Hands-On: The Tadaima By Mr Jones Watches
Sometimes, a watch brings something very different from actual time-telling. And when it hits all the right notes, the watch might as well be an artwork for your living room, but it's on your wrist and happens to tell the time.This is the modus operandi for the British company Mr Jones Watches and its fresh design output. We have reviewed The Promise of Happiness and “A perfectly useless afternoon,” both collaborative efforts with artists and illustrators. For me, this is an eclectic, fun, and deeply thought-provoking take on watchmaking. By going hands-on with the Tadaima, I am transported to one of my bucket-list destinations, Tokyo.The backstory of the TadaimaAt first glance, ...
The Christopher Ward Oracle Time C65 Dune Shoreline
Earlier this week, we covered the introduction of the new Christopher Ward C65 Dune GMT. It’s a watch I can’t wait to find out more about soon in a hands-on review. In the meantime, the brand has released another noteworthy new C65 Dune model. Christopher Ward and Oracle Time present the new C65 Dune Shoreline. It’s a stylish version of the C65 Dune Automatic that will be produced in a limited run of 100 pieces. The watch celebrates the 10th anniversary of Oracle Time, which, for those who don’t know, is a British watch-and-luxury-lifestyle publication. That’s more than enough reason for a collaborative watch with British watch brand Christopher Ward. It’s...
Hands-On: The Zenith Pilot Automatic And Big Date Flyback
Zenith presented a fully redesigned and thoroughly modernized Pilot range at Watches and Wonders last year. Although many of our team members had a chance to try them on at the fair, we had not yet done a full hands-on article on Fratello. We figured it was long overdue! So, now that there is a new Boutique Edition Zenith Pilot duo, we set that straight.Our own Brandon, however, did write a very thorough introduction article last year. He went about as deep into the redesigned Zenith Pilot as one can go without having the watches in hand. I will, then, only very briefly reintroduce the basics before focusing primarily on what these watches are like in real life and on the wrist. If you want ...
Hands-On:The New Citizen Tsuyosa 37mm
The Citizen Tsuyosa lineup has always impressed us as an absolute sweet spot in the market. I struggle to think of any watch offering more for the price. The Tsuyosa collection, then, can make you think twice about anything fancier. So what if you want all of that but in a more classical, elegant size? If that sounds like you, you will like what Citizen shows us today - the Citizen Tsuyosa 37mm!The new size comes in three cool colors, some new and some familiar. You can have your pick of ice blue, pastel pink, or dark green. I got a chance to try them all, and here's how we got along.The new Citizen Tsuyosa 37mm's lineageThe new Citizen Tsuyosa 37mm models will look familiar to most. Both st...
Hands-On: The Ollech & Wajs C-1000 A
When Ollech & Wajs released the C-1000 A, I knew I had to spend some time with it. This watch is an interesting one that pays homage to the brand’s groundbreaking Caribbean 1000 from 1964.Ollech & Wajs is a brand that does not enter the mainstream conversation much, which is a shame because there’s much to appreciate. The company has a good history of producing tool watches that were often loved by soldiers and adventurers the world over. The brand was founded in 1956 by Joseph Ollech and Albert Wajs. It’s crazy to think that just eight years later, in 1964, Ollech & Wajs would go on to introduce the Caribbean 1000. This was a watch that had a certified depth ra...
Hands-On: The Holthinrichs Ornament Nouveau
At the end of 2023, Michiel Holthinrichs showed me the first sketches of his new Ornament watches at his atelier in the center of Delft, here in the Netherlands. In May 2024, he finally felt confident enough to officially announce the watches. I hadn’t seen them in real life yet, though, so I was very excited to visit the Holthinrichs team again recently and get a good look at the all-new Ornament models. Lex already went over the “entry-level” Signature Ornament watches with the multi-level dials and the CNC-machined swooping lugs. Today, I’ll mainly focus on the 3D-printed Signature Lab Series and the impressive Ornament Nouveau.However, I’ll start with a watc...
Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumire Rebirth With A Boom!
Angelus is one of those brands that should ring a bell, at least if you are into vintage watches. Besides their own chronographs and other complications, Angelus was also the supplier of movements to brands like Panerai back in the days. With an impressive array of movements and world-firsts in watchmaking, the brand couldn’t survive the 1970s due to the nifty quartz pieces that were made by other brands. There was no need any more for mechanical watches that couldn’t perform with the same accuracy as those battery-operated watches.Above: Angelus Chronodato Triple Date calendar watch in 18 carat gold, auctioned by Antiquorum.Have a look at Chrono24 or eBay and you will find some ...
Manufacture Vulcain: The Cricket Alarm Wristwatch
Swiss manufacture since 1858In 1858, the Ditisheim brothers made a grand entrance onto the watchmaking scene: their Manufacture was immediately noted for the quality of its products: complication watches, chronometers and chronographs, which receive international acclaim at the World Fairs in Paris, Chicago and Barcelona.Vulcain Manufacture in Le Locle, SwitzerlandThe Cricket alarm caliberAlmost a century later, Vulcain launched the first Cricket mechanical alarm movement, which soon achieved worldwide fame. It was equipped with what would become the legendary Cricket caliber. For the very first time, watchmakers and scientists had succeeded in making a functional and efficient mechanical al...
#TBT The Sinn Chronograph Tachymeter Hands-on with an Obscure Reference That's Still Available
In today's installment of #TBT, we'll take a closer look at a watch that is still technically on the market although buying it is a bit difficult outside of Germany the Sinn Chronograph Tachymeter. This is a watch that gathers near universal praise whenever I post a picture on Instagram, but the plaudits are normally followed by questions of what is that and where can I buy one? Have no fear, Fratello Watches is here to shed some light on a watch that Robert-Jan previewed all the way back in late Summer 2012 when the watch debuted. Personally speaking, this article is a nice opportunity to share info on a watch that I actually find to be one of Sinn's best it's just a shame that it's so obsc...
A New Oris Aquis The Oris Source of Life Limited Edition
The Aquis is a bread and butter piece for Oris. A popular divers watch with a great price-quality ratio and aesthetics that are very likable by a large audience. Of the 12 different Aquis models (each with several different executions, with a total of 57 including 6 for ladies), 6 models are designated as ‘limited edition’. A quick look in their catalog learns me that of the 57 different Aquis models, 10 watches are limited editions., each around 2000 pieces only. That’s about 20.000 limited edition Aquis watches, from their bread and butter collection. There is no official number on the total annual production of Oris, but 20.000 watches is very substantial for them. Is th...
Grand Seiko Announces 60th Anniversary Models
Perhaps the most recognizable luxury watchmaking brand in Japan has just passed its 60th anniversary. Since its inception, Grand Seiko has been a pioneer in the fields of technology and aesthetics. There are few brands whose component finishing is as well-regarded as the masters’ of GS. And now, to mark a very important birthday in Japanese culture, Grand Seiko is debuting a rush of novelties.It can be hard to put into words the extreme admiration a watch lover can feel for their favorite brand. To verbalize what is often a completely visceral emotion can make a man or woman sound mad. But for many of us, it is totally understandable. Fans of Grand Seiko will surely be pleased to see t...
Porco Rosso Presage Limited Editions From Seiko
Porco Rosso is one of my favorite films from Studio Ghibli.?If you don't know what I'm talking about after reading the article, please go on Netflix and watch the movie. You will not regret it, I promise.When I received the news about these unique timepieces by Seiko, I was more than excited. Especially that they come from the brand's Presage line, which I have genuinely loved since their first creations came out in 2016.?Many of you probably remember the Shippo enamel watches with those mesmerizing deep blue dials. Or the new Arita porcelain dial Presage models. With these previous timepieces, Seiko saluted the Japanese artisans who created these beautiful masterpieces using time-honored te...
Forstner Rivet Bracelet Brings Comfort, Quality-Machining, And Vintage Vibes To Your Wrist
The only question I had when I received a couple of Forstner rivet bracelets in the mail, was which watches I wouldn’t be trying them on… A rush of excitement greeted me when I unwrapped this latest design from my favorite after-market bracelet manufacturer and I spent the next two days taking it to pieces and reassembling it, before flipping it between six different watches. It finally found an unlikely home on my oversized Seiko Samurai, otherwise known as the SRPE33 Save the Ocean model.Don’t misunderstand me here: it didn’t take me six attempts to find a watch that suited the Forstner rivet - far from it. In fact, all six I tried would have been glad of it. But it...
Why Did My Omega Speedmaster Tintin Increase 431% In Value?
Introduced in 2013 as a Speedmaster Professional Racing, but we soon found out it wasn’t a “Racing”, at all. Omega told us the red and white checkered minute track was a reference to the rocket of Tintin’s “Explorers on the Moon”. Here on Fratello, the watch was immediately dubbed Speedmaster Tintin.You all know the story about the Speedmaster Tintin. We covered it in 2013 here and a larger article in 2016 here. We even received a legal letter from Herge’s “protectors” if we could remove it from our website (here). The Omega Speedmaster Tintin 311.30.42.30.01.004 has since then become a very collectible piece. But that wasn’t always...
Breitling Debuts #BreitlingSelect A Novel Watch Subscription Program
Being separated from our watchmaking partners can be difficult. Most of what we see and hear from the brands takes the form of new releases when they are revealed to the world (or sometimes slightly before that). Without the movement of people, the rumor mill runs dry. Non-physical developments made by brands are easy to miss unless the brand communicates them directly. One brand that has made a good fist of that during this Covid-stricken era, is Breitling. And now the brand unveils a novel watch subscription program we hope will be of interest to readers, enabling an Authorized-Dealer-starved clientele to “try before they buy”.Last year, Breitling announced its new blockchain s...
Download Your Free March Mania Bracket And Join The Party!
If you’re enjoying the March Mania contest, we’ve got a little something for you to increase the fun! A free, downloadable, printable bracket so you can either follow the competition offline or, better yet, make your own predictions.Why not play along with your watch buddies? Download the bracket here (or by clicking the below image) and share it with your group. Share it on Facebook, LinkedIn, throughout your Red Bar crew, wherever you like! Nail it to lampposts throughout your hometown. Tie it to the backs of stray dogs (please get the appropriate jabs before attempting this), or have it blow up to 100 times its original size and attach it to the back of your Biplane before fly...
March Mania First Round Proper Tudor, Czapek, Seiko, Breguet, And More March On...
Welcome, one and all, to the first round proper 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 first round proper, your task is a bit different from your task in the preliminaries. Below you will find the eight remaining timepieces of each of our Fratello competitors in four head-to-head contests of two timepieces. The seedings in the preliminaries dictate the match-ups. So it’...
New Release: The Relaunch Of The Citizen Series 8
We're back with news of the Citizen Series 8 relaunch and here's something exciting - these watches feature automatic movements! Citizen and mechanical: these are words I won't tire of saying any time soon. Let's take a closer look.In the highly competitive $1,000 to 2,000 price range for mechanical watches, we are spoiled for choice. One noticeable absentee in the running, though, has been Citizen. On the one hand, we haven't been so surprised by this because the brand has been thoroughly committed to Eco-Drive. On the other hand, when people are spending this level of money, they typically want a mechanical movement inside the case. And then there's the gigantic elephant in the corner of t...
Bremont Drops Two New Stealthy Supermarine Models (2022)
Special Ops are silent and unseen. Covertly entering the field, completing the mission, and exiting before anyone knows they were ever there. The cover of night is the Special Forces’ best friend. It allows the team to succeed and survive. Inspired by these high-risk operatives who put their lives on the line for their country, Bremont presents the S502 Jet and the Supermarine Chrono Jet, two robust and tactical timepieces featuring an anti-reflective, black DLC treatment.As a part of the Supermarine family, the two new watches both incorporate vital functions required for use in the field. Specifically, they utilize uni-directional (S502) and bi-directional (Chrono Jet) rotating bezel...
Genteel Handmade Limited Edition Waxed Buttero Leather Straps
When it comes to watch straps from Genteel Handmade, uniqueness is never something you need to question. As every strap is made by hand (and to your personal specifications if you do so desire), you can be sure that the band you receive is one of a kind. Now, however, with the release of the Waxed Buttero Limited Edition leather straps, the brand is pushing its products’ capacity for personalization to the limit.Speaking personally, I am a fan of texture. Textures mean more to me than colors when it comes to choosing clothes, shoes, belts, and even watch straps. Although my wardrobe is notoriously bright, the items that may wow upon first impression because of their color were actually...