Fratello On Air: Visiting Swatch Group
Welcome back to another episode of Fratello On Air. This week, we discuss a recent visit to the Swatch Group in the Frankfurt area. We also respond to a listener’s question about the beloved Omega Speedmaster. Enjoy!...
Hands-On: The New Yema Urban Field Watch
Yema is a busy brand! It feels like every month or so brings a new release from the plucky French restart, and today, we take a look at the surprising Yema Urban Field. As you’ll see, there’s possibly something here for just about everyone due to the sheer variety on offer.Yema has been making all sorts of interesting watches since its “return” over the last several years. Chronographs and divers have been the most prevalent, but we’ve also seen watches outside of those genres. The Wristmaster plays in the integrated-bracelet competition, and an upscale version even boasts an in-house micro-rotor movement. Today, yet another interesting entrant comes along in th...
#TBT Driving With An Individualistic Seiko Motorist
The Seiko Motorist is a watch that doesn’t pop up for sale often, so once an opportunity came, I didn’t hesitate much. It’s not perfect, but it is good enough. It’s fairly worn but aged in a way that gives it a unique character. And it’s green!Some Seiko watches are not easy to find. Take the Seiko Voice Note M516-4009 as an example. It took me quite a long time to land one. The same thing happened when I tried to hunt down the first hand-wound quartz watch, the Seiko 8T23. A few years ago, Seiko 8T23s easily sold at auction for close to or slightly above the $2,000 mark. If one were ever listed with the Buy It Now option, it would disappear instantly. The deman...
Pre-Owned Watches: The Answer To Rising Watch Prices
Rising watch prices, particularly for some brands’ classic models, are creating opportunities to look further afield. Today, we look at five vintage, neo-vintage, and more recent secondhand options that are worth exploring.Last month, an article I wrote garnered quite a lot of attention. In it, I mentioned French philosopher Denis Diderot and the message about consumerism that we could take from his writing. In a nutshell, Diderot was caught in a consumerist trap in which he felt compelled to buy more and more expensive objects to justify a fancy new dressing gown. The bottom line of that article was to encourage a conversation around looking further afield for neo-vintage or secondhan...
Hands-On: The Cartier Tank Americaine In Platinum
The months leading up to Watches and Wonders are exciting ones in the Fratello office. Every week, we receive new teasers and press releases. This year, there were also a lot of brand-organized previews. That’s great because the more we know upfront, the better we can inform you, our readers, about these new watches. However, it’s almost impossible to keep track of all the watches released during the week-long show. There are simply too many of them, plus, there are surprise releases like this gorgeous Cartier Tank Americaine in platinum with a salmon pink Art Deco dial.Tomas just wrote an article on the Must de Cartier Tank Art Deco. That watch came out in 1995 to commemorate th...
Fratello Talks: Watches And Wonders 2024 Debrief
Hello, and welcome to this week’s episode of Fratello Talks. Today, we wrap up our Watches and Wonders 2024 coverage with a debrief episode featuring Nacho, Thomas, and Lex. The guys take some time to go over some brands (and their corresponding releases) that we missed in episode one. They also discuss the general mood of the show and how it reflects on the overall state of the watch industry today. Despite promises made several weeks ago, we recorded this one on a Friday afternoon, so you’ll also get your fair share of banter and jokes throughout. However, let’s first take some time to perform a mandatory wrist check....
Pierce 1883
Some of you watch collectors probably know or have seen the brand ‘Pierce’ in the search for a vintage chronograph. If not, no worry, below you’ll see a picture of a vintage chronograph by Pierce.What most of you avid watch collectors probably didn’t know, is that Pierce is back in business. They have their whole collection online at https://www.pierce1883.com.Click here for more information on Pierce 1883....
Top 5 of < 1000 USD watches
Sometimes, I notice that I don’t look anymore at certain < 1000 USD (or 750 Euro) watches. Not that I think they aren’t properly made or that these watches are inferior to what is in my collection already, but I just overlook them. Aside from being in the credit crisis and bonuses aren’t being spend on expensive watches, I think some of these < 1000 USD watches can be mighty interesting. For both the starting and the advanced collector.Like one of my watch friends recently said, it is very easy to be critical (or negative) towards the quality of cheaper watches, but look at it this way: it is quite charming to get a watch that you know of that it could be done better,...
Linde Werdelin Realized and Acted: LW Vintage Service
I’ve had several discussion with watch brands on the pre-owned (and vintage) market. Why not take control over their heritage pieces and instead of cursing at on-line market places selling new, pre-owned and vintage watches, do something yourself. Either team-up or start your own alternative.Linde Werdelin noticed that there is quite some demand for sold-out Linde Werdelin timepieces, whether they are delivered to the market last year or in 2006 (their Founders Watch was introduced late 2006).From 2006 till today, Linde Werdelin has produced 4500 individual pieces across 73 individual series. No wonder that there can be high demand for these pieces, as these watches should be regarded ...
Hands-On With The Stowa Flieger Klassik 40
There was a time that a watch had no logo on the dial. This was mainly the case with pocket watches, perhaps a few of the first wristwatches also lacked a logo on the dial. The pilot’s watches of the 1940s, the so-called ‘Beobachtungsuhr’ or B-Uhr is also known to have no logo on the dial. Only a few manufactures made these watches according to German specifications: A. Lange & Sohne, Laco, Wempe, IWC and Stowa. In 1940, Stowa produced its first B-Uhr, Type A. In 1997, they re-introduced the Flieger watch with no logo on the dial. Today, we are looking at the current Stowa Flieger with manual movement. For under 1000 Euro.B-Uhr Type A and Type BSometimes, there is some ...
Must Read: The Truth About The Omega Seamaster PloProf
The legendary Omega Seamaster PloProf has been deservedly praised by many collectors. However, a lot of the information that was published up till now has been wrong. A number of collectors have now set the record straight, with the help of Omega’s?International Brand Heritage Manager Petros Protopapas and his team. Not only that, the authors have performed deep research by going through Omega’s archives themselves as well as collecting and analyzing material from other watch collectors. This doesn’t necessarily mean you can toss away the book on the Ploprof by Jon Wallis, but it surely is important to acknowledge that some of the information in there is outdated now.54mm i...
#TBT The Excelsior Park Tuxedo Dial Chronograph
If you've been a relatively faithful reader of #TBT here on Fratello Watches, then you likely recall some of the articles I've penned on Gallets equipped with Excelsior Park movements. We've reviewed several Multichrons including the 12, the 12HR, and a beautiful Decimal and all were equipped with ultra-smooth EP movements. What I believe I've explained before is that Excelsior Park built watches, using their own movements and cases, for companies such as Gallet, Zenith and Gerard Perregaux, but they also sold pieces branded with their own name. These truly in-house pieces don't seem to come up for sale as frequently, but they're attractive in their own way and often feature dials nearly ide...
The Best of Baselworld 2019 From The Independent Watchmakers
This year’s Baselworld was different in many ways but has been particularly memorable for me. It was definitely a Baselworld edition with a strong focus on the independent watchmakers.Not only at Les Ateliers (part of the Baselworld venue), but also the brands exhibiting at the Hyperion Hotel – a looming tower of interest – is overflowing with all types and levels of independents.?The mad dash to visit every brand that piqued our interest in the run-up to the fair is akin to a high-octane episode of X Games.So which models really stood out this year? Which brands smashed it out of the park? Let's take a look at our Top 5 and why they made it on to the list:Patek Philippe Re...
Event Report: Inauguration Of The New Watch Brand Chopin
April 26th, 2019, was an important date for Polish history. Dedicated to Poland’s?most famous composer and virtuoso pianist Frederic Chopin, a high-end watch brand bearing his name was presented. International journalists and several highly regarded guests gathered in Warsaw to witness the event.The Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin institute and museum in WarsawHistorical facts about Frederic?ChopinIn??elazowa Wola, a village some 50 km west of Warsaw with today 65 inhabitants, Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin was born on the 1st of March 1810. He grew up in Warsaw, which in 1815 became part of Congress Poland, formerly known as the Kingdom of Poland. Under the age of 10,?he completed his musical ...
March Mania LIC Straps Winners Announced!
The month of March on Fratello was one of pure, unbridled joy. We had a lot of fun with our biggest, most hectic competition yet. We were sorry to see it end but we’ve found ways to keep the fun alive. Dave and I are currently exploring a few “What If?” scenarios that illustrate what would have happened had the mighty Czapek fallen at any hurdle. Additionally, we have the small matter of prizes to distribute to the four commenters that, along with Hamilton-winning Ron_W, really made the contest come to life.Honestly, there were more than five major players in this tournament. It was so much fun watching you all interact throughout the contest. It feels like our community on...
Omega Constellation: Why We All Need One In Our Collections.
Among the watches I have, one of them has a very special meaning to me: the Omega Constellation. For me, the passion for this model started in the 90s when Cindy Crawford inspired so many women to get a Constellation - including my mom - who bought one for me.For others, it all started even earlier. And that passion still burns strong. We see this regularly, as love for this watch is shared and re-shared here on Fratello or on our social media channels at a surprising rate. I find that very satisfying. I'm not afraid to admit I'm sad when I see people chasing the same type of watches designed by Genta, while there are so many concepts that deserve more attention than those more obvious choic...
Seiko Astron GPS Solar SSH093J1 Watch Limited Edition (2021)
It's not too hard to find a watch to your liking in the twenty-plus Astron collection; they range from traditional to exuberant with plenty of flavors in between. The Seiko Astron GPS Solar SSH093J1 watch is a limited edition of 1,400 pieces, and it mixes two extremes: highly noticeable, clear blue elements set to an easy-on-the-eye, almost subdued silvery white background. And instead of lightweight titanium Seiko decided to produce this anniversary edition in steel. Maybe because steel's higher weight adds more gravitas and significance to the watch. But did Seiko succeed? Let's find out.The Seiko Astron GPS Solar SSH093J1 watch is a limited edition that celebrates the fact that 140 years ...
Speedy Tuesday Event Report Biel Edition 2022
Last week we held the first Speedy Tuesday Event again. It’s been a long time since the last one (for one obvious reason that has affected all of us). We received an incredibly high amount of registrations, but we were limited (no pun intended) to 50 people in total. For these 50 persons, Fratello and Omega hosted the Speedy Tuesday Event at the Omega headquarters in Biel, with quite some nice surprises in store.Speedy Tuesday Event Biel Edition 2022When I started Speedy Tuesday back in 2012 - 10 years ago - I didn’t put a lot of thought into it. It sounded like a nice working title and it allowed me to write about my favorite chronograph at least once a week. The first get-toget...
Vero Workhorse: The Best Microbrand Tool Watch Of 2022 So Far?
Yes, at 44.5mm the new Vero Workhorse is a large watch. I did try, but no shirt cuff will accept this big boy except my unbuttoned denim shirt. But despite its size, it looks like nothing else, that might be a winning formula. I enjoyed the first release from Vero Watches. The Open Water saw the brand on a path of tool-inspired watches with a very modern design language. And though it would have been much easier to go down the vintage route, I’m really glad that Vero chose not to. These facts and the functional comfort of the Workhorse make me wonder, is this the best microbrand tool watch of 2022 so far?I am a big fan of vintage skin-diver aesthetics, it’s true. And surely, a fi...
Porsche Design Chronograph 1 All Black Numbered Edition
Last week, I got on a plane to Stuttgart, where Porsche Design hosted an event to mark its 50th anniversary. We were taken to the impressive Porsche museum in a fleet of black Taycans, where we were greeted by a speech from Porsche Design's CEO Jan Becker. Afterward, Porsche Design CDO Roland Heiler brought us up the stairs into the main showroom, where we were shown a number of highlights from the history of Porsche Design. This included the famous sunglasses with interchangeable lenses, laptops, pens using the Tec Flex material, and the All-Black Bounce Chronicles sneakers designed in collaboration with Adidas. Finally, our attention was directed to a freshly restored 911 S 2.4 Targa from ...