Jacques Bianchi JB200 Dive Watch (2021) Available Now Under $600
You might not have heard of watchmaker Jacques Bianchi from Marseille before. Bianchi has a workshop that faces the Old Port (Vieux Port) in Marseille, France. It is in this workshop, where Bianchi worked on numerous watches. Including those of Cousteau, Mayol, and a bunch of COMEX divers. The JB200 we have for you here today on Fratello is not something new or invented. No, Bianchi has solid experience when it comes to creating watches that stretches back nearly 40 years.Back in 1982, Bianchi designed and produced the JB200 diver's watch. And that was no biggie for him either. Bianchi had proper experience with water-resistant watches, dealing with Sea-Dwellers, Submariners from COMEX diver...
??Hands-On With The Citizen Promaster Aqualand BJ2167-03E (2021)
Dive watches are incredibly popular with watch collectors and not just those collectors who are qualified to venture beneath the waves. There seems to be a particular love for dive watches from collectors who rarely even leave the confines of their desks. Hence the popular term “desk divers” became a part of everyday vocabulary in the watch-collecting community. Until recently, my own collection was dominated by dive watches. While I am a qualified diver, I’ve not been in quite some time, so the desk diver tag is probably more appropriate at this point in time. So, why then do collectors continue to adore dive watches when they will likely never be able to push their watche...
H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Chrono UNDEFEATED
Do you remember the famous Patek Philippe ads with the perfectly clean-cut family? These model citizens are far removed from the daily image of watch enthusiasts. Don’t get me wrong, those people are probably out there, but the time that most watch enthusiasts look like that is far behind us. Over time, the world of watches has found an appeal with a far wider audience than the traditional “posh” crowd. Additionally, we have seen watch manufacturers collaborate with brands that are part of street and youth culture. The latest proof comes in the form of the H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Chronograph UNDEFEATED. It’s the first collaboration Streamliner model, and it is...
Welsbro Watches A Tour Of The Best Foods Around Staten Island
Welcome to the first episode of Fratello Food Frenzy! Today, we’ll be exploring the culinary hotspots of Staten Island, New York! Who could say no to the best cold cut, Italian ice, and pizza in town? Get ready for a very colorful and flavorful ride! Oh yes, and the tour will definitely include some sizzling hot Welsbro watches too! But before we kick off our tour, it’s time for a little introduction.Today’s tour is courtesy of husband-and-wife team Rich and Katie. In 2021, they relaunched Welsbro as a brand. From the 1930s to the 1970s, Welsbro was a watch brand under the wings of the Weissman Watch Company. The company used to get its parts from Switzerland and assemble t...
Doxa SUB 300 Vs. Autodromo Group B Summer Splash Round 1
All right, here we go. Grab your sunglasses, get yourself an ice-cold drink, and get ready for round one of this year’s Fratello Summer Splash! The rules are simple: pick your favorite brightly colored watch and let it go head-to-head with your opponent’s summer watch of choice. Today, Thor and Daan will bite the bullet first, and at the end, you’ll decide who takes the win! Will it be Thor’s very own Doxa SUB 300 Divingstar that prevails, or will Daan claim the victory with the Autodromo Group B Aqua? Let’s find out!This year, the only physical requirement for a watch to participate in the competition is that it has to be colorful. That means no black, white, o...
Hands-On: Furlan Marri Stuns Us With The Mechanical 2116-A
Yes, I was a fan from day one, and Furlan Marri did the unlikely thing of turning my skepticism towards quartz to love. But, to be fair, the designers wouldn't have managed this without their obsessive eye for detail. Andrea and Hamad created a chronograph that became The Microbrand Hypebeast and deservedly so. They went from fully funded within minutes to quadrupling, even octupling (is that even a term?) their target. Any pop star knows the importance of his or her second album, so will Furlan Marri’s hits keep coming? We go hands-on and beyond the hype with the new 2116-A to find out.Furlan Marri could have been a one-hit-wonder. But the fans have not strayed, and each additional re...
Reintroducing: Fratello Nivada Grenchen Racing Chronograph
Hold onto your seats, patient Fratelli, because we’ve got some electrifying news for you! Get ready for the imminent return of the Fratello Nivada Grenchen Racing Chronograph, a collaboration that has us buzzing with excitement! We’re thrilled to unveil this masterpiece for general release. This watch combines the best of two vintage models from Nivada’s extensive catalog, resulting in a modern twist on classic designs.Previously, we released an exclusive pre-order of 50 pieces earlier this year, with 10 of each dial variation. These sold out in a flash, but guess what? We’ve got great news for you! We have an additional 200 pieces (40 of each dial variation) ready to...
#TBT The Derby Swissonic Jump-Minute Watch
The construction of the Derby Swissonic is different than anything you have seen so far. It reminds you of an old bedside flip clock, doesn’t it? In reality, it is an ingenious plastic speedometer “drum-machine” powered by a 7-jewel transistorized electromagnetic module.7:55 on the Yema DigitalFrom jumping hours to jumping minutesThe Derby Swissonic might bring back fond memories of typical ’70s jump-hour wonder watches. They are available in tons of (mostly bulky) case designs. You can easily recognize them by two or three digital concentric discs showing hours, minutes, and seconds. As the Yema Digital video here shows, the minutes are usually constantly running, an...
Hands-On With The Elka Watch Co. Diversity Series
It’s not often that you see the same watch available with a choice of four different scripts on the dial. The Elka Watch Co. Diversity Series might be a first for me. It was created to celebrate diversity and the friendship between two watch aficionados. However, it also shows us how different a watch can look depending on the script that is being used. Let’s take a closer look at the Ace Jewelers Elka Watch Co. Diversity Series.The Elka name originally belonged to the Dutch Kiek family. In 1913, they started the Elka watch brand and based the name on the founder’s full name and city - Eduard Louis Kiek Amsterdam. The family ran a few boutiques in Amsterdam where, among bra...
Why Budget Mechanical Watches Don't Make Sense
At first, sub-$1,000 and even sub-$500 mechanical watches seem like a very nice idea. They can be especially attractive to someone who likes mechanical watches but doesn’t have the budget to spend on a more expensive one. It makes the experience of having a mechanical watch more accessible. But does it really? Because when you think about it, these budget mechanical watches might not live as long as their more expensive counterparts.Don’t get me wrong; I’m all for making things more affordable, and I also like looking at mechanical watches below $1,000. I even started with a Seiko SKX007, quite possibly the most popular mechanical diver’s watch under $500. But a big p...
RJ's GADA Watch: Omega Speedmaster Calibre 321
Sometimes I am jealous of people who have just one watch. However, that almost seems like something from the distant past since it's so common to have more than one watch these days. Even if you're not a watch collector or enthusiast, you probably have a watch that is dear to you because you received it from someone special or a watch that you bought because of its design. And alongside that one, you’ll likely also have, for example, a smartwatch that you use for workouts or other things.There are not many one-watch people anymoreA friend of mine was a typical one-watch guy. He bought himself a Explorer II in the early 2000s, and that was it. And he wore it every single day until he g...
Fratello Talks: Quartz Watches
Welcome to this week’s episode of Fratello Talks, where we dive head-first into quartz watches. Lex, Thomas, and Nacho gather in the podcast studio to discuss their love for battery-powered timepieces. There’s a lot to like about them. They’re reliable, accurate, and typically more affordable than their mechanical counterparts. And though quartz watches sometimes can get a bad rap, there are plenty of impressive electronic timekeepers out there worth admiring. While the immediate association of quartz movements with cheaply produced, disposable watches certainly exists for a reason, there are also plenty of high-end options....
Hands-On: The New MoonSwatch Mission On Earth Models
What a surprise! After the two Mission to Moonphase Snoopy releases earlier this year, I did not expect to see an additional set of MoonSwatch models. Only the teasers on Swatch's Instagram account a few days before June 11th gave away the idea that we could expect something new.The MoonSwatch successThe first 11 MoonSwatch models were introduced two years ago, just a few days before Watches and Wonders 2022. Honestly, they stole the show even though they were not part of the Geneva exhibition. The queues were insane, bringing a whole new crowd to the world of watches. The MoonSwatch was the talk of the town, and the crazy demand and long lines got coverage on the 8 o'clock news. It was a br...
Black Is The New Black! Five Stealthy Watches For 2024
White-out designs and stealthy black go in and out of fashion, but seeing a resurgence of stealthy cool this year underlines that black is black. And sometimes that is just right.Whether you want literal stealth wealth to go with your fave black suit or are employed as a secret operative, that's your business. But for whatever reason, there is something about a lack of color that brings out the best in a good watch design.Blancpain Swatch Scuba Fifty Fathoms Ocean of StormsWithout eliciting quite the hype generated by the MoonSwatches (thankfully), the Bioceramic collab has taken a mechanical turn. Powered by the automatic Swatch System 51 caliber, Blancpain dropped a plastic (sorry, Biocera...
Hands-On: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 Date & GMT
As Mike Stockton recently announced on Fratello, TAG Heuer has updated its large Aquaracer. The 43mm model got a 1mm downsize, new caliber, and new dial, among other changes. Mike did a great job describing all the changes but did not have the chance to try the new watches on. Since then, I have, so let's explore how these changes impact the subjective experience of handling and wearing these TAG Heuer Aquaracer Date and GMT models.Let me refrain from rehashing all the specs here. Instead, let me refer to Mike's introduction article from last week. This will be a part 2 of sorts, expanding on his foundation.Downsizing the AquaracerLet me start with the new dimensions. The case shrunk by 1mm ...
Gronefeld Parallax Tourbillon Hands-On review
Gronefeld Parallax TourbillonShortly before Baselworld we were invited to an exclusive sneak preview of the new Gronefeld watches. During a dinner meeting with some (blogger) friends, Bart & Tim Gronefeld would present?their new collection. We (sadly) missed out on this opportunity because we were on a business trip to Germany. Shortly before Baselworld we published an article about the new Gronefeld Parallax Tourbillon with some stock photos and all technical information. Now it's time for the?live photos.So one week later we visited our friends at Gronefeld in their' booth (shared with Stepan Sarpaneva, Kari Voutilainen and Loupe System) in Baselworld to see the new Gronefeld Parallax ...
"Authentic" NASA velcro strap
If you start to explore the world of Speedmasters and Omega in general one name you will come across is the late and great Chuck Maddox. Many things we know today are results of his thorough research, which is still a reference point for a lot of topics. Let that be a Speedy Pro, a vintage Heuer or vintage chronograph in general; he had his hands in everything. And boy was he ingenious. So ingenious that his works inspired a lot of people to start their own research, buy their first watch, or like the subject of this article, make their own authentic NASA Velcro strap.Haise’s flown strap at the Bonhams auctionAs Phil (or Kizzi known by members on watch forums and eBay) a veteran Speedy...
#TBT Zodiac Sea-Chron Chronograph
Sometimes, it just takes time and patience to find the watch you've had on a wanted listand that's exactly what I had to withstand when it came to locating the subject of this week's #TBT, the Zodiac Sea-Chron. Believe it or not, a Sea-Chron had been on my list for roughly a year before I landed the piece before you. It wasn't really that I had not seen any for sale, I was simply hunting bigger game and figured I'd be able to later grab a Zodiac on a whim. Silly me: this is 2016 and we're all aware of what has happened with vintage chronographs as far as pricing and availability, so I had to wait. As we get into the details behind this wonderful watch, I hope that you'll end up agreeing that...
A Visit To The Hanhart Manufacture A Photo Essay
We often receive an invitation to visit a manufacture in Switzerland and Glashutte (Germany), but once in a while we find ourselves somewhere else looking at watchmaking machines and equipment. This time, we visit the Hanhart manufacture in the Black Forrest (Germany).?Hanhart manufactureIn the Black Forrest lays Gutenbach. A small village in the south of Germany, with a population of about 1200 people. It is the home of Hanhart. You might have heard about Hanhart, with its rich history of?over a hundred years. From early pilot’s watches?to stopwatches used for?car racing, Hanhart?did many different things. I reviewed one of their signature models, the Pioneer Monoscope a while ago. We...
5 Mistakes I Made While Collecting Speedmaster Watches
I've been collecting Speedmaster watches for over 20 years. The first one I bought was in 1999, a Speedmaster Professional 145.012-67. Things were very different back then. There were far fewer resources available. Doing your homework was hard. It took a lot more legwork than it does today. When I started out, I used the TimeZone Omega forums and was in touch with fellow enthusiasts like Chuck Maddox and Bill Sohne, for example.I hadn’t set out with the 145.012-67 in mind. Honestly, it could have been any Speedmaster Professional. This was just one of the most affordable models around. It was even cheaper than a young pre-owned model with caliber 1861 or 861. In 1999, nobody ever heard...