The story on the iconic IWC Portugieser watch is one that is well known in enthusiasts' circles. Today, IWC introduces an update of their entire Portugieser collection. From a three hands watch to a perpetual calendar.But first, let's do a quick rundown of the Portugieser and why it is such an iconic watch. Back in 1939, IWC watchmakers created a big watch on special request by two dealers from Po

A chronograph is one of the most sought-after complications. Not only do I use mine to time a journey, task, or during cooking, it also makes you really interact with your mechanical watch. You visibly set a mechanism in motion when pushing the start button. When the watch has a transparent case back, it is even more fun to watch the parts respond to your command.Omega was one of the remaining big

In the past, I have spoken at length about the importance of color in watch design. Recently, thanks to a dear friend who suffers from quite serious color-blindness, I’ve come to appreciate just how lucky those of us that don’t really are. The thought of not being able to appreciate the subtle use of shades employed ever more daringly by watchmakers around the world, in their effort to

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.This week we will be looking at some of the best Heuer watches from the 196

Recently, I have been obsessed with a specific type of watch. It's not quite a dive watch, it's not exactly a field watch, and it definitely isn't a dress watch. However, it's a watch that has the best of all of those genres. I call it the everyday watch. This is not a new category or something I claim to have come up with. Far from it. It's more of a feeling of where a watch that doesn't seem to

Sometimes, there are watches you love that are not always top of mind. Once you are reminded of their existence, however, you instantly know what makes them so brilliant. The Omega De Ville Chronograph 145.018 is one of those watches for me. Every time I see the watch, it’s like falling in love all over again. The piece fits into the mold of sporty 1960s chronographs but with plenty of chara

It’s hard not to enjoy what the folks at Monta are doing. Making well-finished sporty watches with great bracelets is part and parcel of the job for the St. Louis-based crew. Today, we’ll briefly cover their fresh new release, the Monta Noble Mint Dial.That’s right, Monta makes some of the nicest watches around if you’re looking for an approachable daily driver. Rather than

With Easter in the rearview mirror and summer a mere speck on the horizon, we’re well into the spring season. We find ourselves in that magical time of year when the trees grow greener with the passing of each day. Some, however, don’t play along and get pinker by the day instead. Magenta buds begin to open up into light pink blossoms. This is a quintessentially Japanese phenomenon tha

How do you catch a Boldr Pokemon watch? Don't worry, I will walk you through the necessary steps later. But first, just enjoy the fact that Boldr is launching a special Pokemon collection that includes pop-culture heroes such as Pikachu, Charizard, Blastoise, and Venusaur. The watches look fun and tough and robust at the same time. And the catchy dials show the colors that embody the four selected

Heirloom watches are special, and I have a few, including two pocket watches. But there is one in particular that has given me sleepless nights while hiding in a dark corner of my case. Finally, I set out on the mission of bringing my grandfather’s Tissot Seastar back to its glory. And after a three-month sojourn in England, it has returned - with a (shock, horror!) repainted dial.Why was th

Today, in the Fratello Shop, we’re excited to bring you an item with a real story. These are watch rolls, but they’re a little different than the everyday, mass-produced holders found online. No, these rolls are handmade and come from a small village in Slovakia. The reason for their existence relates to one of our longstanding editors. There was never a plan to bring these to market,

A few weeks ago, after many months of nagging, I finally received a SpaceOne Jumping Hour for a hands-on review. As someone in constant communication with Guillaume Laidet, the brand’s founder, I was fortunate enough to have followed the project from the jump-off to the point where, last year, my much-deserved beer at the Grand Duke pub in Geneva after a long drive from Germany was spoiled b

As with the years before, I looked forward to this year’s edition of Watches and Wonders. I looked forward to the buzz, the week-long immersion in top-shelf horology, the close cooperation with Fratello team members, and, of course, being reunited with several colleagues from the industry. Beforehand, expectations on what the brands should present weren’t hotter than lukewarm. During t

Check this nice essay, written by SteveG.Photo by SteveG.Click here to read it.

Tennis star Maria Sharapova just turned 21 years old on the 23rd of April. TAG Heuer organized a big birthday party for their ambassador of sports watches. The press release states that TAG Heuer was honored to do so. Yeah ??I understand the whole ambassador concept, it seems to attract potential buyers. But why giving a birthday party AND brag about it in press releases? Anyway, it does produces

For Watchuseek, I just finished this article on 50 years of Sinn Spezialuhren. A German brand with a focus on functionality and technology, celebrating their 50th anniversary this year with a special pilot’s chronograph Model 358.Personally, I have a weak spot for Sinn watches. Not only their price – quality ratio is magnificent, I also like the link between their Sinn 142 (based on th

After the Explorer and Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, Mad Men’s Don Draper has now been spotted with an Omega. In episode 6 of the 5th season of Mad Men TV-series, Don Draper impatiently checks his Omega Seamaster DeVille watch sitting in a diner waiting for his lady.Despite being introduced as a watch with a water resistant case, the 1950s Seamaster watches were very elegant and not that far aw

Tribute to Ferrari and Haute HorlogerieToday we’ve visited a number of brands, but one of the most impressive pieces was definitely the Hublot Masterpiece MP-05 “LaFerrari”. This watch is not only a tribute to the manufacturer of super cars from Maranello, it is also a watch that proves the watchmaking skills from Hublot. A power reserve of no less than 50 days due to its 11 barr

OMEGA Novelties At BaselWorldTo our surprise, Jean Claude Monachon (Head of Product Development) of OMEGA showed us not only the new Speedmaster 9300 line-up (Dark Side of the Moon and ’57 editions) and Aqua Terra 15.000 Gauss, but also a new OMEGA Seamaster Bullhead. If you are following us on instagram, you probably have seen our quick snaps of these watches already. However, here are the

Although our focus is on affordable mechanical watches, we once in a while zoom in on watches that are either very special or plain beautiful. In this case, it is both. We have to admit that we didn’t make it to see this relatively new brand called Breva during last year’s Baselworld, but we wanted to make up for it this year at least. So we had the opportunity to look at last yearR