Sinn EZM 1.1 S Briefly Celebrating 25 Years Of Mission Timers
The original Sinn EZM 1 from 1997 likely ranks as the most legendary watch from the brand. Made for the German Central Customs Support Group (ZUZ), it was equipped with the beloved Lemania 5100. As such, it counted elapsed minutes via a central chronograph hand. Today, the original is a truly expensive watch and quite rare. Now, 25 years later, the Sinn EZM 1.1 S is here to celebrate, if only briefly.I’ve never held a Sinn EZM 1. The original watch was a stout 40mm timepiece in titanium that has since become the stuff of legend. I’ve mentioned it before that our own G2 is fortunate enough to own one. Sadly, I haven’t been able to wrest it from his grasp… yet! As menti...
Less Talked-About Releases From Watches And Wonders 2022
Watches And Wonders 2022 is officially over. After a week full of new releases, it’s time to look at some of the hidden gems. These timepieces were not among the most talked-about pieces of the show, but they are ones that deserve attention for a number of reasons. Let’s take a look at some of the watches that you might have seen but forgotten about, or maybe you haven’t seen at all due to the simply massive amount of new releases.The biggest downside of a week full of new releases is that it is sometimes hard to keep up. Additionally, you might forget some of the models after a couple of days because what came after was equally worth your attention. Obviously, the big bran...
Bvlgari Octo Roma Hands-On Watch Review (2022)
In a recent video I recorded for Fratello, I introduced the Bvlgari Octo Roma World Timer. To date, that watch is my favorite model in the Octo Roma line because it brought a touch more visual complexity to the wearable and identifiable case shape boasted by the model line. If I thought that model was interesting, imagine my surprise when I first met the Bvlgari Octo Roma Carillon Tourbillon. This is one of the most complex watch movements ever added to the fast-becoming-iconic case design that evokes the architecture of Rome and went on to inspire the perhaps more famous Bvlgari Octo Finissimo - a line of watches that we have, on these very pages, extolled as one of the finest modern sports...
Italian Watches Dating Profiles: Unimatic, U-Boat, And Panerai
Italy is known for bold design and expert handicraft. The watches featured in this edition of Watch Dating Profiles bring that and then some. Bold, striking, and unapologetic, these watches get as close to a short red dress or Italian Barbera red wine as any watch can. The Unimatic U1 Classic is a thick and bold yet minimalist approach to the classic dive tool watch. The U-Boat Classico 45 Tungsteno Movelock is large, loud, and demands one’s full attention. Finally, the Panerai Luminor Marina ref. PAM01313 embodies Italy’s incredible history as the modern-day iteration of one of the world’s first dive watches. It’s still bold, but also the most elegant watch that Ital...
#TBT The ASU Calendar
This is one of those watches you can’t crave until you spend some time with it. The ASU Calendar with a Pierce movement is not only cute but also functional and pretty addictive.Whenever I dive deep into the safe and pull out something that many collectors haven’t seen before, you tell me how happy you are that I keep coming up with budget-friendly watches that live far away from the spotlight. So here is another one. This is the ASU Calendar, which I found in Sweden in such a condition that you would be afraid to touch it. As you can see in the picture below, the (probably) original strap was covered with wall paint and what looked like plaster residue. I guess someone found it ...
Introducing The Fratello Straum Jan Mayen Limited Edition
At Fratello, we regularly come across a lot of small independent microbrands. While we are privileged to experience some great watches through our work, seeing something truly unique is rare. In a world where new watch brands appear every day, doing something genuinely new is difficult, but the Norwegian brand Straum did just that. Over the past year, we have worked closely with the Straum team to produce the watch you see today. It’s a follow-up to the Opphav, the brand’s wildly successful debut model. I am pleased to introduce the Fratello Straum Jan Mayen Limited Edition, a celebration of the wonder of the Beerenberg volcano in a visually arresting fashion.https://www.youtube....
Hands-On: Zero West DB-2 Lancaster
The Zero West DB-2 Lancaster is an impressive watch, both in the metal and in spirit, so to speak. Its steel case measures 44mm wide, 16.3mm thick, and 50mm long, and it sits on a strap 22mm wide. Generous numbers indeed. A feature that's even more impressive - I'm now referring to the spirit of the watch - is the presence of a machined disc salvaged from Dambuster ED825, an Avro Lancaster bomber that took part in Operation Chastise, the bombing of three dams in the German Ruhr area during World War 2. Trying on the watch and putting this story together made me think about the DB-2 Lancaster as a wrist ornament and instrument, but also made me consider the meaning of the historical part insi...
Jorg Connects The Dots With His Swatch Bar Oriental
This story is about my first Swatch, which, as it so happens, was also my first watch. The tale begins when my parents gave me the watch back in the late ’80s. People over 40 will know that Swatch was all the rage back then. And I was also in awe of the colorful plastic watches accompanied by groundbreaking marketing campaigns. There was no escaping it, and I was totally on board. On my 12th birthday, I came home with the Swatch Bar Oriental, a watch that turned out to be the perfect storyteller of my future. As such, it holds a special place in my heart.Lex brought us back to 1986 in the first of this series of Swatch articles. For mine, we’ll be starting back in 1989. In those ...
Fratello Talks: Watches And Wonders 2023 Debrief
The Fratello boys (and girls) are back in town! And as the fog of war begins to settle, we’ve convened and gathered our thoughts on last week’s watch fair. This is the Watches and Wonders 2023 debrief episode. In keeping with the short-form format of Fratello Talks, we don’t get to cover every single one of the novelties. Instead, we discuss some of our highlights from the show. These range from the novelties that we knew were coming and still surprised us to those that seemingly came out of nowhere to become our favorites and everything in between. So grab your beverage of choice, put on your headphones, and click, tap, or bark the command at your smart device of choice, a...
Lost Watches: Finding An Omega Seamaster On The Ocean Floor
We all like the idea of finding lost treasure. Today, we get to speak to one of our readers who has turned it into a successful hobby. He has become a watch collector without ever buying a watch. Read on.?In the spirit of reflecting our shared enthusiasm for this hobby, we have been featuring some stories from our readers. By doing so, we hope to keep positive and informative discussions alive and draw new enthusiasts into this fascinating world of watches.The diver finding lost treasuresFratello reader Jim Bruce is a passionate diver. In his spare time, he hunts for treasures under the sea near his hometown in Sweden. His entire watch collection consists of unclaimed treasures, including pi...
The IWC Fliegerchronograph 3706 Is A Neo-Vintage Gem
We are lucky to have reached a phase in the modern industry where the standards of mass production are such that watches can endure all sorts of conditions. The adage “they don't make them like they used to” hasn't entirely panned out with watchmaking, at least regarding production quality (design, aesthetics, and luxury culture certainly have changed). But there is indeed something charming about vintage. Thankfully, neo-vintage provides both modern robustness and much of the charm of vintage. Let’s take a look at IWC’s Fliegerchronograph 3706.?Yes, there is a certain mystique and romanticism to the concept of 34mm watches braving Antarctica?or a Certina Chronograph ...
Hands-On: The Chronofixe Seconde/Seconde/ Asterix Watch
Another historic French watch brand has been revived, and this time, it’s in a way we’ve never seen. Chronofixe, initially founded in the 1850s, became a well-known altimeter and Type 20 chronograph maker in the 1960s. After that, though, the brand went quiet. A virtually unknown Chronofixe watch, model Flight 1952, already surfaced a few years ago. However, the Asterix 65th Anniversary Limited Edition should be the brand’s breakthrough.Chronofixe seconde/seconde/ Asterix 65th Anniversary Limited EditionBefore diving into the Asterix watch, I want to explain a bit more about the Chronofixe brand. The history of Chronofixe dates back to the mid-19th century. It was founded i...
Trump's New Tariffs Rock The Swiss Watch Industry
While my colleagues and most of the industry have been in Geneva, enjoying Watches and Wonders and devouring the sights and sounds of the year's biggest trade fair, I have been watching on from home this year. I welcomed my firstborn son into the world and moved house less than two weeks later (apparently, I am a glutton for punishment, but I digress). As a result, I've had time to digest broader world news as I've not been rushing from meeting to meeting all day. One such story that has dominated the news has been the introduction of Trump's new tariffs on global exports to the US. The initial response to these has been negative, to say the least.It all began with a financial thunderclap: s...
Value In Vintage With The King Seiko 45KS
The King Seiko 45KS is a lesson in finding value in vintage. Unlike its modern counterparts, this King Seiko offers a fiercely large amount of watch for the money. Depending on its condition, the 45KS can be found on the secondary market for $900C1,500.Modern Seiko has a problem. It’s not rival brands, such as Citizen; no, Seiko’s biggest problem is Seiko - vintage Seiko, to be precise. Today, we’re looking at the King Seiko 45KS. This is a watch that has been covered on Fratello before; my colleague Balazs waxed lyrical about the design of this King Seiko here. My colleague Mike also wrote about it way back in 2015, right here.King Seiko 44-9990Some background on King Seik...
Tag Heuer eyeglasses
Tag Heuer recently introduced their eyeglasses. They already had some very nice sun glasses in their collection, but it seems that there was market for more ‘Vision’ products. I have to admit that I was impressed by them… looked good and reasonably priced.Click here to check them out...
#TBT GMT-Master II 16710
I suppose that I could be faulted for featuring the rather newish GMT-Master II 16710?in a #TBT article, but I'll live with it.I've covered a couple newer pieces in this series such as the Explorer 14270 and, more recently, the IWC Mark XII, so I'm more on the side of featuring what I'd call classics instead of purely vintage. Definitions aside, the 16710 is definitely a classic and one that continues to be on the acquisition list of many people; let's find out why.The GMT-Master II 16710 was around for so long – nearly 20 years – that it’s still hard to believe it’s goneThe GMT-Master II 16710It's awfully hard to believe that the GMT-Master II 16710 has been go...
Sinn at Baselworld 2017 the Frankfurt Brand Continues with a Strong Offering
One of our most anticipated visits at Baselworld is with the plucky brand from Frankfurt, Sinn Spezialuhren. We feature the brand prominently here on Fratellowatches (and took a look at last year's collection as well) because they design great looking watches, often with some innovative tech, and keep things on the relatively affordable front. This year was no different with the brand's novelties, so let's take a look at most of the pieces from Sinn at Baselworld 2017.Sinn at Baselworld 2017The Sinn EZM 12The first watch we saw from Sinn at Baselworld 2017 was the EZM 12. Sinn is famous for their EZM series where they create watches intended for very specific jobs. They've worked with all so...
Speedy Tuesday Finding An Honest Speedmaster
Last week I joined the #SpeedyTuesday Live session on the official Omega Instagram account and talked about my precious Speedmaster Professional from my year of birth. It resulted in a lot of messages from viewers that are also searching for their perfect Speedmaster. But that means something different for everyone. For some, the perfect Speedmaster is an honest Speedmaster.A pre-owned watch that has been worn, so it was loved by its previous owner. An honest watch would be a watch that has signs of wear, ranging from minor signs like hairlines and a little dent in the lugs to one that has seen bars, banks, and perhaps the occasional gutter. As long as there’s a good story to it, I am ...
Arnold & Son Nebula 38 Now in Stainless Steel
New from the Swiss watchmaker with English Heritage is the Arnold & Son Nebula 38 in stainless steel. The technical achievement of the skeletonized dial can now be appreciated in a daily durable material.The human brain finds beauty in symmetryIt is posited that how attractive humans find each other has at least something to do with facial symmetry. As “scientifically” grounded as that theory may be, I think most of us would agree that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But if you were to put together a grid of the most universally beautiful people on earth, the characteristic trait would be the symmetry of the left side to the right side of their face. The same can be sai...
Raketa Polar Watch Hands-On Review
Sometimes it’s difficult to describe how a watch makes you feel. That’s exactly what I had when I received this Raketa Polar Watch. My first reaction was one of amazement because of its retro Soviet looks. Now I appreciate some retro style communist-style design because of its boldness and clarity in getting the message across. But I wasn’t too sure about what the Raketa Polar Watch was trying to tell me.Let’s be clear, Raketa is a Russian brand with a lot of history. From Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin to former Soviet leaders Leonid Brezhnev and Mikhail Gorbachev, Raketa is connected to some amazing stories. But it’s not just a great story that makes a great w...