I thought I’d seen perfection. I thought I’d stared into the green face of God and known inner peace. Truthfully, when I “passed” on the opportunity to buy the Glashutte Original Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date with a green dial, I was convinced my best shot at happiness and fulfillment in life had passed. And yet, the oft-marginalized “other” brand in Glash

A couple of weeks ago, our very own Ben Hodges enjoyed an illuminating back-and-forth with one of his musical heroes. The gracious Misha Mansoor of the metal band Periphery took some time out of his day to chat about timepieces. Today, we revisit that interview with the audio supplied by Misha, interspersed with the fearsomely inane commentary of Ben and Rob.Okay, we’re not?that bad. In fact

I really don't want to, but Seiko doesn't leave me any choice. The Presage SPB217J1, SPB219J1, SPB221J1, and SPB223J1 we had at Fratello HQ beg to be compared to high-end Grand Seiko GMT's. Maybe it's like comparing a Toyota to a Lexus, but if that's the case GS has nothing to worry about. The first thing that came to mind while laying my eyes on these four new GMT watches was GS, that's what happ

The gold Omega Speedmaster Apollo XI BA145.022-69 that belonged to Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins fetched a record price at Heritage Auctions’ Fine Timepieces auction on June 1st. My first thought was that Omega must have acquired the watch for its museum, as I had guessed in my announcement article for this auction from May 10th (click here).In that article, you will find all the detai

Sorry for the [Re]master-piece pun. The Audemars Piguet [Re]master01, however, is just that, and rather it’s accessible compared to the R.O. When you can have this, why pay double retail for a plain Royal Oak? I'll throw some petrol on a fiercely burning fire by saying that I understand , Patek, and AP. I understand them not ramping up production of their steel sports watches. They could all

We're back with another episode of Fratello On Air. This time, Balazs and Mike discuss Longines. This is an episode where we cover some of our favorite models and play an interview that RJ had with Giuseppe Maccio, the head of product at Longines. Enjoy it!

Quartz movements are getting more respect from watch enthusiasts these days. In my opinion, that’s largely thanks to Grand Seiko’s beautiful 9F movements. It’s a brand like Grand Seiko with its prestigious high-end quartz calibers that is making this type of movement desirable again.Surely, brands like Breitling with its SuperQuartz, with its OysterQuartz, as well as super-high-

Those of you who follow me on Instagram (@ferenczibazs) or listen to the Fratello on Air podcast know that my Ming 17.09 journey is very well documented. I love the watch, especially since Mike showed me his collection. After riding the vintage wave for many years, I began to develop an itch for new watches. Ultimately, I boiled down my picks to two models, the Ming 17.09 being the second. If it w

Bad watches don't exist anymore. Any modern watch from a reputable maker will perform decently and survive everyday life. Does that mean that we can buy watches worry-free, or are there still things to avoid? In today's article, I want to explore some misconceptions about quality, and in the process, we may find ourselves being a little overcritical sometimes.We're not talking about quality in the

While I was off on holiday a week and a half ago, RJ and the editorial team decided to tackle the topic of “go anywhere, do anything” (GADA) watches. Now that I’m back from my “go anywhere, do anything” scenario, I feel I’m more than prepared to share with you both my definition of the term and my GADA watch itself. When it comes to the latter, let’s not b

Another day, another watch launch. With the sheer number of microbrands out there, there’s a new launch nearly every day. Indeed, it can be hard to keep up with everything. Not everyone has time for microbands, and I get that. Still, I got into this hobby via this affordable segment, and I still love seeing some of the great pieces that make their way out of the din and onto our wrists. Toda

Watch collecting is about fun, and for most people worldwide, spending nearly $1,000 on a watch is a luxury. We can get perfectly capable time-telling watches for $30, so we collect more expensive ones for other reasons. What about wearing something with a deeper meaning? Maen makes some great takes on vintage-inspired wristwear, while seconde/seconde/ straddles the line between art and design. Bu

Another Friday, another Top 5! This week, we will follow up on last week’s list of full-lume-dial watches with something new. First, thank you to all of you who added some great suggestions in the comments under last week’s list. There were quite a few great ones that could have easily been featured among ours. This week, we decided to look back at the first half of 2024. Instead of th

Fratello On Air is back after more than two weeks. We didn’t plan to be away, but illness and travel got in the way again. Today, we talk about some new releases after our normal banter about a variety of topics. We hope you enjoy the show and, yes, we’ll be back in a few short days per our normal schedule!

In this edition of Fratelli Stories, we learn more about Fratello reader Andre. He combines his passions for diving and underwater photography with his love of horology. This includes his fondness for his favorite diving companion, a Sea-Dweller.Underwater photography is a passion of mine as well. The underwater world is both enchanting and familiar to me, living so close to it as I do. For Andre

When King Seiko watches returned to the scene a few years ago, they did so with the instantly recognizable KSK case shape. Of course, we always knew more shapes would follow at some point, and here they are! I am a big fan of the 2022 release, and the SPB281 was my daily watch for a full year. To say, then, that I am excited to see the second shape is an understatement.Join me for a closer look at

About a year ago, I wrote that the Royal Oak Date ref.15300 could be more interesting than the famous Royal Oak ‘Jumbo’ Ref.15202 (click here for the article). Not long after that article, I decided to pull the trigger on Royal Oak Date. On the 24th of December 2009, I did a trade-up to the Jumbo because it crossed my path.Now, I just received a message from John over at WatchUseek wri

This June?edition of Watch Strap Review will add yet another country to the already long lists of international strap creators. The company I will talk about today has been in the leather business for quite some time now. Our very own Gerard, RJ and Bert paid a visit to them a few years ago in Paris. Our paths crossed earlier this year when Yann and me were involved in a correspondence regarding s

On April 18th 1891, a train crash in?Kipton, Ohio took the lives of 11 people?and was caused by railroad engineer’s watches not being in sync (4 minutes difference). This accident led to new strict standars for railroad watches in 1893. Where today’s trains are controlled by high-tech systems using GPS, in those days the network heavily relied on the railroad watches to safely operate

A recurring theme in our #TBT articles revolves around the aberrations from various watch companies. These are the one hit wonders, the exceptions and they're typically major breaks from a brand's ethos. Think of watches like the Nivada Datomaster, the Meylan chronograph and even the 1655 Explorer II and you'll be on my thought train. Today's excerpt continues the trend with a look at the origina