Black And Orange Dive Watches Seiko, Squale, And Doxa
It’s not often I come across a watch that really sparks my imagination. Correction, that happens relatively often, but I look at so many watches that it occurs more rarely than you might think. When Seiko unveiled its newest The Black Series divers (which I got to introduce for Fratello) and I saw the Willard cushion case of the SPB257J1 in a fully coated black case with orange accents, something lit up in my brain. A chunky black and orange dive watch is not something I ever thought I needed until I saw the SPB257J1. Now I know I need one. The question is, which one? Turns out there are quite a few Great Pumpkins to choose from. But between the Doxa SUB 300 Carbon Sharkhunter, Squale ...
#TBT My Woven Salmon Jardur
If you’re after a simple watch with lots of charisma, you should definitely look at some vintage Jardur military pieces. Here is a watch that fits that perfectly fits that description - a 34mm beauty with a salmon dial.With a budget way south of $500, you can discover some pretty amazing time-only vintage pieces branded Jardur. If you’re lucky enough, you can sometimes even find them for just north of $10. I follow them on eBay, even after I scored this one maybe three years ago. I was just too lazy to delete my email crawler, so eBay keeps me fed with new listings once they go live. And I’ll tell you, they don’t come every week or month, but they do pop up quite regu...
Furlan Marri's New Permanent Mechanical Collection
I have a soft spot for Furlan Marri and the two people behind it. Enviably known for their well-planned success and pin-prick accurate marketing, the truth is that Andrea Furlan and Hamad Al Marri do the work themselves. But they are so good at embracing social media and visuals that their efforts look like those of far larger brands. The watches are created through the passion of two grounded enthusiasts but have sparked many hype discussions. To me, this says a lot about how old-fashioned we still perceive the small-brand ethos to be. Well-planned success is sometimes frowned upon, but Furlan Marri now smashes the hype with a new three-piece mechanical permanent collection.Quite often, mic...
NOMOS Club Campus Cream Coral And Electric Green
If you're anything like me, you've had more than enough of the dingy gray days of winter. But I have good news: we've reached the end of March already, and spring is officially here! NOMOS has announced two new colorways for the fan-favorite Club Campus to mark the occasion. Some of you might know NOMOS as a Glashutte-based watch brand specializing in rather serious and monochromatic Bauhaus-inspired watches. However, as many of you already know, there's another side to the brand, one that tends to shine brightest in the Club Campus line. The new Cream Coral and Electric Green hues are stunning additions to the springtime bouquet of colors that NOMOS designers have introduced in this model. ...
Hands-On With The Intriguing Behrens Perigee
Until Fratello’s own Dave Sergeant told me about Behrens, I had never heard of this Chinese watchmaker. But Dave’s enthusiasm for it sparked my curiosity to discover more about Behrens watches. After reading about the special timepieces that the brand has produced, the next step was experiencing one up close. Behrens was kind enough to send us the top-of-the-line Perigee for a hands-on review. This unique timepiece features the brand’s first in-house-produced movement with unique architecture and impressive complications. Time to find out more.It’s hard nowadays not to find out about small brands quickly. With social media as a driving force behind anything new, brand...
Go Big Or Go Home With Pre-Owned Panerai
Panerai has always spoken to me. There is something about those cushion cases and characteristic dials that lures me in. However, I have not yet gotten around to adding one to my collection. So for today’s picks, join me on the search for my dream pre-owned Panerai.I have to state that I prefer to see Panerai doing the basics right. It is not a brand from which I expect fancy complications and exotic materials. So I have picked out some simpler versions, which are closer to their historical military forefathers. Furthermore, I will stick to some younger models. With older generations, you need to do solid homework regarding authenticity, which I cannot reliably do from a distance. I do...
Fratello Talks: Getting In The Watches And Wonders 2023 Mood
It’s only a few days before Watches and Wonders ’23 in Geneva, and we’re getting in the right mood! Exhibiting brands have been sending over their news under embargo, except the obvious. In this podcast, Lex, Nacho, and RJ talk about the expectations we have and what we’re looking forward to!...
Love And Hate Panerai Radiomir Tre Giorni PAM01350
When Panerai introduced the Radiomir Tre Giorni with an unusual dial color last summer, it attracted relatively little attention. Well, little attention from the watch media, that is. The moment I saw the first image of it, I knew I needed to have it. And that was a bit tricky for me because I had already broken with the brand behind it. Find out what my problem was with Panerai and how the watch cajoled me.How I got together with PaneraiFor a long time, Panerai was a cult brand. The bold appearance of its watches paired with clean Italian flair brought something new to the watch world that was dominated by rather classic designs. The connection to Italian (and Egyptian) combat divers from W...
Fratelli Stories: An IWC Mark XV Pilot's Watch Flies High
We are trying something new here at Fratello - the Fratelli Stories series. This will be all about researching and publishing some of the great stories out there about you, our readers, and your watches. We’re all here on this site because watches are significant to us, and we want to celebrate the unique ways they play a role in your lives. In doing so, we aim to uncover interesting timepieces and share the fascinating backstories of the Fratelli who wear them. As always, if you have any ideas or want to share your story, let us know in the comments at the end. Today's piece is about a pilot's connection with his IWC Mark XV watch.Getting to write about what is, in essence, one's hobb...
Hands-On: The Lobner Sledge In Black And Silver
When three Lobner watches landed on my desk, I must admit that I wasn’t familiar with the Munich-based brand. As soon as I took the watches out of their pouches, though, they intrigued me. They look different from many other watches, and some unique traits of these timepieces make them stand out for more than their looks. The first two models we received for review were the black-dial Lobner Sledge on a rubber strap and a silver-dial version on a stainless steel bracelet. Those are the ones I will focus on in this article. But I also had a chance to try the Steelracer Chronograph with its ice-blue dial. It’s time to find out more about Lobner and the watches before us!Lobner is a...
Mido Multifort 8 Two Crowns Vs. Baltic Aquascaphe Dual-Crown
You blink once and it’s Sunday again, folks! Get ready for another battle royale between two competitive offerings from different brands. This week, we’ll pit two rather different watches against each other. These aren’t necessarily directly comparable except for one distinguishing feature - twice the number of crowns you usually get. Daan takes the red corner with the new Mido Multifort 8 Two Crowns. On the opposite side of the canvas, in the blue corner, we find Thomas with a Baltic Aquascaphe Dual-Crown. Welcome to our game of crowns!As mentioned, these watches come with rather different propositions. The Mido is a sports watch with an integrated bracelet, costing CHF 1,...
Omega Swatch MoonSwatch Mission To The Pink Moonphase
Not even a month ago, I wrote an article about the new Speedmaster MoonSwatch 1965. That was the 30th iteration of this collaboration between Swatch and Omega. Now we’ve got the next one, number 31, the Mission To The Pink Moonphase. Those who followed the press conference on Swatch Group’s annual results could have seen CEO Nick Hayek wearing this Mission to the Pink Moonphase before the launch. He “Daniel Craig'ed” it, you could say.A tribute to April’s micromoonThe MoonSwatch is Hayek's brainchild, and he is keen on keeping everyone on their toes for the next one. In this case, that’s the Mission to the Pink Moonphase, which will be available in selecte...
Bulova Accutron Spaceview re-introduced during BaselWorld 2010
In 1960, Bulova introduced the Accutron Spaceview 214 wristwatch. This battery operated non-quartz watch, was considered to be the most accurate timepiece available in those days. Using a tuning fork, this watch hummed all day and at night, it was impossible to sleep when you left this watch on the drawer next to your bed. There were several Accutron models available in the 1960s (as you can see in my 2001 article here), but the most pretty one imho is the Spaceview with the triangular shaped case as pictured below.As you can see, the tuning fork mechanism, humming at 360 herz has been made clearly visible through the (then) plastic crystal of the Accutron watch.At BaselWorld 2010, Bulova re...
BaselWorld 2011 Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time Ref.5164
Perhaps it is the BaselWorld buzz, but?we are really excited about the Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time (5164) timepiece. With its crown protector on the right side and correctors on the left side, it is moving towards the legendary design of the Nautilus. This 40.8mm Aquanaut features an extra timezone (as its name implies), a day/night indicator and a date sub dial. Despite all this – useful – functionality, Patek Philippe made sure to keep the dial as clean and readable as possible.Shot through a display under bad circumstances, this photo doesn’t do any justice to the watch of course. I advice you to hop over to the official Patek Philippe website to get a better vie...
Richard Mille Tourbillon RM 58-01 World Timer Jean Todt Limited Edition
Jean TodtJean Todt is no stranger to travel. He is the President of the FIA, Fe?de?ration Internationale de l'Automobile, an organisation which oversees motorsport and promotes road safety. His work takes him around the globe.Travel is nothing new for Mr Todt. He would grace television screens most weekends during the Formula One season, sat at the pitwall. His immense intelligence was successfully employed in the higher echelons of motorsport, masterminding strategy. He was instrumental in helping Scuderia Ferrari secure 14 Formula One World titles and 106 Grand Prix victories.Jean Todt during his Ferrari-period, already wearing Richard Mille timepiecesWhilst travel is often perceived as gl...
Marvin Cushion M119 'A-Team' Review
“In 1972 a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn’t commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the A-Team.”That famous opening line comes to mind every time I look at the Marvin Cushion M119 (M119.23.47.98) with the camouflage strap. The Marvin M119 ‘A-Team’ is basically the same watch as the Marvin Superhero that we designed as our Fratellowatches limited edition (which you can find here), but with...
Speedy Tuesday Omega Speedmaster Perpetual Calendar
Omega’s Speedmaster comes in many shapes and colors, but chances are very small you’ve come across this particular model before. This Omega Speedmaster Perpetual Calendar is the most complicated piece that Omega did in series and it was created to celebrate the 700th anniversary of Switzerland in 1991.Strangely enough, Omega only made 50 of them and they all were meant to be Japan market only. Why would the Japan market be so interesting to have a watch that commemorates the 700th anniversary of Switzerland? If anyone knows, please shoot a message or leave a comment.Omega Speedmaster Perpetual BA 175.0037One of our readers, Rob, loves the Speedmaster and he bought this beautiful ...
Baselworld 2015: The New Sinn Watches
When visiting Baselworld, one can't help but be impressed by the size of the displays in Hall 1. This is the home of the big brands: , the Swatch Group, Patek and on and on. Once you've had your share of the bright lights, though, it's important not to forget the smaller brands sitting in Hall 2. One of the highlights for me every year sits in the Hall of Small and that's Sinn. You see, this was my first year attending Baselworld as a member of the Press with Fratellowatches but I did visit as a public attendee the prior 2 years. It was fun for me just to view the watches through the glass but I will always remember that it was Sinn that actually let me handle their new watches without a pre...
TAG Heuer Monza
At Baselworld 2015, TAG Heuer issued an interesting chronograph in the Carrera Telemeter. Following on the footsteps of this piece, the brand has decided to go retro once again in order to celebrate the 40th anniversary of one of its other racing-inspired chronographs. Our team met with the marque at this year's show to take a look at the attractive TAG Heuer Monza.Head on with the new TAG Heuer MonzaRetro is back with the TAG Heuer MonzaWith the recent introduction of the Autavia Cup (don't forget to vote!!!), where online users can vote in a knockout-style contest to determine the theme of an Autavia reissue, it seems that TAG has really started to grasp the importance of their history. I ...
The #1 Swiss Watch On Kickstarter, Ever Campaign Ends in 5 Days!
LIV Watches is at it again, beating all Kickstarter records for a Swiss watch, the second time in a row. With just over three weeks on Kickstarter, the company has already raised over 1.3 million dollars. ?Click here to view the live campaign.LIV prides itself on constructing touch watches, using bold, unique designs, making them available at an accessible price, directly to consumers.It started with the launch of the GX1 Swiss Chronograph in 2014, followed just over a year later by LIV's 1.1-million-dollar Kickstarter campaign for the GX1-A Swiss Automatic Chronograph.The success of both projects inspired LIV to pursue a more ambitious design, The Rebel! Click here?to view The Rebel on Kick...