Hey TAG Heuer F1 Champion Max Verstappen deserves a new watch!
Last year Max Verstappen became the new Formula 1 world champion by beating reigning champ Lewis Hamilton in a bizarre final race. To celebrate the Dutch racing talent's (first) world title TAG Heuer released the Well, the brand didn't release anything. Although TAG Heuer already released three Verstappen watches celebrating all kinds of moments - it all started back in 2016 with a watch celebrating his first ever grand prix victory a world championship apparently was not worth a special watch. Strange? Yes. A missed opportunity? Most definitely. With a second world title on the way, I thought it would be a wise plan to write this heads-up aimed at TAG Heuer. Because Max Verstappen deserves ...
Citizen Promaster Mechanical Diver 200M Vs. Seiko Prospex SPB143
It’s that time again! There’s no moment to relax for two of our writers on Sunday mornings. As you will all know by now, Fratello team members battle it out in our Sunday Morning Showdown series. In the end, you, our wonderful readers, have the final say on who wins. This week, Daan and Jorg go up against each other, choosing two affordable Japanese dive watches to duke it out. Daan is here to defend the popular Seiko Prospex SPB143. Jorg is taking on the massive task of beating it with the brand new Citizen Promaster Mechanical Diver 200M. Let the battle commence!This week’s face-off is a first for both watches. In the case of the Citizen Promaster Mechanical Diver 200M, t...
Introducing: The Revived Benrus Ultra-Deep Dive Watch
When I hear the name Benrus, the first two timepieces that come to my mind are the Type I diver and the DTU-2A/P field watch. These two models are much loved among fans of military watches. But Benrus also created more classics in the past that are worth checking out if you’re just learning about the brand. One of them is the Benrus Ultra-Deep ref. 6089 from the 1960s. It was part of a series of Benrus dive watches created when scuba diving took off. The new Benrus Ultra-Deep celebrates the classic model in style by maintaining the original size and details. This makes it a great modern remake of its 1960s counterpart, something that fans will most likely appreciate. I surely do.Benrus...
Espresso With The Casio G-Shock GM-B2100GD-5A
Even the intense shot of caffeine from the double espresso didn't change what I saw. At the top of the stairs lay a shiny unicorn - not something you see every day. It appeared very calm, serene, and peaceful, even when I got closer to the top of the stairs. The eyes of the magical creature seemed to be fixated on something… Something on my left wrist. Oh, but of course, the reflective animal was looking at the bright Full Metal Casio G-Shock GM-B2100GD-5A on my wrist. The lustrous rose gold color is a perfect complement to the creature's lustrous silver appearance.Unicorns are not my specialty, but I do know a little bit about them. For instance, I know that they're the size of a hors...
The World-Record-Setting Louis Moinet Cosmopolis
The Louis Moinet Cosmopolis is what happens when the earth and sky collide. On the dial of this unique piece, 12 fragments from outer-worldly meteorites found their place. It took Jean-Marie Schaller, owner and creative director of Louis Moinet, 20 years to collect the different stones. They fell from the heavens onto our planet after traveling billions of kilometers through the universe.Time is the central element in every watch, but the Louis Moinet Cosmopolis adds another dimension. I'm not talking about complications, functions, or other mechanical examples of artisanal excellence. No, I'm talking about a philosophical dimension. It all starts with Louis Moinet’s leader Jean-Marie ...
The Best Watches Under $5,000: Thomas's Picks
Yes! It is my turn to find my idea of the best watches under $5,000. It is actually a more challenging segment than you might expect, especially if you want to exclude the sub-$3,000 price bracket that we previously covered. Brand after brand seems to be vacating this segment in a quest for ever-higher price brackets. It can almost make you feel as though $5K isn't a boatload of money. Well, it is, so I want to find us some truly fantastic watches to justify spending it.Let's have a look at what I consider some of the best watches under $5,000 on the market today. I will present three new watches and one pre-owned bonus pick.The best watches under $5,000: Grand Seiko SBGN027The fact that $5,...
Hands-On: Titoni Seascoper 300 Color Block Edition
I was surprised when I was first presented with the new Titoni Seascoper 300 Color Block Edition. The first impression it gave me was that it’s a stealthy piece, but the bright orange dial is definitely there to make anyone think otherwise. When I thought about that in relation to the watch’s name, I think Titoni did a very clever job choosing the name to go with the aesthetic. Usually, when I think of a color-blocking watch, I think of bright colors all over. But this Seascoper 300 Color Block Edition uses a different way to bring the concept to life. It only uses its bright orange dial to draw attention. And it does it well.Dive watches with an orange dial are somewhat of an ac...
Hands-On: Blancpain Air Command In Titanium And Green
Blancpain aims for air superiority by strengthening its Air Command squadron with a new version of its reimagined 1950s US Air Force flyback chronograph. The 42.5mm model comes in a lightweight titanium case with a black bezel insert, an olive-green dial, a black bezel, and beige lume, numerals, and markings. Is this new creation pushing the retro envelope too far, or does it hit the sweet spot?The sound of a propeller aircraft makes many weak in the knees. The same goes for pilot's watches from the propeller era. Yes, the Jet Age made intercontinental traveling much more accessible. Slowly but surely, the romance of flying died. You could even compare the quartz watch with a jet airliner. Y...
Found: The Third Museum Watch Prototype
It’s been quite a week. After completing a 4,000-word article on the history of the Museum Watch, I reverted to covering the latest news and thinking about my next vintage story. However, little by little, the comments have trickled in on our site and over messages on Instagram. A noteworthy comment came in from a family member of Nathan George Horwitt who mentioned information on the third Museum Watch prototype. We’re excited to share what we believe are the first public photos of the watch.Last week, I penned an article on the history of the vintage Movado Museum Watch. It was a lot of fun to write, and I hope it helped shed light on designer Nathan George Horwitt and the stor...
Introducing: The Fears Brunswick 40.5 Jump Hour
Fears Watches is one of the small-brand success stories of this decade. Nicholas Bowman-Scargill revived his family’s brand with the Redcliff in 2016. Since 2020, the brand seems to have gone from strength to strength, and the new Fears Brunswick 40.5 Jump Hour shows this.This year the brand opened a boutique in its hometown of Bristol, further strengthening the ties to its storied past. The Fears range keeps growing and now spans 38mm delights like the OG Brunswick and everyday sports watches like the reintroduced Redcliff.The inspiration behind the Fears Brunswick 40.5 Jump HourIf you're an avid Fratello reader, you might have seen Ben’s story from 2023 on the Fears Christopher...
Hands-On: Girard-Perregaux Laureato 42mm In Pink Gold
It takes guts to walk around wearing a large, all-gold integrated-bracelet sports watch. This genre is not for the faint of heart. I like to think I'm fairly spunky, so I figured, Why not? I reached out to Girard-Perregaux and asked if I could try the latest gold Laureato 42mm models. When a rather weighty box arrived, I knew it was time to take off my comfortable small, subtle, steel GADA watch and lock this big chunk of sparkling 18K pink gold to my forearm. I gazed at my wrist and wondered, How will these make me feel after the initial jarring experience? Well, let's find out!I am taking a slightly different approach to this review. Rather than going through the specs and history of the w...
Hands-On: The 36mm Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Automatic
Every so often, the people at Parmigiani Fleurier send us a box with a few of their newer watches. This time, along with the new Toric models, it included a few variations of the brand’s Tonda PF. Our eyes were quickly drawn to the very impressive all-platinum Tonda PF Skeleton. The more sporty Chronographs on their rubberized straps also got much attention. But the real showstopper for most of the Fratello team was the Tonda PF Micro-Rotor No Date. Its understated style fits Parmigiani’s vision of discreet and timeless refinement so well. However, another watch got all my attention. It was the 36mm Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Automatic.Of course, the Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda P...
The Blue Wave
The Fratellowatches regulars probably know that I am more into sports watches than classic watches, which – almost – naturally results in a bit more coverage on sports models here. However, I just got a note from Grieb & Benzinger about their Blue Wave time piece. It is a unique and one time only time piece and for 87.500 euro it could be yours. Aside from the price tag, this is a classic looking time piece that could be the one of my choice.In the Blue Wave watch ticks a vintage movement by Minerva which dates back to approximately 1920-1925. Grieb & Benzinger completely disassembled this movement and restored it bit by bit. The base plate of the movement has been skelet...
Halda Space Watch Tried And Tested In Space
During the Space Shuttle STS-128 mission, Swedish ESA astronaut Christer Fuglesang was not only wearing his trusty old Omega Speedmaster Professional X-33 watch but on his other wrist, he was wearing an – at that time –?unfamiliar?watch, the Halda Space Discovery watch. Developed with the help of astronauts aboard of the STS-128, Swedish watch manufacturer Halda was able to fine-tune their Halda Space Discovery watch and finish the production of this timepiece. They are limiting the number of timepieces to 128,?referring?to the flight number of the NASA Space Shuttle mission in 2009.Whether the Halda Space Watch will eventually replace the Speedmaster Professional (X-33) remains ...
Tudor Submariner 7928 Photo Essay
Tudor is doing an amazing job with their Heritage collection of watches. The demand for the Tudor Heritage Black Bay is overwhelming. Earlier this year, we showed you the new Midnight Blue version of the Tudor Heritage Black Bay. During the introduction of that model, Tudor also showed us a number of their vintage models from their own archive, like this Submariner 7924 “Big Crown”.As you know, we’d like to do our own photography as often as possible here on Fratello Watches. A while ago, I had this Tudor Submariner 7928 in my personal collection and decided to put it on front of my camera lens. This Tudor Submariner 7928 dates back to 1966 and has (on some pictures) the re...
Ztylus Watchccessories Part 1.
GTGThe aim of going to a get-together (GTG) is to meet like-minded watch enthusiasts. It is also a great chance to check out watches you?never saw in the flesh. Collecting watches can be a real lonely hobby if you have nobody around sharing?your interest. Once you get to the GTG you want to keep the memory and pull out the smart phone or the camera for some shots. I personally don't take my camera to these meetings. On the one hand I do not want to carry lenses, tripods, flashlights etc around with me. On the other hand, I do not have the time, I love the interaction with other watch guys and would spend my time talking to them than taking photos with the camera.ZtylusYour smartphone's camer...
Karl-Leimon Watches. Sophisticated, Elegant and Timeless!
Now it is time to introduce you another new watch brand. This time it is Karl-Leimon Watches.?Never heard of Karl-Leimon!You are probably asking, how is Karl Leimon? Karl -Leimon is actually the names of the founders of the watch brand. One founder is called Karl and the other Leimon. The two founders met at university and united together by their passion of classic vintage watches.The company is based in Tokyo, Japan and are currently raising funds for their elegant and timeless watch collection on Kickstarter. So far, they have done excellently as the have raised 100% of their funding target and they have around 2~3 weeks more to go until their campaign ends.For Karl-Leimon, creating the b...
Should I Keep My Watches Running When I Don't Wear Them?
One of our valued readers is lucky enough to owe no less than seven watches. Two hand winding, and five with automatic movements. He wears all watches in a rotation, and in short, as far as I understand, his question is:You Asked Us: Should I keep my watches running, or should I allow them some rest when I don’t wear them?Here’s the full original text of the reader’s question:I am a fan of Fratello Watches and I read your articles every day?[author: thank you very much!], being a watch enthusiast. I have 2 Speedmasters which are manual winding and 5 automatic watches: a GMT, a Submariner, a Daytona, a Seamaster 300 and a Railmaster.I wear all of them in a rotation but while...
Undone Tropical Review and Giveaway
Inspired by the huge interest in vintage watches, the Hong Kong-based Undone company offers chronographs that could be easily mistaken for something 60 years old. Balazs did a review on Undone last year, with a lot of background information on this relatively new company, so I suggest to click the link above if you want to know more about them.Undone Tropical SaharaOne of the concepts of an Undone watch is that you can customize it the way you want. However, the Undone Tropical you see here is their Sahara' model and nothing has been customized or changed to this model. It is not mandatory to customize anything, of course. Undone offers a number of standard designs, which you can leave as-is...
#TBT: A Gallet Chronograph Love Story
It has been four years since we showed you a Gallet here for the first time on #TBT. Today, we bring you something similar yet different at the same time - one of the purest Gallet chronograph dial versions.We showed you several Gallet watches over the years. Mike's collection of Gallets features not only black dial versions that you can read about here and here, but also the Gallet Decimal and Torch Dial Multichron 12 with sub-registers nearly touching each other. Today, we have a Gallet chronograph that didn’t make it on Fratello before. A version with a super clean dial.Gallet Chronograph EP 40-68Thoughts on the Gallet dialOr shall we say a lot of pearl space instead of white space?...