When speaking of innovation in watchmaking, we quickly jump to developments in watch movements. Things like new complications, finishing techniques, creative new architecture, downsizing, and upsizing draw our attention. But there is a lot of innovation going on beyond the movement. In this article, I want to explore significant innovations that have nothing to do with the beating heart of the wat

Every month in 2023, we introduced a special Fratello X REM strap for the Omega Speedmaster. Our eighth strap this year, made for the month of August, pays tribute to the Omega Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday 2 “Ultraman” watch we introduced to you in 2018. It’s also appropriate as a September release, as later this month, part of the Fratello team will head over to Tokyo for this yea

Amidst the flurry of new Geneva Watch Days releases, Girard-Perrergaux has just announced the new Laureato Absolute Chronograph 8Tech. This latest release from the brand takes the DNA of the original 1975 Laureato and combines it with the newest materials and contemporary design innovations. Since its introduction in 2019, the Laureato Absolute line has hosted only the most avant-garde versions of

There's no denying that Tissot hit the jackpot with the PRX. The quartz, automatic, and chronograph versions of the watch in different sizes and colors are knocking it out of the park. Tissot is riding the PRX wave and is trying to do it for as long as possible. You can't blame them. Especially when that effort means a string of interesting variations on the retro-modern PRX theme. Did you expect

Yes! Finally, I can write about my favorite watch that I saw at this year’s Watches and Wonders event! Today, it was publicly introduced at Geneva Watch Days. Let the cat out of the bag; it’s the new Oris AquisPro 4000M. Now Oris has a pointless, hors categorie?dive watch of its own. And compared to other well-known pointless dive watches, this might be my favorite.In our “Fratel

The Artelier collection is seldom spoken about in the Oris enthusiast community. Considering that the Aquis, Big Crown, and Divers Sixty-Five range regularly grace the Fratello site, it's surprising that the Artelier receives such little airtime. I asked Oris co-CEO Rolf Studer why that is, and he answered that the Artelier mostly gains appreciation in its home nation of Switzerland. Will these tw

This past June, Breitling invited me to its Chronometrie facility in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. The tour offered an opportunity to see the various Breitling manufacture calibers in different production states. The meticulous yet efficient nature of the assembly leads to a robust and reliable B01 chronograph movement along with modules for calendar and GMT functions. For Breitling’s 140t

Making its Geneva Watch Days debut, Norwegian independent brand Micromilspec has announced a new watch. Launched as a civilian model, the Milgraph is a serious military-inspired chronograph that packs a lot of functionality onto the wrist. It provides a column-wheel-operated chronograph movement with a GMT function in a blasted titanium case. At first glance, there’s a lot to like. Many of o

We’re in the thick of Geneva Watch Days 2024. For some brands, this means debuting novelties. Today, Armin Strom brings us the Dual Time GMT Resonance First Edition, an all-new take on the brand’s well-known complication. Folks, this one’s a beauty.Armin Strom is no stranger to creating highly complicated Haute Horlogerie timepieces. The private brand operates within the same tie

In January 2022, Ressence introduced the Type 3 BBB, a “Black, Black, Black” version of its oil-filled mechanical watch. My colleague Dave dubbed it “the brand’s best model yet.” However, Ressence limited the production of the watch to that year only. If you were looking for an all-black Ressence Type 3 after that, you were out of luck; there was just the regular non-

Sometimes a watch release catches us by surprise. Other times, it triggers a response like Didn't that already exist? To call it predictable would sound overly negative, but sometimes a release is just so perfectly on-brand and sensible that it doesn't feel new, even if it is. This is one such release. Czapek marries its flagship sports watch, the Antarctique, with one of its signature dial materi

I liked the Pontiac Jumping Chronograph instantly. I remember spotting Pontiac watches multiple times, but I never had an urge to jump on any. So I took this as an opportunity to also look briefly into this sonorous-sounding brand’s history.It took me some time to realize why the Pontiac Jumping got my attention so swiftly. Just for the fun of it, before you go on, look at it, close your eye

Hello, and welcome to Fratello Talks! Today, Nacho, RJ, and Thomas share their vintage watch wishlists. As you can imagine, these guys spend a lot of time thinking about watches. But when they’re not writing about the latest releases, they’re often lusting after (and hunting down) vintage watches online. It’s a hazard of the job. Today, inspired by RJ’s latest object of des

To quote Don (Michael) Corleone in Godfather Part III, “Just when I thought I was out… they pull me back in!”. Just when I thought that this Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo would keep me quiet for some time, my watch friend Michael (not Corleone) mailed me a few days ago, that he pulled the trigger on this fabulous blue dial Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph ref.25860. This p

Russel Crowe and his SpeedmasterIt's been a while since we saw a Speedmaster in a movie. Of course George Clooney's new picture, Money Monster, is an exception. However, we know that since George is Omega ambassador?it was not such a huge surprise. Well, I just watched the new movie of Ryan Gosling and Russel Crowe, called The Nice Guys. It seems that Mr. Crowe (or his prop master) is back again w

As most of you know, we have a special and creative feature on Fratello Watches: Watches & Pencils. As of today the official shop / website about this feature is launched.In short: What is Watches & Pencils again?It all started with the idea by founder and Fratello team member Teun. A few years ago, he came up with an idea to combine his two passions: watches and art. After he launched the

Today's #TBT takes a look at a Seiko 6619-8060 MACV-SOG and it's a watch, when first examined, that doesn't really stand out as something special. That trait, as we'll see, is actually significant. More significant, perhaps, is the fact that the MACV-SOG lore surrounding this Seiko and a couple other variants grew out of a forum posting on the Seiko Citizen Watch Site and has now grown into what I

The Grand Seiko Snowflake is a huge success, and it seems to be the collector’s darling for a while now. But there’s a new hero since this year, the Grand Seiko SBGA407 Skyflake.Of course, Skyflake is not the official name for this Grand Seiko, but enthusiasts used their creativity to come up with something in line with the original Snowflake. When I was in the market for a Grand Seiko

Maen was founded by two Dutchmen, with an interest in storytelling and watches. This new Maen is no different when it comes to storytelling, as it is inspired by the first transatlantic flight between Amsterdam and New York City, on May 21st, 1946.The Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM) used the Douglas DC-4 Skymaster aircraft to operate this flight to New York City. Enough reason for Maen to pick it up an

Finally, we were able to hit the road and our first major trip was to the Geneva Watch Days 2020 event. We take a very brief look at some of our favorite novelties.It feels like forever since we’ve been in show mode. With cancellations becoming the norm, it was actually invigorating to set ourselves up with a packed four-day schedule filled with new watches during Geneva Watch Days 2020. We