The Ulysse Nardin Freak X Razzle Dazzle is an easy-to-spot watch. Its disruptive black and white attire is definitely not something you often see in the world of watches. The watch might remind you of a zebra, or of the WWI Dazzle paint job on ships. But does a wildly striped pattern camouflage beast and objects alike, or does it make them very confusingly conspicuous? What a razzle dazzle livery

It doesn’t feel like much time has passed since my previous “Why I bought” article. My subject last time was the new caliber 3861 Moonwatch with sapphire crystal. I find myself reaching into my admittedly shallower pockets again for another brand new 2021 Omega watch under five months later. This time it was the turn of the heritage diving watch, the Seamaster 300. Another new wa

Happy Monday, dear Fratelli (or good day to you, whenever you’re reading this)! Today, I’d like to talk about a pair of words that I sometimes see misused among watch enthusiasts - “carat” and “karat”. As an American, I come from a country where both spellings are widely used in jewelry and watch-related media. And as the son of a jewelry-loving mother, I was fo

Not many people realize that it was NASA astronaut Wally Schirra who wore the Omega Speedmaster for the first time in space. Like most other active NASA astronauts, Schirra also received a precious gold Omega Speedmaster Professional BA145.022-69 during the famous Houston banquet in the Warwick Hotel on November 25th, 1969. Allow me to tell you the story of Wally Schirra’s gold Speedmaster.U

Steve McQueen is a name that resonates with watch collectors the world over. From the iconic shots of him wearing the TAG Heuer Monaco and his Submariner to his tenuous yet persistent “connection” to the Explorer II 1655, the actor and part-time racing driver has helped influence the world of vintage collecting. Now, another one of his on-screen watches is getting a revival, the Benrus

A watch just wouldn’t be a watch without a crown… would it? Is the Apple Watch a watch? Does its rotary selector count as a crown? Is a digital G-Shock a watch? Where is its crown? If a brand were to produce an analog watch with no crown and - this is key - no avenue for user input or manipulation, would it be a watch? And if it were, would it be something people would ever be comforta

Fratello on Air returns with an episode about one of our favorite brands: Grand Seiko! That’s right - it’s an hour of back-and-forth about a premium line that got its start during the ’60s. What are the favorite models from our hosts? Tune in and find out…

I’ll be honest, with the ongoing stream of releases that Seiko puts out, the solar-powered models are generally not the first ones I gravitate toward. Seiko simply has so many great mechanical watches in its collection that the solar-powered timepieces usually fall the wayside in my mind. But when they look as good as the new Prospex Speedtimer Solar Chronographs, I am all eyes and ears. The

One of the first things to notice about this incredibly complex watch is its size. Upon reading the specifications, you’ll find that it only measures 39.5mm in diameter and 12.2mm in height. And what's so special about that, you may ask? Well, today, plenty of simple three-handers on the market consume more space. But this Louis Vuitton Akrivia LVRR-01 is not so much about thinness or diamet

We at Fratello have been noticing something in our comments section and on social media. For some reason, when discussing watches, their looks seem to be considered inferior to specs, technology, and craftsmanship among aficionados. It seems we feel a need to defend our preferences based on measurable, objective arguments. But watches are unnecessary luxuries that pull on our heartstrings, aren't

Another Friday, another list! Last week, we explored five of the many vintage Tudor options out there. For this week, we decided to dip our toes into the extensive world of Omega Speedmasters. Of course, we have our series of Speedy Tuesday articles to explain everything there is to know about the famous chronograph. But for this week’s Top 5, in light of the release of the new Speedmaster F

Geneva Watch Days is the year’s second-largest watch fair after Watches and Wonders. While the brands, except for a slight overlap, are different, many journalists love the show for several reasons. Unlike the ultra-controlled Watches and Wonders event, GWD allows us to sit directly with brands and their watches in a laid-back, casual atmosphere. Often, we may even see something that has yet

It has been a while since I published a Pre-Owned Spotlight, so I figured I should return in style with watches I can only dream of owning and wearing. Today, I will go on a pretend shopping spree for a pre-owned, high-end chronograph. Do I need a pre-owned, high-end chronograph? Yes, I do, thank you very much. Hear me out: I have a deep passion for pizza, and I cannot see the oven's timer from wh

The Breitling Premier Datora Perpetual Calendar 140th Anniversary is the dressiest release from the trio of red gold beauties. Its inky black dial and traditional case design make it a beauty that can be worn in various situations. Today, we’ll look at this complicated chronograph in more detail.I remember when the Premier returned in 2019. I reviewed a 42mm panda-dial automatic and was impr

Omega made a lot of weird and funny looking watches during the 1970s, I guess the Seamaster ref.145.023 is one of them. It has been introduced in a black ceramic version and a high polish tungsten-chrome finished version, both from the early 1970s and identical in terms of dimensions, used movement and rarity. Chronograph legend Chuck Maddox nicknamed the tungsten-chrome Seamaster ref.145.023 as b

It radiates retro charm, but is far from being old-fashioned: The new Belisar Chronograph from Union Glashutte effortlessly combines a nostalgic look with proven sportiness and, at the same time, shows the excellent flair possessed by this German watchmaking brand when it comes to modern details and high-quality finishes. The watch houses a mechanical chronograph movement with up to 60 hours of po

Entry-level watches are uber popular. Why? Because of the ever-increasing prices of some brands, a lot of watch enthusiasts search for affordable (luxury) watches. Watches that they can wear on an everyday basis. We’ve put together a Top 25 of watches below $ 1000 Euro (list price) based on demand. In this price segment it is definitely possible to buy a watch with an individual or even uniq

Living in the South West of Germany has its perks; it's the warmest area of the country, the scenery is breathtaking and France and Switzerland are just a stone throw away. Two of the legendary Germany circuits are also within short driving distance. The Nurburgring is only a few hours drive for me but Hockenheim is only 30 minutes away. A few weeks ago with?Certina, we spent a Sunday on the circu

In 2006, Panerai introduced their PAM00249 (Radiomir 1936) that featured a California dial. Limited to 1936 pieces only, and collectors jumped on it. Before I head over to my review of the PAM00424 (Radiomir California 3-Days), a few words on the dial first.California DialsThe term California dial is said to be coined by dial maker Kirk Rich, who did dial restoration and refinishing in the 1970s a

E.C.Andersson Watch Co. is on the frontline of bold Scandinavian watch design, using sophisticated clear-cut lines merged with a progressive attitude. That's particularly evident in the all new Arctic Sport, the third iteration of the Calypso collection.The Calypso Arctic Sport is made with the dark Scandinavian winter in mind, targeted to outdoorsmen that often find themselves in nature without a