A Conversation With Astronaut Wally Schirra (by Chuck Maddox)
A few weeks ago, whilst cleaning up my attic, I found a box with all sorts of watch stuff. Inside were also two discs that I received in December 2007.On there, an interview between astronaut Wally Schirra and Chuck Maddox. This interview was recorded on February 17th 2007 in Beverly Hills, a few months before Schirra passed way age 84 on May 3rd 2007. Chuck Maddox passed away a year later, on May 12th 2008, age 46. A sad day that I vividly remember, as I received a phone call from Dale Vito (Ace Jewelers) who brought me this news whilst being on a family trip in Munich.Wally Schirra was the only astronaut who flew on board of the Mercury (MA-8), Gemini (6A) and Apollo (7). As you probably k...
Wrist Game or Crying Shame: Corum Gold Coin Watch
Welcome back to Wrist Game or Crying Shame, the weekly series that puts you in the driver’s seat. This week, we put the pedal to the metal with a real chunk of gold as we ask you to vote on the Corum Gold Coin Watch. But first…Last week, we asked you to decide whether the 2017 Omega Speedmaster 60th Anniversary edition was worth your hard earned ducats. Well, you all showed up in force and the Speedy stormed the polls on the way to 70% Wrist Game mastery! On the other hand, we also received some deep sighs as this series has focused heavily on both Omega and that other brand with a coronet as a logo. What can I say? Sometimes you folks just don’t show up when I talk about s...
Breaking News: Grand Seiko Cancels 60th Anniversary Summit
It is with sadness we must convey that Grand Seiko has taken the governmentally-advised decision to cancel its upcoming summit. It would have been held in Tokyo from the 4th-5th of March 2020.Grand Seiko had intended for the summit to be a vehicle to celebrate its 60th anniversary, alongside the 55th anniversary of?Seiko Divers. If you haven’t already checked out the models released to mark this occasion, you can read about the men’s pieces here and the women’s piece here.For those that had tickets in their hands, this will come as a crushing blow. Grand Seiko is one of the most beloved and interesting watch brands outside of Europe. Many of its fans were looking forward to...
The Q Timex Welcomes A Brother The Timex M79 Automatic
Timex is enjoying something of a renaissance. After last year’s run of unexpected throwbacks, the American-born brand returns with an old school automatic buddy for the Q Timex - the Timex M79 Automatic.You’ve heard of flippers, right? No, not the dolphin. Those people that buy that they plan on re-selling. Often, they’ll have a deal in place before their purchase has even arrived at their door. Competing against ultra-vigilant flippers can be a real headache for genuine collectors. With wild eyes craving for a quick profit, they are famously short on scruples. Regrettably, this kind of behavior is becoming ever more commonplace. You might well expect greedy speculators att...
Swatch Reveals The New James Bond Watch Collection
Thank goodness for Swatch. Whenever we might find ourselves taking everything a bit too seriously, everyone’s favorite plastic-peddler shows up with a joyous dollop of color to remind us that watchmaking is supposed to be fun. The new James Bond collection is exactly that.The new James Bond film, No Time To Die, will mark Daniel Craig’s final outing as the British super-sleuth. To mark the occasion, Swatch has released six new watches. There’s some low-hanging fruit (helloMoonraker andCasino Royale), alongside some odder, niche choices (who would’ve predictedLicence to Kill and The World Is Not Enoughmaking the cut when this idea hit the drawing board?).Six new models...
A Bullish New Wristmon From Konstantin Chaykin Celebrates The Year Of The Ox
Regardless of how much stock you put in the zodiacal cycle, it’s always interesting to find out in which year you were born and to see how closely the traits of that sign match up with your own. Coincidentally, I was born in the year of the Ox (back in 1985). This is, including the year I was born, the fourth time I’ve entered my own zodiacal period, which means I should prepare once more for a year of being reminded how stubborn I am (apparently). However, when researching the latest Wristmon from Konstantin Chaykin, I learned more about the zodiac than I bargained for…So I’m pretty sure everyone and their dog has heard of the zodiac. I’m not expecting everyone...
CronotempVS Teamed Up With Oris To Present The Spirit of Sixty-Five
Here at Fratello, we love vintage dive watches. They not only represent the times in which they were made but also express the quality and precision of manufacturing available these days. So when I came across this awesome collaboration, I felt the need to take a closer look at the new CronotempVS? Oris Spirit of Sixty-Five.Back in the sixties, two underwater diving pioneers Hans Hass and Christian J. Lambertse needed a proper tool watch that was technologically advanced enough to help other divers keep track of the time while diving. Oris was the major contributor in this venture and it resulted in the very first Oris diving watches for professional divers.In 2015, Oris decided to commemora...
Grand Seiko Did It Again! Meet The SLGH005 With White Birch Dial
When I opened up our Fratello mailbox this morning, I found Grand Seiko’s press release on this new SLG005 White Birch watch. I couldn’t help to think of the house where I grew up. In my memories, it was a large house with a nice garden and driveway. At the end of the driveway, where the road started, was a white birch.I write in my memories, as in reality, the house wasn’t that big. I realized this when the same house next door was offered for sale on a popular housing platform. But as a kid, you perceive things in a different way, perhaps. What I noticed when looking at our previous neighbor’s house for sale, is that our old house was also partly on the pictures. It...
How My Forstner Beads Of Rice Bracelet Found Its Forever Home
This one came as a shock. Never before in my watch-filled and fuelled life have I worn a Beads of Rice bracelet. And then Forstner - my all-time favorite bracelet maker - comes along with a new version of this popular and stylish style and I just had to try it for myself. The only question was, where would it end up?I’m a lucky guy. I get to review watches every day I go to work. A lot of the time I get to see new products before they hit the open market. Most of the time I see these coming a mile off, but every so often one comes along that takes me by surprise. That happened the week after the Forstner Beads of Rice bracelet landed on my desk. I was just tucking into my cereal, wonde...
Take A Ride On The Quirky Side With Vintage Watches
I have built a reputation as that guy who collects unusual watches. I admit that some of my watches are pretty bizarre, but that’s not their unique selling proposition. For me, they are the most surprising, inspiring, and creatively original timepieces. But what’s more challenging than finding many of them is finding out that they even exist in the first place.I must admit, I don’t like collecting. I don’t like collecting as a word that’s supposed to describe what I do. Merriam-Webster defines collecting as “bringing together into one body or place.” That always sounded too simplistic to me and too insufficiently appreciative of what I do. It sounds ...
(Almost) Anti-Smartwatch: An Argument For The Practicality Of The Wristwatch
Some have claimed that the wristwatch is dead. With cellphones, smartwatches, and all the smart assistance we might need, wearing a watch has been deemed anachronistic - an expression of a time gone by. So what are we doing? Collecting jewelry? Playing dress-up in outdated fashion? No! No matter the reason you wear a watch, there are people out there that still use watches for practical reasons. In fact, there’s a good chance you’re one of them.Dive watches are no longer the primary timing tool for professional divers. Most pilots aren’t required to wear mechanical watches as a backup for flight instruments. Duly noted. But divers (and the rest of us) do still wear dive wat...
Buying Guide: The Best IWC Watches From The 2000s
We like to talk about vintage watches a lot within the Fratello team. Though most of what we write about is largely focused on the most recent releases and developments, for many of us, a lot of the fun can be found in the sometimes weird and often wonderful world of vintage watches. It’s a world full of history, remarkable watches, incredible stories, and quirky details. It inspired us to come up with a series of articles focusing on the best watches per decade from a select group of brands. Some of them are priceless, some of them are still affordable. In this installment, we will take a look at the best IWC watches from the 2000s.By the turn of the millennium, Switzerland had proudl...
Hands-On: Baltic HMS 002 Silver With Sector Dial
I don’t know if it’s just me, but I feel that sector dials are making a solid comeback. My first renewed attraction to them was in 2017 when Jaeger-LeCoultre presented a 25th-anniversary Master Control Date with a sector dial. The second one that caught my eye was the Longines Heritage Classic in 2019. And last year, in 2022, Omega presented the rather stunning CK 859 Master Chronometer. What I completely missed, however, was the Baltic HMS 002 that came out in 2019.Back then, the brand wasn’t really on my radar yet, but it is now. The HMS 002 recently returned to the spotlight because microbrand Baltic updated the Miyota movement inside. Now is a good moment to put this at...
Yema Steps Up Its Game With The New Superman Slim
Back in 2022, I reviewed a couple of Yema’s Superman models, and I really liked the vintage vibes of the pointy lugs and the clean diver’s dial. The 39mm size is perfect for a wide variety of wrists, and I even thought the old-school bezel lock was charming. Unfortunately, I found the overall finishing and the quality of the bracelets disappointing, and my colleagues have shared similar concerns. Today, Yema introduces the new Superman Slim. The French brand says it has raised the level of finishing, and it also fitted the watch with its in-house micro-rotor CMM.20 movement. Let’s see what it’s like in person.The Yema Superman 500 and the Superman Full Lume were certa...
Five Analog Quartz Watches That Prove The Snobs Wrong
As watch lovers, we tend to be drawn to mechanical movements. There is something mysterious about the dozens of springs, wheels, pinions, jewels, screws, and plates that conspire to unwind a mainspring and turn its stored tension into a precise display of the time. I think the allure is in the fact that it is just simple enough to roughly understand and complicated enough for most of us to never fully comprehend. If you feel this way, it is easy to look down your nose at quartz watches.If you do, you are missing out. There are plenty of reasons to appreciate and even admire quartz watches. Today, I want to look at five quartz watches that prove the snobs wrong. These are by no means the abso...
Behold The Magnificent Angelus Chrono-Datoluxe
I don't have a lot of vintage watches on my wishlist anymore. Some, I was lucky enough to find over the years. Others, I moved on from or saw in the metal, which changed my perspective about them. Very few examples, though, still make my heart beat faster. I must admit that most of these models come from Angelus. Sadly, we don't see these too often on the market anymore. So whenever one appears, it gives hope to our small but enthusiastic community. There are some gems still out there. This is the story of one such gem, my Angelus Chrono-Datoluxe.Keep in mind that this article is not a collector's guide. While I'd love to cover the Chrono-Datoluxe in such a context, I still need to do some r...
Introducing: The Grand Seiko SBGH368 Sakura Kakushi
In the great Grand Seiko tradition, the horological year starts early. We already covered the brand’s first releases of 2025 on January 31st, and Mike wrote about another on February 3rd. Now, less than two weeks into the month, Grand Seiko treats us to one more delight. Today, the brand announces the wonderful SBGH368 “Sakura Kakushi.” This release combines a rose gold 62GS-style case with an absolutely stunning dial. The resulting watch is one of this year’s early highlights. Let’s find out more.Ask me about my favorite Grand Seiko model, and the first that comes to mind is the brilliant titanium SBGA413 “Shunbun” with its stunning pink dial. I lov...
New: IFL Watches Oris Divers 65 Year Of Snake
Today marks the final day of celebrations of the Chinese New Year. The Lantern Festival closes out the festivities that started on the 29th of January with the Lunar New Year. IFL Watches created a special 25-piece limited edition of the Oris Divers 65 to mark the beginning of the Year of the Snake. The watch features a colorful hand-painted dial that truly stands out. Against the backdrop of the stainless steel Divers 65, this bespoke dial celebrates the Chinese New Year in style. So much so, in fact, that the watch has already sold out. Despite that, it’s worth examining this stunning LE because those interested can still commission something similar. Let’s dive in!Every year, ...
Hands-On: The New Makina Mephisto_III GMT
Until recently, I had only heard of Makina watches and hadn’t had the chance to try one out. But that all changed when the Filipino brand offered us the chance to try out its latest creation, the Mephisto_III GMT. The Mephisto is not necessarily a new watch as the regular version was the brand’s debut model in 2017. But with the addition of a GMT complication and a new dial color, today’s version of the Mephisto_III offers plenty to talk about. I had a chance to wear the watch for a week and discover what this modern-style GMT is all about.When I started checking out Makina’s past releases, I found just how much the Mephisto has changed over the years, Back in 2017, w...
Glashutte Original Senator Navigator Perpetual Calendar
Just before the big BaselWorld 2009 exposition, Glashutte Original (hereafter GO) presents their Senator Navigator Perpetual Calendar.This 44mm pilot watch in stainless steel has a matt black dial (as a pilot’s watch always should have) with large Arabic numerals and blued hour and minute hands. I don’t know if I am a big fan of too much functionality on a pilot’s watch, especially if they seem not very functional (moonphase and leap year).However, as GO put it themselves in their press release: “The added perpetual calendar functions have been seamlessly integrated into the dynamic design of this efficient timepiece.” Probably only few will actually control the...