Watch Release: Panerai Luminor Marina Guillaume Nery Edition PAM1122
Paneristi rejoice! The Italian brand has released its latest watch, the Luminor Marina 44mm Guillaume Nery Edition PAM1122. The PAM1122 celebrates the 70th anniversary of the birth of Luminor, a patented tritium-based substance with luminescent properties. It is also a tribute to freediver and Brand Ambassador Guillaume Nery.Forming an important part of dive watch history, Panerai has done some exciting things with the Luminor Marina. The PAM1122 was developed by the “Panerai Laboratorio di Idee”, using DMLS (Direct Metal Laser Sintering) technology, which shapes the titanium case using a 3D printing process. The finished product takes on a cool granulated texture.…hands-on...
Where Do Seiko And Grand Seiko Go Next?
Wish lists are common among the watch hopeful. No matter the popular brand, you can find discussions about what people think is coming down the pipe. Today, as it relates to Seiko and Grand Seiko, I’d like to turn our attention away from what will probably come towards what I’d actually like to see.It’s been over five years since I joined the Fratello team. During that time, I’ve woken up to almost daily emails from brands showing their new wares and it’s something that still excites me. No matter the brand, I enjoy looking at the newest of the new. It’s important to note, though, that for the longest time, we received almost nothing from Seiko and Grand S...
Introducing The Ochs Und Junior Due Ore Titanium GMT Watch
There is something truly charismatic about dual-time watches. They always make me think of jumping on a plane, off to a new and exciting destination. Not only that, but it's one of the most useful complications, whether you're tracking home time or keeping track of another time zone. The new Ochs und Junior Due Ore features a rather unique and clever dual-time indication. Following the signature minimalist style the brand is known for, you could almost be forgiven for not realizing at first glance that this is indeed a dual-time watch. Though most of us will have not traveled too often in the past two years, it's about time that a dual-time watch makes its way back to the rotation as the wor...
NEW: Laurent Ferrier Sport Auto My New Grail Watch
Yes, why not start with a bold statement, and also the price of the new Laurent Ferrier Sport Auto? Why would you buy yourself a fairly ubiquitous sports watch at ten times the retail price, seriously? Or buy what constitutes a tool watch, now superseded by demand outstripping demand, to such a point as becoming slightly ridiculous? Here is your alternative. To be honest, for me, any reference of pebble-smooth goodness from Laurent Ferrier is a better option to Patek, and - get this - actually available. At CHF 46,000 before tax, you will not have to wait eight years, or pay ten times retail price at a frenzied auction. A win/win in anyone’s book, and in mine it gets the headline.So th...
URWERK Drops The New UR-100V C52 Carbon (2022)
I can remember the days before I started working at Fratello. I’d spend hours sitting at my desk with sketchbooks drawing fantasy watches. I think, deep down, there’s a little bit of a wannabe watch designer in all of us. Am I right? Fast forward to today, and, if I’m honest, not a lot has changed. I still like to indulge in jotting down ideas for watches. I still enjoy designing watches, but these days, I tend to focus more on concepts for existing brands rather than fantasy designs. As a self-professed fanboy of URWERK’s mechanical marvels, it’s no surprise to my friends and colleagues that I’ve had ideas for what I’d love to see from the Swiss mas...
Squale 1521 Montredo Diver Hands-On Review
“A diver that's as at home on the streets of Berlin as it is off the coast of the Mediterranean,” says Montredo CEO and co-founder Philipp Budiman, speaking about the collaboration watch they’ve done with Swiss watch brand Squale.In front of me is a Squale 1521 Diver, limited to 50 watches, and only available through Montredo. For those who are not familiar with Montredo, it’s a platform that sells watches from brands directly (like this Squale) and a selection of brands from their authorized dealer network. Montredo CEO Budiman is also CEO for Watches of Switzerland GmbH and Les Ambassadeurs in Switzerland, both official retailers of many luxury watch brands. LetR...
Oris's Literature A Mural Of Sustainability In Watches (2022)
“Sustainable” is a hot word right now. For better or worse, every industry (including petroleum) is bandying about the “s” word in hopes to jump on the bandwagon and attract as many customers as possible. But some companies are being environmentally conscious for sustainability’s sake (though increased sales don’t hurt). Oris is one such company. And, as the modern saying goes, they were doing it before it was cool.Visit the Oris website (on phone or computer) and you’ll see a page layout unlike that of any other watch company. At the top, there’s a slideshow banner displaying the newest releases and promotional videos. Directly beneath that is...
The Top 13 Watch Collecting Mistakes
I've been collecting and buying watches since the late 1990s. At some point, I was fortunate enough to make a career out of my passion for watches. I focused mainly on collecting Speedmasters, and I was lucky enough to have the help at the very beginning from the legendary Chuck Maddox. I was also fortunate to meet and learn from my now-colleague Gerard, who used to have a watch shop for many years.During the course of time, I made a lot of mistakes, including rookie ones. And even today, I still sometimes fall into these traps. So I've come up with a list that would have helped me in my watch collecting or buying journey. Had I known these things, they may have prevented me from making typi...
Audemars Piguet Reveals Its 2023 Lineup
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph ref. 25721ST is an illustrious timepiece that debuted in 1993. The Offshore was meant to rejuvenate the Royal Oak and attract a new, younger audience. The watch was the brainchild of 22-year-old designer Emmanuel Gueit, who came up with a chunky creation that took elements of Gerald Genta's original design and magnified them. The 42mm watch received the nickname The Beast and did what it was supposed to do. The ROO soon became the watch for race car drivers, power players, and jet-setters. Thirty years later, The Beast is back in black - black ceramic, that is. Audemars Piguet’s 2023 lineup also consists of a string of new ...
#TBT A Forgotten Universal Monopusher Cal. 339
I don’t like the term “wedding watch,” but I can easily imagine wearing this Universal Monopusher to the next wedding I’m invited to. It looks unwearable, but the opposite is true. The previous statement needs a bit of clarification. When I said “unwearable,” I didn’t mean that the watch looks too big or too beefy. It’s just so different, so gold, and so 1930s that it blinds everyone in a 5km radius. Add those lugs that make it look a bit like a handbag, and well, it’s so far from any of today’s vintage standards that it’s almost impossible to imagine how it wears. The inability to imagine it on my wrist led me to conclude tha...
?When Celebrities Surprise Us With Cheerful Casio Fun
I’m trying to consolidate my collection while keeping it diverse with one watch per brand. Casio, however, is one of only three brands from which I own more than one watch. Even after writing about watches for more than four years now, I wouldn't profess to be a style guru, but I am very vain (and admit it!). Wrist-cool doesn't always equate to big bucks, and no brand proves it better than Casio does. And how about when celebrities surprise us by wearing a fun Casio watch with a tux? It’s priceless, but it happens more often than you’d think.I have three watches from Casio, and I'd even like to have a few more because they cheer me up. Casio has concocted a magic blend of a...
New: The Seiko Prospex SLA067J1 Diver
Seiko introduces the SLA067J1, a new all-black interpretation of the brand’s 1965 original, the 62MAS. This is the second reinterpretation of that legendary diver this year after the SLA065. That one was fitted with an Astrolabe dial, which yours truly was not too crazy about. This time, we go full stealth mode with the new SLA067J1. Let's see how we fare this time!The Seiko SLA067J1 is limited to 600 pieces worldwide, so if this one speaks to you, make haste.The new SLA067J1Seiko maintained a lot of the design language from the 62MAS. Still, this reinterpretation feels more contemporary thanks to its black hard coating. It lifts this new model out of the territory of vintage reissues....
Fratello Talks: Watch Brands Selling Vintage Watches
Hello, and welcome to this week’s episode of Fratello Talks! Today, Nacho, Lex, and Daan sit together to discuss watch brands selling their own stock of vintage watches. Lex joins the podcast after a week away visiting Jaeger-LeCoultre, the latest brand to jump on the bandwagon. Armed with knowledge, vintage-buying experience, and plenty of opinions, this week’s trio is ready to delve into the details. Who are these premium vintage pieces, painstakingly restored by the brand itself, meant to be for? It may not be us, but perhaps it’s a perfect introduction to vintage watches for those willing and able to pay the premium. The guys share their thoughts extensively, but not be...
Omega To Auction 11 MoonSwatch Moonshine Gold Sets For Orbis
This month, Omega will be auctioning eleven sets of MoonSwatch Moonshine Gold watches in special cases through Sotheby's. The goal is to raise money for Orbis to fight preventable blindness all over the world. If that sounds like something you want to be part of, you can get your bids in from February 12th to 24th.These eleven sets will be on display in eleven Swatch boutiques around the world until they go up for sale. Let's have a closer look at the sets, the cause, and the auction.Eleven MoonSwatch Moonshine Gold setsThe sets consist of all eleven MoonSwatch Moonshine Gold watches. We didn’t cover them all too extensively on Fratello when Swatch released them throughout 2023. They a...
Breaking Down The Brand Vacheron Constantin
It always sparks a debate when people read about the Holy Trinity of Watchmaking. Maybe that is because some perceive it as an outdated concept - a secret fraternity that has lost touch with reality. Still, Vacheron Constantin is considered one of the members of this unofficial club, alongside Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet. Once, this imaginary membership meant something. It was back in the days that Girard-Perregaux, Blancpain, and Breguet also desperately wanted to join or replace the club's original members. But times have changed. A German competitor appeared on the scene, and so did a range of young and ambitious creators of Haute Horlogerie, such as MB&F, Greubel Forsey, and R...
Photographing Giant Dunes With The IWC RAAF Pilot's Watch
On a recent trip to a series of massive dunes on Australia’s east coast, I had to contend with what watch to take. In the end, I decided to take the IWC RAAF Pilot’s Watch due to its ceramic construction.You see, ceramic cases offer several advantages over stainless steel. One of those is the fact that they don’t heat up like stainless steel cases. In the baking heat of the dunes, this was a real advantage. There’s nothing worse than the significant heat emanating from a steel watch on your wrist in the mid-summer sun.The Stockton dunes stretch for as far as the eye can seeLike being on Mars?The Stockton dunes, just north of the Australian city of Newcastle, form part...
A. Lange & Sohne Lange 1 Time Zone 116.025 Review
Ever since I started to develop a serious interest in watches, I’ve been exposed to the advertisements of A. Lange & Sohne in (mostly) German watch magazines. This must have been around 1997 or 1998, just a few years after the A. Lange & Sohne manufacture got ‘re-invented’. Since then, I’ve always had a weak spot for their Lange 1 timepiece, especially in white gold but never was lucky enough to be able to pull the trigger on one.Big was the joy – and smile on my face – when A. Lange & Sohne in Glashutte sent me one of their timepieces to perform a review and photo-shoot on. The A. Lange & Sohne Lange 1 Time Zone in platinum is one of my fa...
Speedy Tuesday Mark Knopfler's Choice
Yesterday we were contacted by a watch fan showing us this photo of Mark Knopfler wearing a watch that appears to be a Speedmaster. We had a close look and it is definitely a Speedmaster. Mark Knopfler was already seen with an Omega Speedmaster some years ago in a music magazine, but that was a regular model (3570.50 or similar). This time, Mark Knopfler is wearing a gold Speedmaster.There is a small chance that the reflections and colors in the photo make it look gold, while it is the stainless steel version (that we’ve discussed here and here). However, for now we’ll assume Mark Knopfler is wearing the gold edition of the Omega Speedmaster ’57 Replica (or re-edition) that...
Audemars Piguet CEO Fran?ois-Henry Bennahmias
As you know, we’re part of the same publishing house as WatchTime, Chronos, Watch-Insider and Uhren Magazine. The German WatchTime editor Melanie Feist, interviewed?Fran?ois-Henry Bennahmias during the SIHH about the new Royal Oak collection.Just last week we talked about the new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo 15202 in yellow gold. Not only this watch is being mentioned in the interview, but also the frosted gold models and the new ceramic 41mm Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar in ceramic.?Audemars Piguet CEO Fran?ois-Henry Bennahmias makes an interesting statement about this watch, a little provoking to other brands perhaps that copied the style of the Royal Oak. Yet, to me, the most inte...
Swatch Group Cancels Time To Move in Zurich
This just came in from Swatch Group: The Time to Move event in Zurich will be canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak.The press release regarding the cancellation of Time to Move says:“Considering the uncertainty related to the 2019-nCoV Coronavirus outbreak, and in order to guarantee the welfare of our guests, partners, and colleagues, Swatch Group has decided not to hold the Time to Move event, which should have taken place in Zurich from March 4-6, 2020.The Swatch Group Prestige brands will introduce their new products to the markets at a later stage during regional events, in order to prevent their partners from traveling internationally in an insecure climate. Your brand represen...