Summer Splash: Balazs Round 1 Certina, Doxa, Nivada (2021)
Roll up, roll up! The summer has hit The Hague, and Fratello is keen to celebrate. After the fizzing success of March Mania, we are back with the Summer Splash. A new knock-out competition conceived to find the very best summer watch out there, according to YOU, the Fratelli. And guess what? You can win prizes! No, there won’t be a watch available this time, but there WILL be some of the finest water-firing weapons money can buy: the Spyra 2 water cannon is reputedly the strongest of its kind ever made. Fancy getting your hands on one? Read on and take part in the comments section of this article.Eight writers will choose three of their favorite summer watches this time around and pitc...
MING Sends An Update On The 17.09
It’s been a bit of a wild ride over the past month for one of our favorite independent brands: MING. On social media platforms, pictures began surfacing with hour and minute hand misalignment. The MING x Massena LAB watch, with its independent hour adjustment, was showing some random issues. We now have some further info direct from the brand.I’ll start this off with a fairly obvious admission. I really like MING watches. I enjoy their designs, their attention to detail, and the fact that they come in sizes that fit my smaller wrist. The fact that these watches look like nothing else in my collection is also a real bonus. In fact, the night before writing this, I wore my new 27.0...
Blancpain Air Command 36.2mm In Titanium And Red Gold
Blancpain's Air Command is a pilot's watch that hails from the 1950s. The historical Swiss brand calls it “a legendary chronograph”, and reportedly, there are fewer than a dozen specimens in existence. Other than a number of Trilogy models with Fifty Fathoms cases and bezels spanning from 1996 to 2003, the Air Command never got a series release. That was until 2019, however, when Blancpain decided to breathe life into it with its very own case and look.The first in this new series was a 42.5mm limited-edition model that looked almost identical to the vintage original. Last year, two updated models in new materials donning a new color scheme brought along a regular collection. The...
New: Greubel Forsey GMT Balancier Convexe (Live Photos)
Smashing through the world's preconceptions of what a timepiece represents, Greubel Forsey inhabits its own microcosmos. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Stephen Forsey or Robert Greubel recently passed through a wormhole in space and time. Such is the sheer otherness of their “watches” that the word alone seems almost banal. The GMT movement in the new Greubel Forsey GMT Balancier Convexe is a case in point.If I could pinpoint a moment when my wrist felt overwhelmed by a watch, it was at Geneva Watch Days 2021 in the Greubel Forsey hotel suite. The brand’s Sport GMT was a jaw-droppingly mesmerizing timepiece and unfeasibly comfortable for such a big watch. I'm happy I t...
Better Call Saul's Casio WV-59 Wave Ceptor
Gene, Gene, the Cinnabon machine! I don’t think that I’ve ever purchased a watch after seeing it on the screen… until now. I had to dig deep for this one to the tune of $47.92 including free shipping. The end result? The Casio WV-59 Wave Ceptor is a cool watch!A couple of weeks ago, my partner in crime Balazs and I recorded an episode of Fratello On Air, and we focused on Casio. Mind you, we weren’t focusing on G-Shock?but Casio overall. It was a fun episode, and we trotted out some eccentric models from yesteryear. Towards the end, though, I recalled that a digital watch made a small but significant appearance on one of my favorite shows, Better Call Saul. While we w...
New: Alpina Alpiner Extreme Regulator
Alpina shows us the Alpiner Extreme Regulator at the 2022 edition of Geneva Watch Days. This watch marks the rebirth of a flagship model from 2005. While the original was a 48mm monster, the new version is a lot more subtle. It is smaller and fitted with some refined details. Don't be fooled, though. It did not get soft.The Alpiner Extreme Regulator is still a hard-as-nails bit of kit, just in a more manageable form factor. Let’s have a look at this updated release from Alpina in its 7mm-smaller(!) guiseThe Alpiner Extreme Regulator - A do-all-sports watchYes, we love to write about do-it-all watches at Fratello. This is not such a watch. It is, however, a do-all-sports kind of watch. ...
Your Kids Won't Want Your Watch Collection
We each have our own reasons for buying a watch. Once upon a time, you bought that first watch, and it was “your watch”. But then you bought another… and another, amounting to a full watch collection. Each subsequent purchase is reasonably justified financially, rationally, and emotionally, right? Well, maybe you can fool yourself, at least for a while, but you can’t fool us. Because we’re all doing it. Eventually, one runs out of reasons to buy a watch. That’s usually the point when you need to ask, “Is this enough?”. Or, perhaps better, “Have I gone too far?” Because you didn’t just buy that Datejust for your infant son.Some...
#TBT The Waterproof Gallet Clamshell Multichron 30
The Gallet “Clamshell” Multichron 30 is one of my favorite Gallet chronographs. It is so perfectly balanced that it makes 37mm look meaninglessly big, and I mean it. Not a single one of my 34mm watches gets as much wrist time as this does.All of the so-called “Clamshell” chronographs are highly regarded among collectors. However, the Gallet “Clamshell” Multichron 30 (or, simply, Gallet M30) holds a special place among them. Introduced in 1939, supposedly, it was the world’s first waterproof chronograph.A Clamshell-shaped holeI could not believe my eyes when I checked Fratello’s #TBT archive a few days ago. Honestly, I was almost sure we had wri...
Czapek Launches The Place Vend?me Complicite
It’s been over ten years since the relaunch of Czapek & Cie in 2011. At the time, the watch world could dismiss the decision to relaunch as another manufacturer in the “reviving name” game. But Czapek’s heritage originates from when real-life watchmakers like Franciszek Czapek and Antoni Patek were alive and kicking. The 19th century was the barnstorming era before the names became logos on the dials from the brands we know today. Even the Czapek and Patek partnership predated the eventual collaboration of Patek and Philippe in 1845. Yet, following Franciszek “Fran?ois” Czapek’s death in the 1870s, the Czapek brand laid dormant until the first ti...
New: Alpina Alpiner Heritage Carree Automatic 140 Years
Alpina released the very limited Alpiner Heritage Carree Mechanical 140 Years to great applause earlier this summer. The watch community seemed to agree that the concept and the design were spot on. Unfortunately, since the watch was built around rare calibers from 1938, the model was limited to just 28 pieces. Chances are you either missed out or felt the $5K price tag was a little too much for an impulse purchase. Well, either way, you get a second chance today!The regular-production models introduced here have already been on sale at certain online retailers, as some sharp-eyed Fratelli have noticed. This has caused some confusion since they were not formally announced yet. So you may hav...
There's A New Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Chronograph In Town
Black and blue sunray dials were already available. Two three-piece lacquer dials, on the other hand, are new to the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Chronograph watches. The dials showcase JLC's artisanal skills housed within the manufacture in Le Sentier. And since the dial is the face of the watch, the new ones with a completely different finish give the watches a completely different look. There's a blue version available alongside an iteration in a new, warm gray color that we had at Fratello HQ. Quite a striking watch, don't you think? But is it too striking and perhaps even a bit too trendy for a JLC Polaris? Let's take a closer look and find out.It’s all about the dial with the new Jae...
Introducing: The Hautlence Sphere Series 1
Hautlence is back with one of its famous TV-screen-shaped designs. But Hautlence wouldn’t be Hautlence if what we’re watching on that TV weren’t equal parts mechanical mastery and artistic aptitude. The brand itself calls this new Sphere Series 1 a playful watch. But when I look at it, I’m immediately impressed by the sheer complexity and technical know-how that went into it.Reading through the press release for the Hautlence Sphere Series 1, my mind was dazzled by so many technical terms. If you’re looking for an explanation of exactly how this watch works, then I suggest you take a look elsewhere. For example, Balazs already wrote an excellent article on the H...
The Calm Hours: A Perfectly Useless Afternoon Mechanical
The London-based brand Mr Jones Watches offers an impressive variety of genuinely creative timepieces, often presented in a lighthearted manner. This differentiates the brand from many others that try hard to lend themselves a rather serious image. Very few Mr Jones watches possess traditional hands to indicate the time. Some of the designs make you wonder if it really is a watch you're looking at. One of Mr Jones’s best-selling models is called “A perfectly useless afternoon,” and this one recently received a sibling.Ever since Tomas presented the original version of Mr Jones's “A perfectly useless afternoon,” the watch remained in the back of my mind. However,...
H. Moser & Cie. Unveils Two Vantablack Endeavour Models
Straight out of the gate, I am a fan of Vantablack. As someone who naturally gravitates towards black in clothing and watches, the intense nature of Vantablack is intriguing and wonderful. And when it comes to watches, the combination of red gold and Vantablack is a winner. H. Moser & Cie. has proudly created some amazing timepieces with Vantablack that had people talking. For Geneva Watch Days 2023, the brand introduces two new timepieces with intense black dials. The first is the Endeavour Centre Seconds Vantablack, and the second is the Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Vantablack. They both come with elegant red gold cases to create a remarkable contrast of modern and classic styles.H. Mo...
Fratello Talks: Our Favorite Geneva Watch Days Releases
Welcome, dear Fratelli, to this week’s episode of Fratello Talks. If you’ve not been living under a rock, you’ll likely have been following along with all the latest from Geneva Watch Days. Today, RJ, Morgan, and Nacho come together to chat about some of their favorite watches released this week. We’ll feature highlights from Oris, Doxa, Laurent Ferrier, MB&F, and more! But before we take a look at the watches launched this week, let’s see what’s on the wrist!...
Reservoir Spells It Out With The Airfight Chronograph
The Swiss brand Reservoir is known for unusual tool watches that don't follow the usual recipes for dressy, small-vintage, or future-cool. Instead, it inhabits the same instrument sphere as IWC, Bell & Ross, and Porsche Design.For me, being sometimes under a barrage of press releases and Instagram tags, the brand has a big charm of its own, even if the Airfight Chronograph seems to take it all very literally. But judging by these images, this new release is a charmer with a tough ID - or should that be “dog tag”?Reservoir Airfight Chronograph - First impressionsI like pilot's watches, so why isn't there one in my box or on my wrist? Well, size is one thing. I enjoy the larger...
New: The Stunning Daniel Roth Tourbillon Rose Gold
I was surprised and intrigued when word got out last year that Daniel Roth would make a comeback. As a fan of Roth’s watches, I was eager to find out whether the LVMH designers would honor his famous double-ellipse case design in style. When the Daniel Roth Tourbillon Souscription came out in March of 2023, I couldn’t help but smile. Seeing that familiar style that I love so much return in all its updated glory confirmed the brand’s relevance and the good eye of the LVMH designers who worked on the design. Now, roughly 18 months later, the brand introduces the Daniel Roth Tourbillon Rose Gold. It’s the same watch but in a rose gold case with a stunning rose gold dial ...
Laurent Ferrier Unveils The Classic Auto Sandstone
As someone who lives and breathes watches daily, I make it my business to keep track of as many brands and new releases as possible. However, there are a select number of brands that I avidly follow. Laurent Ferrier is one of them. The company designs piercingly clean watches that resonate with me. Today’s new Classic Auto Sandstone is exciting, but with a date function, is this as captivating as its time-only counterparts?That’s right; I have a soft spot for Laurent Ferrier. Of all the high-horology brands making non-futuristic-looking pieces, Ferrier is leading the pack. Somehow, this small producer is beating the most formidable and historic brands that have long dominated the...
The H. Moser & Cie. Studio Underd0g Passion Fruit Project
Have you ever seen or heard something and said to yourself, “Why didn’t I think of that?” That’s exactly what I did when I saw the press release for this collaboration between H. Moser & Cie. and Studio Underd0g. At first glance, these brands couldn’t be any more different. The first makes high-end watches, often from various precious metals and with complicated, hand-finished movements inside. The latter designs affordable and frivolous watches mostly inspired by food and powered by off-the-shelf movements. However, they both share a true passion for watchmaking and, more importantly, are not averse to a joke now and then. Both companies...
H.Moser & Cie Mayu Timepieces
A brand that did not get much coverage here is H.Moser & Cie, until today! For MotoringExposure, I’ve written an article on this independent manufacturer. Their line-up of Mayu watches is impressive and definitely worth considering if you are in the quest of buying a precious dress watch.I think these dress watches are pretty special, especially the one above with its brown dial and palladium casing. Prices start around 12K Euro.Click here to read the article over at MotoringExposure....