure. Until this summer, however, Id never seen a Verax. Now that I have, Im not sure Ill ever be the same again.Oh, ho, ho...
When we first discussed the idea of creating a series of articles in which some of our editors would share their grail/exit watches, I didnt expect to end up in such a strange conundrum. To start, I didnt even really feel prepared to tackle the subject. After all, Ive only been collecting - or rather, enjoying - watches for less than five years. Therefore, the thought of a watch that could put a stop to my desire to explore and experience the diverse spectrum out there was one I had not seriously considered. Its kind of like picking your ultimate car. Aesthetically, you might be able to point something out and say, Thats the one for me; if I had that I wouldnt want any other car. However, wh...
Welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air! Finally, Balazs and Mike got their collective acts together, and they re back with a return engagement! Settle in and enjoy the banter about our favorite watches from 2021, along with a healthy rant for good measure!Folks, we re back and better (or worse) than ever! Balazs and Mike come together at the end of 2021 to talk about some of their favorite watch releases from another wild year. We won t give away everything, but the list is heavy on dive watches and chronographs. Seriously, what else do you expect from these two? This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings Tudor, Breitling, S...
Let me just start this with a disclaimer: for me, picking an easy Top 5 Watches of a rather exciting 2021 is almost impossible. I have fallen in love with wristwatches many times this year, from press shots to the hitherto unknown joy of handling a $100,000 piece of wrist art at, get this, an actual event. Remember those?So with this in mind, I went with my ten-minute instinctual scribbles. To be fair, these might not be my final Top 5 Watches of 2021, but my personal and strongest impressions of the year. Did I expect more actual events than the charming Geneva Watch Days? Yes. Was this a couple of days to savor, leaving my wrist dazed and confused? Absolutely.Thor s Top 5 - Jaeger-LeCoultr...
Did I scare you with the header? No need to be frightened. Yes, the murdered-out Norqain Neverest Night Sight is a killer. But murdered out is just another way of saying all black, and its a killer just like you have killer songs. The watch is a silent creature of the night, that moves around in the most stealthy of ways. Nevertheless, it put a loud song in my head; but more on that in just a little bit. It also never left my wrist once I put it on. It hides during the day and comes out glowing at night, thanks to its fully luminescent dial.Maybe you already read Jorgss introduction of the Norqain Neverest Night Sight. Its quite elaborate and will give you all the necessary technical details...
In the past, watch brands presented their new watches during the two major shows. One of them doesnt exist anymore (Baselworld) and this year, the other one was done digitally (Watches & Wonders, previously known as SIHH). I think I speak for the entire team and all my media colleagues when I write that we miss these shows a lot. However, we also noticed that brands are quite flexible and decided to release their watches throughout 2021, not only limiting them to one of these big events.It has been tough to travel this year due to the never-ending pandemic, but luckily, brands adapted and often sent us watches under embargo or made individual appointments with us to show the watches in t...
Its been a while since Hamiltons operations have been conducted from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, but the spirit-of-liberty style flows through the veins of Switzerlands most American brand. What I think the brand has done very well in recent years is streamline the DNA of its collection. Ten years ago, it had ballooned in too many disparate directions to make any sense to me. Now, though, we have a wealth of functional field models, which are the brands biggest recent success, in my opinion. We have a raft of highly technical pilots watches, which are an essential element of the brands character. And last but not least, we have an easy-to-understand selection of timeless American classics.Hamil...
When Hanhart recently auctioned a digital concept watch for $44,625, perhaps no one was more surprised than Felix Wallner, the historic German brands managing director. Like most of us, it took Wallner some time to wrap his head around non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, the latest craze in the cryptocurrency world. Wallner had barely heard of the concept when contacted earlier this year by a firm interested in having Hanhart make an NFT offering.Hanhart, an independent company mostly known for historic military timepieces and stopwatches, was asked to become a trendsetter in the abstract world of cryptocurrency. So it made sense that Wallners first instinct was to shrug the suggestion off. But th...
Another day, another term that we see and hear, but maybe dont know what it means. Today, its CVD. Well, what is CVD? As you probably guessed, CVD is an abbreviation. It stands for Chemical Vapor Deposition, a type of coating process that is not to be confused with PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition). Please note that this is a coating process rather than a coating itself.CVD-applied coatings are commonly found throughout the industry in many different consumer products. CVD-applied coatings are found in a range of applications that require a high-performance thin-film coating. But, what is it about the chemical deposition process that makes a superior coating for high-performance precision appl...
In 2014, I wrote a guest piece about my three-year-old Submariner 14060M. I threw it all out there and did my best to explain why I was so attracted to this watch. I even brought in references from my childhood in South Florida. Now, seven years later, and nearly ten years after this diver was canceled, the love affair continues.Despite the odd world we currently live in, 2021 has been a symbolic year for me. It marks ten years since I left the United States for Germany. That same year, I also met my wife, and life has been an amazing adventure since. Even back then, I d say that I understood the gravity of those events and I decided to mark it right then and there with the purchase of my Su...
