Hands-On With The Colorful ADPT Series 1 Watches
When the people behind Worn & Wound started ADPT, they set out to produce 100% American-made nylon watch straps. Five years later, it has turned into an actual watch brand with the introduction of the ADPT Series 1. The company name - pronounced “adapt” - is an abbreviation for All Day, Purpose, and Terrain. It’s the spirit the brand wishes to channel with the utility of its products. And with the Series 1 models, ADPT has succeeded in creating a series of colorful watches that can be your colorful and affordable daily wearer in many different situations. Time to find out more about the ADPT Series 1.When I first laid my eyes on the ADPT Series 1, the first thing that s...
Balazs And Mike Talk Holiday Watches And Gifts
Fratello On Air is getting ready for the holidays! In this episode, Balazs and Mike talk about holiday watches and gifts sure to please almost any watch lover. Enjoy!...
The Best Gold And Platinum Watches Of 2022
In the last few years, I’ve advocated for watches in precious metals. Certain steel sports watches have been hyped so much that they’ve become more expensive than their gold and platinum counterparts. That does not make any sense to me at all. Besides this “side effect” of the hype for steel luxury sports watches, I also like the warmth and heft of precious metals. Putting on my 220g Omega Speedmaster in solid 18K gold or my yellow gold Day-Date makes me even more aware that I am wearing something special compared to their steel counterparts (there’s no steel Day-Date, but let’s take my steel Datejust as a comparison, then).It’s not that I don’...
Hands-On: The Slim Casio G-Shock MTG-B3000 Series
As you know, we love our G-Shocks here at Fratello. Most of the team members have a strong preference for the classic square models, and I am no exception to that. But I also love the wilder side of Casio’s G-Shock universe. The brand’s MT-G line, in particular, has seen some releases that I absolutely adore. That’s why I was curious to learn more about the new G-Shock MTG-B3000 series. The watches in this series come equipped with a new module that slims down the watches significantly. It makes the new MTG-B3000 line a great follow-up to the MTG-B2000 series. Time to find out more.The first memory of the G-Shock MT-G that comes to mind is the glorious MTG-B2000PH2A Blue Ph...
Breguet's Classique Repetition Minutes 7637 Enamel Dial
It is rather exciting to discover that Breguet has released a new iteration of one of its “Grande Complication” wristwatches without blowing its own horn. Perhaps for the latest Breguet 7637, the brand just didn't need to. This modern-day minute repeater traces its roots back to founder Abraham-Louis Breguet's invention of the gong-spring in 1783. The Classique Repetition Minutes 7637 most certainly comes with its innate bells and whistles. And it is not just its chimes that are clean and beautiful. This new addition to the lineup also dons a blue Grand Feu enamel dial that is pure and timeless.A modern-day classicDark blue is a running theme for many of Breguet's latest releases...
#TBT Gallet Multichron Calendar Chronograph
My second article this year was dedicated to Gallet. My penultimate article this year will be dedicated to Gallet too. Today, we will look into the Gallet Multichron Calendar Chronograph that just returned from a complete spa procedure at my watchmaker. ??It was on my radar for a while, but I never pulled the trigger. The Gallet Multichron Calendar is typically priced in the $4,000C6,000 range, and I was never ready to pay that much. I didn’t find it that rare and hoped my opportunity would come. And it came about a year and a half ago when I saw one listed on eBay. The seller was not a dealer, and this watch was part of her family heritage. As usually happens in such a situation, the ...
Hands-On: New Lebois & Co Heritage Chronograph 324.406
About three years ago, I went to a watch get-together in the city of Maastricht, in the “far” south of the Netherlands. It was my first time at one of these events, so it blew my mind to see all the watches that everybody brought with them. But I also remember that many people were very excited about one specific Airain re-edition. When I went back to Amsterdam by train, I had the honor of sitting next to Tom van Wijlick, the owner of that brand. He’s the same guy behind the Lebois & Co Heritage Chronograph that I’m going hands-on with today.He told me about how, in 2014, he and his wife brought back the Airain and Lebois & Co brands because of their love for ...
Seiko Introduces The Blue Prospex Speedtimer SSC937 LE
Seiko has been steadily focusing on expanding the Prospex Speedtimer series with affordable models in 2023. This has led to the introduction of solar-powered chronographs that combine modern-day technology with retro-inspired good looks from the Speedtimer models of the 1960s and ’70s. The latest addition to that series is the blue-dial Seiko Prospex Speedtimer SSC937. This European Union-exclusive limited edition is another attractive watch that will undoubtedly find its way to fans. Let’s take a closer look.Late last year, I had the pleasure of writing about a trio of solar-powered Speedtimer chronographs. In particular, I found the panda-dial SSC911 a very handsome watch. When...
Fratello Talks: Watch Market Update
Welcome to the antepenultimate episode of Fratello Talks in 2023. Before wrapping up the year, we thought we’d do a little bit of housekeeping. So today, Nacho, RJ, and Lex are here to bring you a watch market update. Before settling into the holidays, it’s good to look back at the year we’ll soon be leaving behind. And one thing that really caught our eye is the current shift in the state of the watch market. The prices of new watches have grown like never before, playing catch-up with the over-inflated pre-owned market. Now, as the latter softens, we reach a tipping point. There will be winners, and there will be losers. Only one thing is for sure: the guys have killer wa...
Hands On: Behrens Apolar Producer Michael Limited Edition
Today, I have another funky design from the Behrens team. I’ve reviewed several of the brand’s watches over the last few years. The Chinese brand always finds a way to impress me with interesting takes on time-telling while offering its watches at very reasonable prices. The Behrens Apolar Producer Michael Limited Edition watch is an interesting fusion of avant-garde design and signature Behrens looks, born from a collaboration with Producer Michael.I often assume that most watch enthusiasts know of Behrens, but since it is a relatively young brand in the Western market, let’s have a quick recap. Established in 2012 by Mr. Lin Bingqiang, Behrens has carved a niche in the wa...
The Best Watches Of 2024 Thomas's Picks
The year is quickly coming to a close, so it’s time for some retrospective action! I have the honor of opening a new series of Fratello Favorites - the best watches of 2024! These watches made the biggest impression on me. Are they objectively the best? Of course not. Instead, these are watches that I found interesting, inspiring, or simply remarkably well done.I feel 2024 was a transition year for the watch world. The market was tough, and fashion was changing rapidly. It seems big sports watches are making way for smaller, shaped, design-heavy watches. For me, this year marked the launch of my fledgling watch company, so you probably know what is my absolute favorite of the year. I w...
Wrist Candy
The German R-L-X forum has this populair ‘Welche habt Ihr im Moment am Arm?’-topic. You don’t have to understand German to know what it says I guess. The most exotic watches come along in this thread, as can be seen below. One of my favorite vintage es is the Explorer II, a.k.a Steve McQueen , a.k.a ‘Freccione’. I don’t recall seeing Steve McQueen wearing this watch (he did wear a Submariner though), so I don’t know why this watch is being called the ‘Steve McQueen’ anyway.Anyway, the ref.1655 Explorer II I found in this thread is a handsome looking watch and I really could live with this vintage time piece if it wasn’t for thes...
US Patent 3756017 Gerald Genta's Royal Oak Watch Case Design
On the 30th of October 1972, Gerald Genta (then having an important assignment for Audemars Piguet) filed a patent in the United States for his master piece, the Royal Oak. From what I read, he already documented this design in Switzerland on the 6th of December 1971.As you can see in the drawing below, is that the famous bezel screws of the Royal Oak are not aligned in the ’round’ direction of the clock. Perhaps it did not matter for this patent registration, or it has been done on purpose to show that the screws would actually work. This drawing should be reflecting the first AP that made it to the flesh, the ref.5402ST a.k.a ‘Jumbo’.The patent of Gerald Genta/Audem...
#TBT Seiko 6159-7010 Grandfather Tuna
Today we talk about my passion for the Seiko 6159-7010 Grandfather Tuna and its modern interpretation, the Seiko Emperor Tuna.Seiko 6159-7010So there I was, fighting inescapable jet lag while meandering the halls of the surreal world that is Nakano Broadway. If you've never been to Nakano, it's a haven for the otaku who collect anything (and everything) related to the Japanese world of comic books and their manga characters. So why was I in this people-watching mecca and why are you reading about it on a site devoted to watches? Nakano Broadway houses several pre-owned watch shops including the well-known and worthwhile Jack Road. It is also home to many shops selling consignment items that ...
#TBT Amida Digitrend
A cool watch does not have to be an expensive one. I think we can all agree on that. (Vintage)?Seikos are as cool as it gets, there are a bunch of divers that won't break the bank and not to mention the 7733/7734 vintage chronographs. So for a few hundred euros you can get yourself a true conversation maker,?something that looks and wears great. I have a watch for you today that fits exactly into this category. It has a unique, unconventional design that makes it instantly recognizable for watch connoisseurs. To prove that there is nothing new under the sun, it also served as inspiration for one of the leading and hippest independent watch manufacturers out there to create an iconic piece. S...
Undone Watches Hands on Review
When you eat and sleep, live and breath watches you develop a strange view on money. Some brands feed you with empty and – sometimes – ignorant phrase like this is a great price point for this model or we managed to offer this watch at a very attractive price. Often, astronomical numbers follow these phrases; $10,000 here, $25,000 there like we're talking Monopoly money. So every once in a while you have to take a step back and look at the industry from a different perspective. At least this is what I do. It is a good strategy to detach a little and to evaluate what I like about a watch.UndoneUndone came with a very simple idea. For a low price you can choose a watch design (two ...
Event Report: The Launch Of The James Bond Watch In NYC
We joined the official launch of the new Omega Seamaster 300M James Bond watch in NYC. We thought it would be interesting to share some impressions of that event, as Omega also took the opportunity to talk about their connection with military watches.In the past years, I've had many experiences which I would have never had if I would still be working in real estate. Visiting NYC twice for two cool Omega events (one being our own Speedy Tuesday event in collaboration with Omega and the other this James Bond launch) is a privilege. Enjoy my report.The Launch Of The James Bond WatchThe official launch begins with a word of welcome by Omega CEO Raynald Aeschlimann, followed by sharing the first ...
Omega Speedmaster World Cup: The Final Snoopy 2015 Vs. Ed White 321
Woohoo! The Speedmaster World Cup grand final is here! The Speedmaster Calibre 321 “Ed White” versus the Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award 45th Anniversary edition. Limited production versus limited edition, an interesting battle, for sure.Here we are, the two major players in this Speedmaster World Cup! Before we go head-to-head with the finalists, we would like to express our THANKS to all of you who voted. It has been a fantastic cup, full of surprises, controversy, and glorious victories.Speedmaster World Cup FinalsIn the left corner: The Omega Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award 45th anniversary that was introduced in 2015 as a limited edition of only 1,970 pieces. A watch that ma...
Your Speedmaster Stories #6 TJ's Omega Speedmaster 3590.50
We are approaching the end of a very awkward year, to say the least. No (Speedy Tuesday) events, no traveling, and no proper GTGs could be organized. Instead, we’ve been hosting a series of Speedmaster Stories from our readers and Speedmaster enthusiasts. This week, we feature TJ’s story about his Omega Speedmaster 3590.50.In his story, TJ talks about his youth and his first encounter with a Speedmaster. Only years later, he actually purchased his own Speedmaster Professional. It is interesting to read how he deals with the fact that the watch has received some replacement parts over the years during the mandatory services and repairs. Sure, it has a negative effect on the resale...
Fratello's Christmas Gift Guide
We love the holiday season! It is time to wind down (but I’m hardly succeeding in doing so, to be honest), to enjoy some quality time with family and friends, and hopefully be able to hand out some gifts. This is RJ’s Christmas gift guide for 2020.I don’t want to sound spoiled - and I do like unwrapping gifts - but in the end, I have much more fun handing out gifts to those who I love. In this overview, I will not restrict myself to watches and accessories for this gift guide, there will be some other stuff too. I picked some of my very favorite items for this list. Some of these things, you might even find on my own wishlist. Everything I selected for this gift guide is av...