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 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 ti

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 t

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. Surel

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 o

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 th

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 importanc

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 s

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.

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

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, trepidat

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

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

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 c

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

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

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 –

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

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 refere

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 Panerist