Unimatic Introduces The New Modello Quattro U4S-T-HS
Unimatic is on a roll! The brand has been releasing a lot of new timepieces over these past few weeks and months. The remarkable thing is that a lot of them not only offer new designs but also new functions. The latest addition to the impressive list of team efforts with other brands and retailers is the Unimatic Modello Quattro U4S-T-HS. The watch is a collaboration with the renowned Canadian outdoor brand Henry Singer. This first GMT version of the brand’s fixed-bezel Modello Quattro required a new approach to the brand’s GMT designs. And it probably comes as no surprise that it looks really good.Can something that you love dearly become old quickly? This is the question I cons...
Fratello Buying Guide: Omega Speedmaster Professional 145.022
For many enthusiasts, a vintage Omega Speedmaster Professional is the way to go, despite the current Moonwatch ticking a lot of boxes as well. You should be able to find a nice Speedmaster Professional reference 145.022 for an attractive price, and this buying guide should help you with the things you need to know.The Speedmaster Professional 145.022 is a sought-after reference that was in production for a long time (1968C1988). It consisted of several iterations, each with small updates. Today, we’ll guide you through the different iterations, how to distinguish them, and how to identify the production year.Omega Speedmaster Professional 145.022Let’s also make it clear right fro...
The New Limited-Edition Bremont Broadsword Recon
Just yesterday, I received word from Bremont HQ - The Wing - in Henley-on-Thames that a new watch would be debuting today. This is the very same watch that I have the pleasure to introduce to you now - the Bremont Broadsword Recon. This watch is the latest addition to the British (with a capital B) brand’s Armed Forces collection. This series of watches form part of Bremont’s close bond with the Ministry of Defense (MOD). They are the civilian counterparts to the watches that Bremont makes for the British military. The watch in question today is a limited-edition model, so only 200 pieces will be created and sold. Now, the brand’s motto is “tested beyond endurance....
Fratello On Air: New Watches And A Lot Of Nivada
Fratello On Air is here with loads of new watches in this episode. No, it’s not Watches and Wonders, but it’s busy nonetheless! There’s a new Fratello collaboration and even a MoonSwatch!...
Why Should You Buy Used If You Can Afford A Brand-New Watch?
Of course, it’s nice to peel the stickers off of a brand-new watch. In the end, we’re all a bunch of magpies who want to get their hands on the next shiny thing. But in some instances, it might be more sensible to go for a pre-owned watch instead of a brand-new one.When I look at my collection, it’s a “healthy” mix of watches that I bought pre-owned and watches I bought brand-spanking new. Obviously, it’s no exact science, but sometimes it just makes more sense - at least to me - to buy a specific watch new and another pre-owned. I’d like to share my view on this matter with you today.Resale valueLast week, Thomas published an excellent beginner̵...
Fratello Buying Guide: Omega Speedmaster Professional 145.022
For many enthusiasts, a vintage Omega Speedmaster Professional is the way to go, despite the current Moonwatch ticking a lot of boxes as well. You should be able to find a nice Speedmaster Professional reference 145.022 for an attractive price, and this buying guide should help you with the things you need to know.The Speedmaster Professional 145.022 is a sought-after reference that was in production for a long time (1968C1988). It consisted of several iterations, each with small updates. Today, we’ll guide you through the different iterations, how to distinguish them, and how to identify the production year.Omega Speedmaster Professional 145.022Let’s also make it clear right fro...
Fratello Buying Guide: Omega Speedmaster Professional 145.022
For many enthusiasts, a vintage Omega Speedmaster Professional is the way to go, despite the current Moonwatch ticking a lot of boxes as well. You should be able to find a nice Speedmaster Professional reference 145.022 for an attractive price, and this buying guide should help you with the things you need to know.The Speedmaster Professional 145.022 is a sought-after reference that was in production for a long time (1968C1988). It consisted of several iterations, each with small updates. Today, we’ll guide you through the different iterations, how to distinguish them, and how to identify the production year.Omega Speedmaster Professional 145.022Let’s also make it clear right fro...
Available Now: RZE Fratello Resolute Pro "Contour"
I am very excited to announce that the RZE Fratello Resolute Pro “Contour” is available to pre-order now in the Fratello Shop. This launch is something new for Fratello regarding price point, and it all came to life off the back of community feedback. We’ve been truly humbled by the support from the Fratelli over the past couple of years on every project we’ve released. We appreciate that not all of these projects have been equally accessible to everyone, and we wanted to do something to change that.I have been a fan of RZE for quite some time. Honestly, I cannot recall the first of RZE’s watches I saw in hand and tried on, but I know that I’ve been equall...
#TBT Excelsior Park "Olimpico" Chronograph With Pulsation Scale
Excelsior Park holds quite a special place in watchmaking history. It was a fine-quality watch manufacturer, but the company’s name remains unknown to many today. The reason is simple: EP mostly delivered cases and movements to other familiar watch brands, including Zenith, Girard-Perregaux, and Gallet.Applying the rule of thumb when randomly browsing vintage watch dealers or auction sites, you bump into 50 other-branded EP watches before you run across a fully branded Excelsior Park watch. And we are not even talking about the watch’s condition yet, which would increase the ratio. For the record, this estimate is purely subjective and based on my browsing habits and preferences....
An Ultra-Rare Cartier Crash Skeleton Extra Large Surfaces
Have you ever seen a Crash live? If you have, you will agree with me that this very peculiar Cartier creation is something special. Do you know what's even more special than “any old” Cartier Crash? A skeletonized Cartier Crash Skeleton Extra Large limited edition in platinum, that’s what. Only 10 were made in 2017 in honor of a special exhibition on Cartier watchmaking. World-famous architect Norman Foster curated 170 exhibits for the Cartier in Motion showcase at the Design Museum London. The creation of a special, skeletonized Crash in platinum seemed both celebratory and appropriate in many ways. The skeletonized look does have some architectural qualities, for instance...
The Best Watches Under $1,000 Available Today: Thomas's Picks
The sub-$1,000 segment used to be teeming with amazing watches from microbrands and long-established mainstream brands alike. Today, a lot of them have crossed the $1K mark. It can almost make you feel as if $1,000 isn’t a boatload of money, which it is, especially if it’s all in pennies. Jokes aside, although there may be fewer obvious contenders than before, I think we should still set the bar quite high. These are my three subjective picks for the best watches under $1,000 that are available today.Of course, you expand your options by venturing into the secondhand market. For this series, however, we chose not to. Each writer will share what he feels are the best watches avail...
Ploprof Vs. Ploprof: A Double Hands-On With The 1200M Diver
The Seamaster Ploprof is partially famous for being on the wrist of FIAT boss Gianni Agnelli. Many think Agnelli wore his Ploprof over his cuff because he thought it was stylish, but it was actually because of his allergic reactions to metal on his skin.Gianni Agnelli wearing his Omega Ploprof in St. Moritz back in 1979Despite him doing this out of necessity, many have praised and copied Agnelli's wearing style and still do, even today. I have never dared to do it (it just looks a bit weird), and I don't suffer from any metal allergies either, so it's not necessary.Omega Seamaster 600 “Ploprof”The Seamaster PloprofThe Omega Seamaster 600 “Ploprof” (short for “Pl...
Fratello Talks: Watch Marketing Past, Present, And Future
Welcome to Fratello Talks. This week, you join your host Nacho alongside RJ and Lex to discuss the evolution of watch marketing. The idea of marketing watches has been around since selling them became a lucrative endeavor. Since then, we have seen the watch industry’s efforts take many different forms, from posters to print ads, television spots to ambassadors, and the many different ways that watch brands are involved in the world of sports. Today, the guys examine many of these aspects and discuss examples that they find memorable, effective, and downright cool. They also list some examples of not-so-effective marketing. Finally, they do some wishful thinking for its future. But all ...
Fratello's Top 5 Jaeger-LeCoulter Reverso Models
Another Friday, another list! Multiple people on the Fratello team own or have owned a Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso. One of them is Daan, who has a beautiful Reverso Classic Medium Duoface Small Seconds. He usually wears it on a leather and canvas Casa Fagliano strap. Last week, though, he swapped it for an Arroway mesh bracelet, which looks awesome. One photo of that combination suddenly resulted in a massive Reverso search in the Fratello offices. At the end of that search, one of the main takeaways was that there are so many Reversos to choose from, it can almost be overwhelming. That’s why we have lined up our top five Reverso models for this week’s list.The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reve...
Every Watch Brand Sponsorship For The 2025 Formula 1 Season
It’s my favorite and, I’m sure, many of our readers’ most anticipated time of the year - the start of the Formula 1 season. Even with a record 24 Grand Prix races last year and six Sprint races preceding the main event, the winter break felt long. Also, 2025 marks the 75th anniversary of the first F1 world championship season in 1950, which had its first race at Silverstone Circuit in the UK. Grand Prix racing existed before 1950 but not as a world drivers’ championship as it is now. Formula 1 held a pre-season event at London’s O2 Arena to celebrate this milestone, with all teams showing off liveries for the upcoming season. The event was perhaps a bit too flas...
Hands-On: The New Fortis Novonaut N-42 Titanium Legacy
I have become somewhat of “the Fortis Novonaut guy” at Fratello. Not on purpose, I might add. But I must say I am quite a fan of Fortis’s latest version of its chronograph for space explorers. The Novonaut series debuted in October 2023 as the follow-up to the famous B-42 Cosmonauts Chronograph. After three initial stainless steel models, Fortis released the Novonaut AMADEE-24 Mars Analog Mission Timer. That titanium limited edition showed what a lightweight Novonaut could offer. The new Fortis Novonaut N-42 Titanium Legacy edition is the regular-production version of that watch. It combines the best traits of the AMADEE-24 and the stainless steel Legacy Edition, resulting ...
Speedy Tuesday The Rise of the Omega Speedmaster Reduced
A while ago,?I wrote a comparison article between the Omega Speedmaster Professional and the so-called Omega Speedmaster Reduced (officially it was just called Speedmaster Automatic). I’ve noticed that over the last couple of years, the interest in the Omega Speedmaster Reduced increased quite a bit. Actually, when I retrieved all the information on the interest in Omega Speedmaster watches over 2015 on Chrono24, the classifieds offering the reference 3510/3810 (Omega Speedmaster Reduced and its Schumacher editions) for sale received over 270.000 unique visits.When I just started collecting (and focussing on Speedmasters) in the mid-1990s, the Speedmaster Reduced was actually considere...
Hands-on Suissemecanica SM8 Chrono Review
A couple of months ago I ran into Juliana Renoult, the co-founder and art director of Suissemecanica. I heard about these watches, I saw them on pictures, but I never saw one in the flesh. I was impressed and asked if I could have one for review. Not much later, a large box arrived with their Suissemecanica SM8 Chrono inside. Let’s have a look.Suissemecanica SM8 ChronoThere are niche brands that people tend to buy when they have their share of , IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Panerai etc. watches. There are also people that want to be different and only buy brands that are out of the ordinary. Brands that fall in these categories are (for example) Linde Werdelin, Clerc, Benzinger and then ther...
The 70s: Another Golden Era for the Heuer Carrera
The new Carrera automatic chronograph excited motorsport lovers ??Ferrari racing drivers preferred it in goldMotorsport has always been in the DNA of the Heuer Carrera, which was named after an auto race. Heuer began an innovative partnership with Ferrari in the 1970s. The gold Carrera chronograph, which was given to each Ferrari driver in the Formula One race, became a symbol of the natural symbiosis at Heuer between timekeeping and auto racing. Heuer Carrera automatic chronograph in 18 karat yellow gold (front and back). Jack Heuer gave this watch in 1972 to the legendary Formula One driver Ronnie Peterson, hence the engraving on the back of the case. The timepiece e...
#TBT Wittnauer 8025 Automatic A Rare 60's 24-Hour Watch
It was at least a couple of years ago on an evening that I found myself cruising the internet. I did the normal thing: news, watch sites, eBay, and some dealer sites. At the time, Menta Watches, a watch dealer, was just beginning, but they had already begun featuring some neat watches. Amongst all the chronographs and es, it was a weird, and admittedly plain, watch that caught my eye. And while I was late to the party and the watch was already on hold, the Wittnauer 8025 had left an impression.When I first spied the Wittnauer 8025, I had just come off of buying an example of one of the brand's fantastic chronographs, the 242T. This led me down a path of looking into the brand's history. I'll...