It is safe to say that Seiko has made a push upmarket in recent times. While many of the brand’s watches certainly justify their new price point, for some enthusiasts, the higher RRPs take some getting used to. Daan has no such issues. He recently purchased a Seiko SPB317 for himself. Thomas, on the other hand, clings to his trusty old SKX009, a watch that cost about a third of the price of

The Piaget Polo is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year. However, while the Polo name has survived, I’ve felt that the recent models have had little in common with the first Piaget Polo from 1979. Whenever Piaget showed us a new Polo model, I thought (and probably shared my thoughts with everyone who didn't want to hear them) about those Polo models from the late 1970s and early 1980s.

The Seiko 5 Sports line, especially when using the SKX case, has inspired hundreds of references over the past several years. Whether they’re inspired by manga, music, motorsport, or vintage watches, this line is like Japan’s version of Swatch. To be fair, many of the releases pass me by. However, two models inspired by the legendary Rally Divers made me sit up and take notice. After a

Automatic Spring Drive technology turns 20 this year! That seems like a fair reason for celebration. Grand Seiko felt the same and introduced this SBGA497 to mark the occasion. We get a high-intensity titanium creation with a familiar case shape and dial texture. Both pay homage to important references in Spring Drive history.The SBGA497 is a limited edition of 1,500 pieces. If you want to make it

It feels like we’re still recovering from the 2024 Olympic Summer Games in Paris. But Omega, the official timekeeper of the Olympics since 1932, is already gearing up for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo. The opening ceremony takes place one year from now, on the 6th of February 2026, at San Siro in Milan. In reality, the Games will take place in various cities all ov

In 2019, Hamilton launched a limited-edition Chrono-Matic 50 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the legendary Calibre 11. Along with Breitling, Heuer, Dubois-Depraz, and Buren, Hamilton was one of the original partners in the development of the automatic Calibre 11 that debuted in 1969. The 2019 version of the Chrono-Matic 50 had a black dial, white sub-counters, and red accents based upon the h

One of last year’s biggest surprises was the reintroduction of the Credor Locomotive. The original watch from the 1970s was one of Gerald Genta’s lesser-known creations. As soon as you see it, though, you immediately recognize Genta’s characteristic design signature. Having said that, it’s a divisive design because of its quirky presence. I also had my initial reservations,

Watch models and variations come and go. Most go under the radar, slipping into oblivion without anyone paying them much mind. Others walk off stage to great fanfare. The Patek Philippe Nautilus 5712/1A sits somewhere in the middle. Patek Philippe did not officially announce it or share anything regarding the discontinuation. Still, we feel it is a significant one that we would like to briefly cov

This year’s presentation of the new A. Lange & Sohne timepieces in Geneva was very interesting. Seven new timepieces have been introduced, including an A. Lange & Sohne Grande Complication. However, one of the watches that surprised me most is this Grand Lange 1 “Lumen” or reference 117.035.My initial thought was: “this is not a Lange”. Yes, it has the typical

Every since we’ve met with Arnold & Son in Basel last year, we can’t wait to see more of this beautiful brand with English roots. Their head of movement development Mr Chaulmontet demonstrated their new timepieces with such a sincere passion and enthusiasm that we are looking forward to the upcoming Baselworld exibition. Our friend and fellow blogger Christopher Beccan of Bexsonn.c

Only a few months ago, Christie’s had their Omega Speedmaster 50 Auction held in New York City with a 100% selling rate. This time, Christie’s is having an online auction (that still runs for almost 3 more days) with some incredibly nice Omega watches. Not only Speedmaster pieces, also Seamaster and Constellation pieces for example. There are 26 lots in total, that you can find here, I

Last year, Cartier launched the first three models of their Drive de Cartier' collection. Never before the brand released a new time piece that was, from a design and advertising point of view, so targeted to men as the ‘Drive de Cartier’ collection. In general, the response was very positive. ?The ‘Drive de Cartier’?was picked up pretty soon after it was released, especial

Our friends over at Hodinkee have something cool to offer today: an?IWC Pilot's Watch Mark XVIII Edition HODINKEE. A limited edition timepiece that IWC did together with the team at Hodinkee, based on the famous Pilot’s watches from 1948 and onwards. Inspired by the old, but definitely using some pretty cool innovation: a case made of Ceratanium, an alloy that is as light as titanium and as

Many of you will know that we, the authors at Fratello, are privately active on several social media channels. For instance, we love to take part in discussions and share our suspected knowledge in Facebook groups. Besides our effusive interest in horology in general, we have our personal specific fields of interest. And so it comes that you’ll often find us dwelling at specialized groups wh

Longines Conquest 1972 is a truly symbolic watch that stands out on so many levels.Oversized pre-1950s Longines dials have always fascinated me with their simple beauty. They might seem generic to an indifferent eye, but a trained collector can recognize them in a heartbeat. However, I’m not quite as enthusiastic about the bulky and over-stylized indexes that you can find on some mid-fifties

We take a glimpse at the newly announced Orient King Diver 70th Anniversary models.We’ve been doing our best to review a healthy mix of both new and vintage Orient models here on Fratello. As we’ve mentioned, we find the brand’s watches worthy of consideration if you’re in search of value and a lengthy spec sheet. We’ve also detailed the company’s somewhat confu

I have a weird relationship with Bell & Ross, and thanks to the release of the Bell & Ross BR-V2-94 Aeronavale Bronze, it’s about to get a whole lot weirder.There is something I need to get this off my chest. I don’t see the point in buying a Bell & Ross unless it’s square. That’s a fair enough opinion, right? It makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? The brand

We love tool watches on Fratello. A huge number of our articles are dedicated to dive and sports watches that are capable of accompanying us on our daily adventures. Many of those watches are made from stainless steel, but we also love titanium as a material for tool timepieces. Within our team, we have several titanium fanatics. I’ve never been one of them. For years, I sat squarely on the

Hanging out with friends is fun. Hanging out with friends on a Podcast when the friend in question happens to be James Thompson, AKA Black Badger? That’s a whole lotta awesome. Join us, as we pollute your airwaves with some top quality jive, touching on lume, Fordite, and our shared sporting tragedies…The Black Badger brand is one of the best-known non-watch brands in the watch industr

For those of you that read my story on five of the best uni-compax watches for under $1000 last week, you know they're my weak spot. I've got a fair few watches, but all had three hands before those two registers hooked me. After a year, I find myself with six uni-compax watches in my box, from big pilot's chronograph to small meca-quartz delights.I will happily concede the fact that I don't actua