I occasionally wear a 1959 Mido Multifort. My dad lived and worked in Liberia around that time, and he bought it in Monrovia, the nation's capital. He was actually torn between two watches. First, there was the GMT-Master worn by the Pan-Am pilots that flew back and forth to the former US colony, which, in 1847, became the first African republic to proclaim its independence. Then there was the af

For me, as a watch aficionado, 2022 has been quite a special year. It feels like it has been longer, but I moved from Amsterdam Watch Company to Fratello only this May. And that was just a couple of months after releasing my debut book on the vintage Datejust. These were two significant milestones in my journey. The big difference between vintage dealing and watch journalism is the fact that no n

You might have seen that we introduced our latest collaboration watch last week, the Oris Divers Sixty-Five Fratello Limited Edition. Today, we are very excited to announce that it’s available in the Fratello Shop and ready for shipping within five business days. That means it’ll be on your wrist (or under the tree) in time for Christmas!Oris is a brand that is near and dear to the hea

I’ve known Chase Fancher since he first appeared in the press lounge of the now-defunct Baselworld back in 2015. None of us knew who he was or how he got there, but he was friendly, a bit quirky, and super passionate about the watch brand he was about to launch. Eight years and many successful watches later, his passion project/watch brand has finally gone full circle with this new release.

Why did an instrument that was never meant to be worn on the wrist become a successful wristwatch? Because the idea was brilliant, it came at the right time, and it was very well executed. The original BR 01 that debuted in 2005 measured a whopping 46 46mm and was quite hefty too. But it was also like nothing else, and it satisfied the need for a bigger and bolder timepiece. It also worked because

About two years ago, I wrote two stories about my Seiko obsession and collecting journey, and after that, I was content. For me, my newly strap-upgraded SLA023 Marinemaster is still the king of Seiko dive watches, no matter its brutish size. Its predecessor even won our Seiko World Cup. So why am I questioning myself? Have I come to the end of my Seiko diver journey, or is it destined to continue?

In Dutch, we have a saying, Op elk potje past een dekseltje. That literally translates to, For every jar, there's a lid that fits. So, my dear Fratelli, the Hublot Square Bang Unico King Gold might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it will appeal to some. De gustibus non disputandum est is a Latin saying that means, In matters of taste, there can be no disputes. So let's not argue about the aesthe

Topper Fine Jewelers in Burlingame, California has created some truly memorable collaborative limited-edition watches. Brands like Zodiac, Seiko, and Fears have been featured on one or more of the 14 pieces thus far. The latest release is the Doxa Sub 300 “Great White” Topper Edition. It’s a cool piece with enough differences from the serial-production models to matter.Indeed, To

After proudly introducing you to our latest Czapek Fratello Promenade Transparencies “Viridian Green” edition, we are now thrilled to launch it in the Fratello Shop. This watch is our second collaboration with Czapek, and we couldn’t be more excited thanks to the overwhelmingly positive feedback you all have given us already. The great news is that you can pre-order this limited

Stockholm-based Nezumi Studios has been in business since 2011 and making affordable, traditionally designed watches since 2015. The focus is on sporty pieces, such as divers, GMTs, chronographs, and field watches. Now a new variant enters the collection. The Tonnerre Monochrome chronograph, with its classic color scheme, is sure to be a hit.Nezumi’s watches are hard to dislike. The designs

Last week, we organized an evening with Breitling at the brand’s impressive boutique in our hometown of The Hague, Netherlands. We invited a fairly large group of Fratelli to look at the current Breitling collection. But Fred Mandelbaum, our special guest, was also there, and he brought part of his extensive vintage Breitling collection. So there was time to review the brand’s history,

Muhle Glashutte is known for its sporty and reliable timepieces. For 2024, the brand has big news with a brand-new line of watches. The Sportivo collection consists of three models made for sports, the office, and everywhere else. We’ll provide a brief overview of each release.The Muhle Glashutte Sportivo line includes a chronograph, GMT, and compass date. As we’ll see, all these watch

When the Spinnaker Croft 42 Skeleton Automatic landed on my desk, it instantly reminded me of two watches. The first was the skeletonized Rado Captain Cook in all its various guises. In all fairness, that’s not a bad visual reference. The second one was a little closer to home, though. In the 1990s, my brother owned a Swatch Irony Automatic Diaphane Skeleton, which I loved. While the Spinnak

The fact that Bernie and his girlfriend got robbed last month, is an excellent marketing tool for Hublot. Although pretty sure it was a JLC that got taken from his wrist, it now seems to be a Hublot. You can read more about the robbery here.The money making machine Bernie Ecclestone knows how to turn something negative into something positive (money).Thanks to JIFF for the tip and the original pos

All images may be clicked on for larger versions.I was given an hour with the Hublot Masterpiece collection recently – these uncommon pieces were traveling through Kuala Lumpur as part of the Journey Through Time exhibition. These three pieces represent a significant and welcome departure from the staple line of Big Bang offerings and their myriad variants; however tastes and preferences wil

It has been a while ago that we covered Breguet here on Fratello Watches (in this article by Ming Thein on the Breguet La Tradition). There is no specific reason about the non-coverage, except that the brand wasn’t really on my radar. The brand always appeared to me as very classic – with the exception of the Marine and Type XX/XXI collections – and very expensive. Although Bregu

Today I would like to discuss a tasty' topic: the sandwich dial. After grasping some (historic) facts I will discuss some recent examples from different brands.History and FactsLuminosity to the maxBetween 1930 and 1940 the first sandwich dials were introduced. Although there are several models with a kind of ?sandwich' construction from that time (e.g. the Longines 13ZN Chronograph or IWC cal. 83

Watch Around the WorldRecently, when we were in Vienna (Austria) during an event, we met up with a loyal reader of Fratello Watches. Let’s say his name is Markus, you’ll find him on Instagram as @vintagewatchzilla. Except being a Speedmaster and Speedy Tuesday fan, Markus had a very nice idea. Not long ago he bumped into this very nice compressor-type of watch, which bears the name of

Yvo Staudt and his WatchesFor those who aren’t familiar with Staudt Watches, a small recap. Staudt Watches was found by Yvo Staudt. Yvo (1991) is actually a professional musician and plays classical accordion. He studied in Italy for two consecutive years with one of the best classical accordionists in the world. While being away from family and friends during that time, he finds some peace

Standing on the beach with a beer in my hand. No, that's not an alternative take on a classic hit from The Cure. It was me and it was this past August somewhere in the Algarve of Portugal.?? Actually, my phone was nearby and when it rang, the Dutch-infused voice of Paul, our nearly in-house watchmaker, spoke on the other end. Paul informed me that an older watchmaker friend of his was going throug