Officine Panerai New Line-Up, Including A Dress Watch And Updated Luminor Marina Models
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 the Day-Date II. Both short lived.). Anyway, while I was holding my breath, Panerai built up the tension by showing a bit of background information first.I assume you are familiar with Panerai, we covered it many times, so I am going to skip the history lessons. Important to know is that Panerai has ...
Vintage Watch Market Summer 2017 Trends and Condition
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 continues to evolve and what I've noticed is that it has become far more mainstream. What was once a true enthusiast/hobbyist market has now pivoted and attracts a far wider range of customers. Speculators, those concerned about general style, and trend followers now, more often than not, exhibit more t...
Event report 24 hours of Spa with IWC and AMG
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-Francorchamps in good company, soon more!24 hours of SpaUpon arrival at the paddocks, we are welcomed by IWC at the stand of their automotive partner AMG. During the event, we get to explore the track from different positions and get a behind the scenes view of the 24 hours of Spa. Apart from the obvious th...
This Week in Watches August 3, 2019
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 now come to know this paragraph as the rant portion, but there’s no pain in my game this week.? You see, I currently have four watches in for review (one is the Orient Kamasu we published this past week) and guess what?? They’re all?really good and that made me realize, despite all the co...
Watch On Your Wrist? Fratello Instagram Contest 2020 Round 8
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 end of the year. There will be five finalists in 2020 and ten from next year on.Basically, if you like winning things - and there will be a prize for the champion of 2020 - this year represents your best shot. So get snapping, get tagging, and get sharing. And don’t forget to vote for your...
Top-5 Oris Limited Edition Dive Watches Connected To Life In The Water
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 best of these Oris Aquis limited editions.Just let me get back to my smile that was caused by the beautiful Oris Holstein Edition 2020. In my review, I expressed my love for the vintage looks of the Diver Sixty-Five Chronograph. And when it comes to Oris I often tend to focus on its vintage-inspired ...
Mitch Mason Chronicle Watch Looks Likely To Soar
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 very unusual design, buoyed by great add-ons for a very attractive price.Homage pieces are ten a penny. Borrowed dial designs abound. Many microbrand owners seem either allergic to or terrified of doing something different. On one hand, that is totally understandable. Homage pieces?are popular. Popu...
Five Speedmaster Watches (Still) Flying Under The Radar (2021)
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 them probably doesn't exactly help in keeping the prices sane, so we'll take our fair share of the blame. In this article, I will show you 5 Speedmaster watches that are (still) under the radar.On the one hand, I tend to do some serious eye-rolling when I see some of the price tags on (now-discontin...
Interview With Raketa CEO David Henderson-Stewart (2021)
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 industry’s most beguiling brands. Let’s find out together…Rob Nudds: Morning David, thanks for joining us at Fratello. I get the feeling this is going to be an interesting chat that takes us down many paths so let’s dive right in: how did you find yourself in Russia in the f...
AnOrdain Model 1 Precious Metal Series ft. Worn And Wound (2021)
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 day. The team welcomed me into their workshop with open arms, and I left even more impressed with an outfit I'd been fond of, to begin with. Today, I'm reporting on last week's limited edition release in conjunction with Worn and Wound. And, I must say, it's something rather unusual for a brand that ...
Two Months Of Living With The Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight Silver
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 they make sports watches and are usually good for some surprises. This year, they definitely brought some unexpected pieces. In addition to an 18K gold variant, the new Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight Silver showed itself. It was met with curiosity and a fair dose of skepticism. Regardless of whether it wa...
First Impressions Of The Bamford x G-Shock Triple Blue
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 $178, what risk was I taking?The Bamford x G-Shock Triple Blue DW-6900BWD turns out to be a textbook example of black being a slimming color. Either that or I've typed so much over the last six months alongside gym sessions that my wrists are beefed up. Whatever the reason, it fits, even with its ma...
Studio Underd0g Serves Up Strawberries & Cream (2022)
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 situation been different. Earlier this year, Richard Benc, the brand’s founder, honored Fratello’s early enthusiasm for his efforts by choosing us to partner with him to release the Aubergine charity special edition. We have some more news for you after four months removed from that wel...
Best Watches For Under $2K Fortis Flieger F-39
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 watch’s price is right. It sits just under $2K with its list price of $1,950. And that's just one of the reasons why the Fortis Flieger F-39 Automatic on a black leather strap is my pick for this installment of our series Finding The Best Watches Under $2,000 Today.If I were to actually get a Flieger F-...
Daan's Summer Holiday Watches: Blancpain, Seiko, Swatch
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 some stopovers. That means it’s not very safe to bring along a large part of my watch collection. And besides, who needs dress watches or more fragile pieces when most of my days during our five-week trip will be filled with pools, beaches, and sunbathing?I’m sure many could even do without...
Rallying A Classic Car With The Fratello Oris Divers Sixty-Five
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. As you might imagine, it was not an easy decision. But in the end, the Fratello Oris Divers Sixty-Five was a worthy companion.I consider myself a fast-thinking and decisive person. Despite that, I could not decide what watch would be the best companion for a classic car endurance rally. I blame the...
Hands-On: The Lebois & Co Heritage Chronograph
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 it’s time to review the result, or one of the results, as the Lebois & Co Heritage Chronograph has become available in four different versions.Lebois & Co sent us the Heritage Chronograph ref 324.497, the variant with a cream dial and multicolored scales. All versions have the same reta...
Reuniting A Friend With His Father's Vintage Seiko 7006-8030
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, and everything that went into it.After more than 12 years, we’re leaving Frankfurt, Germany. We’re heading to London, which is extremely exciting. However, leaving means saying goodbye to some really good friends. In particular, one of my best friends here in Germany is a gentleman by the ...
Fratello Talks: Finding Value In Neo-Vintage Watches
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 slipped through the cracks of hype and popularity, still offering much value today. Nacho, Morgan, and RJ talk about these neo-vintage watches in this podcast episode of Fratello Talks....
Ulysse Nardin Diver NET Wempe Signature Collection
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 of Ulysse Nardin’s Diver Net model features bright orange accents and a matching strap. Nacho and Jorg introduced the Azure and OPS editions of Ulysse Nardin’s divers, which differ greatly. The new Signature Collection edition impressively shows how versatile this model is. Wempe lent m...