The Laventure Transatlantique GMT Watch Elevates Brand To New Level
I'm on holiday. I shouldn't be writing this. But social distancing measures on trains mean my travel partner is sitting a row in front of me and more concerned with the bag of cherries we stashed for the journey than my company. And, more to the point, this is the release I've been building up to all year. Today, the Laventure Transatlantique GMT hits the shelves. Move quickly. With just 100 pieces available, I don't think this one will hang around for longI am the proud owner of the first two Laventure watches. I have the Marine (with a green dial), and the Sous-Marine (with a bronze case and a black dial). Had a blue or brown dial been included in the Transatlantique's debut I would own on...
Watch On Your Wrist? Fratello Instagram Contest 2020 Round 4
Welcome back to our Watch On Your Wrist? Instagram extravaganza! Tag your watch snaps with #fratellowatches to be in with a chance to win!Every week, we select four images. You can vote in the article for your favorite image. The winner moves on to the semi-final round (held every fifth week between the previous four weekly winners). Win that and you’re into the final, which will be held at the end of the year. There will be five finalists in 2020 and ten from next year on.Basically, if you like winning things - and there will be a prize for the champion of 2020 - this year represents your best shot. So get snapping, get tagging, and get sharing. And don’t forget to vote for your...
Hands-On With The Bronze Oris Holstein Edition 2020 Watch
From Holstein with love. It is the catchphrase Oris has chosen for their new series of Holstein Edition watches. Like many of you, I love 007, so a good Bond reference is always welcome. But what does it stand for? Well, Oris shows us with a new series of limited edition watches. The first in the series is the visually stunning Oris Holstein Edition 2020. It’s an all-bronze version of the well-known Oris Divers Sixty-Five Chronograph. The moment I took the watch out of the box, I thought: “Now this is something I will enjoy!”. With the Oris bling factor turned up all the way to 11, this one is for fans of making a statement.Before I get into the details of the watch, I woul...
Frederique Constant Manufacture Moonphase Watch For Fratello
As the very first model to grace the new Fratello store, the Frederique Constant Manufacture Moonphase hits the market as a standard-bearer of things to come. Utilizing an in-house movement with an attractive moonphase function, it debuts as an affordable option for those seeking extra complications in a wearable watch.Being the first is never easy. The temptation to create noise through superfluous additions and a ground-shaking aesthetic is ever-present. But restraint - especially when it comes to limited editions - is wise. By choosing a tried and true model and making tasteful tweaks, the designers have bolstered this model’s long-term appeal.CaseIt is harder than it should be to f...
The Oak & Oscar Jackson Big Eye Chronograph (2021)
Here’s a nice surprise that won’t last long. The Oak & Oscar Jackson Big Eye Chronograph brings back a popular model from the Chicago-based brand with some thoughtful tweaks.It was all the way back in October of 2017 that we first shared news of the Oak & Oscar Jackson Chronograph. It was an audacious watch for Chase Fancher, the founder of the brand, for several reasons. Firstly, it was the marque’s first-ever chronograph. Second, it brought a new manual wind column wheel movement from Eterna called the 3916M with a flyback complication. Finally, and unsurprisingly, the Jackson brought Oak & Oscar into a different price realm. Did it work? Absolutely and there ...
Five Of The Best Steel Sports Watches In History (2021)
The Octo Finissimo, Royal Oak, and Nautilus have made it onto my list of five of the best steel sports watches of all time. Would they make it onto yours?If you've experienced any measure of success in life, you're bound to have considered owning a luxury sports watch as a means of commemorating those achievements. Reaching such a milestone in the first place, however, takes considerable perseverance, determination, and, of course, a fraction of knowledge about the luxury watch industry itself. Which steel sports watch appeals to you the most?How much should the heritage of a brand influence the direction your heart wants to follow when choosing one? The answer to those questions may be infl...
The 5 Most Expensive Omega Speedmasters Ever Auctioned (2021)
Aside from the 2007 OmegaMania auction, the auction results on Speedmasters have gone up tremendously in recent years. On the one hand, I hate it when one of my favorite watches (read: favorite) is becoming so expensive, on the other hand, you can also interpret it as the recognition it deserves. In this article, I show you the five most expensive Speedmasters auctioned.The good thing about the Speedmaster is though, that you can still buy that standard Moonwatch for a very decent price. Especially compared to the competition out there, the Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch is quite an accessible watch. Until you go vintage, of course, of which you will find some extremes in this overview o...
Check Out The Casio G-Shock G-STEEL GST-B400-1AER? (2021)
A G-Shock G-STEEL you can wear as a contemporary dress watch? I know it sounds hard to believe, but hear me out. New to the line-up is a model with a steel case, black dial, and resin strap - a steel bracelet is also available, and then the watch is called the GST-B400D-1AER that measures only 12.9mm in height. Because of its slimness and understated analog look and colors, it's quite an introverted G-Shock despite its 46.6mm case diameter. So, what kind of watch is the Casio G-Shock G-STEEL GST-B400-1AER really?How dare I call a 46.612.9mm watch with a lug-to-lug length of 49.6mm a dress watch? A multifunctional quartz watch, no less! Well, I dare because it's slim enough to slip under the...
Hot Take: Seiko 5 Sports Field Watch
Ah, Seiko - sometimes the Japanese giant can still surprise us. I say that because the newest Seiko 5 Sports field watch truly slipped under the radar. I think it’s worth a quick look.That’s right, Seiko is usually very good these days at sending us all kinds of promotional material prior to a release. We even get to go hands-on in advance at times. Still, the brand, on occasion, does use a regional rollout strategy that leaves us waiting for the news to hit us locally. Such is the case with the newest Seiko 5 Sports field watch collection, although I now see them for sale around the world. It’s kind of an odd situation because these watches are actually a pretty big deal. ...
Czapek Looks To Increase Production With A New Atelier
It is quite common in life and in watchmaking to know the path one must take and yet find oneself reluctant to take it. New dawns are exhilarating, yes, but they are also scary, full of risk and the unknown. Harder still to overcome is the fact that rarely do things happen exactly when we’d like them to. Even the industry of time cannot escape this truth, and for one of our favorite brands here at Fratello, the moment of reckoning has arrived. Czapek, the undisputed darling of the industry in recent years, has taken the decision to move into a new, more spacious atelier in an effort to meet the soaring demand for its products.I received the press release announcing this move yesterday ...
Hands-On With The Stealthy Zenith Defy Extreme Carbon
Oversized watches… Are they still a thing in 2022? Sometimes, that seems hard to believe. These days, a lot of brands are hitting many collectors’ sweet spot of around 40mm or even a bit smaller for the slender-wristed folks. This is something I see confirmed in the Fratello offices. The majority of people at Fratello probably find their sweet spot between 38mm and 40mm. Some even prefer to go with smaller timepieces than that. So where does that leave oversized watches? The Zenith Defy Extreme Carbon shows that there is still plenty of charisma and technical prowess to be found in large sports watches. It is an ultra-light and wearable option that shows remarkable versatility.A ...
Fratello On Air: Scottish Watches Join The Podcast
Rikki and David from Scottish Watches sit down with Rob for the first of two crossover episodes a la Murder, She Wrote and Magnum P.I. (but with fewer murders and GMT-Masters)....
How Cartier Turns Custom Watch Dreams Into Reality
We've probably all experienced it: you had been waiting for years for your favorite brand to reintroduce a certain watch that had not been in the collection for a long time. But, when it finally came out, it wasn’t quite what you were hoping for. Perhaps the date window was disturbing or the hands were not clear. Maybe you preferred blued hands instead of gold ones. Or, perhaps, the watch was only available in pink gold, while you would really like a white gold or platinum timepiece. Well, it’s a little-known fact, but ordering a custom Cartier watch is not such a far-fetched possibility.For years now, Cartier has had a solution to this luxury problem. It's called the Custom Orde...
Starting A Watch Collection With $5,000: Thor's Top 3 Picks
While I do have some more expensive pieces in my collection now, I actually still gravitate towards the value end of the spectrum. I started with vintage pieces from eBay and somehow evolved through microbrands and Seiko, but what about today? In starting a watch collection with $5,000, my goal would be one of quality rather than quantity.In fact, this complex exercise ties in with my own consolidation journey, one which is still ongoing and everything but easy. So I tried to view this with fresh eyes and a writer’s uncolored views of horology. But we all know this is a modified truth, as most watches are good, fairly accurate, and yes, they show the time. Take these suggestions as not...
Doxa SUB 300 Vs Tudor Pelagos FXD Summer Splash Semi-final
The people have spoken! After the preliminaries of our Summer Splash contest, there are only four watches left. Today is the first of the two semi-finals. Who will go on to have a shot at the title? You get to decide which of the two watches proceeds to the grand final! So grab your sunglasses, get yourself an ice-cold drink, and get ready for the semi-finals of this year’s Fratello Summer Splash! In this first face-off, Thor’s very own Doxa SUB 300 Divingstar is up against Jorg’s contender, the Tudor Pelagos FXD. They are both divers with a great history, but only one can go on. Let’s find out who it will be!Let’s remind ourselves of the rules set up for this c...
Hands-On: Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante
Parmigiani Fleurier was one of the esteemed independent brands in Haute Horlogerie whose credentials preceded its name. Everyone in the industry knows it. Its imposing presence at SIHH was inescapable, yet its annual output was only in the thousands. For many years, this Fleurier (hence the name), Neuchatel-native with a top-notch manufacturing base was the kind of hidden gem that I would keep away from the uninitiated. How selfish of me. But sometimes, when your collector friends and clients know more about the sensational big-name brands than you do, you just want to keep something special to yourself.Alas, it was not to last. With Parmigiani's collections getting sleeker and more contempo...
Introducing: Panerai Submersible S Brabus Titanio
Panerai’s bold approach to watch design hits top speed with the Submersible Titanio S in partnership with Brabus. The macho 47mm case juxtaposes the intricate open-worked dial, reflecting the design of high-performance vehicles. Despite the dial’s complexity, the brash red hand tips ensure the time and GMT indications are clear. But it’s the case-construction technique that showcases Panerai’s watchmaking prowess.This new release, in collaboration with Brabus, is not Panerai’s first foray into automotive partnerships. Panerai previously held the role of official timekeeper with the Scuderia Ferrari Formula One team from 2005 until 2011. On paper, it seemed a mat...
Introducing: Squale Master Palombari Comsubin
Meet the titanium Squale Master Palombari Comsubin. This is not a dive watch designed for your beach holiday. This is a dive watch designed for (and with) a special unit of the Italian Navy, the Comsubin. If you like Squale, you will love this. Because this is a Squale diver with all settings dialed up to eleven.The Squale Master Palombari Comsubin is limited to 500 pieces. Of these, 420 are for public release. The other 80 have gone into actual service with the Palombari (Italian for “divers”) del Comsubin. Let's have a closer look at this new release.Palombari del ComsubinThe Palombari del Comsubin are the elite divers within the Italian Navy, the Marina Militare. They are part...
#TBT Vintage Summer Beater Seiko, Mido, Or Oris?
It’s a significant work overload rather than economic conditions that made me acquire the smallest number of watches this year that I have in the last five years. Is it an opportunity for my Seiko 62MAS, Mido Rainbow Diver, or OG Oris Star to become my vintage summer beater?I’ve always had a long list of candidates for the next #TBT. All the new acquisitions I made brought so much excitement that each watch had to steal its slice of the available wrist time. And many of them made it into a #TBT story without much waiting. The curiosity and novelty were so intense that there were so many watches I simply had to wear. Consequently, many watches that I was so excited about years ago...
Only Watch 2023: A Gerald Genta Mickey Mouse Minute Repeater
The 10th edition of Only Watch (a charity event to raise funds for research on Duchenne muscular dystrophy) is right around the corner. For the event, Gerald Genta submits a unique piece featuring Mickey Mouse in the famous octagonal cases that Genta used in the past. It’s the first time we’ve seen this form since Bvlgari acquired the brand in 2000. But that’s not the only interesting thing about this watch…Gerald Genta Only Watch 2023 Unique PieceThis year doesn’t just mark the 10th edition of the Only Watch charity event or the 100th anniversary of Disney (hence Mickey Mouse on this dial). In fact, 2023 also marks the 50th anniversary of the first watch that G...