This Week in Watches is here for September 25, 2020 and we dub this the cooler edition. That’s right, Autumn is here and the temps are dropping. Let’s see what the watch world has in store for us.Certina DS Chronograph AutomaticI think it’s fair to say that Certina has been on a roll over the last couple years. Between their modern releases and heritage inspired pieces, it’

That green dial really means business… And it’s about time. This rash of TAG Heuer Carrera Sport Chronographs is exactly what I think the family needed - a return to form. Sensibility might not create headlines but it does underline classics. And that, as far as I’m concerned, amounts to a low-key triumph for a very divisive mainstream brand.TAG Heuer is one of those brands that

Was it close? Really? Was it ever going to be? The Tudor Black Bay .925 and the Doxa Sub 300 promised much and delivered a fair helping of competition for the ultimately victorious Omega Seamaster 300M, but did they split the anti-Omega vote too far? I guess we’ll never know, but we do know this: after almost one month of voting and jawing, we have our summer supremo: RJ walks away with the

It's been a long time coming, but now that the madness of Geneva Watch Days has died down and the Summer Splash competition approaches its close, it's time to announce the winner of the Peren Hintz, generously donated to Fratello by brand founder Andy Bica.The question we asked was inspired by the Hintz's unusual color combination. I wanted to know which colors you'd like to see used together in w

Let’s face it. Here at Fratello we mainly cover serious watches. From Audemars-Piguet to Zenith, as long as serious watchmaking - and preferably a bit of brand history - is involved, it gets our attention. But a totally different watch universe exists. And it might be that, in numbers, more people dwell in this universe than in those of traditional Swiss, German, or Japanese watchmaking. Wat

Bvlgari has had a very strong start to the second half of 2022 with several excellent releases announced during Geneva Watch Days. Though the brand may be best known for its Octo Finissimo and Bvlgari Bvlgari collections, today, we're going to take a quick look at the Aluminium Amerigo Vespucci GMT. It’s a watch that I would describe as being a more normal-looking” timepiece from the R

Back in March, Forstner gave me the chance to check out the Model J bracelet with my Tudor Black Bay. As I had never liked how the OEM Tudor bracelet felt on my wrist, I was eager to see how the Model J would compare. Long story short, I loved it, and my Black Bay has been “jubilified” ever since. But when an opportunity arose to check out the Model O bracelet, to be honest, I first wo

I'll start with a disclaimer based on my own personal taste: if this does to the general watch-buying public what it does to my heartstrings, I bet all of these are sold out already. At more than $100,000, that might be a wild guess, but look at it! After all, the launch of the H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Tourbillon Bucherer BLUE happened last week, and only 18 of these gem-set Streamliners wi

For many years, I’ve been a fanatical nay-sayer when it comes to watch brand ambassadors. However, the world of watch ambassadors is not limited to those paid by the brands. Let's analyze the different kinds of watch ambassadors and their effect on you.A brand picks an ambassador, gives him or her a watch, and the next thing you see is said ambassador wearing the watch during photo shoots, T

Bvlgari has indisputably innovated and renewed the genre of ultra-thin fine watches. The luxury house has been busy breaking new ground in Haute Horlogerie with the Octo Finissimo range while garnering a string of world records. However, along the way, the Roman jeweler has decidedly diffused its micro-mechanical prowess into the movements of its Haute Joaillerie watches for women.Fusing grand com

New watch brands pop up regularly these days. And though it would be impossible to cover them all, sometimes, for one reason or another, one will catch our eye. This was the case with Balmont. The young French brand marks its debut with a series of four well-specced, nicely designed, understated, and versatile watches. These models carry the BDX name, with numbers designating the color of the dial

Fratello On Air returns with an admittedly noisy episode. Our apologies, but the show must go on! This week, it’s a lighter show as we discuss our recent whereabouts (watches included) and hit upon some new releases. Enjoy the show and the clattering of plates, glassware, and cutlery.

Every month, we’re introducing a new Speedmaster strap with the Swedish brand REM. Our ninth one for 2023 is this white Saturn V strap, which works especially well with white-dial Speedmaster models.Saturn VThe Saturn V rocket carried the Apollo 8 to Apollo 17 missions from 1968 to 1972. Additionally, in 1973, it carried the first Skylab mission. Successful missions before Apollo 8 used the

The market for affordable GMT watches is crowded, to say the least. That’s because this genre of watches is incredibly popular these days. So it is no wonder that Bulova is now introducing a GMT version of its famous Oceanographer re-edition. It comes in three versions - stainless steel “Pepsi,” rose gold “root beer,” and “gunmetal” gray (with a lume dial)

I don’t know if it’s because summer officially ended or if it’s these past two weeks of heavy rain here in Europe, but the urge for a colorful dial won me over. Besides that, I stumbled upon an interesting green-and-white-dial Bulova Spinnaker this week…I got a new hairdo yesterday. I needed it badly. The last time I’d gotten one was at the end of June, and you know,

By now, you probably know we’re fans of RZE here at Fratello. The brand’s titanium watches are affordable, and they all have a strong explorer attitude. The RZE Fortitude GMT is a proper pilot’s watch that allows you to track an additional time zone. Today, the new RZE Fortitude GMT-S debuts, with the capital “S” for “sunburst,” I guess. That’s becau

It’s been only a few months since Seiko introduced the first Astron GPS Solar Dual-Time Chronographs with the new caliber 5X83. Today, the Japanese brand unveils a quartet of chronographs powered by the same movement. The line is expanding with the standard-production SSH159, SSH161, and SSH163. Additionally, we get a titanium and ceramic limited edition, the SSH158. The watches are slightly

Venezianico is a young brand from Venice that continues to roll out new releases. Today, the Arsenale joins the lineup, and while it contains familiar styling details, the watch can claim a historic local building as the source of inspiration. This is a watch that should please those looking for value and refinement.I’ve now covered three Venezianico watches, and each has been significantly

Welcome to this latest installment of Fratello Talks. Today, we are happy to be joined by special guest Beno?t Mintiens, the founder and CEO of the avant-garde Belgian watch brand Ressence. In this long-form episode, we learn about Beno?t’s origins as an industrial design consultant, how he transitioned into the watch world, and the philosophy that informed the creation of Ressence. Join us

Do you want to dazzle or be functional? If the first is your goal, creating a unique-looking, complicated watch with equally unique features is the way to go. If you opt for the second, it's all about sober functionality. When Genus released its first creation in 2019, the GNS1, the small independent brand wanted to dazzle. And it did. The GNS1 was an open-worked spectacle in which not just bridge