Re-issue! Re-package! Re-package! as crooned by Morrissey of The Smiths in Paint a Vulgar Picture was actually what came to mind when I first read about today's watch, the Seiko Prospex SRPC49 Black Series. If you're at all familiar with the song (or if you're not), it, in a nutshell, speaks about the endless marketing of a dead pop star by releasing all kinds of limited edition versions of the sa

With the Polaris collection, Jaeger-LeCoultre found a possible solution to attract a younger audience. In the past, the Master Compressor collection was introduced to do that, without much success.The new Polaris collection is inspired by their 1968 Memovox Polaris, as we explained in this article. We already reviewed the limited edition Polaris Memovox? (1000 pieces only), and now it is time to g

In this Sunday morning column, two of our writers go head-to-head in an epic showdown for the ages. Strong opinions and hysterical hyperbole are welcome (so feel free to join in with the fun in the comments section below). And don't forget to let us know which watches you'd like to see torn to shreds/effusively exalted next week. We'll try and feature as many of our readers' choices as we can. Thi

It’s fair to say the Hamilton Intra-Matic gets a lot of airtime on Fratello, but with good reason. Since its (re)release, it has been one of the most praised watches in its segment. Earlier today, we broke the release of the Intra-Matic Chronograph with a green dial. It was an olivine stunner that wowed the team, but what I have for you this evening might top even that… Proving that le

Today is International Women’s Day so, in honor of women in watchmaking, I thought sharing a recent interview conducted with my friend and former colleague (at Omega and NOMOS), Susanne Kloss, NOMOS Glashutte’s Head of Servicing, would mark this date in style.Rob Nudds: Hi Susanne, thanks for talking to us at Fratellowatches.com. Would you please be kind enough to tell our readers who

Today is a reason to celebrate because Citizen is finally bringing us a high-end mechanical movement. As we’ll see, it will come at a price, but it’s a step in the right direction. Let’s take a look at The Citizen Caliber 0200.If you’re accustomed to reading Fratello, you know that we’re fans of Citizen. Vintage Citizen is my current passion and I'm doing my utmost to

Over the past decade, almost the entire Swiss watch industry has been under a cloud of uncertainty: ETA, the leading supplier of mechanical movements in Switzerland and part of the Swatch Group, has successively been reducing sales of movements to third parties since 2010. For several independent watch brands like Titoni, this has meant that only Sellita in La Chaux-de-Fonds remains as a reliable

Within our team, the Hamilton Intra-Matic Chronograph is a popular beast. I know for a fact that a couple of the Fratelli will be racing out to buy this new green version that, on balance, is one of the best value propositions in the industry today.High praise? Indeed it is. But is it justified? We've all known for a long time that when it comes to branding, genuine heritage, and bang-for-buck, it

The world of auction houses can seem a distant, intimidating, and elite environment simply because of the sales that grab the headlines. Few of us can imagine ponying up the kinds of prices that recent blue-chip watches have commanded when they went under the hammer. But that isn’t to say auction houses are only for the rich and the famous! In fact, luxury watch auctions - whether attended i

OK Fratelli, pop quiz: 39.7 or 42 millimeters - that is the question! Of course, you've already seen the watches in the picture above. But I think those measurements alone would already give away which watches we're talking about. Yes, we’re discussing the Omega Speedmaster. And to be more specific, the First Omega in Space (FOiS) and its bigger brother, the Professional Moonwatch. I never t

Grey can be seen as a nondescriptive and cold color, but in reality, it can be so much more. The razor-sharp Audi RS color Nardo Grey appearing on vinyl-wrapped M3s by arch-rival BMW only underlines one thing. Like the new look for the Oris Big Crown Pointer Date, there is an inherent elegance to a sharp grey that just works. But, there are an equal amount of grey items that will look at home in a

Fratello On Air is here with another vintage-focused episode. This time, we talk about our favorite models from Certina. If you enjoyed our previous episode on Tissot, this will be right up your alley.Before Balazs and Mike get to the heart of the matter, there is some news related to current events. Then, it’s time to move on to what has become a tradition - the Handgelenks Kontrolle.Handge

Two years ago, the young German brand Vandaag released its first watch. It was the quartz version of the Schallmauer we see here today. Its timeless design combined with some interesting details set it apart from other microbrand offerings and saw it gain popularity. The brand followed up with other models, including the Tiefsee dive watch. Now, two years after its launch, Vandaag brings back its

As a consumer of fine watches, I think watch brands can hit the nail on the head in different ways. This can be in design, movements, historical accuracy, and - most relevant to the watch we will discuss in this article - fit and feel. The Breitling Emergency II, while undoubtedly very capable, suffered from a size that was just not viable to regular consumers. At 51mm in diameter and almost 22mm

Bamford is the king of collaborations, but the British brand has come a long way from coating customers’ watches in its proprietary Military Grade Titanium Coating (MGTC) layer. These days, Bamford creates bespoke watch designs for a variety of applications. Its Automatic GMT watch is helpful for travelers and global liaisons alike. Therefore, Bamford’s latest collab with British shirt

TAG Heuer Carrera reissues are still hot, with a generous choice of reimagined chronographs available. And TAG Heuer is getting it right. With the release of the 39mm panda-dial limited edition for the LVMH Watch Week in January, I felt a tickling sensation of desire, but it still felt a bit big. Don't get me wrong; the sharp-lugged 39mm case we have seen in the Silver 160th, Monte Carlo, and gree

It has been a long day today (Tuesday), traveling this morning from our Fratello offices in The Hague to the Paradeplatz in Zurich. But not as long as the day was for some of those who queued up to cop one of the new MoonSwatch Mission to the Moon models with the Moonshine Gold chronograph seconds hand. The first customers already queued up at 3:00 AM, while the special location only opened up at

Seiko has graced us before with a Naomi Uemura limited edition. Back in 2021, the brand celebrated the 80th birthday of the Japanese explorer. Unfortunately, he disappeared after reaching the summit of Mt. Denali in 1984 at age 43, but he left behind a great legacy in exploration. Today, we see the release of the next limited edition in honor of Uemura. The Seiko Prospex SLA069 celebrates the conq

We are all aware of Seiko’s great stream of new releases. Most of them are in line with what we know from the brand, but sometimes, Seiko manages to really shock us. Today, the brand expands its popular Prospex collection with three more models. But they are not just simply three additions to Seiko’s collection of dive watches. With the Prospex SPB381, SPB383, and SPB385, Seiko introdu

Another Friday, another Top 5! It’s time for the third installment of our mini-series focusing on pre-owned sleeper watches. In it, we want to highlight some less obvious watches from different brands. Some of these are watches you may never have heard of, while others might be good reminders of forgotten greats. In this week’s article, we will look at some great classics from the past