The JLC Reverso is one of the most admirable watches around. It's one of the few concepts in horological history that constitutes its own category that few dare to copy. ?You could mimic a Reverso, but you run the risk of looking ridiculous (of course, as a vintage collector, I have seen some similar concepts but none quite like the slide-out-and-back-on-itself that makes the Reverso so robust and

I thought I was totally over white dials. I thought I had given in to the dark side. Give me black dials, green dials, even a moody blue, and I’ll be happy. I really didn’t expect to be charmed by this goody-two-shoes, butter-wouldn’t-melt, choirboy of a watch. But I can’t help it. There is something about the levity of this design that just kind of works. Let’s dive

For the past few years, there's been one thing you can bank on: Breitling nailing its new releases. Under George Kern, the brand has gone from strength to strength, leaving a rocky start to the relationship that saw the startling redesign of the Navitimer in its rearview mirror. Now, the focus is on the AVI collection, which has, over the past couple of years, defined its own design language with

The Greubel Forsey Double Balancier Convexe is not a name that rolls easily off the tongue. But without even seeing the watch, you just know what's coming. If your collection consists of scratched-up G-Shocks and military field watches, you'll have one of two reactions. For me, it’s like listening to my wife, the astrophysics buff, talk about black holes and neutron stars. I’m simply l

We like to talk about vintage watches a lot within the Fratello team. Though most of what we write about is primarily focused on the most recent releases and developments, for many of us, a lot of the fun can be found in the sometimes weird and often wonderful world of vintage watches. It’s a world full of history, remarkable watches, incredible stories, and quirky details. It inspired us to

Seiko has been on a GMT kick lately. While the Seiko 5 GMTs were a fan favorite from last year, the new Prospex “Baby Marinemaster” and “Sumo” diver GMTs are great additions to the catalog. One item is missing, though - a true mechanical traveler's watch. One with a rotating bezel. It's time for the Japanese giant to give the people what they want. Dear Seiko, please bring

Yesterday, NASA astronaut Thomas P. Stafford (September 17th, 1930 March 18th, 2024) passed away at age 93. Stafford was one of the 24 astronauts who flew to the Moon. Before the Apollo program, he was part of the Gemini 6A and Gemini 9A missions.Apollo 10 astronaut Tom Stafford touches Snoopy for good luck just before the launch on May 18th, 1969 - Image: NASA.Apollo 10 SnoopyTom Stafford was the

Last July, Omega decided it was time to introduce the watch for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Ben wrote about the new Seamaster Diver 300M Paris 2024 edition here. The combination of the white dial and Moonshine Gold bezel insert struck a chord with me, but it wasn't until a few months later when I spent time in Switzerland for a golf tournament that I could try it.Seamaster Diver 300M Paris 20

Watch enthusiasm is often marked with periods of restlessness. A desire to expand a watch collection can lead to either a sense of achievement or sometimes regret. Before taking the plunge, it is also worth considering a colorful watch strap to mix up the look of your existing collection. It could save you thousands.It has been muggy here in Sydney lately, with summer-like storms lingering and per

Welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air. This week, we discuss flying on airplanes with our vintage watches and why we avoid it. We also cover several other watch-related topics before and after the main subject. Enjoy the show!

As you may have read on Fratello before, Seiko is celebrating the 100th anniversary of having this brand name on its watches’ dials this year. The house is introducing limited anniversary editions of new models throughout the year to commemorate this. Today, the Astron line sees a big new release, including an anniversary LE.These are the Seiko Astron SSH151, SSH153, SSH155, and the limited

Une folle journee is French for a crazy day. When you first put a Trilobe Une Folle Journee on your wrist, it is not a normal day anymore, even though it might have started like any other. That's quite an achievement for the young Parisian watch brand. The Crazy Day with its time displayed by three elevated circles is not new, but the Trilobe Une Folle Journee Rhodium-Plated Editions in black, blu

After spending time with the Submariner ref. 5508 and the A. Lange & Sohne 1815 Chronograph, I get yet another chance to explore a personal grail watch today. Yes, life can be good when you have special access to some of the world's finest watches. This time, I got to strap on a 1978 Patek Philippe Nautilus ref. 3700/1A.Again, the stakes are high. Does spending time with the Nautilus cement i

A little while ago we published this article about affordable vintage moon phase watches. It is no secret that when I was writing that article, I just acquired a vintage moon phase watch myself and all the material I gathered during the research process formed the backbone of the article. The acquired watch with moon phase complication needed a watchmaker badly, or as our contributor Gerard Nijenb

Chronoswiss presented a couple of new models at BaselWorld 2015, which can be divided into two categories. One is the somewhat modern sporty collection (a.o. a collaboration with German band Fanta4) that will speak to a young – and perhaps new – generation of watch enthusiasts and then there is the more classic line-up, that seems to be designed and developed in the spirit of Chronoswi

As an admitted Seiko nut, I've always had a hard time with the brand's release strategy at Baselworld. Sure, they release the new Grand Seiko pieces and cover the Astron line, but hardcore devotees of the brand are usually left wanting when it comes to the sports-related pieces: especially Prospex. Well, I am here to tell you that while Seiko did not bring everything Prospex-related to Basel, they

The Breguet Marine Chronographe ref. 5823 was introduced to us today in BaselWorld and it commemorates the 200th anniversary of Abraham-Louis Breguet’s work as chronometer-maker to the French Royal Navy. King Louis XVIII appointed Breguet for this important job (remember that marine chronometers were essential to navigate ships at sea at the time) on October 27th in 1815.While I believe that

At last year's Baselworld, Blaise and I visited Fortis as we really hadn't made contact with the brand during the last several years. We were pretty impressed with their new offerings at the time and their overall range. In fact, I reviewed the then-new Tycoon chronograph and Blaise reviewed a Monolith. We enjoyed the watches, and therefore, were looking forward to the Fortis Baselworld 2016 relea

The story of Armand Nicolet begins around 1875 in Tramelan, Switzerland, a little town in the Bernese Jura. Armand Nicolet, son of a watchmaker, after a brilliant? apprenticeship set up his Atelier d'Horlogerie.Between the 30’s and the 70’s Armand Nicolet had one of the most specialised ateliers in the T1 process (the finishing, assembling and fine setting of all these parts to create

Introduced at the CES 2018 of Las Vegas early this year, The X-ONE H1 is the Swiss answer to Smartwatches. It is combining a Swiss mechanical movement with an electronic module to enhance the mechanical functions of the watch.Conex Watches SA launched on February 27th on Kickstarter an iconic watch in which the digital empowers the mechanical movement. At a starting price of $750 on Kickstarter fo