Mike's Summer Holiday Watches Breitling, Doxa, Citizen
Travel has returned and was in complete form during the summer of 2022. In addition to all those casual clothes that I pack, travel also means choosing a watch or two. So what did I decide to bring with me on my summer vacation?Ah yes, when it comes to packing my luggage, I still make a list. Even though I’ve traveled extensively for years, I either make a list on my phone or with a pen and paper, the old-fashioned way. It’s silly, but it makes me feel better, and despite having a busy schedule, lists have saved me 99% of the time from forgetting something. What’s even funnier, though, is that “watches” always end up on the list. It’s ridiculous because I ...
Grand Seiko SLGH013 Hands-On
In 2018, I bought my first and only Grand Seiko watch, the SBGJ201. With its 44GS style case, high-beat movement, and spectacular dial, it was the perfect Grand Seiko for me. Even the later White Birch, Night Birch, the Nature collection, the SBGW, and the SBGY series, however beautiful they were, did not make me rethink my choice. Another famous quote, the best is yet to come, was always in my mind when I saw a new Grand Seiko release. Until now. Meet the SLGH013.Grand Seiko SLGH013This week, we received the new Grand Seiko SLGH013 here at Fratello HQ. When we opened it, we all gathered around and fell silent. It was a surreal thing to witness. It was not only the striking light blue dial t...
Fratello's Top 5 Recent Watches With Salmon Dials
Another Friday, another Top 5! Last week, we took a look at five of the best extreme dive watches out there right now. It seems like you Fratelli take quite a liking to these over-the-top divers. And along with the Oris AquisPro 4000m, it was great to see how much love there is for Seiko’s famous Tuna models. This week’s Top 5, however, is about a completely different topic. It’s all about salmon dials. First of all, we admit that “salmon” is quite a loose term as these dials’ colors differ quite a lot between brands. Secondly, salmon dials seem to be perfect for limited editions rather than standard-production models. Recently, though, we have seen quite ...
New: Zenith Chronomaster Original Black Tricolor Dial
It’s not necessarily our MO to report on every new color addition that makes its way to the market. However, when a watch is in the form of the legendary A386 El Primero, it always catches our attention. The latest version of the Zenith Chronomaster Original “completes” the collection by bringing a logical option for buyers. Namely, there’s now a black dial with the familiar three-colored sub-dials.I must admit that I was truly excited to write up the Zenith Chronomaster Original models when they came out back in July 2021. As an A386 owner, I always couldn’t help but wonder why Zenith had largely ignored its most famous classic watch. Sure, there were plenty of...
The New Louis Moinet Jules Verne Tourbillon "To The Moon"
Introducing a new masterpiece from the artists at Louis Moinet - the Jules Verne Tourbillon To the Moon. As one of the true independents of artisanal Swiss watchmaking, Louis Moinet is a brand we follow closely. Today's release is something rather special and limited to just eight watches. Its USP? How about a combination of a tourbillon and a piece of the Moon to wear on your wrist?Let's have a closer look at this latest Louis Moinet creation, for which you can pick your preferred piece of lunar material if you are lucky enough to snag one.Louis Moinet Jules Verne TourbillonLet me kick things off with the watch itself. The Jules Verne Tourbillon will be released in three variants. This To t...
Crafter Blue Hyperion Ocean Chronograph Arctic Blue
There’s something about summer that changes the rules when it comes to watches. The smaller, dressy, cuff-friendly ones get a break in favor of big, bold, colorful pieces. Vintage Omega Constellations give way to Ploprofs, Reversos stand aside for Seiko Tunas, and Cartier Tanks bow out in favor of Panerais. Whether it’s the heat or lack of long sleeves to contend with, big watches thrive in the summertime. Crafter Blue, the Hong-Kong-based purveyor of rubber straps turned watch brand, knows this well. This is why the brand chose this season to introduce its latest chunky dive chronograph. The new Crafter Blue Hyperion Ocean Chronograph in Arctic Blue is here to make a splash.A co...
Introducing: The TAG Heuer Carrera Chronosprint Porsche
The TAG Heuer Carrera Glassbox was one of our favorite releases at this year’s Watches and Wonders in Geneva. No wonder the brand is using that model to celebrate the 60th anniversary of both the TAG Heuer Carrera and the Porsche 911 (originally called 901). It comes in both stainless steel and rose gold, and its design pays tribute to the Porsche 901’s sprint from zero to 100km/h in 9.1 seconds. And - spoiler alert - it features a decelerating chronograph seconds hand to mimic the movement of a speedometer’s needle. Let’s take a look at the all-new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronosprint Porsche.At the Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung Frankfurt (IAAF) in 1963, now exactly...
Touchdown: The Breitling Chronomat NFL Collection
The breeze is changing direction, leaves are turning yellow, and legions of fans are packing up their SUV’s with coolers, cornhole gear, and mini-grills. It can only mean one thing - football season! The NFL is back, and it’s time to root for your favorite team! Breitling is here to help with the new Chronomat NFL collection. The best news is that there’s a version for every team.“We’re in the air, we’re on the ground, we’re always in control. And when you say Miami, you’re talking Super Bowl!” I warm up my pipes every Sunday morning with the Dolphins fight song, and if I’m feeling fortunate, I may belt out “Gridiron Heroes...
Spending Time With My Grandfather's IWC Caliber 89
Watches can be a deeply impersonal affair. The rise of social media hype, luxury exhibitionism, and wristwatch “flexing” is very different from what watches once represented. It wasn’t all that long ago that they were simple time-telling tools with a little style thrown in (perhaps even some panache). This article is a celebration of watches as deeply personal objects, indeed, treasure houses of memories and emotions.My grandfather Fritz’s choice of time-telling tool is emblematic of the era in which he grew up. Born in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, Fritz Meister served as a member of the Swiss military as a sharpshooter during WWII. This was a period when Switzerland fa...
Seiko Prospex SLA079 Vs. Oris Aquis Date Calibre 400
Last week, we took an excursion to the land of Nouvelle Horlogerie. This week, we’re returning to our home territory of stainless steel dive watches. Seiko just presented us with two new references under the Marinemaster name. The SLA077 and SLA079 are modern interpretations of the famous 6159-7001 from 1968. As they’re in the more expensive realms of Seiko’s Prospex collection, we thought the Oris Aquis would be a good matchup price-wise.Being the stainless steel dive watches that they are, both the Seiko and the Oris offer water resistance to 300 meters. Also, at 42.6mm and 43.5mm, respectively, they’re quite comparable size-wise. Apart from those characteristics, t...
Only 75 Pieces The WatchUseek Edition Rattrapante 'Challenger' by TNT
There is no need to introduce WatchUseek to you, the biggest on-line watch community on this planet. In the past, a number of limited or special edition watches have been created for WatchUseek. However, last weekend I came across this WatchUseek Edition Rattrapante by watch manufacturer TNT. As you can see, a very interesting ‘bullhead’ design with a rattrapante complication inside.Torsten Nagengast TimepiecesTNT is operated by Torsten Nagengast, a German watch manufacturer that has over 20 years of experience in the field of watch projects. Especially for WatchUseek readers, he designed this bullhead rattrapante watch. Torsten was able to source a number of rattrapante movement...
Speedmaster Dark Side Of The Moon 311.92.44.51.01.003
The Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon: a long awaited black version of the famous Speedmaster watch was introduced during the BaselWorld 2013 exhibition (as we reported here). The delivery of the Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon watches took a while, and still not every retailer has them in stock.So, after more than one year after the introduction of the Dark Side of the Moon let’s see if we are still as enthusiastic about the watch as we were during Baselworld 2013.Omega Dark Side of the MoonWhen I first laid my eyes on the Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon I was immediately sold. There was a long wish for an all black Speedmaster. Although there had been a couple of PVDed Spee...
A. Lange & Sohne's New Manufactory Building And The Reasons Why
On August 25 I flew from Amsterdam to Dresden, to be in time for the inauguration of the new Lange building in Glashutte the next day. I wondered why they needed this new building, is there need for a higher production volume of these high-end Glashutte watches? When I arrived in the hotel in Dresden, I sat down with Arnd Einhorn of A. Lange & Sohne,?Director of Press and Public Relations, to get some back ground on Lange’s history on the production of watches.How it all startedThere are letters – together about 500 pages – from Ferdinand Adolph Lange to the government and vice versa that discuss the possibility and financing of a new watchmaking company. These letters ...
Mondaine Helvetica No.1 Horological Smartwatch
In search for a new classic, next to its long time (since 1986) popular SBB Swiss Railways watch, at the end of last year Mondaine introduced its Helvetica line.A clever step to use Helvetica, which may be the name of the most ubiquitous font around, as the name of a watch collection. It’s said that Helvetica is a font of such practicality and beauty that it is both ubiquitous and something of a cult. And Helvetica, Latin for Swiss, is linked to this Alpine country almost as firmly as the SBB Swiss Railways.It was up to designer Martin Drechsel to translate the Helvetica font into the watch design. This resulted in an incredibly simple design at first glance, but which has little quirk...
IWC Ingenieur Chronograph Limited Editions Introduced
Last week, we were invited to join IWC on this beautiful location at ‘Kasteel de Hooge Vuursche’ to have a look at the new IWC Ingenieur Chronograph collection. Although we already saw them earlier this year in Zurich during the Passione Caracciola (report can be found here), we wanted to have a closer look.Goodbye GentaFrom what we understood during the presentation, IWC is moving away from the famous Gerald Genta design for their Ingenieur collection. Instead, they want to come with an Ingenieur collection that is based on their 1955 Ingenieur reference 666 model. The IWC Ingenieur Chronograph collection they presented to us are the first step in that direction. Not entirely tr...
Buyer Beware the California Crooks are on the Loose!
We don't do public service announcements often here on Fratello Watches. Aside from letting you know about the occasional stolen watch or fake, we figure that most of the hijinks occurring on the internet or elsewhere are so obvious that they don't warrant discussion. Today, though, and after a lot of thought, I think it's high time that we feature some fakes that are always on eBay and coming out of California (Artesia and South El Monte seem to be the typical locations). I'll use a name coined by @watchfred as he refers to this collection of hucksters or is it one person? as the California Crooks.The California Crooks are Selling Complete JunkIt's easy to find wrong watches, so-called Fran...
The Watches We Have Worn Most This Summer
Everyone here at Fratello returned from their Summer holidays, so we thought it would be fun to ask the team which watch got most wrist time.We seem to have a solid mix of vintage and new watches, but what’s more interesting to see is that most of us feel the urge to select a divers watch. While most of us will only take a dip in the pool, Andreas is the only one who actually will dive with his watches. Where some of us just took one or two watches as their companion this Summer, others wore several watches from different brands. Without further ado.Gerard, Seiko SRP777 TurtlePartly due to the nature of work I do for Fratello, I change watches very often. Probably not as often as my so...
TAG Heuer Aquaracer 300M Green Dial
When I just met my current wife, then girlfriend, I gifted her a TAG Heuer Aquaracer. She once showed me the watch in a display at a jeweller, and I kept it in mind.It was probably after our first year when I bought her this watch for her birthday. It made perfect sense because (unlike me) she’s sporty and slim and she picked a watch that fits her style. I never actually considered the TAG Heuer Aquaracer 300M for myself, although I like the style of the watch.TAG Heuer Aquaracer 300MI am not a diver, on the contrary, my swimming skills are far below average, and even my six-year-old daughter shows a cleaner dive than I could ever perform. But I guess that these watches are more about ...
Hot Take: Ball Engineer Master II Normandy
I have kept the Ball brand in active focus since 2015 when I first read about their Trainmaster Kelvin. The classy old-school shaped gold case with a black dial was the thing that got me. By that thing, I don't mean the disturbing date aperture that cuts halfway through the first index, but the temperature arc scale above six. With the Trainmaster Kelvin, Ball disrupted the usual set of mechanical complications with a simple bimetallic coil-based temperature reading. Maybe not so useful in the end, but honestly, how many of us use chronographs daily, right? For me, it is one of those watches that hold a consistent level of coolness. We all know the struggle: the flair of certain watches fade...
Wrist Game or Crying Shame: Girard-Perregaux Sea Hawk 7100
Welcome to Wrist Game or Crying Shame where watching campaign speeches is not required for participation. Today, we’ll vote on an oft-forgotten Girard-Perregaux Sea Hawk 7100. But first…Last week, I gave you a pure gimme with a ludicrously priced Submariner Hulk. That watch went down like Bruce Banner in an 87% Crying Shame loss. Still, I wonder about the 13% of people who voted Wrist Game. Do they own the watch already or perhaps just like the watch and not the price? If they like the price, I hope that someone else is watching their nest eggs. Today, we bring things down almost tenfold in price, but we’re still going to look at another diver. This just might be one you h...