Hands-On: Timex MK1 Mechanical Watch
We take a look at a fun and highly affordable release in the guise of the Timex MK1 Mechanical. Spoiler alert: for this price, this is about as good as it gets.The rise of Timex has to be one of the more fascinating stories over the past several years. Historically, Timex was America’s version of Seiko. They were known for making inexpensive, yet durable watches with hundreds of styles. When I was a kid, their mechanical time teacher watch was a typical gift at some point. Somehow, though, the company faded a bit during the later ’80s and ’90s. While watches like the Ironman series kept them well afloat, their mechanical watches disappeared. The hand wound Marlin kicked thi...
Watch Giveaway: Fly Into The New Year With A Dekla Flieger
I must hold my hands up and admit that I've been sitting on this one for months. I know it's been a while since our last giveaway, but things have been more than a little busy in the watch media world ever since Geneva Watch Days kicked off three months of unlikely jet-setting. Now, however, I return to my role of gift-giver with the perfect watch for anyone who does (or plans to) spend as much time as I do on planes: the Dekla Flieger, customized by yours truly for one of the Fratelli to wear with pride.If you don't like fauxtina, you can click away now. I went the whole hog here. Even the Fratello logo is in the same beige shade. Otherwise, I endeavored to keep this model as unfussy as pos...
Rob's Top Three Hamilton Watches Released In 2021
I do enjoy writing lists (and ’tis the season, of course, with everybody’s end-of-year round-ups hitting the web), but it can be harder than it looks. I suppose it comes down to how seriously you take the task. In my recent Top Five Watch Releases Of 2021, I really thought hard about it. I was genuinely sad to leave some incredible watches by the wayside. However, that was an article tasked with appraising the entire industry. It’s surely a lot easier to do a top three for just one brand, like, say, Hamilton, right? Hmm… Something tells me I might have been wrong…Yes, of course, it is a little easier to focus on one brand’s output rather than attempting to...
Watch Strap Review 56 The Strap Tailor
A favorite pastime of mine is to scroll through the archives of Balzs’s extensive Watch Strap Review series. In most cases, I’m hunting for inspiration to pair an ol’ faithful watch with a fresh strap. However, in this case, my investigation on Watch Strap Review centered around whether Fratello Watches had previously covered acclaimed British strap-maker The Strap Tailor. Surely, the emerging brilliance of this one-man-band(maker) had graced our Sedna-toned pages? Well, yes, but only recently, and not in the scope of a full-blown review of not one but TWO of his straps. So, let’s get to it.We’ve featured The Strap Tailor on Fratello before via the most recent ...
#TBT Reliving My Days On Set With The Gallet Filmeter
Grail alert! If you want a genuinely out-of-the-box classic vintage chronograph with a fine movement, you might put the Gallet Filmeter on your watch list.?Ah, the great irony of grail-watch hunting… You haven’t seen the watch resurface at all for four or five years. Crawlers are set on all sites (im)possible, but all you get is nothing. And then, within a few months’ time, two of them pop up?! Well, usually, I would be happy to score just one of them. This time, I got super lucky because I managed to land both.Gallet Filmeter #1The first one I landed is the shiny, minty, and crispy example with a dial as smooth as my year-old son’s skin. It was listed on eBay by Jewe...
Buying Into Microbrands: What Do You Get For Your Money?
When do you wonder what you're getting for your money? Well, when you book a hotel room, for example, you want to know what amenities it comes with. When buying a car, you want to know about its gas mileage or much horsepower it has. Isn't it the same when buying a watch? Perhaps it isn’t for you, but it certainly is for some of us. Although I'm the first one to advocate getting the watch that makes you smile, sometimes I do want to know whether or not it's a good deal. And by deal, I mean what kind of specifications the watch comes with - what's under the hood, so to speak. So, let's talk about what you get from brands at different price brackets.?In 2022 - and I bet it will be the sa...
The Importance Of Graphic Design In Watches
Does the subject sound a bit dry, or are you already aware of this conundrum? It shouldn't even be a question we need to ask as cohesive graphics can be everything on a dial. If you've never noticed it, perhaps you’re sticking to an Apple Watch. Its studied design language and non-clashing fonts are pitch-perfect, but what about the dials in your analog collection? I posit that the importance of graphic design in watches is still underrated and too often seems like an afterthought.I happen to find this hugely important. Legibility (well, we read typography) is just as important as a lovely bracelet and fit. Everything might sit perfectly balanced on the dial, the brand logo matching a ...
Fratello Favorites: Nacho's Top 5 Picks For 2022
As you may have noticed, throughout the past few weeks, Fratello editors have been completing a homework assignment. This assignment is one of the toughest that watch journalists face each year, but it's also the most fun. I'm talking about our Fratello Favorites series. This is where we look back at 2022 and pick our favorite watches released since January 1st. If you cast your mind back to the start of 2022 and picture a fast-forward montage of the year's releases (please, try it; take a few seconds to think back), you'll see just how many great watches came out. The fun part is going through this process. The tricky part is narrowing down just a handful of picks because we are well and tr...
Fratello Talks: Buying Watches Pre-Owned Versus New
In this episode of Fratello Talks, we compare and contrast the ways to buy watches. Should you buy pre-owned pieces, or is new the way to go? Whereas RJ and Daan don’t mind buying their watches on the pre-owned market, Lex is not keen on doing so. Is it the result of a bad experience, or is there a deeper thought behind it? Let’s find out....
Hands-On: Carl F. Bucherer Manero Flyback
There are 126 references in the Carl F. Bucherer watch catalog, and ref. 00.10927.08.33.22 is the one you see right here. It's a glossy 40mm chronograph with classic looks and a reverse panda dial. CFB is the private label of -owned watch retailer Bucherer, meaning this chronograph has to compete with a lot of other critters in a very competitive habitat. And not just there, mind you. The brand’s watches are also for sale at other shops. That raises the question if the Carl F. Bucherer Manero Flyback has what it takes to survive in the wild.Two silver sub-registers on a black dial. The look is familiar. The brand? Maybe not so much. The Bucherer name might ring a bell or two. Well, it ...
Dear Breitling, Bring Back These Universal Genve Watches
Breitling took us all by surprise when it announced its acquisition of Universal Genve on December 12th. I wasn't so much the fact that someone would try and bring UG back to its former glory that was unexpected. On the contrary, that was long overdue. Rather, it was Breitling's involvement that came as a surprise. But now that we know, admittedly, we are filled with a mix of excitement, trepidation, and expectation.There will be quite a lot of time between the announcement and the first new watches under the Universal Genve brand. That offers me ample opportunity to offer some cheeky, unsolicited advice on how I would approach the challenge. I will combine those with some expectations bas...
Hands-On With The Dressy Chopard L.U.C 1860
As you’ve already been reminded a couple of times this month, we get a ton of new watches each year. Some are hits, and others are flops. One of the best watch surprises in 2023 was the introduction of the Chopard L.U.C 1860 in Lucent Steel. Perhaps it's better to call it a reintroduction, though, as the first Chopard L.U.C 1860 was introduced in 1997, and one could see this new version as a long-awaited update. It’s classic, it’s dressy, but is it any good? I got my hands on the watch to answer that question.Chopard L.U.C 1860One year before the introduction of the first L.U.C 1860, Chopard had introduced its L.U.C 1.96 movement. It found its way into the L.U.C. 1860 in 19...
Hands-On: The New Excelsior Park Bi Compax Black
Excelsior Park re-entered the market with a boom in 2021. The brand released many models, created limited editions and one-offs, and then retreated until this year. This past summer, after a few years of hibernation, EP returned with a time-only model, the 884-SI. The watch received positive reviews for its appearance and competitive price. Now Excelsior Park is on a roll and surprises us with yet another new model line. The Bi Compax Dual chronographs, the topic of this article, are hitting the market now.After the time-only 884-SI, Excelsior Park returned to chronographs, the brand’s bread and butter in the past. The Bi Compax Dual comes in two versions - the Bi Compax Reverse Panda ...
Omega Speedmaster Pilot Vs. Zenith Pilot Big Date Flyback
Welcome to our last Sunday Morning Showdown of the year. Next week, Jorg will share this year’s Sunday Morning Showdown highlights, so let’s go out with a bang. Today, we put the new Omega Speedmaster Pilot Flight Qualified up against the Zenith Pilot Big Date Flyback. The leaks of the Speedmaster Pilot for US military aviators properly stirred up the rumor mill. Then, last week, the consumer version was received with a lot of excitement. Let’s see if the Zenith Pilot Big Date Flyback’s muscles are big enough to gather the majority of votes in this confrontation.Of course, both these watches are automatic pilot’s chronographs. They’re very legible and have...
Speedmaster Professional 40th Anniversary LE
Alon Ben-Joseph of AceJewelers.com – friend of the show – did a very nice video review on last year’s introduced Omega Speedmaster Professional 40th Anniversary Limited Edition.I love this version of the Omega Speedmaster Professional. The logo on the dial and special case back make it worth buying over most other limited edition Speedmaster Professional models. I have seriously considered buying this watch after it was presented during Baselworld 2009, but since I have had a few of these Speedies and cherishing my Speedmaster Professional pre-Moon caliber 321 the most anyway, I went for something completely differentEnjoy the video and don’t forget to give some feedb...
Gronefeld GMT06 Tourbillon Minute Repeater
As an avid reader of the FratelloWatches blog you probably know that I write for some other websites and magazines as well. MotoringExposure.com is one of them, every wednesday they publish the ‘Wednesday Watch’-article. Today, the Wednesday Watch is about the Gronefeld GTM-06 Tourbillon Minute Repeater. I have written this article with a bit of pride, since the Gronefeld brothers are Dutch AND are located in the same area as where I am originally from.Above you see Bart Gronefeld (right) and myself during the opening of the Gronefeld Exclusive Timepieces Boutique in Oldenzaal. Besides creating their own time pieces, they now have a boutique for other independent watchmakers (McG...
Photo Essay: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph City of Sails
Another rare bird passed by my studio the other day: the?Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph?City of Sails (ref.25860’IS.0.1110IS.01).I must admit that APs are not my speciality (we have RJ for that), so I don’t have a lot to say about this one other than some observations on the aesthetics and design of the piece:– For a watch this large, it’s surprisingly light – since it is a combination of stainless steel and titanium. Even more impressively, there does not appear to be any degree of compromise made in the finish, which is amazing as titanium is an incredibly difficult material to work with – especially polishing.– The dial is…unique. It ...
Pre-SIHH 2014 Release Calibre De Cartier Diver Watch
Back in 2010, when Cartier introduced their Calibre de Cartier I would have never thought that it would be possible to create a diver’s watch based on this model. Even though the Calibre de Cartier was more masculine than most other Cartier timepieces – with the exception of the Santos 100 models perhaps – I still classified it as a dress watch. Now, December 2013 and just a few weeks before the SIHH exhibition will start in Geneva, Cartier prepares us for a diver’s version of the Calibre de Cartier. Let’s have a look at this early introduction.For starters, Cartier made sure that this Calibre de Cartier Diver Watch met all requirements according to the ISO 6425...
Blue Dial Omega Speedmaster Professional 145.012-68
Today we have an Omega Speedmaster for you in store that we haven’t covered here before. Although the reference number does not give it away, it is a Speedmaster with a blue dial. Very difficult to capture on photo, as the lightning conditions inside made it difficult to capture the blue dial.Blue dial Omega Speedmaster ProfessionalIn 1968, two Omega Speedmaster models co-existed: the reference 145.012 and its successor, the 145.022. In this year, the Omega Speedmaster Professional received a new Lemania based movement and the dial and hands changed as well.It was of course still a year before Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong would set a foot on the Moon, so the case backs had the Seahor...
Heritage and History The Power Of Panerai
3, 6, 9 and 12 – There is no watch brand that relies, so much on these four bold numbers.?Year after year,?Panerai keeps its followers in a grip and surprises them with new models. Often with minimal changes, since at Panerai it is all about details.?Now I just said minimal changes, but that's a bit crude, minimal' only counts for those who just know the brand? by name; any die-hard Paneristi notices every tiny detail that has been changed.Panerai’s Heritage and HistoryPanerai was around 1935 commissioned by the Italian Navy to construct watches for use underwater.? When Navy orders dropped in the late eighties and watch collectors started to show interest in these vintage Panera...