When the watch craze begun for me, somewhere in the 1990’s, I met with a watchmaker (who I became friends with) who had this interest in Zenith’s El Primero chronograph movements. Oh, and gold watches. He showed me his Zenith El Primero Chronomaster?with full calendar in gold and I was sold. Every time I see this watch – be it in gold or stainless steel – I remind myself to

You might have read it before here on Fratello Watches, but on May 15th, Christie’s has their Rare Watches auction. Three lots in that auction are pieces that you might have read about in a couple of our Speedy Tuesday articles. The white and yellow gold Omega Speedmaster Professional of the 1980s and a stainless steel version from the 1980s. All three with display backs. Actually, the first

“I am Yvo Staudt and I play the accordion. I also made a watch.” That was Yvo’s sales pitch for a long time when visiting retailers, at the beginning of Staudt Watches, in 2013. Before I jump to the new Staudt Praeludium Chronograph, first a bit more background on this young watch entrepreneur and Staudt Watches.Playing classical music, tango and jazz on his accordion since he wa

With today’s announcement of the new Bond25 release, we thought it was time to run you by all previous Omega Seamaster watches that Bond had on his wrist.James Bond SeamasterSince over two decades, the Omega Seamaster is a trusty companion to the most famous spy in the world; James Bond. It was 1995 when Her Majesty's secret agent strapped an Omega on his wrist for the first time. Throughout

The most complicated part of shooting this watch was to find an old brick to match its vibrant indexes. Meet my lucky catch Alpina La Ronde.There are watch brands and there are watch BRANDS. Brands and watches every collector knows, has or dreams about – holy grails, legendary models with hundreds of stories or famous ambassadors to talk about. Yet certain brands fall into a strange middle g

The Overseas line by Vacheron Constantin is on the move. It is stepping out of the shadows cast by the Royal Oak and Nautilus. Capitalizing on a groundswell of positivity, Vacheron Constantin is bringing us more options to choose from.?Ok, don’t tell my wife about the new blue dial Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin. Last year in May, my wife and I attended a Havana Club and Vacheron Constantin p

Looking back at January 2019 almost seems like looking back at a different period in time. But it doesn’t mean everything is a distant memory. Last year saw Herms release one of the best watches of the SIHH 2019 with the Herms Arceau L'heure de la Lune. A little over a year later sees Herms introducing five new Herms Arceau L’Heure de la Lune models.In a string of excellent release

The manufacture from Le Sentier had big plans to properly launch the new and updated Master Control series in Geneva this year but unfortunately had to change track to make it a digital introduction only.Too bad, I have to add, because I would love to go hands-on with the new Master Control watches. The entire line receives an update, from the Master Control Date to the Master Control Chronograph

Welcome to a special episode of This Week in Watches. I say “special” because it’s a one-brand show today as we bring you the Panerai Edition where I’ll run down each and every new model for 2020.What you’ll notice in this Panerai edition is a real focus on case materials. It’s almost as if Panerai has transitioned into a Formula 1 chassis builder with its suite

Have you noticed how many brands have jumped on board with the matching-strap-dial trend? Jaeger-LeCoultre presents a striking design that falls in line with this year’s hottest look. Deep red juxtaposed with a stainless steel case gives JLC’s most famous model a shot in the arm. This Reverso One has bags of character and demands your attention.If you're into bold colors, your prayers

Hi and hello watch fans and welcome back to Watching Sports and Sporting Watches. In episode 8.0 and we will begin with a short interview, as the Hungarian Horntail takes the reins and welcomes his most charming guest to the smooth booth yet…Spoiler alert: it’s Rob. But that’s all we’re going to say about that. After Balazs has put our resident motormouth through his paces,

This article about fountain pens is written by Samuel Naldi, a friend of the show and founder of Inkstable, the online magazine on fountain pens. We like his work on Inkstable, and also enjoyed his videos on YouTube about pens (and watches). Therefore, we reached out to him to see if he would be interested in trying to explain why watch enthusiasts love fountain pens too. He was, and here’s

It’s not every day that you get an invite from the folks at Tudor to come to see their manufacture and METAS laboratory in Geneva. So we gladly accepted their invitation, and Ignacio and I found ourselves in front of the impressive green building on a Thursday morning at 8:00 a.m.Tudor Black Bay Ceramic Master ChronometerSince the introduction of the Black Bay Ceramic ref. M79210CNU-0001, T

You might have heard the name Hora Mundi before. The dual-time watch isn't new in the Breguet collection. But until now, the travel complication could only be found in a classic case with a more traditional dial. The new 43.9 13.8mm pink or white gold Breguet Marine Hora Mundi travel watch is anything but a traditional globetrotter. The case is a modern take on the classic theme of nautical watche

I hope you enjoyed a sunny weekend somewhere outside. And even if you stayed at home in front of the TV, the weekend was very eventful for the avid sports fan. There was MotoGP action from Portim?o in Portugal, the Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton at Anfield, and Formula 1 action from the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy. Plenty to talk about in the coffee corner, but ma

The 175th anniversary of watchmaking in the small Saxon town of Glashutte may have been two years ago in 2020. The celebrations, however, are still rolling, well into the 177th year of horological activity taking place in the Muglitz valley. With the release of the limited-edition Ludwig 33 in solid gold, NOMOS Glashutte looks to honor the history of the town it has called home since its foundatio

The Moon Explorer strap is our fourth collaboration with REM. Every month in 2023, we will offer a special strap for Speedmaster enthusiasts. Last month’s Speedy Tuesday - Tribute to Alaska III strap went crazy, so we actually restocked a few more last week, and we will continue to do so in the future to ensure you can get one. This month, we present to you The Moon Explorer. This one will g

Sometimes watches are serious technological instruments, and sometimes they are serious style items. Other times, though, watches can be just pure, unadulterated fun. With the new Le Regulateur Louis Erard Konstantin Chaykin, the two brands mentioned in the name of the watch have created just that. This new collaboration combines Louis Erard’s signature Regulateur timepiece with Konstantin C

Recently, I had a chance to wear the new Formex Reef Radiant Bronze dive watch ahead of its launch today. This new Reef is a collaboration between Formex and the American retailer Collective. It is very much the Formex Reef that we know and admire but with a rather unique dial. As the name suggests, this is a bronze dial. And not just a bronze-colored dial but an actual bronze dial.Let's have a cl

Fratello On Air returns with an episode that focuses on vintage watches that are great for everyday wear. We all love our pieces from yesteryear, so why not choose some that can handle the rigors of daily life? Settle in and listen while we talk for a while.