Reviewing a watch that's outside of one's comfort zone is a good way to keep things fresh: and so it was when I received the very blue Christopher Ward C9 Moonphase. As the resident vintage nut at Fratello Watches who squarely focuses on watches of the chronograph persuasion, I must admit that this was the first moonphase watch I'd actually played with. While the Single Pusher Chronograph that Bla

Late March, we introduced the gold Omega Speedmaster Apollo 17?‘Tribute to Gene Cernan’ to you, limited to 272 pieces. We received a couple of requests to also cover the stainless steel version, the reference?311.30.42.30.03.001 (limited to 1972 pieces). Let’s have a closer look.Omega Speedmaster Apollo 17 311.30.42.30.03.001As a tribute to Gene Cernan (who passed away on January

Dutch-Swedish brand Maen is ready for taking orders with their Hudson 38mm automatic divers watch. Both the brand name and the name of the watch derive from their fascination with New York City. Captain Henry Hudson and his ship, the Halve Maen (meaning Half Moon) sailed to the East-coast of the United States in 1609 and play a big role in the discovery of New York (then: New-Amsterdam). Inspired

I had the opportunity to stop by Antiquorum Geneva and check out the watches in their upcoming May sale. Watch auctions are interesting for me to see things that I either haven't seen in person or am not familiar with. I enjoy doing research or checking details to see if I discover something I hadn't noticed before. Clearly, today vintage aficionados are more educated and the free flow of informat

Oris introduced a number of watches during Baselworld 2019 that are worth checking out. We were able to invite some of our readers to have a first look at them.Last Thursday we organized an event with Oris for our readers. In the center of Amsterdam, in the Oris boutique. We already showed you some of the new Oris watches here on Fratello, but nothing beats it seeing them in the flesh and giving t

Who said that vintage watch collecting is a boy's game?Well, I don't know who said that, but this is what the general understanding is. Our desire and goal at Fratello is to change that. To bring more female readers to watch collecting or #GTGs and prove the general opinion wrong.First female collector I metDo you know who I most share my watch collecting passion with? The woman I now share my mor

Meanwhile, we all know what trouble disposed of plastic in our oceans causes. Much of this plastic if not most comes from lost and left behind fishing nets. The Gyre SeaCleaner is here to do something about that.Gyre SeaCleaner – one watch at a timeThe Gyre SeaCleaner is the world’s first sports watch made out of recycled ghost fishing nets from the Indian Ocean. The new brand focuses

Welcome to This Week in Watches for May 2, 2020. Today, we’re all about fun and I think we’ve got the right watches to turn that frown upside down.Nivada Grenchen Returns - That’s Fun!Speaking of fun, Nivada Grenchen is back due to the work of a couple French entrepreneurs. They’ll be kicking things off with modern reissues of the Antarctica and the Chronomaster. The Chrono

Known for its flamboyant watches and jewelry, and one of the world's thinnest automatic watches, Piaget is no stranger to the spotlight. The Limelight Gala collection embellishes the Swiss Maison's iconic collection.It's a great time to be a watch-obsessed woman. It’s been a long time coming, but the tide is turning. Finally, we are getting more and more pieces of interest. Brands are finall

This is what I often like to say to my fellow watch friends when they start asking the same silly questions about Cartier again.It was 1983 or 1984 when I bought my first real watch; the Cartier Santos. That was, of course, the square watch in steel with yellow gold lunette and steel bracelet with yellow gold screws. It was hot like hell and became the most copied watch. It was also that watch tha

Hi and hello watch fans, welcome to Episode 56 of Fratello On Air, otherwise known as WASP 9.0. This week on Watching Sports and Sporting Watches, Balazs and I will be stepping away from North America itself and focusing on our very own mailbag, which is bursting at the seams thanks to our valued listeners writing in with their questions.We have questions from both sides of the Atlantic to address

This is what I often like to say to my fellow watch friends when they start asking the same silly questions about Cartier again.It was 1983 or 1984 when I bought my first real watch; the Cartier Santos. That was, of course, the square watch in steel with yellow gold lunette and steel bracelet with yellow gold screws. It was hot like hell and became the most copied watch. It was also that watch tha

In our Sunday Morning Showdown, two of our writers go head-to-head in an epic showdown for the ages. Strong opinions and hysterical hyperbole are welcome (so feel free to join in with the fun in the comments section below). And don’t forget to let us know which watches you’d like to see torn to shreds/effusively exalted next week. We’ll try and feature as many of our readers̵

I don't know about you, but I feel like 2022 is turning into the year of collaborations. Months of internal turmoil and potential instability left many brands leaning on contemporaries for reassurance. Many manufacturers ended up showing surprising resilience and, in some cases, exponential growth. Yet, the blossoming partnerships ensured future joint projects. One such example is the recent Bremo

I hope you enjoyed a real good weekend and that you're ready to start the week with a real good coffee. With the emphasis on real, because in the first part of this weekly kick-off article, we warn you that fake Omega Swatch Speedmaster MoonSwatches have been spotted. Also, if you're into cycling, Tudor, or both, you might want to know more about the new Tudor Pro Cycling Team. I also have a book

The Zenith El Primero name is one that demands respect in the watch industry. Zenith introduced the venerable chronograph in 1969, and the movement remains the brand’s bread and butter to this day. Of course, there have been numerous updates and revisions, improving the accuracy and reliability as modern technology has allowed. The El Primero is one of the most well-known chronograph movemen

While we may be most accustomed to seeing URWERK watches display the time via the iconic satellite hour complication, the Swiss brand is far more than a “one-trick pony”. Most of URWERK’s horological creations are not designed to be read at a glance like a traditional watch with hands. At least, that’s what I believe. Being disciples of art and design, the brand’s fou

As a longtime Speedmaster collector, I’d usually say As if you need one… when asked for reasons to buy a Speedmaster. But it's not that simple. Sometimes you need to be thoroughly convinced to spend your hard-earned money on something you don't need, like a mechanical watch.Let me start by saying that the most important reason to buy any watch is that you like, no, love it. And it does

It’s often said that innovation in mechanical watches stalled after the 1960s. Some believe that while materials, quality control, and manufacturing techniques have undoubtedly improved over the last 50 years, the conceptual innovation of mechanisms came to its zenith with the introduction of the automatic chronograph in 1969. While it’s a divisive argument, Horage shows that innovatio

The year was 1953, and Blancpain released the Fifty Fathoms, a modern dive watch. The year after, released the first Submariner, also a modern dive watch. Whichever became more iconic, both models had a profound influence on the design of countless dive watches. Indeed, ever since the 1950s, other brands have come up with their own icons. Think of the Doxa Sub 300 of 1966, the Omega Seamaster 300