Two 100 Jahre Bauhaus design watches by Junghans: Max Bill Automatic and Max Bill Chronoscope. The Black Forest-based brand is probably known for having the closest ties with this German design movement that started in 1919. There are of course other companies who drew inspiration for their watches from the Bauhaus but no company has […]
Visit Design Icons From The Black Forest – Junghans Max Bill to read the full article.
Part of the appeal of the Jazzmaster collection is the beautiful balance of contemporary aesthetic and traditional watchmaking expertise. For 2019, this most refined of Hamilton collections welcomes hero pieces in the shape of brand new automatic chronographs. Their understated style is a style statement in itself. The contemporary H-21 automatic chronograph movement boasts a […]
Visit The Hamilton Jazzmaster automatic chronograph leaves a lasting impression to read the full article.
We show you the Top 10 Speedmaster articles in the last 12 months with the most reads. This means, of course, that more recently published articles received less ‘views’ than the ones that were already there 12 months ago. However, it will give a pretty good idea of what you like to read here. The […]
Visit Top 10 Omega Speedmaster Articles to read the full article.
This year Panerai surprised us with 3 limited editions. That might sound a bit silly, and indeed it wasn’t thát Panerai presented limited editions, however, hów they will be offered was which surprised us. 2019 was chosen by Panerai to be the year of new Submersibles. Except for new 42 mm and 47 mm models in the […]
Visit Interview with Panerai Ambassador Mike Horn to read the full article.
Today I’m going to launch one of the most requested watches since the launch of Watches and Pencils. It will be all about this famous thirst quencher: Old Nickname The nickname ‘Pepsi’ for the Rolex GMT-Master seems to be quite old. I found several sources that go back multiple decades. It is an old and […]
Visit The Drink You Can’t Have: Rolex GMT-Master Pepsi to read the full article.
It is not always easy to be a watch critic. There’s a lot out there that is not really good or making a difference. We shift a lot of the stuff that we come across on forehand, to present you at least the watches we think are interesting for you to read about. Sometimes, there’s […]
Visit The Best Allrounder I’ve Worn In A Long Time – Seamaster 300M to read the full article.
Chasing Time is a book written by an experienced watch collector, who highlights vintage watches that have gone through his hands being a collector and dealer. This book, written by Alistair Gibbons, takes you on a journey of being a watch collector (and dealer). Many different watches – including those from unknown brands – are […]
Visit Chasing Time – A Vintage Watch Collector’s Log Book to read the full article.
Looks like a watch with 24 date windows, no? Well, look again. Let’s not beat around the bush: the Gruen Airflight has twelve see-through apertures in the dial. At 1 pm a thin under-the-dial plate shifts automatically to expose the numerals 13 through 24. How cool?! My problem When I unboxed my Gruen Airflight, I […]
Visit The Gruen Airflight – A Watch With A Smart Complication For Under $1000USD to read the full article.
The new Hautlence HL Sphere is a work of art. I only found that out this past month when I saw Hautlence the first time in the metal. See, since a few years now I visit H. Moser & Cie during SIHH and Baselworld as well as other events. You could read about their latest […]
Visit Hands-On Hautlence HL Sphere 01 Review to read the full article.
At least for us in Europe, a spotting a Grand Seiko watch in the flesh is still as rare as spotting a Japanese supercar like the Nissan GT-R. Perhaps it mainly has to do with price, as the Nissan GT-R starts at €169.600 here in The Netherlands (cars are expensive here in general). Grand Seiko […]
Visit Spring Drive 20th & NISSAN GT-R 50th Anniversary Edition: SBGC229 to read the full article.
Longines simply can’t make a bad Heritage watch. Out of all the Swatch Group brands, Longines is the one company that nails their vintage reeditions 99% of the time. They are also doing it with a very small but talented design team in house. I should know, I’ve met them in Basel last year (thank […]
Visit Hands-On: Longines Skin Diver Review to read the full article.
Together with OMEGA we are proud to organize a number of Speedy Tuesday events this year, in several cities around the world! We start in May, with Milan and Frankfurt. In June we will visit Hong Kong and Singapore, New York City in September and Japan in October. Last January, we organized a Speedy Tuesday […]
Visit Speedy Tuesday Event World Tour (Sign-Up) to read the full article.
Ayrton Senna is the legendary (and three times World Champion) F1 driver who passed away 25 years ago (already). Today we show you a watch he gave to his mentor, Angelo Parrilla, who ‘discovered’ Senna when he was 18 years old in 1978. Last Sunday was packed with sports for me. Meaning I watched the 1000th […]
Visit The Rolex Daytona 16528 That Was Gifted By Ayrton Senna to read the full article.
Compared to a decade ago, Seiko (and Grand Seiko) achieved to be on the radar of many watch enthusiasts. And where other (Swiss and German) brands used to smirk a bit upon hearing the name Seiko, they now pay close attention. Just before Baselworld, we saw the new Seiko Prospex LX SNR029J under embargo. For […]
Visit Hands-On With The Seiko Prospex LX SNR029J Divers Watch to read the full article.
Hello neighbors, welcome back to This Week in Watches for April 13, 2019. Did you miss last week’s episode of This Week in Watches? Well, I missed me too, but as much as I love jawing at you fine folks, there was simply nothing to talk about last weekend. Plus, I was still feeling good […]
Visit This Week in Watches – April 13, 2019 to read the full article.
In all honesty, this definitely wasn’t Rolex’s strongest year when it comes to new releases, but they had at least some surprises. Like this Rolex Daytona 116588 TBR. A gem-set Daytona isn’t exactly a new thing, but a dial like this we’ve never seen before on a Rolex Daytona. Their new Cosmograph Daytona ref. 116588 […]
Visit Baselworld’s Weirdest – The Rolex Daytona 116588 TBR to read the full article.
You don’t need to be a hardcore Ghostbusters fan to consider the Seiko Voice Note an entertaining acquisition. If you get the Seiko Voice Note and match it with a Ghostbusters costume equipped with a proton pack, you might accrue some fame at this year’s Comic-Con. Why? The devil is in the detail. Three out […]
Visit #TBT Seiko Voice Note M516-4009 to read the full article.
For a nation with an indisputably important role in the history of horology, the British occupy just a small section of the modern market. At the very top end, Roger W. Smith continues the legacy of the late George Daniels from the Isle of Man base once used by the past master. In terms of […]
Visit Vertex – The Real One of the ‘Dirty Dozen’ to read the full article.
Fortuna in New York is hosting their April Exchange auction on April 11th. 15 watch lots included! Auctions are fun to follow, live or online, to see what certain watches will do on the market and what will happen if two bidders can’t stop. Fortuna is an auction house based in New York and started […]
Visit Rolex GMT-Master, Rolex Day-Date and Panerai PAM112 For Auction to read the full article.
Wait a minute? Didn’t Bukowskis auction a CK2915 before for a record price? Yes they did, and we reported about it here. We also published an interview with the collector who bought that CK2915-1 for a whopping $275,508 US dollars (including buyer’s premium). You can read that interview here. Speedmaster CK2915-2 So now, it is time for […]
Visit Speedy Tuesday – An Omega Speedmaster CK2915-2 On Auction Today to read the full article.
Czapek’s highest-end Place Vendôme model, featuring a tourbillon and GMT function, was released in two new versions during Baselworld 2019. Ombres and Etincelles, or shadows and sparks. During the fair, we were able to take a closer look at the Ombres model and are happy to share our findings. A closer look at the Czapek & […]
Visit Czapek & Cie Place Vendôme Tourbillon GMT to read the full article.
In order to truly get a feel for the quality of their watches, I recently had the opportunity to wear and use the Monta Oceanking for an extended month-long period. Monta, as a brand, has undergone more changes in its brief 3-year history than most brands encounter during multiples of such a span. Designing […]
Visit Long-term Test – Monta Oceanking to read the full article.
For years we’ve been reporting on the latest and greatest from Armin Strom here on Fratello. The brand does not only consist of super friendly and professional watch industry experts, but they also happen to have an amazing line up of true haute horlogerie timepieces. Armin Strom is a very special brand in the sense […]
Visit Armin Strom Pure Fire Mirrored Force Resonance to read the full article.
A brand’s reputation is built piece-by-piece. Credentials, characters, stories, products, reviews… So much goes into the formation of an identity it’s a shame that we often neglect to appreciate this when we hold a young brand’s early products in our hands for the first time. For those of us who live and breathe watches, it […]
Visit World First: A Watertight Gasket-Free Watch – Mauron Musy to read the full article.
And once again, just when you think you’ve seen it all in terms of vintage tool watches, something surprises like the Rado Over Pole. Man, it’s good to be back writing a #TBT article. We’re so excited to have Tomas here on the team and he continues to share some fantastically different vintage pieces, but […]
Visit #TBT Rado Over Pole – A World Timer in a Captain Cook Case to read the full article.
Our annual pilgrimage to Basel is behind us, and 2019 marks a new era for Baselworld. Things have definitely changed. Just like everyone else, we were also curious to find out about the new Baselworld. It looked promising, the new set-up of the halls and a free hotel stay for one week for one person. And […]
Visit Photo Report: Baselworld Without Watches to read the full article.
Hamilton, part of the Swatch Group, is making waves in the industry for quite some time now. To start with, they appear on movies probably as often as Omega does. This might sound like a bold statement from me, and it is absolutely not backed by any data from the brand. Though if you think […]
Visit New Hamilton Intra-Matic Auto Chrono Blue to read the full article.
On this Speedy Tuesday, we show you 10 Instagram accounts you want to make sure to follow to get your dose of Speedmasters on a daily basis. We’ve been using the #SpeedyTuesday tag since 2012 ourselves, and there’s our official @SpeedyTuesday account of course. However, so many people out there have interesting Speedmaster content on their […]
Visit For Speedmaster Fans: 10 Instagram Accounts To Follow to read the full article.
At a huge show like Baselworld, sometimes the most satisfying meetings are the ones you don’t expect. I had one such experience when sitting down with the owner of Carl Suchy & Söhne, Robert Punkenhofer, to take a look at the Carl Suchy Waltz collection. With all the questions about Baselworld and its future, one […]
Visit Carl Suchy Waltz No1 Collection to read the full article.
Join us for the Fratello x ORIS Baselworld 2019 Novelties event on April 25th in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. We would like to invite you to join an evening with ORIS and Fratello in Amsterdam on April 25th. During this evening, ORIS will present to you their Baselworld 2019 novelties in the ORIS boutique in Amsterdam. […]
Visit Fratello x ORIS 2019 Novelties Event in Amsterdam to read the full article.
In a surprise move, the Seiko SNJ025 Solar Arnie debuted at Baselworld 2019. Hunting through the massive pile of releases from Seiko at Baselworld 2019 was like any other year. There were some real frontrunner gems that made a lot of news, such as the SLA033 Re-Edition of the Captain Willard, the litany of incredible […]
Visit Seiko SNJ025 Solar Arnie: A Surprise at Baselworld 2019 to read the full article.
MeisterSinger has become synonymous with single-hand watches and a relaxed perception of time. Since 2001, a unique type of mechanical wristwatch has been produced in the city of Münster, Germany – unique because it has just one needle-thin hand that shows the time precisely to the nearest five minutes. In this regard the company draw […]
Visit MEISTERSINGER: Single-hand watches designed on a human scale to read the full article.
This previous article already introduced Citizen’s New Eco-Drive watches featuring the world’s most accurate time-keeping of within ±1 second per year. Now it is time to take a closer look at the three different (and limited!) models. White Gold Model (AQ6010-06A) The beauty of simplicity is magnificently reflected in this limited edition with ultra-precision accuracy […]
Visit CITIZEN: Caliber 0100 – New Eco-Drive watches to read the full article.
In what could only be described as a shock, we’ve received word that the 40mm steel Rolex Submariner line has been discontinued. Bethlehem Steel, PAN AM Airways, McDonald’s fries actually fried in lard, or Great Britain as an E.U. member – all institutions once thought to be impenetrable but ultimately proven to be fallible. And […]
Visit Breaking News: The 40mm Steel Rolex Submariner is Dead to read the full article.
A warm welcome, ladies and gents, to This Week in Watches for March 30, 2019. Yes, we are back with the newest installment of This Week in Watches after a one weekend hiatus due to Baselworld. Plus, I’ve even been on a diet to the tune of $4,000! That was a lot of fun and […]
Visit This Week in Watches – March 30, 2019 to read the full article.
One of my favourite places to go during Baselworld is Oris. The laid-back atmosphere – whilst being in the midst of chaos – is impressive in their booth and, just as important, they keep introducing interesting and attractively priced watches like this Oris Aquis GMT Date. Just before I left for Baselworld, one of my […]
Visit Hot Take: The Oris Aquis GMT Date – One Of My Baselworld 2019 Favourites to read the full article.
After several years of not meeting with Bell & Ross, we sat down with the brand at Baselworld 2019 and we found a winner in the new Bell & Ross Bellytanker Bronze chronograph. I could say “Bellytanker” all day long – it’s simply that fun. That being said, the word “belly” just doesn’t come to […]
Visit Bell & Ross Bellytanker Bronze – An Unexpected Delight to read the full article.
British watch brand Christopher Ward asked us to review one of their new C65 Trident Automatic, vintage-inspired, diver’s watches. An updated model from the manual winding version which had been available for some time already, and which is one of their best selling products. Not only mechanically updated with an automatic movement and date function, […]
Visit Christopher Ward C65 Trident to read the full article.
Killer movement for your next GTG Some people put it on their list of the most useless watch complications of all times. What are we talking about this week? The dead beat seconds aka ‘seconde morte’ or also known as jumping seconds aka ‘seconde sautante’. Foreword on dead seconds You look down at the dial […]
Visit #TBT Dead Seconds Tourist Radio-Top to read the full article.
Limited to 100 pieces only, Citizen brings us their ‘Caliber 0100’ (marketed as ‘The Citizen’ in Japan) with an accuracy of just +/- 1 second per year, without relying on data from satellites or being radio controlled. This year, Citizen took us by surprise and introduced something ‘high-end’ to us. And not even mechanical, but […]
Visit Hands-on With The Citizen Caliber 0100 to read the full article.
Zenith kicked off the 50th anniversary of the El Primero with a trio of watches first shown during, but not at, SIHH in January. At Baselworld 2019, the celebration continued with additional pieces the brand that the brand has named Zenith El Primero A386 Revival. It was only a couple months ago that we first […]
Visit Hands-On: Zenith El Primero A386 Revival to read the full article.
NOMOS comes out strong this year, with a new ‘Duo’ collection for ladies but also with their Sports watches. Meet the NOMOS Tangente Sport neomatik 42 date. NOMOS is not the watch brand you’ll associate with sports, although their Ahoi is certainly up to the task. This year, NOMOS showed us the new Sports collection that […]
Visit Hot Take: NOMOS Tangente Sport neomatik 42 Date to read the full article.
The Speedmaster has the best ambassador in the world – The Moon. Since 1962 the Speedmaster has played a role in space exploration and in 1965 it became the official watch to wear during EVA. But the Speedmaster can also be seen on the wrists of many other ambassadors. Brands using ambassadors isn’t exactly something […]
Visit Some Of The Best Speedmaster Ambassadors to read the full article.
At Baselworld 2019, after years of seeing many new releases from the brand, the TAG Heuer Autavia Isograph was the primary focus. That’s right, we walked into the TAG Heuer booth, sat down in the conference room and aside from seeing a digital presentation of a new Golf watch, we physically saw one watch. Ok, […]
Visit Our Thoughts on the New TAG Heuer Autavia Isograph to read the full article.
Recently, multiple brands released their ‘salmon’. I mean a dial with the colour which is described as salmon. Or named ‘salmon’ by the watch crowd. To commit to this I thought it was time to create my own ‘true’ salmon dial: Why do I say ‘true’? Well, there has been some discussion going on this […]
Visit Watches & Pencils #47 – Dial Color Confusion: Salmon Dials And More to read the full article.
The Rolex Yacht-Master was introduced in 1992, so only a relatively new member of the Oyster family. Now, 27 years later, they introduce something big, bold and in white gold. Although a bit underwhelmed at first based on the press images, the new Rolex Yacht-Master 42 with reference 226659 did not disappoint. I feel kinda […]
Visit Hot Take: Rolex Yacht-Master 42 Reference 226659 to read the full article.
In 1999, we surprised the watch industry with a special timepiece: the 203 ARKTIS was the first diving chronograph to feature Temperature Resistance Technology. This guarantees the functional reliability of the watch in temperatures ranging from –45°C to +80°C. In 2019, this watch will celebrate its 20th anniversary. To mark its initial introduction, we have […]
Visit „Honey, I’m out with the dog sled!” New Sinn model 206 ARKTIS II to read the full article.
We’ve received a flurry of requests to see the new Seiko SLA033 vs 6105-8110, the latter being the 1970’s inspiration. We reviewed the new-for-Baselworld 2019 Seiko SLA033 1970 Diver yesterday. Unfortunately, I had the original on my hand when I was detained by Swiss Customs and missed taking it into the show to compare with […]
Visit Because You Asked: New Seiko SLA033 vs 6105-8110 “Captain Willard” to read the full article.
On the second day of Baselworld 2019, I endured a long, humiliating and costly experience with Swiss Customs. Read on and learn. Here at Fratello, and once again this year during Baselworld 2019, we tend to stay over the border in either Germany or France. The costly, hotel rooms in Basel along with pricey restaurants […]
Visit Beware: Swiss Customs Targeting Baselworld 2019 Attendees to read the full article.
The Seiko Presage collection won the hearts of many enthusiasts with their attractively priced mechanical watches. For those who are able to stretch their budget a bit, there are the Presage models with handcrafted dials. We’ve often covered the Seiko Presage collection and recently brought them to your attention because of their special dials. What […]
Visit Hot Take: Seiko Presage Arita Porcelain Dial to read the full article.
