The Seiko Astron GPS Solar receives an update that will make it thinner, smaller and less energy consuming. Oh, and there is a very cool new bracelet that comes with it. Although this watch will be available from December onwards, we had the opportunity to see, try and photograph it already.Besides the impressive technology and its specifications, the watch really looks good. Perhaps you remember

It’s This Week in Watches for October 12, 2019 and there’s loads of news to share.Hi there, watch lovers and welcome to This Week in Watches.? We’ve got quite a bit of news this week so let’s quit the chit-chat and get into it.Seiko Prospex LX Line Limited EditionSeiko brought us two new LX divers that will come out in November.? Fitted with calibre 5R65 Spring Drive moveme

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

Welcome to the Eighties! Also known as the “Greed Decade”. As I came into the world in 1977, I grew up in the Eighties with all its decadence and glory. But the one aspect that has always stuck with me is its horrible style. It was big, loud, and over the top. But now, in my early forties, I have fully embraced the 1980s as an era that influenced me greatly. So creating a list of the w

What do you know about Zeitwinkel? If you’ve been around the watch industry for a while, chances are you’ve seen or heard of this small, independent Swiss brand at some point. Its most famous model, the Zeitwinkel 273 Saphir Fume with its distinctive smoked sapphire dial, is a fine ambassador for the brand. As it turns out, it’s also something of a metaphor for the brand’s

No less than 7 different variations of the recently introduced 43mm Omega Speedmaster Chronoscope can be found in the Omega catalog. I had the opportunity to have some hands-on time with the Speedmaster Chronoscope in Bronze Gold last week, the watch with reference 329.92.43.51.10.001. As I already did an in-depth overview of the steel models, you won’t find many differences in terms of func

Our friends from down under have today launched a new collaboration with Zenith. The Aussies announced the collaboration over the weekend with a slickly produced teaser video. Said video indicated we were looking at something from the Defy range, but the finer details were well obscured. Today, we get to see the Time+Tide Zenith Defy Classic Skeleton Night Surfer in all its glory!It didn’t t

The Portugieser debuted in 1939. IWC built it at the request of two Portuguese businessmen, who requested a wristwatch that was as accurate as a marine chronometer. Pragmatically as watchmakers are in Schaffhausen, IWC put a marginally altered hand-wound Calibre 74 pocket watch movement in a 41.5mm case, put a leather strap on it and the Portugieser was born. It wasn't until 1998 that the IWC Port

Today, finding a great vintage watch for an equally attractive price can be a real chore. The word has been out for several years now with few secret corners to discover when it comes to either models or places to look for them. Sometimes, though, a bit of patience and luck converge, and that old magic feeling returns. Today's Technos Sky Diver is a perfect example.After something like seven years

I’ll be honest: I’m not much of a black-dial guy. Sure, black goes with almost any attire, but if I’m not buying my “one watch,” a black dial would always be my last choice… That is, of course, unless you pair it with gold. More specifically, gold print, hour markers, and hands. Then, my friends, it’s a whole different story. That combo is enough to make m

I feel as though we are living in a post-MoonSwatch world. It’s tough for any new release in a polymer case with a quartz chronograph caliber to shake comparisons to the Bioceramic MoonSwatch. Such was the splash of the Omega Swatch collab that there’s a distinct line between pre- and post-launch in the watch landscape. So much so that the Breitling Endurance Pro, which came before the

These days, GMT watches seem to be the latest craze, and this is not without reason. For many watch fans, the GMT is a favorite complication thanks to its timezone-transcending practicality. I also love a great GMT watch. That’s why I am all ears when a new GMT model is unveiled, especially when it comes courtesy of the Parisian brand Serica. Serica’s founder Jer?me Burgert has built h

In Glashutte today, NOMOS introduced two Club Sport Neomatik models in a new 37mm size. These are a follow-up to last year's introduction of the Club Sport Neomatik 42 Date, a release that introduced both the sunray finish and an Oyster-style steel bracelet to the Club Sport line. Now, NOMOS complements the 42mm release with a more moderately sized 37mm take that also does away with the date on th

I think the genre of field watches should be up for debate, as the preconceptions are many. While some of you equate a field watch to the Explorer ref. 1016, for most, it’s a simple recipe - all-brushed 316L steel (no polishing, please), a sub-40mm case size, and a simple charm. The dial should have big Arabic numerals and, often, a fairly unreadable inner circle of 24-hour digits. The new

Welcome to the first installment in a new series of articles called “Fratello Watch Exchange”. Here at the Fratello office, we try on each other’s watches all the time, but we don’t usually borrow them for long enough to take them for a proper spin. In this new series, though, that’s exactly what we’ll do. We’ll pick a watch from a colleague’s collec

I just realized that it has been over a year since I last featured a Seiko watch on #TBT. I know, it’s almost criminal not to feature any Seiko watch for such a long time. Let’s fix that with a find that has been queuing on the #TBT list for some time now. Meet the orange-dialed fortress, the Seiko 6458-600A. Today, I will try to explain why I find it one of the most underrated quartz

We cover all of watchmaking at Fratello, and for the last five years or more, our horological world has been marked by a huge retro-nostalgia wave. From budget Kickstarter watches to $10K+ big-brand offerings, many lean heavily on timeless sports watch designs and mid-century inspiration. Then, in the upper echelons, we have a mix of precious metal and avant-garde creations that most of us could n

Let’s face it: watch releases don’t always fulfill enthusiasts’ every wish. The recent release of the Breguet Type 20/XX left many of us disappointed. Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 3 in Bronze Gold wasn’t the stainless steel diver that a lot of us hoped for. I even sensed that some people were let down by Tudor’s latest Pelagos FXD in black.RJ a

Welcome, one and all, to this week’s episode of Fratello Talks. Today, RJ, Morgan, and your host Nacho gather around the mics to discuss gold and two-tone watches. Each has a different level of experience and many opinions regarding the topic. RJ is a bit of a gold-watch connoisseur, owning more than a couple of 18K heavy hitters. Nacho has dabbled in gold but has never dared to go two-tone

As an admittedly vain man, I understand the wristwatch as more than an instrument, embracing its jewelry-like presence. After all, the adage that men are not allowed to wear any other jewelry still rings true, especially when your partner catches another order confirmation pinging on your phone. But to me, functionality is still king, including date windows.I never leave the house without a watch,