Watchmaking is a field steeped in tradition. Big brands pride themselves on boasting centuries of heritage. At the same time, the mechanical watch is, largely, declared technically obsolete in 2024. So it seems only natural that watch brands look to the past for design inspiration. Almost every major brand now has one or several reissue model lines. Many even offer exclusively vintage-inspired wat

Welcome to our latest episode of Fratello Talks. This week, Nacho is joined by RJ and Daan, and the three delve into the divisive topic of two-tone watches. This includes any watch with a case and bracelet made of more than one metal with a distinct color difference. Though typically a combination of steel and gold, two-tone watches can also feature several other materials. This creates a rather d

Andrew Babanin wrote a great essay on the caliber 3135 at TimeZone. He starts his review with the following short, simple but yet so caracteristic introduction,” is a manufacture with old traditions and one hundred years of history. is always considered a luxury watch, giving assurance to its owner.I would like to review a quite common model Submariner (Ref. 16610). The case and the brac

Rafael Nadal, who won Roland Garros for the 7th time last Monday, reported his Richard Mille RM027 Tourbillon stolen from his hotel in Paris. This $374.000 USD tourbillon time piece was lend to him by sponsor Richard Mille. Unfortunately for Rafael Nadal (and Richard Mille), it wasn’t the first time that he lost one of his precious RM pieces. It happed before in 2010 with his $500K USD Richa

For just this once, we turn Speedy Tuesday into Seamaster Tuesday, to introduce you to the new Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Deep Black collection. However, before we take a thorough look at the new Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Deep Black, let’s give you some background on the Seamaster collection and the Planet Ocean in general.Seamaster HistoryYou probably know that Omega introduced the Sea

It is no secret that sports watches get a lot of love from us and most of you. However, there is little wrong with a good dress watch. The problem is that it is rather difficult to find one of those, without being it ‘your grandfathers’ watch. Once in a while, I come across a dress watch that appeals to me. In fact, I notice that my ‘hunger’ for a nice dress watch is gettin

Titanium. We're spoiled by the abundance of the stiff, strong, and lightweight metal today and tend to pay little regard to how difficult a material it is to process and shape. For watches, many now simply consider it as yet another traditional offering on the palette of watch materials, but this wasn't always the case. No, when I was growing up in the 80's, titanium was darn near like talking abo

The NBA has a new champion since Thursday night; the Toronto Raptors.?We do not talk about sport here at Fratello. We have our occasional articles from various car racing events or golf, for example.Perhaps a sportsman gets onto a list when we talk about famous watch wearers. Pretty much that's about it. However, we love sports, and I, for one, am a huge basketball fan. As such, I was following th

On May 1st, Christopher Ward introduced their C60 Trident Elite 1000 Limited Edition as well as the C60 Trident Pro 600, and the C60 Trident GMT 600 as part of their Trident 3 collection.This collection has been updated for the 10th anniversary of the Trident dive watch series. The Trident is a best-seller for the UK brand, and with these new models, Christopher Ward shows what they’re capab

Italian fashion brand Gucci celebrates its 100th year of existence in 2021. To celebrate the centenary, the brand has created a collection of high-end watches. Or rather, the brand announced over 30 high-end timepieces in four different collections. The most eye-catching for watch enthusiasts is, without a doubt, the Gucci 25H collection. For the collection, Gucci combines an in-house developed fa

The case and the bezel are the same. So is the dial style. The major difference in the new Superman Skin Diver is the treatment of the indexes. The lime green Super-LumiNova has been ditched in favor of beige and the polished silver marker borders are nowhere to be seen.I?was so intrigued by the re-edition of the 1963 OG, that I?instantly asked for a?hands-on review sample. I liked it so much, I e

They say the clothes maketh the man. Is it true, therefore, that the case maketh the watch? Watchmaking is many different things to many different people. Perhaps its angles of appreciation are so multitudinous because its disciplines are so many. Watchmaking is not one simple craft. Knotted up within the field of horology are many distinct areas of expertise. While movements (and their jewels, an

Titoni's most minimalist watch series, the Line 1919, presents the company's first-ever self-developed and manufactured movement. The name of this series pays homage to the founding year of the Swiss brand.The Line 1919 celebrates Titoni's long-standing promise to produce classical timepieces that remain true to the finest tradition of Swiss watchmaking. The first-ever self-developed and manufactu

When the Omega Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award 50th Anniversary debuted on October 5th, 2020, the Speedmaster enthusiasts went crazy. That included me, of course, as I am a fan of the Snoopy/Apollo 13 story. So, I decided that I needed to add one to my collection.The Snoopy 50th Anniversary, or “Snoopy 3”, is the fourth watch that commemorates the Apollo 13 mission of 1970 and the role

Lately, we have seen a number of watch brands embrace the classic steel-and-gold bicolor (or two-tone) look. Made popular in the ’80s, it's a trend that saw a decline over the course of the ’90s. The early 2000s and 2010s didn't treat two-tone watches much better, and the look came dangerously close to extinction. In recent times, however, we have seen a resurgence of steel-and-gold wa

I hear you! Summer isn't quite here yet. But having had a couple of weeks of warm, sunny days here in The Hague, it's already starting to feel like it is. And let's face it, June 21st is just around the corner. So, what better way to call in the summer than with a perfect pair of beach-ready, vintage-inspired, beautifully made skin divers? I certainly can't think of one, and it seems that the folk

I wasn't going to admit to remembering the less-than-fantastic Prince movie Purple Rain, but the hit single is ringing in my ears. For those of you still scared of flashy yellows, pinks, and reds, purple provides a luxurious tone. So read on, get dressed up, and add some shots to your Instagram with #PURPLE as the confident hashtag.While perhaps more suited to the dimmed lights of a secluded resta

Fratello On Air is here, and we're excited to discuss the recent Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute release and provide an interview with Fred Mandelbaum. Balazs and Mike are on the mics again talking travel. Tune in and listen to their latest experiences.

When I was asked to pick three pieces to start a watch collection for $10,000, I had to think about it for a long time. I came up with multiple answers and when asked to do the same with a budget of $5,000, it also took me quite a while. I am very much a believer in following the heart. So, if that means spending the majority on just one watch because you absolutely love it, I think you should do

One of last year’s most praised releases was the Longines Spirit Zulu Time. This series of charming GMTs got critical acclaim for combining great looks with a COSC-certified flyer GMT movement at a competitive price. It was a great addition to the Spirit line-up that celebrates the rich aviation history that Longines has. If there was one remark to be made about the watch, it was that its 42