Now and then, you come across a watch that awakens the desire for a feature that is missing in your collection. That may be a particular design, a certain complication, or… or a dial color.Although a constant flow of watch news washes up Fratello’s shores, I, like you, can hardly get enough of that. When I’m passing shop windows of jewelers, I cannot resist checking what they cur

We receive quite a number of questions regarding the Speedmaster, and some of these messages are very similar. One of the recurring questions we receive about the Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch is in regards to its Moon heritage.One of the Fratello readers asked us the following question: Which modern Speedmaster is closest to the original Moonwatch?We do get this question quite often in

It’s been a little under a year since Dave wrote about the Bamford Revolution GMT Joe Cool Limited Edition. In the article, Dave made the great claim that we need more fun watches! I wholeheartedly agree with that statement. After all the exquisite horological madness and serious discussions about the latest introduction at Watches and Wonders, we can use a bit of fun. What better way than t

Five years ago, Etienne Malec and two other collectors (Paul Bienstman and Clement Daniel) came together to create Baltic watches. Since then, the brand's creations have captured the imagination of enthusiasts and seen an incredible rise in popularity. The latest MR-01 model made waves on social media. For a few weeks when it came out, the watch and its stunning micro-rotor movement absolutely dom

We receive quite a number of questions regarding the Speedmaster, and some of these messages are very similar. One of the recurring questions we receive about the Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch is in regards to its Moon heritage.One of the Fratello readers asked us the following question: Which modern Speedmaster is closest to the original Moonwatch?We do get this question quite often in

There is no question that Cartier is hot property at the moment. In the last two years especially, things have gotten rather crazy. And rightfully so! If you look at the sheer number of great Cartier releases, you can see why there are many fans of the brand. In all honesty, though, I wasn’t one until this year. Don’t get me wrong. I have great respect for Cartier, and I love what the

When joining Fratello at the beginning of this year, I knew I was entering a Speedmaster-enthusiast stronghold. Quickly after joining and trying on the 2021 Speedmaster Professional in the office, I was convinced and swapped my First Omega in Space for one. And now, only about a month later, I’m adding yet another Speedmaster to the collection. Not just any Speedmaster, though. It’s th

Japan is a place of great natural beauty. It is also a country with a fascinating culture, excellent cuisine, and a deep-rooted passion for watchmaking. Two of these elements come together within the walls of the Grand Seiko HQ in northern Japan. Excellence in watchmaking is the brand’s primary purpose. But showcasing an expression of the country's natural beauty through said watchmaking is

Do you ever think about oxygen? The chances are you don't really. I mean, under normal circumstances, you breathe the stuff subconsciously and automatically, and that's it. But when you're ascending the highest mountains on earth, oxygen is definitely on your mind. Or rather, the lack of it. The now-retired famous climber Reinhold Messner and the man who followed in his footsteps, Nimsdai Purja, m

How much further can watch prices rise before buyers walk away? This year's Watches and Wonders confirmed an ongoing development: watch brands are increasing their prices at an accelerating pace. On the one hand, it makes sense because sales in numbers seem unaffected, so the brands just take home a larger chunk of the market value of their watches. On the other hand, aficionados are turning away

Two weeks have passed since Watches and Wonders 2023. And now we enter the territory where only the most remarkable of watches remain top of mind. Of course, these will vary from person to person. But for me, it’s namely two novelties in the Tudor Black Bay line that occupy that spot. In a digital age when we’re all thrust into a fast-paced news cycle and serotonin-chasing scroll frenz

Sometimes when you're successful, you get a street or a park named after you. When a watch becomes a bestseller, it gets its very own collection. Well, that's what happened at Montblanc, anyway. In 2022, the brand introduced the Iced Sea dive watch in the 1858 collection. Now the coolest of divers stands on its own. And there are three new models in the collection. The most impressive is the Montb

Since its release, the F77 has become a polarizing model. Nivada fans love it, but others may not be enthusiastic due to its integrated-bracelet look. I won’t get into that debate. This new F77 is a mere re-edition of a vintage piece, and I find the watch a beautifully executed reinterpretation of the 1970s model. So far, though, the number of variants has been limited. That is now over. Niv

Watches and Wonders 2024 has been filled with new releases. Bvlgari is no stranger to the event and came with several offerings. This year, the brand focused on thin watches and set a record. Yes, the Octo Finissimo took a leading role, but other releases were worth covering.Bvlgari makes some seriously attractive watches, and while the Italian house tends to focus on more progressively styled pie

I don’t know exactly why, but Parmigiani Fleurier isn’t a brand we often discuss in the Fratello office. For some reason, the brand often passes just below our radar. Maybe it simply has something to do with the fact that its watches are out of budget for most of our team members. However, whenever we see one or write about a new release, the watches always impress us with their looks

In 2013, Oris released the Aquis Depth Gauge, which spawned a new collection of modern dive watches. This deep diver had a unique mechanical depth gauge, highlighting the brand’s ambition to create practical applications rather than superfluous complications. The Aquis was made a bona fide collection when the core design cues of the Depth Gauge were later separated into a bespoke dive range.

An all-black vintage chronograph with the design chops of Ferdinand Alexander Porsche makes for an intriguing vintage option. Today, we’re looking at the Valjoux 7750-powered Porsche Design Chronograph 1 by Orfina.I love blacked-out watches. There is something particularly cool about them. The IWC RAAF with its black ceramic case has been a personal favorite recently. Today, though, I’

Though it seems like an age has passed, Watches and Wonders 2025 closed its doors just less than a week ago. The intense week-long event sees media, retailers, and other interested entities tread thousands of steps onto Palexpo’s uncanny light brown carpet as they flock from appointment to appointment. This is where we first get to lay eyes and hands on the hundreds (if not thousands) of new

Jeremey O’Kelly emailed me the following link on the new Rado:Rado V10K at GizModoThe official Rado V10K page is here.

This week’s MotoringExposure article on watches is about Omega’s Speedmaster Missions case. There is one (#34) up for sale on eBay for $145,000.- USD and as this is a very rare occasion, I thought it might be well worth blogging about. Of the 50 cases produced in total (in three batches of 40 and another 5 in 1997 and yet another 5 in 1998), this Missions case belongs to the first batc