With watch collectors, the old adage “absence makes the heart grow fonder” could hardly be more true.? We take a look at 6 Discontinued Seiko pieces that are as hot today as they were during their production run.A Discontinued Seiko Doesn’t Always Equal RareWe’ve watched Seiko change quite a bit over the past several years as they’ve made more of a concerted effort to

Welcome to the first Wrist Game or Crying Shame of 2021 and we’re starting things off with a look at the TAG Heuer Tiger Woods Professional Golf watch. But first…I ended 2020 with a watch from with an anti-magnetic personality. The Milgauss attracted a 69% Wrist Game vote along with some pretty heavy criticism. Folks called it portly, a weak performer, and hardly deserving of its prof

Yesterday was the big day for Speedmaster fans all around the world! The introduction of the new Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Master Chronometer.Four new models basically, two steel variations and two in gold. You can read all about the new Moonwatch here. Rob and I decided to host a podcast on the new Moonwatch and answer some of the hottest questions we’ve read in the comments and on social

Western culture likes to take things easy. Take the seasons, for example. We have four of them. But Japan has 24 “sekki” that mark nature's ever-changing seasons. And that's a good thing because the nuances of these 24 periods are way more subtle than the ones we know. For example, in Japan, they have a name for the time when autumn turns to winter. They call that “sk”, t

When I was putting together my #TBT publishing plan a few months ago, I thought about what watch would pay a nice farewell to 2021. When I laid my eyes on the Yema Digital, I knew I found my “jumper” watch in 2022.The watch seems familiar, you just arent sure about the Yema branding, right? Well, I bet there isn't a single collector out there that hasnt seen this brick-like watch desig

Making a strong start in 2022, Swatch has announced the release of five new watches for the Clear Collection. A long-time fan of the classic Jellyfish models of yore, I couldn’t help but get excited when the press release came in earlier this week. But it’s not just the Gent getting the transparent treatment. In fact, the Big Bold, Skin, and New Gent join in on the fun. Keeping in line

I'd like to take credit for this Fratello story idea, unashamedly so. All of us have that one watch we long for, whether it’s a rare $500 Seiko or a hyped-up Patek Philippe. And what a diverse set of very personal quests it has turned out to be. “Grail watch” is a vague and deeply personal term, and that is the way it should be.As you can tell from RJ's and Ignacio's stories, eac

Seiko and Grand Seiko reliably grace us with numerous brilliant releases every year. To recap 2022, we decided to create an overview of these brands' new watches that we covered on Fratello over the past 12 months. In this second of two articles, we will put the spotlight on Seiko. In 2022, the brand released close to 300 watches, a jaw-dropping number compared to most brands! But it also means th

The title of this article is actually a command, or it could be one of my own New Year’s resolutions. It’s just that I’ve realized that my (dis)interest in certain watches has been due, largely, to how much they cost. For a long time, I simply looked away when I suspected the price of a watch would not be within my reach anytime soon. And that might sound quite logical to you bec

Just like Lex's resolution for 2023, I am aiming to be ambitious this year (spoiler alert: Breguet Tradition) and not to be side-tracked by impulsive watch purchases that I don't end up wearing. Ultimately, they are a waste of money, especially because I don't sell them off. I am not sure why, but I am just not much of a watch seller. It also means I am not much into flipping pieces, unlike some o

Today, we’ll take a look at a lovely vintage watch. An Eterna 852 has graced the pages of Fratello previously but in a different format. Our subject for this article isn’t a famous reference or even a military piece. Heck, it doesn’t even have a proper model name. It’s just a great-looking watch with a nice movement. It’s also a reminder that a wealth of under-the-rad

Instagram is often touted as a significant factor in the current popularity of mechanical watches. Whether it is celebrities and influencers normalizing expensive watches or aficionados sharing wrist shots, the platform is flooded with horological content. Some of my colleagues - primarily Daan, Morgan, and Nacho - are very deeply involved in the Instagram watch community. Compared to accounts of

Oris proudly introduced its ProPilot X Calibre 115 in 2019. The launch event back then took place in Shanghai, China. Now, five years later, the brand introduces a new limited edition of its impressive ProPilot X with a 10-day power reserve for the upcoming Chinese New Year. According to the Chinese, 2025 will be the year of the Wood Snake, encouraging inner reflection and outward progress. Oris d

Last month, I had the opportunity to visit the Seiko UK headquarters in Maidenhead. As a die-hard Seiko fan, I’ve always wanted to see what happens here. Does the site outsource much work, or is this a fully functional service center? The answer may surprise you because Seiko UK can handle practically everything when servicing modern Seiko watches.In October, I chatted with the Seiko UK team

I rarely cover quartz watches, because they are seldomly regarded as ‘interested’ amongst us watch fanatics ?? However, besides quartz ladies watches and the OysterQuartz models, quartz watches with special features/functionality like the Breitling Aerospace or Omega Speedmaster X-33 can also be quite interesting. If you travel a lot, or have to do a lot of stopwatch/countdown timing

The SIHH 2010 will be held from the 18th of January till the 22nd of January 2010. During this show, Vacheron Constantin will be presenting their new Historique Ultra-Fine 1955 and 1968 time pieces. In today’s world of horology, it seems that watches can’t be bulky enough while a few decades ago, it showed true craftsmanship when a time piece was as flat as possible. Since a year or so

First off, I'd be remiss if I didn't wish you, our readers, a Happy New Year. With a new year comes an entire 366 days, Blaise informed me of the leap year, of excitement and uncertainty. Regarding the vintage market, we can't predict what will occur in 2016, but it's likely that things will remain hot. Therefore, we'll continue to try and scope out value in a market increasingly devoid of both de

MINASE : A Japanese ManufacturerIn 1963 Minase's parent company, Kyowa, opened for business manufacturing cutting and drilling tools for the watch industry.? They entered into watch manufacturing making private label watches for many world-famous brands in parallel to their tool business.? In 2006 they launched their own brand, Minase, with the goal of creating the perfect watch.MINASE FIVE WINDOW

The Douglas A-1 Skyraider was one of the last few propeller driven attack aircraft to enter service. It arrived late for World War 2 and during the start of the Jet era, yet it enjoyed one of the longest careers in the US Air Force. Despite being outclassed in speed and technology by the latest jetfighters, the Skyraider held its own with a heavy payload and agility. The Skyraider served in both t

This will be a bit of a controversial review. In general, we’re not that fond of watches with fancy names and quartz movements. So it would have?been understandable if we had passed for the Corniche Heritage Chronograph as well. But we didn’t. I don’t exactly know why to be honest, hopefully, the review will make it clear.Corniche Heritage ChronographFor investigation purposes, I