Earlier this year, Oris dropped the third generation of the Carl Brashear Limited Edition. As with the previous two Carl Brashear watches, the popular Divers Sixty-Five is the base of this creation. Yet, for the first time, within the bronze Sixty-Five case is a new proprietary Calibre 401 movement. But how does this new watch compare with the regular SW200-powered Sixty-Five?It's now a regular oc

So, March Mania is officially all said and done. Officially, being the keyword here. There were twists and turns along the way and our mighty champion, the Czapek Antarctique, threw us a few curveballs and knocked out some heavy-hitting opponents along the way. At the request of many readers, we decided to see what would have happened if any one of the closely fought contests had gone against our

Leave it to the Italians to come up with something stylish. Is that a cliche? Maybe, but that's what a cliche is all about. The HTD Safarigraph was designed in Firenze but built for the desert. The original colorway of the 39mm retro-chronograph tells of sprezzatura or “studied nonchalance”.It was the Italians that made the Daytona great. Not great again, just great, period. If it hadn

In our beloved industry, “Swiss” is the buzzword. Swiss watches are luxury, but we all know how much of a part China plays in manufacturing watches. Not only small microbrands but also many big names employ Chinese manufacturers to produce large numbers of different parts. Is that a bad thing? No, of course not. But for some shortsighted people, it’s not worthy if it’s not

For quite some time now, quality strap maker Genteel Handmade has been crafting straps designed to work perfectly with Omega deployant clasps. As someone who owns several Omega watches but has never seriously considered wearing any of them on an “official” deployant strap due to the meager and, in my opinion, uninspiring options available, this service interests me. Let’s take a

Fratello On Air returns after a one-week hiatus with Part Two of the new-watch rundown. Balazs and Mike continue to roll through some of the more notable releases from the past month or so.Who doesn’t like a new watch? Well, if you’re like us, the season’s introductions mark an exciting period. Therefore, it was notable enough to mark the occasion with two episodes. Make sure to

The Royal Oak just turned 50. Yes, 50! But hey, if there is any field in which getting old is revered, it’s horology. At the Basel watch fair in 1972, Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak marked the beginning of a new genre for the watch market. It was the birth of an integrated-bracelet luxury sports watch in steel that nowadays cost as much or more than its gold contemporaries.Audemars Piguet

I seem to be on a roll with my newfound love for chronographs. This ’90s El Primero chronograph might be over 20 years old, but it sure doesn't look it. Considering the brand's strong history and the El Primero in particular, what’s the catch? I can’t see any, so it’s no wonder that I've marked three of these as Chrono24 favorites. Is the mid-’90s Zenith Prime the bes

Finally, we get to talk about dial design! Once we finished the case and bracelet, we used our momentum to continue with the dials. As with the case, the desired design direction revealed itself quite quickly. We then took our sweet time to iterate on it and fine-tune it until it felt just right. In this installment of Building A Watch Brand, I am happy to share some of the decision-making involve

The Streamliner by H. Moser & Cie is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable watch designs currently out there. In a sea of generic watches, the Steamliner instantly stands out from the crowd. The unique combination of the case, the bracelet, and the dial design make this a true original. And it has seen quite a few different iterations in the past couple of years. The great success of the St

If you’re a brand like Breguet, you don’t have to update or completely redesign your watches every couple of years. It’s a brand that is very much about tradition, and it doesn’t have to comply with the latest trends. Its designs are rather timeless and very much on the classic side. However, every once in a while, it’s important to stay relevant and also update the m

Off-the-shelf stuff - how do you feel about it? Well, it has its advantages. I mean, a product that's available immediately and doesn’t need to be specially made to suit a particular purpose comes in most handy. But is an off-the-shelf product a luxury product? Let me rephrase that and include something relevant for Fratello readers. Is a watch made by a brand that produces roughly a million

This week, there won’t be a regular Top 5 list. Instead, I had a chance to pick my five favorites from Watches and Wonders 2024 as part of our current Fratello Favorites series. Funnily enough, most of my picks are variations of existing models. Is it proof that Watches and Wonders wasn’t too exciting? I would say it sure is a reflection of that. Then again, it’s still a list of

The Urbanist is the latest release from RZE, and we think it might be the perfect “grab and go” watch. As you’ll soon discover, this is a fantastic everyday watch with an easygoing solar-powered movement. Best of all, the movement is guaranteed for life. Did we mention that it’s also affordable?We certainly enjoy RZE here at Fratello. The microbrand focuses on sporty titani

Women’s basketball is tremendously popular in the United States. A little over a week ago, news broke that the women’s NCAA title game outdrew the men’s championship game by four million more viewers. The NCAAW’s record-breaking star Caitlin Clark had something to do with those numbers. She was also the number-one pick in the WNBA’s annual draft this week. With the 20

Some Fratello editors have been asked to share their favorites from the Watches and Wonders exhibition last week, so I am happy to share mine. But before doing so, let me share some thoughts on this year's Geneva watch show.A quick Watches and Wonders 2024 recapThis year's Watches and Wonders wasn’t very exciting regarding the appetite for watches in 2024. As you probably have heard and noti

Blacked-out watches will always be cool to me. There's something oddly appealing about a black dial sitting inside a black-coated case, preferably with a black strap or bracelet. Admittedly, I'm not remotely close to going on any covert operations, and there are times when a sea of black can actually hamper the ability to tell time at a glance. Still, I love that “tacticool” look. The

There were plenty of standout releases at Watches and Wonders 2025, but one watch keeps coming up in my memories. The Arnold & Son Constant Force Tourbillon 11 was a delight in the metal. Plus, the reason for the watch centers on a story with actual meaning.Watch companies indeed find a reason to celebrate just about every little occasion. Some are substantial, while others seem trivial. The A

You’re probably aware of the butterfly effect. It’s the idea that small, seemingly trivial events may ultimately result in something with much larger consequences. But what does that have to do with watches? Well, the principle inspired a new collection from a new brand initiated by James Wong and Tony Yip from Hong Kong. Yesterday, they launched their first campaign on Kickstarter. Th

Long-time G-SHOCK fans will make a beeline for the new MRG-G1000. The watch has a hardened titanium case and uses hybrid technology to achieve unsurpassed precision. Ever since the first design was launched in 1983, the G-SHOCK has been considered the pioneer in the “tough watch” category within the wristwatch market. All of the watches are exceptionally rugged and shock-resistant and