Crafter Blue proudly announces a new colorway for the Hyperion Ocean line. A compelling sunburst ocean blue colored dial that will catch your eyes with different shades of blue in different angles under the sun.CaseThe Hyperion Ocean is 45mm in diameter - a common size for many professional diver's watches. What makes the Hyperion Ocean line stands out from the others is that its lug-to-lug length

It is a testament to the individual ingenuity of watch designers the world over that I come to work every day and find something to be excited about waiting for me on my desk or in my inbox. I’m a big fan of microbrands, as may well be obvious from my previous writings on the subject, but what I often find more compelling than the products themselves is the brand identity they are wordlessly

“Oh, no. Not another article praising the new Speedmaster,” I hear you say, as your eyes snap to the title of my article. Without a doubt, this piece is going to talk about the current Speedy. So, if you are fed up with the topic, feel free to navigate back to the main page and look for another write-up. No hard feelings. However, let me quickly try to sum up what I’d like to tal

This one’s going to be really interesting. For the first time ever on Fratello, we’re giving you the chance to design your very own watch and then win it! This concept comes to us courtesy of Von Vogel, a Danish brand that wants to give its customers complete agency when it comes to assembling their perfect watch from a raft of interchangeable components.Simple or complex? Steel or ros

The world of collecting watches has changed drastically in the last 10 years or so. While the Nautilus and Royal Oak were considered ugly and over-expensive nonsense watches in the 2000s, they are now the most coveted (and over-expensive) watches today. Only seasoned collectors were after a Nautilus or Royal Oak, now they seem to be the watches every starting collector is aiming for. But is that t

Brycen is swimming against the stream with the 26mm LeCoultre Baron on his wrist. If you don’t care what other people think about your wristwatch of choice, a modestly-sized watch can bring unexpected gratification. I know how Brycen feels. My Mido Radiotime is only 23mm wide, but I wear it more proudly than I wear my GMT-Master 1675. As much as I like the GMT-Master, there are so many peop

When I was asked to write my article about my grail watch, I didn’t answer immediately. The reason for that was personal but simple. Working as a watch journalist allows one to check out incredible timepieces up close. But the reality is that a great number of them are so expensive that the thought of wanting them doesn’t even arise. Call it Dutch level-headedness or maybe a Weppelink

If you've read my first-ever story on Fratello, you already know this by now. But in the first two years of my collecting journey, I was on the run. I’m not sure what I was running from exactly, but I was buying watches fast. And when you go fast, you don't always make the best decisions. That's how I ended up with a 1974 Datejust. It was a 1603 with a beautiful blue pie-pan dial and pretty

There are some watch/strap combinations that are classic, timeless, and with which you can never go wrong. Take, for example, the trusty gray NATO. Gray is a neutral color that pairs well with any steel or titanium watch. Even black DLC or PVD watches look great on gray. A black or brown two-stitch leather strap will also look good on just about anything. And black alligator, overused and boring a

Another Friday, another Top 5! In this series, we take one classic watch and choose our five favorite references ever produced. Four of these references will be based on the historical importance of the specific watch in the grand scheme of things. Though there may be some overlap, it's not a question of which references are the most collectible or of the highest value on the market. The fifth pic

Without any press release or announcement, this Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 “Ice Blue” entered the collection. It features a very fresh-looking blue dial inside the immensely popular PRX watch.Tiffany Blue? No, ice blue!Okay, I’ve never bought anything from Tiffany (not on purpose, though), but despite that, I can’t stand the robin’s-egg blue shade anymore. It’s a

It’s funny how your watch budget pulls your focus toward specific watches. I tend to pay a lot more attention to watches below the $10,000 mark simply because that’s just what I’m comfortable spending on a watch. So automatically, watches in that price range will pique my interest more than the ones above $10,000. But just like everybody else, I too have dreams. Of course, I read

Rumors about a new IWC Ingenieur started last year during Watches and Wonders 2022. But even before that, the Ingenieur was on people's minds. It was on my mind anyway. During an IWC event back in 2021, I asked the brand's CEO Chris Grainger-Herr if there were any plans to reintroduce a steel sports watch with an integrated bracelet in the style of the Gerald Genta-designed Ingenieur SL 1832 ̶

If you are a fan of classic military watches, these are good times. We have seen quite a few brands bring back military watches from the past. The latest addition to the modern reinterpretations of classic military-style watches is the Tornek-Rayville Type 7B “Blakjak.” But this is not just a simple remake. This is an evolved version of the classic mil-spec Stocker & Yale “Sa

Hajime Asaoka's signature style is early mid-century with a touch of Art Deco, and he chose the studied charm of a 34mm case for his premier (and accessible) release of 2024. We first saw this size from Kurono Tokyo in 2022 with four fresh two-tone releases. Now, by introducing the Calligra, Hajime Asaoka has committed. Is it too small or just a natural, even purer take on vintage? Well, consideri

Frederique Constant teamed up with Romaric Andre, aka seconde/seconde/, resulting in this cool limited edition. The core premise? Frederique Constant wanted to convey the message that it is a true manufacture, making watches by hand. Rather than hiring an agency to tell that story in an expensive billboard campaign, FC teamed up with seconde/seconde/. And you can trust Romaric to make your point,

In the world of independent watchmaking, few brands make an impression right out of the gate. WRK Timepieces, however, did just that with its debut ACF-01 last year. Now, with the release of the ACF-02, the brand refines its design language while maintaining the bold, lightweight approach that made its first model stand out.WRK Timepieces is the brainchild of Nasko and Caroline, a husband/wife duo

Forstner has made a name for itself as the go-to brand for aftermarket vintage-inspired bracelets. The revived company, which has roots in the 1920s, has quickly expanded its collection over the past few years. We have reviewed quite a few of the brand’s bracelets as well. What has always stood out is how much fun it is to pair the different bracelets with our watches. This time, we took fiv

Bunter – Switzerland’s Best Kept SecretLast year in September, the Fratello team visited Bunter SA in Versoix, just outside Geneva. Chances are big that you've never heard about Bunter, but you've probably seen their products not knowing that it was actually manufactured by them.What about the 5 Million Dollar Big Bang by Hublot? Executed by the fine workshops of Bunter in Versoix. Dia

NOMOS just won another design award for one of their timepieces. This time, the brand from Glashutte received the iF Product Design Award for their Metro watch. NOMOS received iF Product Design Awards in previous years as well, for their Zurich (2012), Tangomat GMT Plus (2013), and Ahoi (2014).According to the official press release, “The iF Product Design Award has been bestowed upon outsta