I don’t think I could ever be a one-watch guy. I love the idea of it, but I also like switching up the watches I wear nearly every day. Sometimes I want a sporty chronograph; other times, I want a “grab-and-go” piece that I can put on without worrying about setting the time. Sometimes I want something a little more laid back. You know the feeling. As a watch collector, it’s

Today, we're taking a look at this new Nera Rogue BW. Peren has become a household name in the microbrand universe. In particular, the brand's divers under the Nera moniker are well thought-out and widely appreciated. Previously, they were fitted with a signature petrol-color dial, but now there is a version with a black dial as well. You may think the watch could lose its unique character with th

Last week, we created an overview of all the Seiko releases we covered in 2023. It only makes sense to follow that up with an overview of the Grand Seiko releases we wrote about this year. While Grand Seiko does not release as many new models as Seiko in a year, the brand still adds many references to its collection. As we all know, with a stream of reference numbers as names, it can be hard to re

Several specialized manufacturers are currently hard at work producing the parts for the samples of my VPC Type 37HW. Everything we have worked on over the past year is coming together as we speak. To say that fills me with a mix of anxiety and excitement is an understatement. We have, however, fine-tuned a few details still. And, I have an exciting new feature to announce - an ultra-hard coating

We all make choices every day. Most of us, however, probably don't decide to buy a luxury watch all that often. So when you do, you’d better think it through properly. You might experience the agony of choice. It happens sometimes - for instance, when you have to choose between a Pepsi and a Batman. It also happens when you're spoiled for choice, like when there are 217 Seamaster references

Another Friday, another list! It’s the last Friday of the year and, therefore, also the last list of 2024. We could still make plenty of lists about the best watches of 2024, but we decided to go ahead and release one final list looking back at the past 12 months and leave it at that. Sure, we could cover the best chronographs, dress watches, complicated watches, etc. But we decided to go wi

It all sounds very impressive, but what does a Titanium Core Nano Shell?case mean? According to Chronoswiss, it's an unprecedented symbiosis of Grade 5 titanium and high-tech composite, permanently merged at a molecular level. The red high-tech material makes up this? 42.6 14.5mm watch case, which Chronoswiss then pairs with an equally fiery dial with many delicate details. Yes, the Chronoswiss De

According to some, 2024 was a slow year for new watches. I beg to differ! It might have been slow in sales but not in new models to choose from. I haven’t been writing as much for the magazine as I did in the past or as I would like to, but I have been following all new releases of 2024 with great interest. The list of interesting new watches is almost too long to make a nice selection witho

Squiggly got my attention before, but I’ve recently noticed (I am not that much of a Swatch collector) that they have a Swatch Forum besides their Squiggly Swatch Store. The forum is visited by Swatch enthusiasts from all over the world and besides the ‘generic’ Swatch talk, there is a lot of interest in identifying all kinds of Swatch models.What I also noticed about Swatches is

Jaquet Droz, owned by the Swatch Group, wasn’t always the high-end brand as we know them now (see my former post). In the 1970s, Jaquet Droz produced watches using mechanical movements by A.Schild (and probably Landeron for the chronograph movements) for a decent price. Once in a while, you will see them pop-up on eBay or Chrono24 and prices start around a few hundred dollars to $1,700 USD.A

Last week it was exactly one and a half year ago, that I wrote an article about the MCT Sequential TWO for RevoOnline. At that time the watch was not on the market yet and the white gold version I photographed, was still an unfinished prototype. So time to get my hand on a production model, but now in pink gold!Why am I doing another story on the same watch? Well just because this is one of the mo

When the Clifton was introduced by Baume & Mercier’s CEO Alain Zimmermann in Geneva, he introduced it as a watch in the category of affordable luxury. Back then, the Clifton series started below 3000 Euro for the most basic version. Later on, complications (including a tourbillon) were added. Today, we take a look at the Baume & Mercier Clifton Chronograph Complete Calendar. A watch

Seiko is introducing a limited edition ‘Black Series’ for their Prospex collection. Prospex, referring to ‘professional specification’, consists of a wide collection of watches for divers, pilots and adventurers. For their diving collection, Seiko created three models with black coated cases. A quartz chronograph (SSC673P1), a quartz three-hand model (SNE493P1) and an autom

A funny thing happened as I was looking for my Baltic Chronograph Bicompax 001. I thought I had left it in a drawer and, lo and behold, when I went to look, it was seemingly gone. After a fleeting moment of panic I rarely lose anything and unfortunately keep everything I recalled that the watch had arrived a few weeks back and at the same time as a few other vintage chronographs that our resident

The resemblance to the legendary Explorer 1016 is undeniable. After a week on the wrist with the prototype, I see more than a distinct expedition legend. The Davosa North Pole has self-esteem and ice in its veins. Its clinical charisma has won me over. We spoke to the man who is the brain behind this 500 pieces limited collection. “I was always fascinated by stories or events, whose details

We are living through a golden era of sports watch design. I’ve alluded to it countless times this year and blurted it out loud on more than one occasion. At the end of the craziest year I can remember, I can say that despite all of the awful things that transpired in 2020, the luxury sports watch market is fizzing with optimism. I don’t mean that to sound glib; in these dark days, we

My journey into Seiko and it’s watches has been a relatively recent part of my watch collecting journey. Technically, I haven’t added any Seiko watches to my collection yet, but there’s an excellent reason for this.I’m one of those people who go down the rabbit hole when learning about a brand. I like to look at the brand history: where it came from, the older watches in th

During its short History, Sternglas, the Hamburg-based brainchild of Dustin Fontaine, has managed to turn out a serious number of smart, wearable timepieces for a variety of budgets. On Fratello, we're quite fond of this small company, having had the chance to meet with the founder and his team in Munich earlier this year (what a lifetime ago that seems now). During the Inhorgenta Fair, we were ab

The year 2022 will be the 65th anniversary of the Omega Speedmaster and the 10th anniversary of Speedy Tuesday. I can't believe it was already 10 years ago that I coined the term Speedy Tuesday, and even more, I can’t believe what has happened since. But let's save that story for next year. Today, I’d like to share our best-read Speedmaster articles of 2021!Today is the last Speedy Tue

Welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air! Finally, Balazs and Mike got their collective acts together, and they’re back with a return engagement! Settle in and enjoy the banter about our favorite watches from 2021, along with a healthy rant for good measure!Folks, we’re back and better (or worse) than ever! Balazs and Mike come together at the end of 2021 to talk about some of the