Hands-On: Maurice Lacroix Aikon #tide
Just a few weeks ago, in the sunny and colorful city of Miami, Maurice Lacroix released something funky - the new Aikon #tide. It’s the latest and most eco-friendly member of the Aikon collection. Fratello was there to witness the launch of this exciting summer watch that has much more to offer than it seems.Thanks to its competitive price, fresh looks, and environmental conscientiousness, there is little doubt that it will be a summer favorite for the new generation of watch lovers in 2022 and beyond.City of colorsIf you have been to Miami, you know that the southern Florida city is pulsating with life. Whether you are cruising downtown, taking a stroll in the Design District, or rela...
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore An Overview
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore debuted in 1993, and it was groundbreaking when it hit the floor at the Basel watch fair that year. But it took a while to get there. Back in 2018, just after the 25th anniversary of the watch, we met up with a passionate Royal Oak Offshore collector. As the Royal Oak itself turned 50 years old yesterday, it seems like a fitting time to revisit this unforgettable encounter. We hope you enjoy it.Nearly four years ago, we sat down with him in The Netherlands at a not-so-central location. Besides being a collector of Offshores watches, he is the founder of the Dutch gin brand Skully. So when the bottle of Skully gin appeared on the table, the traveling had...
Dear Tissot, Bring Back The Jet-Turbine-Inspired Desk Clock
I bet it would be a hit if Tissot decided to relaunch these jet-turbine-like Visodate desk clocks. Dear Tissot, you’re welcome.When Nacho texted me the other day to ask for an idea for this column, I didn’t feel like I wanted to see another watch re-edition. I don’t want to say I am fed up with them, but I instead decided to look into my archive folder to see if there wasn’t anything more exciting to surprise you with. And here we are. It didn’t take long until I bumped into another “constant” on my bucket list, Tissot’s jet-turbine-inspired electronic desk clock.Image: @emeister on Omega ForumsThe potential of a desk clockWatches used to be to...
IWC Ingenieur Automatic 40 Vs. Zenith Defy Skyline
For our Sunday Morning Showdown this week, we will feature another new release from Watches and Wonders 2023. IWC’s big introduction for this year was the new Ingenieur. With the revamped version of this illustrious watch, the Schaffhausen brand brings back a fan favorite. Finally, the “Genta Ingenieur” returns to the modern sports watch arena. Will it be a hit? That remains to be seen, but Jorg is fighting for it this week.In the other corner of the ring, Lex is backing the Zenith Defy Skyline that debuted last year. The watch has garnered its fair share of fans for its quality and design, but some people have criticized it for being “derivative” of Genta’...
New Omega Speedmaster Chronoscopes For The Olympics
The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris takes place on the 26th of July, so mark your calendars! This also means that, as of today, it’s only 100 days away. Omega is getting ready for its 31st time as the official timekeeper for the event. To get us all in the mood, the brand is releasing two new models of the Speedmaster Chronoscope - one in stainless steel and the other in nothing less than 18K Moonshine yellow gold. Both are fitted with a dial in the black, white, and gold colors of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.Instead of in the Stade de France, the opening ceremony will take place around the river Seine. That’s a world first. “We can do it, and we are going t...
Hands-On: The Second Christopher Ward C65 Dune GMT
I was genuinely excited when the second Christopher Ward C65 Dune GMT was officially announced about a month ago. The first version of this watch blew me away last year. I had a chance to wear the C65 Dune GMT for a couple of weeks, and by the end of that time, I knew I wanted one. There was only one small problem: I missed the release of the 200 pieces, so I was too late to get my hands on one. A little less than a year later, I had a chance to find out if the second version of the same watch was the one for me.The world of luxury watches is not a place to live with regrets. That’s why I’m usually okay with missing out on a release or not having bought all the releases I wanted ...
Watches And Wonders 2024 Much Ado About Nothing
After a three-week break, Fratello On Air returns. One of us traveled to Geneva, while the other went to Florida. Both of us saw fancy cars, but only one of us saw impressive watches. The question of who might have a surprising answer! Watches and Wonders 2024 has come and gone, and, frankly, it was a bit of a stinker....
Fratelli Stories: WWI Watches And A Glimpse Into Our Past
Mark Nagle is a passionate collector of vintage watches. His focus is vintage timepieces from World War One. We spoke to him about this particular fascination as part of our Fratelli Stories series. Read on.Like many of you, I am a fan of vintage watches. Sure, we cover a lot of new watch releases here at Fratello, as we should. New watches give us the technical benefits of modern manufacturing, rugged build quality, water resistance, and a host of other improvements. But as Lex recently noted in our podcast for which Thomas was wearing a vintage Omega Speedmaster, there is something quite magical about vintage.Meet Mark Nagle, a reader inspired by the development of VPCFor Fratello reader M...
Introducing: The Bravur Team Heritage STR
By now, Bravur, the watch brand from B?stad, Sweden, has created enough cycling-themed watches to provide the complete pro peloton with them. This is not a complaint or a snappy remark but a neutral observation. And from that observation comes enthusiasm. As a cyclist, I applaud a nicely done cycling watch. Now you can be in the breakaway with the Bravur Heritage Team STR sporting a dial in the colors of the historic St. Rapha?l cycling team kit.In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the St. Rapha?l cycling team, named after the sponsoring French aperitif brand, was a force to reckon with. Directeur sportif Rapha?l Geminiani led a squad with legendary rider Jacques Anquetil, the first five-time ...
A Closer Look At The New Zenith G.F.J. 160th Anniversary Model
This year, many brands are celebrating different milestones. One of the most relevant anniversaries in 2025 is Zenith’s 160th, which you probably read about during Watches and Wonders. Although it is a significant milestone, Zenith treated us to a very select number of anniversary models during the fair. I can greatly appreciate that because it maintains a strong focus. The watch that drew the most attention was, without a doubt, the new Zenith G.F.J. This special 160th-anniversary edition brings back the legendary Zenith caliber 135. On top of that, it is the first model of a full new product line in the brand’s collection. Let’s find out more about the new Zenith G.F.J.In...
Hands-On With The Cartier Tank Guichets
So, a tank is pretty tough, right? How do you make it even tougher? Park it in a casemate! Stick the cannon through one of the tiny embrasures, and you have a fearsome defensive installation. Well, that's what Cartier did. The mighty Cartier Tank was parked in a bunker, and the result is called the Cartier Tank Guichets. I got a chance to go hands-on with one to see if it stands the heat of battle.My apologies for the combative analogy in an age when nations are at each other's throats. Perhaps my recent trip to Normandy triggers these associations. Maybe it really is the watch, though. After all, it looks like it could be a precious-metal miniature of something concrete perched on the Fre...
Hands-On Omega Seamaster Ploprof 1200 Review
When Omega introduced the Seamaster?Ploprof 1200M back in 2009, I was actually happily surprised to see that they did such an amazing job.The resemblance with the original Omega Ploprof 600M 166.077 was amazing. ?On first sight, the new Omega Seamaster PloProf 1200M looked identical to the PloProf 600M version of almost 40 years earlier. On Fratellowatches we wrote about the PloProf watches several times, but never took the time to put the two models together and have a closer look.Seamaster PloProf 1200 History In A NutshellFor detailed history on the Omega Seamaster Ploprof 600 I will ask you to read this article on the Omega Ploprof’s History. I will give the highlights of the PloPr...
Seiko SBDC027 "Sumo" 50th Anniversary Review
Last year I ordered a couple of Seiko watches for myself. In fact, I only did so after seeing one of the JDM (Japan Domestic Models) in the Seiko boutique in Amsterdam. There I realized two things: 1. There is more to Seiko than I thought, 2. I need to learn all these nicknames and reference numbers. Not long after I decided to pull the trigger on a Seiko Baby Tuna SRP231. A super cool looking black watch with automatic movement and rubber strap. After I received that watch, I was amazed how this watch could offer so much for the money I paid (I think it was less than $300 USD if memory serves me correctly).Not long after, I decided to order the Seiko “Sumo” SBDC001, basically th...
Casio G-Shock GPW-1000RAF 52Mondayz, week #16
The Casio G-Shock GPW-1000RAF is the watch I’ll wear this week. On Wednesday I’ve a post-Baselworld meeting with Bas Boersma a.k.a. Mr. B-Shock. Bas works for Casio, and he’s one of the major driving forces behind the G-Shock presence in The Netherlands.Casio G-Shock GPW-1000RAFAs mentioned in one of my earlier 52Mondayz columns, I’m a fan of (ana-)digital quartz watches. Besides my real passion for high-end and even complicated classical timepieces, I love watches with additional functions which can’t be fulfilled by a mechanical movement. It’s no secret that there’s always an Apple Watch on my right wrist, whilst wearing a (real) watch on my left.N...
klokers BaselWorld Novelties 2017: KLOK-02 And New Accessories
This year at BaselWorld it was hard to discover true?novelties. A lot of brands just expanded their collection by presenting new models with different colors and materials, a lot of retro designs as well. A?number of brands did surprise me. klokers was one of them.A Niche BrandThis is one of the brands you either hate or love. In my opinion they are quite interesting with their out-of-the-box vision and design. Not a hardcore watch brand, but more somewhere between watches and design statements. Their way of presenting time is different and they are still pioneering less conventional grounds. Again, heavily focussed on design and remains affordable. With this in mind it's quite logical that ...
The Longines Master Collection is inviting colour onto its dials
As ?a ?traditional ?watchmaking ?company, ?Longines ?has ?been ?producing ?exceptional timepieces ?since ?the ?very ?beginning. ?The ?Longines ?Master ?Collection ?is ?the ?perfect contemporary ?illustration ?of ?this ?concept, ?as ?demonstrated ?by ?the ?success ?of ?this collection ?since ?its ?launch ?in 2005. ?The ?Longines ?Master ?Collection ?blends ?classic elegance ?and ?excellence, ?for ?the ?greatest ?pleasure ?of ?watchmaking ?enthusiasts. Today, ?Longines ?is ?presenting ?new ?pieces ?in ?which ?coloured ?dials ?take ?center ?stage. These gray and blue models add a new variation to the rich array of models offered in The Longines Master Collection.In 2005, Longines launched the l...
Speedy Tuesday Hands-On With The Speedmaster Blue Side of the Moon Moonphase Aventurine Dial
Early January, we covered the Speedmaster Blue Side of the Moon here on Fratello. Today, I will show you the new 2018 version of that watch, with aventurine glass dial and Sedna gold hands and hour markers.I have to admit that I wasn’t uber-enthusiastic about the blue ceramic Speedmaster Moonphase we showed you last January, but couldn’t really make myself clear on what it was. Now that I’ve seen the new Speedmaster Blue Side of the Moon Moonphase with aventurine dial, shown to us in Basel last month, I know exactly what it was. The ‘regular’ blue ceramic Speedmaster Moonphase doesn’t ‘pop’ for me. The blue ceramics are nice, the moon phases in...
Hautlence HL Sphere 01 A Fun Independent Timepiece
The new Hautlence HL Sphere is a work of art.I only found that out this past month when I saw Hautlence the first time in the metal. See, since a few years now I visit H. Moser & Cie during SIHH and Baselworld as well as other events. You could read about their latest creations they introduced during SIHH 2019 here and here. However, H. Moser & Cie is not the only brand the Meylan family is involved with. Our loyal readers could've met the name Hautlence on the pages of Fratello a few years ago.? We covered some of the latest and greatest of the brand before but not as often as we should have perhaps. This is about to change: Today we will talk about the brand's 8th manufacture calib...
Spring Drive 20th & NISSAN GT-R 50th Anniversary Edition: SBGC229
At least for us in Europe, a spotting a Grand Seiko watch in the flesh is still as rare as spotting a Japanese supercar like the Nissan GT-R.Perhaps it mainly has to do with price, as the Nissan GT-R starts at $169.600 here in The Netherlands (cars are expensive here in general). Grand Seiko is winning turf though, as its popularity is ever increasing. Enough has been written about the quality of the watches, and that’s never really a discussion anyway. It is the unknown, that plays a role for these watches (and cars).Anyway, in 2019 Grand Seiko celebrates the 20th anniversary of their Spring Drive technology and Nissan the 50th anniversary of their sportscar, the GT-R. For this annive...
Pre-Owned Picks 5 Gold Watches Under $5,000
I don’t know about you, but I am getting pretty fed up with working from home, not going outside, and not able to meet with people.That’s why I thought it would be nice to bring some gold to the table. A little shine in this darkness. A gold watch does not have to be crazily expensive, of course, but the fact is that this precious metal does have its price. Especially in times like this, the prices on precious metals skyrocket. Anyway, buying a gold watch should be done for different reasons than the average gold price per gram, of course. I love the tone of gold and the weight. And, honestly, it just wears very differently from a steel watch.My first gold watch was one I purchas...