Athletes have always been in the spotlight. Some have even turned into style icons. George Best (1946C2005) was probably the first football player to reach playboy status because of his swagger. Yes, the Northern Irish winger for Manchester United from 1963 to 1974 was a truly phenomenal player, but he was also known as a hard-partying, womanizing, and fashion-conscious jet-setter. You either want

The Strap Check series is a favorite of mine as I am an unrepentant strap-a-holic. If I look down at my wrist, chances are that the watch I'm wearing is on one of four or five straps that I like to swap around. It is by far the easiest way to renew a watch while keeping one’s collection small and focused (despite how much I struggle with the latter). Some straps, however, find their forever

To some of you, it may come as a surprise to hear that I first got my hands on the Seiko SPB143 only a couple of weeks ago. The watch has been out for a couple of years now and has quickly become a crowd favorite. It's readily available at most Seiko ADs and boutiques, and Seiko HQ was happy to send one over for me to check out and review. But there was a certain build-up of expectations that took

Last week, Fratello’s very own no.1 Barbie fan, Thor, created a list of watches with hot pink dials. Not salmon, but loud, in-your-face pink. His fun list was inspired by the worldwide release of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie. This week, we continue the topic of combining movies and watches. It’s been roughly a month since the fifth and last Indiana Jones movie, ‘The Dial Of

It is the start of the 1980s, and the executives of Swatch are deciding whether to launch their first watch in a square or round case. In a photo of Swatch's prototypes from 1981, we can make out a square option being considered. But in the end, they chose to focus on the more common round watch face designs. Swatch went on to have a massive influence on the history of Swiss watchmaking. But today

Dial colors are always contentious, trust me. While I certainly understand the versatility and legibility of a matte black dial with big lume plots, it also makes me feel a little depressed. But there is a perfect middle ground inhabited by chameleon-like darker colors, and the new Fears Brunswick Boutique Editions might hit the sweet spot better than most.Exclusive colors and boutique editions us

One of the most coveted Swatch models is the famous 1992 Grand Prix reference SCJ101. Unlike Nacho (who bought several of them), I have never found one in good condition and for a reasonable price. A NOS example will easily fetch $800 or more, which I find too much for a disposable watch. Because when it's broken, it's probably unrepairable. You can find examples for half of the mentioned amount,

Trilobe has unveiled the Reconciliation as its entry into the Only Watch 2023 line-up. Drawing inspiration from Kintsugi ( @ ), a Japanese art form that turns broken pottery into a fine object, this one-of-a-kind timepiece is set to take center stage at the tenth edition of the biannual charity event. There, it will be auctioned off to support research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a severe

It seems that the genre of elegant, everyday sports watch will never cease to be popular. This type of timekeeping device could best be described as the perfect candidate for a “one-watch collection.” For some enthusiasts and collectors, it's the one they can reach for every morning regardless of what's on the schedule. A day at the office? No problem. A family hike on the weekend? You

It’s finally getting warmer here in the Netherlands, and many people are already enjoying their summer vacations. That means it’s time to dig up those funky, colorful dive watches and wear the hell out of them while diving, swimming, hiking, or relaxing next to your tent. We’ll do the same today during another Sunday Morning Showdown. This time, it’ll be a heated battle bet

We all know that Omega was chosen to be the supplier of the watch for NASA astronauts, this watch, is the famous Speedmaster Professional. Until now, every once in a while Omega introduces some sort of tribute to the Moonwatch. Most of them are standard Speedmaster Professional models with inscriptions on the caseback or on the side of the case. Like this one here.Omega also presented a case full

Knight Industries Two Thousand, or K.I.T.T, the car driven by Michael Knight in the 1980s hit TV-series ‘Knight Rider’. Michael Knight communicated with his fabulous car (based on a Pontiac Trans Am) via his wrist watch.A??guy over at the Dutch ‘DeZinVanLuxe‘ watch forum, asked for a replica of this K.I.T.T. wrist watch. It seems to be a Nelsonic or Advance Digital Radio Wa

I am a huge fan of watch winders. The practical ones that is, the ones that don’t take up too much space and do the job right. Now, I have written on winders before (a 2009 watch winder review and one in 2005) and always wrote that you should be on the look-out for a programmed or programmable winder. This means that the winder will work a few programs in such a way that your watch gets enou

Buyer’s Advice: A vintage Speedmaster Mark IITo everybody who likes watches, this might sound familiar: when it comes to purchasing a new watch your friends, family members or colleagues might seek out advice from you. Not too long ago a friend of mine asked me which vintage Omega he should buy. His criteria were: it should be reliable, shouldn’t break the bank, can be used as a tool,

There's no doubt that Frankfurt is becoming a watch shopper's paradise. Aside from several prominent multi-brand retailers, the city now features boutiques from Omega, Jaeger Le-Coultre, Patek Philippe (as part of Bucherer), Hublot, TAG Heuer, Sinn and, the latest, Seiko. The Japanese mega brand is the focus of our story today as a new boutique has recently opened in mainland Europe's financial ce

Grand Seiko SBGM021The Grand Seiko SBGM021 is not a new model. Actually, it has been in the collection for a couple of years already. However, I had a closer look at it while I was in Japan and have admired it ever since. In fact, my interest was sparked even more when I saw it on the wrist of – friend of the show – Jason Heaton. Even though it does not have the sharp and long lugs and

Without creating any noise about it, Seiko sneaked in a new version of the Marinemaster: the Prospex Marinemaster 300 SLA021J1.The Marinemaster 300 was my introduction to the more expensive Seiko diver’s watches. I had a Sumo at the time, which I loved, but then I got to meet the Marinemaster 300 with reference SBDX001. It was a real eye-opener to see what Seiko was able to do for the $2000

Some years, certain brands can do no wrong. And that isn’t to say that I personally adore every single release Seiko has put out this year (I don’t), but I must commend the company for dropping so many stars in what has been a busy year for the brand already. And I find myself thanking the heavens that Seiko was able to step up to the plate during such uncertain times. How awful would

The Captain Cook collection has been a tremendous success and is, quite simply, responsible for putting Rado back on the map for many enthusiasts. And I’m including myself in that category. So let’s take a closer look at the new green version of this 1962 classic to see if we can figure out why.Back in 2017, Rado surprised me - and probably all of us - by reintroducing the Captain Cook

If you don't have thirteen grand to spend on the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Barakuda, I might just happen to have a solution to your problem. Do you find yourself in this predicament? Then go on the hunt for a vintage Lanco Barracuda! I wouldn't recommend actually diving with it, but it can certainly save you about eleven or twelve thousand to spend elsewhere - On other watches of course.At the end o