The Best Watches Under $2,500 Thomas's Picks
It is time for another round of Fratello editors' favorites in a specific segment. This time, we are looking at the best watches under $2,500, and I get the honor of kicking it off. Now, while $2.5K is a huge amount of money by any measure, it is starting to feel quite limiting within the watch world. Of course, there are many great options, but compiling my list confirmed just how many watches have crept up recently.Still, I feel we should be very critical at this price point. I believe that $2,500 should buy you a watch that doesn't feel compromised. Many mainstream brands shove the segment aside as if it is pocket change. Well, it isn't, so let's have a look at some of the best watches un...
Patek Philippe Introduces The Rose Gold Nautilus Chronograph 5980/1R
Patek Philippe Nautilus Chronograph 5980 in goldPatek Philippe surprised us this year with an all gold Nautilus Chronograph reference 5980/1R and gold/steel combination of the watch as well (reference 5980/1AR). Although we feel that a Nautilus should be in stainless steel (unless you are Scott Disick), we actually could appreciate these gold versions of the iconic Genta timepiece.Technically speaking, nothing changed compared to the stainless steel Nautilus 5980/1A model. Both have the automatic winding PP caliber 28-520 C movement with chronograph function with the hour and minute recorder in one sub counter. The central seconds hand is the chronograph hand. Things like the level of water ...
Breitling Navitimer AOPA Limited Edition
Breitling introduces a limited edition Navitimer AOPA. AOPA? Yes, “Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association”. This association of aircraft owners and pilot’s was founded in 1939 in the United States and is the world’s largest. They’ve chosen the Breitling Navitimer as their official watch and their logo was featured on the dial of many Navitimers in the 1950s and 1960s.As a tribute to the original 1950s Breitling Navitimer AOPA, the Grenchen manufacture created this limited edition of 500 pieces with the AOPA logo on the dial. It is pretty much similar to those classic Navitimer watches with slide-rule and chronograph dial. You could say that the Navitimer is one ...
Mark Wahlberg's Omega in The Gambler
Being a WIS (Watch Idiot Savant) means that everywhere you go, the first thing you recognize is the watch someone is wearing. Let that be the doctor, the cashier, teacher, banker, people on TV or even your new colleague. I remember a few years ago when I was deeply into the various watch communities, every once in a while there was a thread from a forum member who spotted a watch in a movie or TV show. There is even a cool website dedicated to watches in movies, titled, well what else; watches in movies.?Our readers might remember that not too long ago, I already did a write-up on the nice Speedy that Colin Firth's character wore in the movie “Before I Go to Sleep”. Well, we did ...
Alain Silberstein Krono Bauhaus 2 in bronze-pvd treated titanium
Inspired by a posting in one of Facebook’s many wrist watch related groups, this week I’ll wear an Alain Silberstein Krono Bauhaus 2.Alain Silberstein – Forerunner of avant garde watch makingIn the nineties of the last century, Alain Silberstein (1950, Paris) was THE forerunner of avant garde' watch making. And he still is an influential watchmaker in terms of original designs. Many of today’s unconventional watch designers, like for instance Max Busser, love the inspiration?by Alain Silberstein. MB&F even presented collaborations with him, the first one being the LM1 Silberstein in 2009.Primary colours and geometric shapesSilberstein’s watches can easily be...
Holy Trinity of vintage Angelus watches
Holy TrinityIt all started with the Angelus Hungarian Air Force watch. I talked about it thoroughly so I do not get into details but that was the catalyst. I came across it, liked the look and the historical connection to my home country so I decided I need one. Searched for it for a while, studied the piece read about the movement and with luck I found one though a friend. Because of that piece I dug deeper into the history of Angelus. I learned about various models, got to know a handful of amazing people and even took part in this great project. One thing led to another and before I knew it, the holy trinity of Angelus watches (collectors like to give such names to pieces, so here's my co...
Preview Of Geneva May 2018 Auctions: PHILLIPS in association with BACS & RUSSO
Aurel Bacs & Livia Russo in association with Phillips auction house are back for their seventh Geneva watch auction together. In addition, they assembled a special Daytona thematic auction they have dubbed The Daytona Ultimatum.Although it is Mr. Bacs' second Daytona thematic auction (Lesson One at Christie's in 2013), it will be the first one for Phillips and is set to be their most successful thematic sale to date.The Geneva Watch Auction: Seven also packs quite a punch with some interesting, stunning and rare timepieces from a variety of brands. Many of these have important provenance and it was fascinating to research several of these.I was excited to get an early preview last week ...
Speedy Tuesday That Day A Speedmaster Solar Impulse Co-Axial Landed On My Desk
Before I get to the Speedmaster Solar Impulse Co-Axial GMT that came into my hands in a very unusual way, let’s talk about the Solar Impulse project first for a brief moment.Solar Impulse, or HB-SIA as it is officially called, is a European project to have a solar-powered aircraft flying long distances. Omega is one of its main sponsors and provided the Solar Impulse with a light-weight landing light system, an energy dispatcher and an instrument to help the pilot maintain the stability of the aircraft during approach and landing. The latter was designed by ESA (also a sponsor) astronaut and head of flight test operation Claude Nicollier. This system – or instrument – indic...
The Urban Explorer's Watch a Week on the Wrist
Sometimes you put a watch on your wrist that immediately feels right in any aspect. Looks, size, feeling, technics, and, what pointed out later, even the price. For me, the Undone Basecamp is such a watch. As the brand describes it, the Undone Basecamp is a premium, custom-made tool watch that is equipped with the style, comfort, and durability to brave the day-to-day madness of modern, urban existence. Wow!Some words about UndoneEstablished in 2014 by Michael Young together?with a team of watch industry veterans, Undone is a Hong Kong-based?company. Built-up around three different model lines (Urban, Aqua, and Basecamp) Undone is very much about customization and personalization of the watc...
Photo Report: Manufacture Visit To Breguet
We visited the?Breguet Manufacture recently and witnessed how modern watchmaking can be combined with old watchmaking skills performed by artisans.Breguet overcoil, Breguet hands and of course, the tourbillon. We often use the name Breguet when talking about design elements or movements. Even when it is not about a Breguet watch. Breguet is a very old watch manufacture, that dates back to 1775 when founder?Abraham-Louis Breguet opened his first workshop in Paris. Responsible for many horological inventions in the history of watchmaking that are still being used today. In this article, I don’t want to sum up those inventions (you can read about them here), but show you what Breguet is d...
For You The (Digital) Omega Seamaster 300M Magazine
Get your digital copy of our Seamaster 300M Magazine! In 2018, Omega revamped its iconic Seamaster 300M. A watch that got many people into watches in the first place, as it became the ‘James Bond’ watch in 1995. The Seamaster 300M is a watch that received updates every few years since its initial introduction, always being up-to-date with the latest Omega innovations.One thing was lacking though, an in-house developed movement. Omega adopted the Co-Axial escapement in 1999 but didn’t use its in-house developed movements until 2007. Although the Seamaster 300M was using a movement with Co-Axial escapement, it didn’t have an in-house Omega movement before 2018. In that ...
Pre-Owned Picks 3 Nautical Watches
Yachting enthusiasts enjoy the kinetic momentum of a boundless fuel. Wind never depletes or pollutes and only the waves crashing against the hull act as the background noise. Mechanical watches have the same ideology.For this week’s Pre-Owned Picks, I have selected three watches for life on the waves.All watches are pre-owned and picked from Chrono24. Every week we pick a few pre-owned watches from Chrono24, the largest market place for wristwatches in the world - watches that we love ourselves, or think they will be interesting to you. So to be clear, we picked the watches, Chrono24 only send us the images without their watermark and in a proper resolution.Tissot Sailing T-TouchThe T-...
Hands-On With The Beaubleu Union Collection
Is the Parisian way the way to success for Beaubleu? The young Parisian brand introduced its first Beaubleu B01 collection back in 2017. Now it is ready to take the next step with the all-new Beaubleu Union collection.Based on the same principles with a string of new designs, the Union collection brings us some well-thought-out timepieces. We got our hands on two of the new watches to find out if the people behind Beaubleu truly are the “enfants terribles”?of the watch industry.The avalanche of new watch brands shows no sign of stopping anytime soon. More and more brands are looking for that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. However, we must be realistic. As well-intentioned...
You Asked Us: Which Watches Sweep
Last time out we addressed the question of why watches tick. This week, we’re turning our attention to which watches sweep…Let’s start out with a clear distinction: Last week’s question was a “why” question, not a “which” question. And That is crucial to understand. Why? Because almost all watches that “sweep” also “tick”. The distinction between sweeping and ticking is all about frequency. And, to be honest, it is quite an arbitrary threshold. There is no universally agreed-upon definition of when ticking becomes sweeping. Although ticking is generally meant to mean one movement per second, claiming a seconds hand that ...
Batshit Crazy Watches From W&W 2021 Andrew, Frank, Wei and RJ Talk About Their Picks
After the Under 10K watch and the biggest Dark Horses from Watches & Wonders, your host Wei Koh from Revolution will now guide you through the watches we think are batshit crazy.Four Batshit Crazy WatchesThis is an interesting category, as there are no limits or budgets set. As long as it is batshit crazy, everything goes. My pick? See the video to find out, but I can already tell you it isn’t just one watch, but a set of watches. Anyway, leave your favourite batshit crazy watches from W&W 2021 in the comments below, and you might win this box filled with Cuban cigars from Wei Koh.What and when are the next categories up and who is hosting what?Sunday 9th May, 10pm AEDT, 2pm CE...
Hamilton Khaki Navy Scube (2021) New Release Live On Fratello
With summer on the horizon, you might be on the lookout for a watch with a can-do attitude. And not just attitude, of course, it also has to be a watch that walks the walk. Looks are important too. You want something that gets noticed on the wrist. Not because of the logo, but because of a recognizable silhouette and proven design cues. One thing you definitely don't want is to attract any unnecessary attention. So what you want is something that isn’t too flashy, but also not too bland, not too shabby, but also not too costly. What we’re looking for here, is the very definition of an all-rounder. So what about the Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba Automatic diver's watch 43mm with a cer...
Longines Buying Guide For Watches From The 1960s (2021)
We like to talk about vintage watches a lot within the Fratello team. While the daily routine is largely focused on the most recent developments in the world of watches, the most fun for many of us lies in the world of vintage watches. It's a world full of history, remarkable watches, incredible stories, and quirky details. It inspired us to come up with a series of articles focusing on the best watches per decade from a select group of brands. Some of them priceless, some of them still affordable. In this installment, we will take a look at the best Longines watches from the 1960s.In the 1960s, we witnessed developments that challenged the status quo of watch design forever. While the 1950s...
My Mom's Swatch Curry Powder GR125
Here at Fratello, we often discuss how the meaning of watches is far more important than the actual value or prestige of the brand that creates them. A well-worn watch with a lifetime's worth of stories will always be the most interesting. So, for Mother's Day this year, I decided to share the story of my mom's watch. It's a watch that's present in my childhood memories and immortalized in baby pictures. It might have even predetermined my fascination for these timekeeping objects. But this is not an expensive luxury watch. It’s not a watch you’d think twice about if you saw it on someone’s wrist on the street or even in a junk pile at a flea market. To me, though, it’...
Hot Take: The Zodiac Sea-Chron Dive Chronograph
Zodiac has just announced its release of the new Sea-Chron dive chronograph. A staple model in the brand’s 1960s catalog, the Sea-Chron followed the success of the original Sea Wolf diver. It’s also no coincidence that dive watches saw a boom in demand in the early ’60s. During this decade, diving went from a niche endeavor for a brave minority to a commercialized one. As the underwater world became accessible to the masses, the dive watch - an essential piece of diving equipment back then - grew in popularity. Brands got brave and started creating many iterations of the basic diver. Adding a chronograph complication was one of the many ways that brands enhanced the functio...
Hamilton Khaki Navy Frogman On Fratello Hemp NATO Straps
For my wrist, the 46mm Khaki Navy Frogman Auto is too big, and for my taste, it’s too much. The 41mm version, on the other hand, is the kind of watch you want to take with you on a hike or a day at the beach while doing active things. It's not a watch for the beach club, really, but more for kitesurfing. One great thing about this rugged Hamilton is that you can customize it to your taste with a 20mm-wide strap of your choice. So to tweak the green-dial Hamilton Khaki Navy Frogman Auto, I took a couple of new Fratello NATO straps that our shop manager Laurits had lying around on his desk. With this watch on the wrist, I’ll also bring you news on the Bravur Grand Tour La Corsa Ros...