In a recent installment of This Week in Watches, we mentioned that Jeff Stein noted Heuer collector and creator of On the Dash and Fred Mandelbaum noted Breitling collector would be hosting a bit of a celebration for the 50th anniversary of the Chronomatic movement.? Their respective Instagram accounts (@on_the_dash and @watchfred)? will serve as ground zero for the events, but we have a feeling t

The early 2000s saw some great Moonwatch variations for collectors. Unfortunately, it was during a time where I was still a student and didn’t have the means to go after that Mitsukoshi, Snoopy, Japan Racing, or this Apollo XI 35th anniversary edition from 2004.All of these watches have long since sold out, but you can still find them on the pre-owned market. Very occasionally, you might fin

Breitling has been delivering hit after hit over the last twelve months. The Breitling Navitimer 1959 re-edition is a favorite of many including some of the Fratello team members. But does everything the brand touches turn to gold? Let’s take a look at another recent release, the Navitimer B03 Chronograph Rattrapante 45 in 18k red gold.Let’s just dive in straight away and compliment Br

Jean-Claude Biver is a living legend and has been a purveyor of high-end watches since he was 18. His passion for watches stems from his childhood joy of steam machines and mechanical objects. In bustling West London, PHILLIPS PERPETUAL hosted a collection of Jean-Claude Biver’s treasured collection of watches. During the evening, Biver divulged his story on his rise to the Head of the LVMH

Welcome, one and all, to the preliminary round of March Mania 2021, here on Fratello. Are you a watch maniac like we are? If so, you’re sure to love our month-long feature. 96 watches reviewed last year line up for a battle royale like nothing that’s gone before. We need your votes. We want your comments. Help us decide the champion and share in its glory! Let the games commence…

I am not a G-Shock collector like Gerard is, but I do have my share of them in my watch collection. G-Shock is gaining quite a bit of popularity amongst our readers, and we can surely imagine why. There’s a lot of value for money, and they’re also just fun to collect and wear.The first G-Shock I bought was a 2003 20th anniversary model of the original watch. A few more followed, in all

From March 6th till March 15th, the 36th edition of the America’s Cup will take place. Just recently, Omega introduced its Seamaster Divers 300M Chronograph America’s Cup edition, with chrono lock. We wrote about it here. But last year, Omega debuted a very handsome Seamaster Planet Ocean America’s Cup Limited Edition, to celebrate the 36th race. We had the chance to go hands-on

We’re back - and on time - with Wrist Game or Crying Shame. This week, we offer a look at the charming Vacheron Constantin Chronograph 47101. Let’s see if you have the courage to go out on your own or if those influencers will pull you back into the fold. Before we get to that…Last week, I served up a dinner plate full of IWC with the Portuguese Vintage. An astounding 69% of you

I don’t remember many three-handers which have made me ooh and ah as much as this Elgin diver. It’s rich in details and colors, yet it’s still pretty elegant. When I hear the name Elgin, I associate it with Waltham or Illinois watches. And I mostly think of pocket watches with beautiful dials. Anytime I visit my watchmaker, there is a new Elgin pocket watch laying around.Elgin in

The pursuit of perfection is a doomed undertaking. Take the creation of the perfect watch, for instance. Building an ideal watch that is entirely without technical and aesthetical flaws, defects, or shortcomings is the watchmaker's vision. Unfortunately, it’s one that will never materialize. But when you change perspective from creator to audience, perfection is something that can be perceiv

Welcome to Strap Check, a column on Fratello where our editors showcase their favorite watch/strap combinations. We all know the feeling. When you've been wearing a watch for weeks on the same strap, there comes a time when the excitement starts to fade a little bit. Maybe that's the time when you start looking. But looking for what? A brand new watch? Sometimes the answer lies not in the watch, b

Oh, how I love my Tudor Black Bay! It was my first “good” watch and the rebirth of my collection. My Black Bay also marked the birth of my first child, and for these reasons, it has tremendous sentimental value. But to be completely honest, it is not a perfect watch. My main point of contention has always been the bracelet. The end links have always seemed a bit too wiggly-jiggly, and

Another Friday, another Top 5! In this series, we take one classic watch and choose our five favorite references ever produced. Four of these references will be based on the historical importance of the specific watch in the grand scheme of things. Though there may be some overlap, it's not a question of which references are the most collectible or of the highest value on the market. The fifth pic

The Garrick watch company, headquartered in Norwich, is run by Dave Brailsford, and it is one of the brands surfing the wave of resurgence in British wristwear. The new Garrick S6 is unlike watches from tool masters Bremont and hot-collab king George Bamford, playing on more classical strings. Last year was a quiet one for Brailsford's bespoke brand, except for a strong collaborative effort with F

I’ve always wanted to be a bird-of-paradise a little bit. But that’s exactly the problem; you should go all in or you’ll never really become one. I guess I’m just too modest to be one. If you’re just like me, Boldr now offers you the opportunity to at least pay tribute to a recently discovered bird-of-paradise, the Vogelkop Superb (Lophorina niedda). And the good thin

What watch will be the star of Watches and Wonders 2023? The 70th-anniversary Submariner, perhaps? Could be. Could very well be. I have no clue what it will look like, though; maybe a brown dial with a light blue ceramic bezel? Or is that way too wild? On the other hand, a new Milgauss might be easier to foresee and make a mockup of. So that's what we did. And Fratello's Watches and Wonders 2023 p

I am fond of Cabot Watch Company, also known as CWC. It is a no-nonsense British watch brand that has focused on tool-watch designs since the early 1970s. Something about the design ethos of CWC reminds me of the golden epoch of 20th-century mechanical watchmaking. Today, we’ll look at the CWC W10 Navigator Automatic General Service Watch.When I think of a watch, sometimes I imagine a scenar

Welcome to another Sunday Morning Showdown here on Fratello. Please get yourself ready because today’s confrontation promises to be a good one. In 2022, IWC introduced a new version of its Pilot’s Watch - the Mark XX. Then, last year, Zenith took it one step further with a complete revision of its Pilot line. That’s why we thought it was a good idea to put these two updated fight

There are two ways to handle the peculiar watches in the picture - with a focus on the design or the specs. Both are impressive. The steel and rose-gold-PVD-treated models are available in a limited run of 100 pieces each. Because there's an automatic Miyota 9075 flyer GMT movement inside their architecturally shaped cases, the price of US$750 makes these bang-for-the-buck watches. That is if you

Welcome to another installment of Fratello Favorites! If you’ve been following Fratello recently, you’ll know that this time, we are sharing our favorite vintage watches under $5K. After Thomas kicked the series off and Daan presented his picks just before last weekend, I am third in line to present mine. Selecting them was fun but also quite a challenge because the set budget allows p