Watch brands are like car dealers nowadays. You sell a new car to a customer, you make money off servicing the car, and after a certain amount of time, you buy the car back. After hopefully selling another new automobile to the same person, you refurbish the old one and sell it for the second time. Replace the word car with watch, and you see what I mean. There are similarities, but there are also

It’s time for another Sunday Morning Showdown! It’s that day of the week when two of the Fratello writers go head to head in a heated battle defending watches they love. In this week’s showdown, Nacho and Jorg decided to set up a battle between two different Grand Seiko GMTs. Both represent the Japanese brand’s quest for watchmaking excellence at separate price points with

Boisterous watch fans, rejoice! These three new Hublot watches will scratch your itch for color instantly. And apart from the colors, the watches are out of the ordinary in every possible way. The Big Bang Unico Green Saxem, for instance, features a case made of a brightly colored, transparent, sapphire-like material. And the Classic Fusion Tourbillon Orlinski comes in two very vibrant shades of c

Zenith has been very consciously adding new models to its Chronomaster Sport lineup. Last year, the brand released the first two models with a stainless steel bezel, which looked very nice. Additionally, Zenith released the Aaron Rodgers limited edition. Besides having a green dial and bezel, it was also the first Chronomaster Sport with Arabic numerals for the hour markers. Zenith is following up

These are exciting times at Zenith. With former Zenith CEO Julien Tornare moving on to TAG Heuer and new CEO Beno?t de Clerck taking over, it will be interesting to see what is next for the brand. What Tornare and his creative team of Romain Marietta and Sebastien Gobert achieved was quite wonderful, meaning that the new CEO De Clerck has some pretty big shoes to fill. Though it was developed whil

After introducing the Carrera Glassbox models in 2023, TAG Heuer unveiled its latest addition to this collection during LVMH Watch Week in Miami. Meet the TAG Heuer Carrera Dato Chronograph with a teal dial. Based on the 1968 Heuer Carrera 45 Dato, this Carrera has a date window at 9 o'clock.In 2021, TAG Heuer reintroduced the Dato in collaboration with our friends at Hodinkee. But, of course, tha

Today, Hublot is releasing a fascinating timepiece, the likes of which most of us have probably never seen. According to CEO Ricardo Guadalupe, I gave our designers and watchmakers carte blanche, and this is the fruit of their labors. Well, they certainly didn't hold back! Let me introduce you to the Hublot MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System, the latest watch from the Manufacture Piece skunk wo

Welcome to this special episode of Fratello Talks for LVMH Watch Week 2024! You join Nacho, Timo, and RJ, who run through the list of releases from Bvlgari, TAG Heuer, Hublot, and Zenith. It may still be early in the year, but we’ve already seen a ton of new watches. These brands have also given us more than a handful of new releases to be excited about. Among the novelties, you’ll fin

IFL Watches is one of the remarkable success stories of the past few years within the world of watches. I vividly remember seeing the brand’s Tissot PRX Arctic Sky and Midnight Sky models for the first time. At the hands of IFLW’s artists, the PRX had transformed into something even more unique with beautiful handpainted dials. I even thought of buying one before a regular PRX. Ever si

One of the many things I love about a good watch is its permanence. A properly built watch, well maintained, will not expire. This has been the case for decades now, but it is particularly evident these days through its contrast with our quick-consumption habits. However, although watches have long been made to last, some things have changed. Today, I examine a basic question: what has improved an

Over the past few years, I’ve gone on a journey of discovery with straps from Artem. With its name coming from the Latin phrase ars est celare artem (loosely translated, “true art conceals the means by which it is achieved”), the brand has steadily evolved and refined its products. From the initial black pin-buckle and two-piece sailcloth straps to Hybrid FKM and NATO options, Ar

Mike Horn is one of the greatest explorers of our time. Just going through a list of some of his biggest adventures gives you a pretty good idea of the seemingly limitless world that Horn lives in. His accomplishments are impressive if not stunning. During the last two decades, Panerai has been Horn’s steady partner. They’ve teamed up to raise environmental awareness, and the South Afr

Here at Fratello, we’re fans of microbrand watches. There’s something about these watches, often from younger, smaller brands, that the heritage brands can’t offer. We write about many of them. Thomas even started a microbrand of his own, and even RJ occasionally admits to appreciating them from time to time. But what makes these microbrand watches so different from those offered

Urwerk is confused. The brand doesn't know if its new watch has a green or gray face, and a compromise entered the name. The Urwerk UR-100V Hunter Green is sober green with hints of cool gray. Hunter green - Hex code #2c5f34 - is a lush, cool-toned green color between blue and green. If you want to mix the color yourself, you'll need 17.3% red, 37.3% green, and 20.4% blue. Once you've done so, the

Working at Fratello has its perks. One of them is that, on rare occasions, we get access to our absolute grail watches. I had such an experience just a few months ago when I spent time with a Submariner ref. 5508. Today, I get yet another such opportunity. It’s my pleasure to go hands-on with the A. Lange & Sohne 1815 Chronograph ref. 414.028.If you are looking for a highly critical rev

Some pre-Basel 2009 news from our friends in Bienne, Switzerland. Every 5 years, Omega introduces a tribute Limited Edition Speedmaster Professional for the original ‘Moonwatch’ that landed on the Moon 21 July 1969, on the wrist of Buzz Aldrin.This coming July 21st, it will be 40 years ago that Aldrin had his caliber 321 Speedmaster Professional strapped on his space suit and Armstrong

Already mentioned a few posts earlier (about the SIHH), the IWC Portofino Hand-Wound Eight Days timepiece with hand made Santoni strap is something to look forward too. Although I am a bit skeptic about the quality / durability of their in-house movements, IWC knows how to design a watch. It seems that almost every model in their catalog is very likable, also by non-watch aficionados. Now, if they

This watch was already shown as a pre-SIHH 2015 release a while back, but nothing beats to see a watch in the flesh. I suspect that this watch was chosen to be a shown to the public as a pre-SIHH release for a few reasons, one of them is that it is commemorating the 185th anniversary of the Baume & Mercier manufacture in 2015 and that it is a limited piece. So orders could be given in time. An

I am a huge fan of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Extra-Thin, or as it was called before 2012, the ‘Jumbo’. It was actually one of the watches that sparked my interest in mechanical watches in the mid 1990s. Today, I talk you through the new reference 15202BA.OO.1240BA.01, the yellow gold Royal Oak Extra-Thin in yellow gold to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the first model in this

You might remember the Bukowskis watch auction from October last year, where two Speedmaster CK2915 watches were auctioned. One of them fetched the world record price for the Speedmaster,?$275,508 US dollars. This Speedmaster CK2915-1 from June 1958, was actually a very early model and had the correct?7077/6 bracelet as well. Last year marked the 60th anniversary of the Speedmaster, which Omega ce