The Magnificent Seiko Champion Alpinist J13043
With so much Alpinist talk these days, I felt it was high time to take a look at what I think is the finest model in the model’s history. Feast your eyes on the Seiko Champion Alpinist J13043 and devour a few words while you’re at it.Just last week, we took a look at a couple of new Seiko Alpinist models that take their cues from the original 1959 Laurel model. I actually own that original and somewhat rare reference 14041 in black. It was and is a rather unique Seiko, especially when one considers the era. However, the second generation of Alpinist models was far more original and dynamic. These fell under the Champion line of watches and, as was normal for Seiko, designs change...
The Circle Of Watch Life Not Even Can Escape It
Time to bring out and dust off the Fratello crystal ball and also read the tea leaves in the Hublot mug we have at HQ. With a stream of novelties on the horizon - Watches and Wonders is just a couple of months away - some veteran references will have to go bye-bye. It's the circle of watch life. And even , Patek Philippe, Tudor, Omega, and Grand Seiko can't escape it. The crystal ball and the tea leaves predict the end of models like the Air-King and Milgauss from . It also seems the steel Aquanaut 5167A has come to the end of the line. While we’re at it, let’s have a look at a few other brands and watches that are in dire straits.Nothing lasts forever. But some things last consi...
Louis Erard Releases Its Excellence Guilloche Main II (2022)
After the success of its Excellence Guilloche Main in 2021, Louis Erard is back with a new, follow-up model - the not-so-subtly named Excellence Guilloche Main II. Louis Erard continues to highlight traditional “metiers d’art” with its second hand-guilloche dial. It’s a celebration of a classic and traditional technique with strong ties to the watchmaking industry.This is the second time Louis Erard has reinterpreted the art of guilloche, and it is precisely the same technique that Breguet popularized in the 18th century. It’s an intricate and highly-skilled art where the craftsperson’s hand must complement and work with the manual lathe. Special cam, feel...
Starting A Watch Collection With $10K: Ben's Top 3 Picks
With Nacho having kicked off this series with his picks, it’s now my turn to select three watches within a $10K budget. In all honesty, I was struggling with this concept. For me, the desire for a particular watch comes first, and how I budget for it is a secondary thought - it’s heart over mind. I’m keen to know if any of our readers have five figures set aside expressly for jump-starting a respectable watch collection. In my experience, watch collecting was a journey with a bumpy start and full of mistakes. I’m probably still making those mistakes now but learning a little more each time. For some, it’s too much risk to make a costly mistake. So, rather than d...
Spoiling Water Resistance: Good Watches Don't Need To Swim
We ask a lot of our watches. Sure, they have to tell the time, but we also ask them to look good and impart something about ourselves to the world. We also require that they go with us… everywhere. Water resistance - once an indicator of how well a watch could stand the rigors of daily life - has been incrementally cranked up to levels that most of the currently rated watches will never see. And neither will their owners. The eternal search for “daily beaters” and GADA (Go Anywhere Do Anything) watches, along with projecting a level of our own utility to the world via our watches has resulted in a market largely weighted towards watches that can survive harsher conditions t...
#TBT Longines Ref. 5411 Unexpected Vacay Mode
The Longines ref. 5411 “Tuxedo” totally surprised me. It is as tiny as a piece of candy, but it feels robust, just like any of your Submariners. ?I bet 99% of watch collectors would never pack a 31mm Longines ref. 5411 on a vacation to an island in the Mediterranean Sea. First of all, 99% of collectors would not choose to go to Mallorca at the end of February just because it is still the wintertime off-season here.How my Longines got to MallorcaAfter canceling our Christmas vacation due to sickness, my wife and I decided to book another trip. Without much thinking (or weather checking), we booked flight tickets for a week in Mallorca, where we still are at the moment this article...
NDC Straps The Story Behind The Original Parachute Strap
Over the last few years, elastic watch straps have gained mass popularity. They are available in almost every color imaginable and can be snapped up from several different sellers. Prices range from just a couple of bucks up to just below a hundred euros. If you're reading this, there's a good chance you own one of these straps. And there's an even better chance that you've seen them cropping up, not just here on Fratello but also Instagram and some of the popular watch forums. But where do these straps come from? What's the origin story behind a product that has become so ubiquitous in the watch enthusiasts’ space? To answer this question, I'll be taking a closer look at one of the br...
Fratello Editors Share Their Seiko Stories: RJ's SBDX001
Until 2014, I didn’t own any Seiko watches. That might not mean anything, but I had been into watches since the mid-1990s. It was my colleague Mike Stockton who “influenced” me to buy several Seikos in 2014 (after he joined) due to his articles. I was very comfortable spending a few hundred euros on a Seiko watch, but he also tried to get me into Grand Seiko. At the time, it was quite a step to take because those started at a few thousand euros. Then the Seiko Marinemaster SBDX001 came to the rescue. It was a watch that was priced in between the regular Seiko models that I had been buying and the Grand Seiko watches that were slightly above $6,000.Seiko Marinemaster 300 SBD...
Alternative Rectangular Chic Oris, Longines, And More
With Cartier's massive resurgence from the auction block to celebrity wrists, rectangular cool is back. And the same goes for the flippable magic of Jaeger-LeCoultre's Reverso. With the wide selection of Cartier and the JLC Reverso range, a big choice is yours for taking within the ranks of the two dominant brands. But look deeper, and you’ll find alternative rectangular chic from unexpected brands like Oris and Longines, with value for money as a common denominator.With Tanks starting at less than $3,000 and the new cool Fran?aise on the market, there is much to choose from for Cartier lovers. The equally revered Reverso has risen in price, even if its colorful new look is still tempt...
Fratello Talks: How To Travel With Your Watches
Daan, Nacho, and RJ talk about traveling with their watches in this podcast. Being watch journalists, we travel a lot and often want to bring more than one watch. But with Switzerland as the main destination, it’s not as easy as you think. You need to be mindful of customs and the fact that they can stop you to ask if you’re “importing” any valuable goods. In this podcast, we discuss the risks of traveling with multiple watches....
Hands-On: Ollech & Wajs OW 8001
Back in the first half of 2023, Ollech & Wajs informed us that a successor to the 1973 OW 8000 was coming. Even renders were available, but we love the real deal and, when possible, like to wait for a production model before making a judgment. And it’s good that we did this time because, in real life, the OW 8001 left a different impression than we’d gotten from the earlier rendered press images.Once again, this shows that one shouldn’t judge a watch by just pictures or its dimensions on paper. I would never have thought that a 39.5 12.7mm watch could leave such a rough and hefty impression.Ollech & Wajs OW 8001Meanwhile, in the watch universe, the integrated-bracel...
Hands-On: The Ming 29.01 Dubai Edition
I’ve truly enjoyed my time with various Ming watches. I’ve purchased a handful of them and have always marveled at the attention to detail and innovative use of materials. Since discovering them several years ago, though, I had never gone hands-on with one of the brand’s more expensive models. Today, I’ll share my thoughts on the Ming 29.01 Dubai Edition.The Ming watches that I own all retailed for below CHF 5,000. That’s not insignificant money, but the brand offers a whole other world above this price point. Some watches cost multiples of my current threshold. I’ve always liked them, but I’d never had the opportunity to handle and wear one for any ...
Hands-On: G-Shock MTG-B2000YR Illumination City
Today, we go hands-on with a fairly wild G-Shock. The MTG-B2000YR Illumination City Limited Edition was released in late 2023 and is a colorful, feature-laden watch. It’s a higher-end piece, so expect loads of thoughtful details. Let’s venture into the world of bright lights!It’s not exactly news that G-Shock makes and sells loads of four-figure-priced watches. Still, I’m always interested in what makes these pieces so much different than their lower-cost relatives. After all, even the most affordable G-Shocks still boast an impressive array of functionality. Well, with the new MTG-B2000YR Illumination City Limited Edition, all the functionality is present. However, I...
Hands-On With The Doxa Sub 200T Divingstar
Ever since Hodinkee Editor-in-Chief James Stacey posted an image on social media of a Doxa Sub 200T Divingstar, I knew I had to do a hands-on with one. Yellow is a color that keeps drawing me back. The Divingstar had already been on my radar, but seeing it time and time again wore down my very limited resistance to trying out a watch I might want to actually own one day.Doxa is an interesting brand. The company now specializes in dive watches but historically produced many different styles, including dress and daily watches. Since the Jenny family took over the direction of the brand, it has focused on a core lineup. That included the entry-level Sub 200, the battle-tank-like Sub 300T (think...
Tudor Black Bay Chrono Vs. TAG Heuer Carrera Glassbox
Is it Sunday already? Yes, it is, and we'll make sure you have a good last day of the weekend with this week's episode of Sunday Morning Showdown. Daan and Lex will go head to head with two colorful chronographs. In one corner, Daan represents the Tudor Black Bay Chrono Flamingo Blue, which gives off serious Miami Vice vibes. In the other corner is Lex, who picked something Prince would’ve loved to wear while walking through the rain, the dark purple TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Glassbox. May the best color win!You are probably very familiar with both the 41mm Tudor Black Bay Chrono and the 39mm TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Glassbox. The Tudor with a Flamingo Blue dial is a newcomer,...
Hamilton Khaki Pioneer Pilot Chronograph Review
Many of the readers of Fratellowatches come from the United States according to our statistics. In that respect, we feel that this part of our readers are probably more familiar with Hamilton than we are. You should know, that Hamilton wasn’t very known in Europe until a few years ago when their PR machine started here as well. Especially with the Khaki models, they quickly conquered the market for affordable mechanical watches. The presentation we received by one of the Hamilton representatives last year in Basel was reason for us to have a closer look at this brand. We asked or a Hamilton Khaki Pioneer Pilot Chronograph watch and we received it for a hands-on review.The Hamilton comp...
A Hands-On Omega Speedmaster X-33 3rd Gen Review
It is Speedy Tuesday and today we have Philip Kisloff giving his thoughts and opinions about the new Omega Speedmaster X-33 ‘SkyWalker’. This X-33 is already the 3rd generation of this astronaut’s timepiece. Where the 2nd Generation model was more or less a little update of the 1st Generation model, both in functionality and aesthetics, the 3rd Generation is a complete redesign and considered to be the real 2.0 version of the X-33 watch.Speedmaster X-33 ReviewThe Speedmaster X-33 has been out for 3 months now, and several owners have already posted their reviews on line. My video was uploaded to YouTube at the end of last year, where I ran through all the operations of the ...
Introducing the 41mm Omega Globemaster Annual Calendar
Last year, Omega introduced the Globemaster on press day’s eve in BaselWorld (we reported here). The 39mm Globemaster comes in stainless steel, bi-color, (Sedna) gold and platinum and we had the chance to review the 18ct Sedna gold version (click here for my in-depth and somewhat emotional review on the Globemaster). Last October, Omega introduced the first Globemaster that was ready for deliver during their METAS and Master Co-Axial press conference in Bienne (click here for an explanation on METAS and Master Chronometer) and soon after they started to deliver the first Omega Globemaster watches to the boutiques and retailers.Last Tuesday, March 1st, Omega presented the new Globemaste...
#TBT: Enicar Sherpa Super Jet
If you've followed the vintage watch market to any extent, and #TBT for that matter, Enicar is a name that surfaces with relative frequency. The brand has become a darling to many collectors and for good reason; the watches were well built, uniquely detailed and generally well sized to current tastes. The bulk of the attention on the brand, though, has been centered on the chronographs such as the Sherpa Graph, Aqua Graph and others. Today, however, we move into another realm of tool watch from the brand: the world-timer. #TBT takes a look at an impressive piece that deserves similar attention: the Enicar Sherpa Super Jet.Many font differences on the dial of the Enicar Sherpa Super Jet only ...
AMG Winter Sporting Experience with IWC
AMG cars,?Lappi tires with 2mm spikes, IWC watches and ice. Very thick ice. The perfect ingredients for the AMG Winter Sporting Experience.Some weeks ago we received an invite from IWC Schaffhausen to join them on an event in the Northern Part of Sweden. Last time we went to Sweden we've been sailing racing yachts. We return again for some high paced action, but it will be on frozen water this time. This part of Sweden offers testing grounds for various car manufacturers and it is the home of the AMG Driving Academy. Doing some homework we realized this would not just be your average press event. Temperatures of around -16 degrees Celsius during the day were to be expected. So here is what h...