Why Is Switzerland The Watchmaking Center Of The World?
Switzerland is often considered the cradle of watchmaking. The Swiss Made label has become a seal of quality, and the vast majority of high-end watch brands are Swiss. But how come? How has this one European nation become so dominant? What made Swiss soil so fertile for the budding watch industry?On the road to answering this question, we come across tales of refuge, religion, and a distaste for the ornate. And as is so often the case, it is a matter of serendipity. Let's get into it!The clock of Salisbury Cathedral. Dating back to 1386, it is possibly the oldest clock still working today. - Image: The Vintage NewsThe first mechanical clocksWe should probably start this story with the very f...
The Watches RJ Would Buy With Infinite Money
The sad reality is that money is definitely an object, and when you have a family, it's not always easy to allocate the amount of money you want to spend on a watch. But, as Thomas did in his Shopping With Cheat Codes ‘Infinite Money’ And ‘Infinite Purchase History'” article, I’d like to consider watches that I normally don't give much thought to. Aside from infinity money and infinite purchase history, I would also like the add the infinite lives cheat code (F7 + [i] in my favorite shmup game from 1989, Xenon 2). I guess I will need it, not in the last place to protect myself against an angry wife, despite the infinite money.Anyway, creating an overview like th...
Pre-Owned Spotlight: Less Predictable Dive Watches
Join me on the hunt for non-cliche pre-owned picks in the diver segment. It is safe to say that the dive watch is one of the most popular genres in the watch world. Even though most of us do not dive, most watch aficionados own at least one diver. There are some obvious candidates out there. , Omega, Tudor, and Seiko hold the majority stake in the dive-watch universe. But what if you want something of high quality that is, let's say, less predictable? What if you’d like a not-so-obvious luxury diver? Today, I am offering three pre-owned picks that will have people saying, Hey, what is that?I am not going vintage for once. This time around, I will stick to youngtimer pre-owned picks. If...
[Video] A Collector's Story: The Omega Constellation
Half a century of Omega Constellation watches explained. Fratello Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Robert-Jan Broer is a watch collector in the truest sense. He sat down with us to discuss his thoughts as a collector of Omega Constellation. A passion interlinked with his family history that, still today, he cherishes with great pride. Find out more to discover the history and meaning behind a part of his watch collection!Omega Constellation collectionThe Omega Constellation holds a special place in RJ’s heart, including the models from the 1980s and 1990s that are definitely not for everyone. It could be said that it all started with the Constellation he received for his graduation in 1998...
Introducing: The New Unimatic Modello Cinque U5S-A And U5S-AN
As Leonardo da Vinci said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” This famous quote is a motto that the guys at Unimatic have embraced ever since they started the brand in 2015. The Milan-based brand is known to have created a minimalist design canvas for its timepieces that works very well in multiple ways. Today, we get another taste of that canvas with the new Unimatic Modello Cinque. It’s a significantly smaller timepiece than the models already in the collection. On top of that, the Modello Cinque U5S-A and U5S-AN are not tool watches. So what are they? Let’s find out.With the Modello Cinque, we get the first all-new addition to the Unimatic lineup since th...
Tales From The Speedy Tuesday Community: Yorkshire Branch
For many of us, especially those reading this article, watch collecting is a key part of our lives, our main hobby, and our passion. But for the vast majority of people, a wristwatch is purely a means of telling the time and, in some cases, a status symbol. Some might be familiar with famous models, but most people do not care how thin your watch movement is or how few pieces of your limited edition exist. Sometimes, though, those of us who live and breathe watches instill some of our passion into the lives of others. For me, doing so even led to the moment when I realized that my friends and I had become an Omega Speedmaster-collecting hub, all living in the same small village in Yorkshire,...
Three Young Watch Designers To Keep An Eye On
As watch enthusiasts, we love to look back. We point at history's legendary watch designers as the high priests of our shared passion. We are so focused on history that we may sometimes overlook today's talents. Luckily, there still are gifted young professionals coming through the ranks. Today, I would like to put a little spotlight on three young(ish) watch designers whom I particularly admire. These are three designers that I feel should be on your radar as they might just draw tomorrow's iconic watches.Now, being a designer in an industry as mature as the watch world isn't easy. The design language has largely been set for decades, making most designs iterative to some degree. Consequent...
Choosing The Three Watches We'd Save From A Burning House
This week, Fratello On Air is back with another listener-inspired show topic. We’ll talk about the three watches that each of us would save from a burning house. Don’t worry, we’ll keep things light since a real fire is no joke. Of course, expect a bit of banter up front as we work up to the main theme....
Alternatives For Future Daniel Roth And Gerald Genta Watches
Daniel Roth and Gerald Genta are two names that resonate with watch fans. The first was a watchmaker who made Breguet great again and later started a brand of his own. The second gave the world some of its most iconic watch designs. Both names are now on the LVMH payroll, so to speak. In its ambition to become a stronger player in the high-end watch market, the largest luxury group in the world has resurrected both the Daniel Roth and Gerald Genta brands, which it already had in its possession when it acquired Bvlgari. This already led to some interesting and incredibly expensive creations, and more are on the way. In the back catalogs of these brands, however, are affordable alternatives fo...
Hot Take: The All-New Angelus Flying Tourbillon Titanium
Angelus has been making waves in recent years, injecting fresh energy into its lineup with bold, technical designs that blend avant-garde aesthetics with high-end watchmaking. The latest addition, the Flying Tourbillon Titanium, keeps that momentum going, playing with space, structure, and transparency in a way that feels both futuristic and deeply rooted in classical watchmaking.This is the second release in Angelus's contemporary series, following the Chronodate, a watch I've admired since its launch in 2022. With this latest release, the brand leans even further into its signature look, proving it has no interest in playing things safe. As someone with a soft spot for skeletonized watches...
A Stunner: Laurent Ferrier Classic Traveller Globe Night Blue
If I were pressed to choose the brand with the most breathtakingly beautiful lineup, Laurent Ferrier would surely receive my vote. The Haute Horlogerie watchmaker eschews the hyper-modern trend and makes elegant timepieces with equally bewitching movements. While I tend toward the classic non-complicated models, today’s latest Classic Traveller Globe Night Blue infuses complications without looking too busy.Laurent Ferrier crafts some of the best-looking watches on the market today. I struggle to find fault with the brand’s slightly modern takes on classic case shapes. The Assegai-shaped hands are the best in the business. Even the dial font is perfectly suited - a typical blunde...
Fratello Talks: Don't Let Money Stop You Enjoying Watches
In this week’s episode of Fratello Talks, we’re making a public service announcement: don’t let money stop you from enjoying watches! This topic is close to our hearts and has come up more than once at Fratello HQ lately. So today Nacho, Lex, and Thomas gather around the microphones and hash out their thoughts on the matter. Ultimately, it’s something we can recommend to you all: don’t limit your appreciation. Ownership is a small (and somewhat arguably overrated) part of the equation. We believe it should still be possible to praise and enjoy a watch (or any other object of fascination) from a distance and on its merits alone. Arbitrarily discrediting something...
An Introduction To The 52 Mondayz Project By Gerard Nijenbrinks
Gerard Nijenbrinks is a friend of the show since the early start of this blog and actually much longer than that. He is the guy from whom I bought my first Speedmaster, in October 1999. He has his shop Horloge Platform since 1989, where he currently specializes in pre-owned and vintage watches only after having been an official retailer for a number of brands as well.Always in for a new (horological) project, Gerard came up with 52mondayz.com, an fun and personal initiative where he will show one watch from his personal collection every week. So, starting on the 24th of February, he will post a picture of one of his watches every Monday. This project will continue for one year, showing 52 di...
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver 15710ST
To be honest I had to look it up, but it is already five years ago that Audemars Piguet introduced the Royal Oak Offshore Diver. The Royal Oak Offshore collection, originally introduced in 1993 and designed by Emmanuel Gueit, is the most popular line of Audemars Piguet. A variety of models (chronographs, calendars etc) were introduced in the first years of the Offshore collection, but it took a while before Audemars Piguet came with a Royal Oak Offshore for divers. Although there was already an Offshore diver watch in 2005,? the limited edition of 175 pieces only for the Wempe boutiques, the Royal Oak Offshore Diver was officially introduced in 2010.Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore DiverTh...
Speedy Tuesday 60 Years of Speedmaster An Overview
2017 marks the year of the Speedmaster or more specifically: 60 years of Speedmaster. Omega sent an awesome press kit last week to journalists with an overview of 60 Speedmaster watches. A very neat overview of 60 different models, from the very first Speedmaster CK2915 ‘Broad Arrow’ till the latest, yet to be released, Speedy Tuesday edition.60 Years of SpeedmasterWith 60 watches, not all Speedmasters are covered, but Omega made a selection and it gives a very good overview of how the Speedmaster changed over the years and what ‘side steps’ have been made during the path. Not only you’ll find the Broad Arrow, CK2998, gold Apollo XI 1969 reference, Alaska Projec...
#TBT Harvel Date-O-Graph
Context – political, sociological and cultural. When I put on any vintage watch I try to imagine what it was like to wear that particular watch back in the time it was new and fresh. When I put on the Harvel Date-O-Graph in the morning, I just can't un-see the advert from 1943 published in LIFE magazine. In it, across half a page, there is a detailed shot of a hand holding a burning cigarette between the fingers. You can also see a bit of the shirt sleeve sticking out from beneath a sharply ironed jacket. And of course, the Harvel Date-O-Graph is there too.I instantly imagined some important or wannabe important businessman sitting on an airplane filled with smoke, with a bunch of othe...
About the Ianos Avyssos diver's watch
It was during Baselworld 2018 that Robert-Jan and myself met with Jacob Hatzidimitriou. Jacob had contacted us and would like to show us his Ianos Avyssos?diver’s watch that he intended to introduce. Something which is asked us more often and, because the majority of these intentions have to be addressed as ‘well-meant but not pertinent necessary’, which we did not have very high expectations of.These expectations, however, changed immediately after Jacob handed us a prototype of his watch.The Ianos Avyssos diver’s watch and its relation to Symian sponge divers finding the Antikythera mechanismAnd that was just the watch. With a family heritage in sponge diving, to Ja...
Timor Watch Company Back From The Dead
Brand resurrections are nothing new. The reasons behind them are rarely compelling. Most often, a distant familial link that is relevant to no one but the founder(s) has been discovered. But here we are witnessing the rebirth of a brand that has seldom strayed too far from the minds of watch lovers the world over. Welcome back, Timor Watch Company.If you’ve been a fan of luxury watchmaking for a while, it’s likely you’ve heard about the “Dirty Dozen.” No? Never fear, we’ve got you covered. Check out this article for a bit of backstory then meet us back here. Don’t worry. We’ll wait.The Dirty DozenThat was a?very brief explanation of what the Di...
Watch Giveaway RESULT: The Avi-8 Flyboy Jets Off To Its New Home
I love being involved in good conversations. The discussion generated by our latest giveaway project was a treat. I really enjoyed the suggestions (some of them really deserve to be made), and am grateful for the engaged and respectful way in which everyone chipped in. It’s a shame I don’t have ten of the Avi-8 Flyboy Sydney to give away, but there are plenty more watches on the way for those of you that didn’t win this week…I want to draw attention to a few of the entries that didn’t end up winning, but were so awesome they need to be highlighted. I know for a fact that brands read our comments section, so who knows? Perhaps some of these stellar suggestions wi...
Sunday Morning Showdown: Ice-Cold Stunners Sinn Vs. Fortis
In our Sunday Morning Showdown, two of our writers go head-to-head in an epic showdown for the ages. Strong opinions and hysterical hyperbole are welcome (so feel free to join in with the fun in the comments section below). And don’t forget to let us know which watches you’d like to see torn to shreds/effusively exalted next week. We’ll try and feature as many of our readers’ choices as we can. For this week, two cold-as-ice chronographs face-off in a scintillating sub-zero showdown. The Sinn 206 Arktis II and the Fortis Official Cosmonauts Amadee-18.But before we start exploring the two chronographs facing each other this week, let’s look back at last week̵...