Hands-On With The Divisive Credor Locomotive
The Credor Locomotive is, without a doubt, the most surprising release of the past few months. Credor’s revival of this Gerald Genta-designed classic from the 1970s had people talking. In particular, strong opinions about whether this was a good design or not quickly made the rounds on social media. At first sight, the Locomotive doesn’t seem to make sense. It combines familiar elements from Genta’s other famous designs but mixes them unnaturally. The shapes seem to contrast rather than complement one another. But is there brilliance to the design that needs time to sink in? Is the Locomotive a slow burner that you can grow to love? I had a chance to find out.For some reaso...
#TBT Something Cool For Under 300 Euro A King Seiko 5625-7000!
King Seiko versus Grand SeikoYou can’t imagine this today, but back in the 1960’s, Seiko made two of its manufactories?compete with?each other. These two plants were?Suwa Seikosha and?Daini Seikosha. The objective was simple, to design beautiful watches and create the most accurate movements. Suwa Seikosha introduced the very first Grand Seiko in 1960. Not much later, in 1961, Daini Seikosha came with the first King Seiko. The rivalry went on until the 1970’s. This history is documented everywhere on the internet, yet official documentation is not really available on the subject (or only in Japanese language).Grand Seiko is pretty well known. After an absence of 24 years, n...
Weekend Read: Baselworld Is Dead, Long Live Baselworld
Last Sunday, the news broke that Swatch Group is pulling out of Baselworld. You’ve probably read that already somewhere last week as every major publication covered this ‘shocking’ news. But is it shocking?In this article, we will give the opinion on this matter by three of our writers: Gerard Nijenbrinks, Michael Stockton, and Robert-Jan Broer. Gerard is a veteran when it comes to BaselWorld with 25 annual visits, Robert-Jan can write ‘only’ a decade of Baselworld visits behind his name and Michael joined the last three Baselworld fairs with the Fratello team. Let’s see what we think the effects will be of Swatch Group pulling out of Baselworld and what c...
Omega Speedmaster Professional 3592.50 With Caliber 863
In recent months, we get more questions about the 1990s Speedmaster Professional watches than ever. The ones with tritium dials and hands, that tend to age nicely and turn yellow.It is something I’ve been saying all along - the 1990s Moonwatch is the next best thing! You can still find them with boxes and papers, and they do look awesome with the tritium on the markers and in the hands turning yellow. Even more interesting perhaps, are the versions with display backs. A hesalite crystal on the dial and a sapphire case back - what a combo! This article is originally from 2016 (go figure), but in light of the recent requests we received for more information about these watches, I decided...
Designing Watches For A Market On The Move
One thing that becomes very quickly apparent when your business is reviewing watches for a global audience, is that everyone has an opinion of what a watch should look like. Thankfully, the vast majority of watch lovers seem open to being persuaded by something new. Many actively enjoy having their minds changed. Or, at the very least, having their core beliefs challenged. These open, ardent, and quite often eloquently communicative fans of watchmaking are a pleasure to write, and, even more refreshingly, design for.But the life of a watch designer is hard. Its esoteric foibles can keep good men and women of (previously) sound mind, up at night, and have them gnawing their nails to the bone ...
Exploring The Wempe Glashutte Iron Walker Collection
Wempe Glashutte, the watch-manufacturing spin-off of one of Germany’s major retailers, has, with its new Iron Walker collection, presented its contribution to the oft-debated watch category: The steel sports watch with an integrated steel bracelet.Just like any other retailer, Wempe is currently unable to meet consumer demand for steel sports watches from and Patek Philippe. Instead of asking customers to leave their stores disappointed, Wempe has decided to offer its very own alternative.The Iron Walker collectionSince 2006, Wempe has produced its own range of watches at the observatory in Glashutte in Saxony, the epicenter of German watchmaking. Wempe Glashutte divided its offering ...
Wrist Game Or Crying Shame: IWC Porsche Design Ocean 2000
Howdy neighbors, it’s time for another installment of Wrist Game or Crying Shame. This week, we travel down a couple of kilometers with the IWC Porsche Design Ocean 2000. Let’s see if your thoughts about this watch are as deep as its depth rating. Before we do…Last week, I brought you back to my brief stay in old San Juan with a look at a very period Breitling Chronomat UTC. It turns out that you really don’t like going on cruises with me because you got seasick over this one to the tune of a 73% Crying Shame loss. Ouch! Let’s see if today’s IWC Porsche Design Ocean 2000 fares any better.The Porsche Design line was epic under IWCIt’s just too easy fo...
Seiko Diver's Watch A Book By Sadao Ryugo (2021)
A must-have book for all you vintage Seiko dive watch enthusiasts. This rather colorful and somewhat unorthodox book comes from an author who has had the chance to interview a number of Seiko engineers and designers, including the legendary Taro Tanaka. Besides plenty of interesting practical information, you will find many surprising little-known facts about the brand and its watches. So, is Sadao Ryugo’s Seiko Diver's Watch a book for you? Without revealing too much, I will give you a peek into its pages so you can decide for yourself. To give you a small taste of some of the unexpected facts included in the book, we can start with the legendary 62MAS, autoMAtic Selfdater, or Seiko 6...
Casio GG-B100-8AER Mudmaster/GR-B200-1B Gravitymaster (2021)
The key to the strength of both the Casio G-Shock GG-B100-8AER Mudmaster and GR-B200-1B Gravitymaster watches is carbon fiber. The foundation upon which both of these incredibly tough watches are built is the Carbon Core Guard Structure. And while they may share some of their DNA and even some of their looks, the Mudmaster likes to play around in the dirt, while the Gravitymaster feels right at home up in the sky. That's what Casio intended for these two Master of G watches. However, we found that both watches work equally well under everyday circumstances. That's a good thing, as mud and cumulus clouds are not typically our natural habitat.Over-engineered, that's how we like it. Especially ...
#TBT A Mighty Ernest Borel Flash With The Best Patina Ever
My persistent hunt for the Ernest Borel Flash was rewarded by the unexpected landing of unobtainium - an original (and pretty minty) box, a charging device, and an original manual. Oh, and another crazily patinated Flash that nobody wanted…Someone from the UK listed an Ernest Borel Flash with a cardboard-like brown dial on eBay maybe a year ago. A notification instantly popped into my mailbox as I still had my crawler active. I clicked on the link excitedly, but the price tag was a downer. The seller linked my original article on Fratello in the listing and expected a fat sale, I guess. The watch needed a movement overhaul, a new Plexi, and obviously, someone to release the stuck pushe...
Feminine Watches I Love: The Girlfriend's Citizen Calendrier
Women’s watches, men’s watches. Gender draws design lines in the sand that can be difficult to cross, if one even wants to. I prefer watches not to be gendered at all, and I think we’re seeing the beginnings of a shift towards that with some brands. But within watches that are still firmly labeled for and marketed to the feminine, I’ve found a few that I appreciate. Not every watch I like needs to be a tool watch. In the case of the Citizen Calendrier for women, it’s more capable than some of the “men’s” watches I own, and it looks quite good being so.I have to admit, I’m biased: I chose this watch for my girlfriend over a year ago. I don...
New: Mr Jones Watches A Perfectly Useless Evening
Mr Jones Watches, the beloved and quirky watch producer out of London, is back with a new release. “A Perfectly Useless Evening” is a variation on a theme, the popular “A Perfectly Useless Afternoon”. As the title suggests, it reimagines the setting of the artwork of the watch as taking place at night. And art is key to Mr Jones. In fact, Mr Jones doesn’t really care about telling time. That’s most apparent in a watch that features an anonymous figure lazily floating around a small pool as the dial and hands. If you can tell the time, you’re missing the point.Mr Jones Watches has a cult following among watch and art enthusiasts alike. We at Fratello ...
Vacheron Constantin Historiques 222 Renders Overseas Obsolete
The circle of life. No, I'm not referring to The Lion King. Instead, I'm talking about the 222, the Vacheron Constantin watch that evolved into the Overseas and re-appeared earlier this year as the Historiques 222. And when it did, it painfully pointed out what's wrong with the current Overseas. It even rendered it obsolete.If you look at the circle of life as a philosophical concept, the premise is that you start at the end and end at the beginning. The 222 debuted in 1977 as a watch that celebrated the 222nd anniversary of Vacheron Constantin. The barrel-shaped case got a notched, round bezel with design elements of the Maltese Cross also seen in the integrated bracelet. The 222 came in th...
Hands-On With The Colorful Isotope Hydrium X Blink
Usually, we approach watches seriously. Very seriously, in fact. But once in a while, a watch immediately brings a smile to your face because it is simply fun. It doesn’t happen all that often, but a good example landed on my desk at the end of 2021. The Isotope HydriumX Will Return was bold, colorful, and based on a very clever concept. The new Isotope Hydrium X Blink is another colorful addition to the Hydrium lineup. Is it as good as the HydriumX Will Return? I had a chance to find out how big the smile on my face would be after wearing the Hydrium X Blink for a couple of days.The thing I absolutely loved about the Isotope HydriumX Will Return is that it was a clever take on such a ...
The Top 5 Skin Divers That Are Available Today
Another Friday, another Top 5! After two movie-related lists, it’s time to return to watchesskin divers, to be precise. We have seen some tremendous modern skin-diver-inspired watches come out lately. With a history dating back to the 1950s, the skin divers are a style of watch with plenty of history. On top of that, their style is among the most recognizable in the watch industry.? That’s why we picked a list of five modern skin divers that celebrate the classic style in contemporary fashion.For today’s Top 5, we go back to the 1950s. It was when the first skin divers appeared along with the rise of the popularity of diving. There was something very utilitarian about watc...
Best Watches Under $3,000: Daan's Picks
When Nacho first told me about this challenge, I thought it would be an easy one. There are so many watches in the sub-$3,000 price range. But of course, you don’t want to overlap too much with the Fratello Favorites we’ve published at a lower price point. And, as it’s a challenge with a twist, the picks shouldn’t be too obvious. After a little bit of research, though, I did come up with a nice mix of options. So here are my three brand-new (and one pre-owned) picks for when you’re shopping for watches under $3,000.Lex already kicked off this series with a lot of great options. Not all his picks were on my list, but brand-wise, we’re very much aligned. For...
Is There Such A Thing As Objective Beauty In Watches?
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It is a statement often used to definitively end any debate about aesthetics. It seems we subconsciously agree that objective beauty does not exist. Broadly shared preferences for specific watches, in that spirit, are merely cultural constructs. You like a certain watch because you have been told to, time and again. And because you see it on people whom you consider connoisseurs or of great taste. Somehow, that idea doesn't sit well with me. Is there perhaps such a thing as objective beauty in watches?This idea took root in my mind during the design process of my own watch. My designer, Max Resnick, repeatedly and reliably predicted which of several opti...
A Few Attainable "MilSubs": CWC, Seiko, Marathon, And Omega
This will be an article featuring some of my favorite watch brands out there. Here are a few examples of watches that, in my mind, earn their rightful place next to the “MilSub.”The so-called “MilSub” (short for Military Submariner) is a rare breed. MilSub watches don’t consist of any one reference. Rather, they represent various references over the years that served with the Royal Navy. Now, here is an important distinction: in its purest sense, the term “MilSub” strictly refers to military-issued watches. In fact, according to Bob’s Watches, “A compound of the words ‘Military’ and ‘Submariner,’ [MilSub] descri...
Cartier Tortue Monopoussoir Vs. Parmigiani Toric Chronograph
Another Sunday, another showdown! This week, we are pitting two heavy hitters against each other. Jorg will defend the honors of the Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Chronograph Rattrapante. Thomas, in the other corner, will fight for the Cartier Tortue Monopoussoir. After several weeks of attainable tool watches in the showdown, this is a battle between two lavish Haute Horlogerie contestants.We usually pick two watches with relatively comparable prices. After all, we want the fight to be fair. This week, however, we break from that pattern because these two watches sit at very different price points. The Cartier is $46,000 in gold or $53,000 in platinum. The Parmigiani is priced at CHF 135,000. H...
Back with smaller watches?
Just when watches with a >40mm case diameter are considered to be normal sized, I took my vintage Date-Just ref.1601 with me for a meeting last Friday with a small number of watch enthusiasts. Although I consider 36mm the bare minimum of millimeters for my wrist size, the watch stayed on all weekend and Monday during my work day. The other people who were present on the meeting also had fairly modest sized wrist watches strapped around their wrists. Among them a vintage Glash?e?otte (G.U.B) from the 1960s, a Cartier Tortue Mono Poussoir, a vintage Day-Date (ref.1803), a Girard Perregaux Richeville, a Patek Philippe Nautilus (5711/1A), a Breguet Type XX and my vintage Date-Just and modern Y...