Breitling Unveils The Aerospace EVO Red Arrows
Breitling announces a new variation on its longstanding Aerospace EVO model. Following last year’s Chronomat B01 model, this new Aerospace EVO has the famous Red Arrows “diamond nine” insignia at the 3 o’clock position. The BAE Systems Hawk T1 fast jets of the Royal Air Force aerobatic squadron typically fly in this formation at the beginning and end of its display. While the dial represents nine jets, a tenth jet usually hangs back to observe the precision of the pilots for continuous improvements. The Aerospace EVO that forms the watch’s base has been unchanged since its introduction in 2013. Nevertheless, it is an incredibly solid base to represent the world-...
[Video] Fratello's Speedy Tuesday Event in Milan (2022)
Last Tuesday, we went to Milan to celebrate Speedy Tuesday with approximately 60 Speedmaster enthusiasts and collectors. The Speedy Tuesday Event took place in the Carlo al Naviglio restaurant, operated by Italian chef Carlo Cracco. All of the guests arrived at around 3:00 PM at this beautiful location, and in the great (Italian) weather, we started off with a drink.Among the guests, we had seasoned collectors like Andrea Foffi and Auro Montanari (aka John Goldberger). But there were also a lot of enthusiasts who just started collecting Speedmasters recently. One of the attendees even traveled all the way from Canada, as you will see in the video. As we (Fratello) were present with quite a t...
The MoonSwatch Summer Tour Is Coming To A City Near You!
Picture this: a dewy early-summer morning in Biel, Switzerland. The impressive glass gates of the Swatch headquarters open, and a set of headlights approaches from the darkness inside. That set of headlights is followed by ten more. As they emerge one by one, you see eleven cars, painted in the colors of each of the eleven MoonSwatches, with blue suitcases on the luggage rack branded with the Omega Swatch logo. As they hit the road, each rolling planet heads in a different direction, each bound for its own European destination. The Omega Swatch MoonSwatch European tour is officially underway, and it’s coming to a town near you.We all know the feeling - summer is here, and all you want ...
The Cartier Cheich: One Of Only Three Made Goes Up For Auction
You know the Paris-Dakar Rally, of course. It's the grueling motorsport event that began in 1979 as a 6,200-mile race from France to Senegal via the Sahara desert. But did you know that long ago, Cartier was involved? There was something known as the Cartier Challenge. The collaboration between the rally-raid organizer and the famous luxury brand led to the creation of the Cartier Cheich. It's probably the most unexpected watch that the brand ever created. Only three Cartier Cheich watches ever saw the light of day, and one comes up for auction very soon. The extraordinary and extremely rare gold Cheich - named after and molded into the shape of a Bedouin head dress - could very well set a n...
Balazs And Mike Talk Oris Fratello On Air
Fratello On Air comes back with another brand-focused episode, and this time, it’s Oris! The independent watch company from Holstein is in play, and as always, we’ve picked some unique models. Settle in and enjoy!...
Jorg's Everyday Carry Essentials: Olympus, Omega, Pentel, & More
It's time for another installment of Fratello EDC, where we're sharing our editorial team's everyday carry essentials. This time, the Fratello editor to share the contents of his bag and pockets is the next-door neighbor. Does Jorg pack a lot of stuff, knowing that he practically lives next to the Fratello offices?Nacho: “Jorg, you’re up next in our series of EDC articles.” Me: “My what…?? I’m not in the military, Nacho!” I’m joking of course. But everyday carry, or “EDC”, is a term I never used before we started talking about this series of articles. I would define the contents of my bag as a collection of random things. There are ...
The Magically Simple ArtyA Depth Gauge Dive Watch
This new ArtyA dive watch uses a colorful dial combined with a phenomenon known as selective absorption to tell you how deep under the water’s surface you are. It’s shocking that no one has done this before. Forget any special technology or last-minute, super-secret innovation. It’s just good old physics and natural laws. Well, and the never-sleeping creative genius Yvan Arpa. Meet the ArtyA Depth Gauge.When I worked in advertising, brainstorming ideas for TV commercials was part of my daily responsibilities. It was fun. In the early days of my copywriting career, one brief came in. My creative partner and I worked on it for a few days, but we still couldn’t come up w...
Introducing: Fratello Aquastar Deepstar II Pink Salmon LE
Just in time for your summer holidays, we’re excited to announce the Fratello Aquastar Deepstar II Pink Salmon Limited Edition. Our second collaboration with Aquastar will be available in the Fratello Shop for pre-order from July 19th at 16:00 CEST until July 26th at 16:00 CEST. We’ve paired another beautiful and unusual colored dial with this fantastic design, and we’re confident that you’ll love wearing it!I’m thrilled to announce that, once again, we’ve teamed up with Aquastar to create a jaw-droppingly gorgeous watch. The Fratello Aquastar Deepstar II Pink Salmon Limited Edition is a watch that will appeal to a wide audience. As you’ll see in vid...
Hands On: Christopher Ward C65 Dune Automatic And GMT
I must admit that I missed the introduction of Christopher Ward’s Dune collection. It wasn’t until I read Vincent’s article about it here on Fratello that I got a glimpse of what is essentially my favorite Christopher Ward line. Vincent had a chance to check out the black-dial Automatic and GMT and a bronze COSC version of the Automatic. But there was more to the story. The standout piece of the Dune collection that truly celebrates the sandy colors is the C65 Automatic with a beige dial. As it turns out, it is a stellar and affordable daily wearer. Oh, and I got a taste of the Dune GMT too - a taste that I can’t enough of.This story simply started with a color scheme...
Introducing: Longines Flagship Heritage Moonphase
The new Longines Flagship Heritage Moonphase ($3,300) confidently sways into the room and immediately has all eyes glued to it. With its svelte, silvery dial adorned with subtle minute markers in between sharp, applied indices, a traditional moonphase display, and elegant, crisp lugs, it is quite a head-turner indeed. First impressions never lie, they say. Still, once you see the watch up close, you will find out that the classic face of the watch is paired with an athletic “body”.The face of the new Longines Flagship Heritage Moonphase is one of timeless beauty. Just look at the shimmering silver-white dial, the large dauphine hands that are silvered, polished, and filled with S...
Hands-On With The Redesigned Casio G-Shock Mudman
The G-Shock Master of G collection is a favorite in the Fratello offices. Something about this series of ultra-functional G-Shocks makes it super impressive. These watches were created to withstand the most extreme conditions on land, in the air, or at sea while offering you an impressive set of functions. The G-Shock Mudman is part of the “On The Land” series that also features the Rangeman. But for the latest G-Shock Mudman watches, the designers went back to the drawing board and came up with something entirely new. We had a chance to check out the modern Mudman range, and it feels as competent as ever.Straight out of the box, the new Mudman watches look completely different f...
Fratello's Top 5 GMT Watches Of The First Half Of 2024
Another Friday, another Top 5! This week, we return to highlighting some of the best watches of the first half of 2024. After already having discussed recently released dive watches, it’s now time to look at GMTs. With most people getting ready to travel for the summer holidays, this is a timely topic. We have seen quite a few additions to the realm of GMT watches lately, especially at more affordable price points. So let’s check out our five favorites of the first half of 2024.As always, a list of five watches is short. But I can say that we are fans of all five watches on this list. The remarkable thing is that the rise of affordable GMTs that started roughly two years ago has ...
The Best Summer Watches At Three Price Points: Thomas's Picks
It is that time of year again, though you would be hard-pressed to notice when looking out the window here in the Netherlands! In any case, summer is upon us, which means we are back with a new theme for our Fratello Favorites series. I get the honor of kicking off this round by sharing my favorite summer watches.We have been handed one rule in picking our summer favorites. We have to pick one watch under $1,000, one under $10,000, and one with an unlimited budget. I’ll also take the liberty of adding a few bonus picks to fill out the gaps in these budget caps for good measure.My take on great summer watchesFratello Favorites articles are, by definition, subjective. Here, however, the ...
New: Airain Seconde/Seconde/ Type 20 "Up In The Air"
I dare say there wasn’t a single French Air Force pilot in the 1950s who could’ve foreseen a blue sky with pixelated white clouds in the sub-dials of his Type 20. Airain's Tom van Wijlick, however, dared to do something different with one of the most iconic pilot's watches of all time by contacting Romaric Andre, the visionary behind seconde/seconde/, for a collaboration. The result is the Airain seconde/seconde/ Type 20 Up in the Air. This twin-register chronograph is a reimagined tool watch with a whimsical style that embodies the spirit of aviation and French heritage.In the 1950s, Airain was one of the original manufacturers of the Type 20 pilot's watch alongside Breguet, Dod...
Catching up
After exactly one month of silence, I am back ?? Holiday, and especially moving, took (and takes) more time than I expected. My cableprovider still has problems to connect me to the internet in my new home, but luckily I have some unsecured wifi networks in the area.I don’t know if you watched Wimbledon 2007, but I was surprised that Roger Federer was wearing a Daytona when he received his Wimbledon-cup. Ofcourse, the Maurice LaCroix sponsorship is over since 2006, but the love was purely a contract it seems ?? By the way, he signed his sponsorship contract with Maurice LaCroix in 2004 for 5 years.. so it ended prematurely for whatever reason.Then, on the 6th of July, a number of watc...
Not for me unfortunately
The Atmos clock by Jaeger LeCoultre always has intrigued me. I really love the later models with a moonphase and in rhodium plated steel.These clocks do not need a power plug or a winding key. Atmos clocks get their energy from temperature changes in the environment. The following explanation is grabbed from the Atmos wikipage, as I couldn’t say it better (in English at least):“Its power source is a hermetically sealed capsule containing a mixture of gas and liquid ethyl chloride, which expands into an expansion chamber as the temperature rises, compressing a spiral spring; with a fall in temperature the gas condenses and the spring slackens. This motion constantly winds the main...
Novak Djokovic Wins Wimbledon 2015, On His Wrist The Seiko Astron Djokovic Limited Edition
Yesterday, Novak Djokovic won Wimbledon with 7-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 against Roger Federer. During the match, the only referal to a watch brand were all the signs around the court and on screen. Everyone knows Federer is ambassador. But this time, the watch that came closest to the Wimbledon 2015 trophy?is the Seiko Astron Djokovic Limited Edition on the wrist of the winner.Djokovic, based on his game play and ranking, is the favorite player of many tennis fans out there. However, just everyone would allow Federer to win Wimbledon as he is a populair tennis player and highly likable. Federer would have the highest chance to win a Grand Slam on grass, but not if he is playing in the final agains...
Theo & Harris Vintage Mechanical Wristwatches, An Interview
Today, we take a look at an interesting online site specializing in sales of vintage watches. However, unlike a lot of sites, Theo & Harris focuses on the more accessible side of the market and as you'll see, is meant to appeal to both horophiles and those who are interested in the current trend of vintage items. Based out of NYC, Theo & Harris is led by the team of Christian Zeron and Caleb Anderson. While we are a clear cut group of watch nuts here at Fratello Watches, it is interesting to hear about another side of the market: those who are interested in watches, specifically vintage, from a trend perspective.? We hope you enjoy this interview that we conducted with the duo and ta...
#TBT The Vintage Seiko Sport Divers
If you backed me into a corner and asked me about the subset of watches I own that I enjoy most, you'd receive a surprising answer. You'd likely guess something related to vintage chronographs, Swiss or Japanese, or perhaps higher end vintage Seiko diving watches. While I enjoy either owning or handling those types of timepieces, you'd still end up being mistaken. Readers, my favorite collection of watches are the vintage Seiko Sport Divers.Vintage Seiko Sport DiversNow, you're likely sitting there thinking, what exactly is a vintage Seiko Sport Diver? Well, the definition can be left to some amount of interpretation, but I have a very clear idea about what the Sport Divers mean to me. Speci...
Oris Boutique In Amsterdam Photo Report Of The Official Opening
A new Oris boutique opened its doors in the heart of Amsterdam. The Holstein (Switzerland) based brand chose a historic building at Rokin 48 to be their flagship for The Netherlands.The 16th Oris BoutiqueOris, as well, was one of the brands which surprised us during last Baselworld with many interesting and attractive models. You’ll find reviews of these watches here and here. And at this point, we would like to mention Oris’ ongoing effort to help save the oceans as well. The last initiative in this field was with the Coral Restoration Foundation, from which you’ll find our report here. On to the opening. The evening started with welcome drink...