THE PAST, THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE COEXIST IN THREE EXQUISITE NEW MODELS FROM URBAN JuRGENSEN
The time that has been and the time to come to borrow from one and predict what the other might bring makes sense of the present.Our past begins in 1745 when Jurgen Jurgensen was born in Copenhagen and became the founder of a world renowned watchmaking Dynasty.In time, he was outdone by his first born son Urban Jurgensen: craftsman, inventor, visionary and horological genius extraordinaire.Urban Jurgensen overturned centuries of staid tradition among the makers of clocks and watches of his day and inaugurated a new era of technological and theoretical advancement with standards of ingenuity hitherto unseen in the watch business, manifested by his landmark book from 1804 General principles co...
Omega Speedmaster 376.0822 The Holy Grail
The Speedmaster 376.0822 was nicknamed ‘Holy Grail’ by Chuck Maddox for one simple reason: according to himself he searched for this watch with the intensity that King Arthur searched for the Holy Grail. He began calling the Speedmaster?376.0822 “the Grail” because he was that obsessed with it.It is not the first Speedmaster that received a nickname by its collectors, as the ‘Broad Arrow’ for example was used before for the CK2915. However, we could say that it was surely one of the first nicknames given by collectors to a Speedmaster. Chuck loved the Speedmaster 376.0822 for a couple of good reasons, most important was the combination of the Speedmaster &...
Breitling Premier Bentley Centenary Celebrating in Style!
In what has become an increasingly divided world, it's difficult to find topics of discussion where almost all sides can come together in unanimous agreement.One such example of harmony, though, relates to opinion on the run of watches that Breitling created with Bentley since the two began partnering way back in 2003 (that's the longest running partnership between a watch brand and an automotive marque as an FYI).? If you were wondering about the flavor of said opinion, it was, in a word, awful.? The Bentley by Breitling watches were large, garish, and contained little of the elegance and prestige that the four-wheeled Bentleys so proudly exuded.? Well, today, in honor of Bentley's hundredt...
Angelus Datalarm
If you had to choose one watch complication that you cannot live without what would that be? Many would probably say; it has to be a chronograph.But how often do we time anything with them anymore? Not too often, I guess. Others might say; it needs to have a date. Yet, we can find out what day it is these days pretty easily. Still, complications, whether they are as simple as a date or complex like a perpetual calendar, influence our decision when buying a watch. More often than not, they are the single most important thing to consider when making a purchase decision; I wanted a flyback chronograph, so I bought XYZ watch. This was more or less my thought process when I went for the Angelus D...
New HYT H5 Blue Shows A Mastery Of Depth
The HYT H5 line might be the best looking of them all.At least that’s what I think. To be completely honest, I’m a bit biased about this brand. Let me explain. The watch industry has many different faces. Different audiences are shown different looks. These looks can be based on any number of sales driven factors like price points or cultural trends, for example. While the bulk of the industry creates consumable products, it is the responsibility fo some brands - some brands like HT - to exist outside of reality. To push boundaries. To break new ground. And to remind us to care.HYT has done that by combining mechanical watchmaking and liquids. Only a handful of brands even dared ...
55th Anniversary Seiko Diver's Watch Limited Editions
We have news of the 55th Anniversary Seiko Diver’s Watch Limited Edition pieces.? Seiko celebrates its past with innovative materials and updated color schemes on its most iconic undersea watches.Here we are one year later and we’re more than ready to talk about the newest Seiko releases. With Seiko, there’s always something in the brand’s past to celebrate. We’re excited to talk about the 55th Anniversary Seiko Diver’s Watches. If you’re at all a fan of Seiko, you’ve likely taken one quick glance at the header photo and have concerns. We’ve seen these watches before and I’ll certainly address that. I’ll also address what make...
March Mania Preliminary Six: Tomas Cartier, Seiko, Breitling, A. Lange & Sohne, And More...
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…In this round, your task is simple: vote for your favorite watch. Below you will find a selection of 12 timepieces that we covered here on Fratello throughout 2020. Why not refresh your memory by clicking the links and reading those eruditely penned odes to wrist-wear? Once you’ve made your se...
Hands-on: The Panerai Submersible PAM01209 Azzurro Dive Watch
I am not that well-endowed in the wrist department. There, I said it. I don’t have the wrist mass that allows me to successfully and confidently wear some larger-sized watches, and that’s a shame. There’s plenty of watches that I would love to own, but the sheer heft of the case means it’d look like I was wearing a wall clock on my wrist. Despite my lamentations, there’s not much I can do. I’m not a weights guy, and I won’t be going down to the local gym to pump some wrist iron and bulk them up. It’s just not happening.I like hiking on the weekends, but that’s as far as my exercise goes. All of the above basically means that most Panerai ...
Dear Tudor, Bring Back The Prince Oysterdate Submariner 94110
Is this perhaps the most obvious Bring Back request so far? There certainly is a vocal community out there that would love to see a return of the Tudor Prince Oysterdate Submariner. And though is perhaps not keen on the overlap, having clearly differentiated the Tudor dive watches from its own by creating the Pelagos and Black Bay lines, wouldn't it just be fantastic to see this vintage icon make a comeback? There is something so uniquely charming about the vintage Tudor Submariner watches. It comes from the more daring approach that took with its sister brand. Not afraid to mix it up, there are plenty of different dial-and-hand configurations out there. But if I could ask for just one to ...
Hands-On: Omega Globemaster Annual Calendar Green Dial
The Globemaster Annual Calendar debuted in 2016, and not too long ago, it received a few dial updates. One of them is the green-dialed model that I have here, reference 130.33.41.22.10.001. To tell the truth, when the 41mm Globemaster Annual Calendar came out in 2016, I wasn't immediately a fan. I love the 39mm Globemaster, but the annual-calendar version that came one year later had a few things about it that I didn't appreciate. The 12 months written on the dial was the most notable one, as I found that the text was too in-your-face. At least that’s how it looked in the press images.But as soon as I put the watch on my wrist, I found that it wasn’t disturbing at all. There are ...
Why, Oh Why Didn't I Buy The Speedmaster "Speedy Tuesday"?
Back in December 2016, RJ showed me a prototype of the Omega Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Limited Edition. I congratulated him on a fantastic achievement and watch and then forgot to do one important thing - immediately start composing a financial plan so I could buy once it went live online. That proved catastrophic. The absence of a plan made me hesitate when the watch launched at noon on January 9th, 2017. And because my doubt lasted longer than the four hours it took to sell the 2,012 pieces, I missed out. When you snooze, you lose, I know. When I occasionally see the “Speedy Tuesday” LE here at Fratello HQ, I can still feel the regret that I didn't act more cleverly and decisi...
Fratello Is Hiring! Office Manager With A Bookkeeping Focus
Once more, we are looking to expand our team. Fratello keeps on growing, and with that, we need to expand the administrative side of our business to ensure smooth operations on all fronts. If you'd like to join our growing team as our office manager, read onFratello is one of the most read and fastest-growing online watch magazines in the world. Join our team of watch enthusiasts focused on creating original and opinionated content. We produce videos, podcasts, social media content, and - of course - articles for our magazine. In order to keep on growing sustainably, we are looking for a new team member to help us on the administrative front with a focus on accounting.While the office manage...
Tissot Introduces Three 40mm Seastar 1000 Models
Although most Fratello readers love mechanical watches, none of us can deny the convenience of quartz. I’d even venture a guess that a majority of us have at least one grab-and-go quartz watch in our collections. Whether it’s a budget-friendly beater or a higher-end piece, there’s comfort in knowing that one watch is always ready to go when you’re scrambling to put clothes on before bolting out the door. Well, that’s assuming that the battery hasn’t suddenly died, leaving you wearing nothing but a wrist weight and mismatched socks to boot! Regardless, Tissot has got you covered with three 40mm additions to the Seastar 1000 line.These three new watches offe...
Pre-Owned Breguet Might Be The Best-Kept Secret
Exactly two months ago, I mused about a Breguet Tradition 7027 in my “Watch Resolutions For 2023” article. And even earlier, I also did so in another Pre-Owned Spotlight article on Breguet. Well, it seems I can tick that box already because I bought a pre-owned Breguet Tradition 7027BA from around 2010 last week.RJ’s Breguet Tradition 7027BABreguet Tradition 7027The Breguet watch arrived last Friday (some of you might have seen it on my private Instagram account already), and I think I was jumping around in the office for the rest of the day. My colleagues were probably rolling their eyes at some point, but I couldn’t hide my enthusiasm and happiness. A few months ago...
The New Hamilton Jazzmaster Performer Chronograph
Hamilton has just unveiled a new line in its popular Jazzmaster collection. Meet the Jazzmaster Performer range. This family of sport-chic steel watches includes four 42mm chronographs alongside three 38mm and four 34mm three-hand automatics. The chronographs immediately caught our eye with their Daytona-esque aesthetic, so we got hold of the black- and white-dial versions to take a closer look.The JazzmasterThe Jazzmaster has long been a staple collection in the Hamilton lineup to serve the market taste with a broad appeal. With over 200 everyday timepieces in its compilation, the Jazzmaster is all things to all people. From basic quartz models to the “flippable” Face 2 Face mod...
Breitling's Dark SuperOcean Automatic 44 UK Limited Edition
Hot off the heels of the stealthy Chronomat from February, Breitling brings another muted-tone beauty for March. The latest exclusive limited edition for the UK market is the SuperOcean Automatic 44. Like the aforementioned Chronomat, Breitling pairs this SuperOcean’s black dial with an anthracite hue. However, instead of chronograph counters, the SuperOcean features lacquered anthracite on the inner 60-minute scale. Juxtaposing the vibrant dials of SuperOcean's latest generation, the new 500-piece limited edition cuts a contemporary look. You could say the new model is more “boardroom” than “beach” but still carries that surf-and-suntan spirit.In the main stain...
New: Minase Horizon GEN DLC Limited Edition
At Fratello, we have a particular taste for the creations of Japanese brand Minase. We have done two collaborations that seemed to resonate with many of you. Today, I would like to introduce you to another limited-edition Minase, though Fratello had no input this time. For this watch, Minase took its popular Horizon model and gave it the DLC treatment.Let's have a quick look at this latest introduction from Minase, limited to just 25 pieces.Minase Horizon GEN DLCThe inspiration for this limited-edition Minase model is the Japanese word gen (), which translates to “depth,” “darkness,” “mystery,” or “black.” Well, nomen est omen, am I right? Min...
Introducing: The Second Christopher Ward C65 Dune GMT
If you are a regular reader of Fratello, you might be aware of my love for the Christopher Ward C65 Dune GMT that came out last year. The black-dial limited edition of 200 pieces was one of my absolute favorites of 2023. It’s also a release that I unfortunately missed out on. However, the team at Christopher Ward shared that there would be a new version in 2024. That new version of the C65 Dune GMT is out now, and it features a sand-colored dial with khaki-green details. Is this the perfect follow-up to the watch that I missed? In other words, will this be my next watch? It’s time to find out more.To answer that last question immediately, a hands-on with the new C65 Dune GMT will...
Hands-On: The Praesidus DD-45
Praesidus is one of the go-to names if you are looking for a vintage-inspired military watch. In a relatively short time, the brand has created a reputation for recreating some of the best military watches accompanied by great stories. Now Praesidus is ready to launch another new series of watches. The Praesidus DD-45 is inspired by some of the most famous military watches that ever existed. But this release is not just one watch. Praesidus will offer three different versions, allowing customers to pick their preferred aged aesthetic. Let’s find out more!When it comes to military-inspired watches, the first name that pops up for me is Praesidus. That’s not because of any actual m...
New: The Seiko Prospex Marinemaster SLA081
Seiko regularly surprises us with new limited editions. Typically, they are variations of existing models that introduce new dials and eye-catching colors. But sometimes, a limited series is more than that. With the introduction of today’s new trio of watches, Seiko treats us to a few firsts that fans will certainly love. The most important news is the release of the Seiko Prospex Marinemaster SLA081. It’s a new high-end titanium Marinemaster model based on the brand’s 1968 Diver. On top of that, we get the new SPB511, a variation of the popular modern take on the 62MAS, as well as the SPB509, another version of the Prospex GMT diver. Let’s find out more!Before we get...