Whenever I put a Titoni Seascoper on my wrist, it’s like hugging an old friend. I have a huge soft spot for the brand, especially the Seascoper line. The first Seasscoper model that I reviewed was the stainless steel version of the watch in this review. So it was sort of a full-circle moment when the two-tone version landed on my desk. While I usually do not favor a two-tone diver over an al

As you can read in my last conversation with Chuck Maddox, we talked about Omega having too many models. At P-Day 3 in Frankfurt I noticed the same for Panerai, they even have a tourbillon diver watch, which is quite ridicilous ofcourse. I discussed it with some people over there, but they didn’t think it would harm the watchindustry because people want to see as much models as possible of

I have to confess, when Yacine Sar, Urwerk's PR manager, showed me the prototypes of their new Urwerk UR106 for ladies earlier this year, I was drooling. Urwerk had never made a ladies watch before and while not very petite, this is the first one made for the opposite sex.It was back in 2005, when I bought my UR103.03, one of the earlier models, with that amazing U-shaped mineral crystal. For me i

For us watch aficionados wrist shots are like the well known selfies. Most of us?take ‘shots’ on a daily basis. ‘snap shots’ in general, but if you look careful you’ll find some nice ones now and then. Besides the classic shot their are quite a lot?of variations. For example: last week I spotted a nice?variation on the wrist shot: a ‘pocket shot’This bring

Last week when I came home after a few weeks of traveling and opened one of the smaller cupboards that I hardly use, a little gecko fell on the floor and didn't move at all. When I picked it up from the carpet, I noticed that it must have been caught between the door and the doorpost because it was completely dried out to the bone.I felt bad, since I had never realized that I shared my apartment w

As it happens with so many things in life, the best items often come along when one isn't looking for them. While I do seek out certain items, watches and otherwise, my bank account seems to take its largest hit when I'm in an ambivalent state. Whether it's the grocery store or a weekend visit to London or NYC before Christmas, I'm at my worst when I go with little to no mission in mind. And then

Formex is not a new brand (1999), but it is also not very widely known. Exactly two years ago, Formex stopped with all their brick and mortar retailers and decided to sell directly only, via their e-boutique. Formex wanted to be in touch directly with their end-customer, so they also would get a good understanding of what their demand. The cut on retailers also enabled them to invest in a proper w

We would like to invite you for an exclusive Grand Seiko event. This will take place on December 7th in Amsterdam and will be organized by Fratello, Watching Magazine, Horloge.info and Seiko Nederland B.V.This is your chance to have a closer look at the Grand Seiko brand and their incredible craftsmanship. Besides having lunch in style, there will be a number of presentations, exclusive Grand Seik

And a warm welcome to all of you for This Week in Watches, the November 9, 2019 edition.? It’s been awhile and it’s good to be back!Yes, readers, This Week in Watches took a little breather over the past several weeks as yours truly went to the US of A on vacation for two solid weeks.? I did my best to stay away from the laptop, but I’m happy to be back and bring a strong dose of

Welcome back to our Watch On Your Wrist? Instagram extravaganza! Tag your watch snaps with #fratellowatches to be in with a chance to win!Every week, we select four images. You can vote in the article for your favorite image. The winner moves on to the semi-final round (held every fifth week between the previous four weekly winners). Win that and you’re into the final, which will be held at

Mr. Genta, I need a steel sports watch that has never been done before, I want it to be something totally new and waterproof. That was the message to Gerald Genta by then Audemars Piguet CEO Mr. Golay. Not much later, the Royal Oak was born. The rest is history. Today, it is one of the most coveted watches in the world.There was a time, not even too long ago, that I wore a Royal Oak watch on the w

The 13th of every month is now known as “Fortis Day”. 2020 has seen new watches debut in the Flieger family on the 13th of August, September, and October. Now, as we approach the curtain call of perhaps the maddest year on record, we take a look back on a triumphant trio of release dates that brought us the F-43 Bicompax Chronograph, the F-41 and F-39 Automatics, and the most recently

Mr. Genta, I need a steel sports watch that has never been done before, I want it to be something totally new and waterproof. That was the message to Gerald Genta by then Audemars Piguet CEO Mr. Golay. Not much later, the Royal Oak was born. The rest is history. Today, it is one of the most coveted watches in the world.There was a time, not even too long ago, that I wore a Royal Oak watch on the w

There’s a new book on my favorite topic - the Omega Speedmaster. The Magister book doesn’t cover all Speedmasters ever made. Instead, it shows 70 Speedmaster watches that author Andrea Foffi has in his own collection.I have seen an early print version from editor Paolo Gobbi, one of the guys involved in this project. Believe me when I say it looked amazing. As a Speedmaster enthusiast,

In this very special episode of the Superlative podcast, Rob has a chat with Ariel about his experience in the world of watches, his personal tastes, and what it takes to make it in the world of watches.Rob on the Superlative podcastFrom watchmaker to writer and on to managing editor at Fratello, Rob has done it all. Now, his latest role at Fratello brings him closer to watch brands than ever befo

Halloween seems to become bigger each year, even in its European form of adopted pumpkin-carving and scary costumes. Fall has set in, and what better way to home in on the Holiday Season than through the rich colors of fall. We have tracked down the watches and gear that will cheer you up until the Holiday Seasons hits us, with zesty pops of orange. It’s time to #PumpkinSpice up your day wit

Watchville stole our hearts a few years ago, offering a perfect app that combined all the feeds from the major watch titles, including Fratello, of course. Sadly, a few weeks ago, Hodinkee (owners of the Watchville app) decided to pull the plug.The good news is that it didn’t take long for some alternatives to pop up. Successors like Watchicity and Allwatchnews popped up only a few days late

Mike is on a business trip in the US, so Balazs had to pull Dave out of podcast retirement for this one. After all, we cannot leave you guys without a fresh episode of Fratello On Air. The topic is space watches, but we’re talking about the “other” ones this time. Yes, the Speedmaster gets a mention, yet soon after that, the focus shifts to Fortis, URWERK, and IWC.

Earlier this week, Unimatic unveiled three new titanium models that look very sharp. Three great new releases from the Italian brand explore great future possibilities for its timepieces. But next to regularly creating new additions to the brand’s lineup, Unimatic also loves collaborating with other brands to create unique, standout versions of its different models. One of the latest collabo

Steel bezels can toughen any sports watch up a notch, making for monochrome cool. Me, I’m not averse to a touch of bling, but the full-steel look signals a strong sense of purpose. While ceramic inserts are scratch-resistant, they can still crack, and that well-used look of a scratched-up bezel gives a sports watch plenty more street cred than a safe-queen Sub. This year, steel bezels are ba