For years now, one of my personal highlights of BaselWorld is to visit my friends from Junghans for lunch. Their HQ for the week is just a stone throw away from the BaselWorld location in a nearby hotel. Junghans releases great watches year after year – just take a look at their last year’s lineup. As […]
Visit Junghans Meister Chronoscope Terrassenbau to read the full article.
Today, on Fratello Watches, we’ll take a look at the Borealis Portus Cale, a diver’s watch from a micro brand based in Portugal. We’ve featured a number of watches from smaller brands such as Straton, Gruppo Gamma, and Zelos, but Borealis is a new one for us. When heading to the company’s site, the company, […]
Visit Checking Out the Borealis Portus Cale – a Highly Spec’d and Affordable Diver to read the full article.
As you probably know we sometimes have guest writers on Fratello Watches. They either have a great story to tell, an awesome watch to introduce or an angle, which we find interesting to look at a watch from. This article is a result of the latter case. Frieder, the writer of this piece, is not […]
Visit William L. 1985 Automatic Chronograph: The perfect budget chronograph? to read the full article.
Visiting Klokers is always a pleasant surprise. They have a different approach towards watches. Releases are somewhere between watches, design, and fashion. This year Klokers has several novelties. Let’s look at the four new watches and two accessories. KLOK-01 in Midnight Blue The KLOK-01 has already been covered by us a while back (review here). […]
Visit Klokers Novelties Baselworld 2018: KLOK-08 And New Accessories to read the full article.
Some expected a new Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday in BaselWorld, but instead Omega surprised us with a number of other Speedmaster novelties. The Apollo 8, a Speedmaster Moonphase Master Chronometer in blue ceramic with Aventurine dial and three variations of those in full platinum. More about those later, because first I want to shed the light […]
Visit Speedy Tuesday – Hands-On With The Omega Speedmaster CK2998 Pulsometer to read the full article.
We’ve seen so many promising pieces this year from smaller Swatch Group brands, it was a delight. From Tissot, Longines, Hamilton and of course Certina. Last year when we first visited the brand we did not know what to expect. In 2018 however, things took a different turn. I tend not to look at social […]
Visit BaselWorld 2018: Certina DS PH200M to read the full article.
I sense that Grand Seiko is getting more traction in Europe since the last year or two. I can’t speak for the US, as I am not familiar with that market, but I notice that more people start to appreciate the Japanese craftsmanship when it comes to watches. This article is not to elaborate (again) […]
Visit Hands-On With The Limited Edition Grand Seiko Reference SBGH267 to read the full article.
Tudor brought two heavily praised stars to Baselworld 2018, the Black Bay GMT and the Black Bay Fifty-Eight. We’ve covered those pieces over the last couple days and the response has been overwhelming. What you probably haven’t noticed – and few have discussed it – is that the brand brought something else to the show […]
Visit Getting Bubbly with the Tudor Black Bay SG Champagne Dial to read the full article.
Last week, we showed you press shots and gave you a rundown of the new Doxa SUB300T Poseidon Edition. To recap, Doxa chose to reissue a very rare yellow Divingstar model that contained the Poseidon logo on its dial. Poseidon, as a refresher, is a longstanding innovative dive equipment from Sweden. The original pieces from […]
Visit Hands-On with the Doxa SUB300T Poseidon Edition to read the full article.
There’s no doubt about it, the Oris Divers Sixty-Five is a bona fide hit. When it was first released in 2015 in 40mm guise, it received near-universal praise and it has received continuous additions and updates since that time. Currently, there are numerous dial colors and the case sizes available include the new 36mm diameter, […]
Visit Details Count: The New Oris Divers Sixty-Five Bronze Bezel to read the full article.
Tissot is a brand that we visit every year and Baselworld 2018 was no different. They bring a wide variety of pieces such as the T-Touch, various dress watches and typically a piece that recalls the brand’s rich history. For 2018, we weren’t disappointed as the the brand brought the brand new Tissot Antimagnetique Heritage […]
Visit The New Handwound Tissot Antimagnetique Heritage 2018 to read the full article.
Just like every year, Seiko is one of our favorite visits. They always bring some great limited edition pieces while updating their normal production line with competitive and attractive offerings. As always, there’s a lot to see, so we’ll break down the pieces into a couple articles. Today, we’ll focus on the Prospex watches and […]
Visit The Year of the Diver: Seiko Prospex at Baselworld 2018 to read the full article.
When Omega introduced the Seamaster 300M in 1993, their flagship model was the Chronograph reference 2296.80 that came in a combination of three materials: titanium, tantalum and rose gold. Sure, there was an all gold model as well, but this tri-color version was the model they advertised with for the new 300M (chronograph) collection. Tantalum […]
Visit Omega Seamaster 300M Titanium/Tantalum/Sedna Gold: What Is So Special? to read the full article.
BaselWorld is highlighted by the big brands like Omega, Rolex or Patek. Journalists as well as fans of the brands contemplate about the latest releases, wishing for a steel Pepsi or the 4th edition of a legend. However, the fair is not only about them. Smaller, lesser known brands, the underdogs of the industry, are […]
Visit Monta Line Up from Basel World 2018 to read the full article.
There’s no doubt about it, Baselworld 2018 is the year of the GMT for the Rolex group. The flagship brand dropped a new steel Pepsi version of the aviator’s watch, gave the white gold Pepsi version a blue dial to help differentiate things, and even brought back the “root beer” bezel on both gold and […]
Visit The Tudor Black Bay GMT – the Baselworld 2018 Shocker to read the full article.
At Baselworld 2018, Tudor showed us a number of new watches. There’s a new Black Bay GMT with a Pepsi-esque bezel that we will cover shortly, but the watch that stood out to our team was a bit of a surprise: the new Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight. To be honest, the proliferation of the Black […]
Visit The New Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight: 39mm and a Thinner Case to read the full article.
Today was press day at Baselworld 2018 and we took the opportunity to sit down with Breitling to see some of their newest releases. There’s been a lot happening with the brand since the arrival of Georges Kern as CEO. Examples of this are the embracing of the brand’s rich history, the deletion of the […]
Visit Exciting Changes with the Breitling Baselworld 2018 Novelties to read the full article.
Ever since the introduction of the stainless steel Rolex GMT-Master II 116710LN, people have been craving for a version with a Pepsi bezel. When Rolex introduced the white gold version in 2014, reference 116719BLRO, the craving became more intense than ever before. This BaselWorld, Rolex showed us the new steel Rolex GMT-Master II Reference 126710. With […]
Visit Hands-On With The Rolex GMT-Master II Reference 126710 to read the full article.
The chronograph was given its own manufacture caliber in the new millennium Now under the aegis of LVMH, TAG Heuer intensified its commitment to motorsport in the new millennium. After eleven years as the Formula One’s official timekeeper, TAG Heuer took over the timekeeping for IndyCar, the most popular American racing series, and thus timed […]
Visit An Extra Dose of Adrenalin: The TAG Heuer Carrera from 2000 to Today to read the full article.
A limited edition with a rare stamp of excellence celebrates the chronograph’s 55th anniversary The TAG Heuer Carrera chronograph has been in the pole position of the motor-racing world for 55 years. The collection takes its name from the legendary week-long “Carrera Panamericana” road race: first held in Mexico during the 1950s, this thrilling competition […]
Visit TAG Heuer launches the TAG Heuer Carrera “Tête de Vipère” Chronograph Tourbillon Chronometer to read the full article.
Piaget, step aside. Blvgari is on to something: breaking records of creating ultra-thin watches. In 2014, we saw the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon and in 2o16 the Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater, last year it was about their Octo Finissimo Automatic. We all showed them in this article. All four watches, including this year’s novelty’ break records […]
Visit BaselWorld2018: Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic – Just 3.95mm Thick to read the full article.
Introduced at the CES 2018 of Las Vegas early this year, The X-ONE H1 is the Swiss answer to Smartwatches. It is combining a Swiss mechanical movement with an electronic module to enhance the mechanical functions of the watch. Conex Watches SA launched on February 27th on Kickstarter an iconic watch in which the digital […]
Visit Conex Watches SA launches on Kickstarter the X-ONE H1, the world’s first mechanical smartwatch to read the full article.
One of my preferred aspects in watch collecting is meeting people. A lot of people. Over the years I have gotten to meet hundreds of collectors, here in Switzerland as well as abroad. Some of them I only met once, with some others we keep interacting via email, instant messaging or Instagram, and finally a […]
Visit Speedy Tuesday – An Omega Museum GTG In Bienne to read the full article.
For this week’s Speedy Tuesday we have a cool story on how one of our reader’s bought a dead stock Omega Speedmaster Professional from 1977. Omega Speedmaster collector Alexander experienced something that a lot of us can only dream about: finding an unsold (and basically unused) vintage Speedmaster, complete with box and papers. Without further […]
Visit Collector’s Story – A Dead Stock 1977 Omega Speedmaster Professional to read the full article.
TAG Heuer re-released the original Carrera in the 1990s TAG Heuer’s chronographs enjoyed greater success in the mid 1990s than ever before, but there was a growing demand for historical flair. The result was a high-fidelity replica of the Carrera from 1964. Ever since the birth of the Carrera, Heuer had always been closely affiliated […]
Visit The 90s: Back to the Roots: The TAG Heuer Carrera 1964 Re-Edition of 1996 to read the full article.
I was thinking about different ways to acquire a watch. Maybe the most enjoying of them all is the ‘barn find’. So what exactly is a ‘barn find’ in the world of watches? You could describe it like this: A watch (preferably in mint vintage condition) that is more or less forgotten by its owner. Often […]
Visit Watches & Pencils #36 – Barn Find Watches to read the full article.
I think that for those of us who enjoy vintage watches, we’ve really been spoiled for choice over the past several years when it comes to new watches with a retro look. Brands such as Longines, Omega, Seiko, Doxa and even Rado have introduced some rather faithful reissues of beloved pieces and many of them […]
Visit The Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical or How to Spend $475 to read the full article.
The Heuer Carrera in the 1980s The Eighties were a decisive decade for the future of Heuer: the TAG corporate group assured the future of the prestigious brand. Heuer became TAG Heuer and the Carrera chronograph was reborn with a new movement. The Quartz Crisis strongly affected the watchmaking industry in late Seventies and early […]
Visit The 80s: Legendary Caliber, the Lemania Carrera Chronograph to read the full article.
We have been following the English watch manufacture Pinion from the very start (in 2013), reviewed their Axis, R1969, Iron Heart colab and Pure (Bronze). Almost a year ago, we briefed you already on the Pinion Atom release (here). Learning about its price point made us enthusiastic, as we have been fans from the start […]
Visit Hands-On Pinion Atom Review to read the full article.
As definite fans of Doxa, we were pretty excited to see an email in our inbox this morning announcing a new release: the Doxa SUB300T Poseidon Edition. A full 50% of the Fratello team owns either a new or vintage diver from the independent Swiss brand, so we’re always eager to hear what’s on the […]
Visit Pre-Baselworld 2018: The New Doxa SUB300T Poseidon Edition to read the full article.
Just recently, we were invited to join the Breitling Roadshow in Zurich, Switzerland. Besides listening to CEO and shareholder Georges Kern during his presentation and gala diner about the future of Breitling, receiving a lesson or two in design by Guy Bove and an amazing history class by Fred Mandelbaum, I sat with Georges Kern […]
Visit Interview With Breitling CEO Georges Kern in Zurich to read the full article.
Motorsport has always been in the DNA of the Heuer Carrera, which was named after an auto race. Heuer began an innovative partnership with Ferrari in the 1970s. The gold Carrera chronograph, which was given to each Ferrari driver in the Formula One race, became a symbol of the natural symbiosis at Heuer between timekeeping […]
Visit The 70s: Another Golden Era for the Heuer Carrera to read the full article.
It was at least a couple of years ago on an evening that I found myself cruising the internet. I did the normal thing: news, watch sites, eBay, and some dealer sites. At the time, Menta Watches, a watch dealer, was just beginning, but they had already begun featuring some neat watches. Amongst all the […]
Visit #TBT Wittnauer 8025 Automatic – A Rare 60’s 24-Hour Watch to read the full article.
There’s a new mobile app on the market that helps you to buy and sell your watches: Watchy. We all know apps like Chrono24, WatchPatrol and WatchRecon, and even some retailers have their own app where you can buy their watches or do a trade-in, like WatchBox. All these apps mentioned have their own way […]
Visit Watchy – A New Tool To Buy And Sell Your Watches to read the full article.
Over the last several years at Baselworld, Fortis has reinvented themselves by launching a multitude of new watches. This really kicked off in 2015 with the launch of the Terrestis (aka Land) line and we went hands on with the attractive Tycoon Chronograph. In 2016, the brand focused on the Cosmonautis line (aka Space) and […]
Visit Hands-On with the Fortis Cockpit One Chronograph to read the full article.
Unfortunately, a lot of brands these days already bombard our mailboxes with pre-SIHH and pre-BaselWorld releases. So we know what’s coming, some times we even receive invitations to come and have a look before one of the big shows, to do our own photography. To be honest, we favor the ‘being surprised’ a bit more, […]
Visit Speedy Tuesday – BaselWorld 2018 Omega Speedmaster Predictions to read the full article.
There are often stories about watches that make us frown upon a bit. Is it a real story? Is there – any – provenance to back this up? A watch that has been handed down or has been sold 10 times already in its life time, often raises these kind of questions. Not with the […]
Visit A $215USD Rolex 6238 from 1968 – When a 15″ Color TV Set Cost $350USD to read the full article.
ANONIMO interprets the codes of Italian elegance with the new collection that pays homage to Florentine aesthetics. EPURATO: a third line that uses the main identity elements of the brand with its cushion case, its Swiss automatic movement and its dial displaying the traditional reading triangle. Refined and with a diameter smaller than its big […]
Visit ANONIMO Unveils Its New EPURATO Line, The Essence Of Florentine Elegance to read the full article.
The Aquis is a bread and butter piece for Oris. A popular divers watch with a great price-quality ratio and aesthetics that are very likable by a large audience. Of the 12 different Aquis models (each with several different executions, with a total of 57 including 6 for ladies), 6 models are designated as ‘limited […]
Visit A New Oris Aquis – The Oris Source of Life Limited Edition to read the full article.
Sacred ground to geeks, a rathole to others. This Seiko Tuna article is for the rest of us. An overview of the Seiko Tuna’s history and of all professional models starting with the 1975 reference 6159-7010 and ending up with the current SBDX013 and SBDX014 models. We’ve probably all heard of the professional diving watches produced […]
Visit Seiko Tuna For The Rest of Us to read the full article.
News from SevenFriday, the brand that was among the first (perhaps it was the first) that made huge noise on social media to get the word out on their watches. Now, we are facing their M3/01 release, the Spaceship edition. SevenFriday is not a new comer, but still a very young company with 2012 as […]
Visit SevenFriday M3/01 Spaceship Edition to read the full article.
Finally a source that put a lot of effort into documenting as many watch movements as possible. Base calibers, but also calibers based on an existing movement. Also movements that are dubbed an internal brand caliber while they are actually based on a third party movement. WatchBase is a reliable source for information about watch […]
Visit Meet (and use) WatchBase – Over 20.000 Watches and 2.000 movements to read the full article.
