SIHH 2019 Day 1 Recap
The craziness began already a few weeks in advance when you start to recieve all this press information under embargo. Normally, we don't really care for this rat race, but in some cases, it is also difficult to suppress your enthusiasm and you will write some articles in advance anyways. So that means you are actually doubling your workload in the period prior to SIHH. You have to write the articles for the daily dosis of watch content as well as all the extras for the SIHH in advance. Then, during SIHH, you also try to keep up with articles of things you've seen. The new Audemars Piguet Code 11:59 being an excellent example, sometimes you need to see watches in the flesh before sharing you...
Wrist Game Or Crying Shame: The Omega Speedmaster Reduced
Welcome back to Wrist Game or Crying Shame, the weekly series that aims to make all of your New Year’s Resolutions come true! This week, we take a look at the Omega Speedmaster Reduced, reference 3510.50.00Fear not, Mike fans. I’m not taking-over this column permanently. I’m just standing-in for everyone’s favorite bargain (or not) hunter for one week and one week only. So what have I decided to put to you during my time in the hot seat? I’ve chosen a model that has given me some sleepless nights. Is it a quiet classic? Is it an unfortunate misadventure? There are strong opinions on both sides, so I’m turning it over to you, the Fratelli, to make a sound j...
Bvlgari Divas' Dream Watch Is Functional Jewelry At Its Best
With the new Serpenti and Octo Finissimo models stealing much of the limelight this week in Dubai, the Bvlgari Divas’ Dream collection has floated under the radar. But no longer. Here we give this concise range of jewelry watches their due.Although I don’t wear much jewelry above the wrist, I never tire of seeing such time-honored techniques applied to watches. For many years now, I’ve been critical of brands covering men’s models in diamonds and passing them off as women’s watches. I find it lazy, at best, insulting at worst. We’re seeing more and more brands acknowledge misguided pasts (albeit quietly) by creating genuinely exciting watches for women. Th...
Fears Brunswick Blue Dial Dazzles From All Directions
The Fears Watch Company expands its mechanical timepiece offering with a new blue dial option in the Brunswick collection. The Brunswick Blue also signals the gradual phasing-out of quartz watches from the Fear’s line-up.Nicholas Bowman-Scargill is the fourth Managing Director of Fears Watches. Founded by Edwin Fears in 1846 in Bristol, UK, Nicholas revived the Fears Watch Company name after it faded into dormancy around 1976. Retracing his Great-Great-Great-Grandfather’s steps, he set to work in creating a watch that not only paid homage to where the family business tailed off but would also appeal to the modern watch connoisseur. The Redcliff was a quartz piece, which, in 2016,...
Personal Thoughts On The Seiko Prospex Alpinist SPB201J1 European Limited Edition
Yesterday, we announced the release of the Seiko Prospex Alpinist SPB201J1 European Limited Edition. As with the previous Seiko Alpinist release, it is available via the Fratello shop first. Each one comes with a special strap we designed especially to complement the watch, but we only have 35 pieces in stock. Having passed on the previous Alpinist, I thought the time was ripe to pick one up myself. Here’s what I made of the watch when I got it (and the limited edition pin badge that comes with it) in my hands for the first time…The first 35 pieces are available from the Fratello Shop. Once again, they will include one of our very own Fratello straps. This one has been chosen to ...
BREAKING NEWS: Seiko Prospex Alpinist SPB201J1 European Limited Edition 2021
In October we announced the Seiko Prospex Alpinist SPB199J1 limited edition. And now, at the dawn of 2021 (the most anticipated sequel in the history of years), we have a new Seiko Alpinist to announce. Allow me to introduce the Seiko Prospex Alpinist SPB201J1 limited edition, exclusive to Europe.The Seiko Prospex “Alpinist” range is soaring. The modern iterations of this beloved family are taking the brand and the Alpinist name in a new direction. With October’s emerald green/gray sun-ray dial, the collection welcomed its second “artful” dial, with the blue/green joining the ever-popular forest green available in the regular collection. Now, however, we’r...
Watch Strap Review 57: Artem Sailcloth Loop-Less
The name “Artem” comes from the Latin phrase, “Ars est celare artem” (English: true art conceals the means by which it is achieved). But Artem is also a name from Ancient Greek mythology, generally meaning “strong as a bear.” That term perfectly captures what Artem stands for with its durable sailcloth straps. A bear is both strong and, as you’d imagine, very comfortable - before deciding to attack you for trying to cuddle it, that is. The synthetic sailcloth material shares this ethos and takes it further with this latest creation - the Artem Loop-Less? strap. Today, I test this strap on the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch and Seamaster Diver 300M to se...
Buying Guide: The Best G-Shock 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 G-Shock watches from the 2000s.By the turn of the millennium, Switzerland had pr...
Introducing The Ralph Lauren RL867 In Two New Sizes
If you think the design of the new Ralph Lauren RL867 above looks familiar, you’re completely right. The famous fashion designer launched his line of watches back in 2008 and introduced the RL867 one year later. At the time, it was only available in a fairly small 27.5mm square case. If you look at the brand’s website today, however, the RL867 is only available in a rather large 35mm size. So that’s probably why Ralph Lauren is also adding not one but two smaller options to the lineup in 28mm and 32mm cases. Both will be available in sterling silver and 18K rose gold. Let’s take a look.Just like Nacho, I wasn’t too aware of the watches that Ralph Lauren had to o...
Omega Seamaster Ceramic Vs. Tudor Black Bay Ceramic
Welcome to another edition of Sunday Morning Showdown. Today, two editors jostle for position with two watches of a similar persuasion. Expect no holds barred as these writers vie for your votes to be crowned the winner. In this fight, we have two fully ceramic dive watches with automatic calibers. As a surprise twist, both are certified by METAS as Master Chronometers. Even more serendipitous is the dark aesthetic of both watch dials and bezels. Despite the ceramic materials and black-on-black tones, these watches are metal (as in heavy metal music) as hell! Our writers are ready, so let’s get this battle going.Today’s showdown is a follow-up to a previous outing. We put the the...
Introducing: The New Garrick S2 Deadbeat Seconds
Disclaimer: I am particularly fond of independent brands and British watchmaking, and when it comes to Garrick’s watches, these are temptingly combined. The Norfolk-based brand produces a particular line of timepieces that makes those two qualities particularly visible, even worn on its watchmakers’ sleeves. So excuse me if I view the new Garrick S2 Deadbeat Seconds through a slightly subjective lens.My being torn on the entire concept of deadbeat seconds might offset this. I know this complication adds another layer of accuracy to a hand-built mechanical movement, but I still love the smoothness of a high-beat caliber. We will see if Garrick can win me over with a stopping secon...
The Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Shades Saffron
Saffron will cost you over $10,000 per kilogram, so at least $10 per gram. Why is it so expensive? Well, to make one gram of saffron, you need 150 hand-picked crocus sativus flowers. The threads of the flowers are dried to serve not only as a seasoning and coloring agent in food but also as medicine. Saffron was likely first used by the Assyrians in the seventh century BCE. Now, how about the watch? The Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Shades Saffron from Bienne, Switzerland, has a price of $7,300. This steel watch weighs 133 grams, meaning you pay slightly under $55 per gram. So, per gram, the Omega beats the spice when it comes to exclusivity. With that out of the way, let's focus on the colorfu...
Thomas's 2024 Watch Resolutions: A Decisive Year
I belatedly wish you all a happy new year, my dear Fratelli! As one of the last Fratello writers to jot down my 2024 horological resolutions, I hope you're not tired of this theme yet. I can only promise that my plans differ quite a bit from those of my colleagues, so this article should be a bit different. Not least of all, this is because there is major uncertainty in my near future.As you have surely read before, I am in the middle of starting a watch company. After more than a year of development, 2024 will see me launch my debut watch. Naturally, this will affect my watch-collecting hobby, whatever the outcome. If you are tired of the VPC-related talk, you'd better skip this article; I ...
Reintroduce The 1985 IWC Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar IW3750
The IWC Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar IW3750 from 1985 is an important watch for IWC and the entire Haute Horlogerie universe post-Quartz Crisis. Master watchmaker Kurt Klaus built a perpetual calendar mechanism on top of an automatic chronograph, which reignited interest in complicated horology and made people look at IWC differently. The innovative watch brought prestige to a brand mostly known for its more instrumental creations. Plenty of perpetual calendar watches are in the IWC collection, but you will not find a single Da Vinci reference in the current lineup. Forty years after its conception, it's time for a remake of the IW3750.I wouldn't go so far as to accuse IWC of neglecting the D...
Building A Watch Brand Ep. 15: Reflecting On Two Years Of VPC
Time flies when you're having fun! It has been a full two years since I set off on an adventure to build my dream watch, the VPC Type 37HW. Fratello offered me the fantastic opportunity to chronicle and share the journey with you all. Today, after having fulfilled all preorders, I would like to finish the series with one final retrospective and some musings on my plans from here on.Sending the finished watches off to their new owners is a beautiful milestone that marks the end of the first stage of building my humble watch company. As such, it also forms a natural end to the Building A Watch Brand series here on Fratello. I will continue to share regular updates but no longer in my capacity ...
The Five Best Regulator Watches Currently Available
Regulator watches are not often the first, second, or third pick for a collection. The watches with a large central hand to indicate the minutes and smaller sub-dials to display the hours and seconds are an acquired taste. This non-coaxial configuration might seem odd initially, but quickly enough, you will get used to reading the time accurately. The separation of elements also makes for distinct dial layouts that can look brilliant. We have selected five examples of exciting regulator watches that perfectly show how versatile this style can be.Regulator watches are often associated with classical timepieces. Until recently, that would have made sense. In the last few years, though, we have...
Press Release Jaeger-LeCoultre Hybris Mechanica 11
Press Release: In 1907, Jaeger-LeCoultre laid the foundations of what was to prove a key element in the identity of its watches. That was the year when the association between Paris-based businessman Edmond Jaeger and Swiss watchmaker Jacques-David LeCoultre gave birth to the world's thinnest pocket watch featuring a blend of aesthetic refinement and horological sophistication that only a Manufacture uniting the full range of skills under one roof could hope to achieve. Today, Jaeger-LeCoultre confirms its ability to anticipate the future of Fine Watchmaking by unveiling the Master Ultra Thin Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon watch, the eleventh creation in the Hybris Mechanica collection an...
SIHH 2017 Live Reporting
SIHH 2017 started and to be able to give you quick previews, we created our SIHH page, where you can have a look at the wristshots and other photos we take during this salon in Geneva.You can either click this page or refresh this particular post every now and then.(since the feed is grabbed from our Instagram account, you’ll also come across older posts! Sorry for the inconvenience)[wdi_feed id=”2″]...
20 Years of Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph Watches The 2017 Editions
One of my personal favorite wrist watches, ever, is the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. I have owned a couple of them and ended up with the reference 15202 ‘Jumbo’. One of the models I had and still love till this day, is their Royal Oak Chronograph. This year, Audemars Piguet is actually celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Royal Oak Chronograph.1997 – 2017 Audemars Piguet Royal Oak ChronographWhat started out as the 39mm Royal Oak Chronograph reference?25860, is today their reference?26331. In 2012, just a few years after the introduced reference 26300, Audemars Piguet did something drastically. They increased the case diameter up to 41mm and did some small changes to the d...
Cartier Santos A 40-Year Old Legend Returns To The Stage
We saw this one coming a long time ago, as we knew the Cartier Santos was a classic from 1978 and taken out of production recently. Our contributor George Cramer wrote about that here. The Santos collection goes back as far as 1904, but it was in 1978 that it was introduced as a stainless steel and gold (bi-color) model. With the beautiful screw-bracelet. A watch that was one of the most wanted watches in the 1980s if you were successful – regardless of which business that was – and wanted to show it off.A beautiful watch that was discontinued and I found to be a pity. However, the assumption was already that it would be brought back to life with an in-house movement. What better...