Introducing The Colorful Limited Edition Nezumi Baleine
Nezumi has quite a few impressive tricks up its sleeve. Only a few weeks ago, I reviewed the brand’s Adventure Trio. It’s a series of watches that will help you with whatever challenge you encounter during your travels. With a GMT, a diver, and a field watch, Nezumi has you covered in any situation. The Stockholm-based brand decided to give its Baleine dive watch a colorful makeover for its next release. This new 200-piece limited edition gives Nezumi’s serious diver a playful look that might make it the perfect summer watch. It’s time to find out more!Thinking back on that Nezumi Adventure Trio, initially, the idea of purchasing three aesthetically linked watches to ...
MARCH LA.B AM1 40mm Collection
Browsing through the catalogue of MARCH LA.B is like watching an episode of HBO’s Mad Men. As a tribute to vintage watches, MARCH LA.B introduced a line-up of interesting timepieces that wouldn’t look bad on Don Draper’s followers.Clearly being a ‘design’ brand, which normally would not be something that appeals to me, the models they’ve created are very similar to the real thing of the 1960s. After having had a look at their website, I was even more certain that the people behind the MARCH LA.B brand are very capable of providing great design and creating interesting timepieces.Obviously, they are not targeting at watch collectors or aficionados only, as ...
Exclusive Ming Thein Photographs The C3H5N3O9 Experiment ZR012!
Despite being completely unpronounceable, this watch is just plain outright cool. The brainchild of Max Busser (MB&F) and Felix Baumgartner (URWERK), it is the first watch to use an eccentric planetary transmission system for the timekeeping mechanism – i.e. the same geometry as the Wankel engine.Curiously, there’s only one ratio of inner to outer satellite that actually permits the three distinct chambers to be formed; any other ratio doesn’t seal at all. The minutes are read off the red tips of the upper ‘rotor’, with the hours on the level below. There is no seconds indication, but there is a power reserve indicator on the back of the watch. All of the in...
Speedy Tuesday the Speedmaster Tintin Revisited
They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder and such seems to be the case with the out of production Omega Speedmaster Tintin. Even though the watch was only introduced at Baselworld 2013 and then cancelled after roughly one to two years of production (it depends who you ask), I thought it was a good time to take a look at what has occurred around this controversial Speedmaster and why it's a watch worth watching. Also, since I own one, I'll throw my own 2 cents into the mix.The Speedmaster TinTin is a wonderful study in contrastSpeedmaster Tintin IntroductionAs mentioned, Omega very quietly introduced the Speedmaster Tintin in 2013 at Baselworld as ref. 311.30.42.30.01.004. I actually...
Finding The Midas Touch Buying Your First Gold Watch
Within the last two years, I’ve found myself opening up to gold watches, including watches that are a combination of gold and stainless steel (bi-color). Actually, my first ‘serious’ watch was a bi-color Omega Constellation. When I began collecting watches, I quickly shifted to stainless steel models, the occasional titanium watch and sometimes something PVD or DLC. Perhaps the most outrageous act of stainless steel is my Audemars Piguet Royal Oak ‘Jumbo’, a watch that has a price tag?that will buy you a full gold watch from many other brands.Buying Your First Gold WatchIn my watch collecting journey, I’ve also bought gold capped and gold filled watches, b...
Winners Of The Starmus Festival Received Gold Omega Speedmaster
As we announced last week, the three gold Omega Speedmaster Professional watches have been presented to the three winners at the Starmus Festival in Trondheim yesterday evening (local time).This came in very late yesterday evening (thanks James for forwarding us the press release from the US agency), so it missed our regular Speedy Tuesday ‘day’. We always try to bring you Speedmaster related news on a Tuesday, but sometimes it doesn’t work out. Anyway, without further ado.Winners of the Starmus Festival are musician Jean-Michel Jarre (no further explanation needed), Neil deGrasse Tyson (might not ring a bell for people outside the USA immediately, but he is an American ast...
Top 10 Best Watch Bracelets
I’ve been into watches since the 1990s and started Fratello in 2004. Ever since I’ve seen a lot of different watch bracelets. It always amazed me that only a few watch brands are getting it ‘right’ with these bracelets. Sometimes, they look gorgeous but wear like crap. And other times, the looks aren’t very attractive but wear fantastic. It is a very personal and thus subjective matter of course, but let me share with you the best watch bracelets in my book.Top 10 Best Watch Bracelets1. PresidentThe King, euh, President, of all bracelets as far as I am concerned. Only available in precious metals like white gold, yellow gold, red (Everose) gold and platinum. It...
#TBT Hamilton 9379 Chronograph An Oddity From the Early 90's
When considering mechanical chronographs, the 1980's and early 90's are often viewed as forgettable. Blingy, bad taste, bi-metal, quartz, or me-too automatics are just some of the characteristics that come to mind to describe the era. Then you have the brands Ebel, Movado, Concord, and even Omega making some very of the times pieces. Whatever you think about these watches and the era in general when it comes to watchmaking is likely a set of controversial topics best left for bar rooms or back alleys. Aside from the fact that some of these watches are starting to make their way back into the focus of collectors, it can't be argued that this was a different period Z. Cavaricci's anyone? As al...
Top 5 Cool Diver Watches For This Summer From $500 to $10,000
Here are our Top 5 coolest watches for the 2019 beach season.If you are one of those guys who has designated watches for different occasions and places, chances are you probably have a beach/holiday watch. For some, a holiday watch is the same as a beater. A timepiece you can wear carelessly whether you are doing some work around the house, messing with your car in the garage or playing in the pool with the kids. Others wear one watch all day, every day. A Submariner, an Omega Seamaste perhaps a Seiko Turtle or whatever else. Again others and I'm also one of these guys, have watches for different occasions; dress watch for the suit and tie, bigger sports watches for the jeans and t-shirt at...
Sunday Morning Showdown: PP Nautilus Vs. AP Royal Oak
In this Sunday morning column, two of our writers go head-to-head in an epic showdown for the ages. Strong opinions and hysterical hyperbole are welcome (so feel free to join in with the fun in the comments section below). And don't forget to let us know which watches you'd like to see torn to shreds/effusively exalted next week. We'll try and feature as many of our readers' choices as we can. You asked for it. We (finally) delivered. Perhaps the most hyped punch-up since the Rumble in the Jungle. This week the two RJs go head-to-head. Their champions? The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and the Patek Philippe Nautilus.In our efforts to bring something new to the party every week, we can’t h...
URWERK Auctioning Iron Man's UR-105 TA "Raging Gold" for Charity
Go on, admit it. You’d secretly love to be Iron Man. I’ll be honest, I would too. He always struck me as being the most feasible superhero. Now feasible may seem like a weird word, but Iron Man wasn’t born with superpowers. Tony Stark made Ironman possible through technology. Granted, that technology doesn’t yet exist, but one day it might. However, until that day comes to pass, you can take a step in the direction of becoming Iron Man by owning Robert Downey Jr.’s (AKA Tony Stark) UR-105 TA “Raging Gold” watch from the Avengers Endgame movies.That’s right, RDJ’s URWERK UR-105 TA “Raging Gold” is up for auction right now, with...
The Laventure Marine II Unveils A Solid Gold Dial (2021)
The wait is over. The Marine is back. After last year’s Laventure Transatlantique spent a couple of hours of availability melting hearts before breaking those of the would-be buyers that arrived too late to the party, we have a new (old) model to dissect. The Marine II melds the original concept of the brand with a few of its more recently acquired traits and tops things off with a stunning solid gold dial. But is it the best yet or an interesting experiment that asks as many questions as it answers?Clement Gaud is developing an almost amusing habit of releasing new Laventure watches while I’m (trying to be) on holiday. But, given my closeness to the brand since its foundation, I...
Oris's Newest In-House Calibers: Three Heavy Hitters So Far (2021)
Over the past months, Oris has released a handful of novel and formidable in-house calibers. Starting with the inaugural Calibre 400, name of both movement and watch, a time/date Aquis, we were then quickly given the newest iteration of the Carl Brashear diver in bronze with Calibre 401, a small seconds variant of the base 400.On June 1, the newest Oris Holstein Limited Edition was released using the never-before-seen Calibre 403 with pointer-date and small seconds to the tune of a scarce 250 available pieces. All of these are built off the base architecture of the Calibre 400, a revolution in watch engineering, longevity, and economics. But with movements numbering 400, 401, and 403, one ha...
The Singer Reimagined Track1 Chronograph (2021)
Back in 2017, Porsche claimed its 19th overall victory at the 85th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The endurance race featured an epic comeback for the #2 Porsche 919 driven by Timo Bernhard, Brendon Hartley, and Earl Bamber. Only a few weeks before this win, Singer Reimagined unveiled its first-ever wristwatch. Singer is a Los Angeles-based car tuning house specializing in restoring and upgrading the iconic Porsche 911 Carrera. Specifically, the air-cooled Carreras (964 chassis for car nerds out there) phased out in the ’90s. The Singer Track1 Chronograph also draws from the past to revitalize the classic racing chronograph in an entirely new dial layout. Since the launch in 2017,...
Fratello Exclusive: Inside The MoonSwatch Production Facilities
On March 24th, something big happened. Together with Omega, Swatch introduced the Bioceramic MoonSwatch. Eleven different watches, each named after a different body in our solar system. From the Sun, to the (dwarf) planet Pluto, each in a different color, but all inspired by the most iconic chronograph in the world - the Speedmaster Moonwatch. To some, this introduction came as a shock. To others, it simply brought a smile to their face. Whether these were die-hard Speedmaster enthusiasts or those who had never owned an analog (or any) watch before, people jumped on them. This led to crazy moments on March 26th when the world’s 110 Swatch boutiques got their stock of MoonSwatches. And ...
Laventure Automobile Chronograph With Proprietary Movement
Well, he’s done it. He’s only gone and done it. With Laventure’s fifth release and fourth new model family (following the Marine, Sous-Marine, and Transatlantique lines), Clement Gaud has blasted through the theoretical ceiling that holds back so many new independent brands. The inclusion of a (green) proprietary movement in this exciting new chronograph is something I’m very glad to see. It elevates a brand that few criticized aesthetically to a whole new level technically. But what does the Laventure Automobile Chronograph mean for the future of the brand? Allow me to look back before we look forward…The last article I wrote about Laventure was, in many ways, ...
MB&F Introduces Tiger Eye To The LM FlyingT 38.5mm Collection
MB&F is adding a “Tiger Eye” version to the LM FlyingT collection. Love the name. What is tiger eye? It is a golden brown gemstone. According to MB&F, “…in some parts of the world, it is believed to ward off the evil eye. Roman soldiers wore engraved tiger eye to protect them in battle.” Here, the stone takes the form of the dial plate and sub-dial of the latest Legacy Machine FlyingT (T stands for Tourbillon) in an 18K yellow gold case set with diamonds.Sounds fancy. Well, it is a Legacy Machine, so shouldn't it be? MB&F says, We don't craft yellow gold cases very oftenbut we think it works particularly well with the silky luster of tiger eye, with ...
Laurent Ferrier Classic Traveller Serie Atelier Magnetic Green
Google the significance of the color green and you'll find this definition from the website Bourncreative: “The color green affects us physically and mentally in several different ways. Green is soothing, relaxing, and youthful. It is a color that helps alleviate anxiety, depression, and nervousness. Green also brings with it a sense of hope, health, adventure, and renewal, as well as self-control, compassion, and harmony.” This sets the bar pretty high for the appreciation of the new Laurent Ferrier Classic Traveller Serie Atelier Magnetic Green.This refreshing color riffs on the trend we saw emerge in 2021 for more green dials, though understatedly so. This is simply (well, for...
Hands-On With The Eye-Catching Roue TPS Chronograph
Roue is a Brazilian independent brand that you may not have heard of. The brand came onto the scene in 2017 with a collection of tonneau-shaped watches ranging from three-handers to chronographs well under $500. The founder, Alexandre Iervolino, comes from a family of car collectors and grew up developing a passion for utilitarian German design, notably Braun clocks and radios. All of the models that Roue has released thus far have a heavy racing undertone. That includes, of course, this TPS model, which is part of the brand's second and most recent collection.Meca-quartz chronographs are all the rage these days (should I say these past couple of years?) and there is no short supply of brand...
Balazs And Mike Talk Certina And An Interview With Stan Smith
Fratello On Air is here with an episode covering several topics. You’ll want to stick around till the end because Balazs meets his “shoe idol” - none other than Stan Smith. Not the shoe, mind you, but the tennis player with an incredibly famous shoe. Of course, we talk about watches as well…...