The 2023 Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Collection
Today, Vacheron Constantin releases a series of unique watches within its Les Cabinotiers line. As we will see, these models bring mechanical complexity, but that’s likely their least notable attribute. The incredible engravings and gem setting are the true stars of the show. Let’s briefly look at these amazing timepieces.To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t overly familiar with the Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers program until I was invited to view a press release regarding today’s new models. In short, this is the brand’s bespoke department where custom one-off creations emerge from the workshops. They feature high levels of technical prowess as well as stunni...
Hands-On: The Seiko SPB411 Navigator Timer Reissue
Occasionally, a watch brand releases a new model that is exactly what you were hoping for. I am not referring to getting the call from your authorized dealer about the allocation you have been waiting for, nor am I talking about obtaining your current grail watch. Somewhere, each of us has an idea for a watch, either a new design or reissue, that we are hoping a brand will release. This has happened to me once before. They say lightning does not strike twice, but in the case of the new Seiko SPB411 Navigator Timer reissue, it has!I have had the watch for nearly two weeks at the time of writing, and I have yet to wind it. It has barely left my wrist. Fittingly, the day after picking the watch...
The Chopard Alpine Eagle Sunburnt Adds An Artsy Touch
The Chopard Alpine Eagle has been on quite a run since its introduction in 2019. A reinterpretation of the 1980s Chopard St. Moritz, the sporty yet dressy integrated-bracelet line now boasts a full range of materials and complications. Today, a new model comes our way in the form of a limited edition called the Alpine Eagle 41 Sunburnt. This is a real beauty, and the only downside is that it’s especially for the Australian market.?I still recall being in the Chopard headquarters in Geneva shortly after the Alpine Eagle was released. In pictures, it certainly looked like an attractive watch. However, in the metal, it was on another level. The dial, which is meant to look like the iris o...
Ulysse Nardin Drops The Freak One OPS At Dubai Watch Week
While it may be cold, wet, and wintery here in Europe, over in the sunny climes of Dubai Watch Week, Ulysse Nardin treated visitors to the first sights of its brand-new addition to the Freak collection. The Freak One OPS takes the Freak One concept introduced at Watches and Wonders earlier this year and gives it the OPS makeover. And yes, that’s right, the Freak One just won the Iconic Watch prize at GPHG last week too.Ulysse Nardin first introduced us to the Freak concept way back in 2001. It has always been ahead of its time. While the ’90s and ’00s saw some weird and wonderful watch designs, I struggle to think of many as groundbreaking as the Freak. When we think of wat...
Vintage Watches Aren't As Fragile As You May Think
Fratelli, we need to talk. I love a brand-new watch as much as the next guy, but I feel that vintage watches get an undeserved bad rap. People often approach me with worries about the reliability of older watches. I also see it here on Fratello. Whenever a vintage or neo-vintage watch is part of a Sunday Morning Showdown, the comments include claims about reliability, and the modern watch wins. It is fine if you prefer new watches, but to say that vintage ones are unreliable is, quite simply, false.So here is a little plea from my side: vintage watches aren't as fragile as you might think.Vintage watches aren't fragile if you pick the right onesFor starters, the reliability of vintage watche...
Hands-On: Longines Spirit Flyback Titanium
Stating that the chronograph is by far the most popular complication sounds about right. In truth, though, it isn't. The date function is the most basic complication and by far the most widespread. In fact, it’s so common that people go through more effort to find and buy a watch without a date function than with one. The chronograph, on the other hand, is a type of watch you actively seek. The added stopwatch complication made the chronograph an important instrument for timing and navigating. Doctors, meteorologists, astronomers, racecar drivers, and astronauts all benefitted from the invention of the chronograph. Nowadays, these watches with sub-dials and pushers have become daily be...
An In-Person Recording And Holiday Gift Guide
Welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air! We’re a little later this week than usual because we decided to record this episode in person in London. We discuss several topics but end with a brief holiday gift guide. Our watch content starts after approximately 20 minutes....
Uplift The Holiday Spirit With 14 New Swatch Watches
Are you having trouble warming up to the holiday spirit? Say no more; I know exactly what you mean. The key to enjoying it - mind you, this is my approach to all the days surrounding Xmas, so it's by no means a solution for everyone - is to not take everything too seriously. And that includes family members and friends who take the festive season seriously. Just take it easy, smile, and laugh about everything going on. Wearing something fun on the wrist could help you keep a smile during the festivities. You could keep your spirits up by trying one of 14 new Swatch watches ranging from tongue-in-cheek chic to outrageously colorful.Mind you, the 14 new Swatch watches are not designed for ther...
Introducing: The Amida Digitrend In Black And Gold
This year, designer Matthieu Allgre and Depancel founder Clement Meynier brought back the Amida Digitrend. Its ultra-’70s makes heads turn, and with updated technology inside, it’s now more reliable than ever. The Digitrend Take-Off Edition sold out in a flash, so now it’s time to introduce you to the watches that will join the brand’s permanent collection. First, there is, of course, the original steel edition. But to make an even bolder statement, you can now choose between a new black DLC edition and a 4N gold PVD-coated one.If you’d like to know more about the Amida Digitrend’s history, check out Balazs’s articles. He shared his experience with ...
Delugs Expands Its CTS Rubber Strap Line With Four Patterns
I like a headline that gets straight to the point, and I think I nailed it with this one - no clickbait in sight. As is made exceedingly apparent, Delugs recently introduced four new patterns to its straight-end CTS (Cut-To-Size) rubber straps - Pilot, Mosaic, Waffle, and Tropic. Ken sent me one of each of the new patterned FKM rubber straps to test out. These straps immediately stood out for their thoughtful patterns, adding quite different personalities to the line. Each one brought a fresh aesthetic to the watches I paired them with, and I had a blast experimenting with them.All four straps are crafted from soft and flexible FKM rubber, so no break-in period is required. From the first we...
Fratello's Top 3 World Timer Watches
I have a weak spot for watches that help you travel through different time zones, without losing track of home time. We all know about the GMT watches that just have an extra hour hand, to display home time (or 24h notation). However, there are also watches that can flip through different timezones with only a push on a button or turning an extra crown. Technically speaking, these watches are much more complicated than the ones with ‘just’ an extra hour hand like the GMT-Master or ETA 2893-A2 based watches (Omega, Linde Werdelin etc.).World Timer watches, as they are being called, attract me since the day I became interested in wrist watches. During all these years, my taste did...
Pre-SIHH 2014 News Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept GMT Tourbillon
In 2002, Audemars Piguet introduced their first Royal Oak Concept watch to celebrate the 30th birthday of the famous Royal Oak. Made out of Alacrite 602, which is an alloy of cobalt, chrome, tungsten, carbon, silicon and steel. The Concept watch gave the Royal Oak a more rounded and oversized look & feel. Basically, it had nothing to do with the 1972 based Royal Oak model except for the octagonal bezel and its eight hexagonal screws. In 2014, during the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) in Geneva, Audemars Piguet will introduce a new Royal Oak Concept timepiece.The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept GMT Tourbillon will feature (as you can see) a white ceramic bezel, crown ...
Philippe DuFour Explains Watchmaking Techniques That Are Almost Forgotten
Greubel Forsey is financing Philippe DuFour to produce a film to record for posterity: watchmaking techniques that slowly are being lost, slowly are fading from memory. So that generations to come, people will have a recorded lesson, on how to do these steps of watchmaking.Philippe DuFour shows us what he is going to be doing in his workshops for this film. He would like to share his knowledge and translate to the next generation what he knows, focusing on the most traditional handcraft, traditional ways of building a watch. Learn more about this art of watchmaking.Want to know more about the assembly of the world's finest timepieces? Subscribe to our YouTube Channel, IBG Worldwide.IBG World...
Three Haute Horlogerie World Traveller's Timepieces Patek Philippe, De Bethune and Glashutte Original
World Traveller’s WatchesSome call it the best time ever, others hate it. Travelling around the world comes?in many flavours, be it for work, leisure or perhaps even both. If you are a regular world traveller, you might want to have a world traveller's watch to accompany you on these trips. They help you to show you in a glance the time where you are currently located as well as your home time. Very convenient to keep in touch with your family and friends at home, or with your colleagues, of course.I selected three different world traveller's watches from three different manufactures: De Bethune DB25 World Traveller, Glashutte Original Senator Cosmopolite, and the Patek Philippe 5930G ...
Speedy Tuesday The Speedmasters I Bought In 2017
As we are approaching the end of the year, I looked back at the watches I’ve bought and sold and I realized that I bought more than I had planned. Actually, when the year started I didn’t plan to buy much anyway, except for an extra Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday.? But in the end, I bought a couple of Speedmasters this year. Unplanned.Let me tell you first that I not only buy Speedmasters, some times it might seem so. I have my share of other watches, also from other brands. But I find myself explaining to people that with those, I buy what I like and what I will wear. With Speedmasters, it is a bit different, as I collect them. However, I am a bit of a ‘soft’ collector, ...
10 Years Of Glashutte Original's PanoInverse We Take A Look (Video Included)
Exactly 10 years ago, in 2008, Glashutte Original introduced their PanoInverse XL watches. As you probably know, Glashutte Original is located in the watchmaking capital of Germany with the same name; Glashutte. This village, near Dresden, hosts a number of watch brands, but only a few can measure themselves with the Haute Horlogerie that Glashutte Original manufactures. In 2008, the PanoInverse XL was introduced by them, to show their skills when it comes to this Haute Horlogerie, and were available in white and rose gold. Now, 10 years later, the PanoInverse is still in the collection of Glashutte Original. Not completely identical, but with some small changes. We were curious to see how t...
You Asked Us: Meraud Bonaire or Baltic Aquascaphe?
This week we received a rather self-evident question from Paul. He’s looking for a vintage-inspired modern diver’s watch. As a diver, he would actually love to use the watch in water, however, wants to use it as a daily wearer as well. Two obviously similar watches came to his mind, the Meraud Bonaire and the Baltic Aquascaphe.You Asked Us: Which one to choose the Meraud Bonaire or Baltic Aquascaphe? The original Meraud Bonaire from 2018 Here’s Paul’s question in full:From: Paul Subject: You asked usHey guys,I've been watching your you asked us section and really enjoying it, I thought I'd see if I can get a question answered too.Meraud Bonair...
Holiday Gift Guide 2019: The Accessories
We hope you enjoyed yesterday’s Holiday Gift Guide 2019: The Watches.? Today, we’re back with a look at everything else we enjoy here at team Fratello.? From watch-related gifts, to travel, to everyday living, and some fun…here we go!Watch-Related GiftsOriginal and Colourful Pastiche Patches (80 EUR)In case you missed it, we give you another opportunity to look at a summer piece from Balazs, who dug deeper into the story behind this college side-business idea that became one of the coolest watch accessory brands on the internet. A bunch of great iron-on patches could be purchased individually or as a pack of all 22 designs. The top seller is by far the Submariner patch foll...
#TBT Two Seiko Pulsemeter Digital Chronographs
Checking your pulse might make your heart skip a beat. It's so much fun. With the Seiko Pulsemeter S234-501x making an appearance in the cult Alien movies, here is another must-have watch for your list.If you grew up in the eighties, you know the disorder I suffer from. Whatever ugly digital quartz watch is laid in front of me, I somehow find it cute. Some part of our DNA understands those watches at a level where we proudly add them to our collections. And if a quirky feature happens to be thrown in the mix, my mind won't rest until I know how to use it. Do you remember the first commercial watch ever to have a voice recording feature? It was the Seiko Voice Note M516-4009 and we featured i...
Omega Speedmaster World Cup Quarter Final 3: Ed White Vs. Apollo 11 45th Anniversary
The Group Stage is in the books. It’s time for the head-to-head contests to begin. Over the next two weeks, we will run two quarter-final match-ups each weekendone on Saturday; one on Sunday. Our intrepid warriors made it through blood baths of their own making, but now they need your help to fight another day. Only one man can progress from each quarter-final to the next stage. The choice of who receives that honor rests with you. Let battle commence…Now it’s serious. The men have now been sorted from the boys. For this third quarter-final, the champion of Group E takes on the winner of Group F. But first, let’s have a look at statistics. Almost 2,400 votes were cas...