My friend’s grandpa used to say that an essential man’s collection requires three watches - a cheap quartz watch for chopping wood, a solid manual chronograph for everyday wear, and an elegant dress watch to take for dinner with your partner. Well, I have a tip for the last one - the Alpina Gruen Tecno.I would narrow in on the dress watch bit of grandpa’s advice. I would also add

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to this week's Sunday Morning Showdown. I think you all know the score by now, but in case you are a newcomer, I'll briefly explain. Sunday Morning Showdown is a series in which two editors pick two watches that share a broad similarity (whether in style, function, or aesthetics) and battle it out for the win. It's a horological rap battle, a timekeeping dance-off, a

Celebrating the 110th anniversary of its first wristwatch, the Laurel, Seiko has announced the launch of two pairs of limited-edition timepieces in the Presage Craftsmanship Series. Each features a dial made by a dedicated artisan or craft workshop through a traditional Japanese decorative technique - enamel, urushi lacquer, Arita porcelain, and shipp enamel. All four models boast a new case shap

Founded in 2007 and with the presentation of its first watch in 2009, Horage is not exactly new to the watch scene anymore. We’ve seen many brands (specifically those of the “micro” variety) enter the stage after that. Although not a big brand regarding production numbers, I wouldn’t describe Horage as a microbrand. There’s too much in-house development and production

Summer is just around the corner. That means that the season for brightly colored, water-resistant watches is here. And when it comes to colorful divers, no brand does them quite like Zodiac. Today, the brand introduces two new core colorways into its Super Sea Wolf Compression collection. Not that there weren’t already a handful of options to choose from, but with Zodiac’s ever-bold c

Yema is on a roll! The French brand has released a steady stream of new watches over the past few months. It’s only been five weeks or so since I had the chance to check out the brand-new Navygraf Marine Nationale GMT, and since then, we have also seen the debut of the all-new lineup of Urban Field watches. But the brand does not sit still when it comes to expanding its current collections e

We can’t complain about Seiko and global availability these days. Every so often, though, the company does release something for its home market that we’d love to see everywhere. Today’s new Credor Goldfeather is one such example, and it’s a lovely one.I was scrolling on Instagram the other morning and stumbled on Anthony Kable’s @plus9time feed (if you like Japanese

Say what you will, but the four new solar-powered Seiko Prospex Speedtimer 1/100 sec Solar Chronographs are no wallflowers. Controversial watches? That's probably too strong an expression, but they're definitely striking. The Seiko Prospex SPB317 is way more of a people pleaser. This particular Prospex turned out to be the most popular one of all the favorite sub-$1K timepieces that the Fratello t

Considering the pace at which Seiko and Grand Seiko churn out new watches, a year-end article with highlights simply wouldn’t be enough. No, we have to do some intermediate evaluations just to stay up to date. It’s only June 5th, but the following have struck us as the best new Seiko and Grand Seiko releases of 2023.Of course, the Seiko and Grand Seiko catalogs are full of great watche

At Fratello, we focus on watches, and 99.9% of the time, that means ones for the wrist. However, it’s interesting that the wristwatch is still in its relative infancy. It was the pocket watch that loomed large in prior centuries. Today, we’ll look at two gems from the twilight of the pocket watch era. These are Art Deco specimens from Longines and Tissot and are downright lovely.I can&

Atelier Holgur is a small Singapore-based brand with Nordic roots and a specific take on tough dive watches. Since the release of its debut model, the Fr?mand (meaning “frogman” in Danish), Atelier Holgur has tweaked its distinct design language. By introducing the Fr?mand Edition Fumee Silver Tide, the evolution is apparent.We love our tool watches at Fratello; there's no denying that

Formula 1’s rising star Charles Leclerc has proven himself a force to be reckoned with on the racetrack. But beyond the high-g world of Grand Prix, Leclerc harbors another passion - timepieces. This passion recently took a surprising turn with the announcement of his investment in Chrono24, the world’s leading online marketplace for luxury watches. As part of the same group as Chrono24

I?would rather not disclose the percentage of vintage Alpinas in my watch collection. Yet the recently released update of the Alpina Seastrong Diver 300 is the first modern Alpina I have the pleasure to review.Reaching new depths: the Alpina Seastrong Diver 300It was quite a big splash when Alpina threw in their re-designed diver into the crowded 2016 Basel pond. Less is more. Alpina took a step b

Referring back to a recent post here, one can appreciate a world-first gasket free case mechanism, developed by a young independent brand Mauron Musy, is no mean feat.What brought us here today, however, is a fascinating comment left under that post. An idea about combining such innovation with advancements in nanotechnology that may benefit our craft in some truly seismic ways.I love our readers'

Welcome to This Week in Watches for June 6, 2020 the surprising edition. There were some unexpected releases this week so let’s take a look!Frederique Constant Classic Worldtimer ManufactureIt’s always surprising to see a Frederique Constant in gold and I must say that this week’s Classic Worldtime Manufacture was a pleasant one. FC will make a maximum of 88 of these world timers

This topic perfectly follows up the previous one, which was all about the details. When talking about tourbillon watches, you’re generally referring to just one tiny detail. Albeit a very interesting one. While these watches are out of reach for many of us, they are popular regardless. The complication has the ability to reveal many beautiful details that watchmaking has to offer. So letR

On the first Tuesday of 2021, Omega unveiled a slew of new Speedmaster Moonwatch references. Among which were the surprising proprietary Sedna (rose) gold and Canopus (white) gold models. But to its core, Omega kept things straightforward with the stainless steel Moonwatch. In the steel guise were four references with either Hesalite or sapphire crystal on the front glass. Each choice of crystal a

As watch admirers and collectors, we can get pretty intense at times. We devote countless hours to researching and hunting watches. We pour irresponsible percentages of our hard-earned cash into these objects. And, at times, we can get a little hot-headed over it all. Today, I want to take a slightly psychological approach to watch collecting. Let's explore what kinds of explanations for our obses

I have one item that means more to me than any of my wrist-buddies, and that is my Bvlgari wedding ring in white gold. My Italian wife has a strong influence on me, and I was well aware of Bvlgari as a part of the Italian national identity. Then the Octo Finissimo hit the scene, and everything changed. But do you remember the original Bvlgari Aluminium, the Diagono?Let's be fair. When you consider

In commemoration of the Royal Oak's golden jubilee, Audemars Piguet presented a slew of 50th-anniversary novelties earlier this year. One of them was an updated version of the 34mm sell-out model in black ceramic that debuted only last year. As the fanfare ensues, the premier Swiss watchmaker reveals a new variant of this highly coveted timepiece. Audemars Piguet has created a one-of-a-kind irides