In the post-COVID era, the explosive increase in the number of GMT watches is remarkable. While we collectively keep our fingers crossed that the effects of the virus will be limited with the changing of seasons, I, for one, am very happy with the increased presence of GMT watches. The GMT complication is my absolute favorite because of its practicality. As such, I am still looking for that great

Tissot has held long-standing partnerships with major cycling events for half a century. Last year, the Swiss watchmaker reaffirmed its ongoing commitment as the official timekeeper for the Tour de France, the oldest endurance bicycle race. This year, for the 109th edition of this world-class spectacle, Tissot has launched the T-Race Cycling 2022 Tour de France Special Edition. This 45mm sports wa

After seeing the new Zodiac Worn & Wound Super Sea Wolf Laser Tag limited editions, I immediately thought, “Worn & Wound did it again!” At the end of last year, Worn & Wound released the super cool Nivada Grenchen Worn & Wound Chronomaster Valjoux 72, a special watch housing that legendary chronograph movement. But aside from the caliber, what was just as remarkable to

While the general watch-collecting population hunts MoonSwatches or Scuba Fifties, I am digging into a quartz Breitling Colt from the late ’80s that nobody seems to care about. But they should! Let me tell you why.I am not on any medication, and I mean it. The quartz Breitling Colt Military PVD ref. 80180 is one of the best watches I bumped into recently. It wasn’t on my radar, and I d

Very often, watch brands introduce models that make us shake our heads. Whether it's the diameter of the watch, a four-thirty date window, or a case thickness exceeding 11mm, enthusiasts are ready to rumble with the watch brand's CEO, designer, marketing director, and almost everyone involved. I would not be surprised if many critical watch enthusiasts would like to take their position instead and

In our series of articles highlighting our favorite watches within a certain budget, we have arrived at watches under $5,000. The rules have carried over from the previous installments: pick three watches under $5,000 from current brand catalogs and one pre-owned timepiece, be it vintage, neo-vintage, or relatively new but pre-owned. A higher budget doesn’t make it easier per se. The amount

If you know anything about Cuervo y Sobrinos, it’s probably that the brand has Cuban heritage. While currently located in Switzerland, the brand’s Caribbean roots give Cuervo y Sobrinos an interesting story to tell. On top of that, we see those roots perfectly integrated into the watches and the packaging. But the origins of the brand go even beyond Cuba. Ramn Fernndez Cuervo, the br

Last year, TAG Heuer released two colorful versions of its 42mm Carrera Chronograph. Of course, the watches took inspiration from car racing. This year, the brand continues on the same track with a new limited edition that is only available in Europe. Although this one is also colorful, it’s a bit more toned down and sophisticated than the ones with orange and red detailing from last year. I

In late August, A. Lange & Sohne invited me to the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace, southwest of London. This was my third time attending this show and auction of rare classic cars, and this time had the best weather by far. Arriving early, we witnessed the opening parade of all the exceptional automobiles as the owners drove them to their designated spaces. The beautifully mainta

At one time, the marine chronometer was among the most important of all instruments. It helped determine a ship’s position by measuring longitude. Glashutte Original, originally known as Glashutter Uhrenbetrieb GmbH (GUB), was a famed maker of these instruments. The Senator Chronometer takes inspiration from these ship clocks but transports the form to the wrist.The Glashutte Original Senato

Several years ago, (and probably in development long, long before that) Girard-Perregaux released a series of watches called the Operas. As the name suggests, all boasted musical complications. They were available and I believe some still are with various dials and case materials.Family portrait. All images can be clicked on for larger versionsIn 2005, I was lucky enough to be granted some lens ti

One of the best surprises of BaselWorld this year was definitely the Omega De Ville Tresor with its Master Co-Axial caliber 8511 hand-wound movement. Available in white gold, yellow gold and Sedna gold (red).Although we know Omega especially for their sports watches in the current collection, their De Ville and Constellation line-up is important as well. These classic looking collection have quite

I’ve been looking forward to give the new?Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Vintage Black (reference?311.92.44.51.01.006)?a test drive. Omega sent us this Vintage Black variation on the original Dark Side of the Moon model last month to do our review and take it into our own photo studio.In this article I already shortly discussed this Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Vintage Bl

Autumn is here and that must mean it's time for a Vintage Watch Market Update. In the time since I've started writing these, we've seen a lot of changes on the vintage scene. We've gone from highlighting opportunities on the market to discussing the craze that affects so many of us regarding collecting and how it has rapidly changed pricing. It's been a whirlwind and it's one that shows little sig

At Fratello we all have a thing for vintage so it’s always a pleasure to see watch brands introducing vintage inspired models. We’ve mentioned it earlier and now we’ll have a closer look at the?Oris ChronOris Date that was introduced during Baselworld this year.Oris ChronOris Date, an icon returnsSo after almost 50 years the?Oris ChronOris Date returns. First introduced in 1970,

Since the introduction of the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1A in 2006, the watch has reached a mythical status. Especially during the last few years, it seems this watch has been picked up by a larger audience than ever before.With a retail price of?26.810,- Euro, not an easy sell for an all stainless steel watch with no complications other than a date. Wrong! These watches have a long waiting lis

Since the introduction of the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1A in 2006, the watch has reached a mythical status. Especially during the last few years, it seems this watch has been picked up by a larger audience than ever before.With a retail price of?26.810,- Euro, not an easy sell for an all stainless steel watch with no complications other than a date. Wrong! These watches have a long waiting lis

This week we have two stories in store for you, contributed by Speedmaster enthusiasts. One is from Mario and the other from Patrick. Completely different stories, but they have the exact same watch in common.I don’t know about you, but I can’t get enough of people’s stories on their Speedmaster watches. It is very interesting to see what the Speedmaster means to some of you. For

Trawling through watch blogs searching for useful, trustable information can be a slog. It can seem like an endless stream of positivity as many up-and-coming (and, regrettably, some established) blogs vie for sponsors' budgets. I was discussing with one of my colleagues just the other day how we try and avoid overwhelming bias on Fratello while remaining true to ourselves for the good of our read

Although Zenith announced the ground-breaking El Primero automatic chronograph in January of 1969, it was beaten to the shelves (and ultimately the wrists of watch lovers) by the Seiko Speedtimer. By the time May 1969 rolled around, Seiko’s majestic entry in the chronograph dash had arrived in shops, nosing ahead of Zenith at the last as both brands leaned for the finish line of what had bee