What If: Omega Swatch MoonSwatch Speedy Tuesday
Love or hate it, the MoonSwatch certainly stirred things up this year. Here at Fratello, most of us are fans of the watch, and nearly everyone was able to get one (or several) from the Swatch boutiques. But I’m wondering what the next step for Swatch will be. Will we see more collaborations with other brands, or will we see a few new variations of the MoonSwatch?Creating new MoonSwatchesI don't believe that the latter will happen. Likewise, I’m not a fan of the idea of Swatch doing a similar collaboration with another brand or model. I've seen the Swatch-made prototypes of a Seamaster 300M and a Blancpain in bioceramic, but to me, neither really came across as a Swatch. Instead, ...
#HolidayColors: Seasonal-Tinted Watches And Gear
After a hiatus, I'm stoked to kick off a new series of Hashtag stories, where I put on my style-centric glasses and pick a matchy-matchy group of watches, gear, sneakers, and accessories. If there's a need for a disclaimer, it's here: there is no incentive from brands here, nor have they been notified of any inclusion in this #holidaycolors feature.Yes, the holiday season is here, with Thanksgiving and Christmas in quick succession. Some countries are already experiencing snow-filled streets, as we are here in Norway. I'm all for leaning into the spirit with the festive colors of red and green. From bright dials and Nike sneakers to bracelets and a watch roll, here are my top #holidaycolors ...
Hands-On: The Orient Bambino 38 Limited Edition
I noticed that we haven’t covered that many Orient watches here on Fratello. This surprised me a little as the Orient Bambino is the affordable automatic dress watch of choice for watch enthusiasts who are just getting into this hobby. It’s kind of like what the Seiko SKX007 is for automatic dive watches. Recently, the Japanese brand launched four colorful limited editions of the Bambino, each with a different, gentle color on the dial. Today, I’m going hands-on with all four models of the Orient Bambino 38.Supposedly, as I read on the Orient US website, this is already the seventh version of the Orient Bambino. There are Bambino models in various sizes, with or without num...
Hands-On: The 38.5mm Yema Navygraf Super Compressor
Yema and I go back, way back. Well, back to 2021, actually. One of the first articles I wrote for Fratello was on a Yema watch…and not just any Yema watch. The Navygraf Marine Nationale GMT Limited Edition I wrote about marked the start of Yema's military career as an official partner of the French Navy. The French Navy, or Marine Nationale, has been sailing the seven seas since 1626, making it one of the oldest naval forces in the world, and having a French watch brand on board makes total sense. And so did the LE's dial in Marine National Bleu. The soft, subtle, and matte yet fresh aquatic shade of blue is on point. More than three years later, a similar blue dial attracted me to the...
The Micromilspec Milgraph In Inhospitable Urban Conditions
Let’s start this review with a confession: I hate this time of year in the Netherlands. With gray skies for days on end, endless wet streets, howling winds, and inhospitable temperatures, it’s not always the most enjoyable place to be. It’s not necessarily that I can’t handle these conditions individually, but together, they are rather depressing. Combine cold temperatures with a bright blue sky, and the world looks inherently different. However, one watch that is perfectly equipped for these dreary conditions is the Micromilspec Milgraph. The watch made me smile countless times during these dark December days. Let me explain why.When Micromilspec introduced the Milgr...
Hands-On With The AP Royal Oak Offshore Diver Carbon
In 1993, 21 years after the introduction of the Royal Oak, Audemars Piguet introduced the Royal Oak Offshore. It was time for an evolution regarding the Royal Oak collection, to make it more rugged, more sporty and – perhaps – younger. The Offshore is the most popular Audemars Piguet collection without a doubt. Some purists though, might prefer the ‘normal’ Royal Oak collection as it is more or less an understatement, and yes, closer to the original design of 1972.History aside, we assume you know most of the stuff already, we were in the opportunity to have a closer look at the Royal Oak Offshore Diver made out of forged carbon. The Offshore collection is pioneering ...
Omega Speedmaster Professional From The Moon To Mars
It’s Speedy Tuesday, the moment you have all been waiting for! This week, we have a numbered edition in store for you. It means it is not limited or a special edition, but a ‘regular’ collection model with an individual number. Yong Wee from Singapore, one of our readers and fans of ‘Speedy Tuesday’, sent us photos of his much beloved Omega Speedmaster Professional ref. 3577.50 ‘From The Moon To Mars’ watch.As you can see, this Omega Speedmaster Pro ‘From Moon To Mars’ has three different sub dials. The Earth is shown on the sub dial at 9 o’clock, the Moon at 6 o’clock and Mars at 3 o’clock. It also contains the wording ...
A Hands-On Oris Aquis Date Review
In our on-going quest for affordable mechanical watches I stumbled upon Oris. Oris is a brand that only produces mechanical watches, there is not a single quartz watch in their catalog. Besides that, it is an independent brand that has produced watches from this little Swiss village called Holstein since 1904. Their key to success is perhaps best captured in their slogan “real watches for real people”, something that we – here on Fratello Watches – certainly try to promote as well. Although there is still a lot of fun in writing about high-end complex pieces as well of course, but at the end of the day, most of our readers – and you can include us into this cate...
#TBT Tissot Navigator Yachting Before
Our host with the most, Mike is on holiday now so he passed on the torch for this week's #tbt. However as you can expect when I get to do this every once in a while it is always a bit out of the ordinary. As some of you might remember I already wrote about this model over a year ago. That was among my very first articles published on Fratello Watches about? Cool and Affordable Vintage Pieces. This week I have Part 1 of a project that hopefully will be followed by Part 2 in a few months' time. We have a before review of a watch I bought for a project that will optimistically receive a full spa treatment and come back looking young and refreshed. Let's stay with the details now and have a look...
Kickstarter LEVILLE Launches the Regulateur Collection
LEVILLE was started in 2018 Jan, a group of watch-addicts with the passion and constancy of the traditional watch craftsmanship. They believe that the most timeless and desirable timepiece must be the traditional one. They would like to awaken people's mind about the core function of a watch, thus create their brands.They believe that every city has its own uniqueness. It represents the best of its own culture, values and traditions. Their designer curates this authentic collection by combining traditional craftsmanship and innovative design for all cities. They have worked tirelessly to ensure every detail of our watch has been perfected and made to the most premium quality in the world.LEV...
Lemania ref. 174 Vintage Chronograph -
Often times the unsung heroes of the watch industry are the movement manufacturers. Not every brand has the capacity to create in-house movements (or dials, cases, bracelet for that matter). This is when a movement manufacturer comes into play. As you know the largest companies these days catering for the whole industry are ETA (company of Swatch Group), Sellita?and Seiko. Of course, many other brands offer calibers from Switzerland, Japan Germany and a bunch of various other countries. Brands outsourcing movements, however, is not a new thing. It has been going on since the beginning of times. Just think of the early Panerai watches which had movements inside them. To stay with , we have a...
Watch Strap Review Part 37 ColaReb
Four years after our first review of ColaReb straps, we have decided to take another look at their new pieces, including a pair of 100% Vegan straps.As Balaz's wrote in this last Watch Strap Review, we do not review straps for money. We either review straps we bought previously and considered them interesting enough to be introduced to you, or we select straps from manufacturers that approached us proactively, and we found their straps to be interesting enough. Today's review of selected ColaReb straps is a combination of both.ColaRebA year-long ColaReb temptationI made my first order from ColaReb a year ago. I liked their straps so much that I made another order a few months later. If you'v...
Speedy Tuesday The Omega Speedmaster Mark II Racing 145.014
The Moonwatch is undoubtedly the most popular Speedmaster model and always has been. But there are variations that we consider to be very interesting as well, and worth collecting. The Speedmaster Mark II 145.014 is such a reference, for example.For a long time, I neglected the Speedmaster Mark II, officially a Speedmaster Professional Mark II, as well. Mainly because of the case shape, which didn’t appeal to me. Not in the last place because I thought it would be uncomfortable on the wrist. I regret to this day that I didn’t buy one in the early days of being a Speedmaster collector, as these watches could be picked up dead cheap. A few hundred Euro would get you a nice looking ...
Baltic Aquascaphe GMT Hands-On Watch Review
There are some articles that come easier than others. Sometimes the words just flow. This was not one of those times. Understandably, I found myself wondering why? After spending more than a month with the Baltic Aquascaphe GMT on and off my wrist on both the supplied bracelet and the spare rubber strap (my preference), I think I figured out why.Some releases are loud; some releases are quiet. While brands make varying amounts of noise themselves, it is the product that dictates the decibel level. Some releases are designed to send a sonic boom peeling through the industry. Others - and this is the case with the Baltic Aquascaphe GMT - are most certainly not.Baltic has done a stand-up job of...
Wearing The 3rd Generation TAG Heuer Connected Watch
There’s always been a bit of hostility between smartwatches and watch aficionados.? And yet, although I call myself a watch lover, I don’t experience this negative feeling. And so it wasn’t too much of an effort to wear the TAG Heuer Connected for a few weeks daily. Mostly, I enjoyed using it as a regular watch and as a stopwatch for cooking purposes. But using it as an activity tracker as well, and as a notification center was an interesting experience. I’d like to share my thoughts on that below.Who would have thought that the TAG Heuer connected would have made it to its 3rd generation? TAG Heuer first tested the water in 2015, becoming one of the first major luxur...
Arcanaut Interview: Rob Talks To Co-Founder Anders Brandt
If you like smartly designed, highly unusual watches with a Scandi vibe, you’re in luck. Anders Brandt, a co-founder of Danish brand Arcanaut, sat down with Rob Nudds to explain the thinking behind one of the most culturally interesting watches out there.Rob Nudds: Hi Anders, thanks for sitting down with us at Fratellowatches.com.Can you tell us where your watchmaking journey began? Does it run in your family? Were you exposed to it from a young age? Did you fall into the trade by accident?Anders Brandt: Well, I stumbled into all of this by pure accident. I cannot brag about my great grandfather leaving me a Trench watch from the war or starting to collect watches at the age of ten I j...
#TBT Ernest Schneider And The Twin Bezel Sicura Rally GT
If there is something that drives Breitling collectors nuts, it's all the online listings where sellers claim that Sicura was a sub-brand of Breitling. Or, more controversial still, that Sicura watches were produced by Breitling or even that a Sicura watch is effectively a Breitling watch in disguise. Let's make it clear once and for all. To help us, let’s focus on the witty Sicura Rally GT with an unusual bezel.The problem mentioned above is endemic. If you go online, you will find many Sicura watches listed incorrectly. And it doesn't only happen on eBay, but you can even see it at auction houses. Why is there so much confusion? Is it just an unfortunate misunderstanding or is it the...
Hands-On Review: The Ianos Mihanikos Dive Watch (2021)
It can be a tough job to stand out from the crowd in the dive watch scene, especially when that's the microbrand dive watch scene. It seems that around 95% of microbrands these days create dive watches using cookie-cutter, off-the-shelf designs which lack any natural creativity or thought. The same definitely cannot be said about the Greek microbrand Ianos, which returns for its second outing as a follow-up to the 2019 Avyssos model. Today we take a look at the new Ianos Mihanikos.As established, the Ianos Mihanikos is a dive watch. Ianos is staunchly proud of its Greek heritage, particularly the sponge-diving industry in Kalymnos. It was entirely on display with the Avyssos and continues wi...
The Best Grand Seiko Limited Edition Watches (2021)
Not too long ago, I wrote about the best Seiko JDM releases of the last 25 years. The next step was obviously to pick the best Grand Seiko JDM releases. But it’s not that simple. Ever since 2010, Grand Seiko has officially had an international focus. So JDM releases would technically be releases created in collaboration with Japanese retailers or the special Grand Seiko boutique editions. On top of that, I would love to add a Grand Seiko to my personal collection soon. So I decided to tap into the world of Grand Seiko limited editions and pick the best of the many that are out there.The big question when it came to this list, however, was whether I should go with the models that people...
Hands-On: The Praesidus A-11 Tom Rice Edition Watch
A-11 wristwatches were manufactured during WWII according to a U.S. military standard. American watch companies like Elgin, Waltham, and Bulova produced these watches. Most of them had white hands and Arabic numerals, as well as 60-minute graduations on their plain black dials. They were housed in, by today’s standards, small 32mm chrome-plated brass cases, and it’s believed that at least 150.000 were made. There were so many produced that an original vintage A-11 can still be found for a few hundred dollars.Praesidus?A-11 Tom Rice EditionBut that’s not the kind of A-11 wristwatch we’re talking about today. What’s more, Praesidus - the manufacturer of the A-11 h...