Luminor MarinaLast week I attended the introduction of a couple of new Panerai models. Their most recognizable watch, the Luminor Marina, received an update.Now, I don’t want to ruin a party, but changing or even slightly modifying an iconic watch can be very dangerous. We’ve seen that escalating with a couple of brands, including (remember their initial 39mm Explorer, or what about t

It's been more than a quarter since I've given an update on the vintage watch market. Why is that? Well, the article would likely have come off as more of the same prices are up and the market is tight. And today? It's no different, so I'll focus the article, instead, on the trends I've witnessed along with some commentary on condition.Your Hobby is Becoming MainstreamThe vintage watch market cont

Last weekend we found our way to the Belgium Ardennes for the 70th edition of the Total 24 hours of Spa-Francorchamps. This circuit which is surrounded by forests is rated as one of the most iconic tracks in the world. And it's always a pleasure being here as it brings back memories dating back to the 1990's when I used to go there regularly to experience the F1 from up close.Going to Spa-Francorc

Namaste, downward dogs, it’s time for This Week in Watches.Welcome to This Week in Watches for August 3, 2019.? I can’t really complain about the heat this week because, lo and behold, things have moderated.? I can’t talk about the new Corvette anymore because this is a watch site and I played that card last weekend.? So, I should probably just talk about watches.? You’ve n

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

The brand responsible for putting the biggest smile on my face recently when it comes to watches is Oris. But there is also a serious side to the brand. For a decade now the brand has been releasing a string of Aquis limited editions inspired by stories and organizations that are connected to taking care of our planet’s marine and aquatic life. Let’s take a closer look at some of the b

Crowd-funded watches are commonplace these days. That’s a really good thing for the watch community, in my opinion. With plenty to choose from at generally affordable prices, these projects provide a welcome access point to a sometimes prohibitively expensive industry. But sorting the wheat from the chaff is not always so easy. The first watch from Mitch Mason, the Chronicle watch, offers a

In the last decade, many people have jumped onto the Speedmaster bandwagon. With even some of the less talked about models getting caught up in the hype. This, in turn, results in steep price increases on the pre-owned and vintage market. We have seen this happen with Speedmaster Tintin, whose price has recently skyrocketed (no pun intended). The watch world’s media outlets publishing about

It’s been a busy first day back at the news desk after a nice little break, but one of the things I was excited to race back to work for was an interview with David Henderson-Stewart, the CEO of Raketa. That’s right, Raketa - perhaps the most visible Russian brand in its price bracket. I’ve been keen to learn how it was that an Englishman ended up as the head honcho of one of the

A few weeks ago, which seems like an absolute age after spending the best part of two weeks sunning myself to a crisp on the beaches of Mallorca, I visited anOrdain's headquarters in a sunny but not quite so unbearably hot Glasgow. It was, as I think the stories I shared on Fratello's Instagram at the time (and will share again on my own account today for all those that missed them), a wonderful d

Welcome to a hands-on review that I've been waiting to write. I've owned the Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight Silver for a couple of months now and have put it to the test. Hopefully, my experiences will help decide if this is the right watch for you.I was in South Florida during Watches and Wonders 2021 and I can recall watching the new releases roll out online. Tudor is always of interest because the

The G-Shock DW-6900 is too big for me. I know this from having the all-white Stormtrooper version for two days before selling it. And for such a huge watch, the screen is woefully small, so what's the big (pun not intended) deal? This Bamford x G-Shock Triple Blue DW-6900BWD is no review sample. I bought it after penning my release story on it, an inherent danger of writing about watches. But for

Believe it or not, I don’t yet own a Studio Underd0g watch. When the brand burst onto the scene in 2020, I was very taken by the Watermelon flavor. And yet, the brand’s debut found me in a period of consolidation. Adding another occasional chronograph just wasn’t on my list of things to do. Regardless, I covered the release with the positivity of a would-be purchaser, had only my

This is not a pilot watch. You will find these words on the Fortis website next to the Flieger F-39. Wait, what?! I look at it and think, “Pilot's watch with all-round abilities and a sporty, contemporary look.” That’s probably the direction Fortis wants to steer the target audience that won’t consist of pilots exclusively. Never mind the idea or the concept, the watch̵

This year, it was a bit more difficult to make my watch selection for my summer holiday. Usually, we travel by plane to visit my wife’s family in Ponferrada, Spain. But this year, because of the chaos at the airport in Amsterdam and the high prices for renting a car, we decided to drive all the way there. And when you’re driving as many as 2,000 kilometers one way, you need to make som

Rallying a classic car across the country is as brutal as joyous a task. It was a tough week. Driving 12 hours a day through dusty gravel road in a noisy car with the heating turned on almost half the time was so exhausting that we fell asleep every day right after we pitched our tent, had some food, and took care of the inevitable maintenance of the car. All that, with just one watch on my wrist.

We’ve covered the resurrection of Lebois & Co from the start here on Fratello. The Lebois & Co brand and Airain subbrand have been in the hands of the Van Wijlick family in The Netherlands since 2014, managing it very actively from the start. In previous articles, we have covered the process of developing watches, allowing the watch community to influence design decisions, etc. Now i

Normally, writing an article about a vintage watch is a pleasurable experience for me. Today’s epistle on the Seiko 7006-8030 is bittersweet, though, because it coincides with a goodbye story. Still, reuniting a friend with a special watch seems like a fitting way to depart. This is the story of a friend’s father’s vintage Seiko wristwatch, its troublesome restoration process, an

One of the most recurring topics discussed lately in the office is that of so-called neo-vintage watches. Watches that were produced anywhere between the 1980s and the early 2000s. There’s no unambiguous definition (yet), so we go with this roughly 20-25 year time span starting in 1980. Some neglected but fascinating watches are to be discovered from this specific era. These pieces have slip

In its Signature Collection, Wempe presents special limited editions of watches created in collaboration with the brands the renowned retailer sells. This collection already includes some good-looking special editions of famous watch models, such as the Breitling Navitimer. Now it is Ulysse Nardin’s turn with the Diver Net Wempe Signature Collection.Fitting the season, this exclusive edition