Fratello Talks: The Best Watches Of 2023
Welcome to the 43rd episode of Fratello Talks. Today, we are feeling retrospective, so we decided to look back at some highlights released throughout this year so far. You join RJ, Lex, and Nacho, who will run through what, to them, are the best watches of 2023. Each has been tasked with picking their five favorites from the year. They kept these picks to themselves, but as you’ll see, there was no overlap. But before we check out their highlights of the year so far, it’s time for a wrist check....
Code41 Mecascape Sublimation One: Available For Order
Nearly two years after the official announcement of the project and almost a year after the first round of sales, the Code41 Mecascape Sublimation One is available for order once more. The first run sold out quickly, but Code41 has now opened up order slots for 30 new pieces. This is a gorgeous object that would make for a fantastic conversation piece, and it’s worth recapping.It was December 2021 when Nacho first detailed the Code41 Mecascape Sublimation One. The unorthodox timepiece was unlike anything we’d seen before, and despite its high price, our readers were quite taken with it. Furthermore, about a year later, buyers snapped up the initial production run quite quickly wi...
Going Hands-On With The Futurist Behrens Orion One
OK, I’m possibly a little late to the party on this launch. Behrens released the Orion One on January 1st - it was a nice little treat to start the new year! But here we are in November, and this may (or may not) be the first time you’ve properly read about it. I briefly mentioned it in a previous article, but it has taken me until now to get my hands on one and dig into it more deeply. The 2024 GPHG-nominated Orion One is a bit of an oddball and, indeed, not your average watch. Featuring a very non-traditional case and time display, it’s a watch that deserves a closer look to see what’s going on and what I make of it.I hope many of you are somewhat familiar with Behr...
Restoring The Seiko 5 That Accompanied Me Across Asia
Seiko 5 is a watch line synonymous with entering the watch hobby. It is full of reliable, affordable, and rugged automatic watches. They’re the epitome of what makes Seiko one of the most significant watch manufacturers in the world and have long been a default choice for an entry-level mechanical timepiece. My first mechanical watch was a Seiko 5 SNZG11. Recently, I had it restored.The Seiko 5 gateway drugMy first foray into the world of mechanical watches was the Seiko 5 SNZG11. I had received the watch as a gift from my father. I can still remember the joy and wonder I felt when I looked at the display case back and saw the mechanical rotor wobble and bring the Seiko 7S26 caliber to...
D.Dornbluth & Sohn Picture Of The Week
While browsing the ViaPaneristi forum, I came across a post by AdrianNJ. He shows off his neat collection, and one of the watches really stands out…. this D.Dornbluth & Sohn!! Good Taste!Picture by AdrianNJ...
Erik's Horology site
Erik sent me an email with the link to his website a few days ago. It is about photography and horology.See for yourself, click here....
Nienaber Bunde Retrograde
In the first weekend of December, I will be visiting the Watch2008 event. A two day watch event, to be held in a castle in Maastricht. A city with a very nice shopping center and lots of nice watch and jewelery stores.Anyway, one of the exhibitors on the Watch2008 event is Rainer Nienaber, from Bunde/Germany. This watchmaker, born in 1955, created his first wristwatches in 1995. Before that, Nienaber had a repairshop and was primarily occupied with clocks (regulators). Nienaber is a member of the AHCI – the Acad?e??mie Horlog?e??re des Cr?e??ateurs Ind?e??pendants. Other members of the AHCI are George Daniels (Co-Axial design), Paul Gerber, Svend Anderson, Franck Muller, FP Journe, Fel...
Sinn Introduces Their New Watch For Firefighters: EZM7
Sinn‘s EZM (Einsatz Zeit Messer) watches were always dedicated for professionals who need to depend on their watch, like firefighters… They need to know how long one can stay in a building burning with all the smoke (even with air tanks), to take someone’s pulse etcetera. While Sinn used to have the EZM4 for firefighters, it ceased production a while ago. Now, Sinn introduces the EZM7.Click here to read my article on the EZM7 on MotoringExposure’s Wednesday Watch....
Pinion Iron Heart Visit Report
This article is not going to be your usual Fratello Watches piece. Of course it will feature a watch, a very nice one actually. It will be something else though. To understand the watch and its significance we have to see the whole picture and that needs to be explained a little bit. Our topic is the Pinion (Axis) Iron Heart. Cool name, huh? Wait till you read the story.Pinion Iron HeartYou have probably read the press release published by Bert earlier this year (if not, click here to read the Pinion x Iron Heart introduction). Now that the first stage of production is completed and Iron Heart has the watches ready for delivery, we thought it was time to give you a proper introduction to Iro...
Speedy Tuesday The Ultimate Speedmaster Exhibition by Davidoff Brothers
What happens when you receive a Speedmaster for your 13th birthday? Right. A few decades later you are organizing The Ultimate Speedmaster Exhibition together with your brother (and fellow collector) to celebrate the 1st anniversary of your vintage watch boutique.Last Wednesday, the 28th of October, Roy and Sacha Davidoff (a boutique visit report can be found here) held the Ultimate Speedmaster Exhibition in Geneva. Unfortunately, I had to cancel my trip last minute so I could not be there myself, but luckily they made sure to soften the pain a bit by making some excellent images of the evening and the watches. I met Roy during a watch trade show in Munich last year and not long after, I vis...
Chopard L.U.C GMT One Rose Gold Released During SalonQP
Chopard L.U.C GMT One Rose GoldA few weeks ago we visited London for a special presentation by Chopard. Their manufacture line, L.U.C, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. For this special occasion the company released two new models; the Chopard L.U.C GMT One and the Chopard L.U.C Time Traveler One. In our previous article that we published a few weeks ago we already talked about four models. The versions of the Time Traveler One made of steel, rose gold or platinum. We also covered the steel GMT One as well. However we also saw something that day that we could not discuss with you before.Rose GoldChopard made three versions of the Time Traveler One, you might already have wondere...
Preview of Geneva November 2016 Auctions: PHILLIPS in association with BACS & RUSSO
Sacha Davidoff Reports On The November 2016 Watch AuctionsBack for their fourth Geneva watch auction, Aurel Bacs & Livia Russo in association with Phillips auction house continue to set the bar high. Whenever their watch auctions take place, the entire watch community is buzzing and especially paying very close attention to results. Their Geneva auction is set to be a record setting' auction again and we are looking forward to being there. ?They also have a thematic sale upcoming in Hong Kong with 38 stunning examples of each milestone' reference in the history of the brand. We will sadly not be able to attend, but with the passion that HK collectors have for vintage , we can imagine it...
Preview of Geneva November 2017 Auctions Christie's
Our auction reporter Sacha Davidoff is on top of the watch auctions to be held in Geneva. Just like his past reports for Fratello, you can read about the upcoming Christie’s auction in Geneva and his highlights. Without further ado:Christie’s GenevaWe have seen quite a bit of movement across the watch auction departments in Geneva and worldwide for that matter. The Chrisite's Geneva watch department has had some changes to the team as well. With the unexpected departure of Thomas Perazzi, previously the head of watches Geneva, watch specialist Sabine Kegel has taken his place at the head of the department. During a record-setting year filled with surprising results above all expe...
Introducing: Ace x NOMOS Zurich Weltzeit Amsterdam
For the third time, NOMOS teamed up with their Amsterdam retailer Ace Jewelers. The result is a limited edition of just 25 pieces, the NOMOS Zurich Weltzeit Amsterdam watch.I vividly remember seeing the NOMOS Weltzeit – or World time – for the first time, nine years ago, during the SalonQP event in London. Something quite different from their Tangente, Orion, and Tangomat models, for example. By shape, but also due to the complication of this watch. With just a push on the button, you can read the time in 23 other timezones - a very easy to operate travel companion.Ace x NOMOS Zurich Weltzeit AmsterdamInstead of the silvery-white or midnight blue dial, Ace Jewelers and NOMOS deci...
Alsta Nautoscaph Superautomatic Reissue Is It Worth It?
I’d been looking forward to getting my hands on the Alsta Nautoscaph Superautomatic for a long, long time. It’s a watch that I’d been vaguely aware of since I first saw Jaws some twenty years ago. In my mid-teens, I wasn’t yet entirely bitten by the watch bug, but it came soon after. Once I’d fallen down that rabbit hole, thoughts of the striking Alsta made their way back to my mind. I researched it, fawned over it, and lamented its absence from the modern market. And finally, it was reborn. Last month I got it on my wrist at last. What followed was an experience that will haunt me till I die…Dramatic? You bet. Such was my excitement at wearing the “...
Why Don't I See Some Of The More Obvious Brands At The GPHG ?
Every year, we receive a number of questions from our readers about the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genve, also known as the GPHG. According to some, one of the most important watch events of the year. One of the recurring questions on the GPHG is why some brands are missing completely from the nominated watches. Brands that make sense to be part of the nominations, or which could even perhaps go on to win a prize.For this year's GPHG contest, we received several questions as well. One of them came from Jeffrey, asking why certain brands aren't included in the contest or nominations:Over the years, I've noticed some of the brands like Patek Philippe, , and Omega are missing from the GP...
Glashutte Original Senator Chronograph Panorama New Strap
Lockdown has had a devastating effect on formal wear. Why dress up in a full suit and tie for a Zoom meeting when you can also comfortably Donald Duck it? A little less visually extreme is combining jeans with a sports jacket. It's well accepted and sneakers in the boardroom are possibly also on the way to full acceptance in the near future. And believe it or not, in a distant corner of Germany, in the remote Ore mountains in Saxony, one watch brand has spotted the trend and taps into it. Here's the classic Glashutte Original Senator Chronograph Panorama on a beige nylon strap.Not all watches are created equal, and neither are sneakers. There's a big difference between premium leather ones m...
Bvlgari Octo Roma GMT Hands-On Watch Review
We spend a lot of time talking about the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo on Fratello (because we love that line dearly), but the Octo Roma line has a lot to offer also. In fact, while the Finissimo is truly groundbreaking, its unerring thinness can, for some, be a dealbreaker. The Octo Roma takes the gloriously architectural lines of its slimmer (and squarer) brother and delivers them with the kind of elegant machismo we might expect of the horological embodiment of the world’s most famous and enduring empire.Rome wasn’t built in a day, or so the saying goes. When it comes to a watchmaking corollary, the establishment of Bvlgari‘s reputation could hardly be more perfect. These thing...
Meet The Datumatic, My Only Constantly Running Timepiece
Czech inventor Zdenek Jiskra won a bronze medal at the 1937 Paris Fair. And the design and mechanics of the perpetual calendar clock that he won it for are beyond fascinating.The Datumatic table clock shows minutes, hours, the weekday, date, month, and the last number of a year. Through a panoramic window on the back of the beautifully carved case, it even displays an AM/PM indication, just to make setting the time easier.Timeless DatumaticAnd the best part is yet to come. The calendar mechanism in the Datumatic can process the length of different months. It can even display a leap year and show the magical 29th of February. All by itself too - as low maintenance as you always wished for. We...
The Seiko Metronome Is Seriously Cool Forbidden Fruit
These days, it’s rare that a new Seiko escapes notice. The brand is seriously popular now, and the watches are more globally available than ever. Every so often, though, a new piece arrives and can't be purchased everywhere. The Seiko Metronome is that watch. As you’ll see, though, the brand name isn’t exactly what it seems.I have a confession to make. It has been a long time since I purchased a new Seiko. There’s nothing wrong with the brand’s watches, yet I have found myself a bit overwhelmed by the sheer number of releases over the past couple of years. Plus - and this likely draws more upon my overall interests - I've been buying more vintage. Still, my inte...