I will save my sentiments about Vacheron Constantin this year compared to last year to our daily recap later on today. Now it is time to talk about a watch that isn’t perhaps the most accessible (read: affordable) watch in the world at 95.000 Euro, but it did make my horological heart tick faster. I am talking about the new full gold Vacheron Constantin?Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin

The 2019 SIHH Montblanc Heritage novelties probably have the widest selection of timepieces in the brands current lineup. 6 models from an elegant 3-hand version to a sophisticated limited edition pulsograph. It is a very thought-out collection that offers a watch in every price segment. Let's look at the crown jewel of the line; the Montblanc Heritage Pulsograph. A watch that is a limited edition

Here's our recap of the second day of the SIHH 2019. Yesterday you could read about our first-day experience at the SIHH, and now we are already half-way. And we've now seen and tried that much talked about Code 11:59 at Audemars Piguet in the flesh, had an interesting session at Cartier and looked at the new pieces at Montblanc. We also did the photo shoot at Vacheron Constantin and A. Lange &

Prepare yourself for a strap frenzy as six new references join the Zenith Defy Classic Midnight family. Still, in the name of personal expression, that’s no bad thing.To side-step what I’m sure could have been an eloquent, poetic opening gambit as to why we need to look at the night sky and consider all the magnitudinous questions of our existence, I will say this: Gradient dials are p

Allow me to celebrate my first year with Fratello by sharing the story behind my completion of the late fifties Venus Big Date movement family.It's no coincidence that I chose and planned this article for today. At this time last year (January 10th?to be precise), I wrote my first ever article for Fratello Magazine. As a vintage watch nerd, my first piece happened to be #TBT article. To mark the o

There is much truth in the notion that minimalism never goes out of style. Throughout the years, when we look at watches, only a handful of styles have withstood the test of time. Many of them have timeless minimalism in common. The latest H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Centre Seconds, characterized by its classic-yet-modern silhouette, is one of them.H. Moser & Cie. has designed Endeavour Cent

Is it just me, or have the first couple of weeks just flown by in January? I mean, I still feel like it's 2020. I'm still writing 2020 and having to correct myself. It seems that some watch brands are not making this same mistake as me. They're moving full steam ahead, and we're already seeing some fantastic new models.Things are really hotting up this week. We've got a real heavy hitter from Mose

Every watch enthusiast can think of a great discontinued timepiece that should return to the spotlight. Not as a reissue, but as a worthy successor to the original. An original 2.0, if you will. That's what we talk about at the Fratello offices. And these talks inspired us to come up with a series about watches that the Fratello editors would like to see make a comeback. Some watches are iconic, s

There are times in a person's life when they depart the mundane. The stars align, the background noise of the day-to-day falls away, and one is left standing, full of life, defiant, in tune with oneself and the cosmos. These moments are when the poetry of existence reveals itself, and time and our place in it are not exempt. For such occasions, there is one watch I'd have on my wrist above any oth

Like many people, I got into watch collecting through microbrands. While not to everyone’s tastes, microbrands’ relative affordability allows you to try out watch-collecting concepts more affordably than some more prominent brands. Different people have different budgets to spend on watches. To some people, $500 is an impulse purchase; to others, it takes time to save up and justify su

I’ll be honest with you from the get-go: completely black watches aren’t my thing. But the story behind the new all-black Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Mechanical Chronograph completely changed my feelings towards it. As it turns out, the design of the SRQ045J1 is based on the looks of the black stopwatches that were being used during the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan. Seiko made t

Today, Fratello reader John Cote from the United States shares the story of his new favorite vacation watch, the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra. Though he often exclusively wears vintage chronographs, he needed something different for his travels in Greece. He needed a watch that could take a beating, wouldn’t make him a target for robbers, and that kept proper time. Without further ado…I

In 2018, Omega introduced the Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8 for the 50th anniversary of the mission where astronauts saw the other side of the Moon for the first time. Now it’s 2024, and that watch gets an update, kicking off what we expect to be a great year for Speedy lovers.The Apollo 8 crew (Anders, Lovell, and Borman) - Image: NASAIn December 1968, NASA astronauts Frank Bor

Today, Seiko is introducing a pair of new Presage Cocktail Time watches inspired by drinks from the famous Star Bar in Tokyo. As we’ll see, there’s a watch aimed at ladies and one targeted at gents as well. Both feature gradation dials that take their cues from drinks by master cocktail maker Hisashi Kishi and the Tokyo sunset.In September 2022, Seiko announced its first collaboration

Here in the Netherlands, we had a fun, long-running TV show called Te land, ter zee, en in de lucht (On land, at sea and in the air). In it, people tried to get as far as they could on land, in the water, or through the air in their homemade vehicles. Most participants crashed right when they hit the bottom of the ramp. Some made it a little further, and only a few made it to the bell to stop the

Welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air! This week, we talk about curating our watch collections. That’s a large topic with a lot of room for discussion. How have our interests changed over time, and where do we go to look for help? Enjoy the casual discussion between two watch addicts who own and admire a wide variety of pieces.

Not too long ago, Jorg shocked me when he advocated brown-dial watches. He even wrote that the first step to popularize them would be to make brown the dial color of 2024. Now, I'm not saying that Jorg is a man of poor taste. On the contrary, he sure has a keen sense of style, and most of the time, we appreciate similar things, like watches. But when it comes to the color brown, he's on his own. I

Every journey has an end and inspires us to set out on a new adventure. Today, we celebrate #TBT, one of the longest-running columns in Fratello’s history. We are happy to announce that after 10 long years, our Thursday contemplation on vintage watches has gotten a refresh. Let’s kick off a new Retrospective series with a special barrel-shaped Gallet chronograph.Mike started #TBT back

Now, I must admit that trendiness does not appeal to me in watches. I like style over fashion, and something built to last, like a watch, suits that mindset. Still, watches aren't immune to the fashion cycle. The latest hot trend is undoubtedly the geezer watch. The hippest individuals in our industry no longer walk around with chunky sports watches. Instead, they now don jewelry-esque, small, vin

Welcome to this week’s episode of Fratello Talks. How much should you spend on your first watch? It’s a valid question we’ve all faced at some point. However, there are plenty of different ways to answer it. Today, Nacho, RJ, and Daan delve into the topic and discuss their approaches to budgeting for a first watch. It’s worth mentioning that we aren’t talking about a