Fratello
We have a fondness for Certina here at Fratello. Now owned by the Swatch Group, the brand offers good bang for your buck with its solid modern lineup of tool and dress watches. But Certina is also one of those brands that is such a treasure trove for vintage-watch hunting, and one of its many […] Visit Why The Certina Argonaut Is A Vintage Gem to read the full article.
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We’re just a few extra days away from the end of 2025. While the watchmaking industry remains in flux due to global economic uncertainties, creatively, this year has been one of the best in recent memory. When product success isn’t guaranteed, brands tend to target the well-off collectors who are wealthy enough to weather the […] Visit Fratello Favorites: The Best Watches Of 2025 - Ben’s Picks From Vacheron Constantin, Oris, Breitling, And More to read the full article.
Fratello
Another Friday, another list! We hope you had a wonderful Christmas Day with plenty of delicious food and refreshing drinks. As you recover from potential late-night celebrations, we offer some light entertainment today. For our series of best-of-2025 articles, it’s now time to look at some of this year’s best small-brand watches. After last week’s […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 Small-Brand Watches Of 2025 - Featuring Echo/Neutra, Laventure, Berneron, And More to read the full article.
Fratello
In the case of Pragma, being called a goody two-shoes is a plus. Typically, the moniker describes someone who is prudish and self-righteous. A goody two-shoes is an ambitious overachiever striving to be perfect; remember that one teacher’s pet in your class in high school who nobody liked? Behaving excessively virtuously can be off-putting in […] Visit Hands-On With The New Pragma P1 – Perseverance In Solar Stainless Steel And Tantalum With A New Azurite-Blue Dial to read the full article.
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We mostly write about mechanical watches here on Fratello. However, we certainly get excited about the occasional solar-powered watches we see released. Solar-powered watches are ideal grab-and-go pieces. They are always running and often come in very capable configurations to withstand most everyday situations. It’s no wonder that big brands, such as TAG Heuer, Seiko, […] Visit Fratello’s Favorite Solar-Powered Watches Of 2025 - Including TAG Heuer, Tissot, And More to read the full article.
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The final round of the second Louis Vuitton Watch Prize competition will commence in the spring of 2026. The initiative aims to support and celebrate independent watchmakers who challenge convention. It highlights creativity, technical mastery, and a strong personal vision. That’s not just a clever way of connecting the brand name to some serious horological […] Visit Announced: The Finalists For The Louis Vuitton Watch Prize For Independent Creatives 2025–2026 to read the full article.
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Hello and happy holidays from your Fratello Talks team! Today marks the final episode of 2025 and the end of our third season of the show. What better way to round out the year than by looking back at some horological highlights of 2025? RJ, Daan, and your host, Nacho, join forces to discuss some […] Visit Fratello Talks: Horological Highlights Of 2025 to read the full article.
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Merry Christmas and welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air! We’re back with an episode on Christmas Eve, and we’re talking about our favorite Seiko watches of all time. That’s a tough mission, but like Santa’s job of delivering toys to all the children, we’re up to the task! Grab some mulled wine, settle […] Visit Fratello On Air: Our Favorite Seiko Watches Ever to read the full article.
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It’s gifting season, and Jaeger-LeCoultre serves up a tantalizing prospect in the form of the Master Control Classic. Despite the 1950s aesthetic, the “Classic” in the name pays homage to early Master Control watches of the 1990s. This era is becoming a burgeoning nostalgia kick in the watch industry for buyers entering their 50s. Okay, […] Visit Introducing: The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Classic to read the full article.
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Merry Christmas, everyone! As we approach the end of the year, it is time to look back at some of the best Grand Seiko releases of 2025. The past 12 months have been packed with new watches from brands all over the industry, but we saw some amazing novelties from Grand Seiko. From the impressive […] Visit A Condensed Guide To Grand Seiko Releases From 2025 to read the full article.
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Working for a watch media title means that we get to wear many different watches during the year, from very affordable watches to high-end watches with ditto prices. However, just like you, we also own watch(es) that we wear when we don’t have a loaner for review. In this video, most members of the Fratello […] Visit Video: These Are The Fratello Team’s Most Worn Watches Of 2025 to read the full article.
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ISOfrane straps have a special place in diving history. As a 1960s creation, the original model became a fixture for divers due to its flexibility, durability, and comfort. Today, modern versions of the straps are used both for their original purpose and as everyday accompaniments. Until now, though, only one design was available. Today, we […] Visit Hands-On: The New ISOfrane VS 1969 Straps to read the full article.
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It’s hard to believe that we’re already looking back on the best watches of 2025. This year flew by! Still, there were a lot of releases, and, frankly, some were great. I stepped back from purchasing vintage watches this year and focused more on new pieces. The reason was clear: modern pieces made an impact […] Visit Fratello Favorites: The Best Watches Of 2025 - Mike’s Picks From Ming, Parmigiani Fleurier, Aquastar, And More to read the full article.
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The big trend is “small.” And “thin.” Well, those two words perfectly describe the new 36.5mm Vacheron Constantin Traditionelle Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin. Not only is the diameter a size “S,” but it also has an 8.43mm case thickness, making it worthy of the “Ultra-Thin” moniker. The pink gold version is the most modern of the […] Visit Introducing: Two Simply Irresistible 36.5mm Vacheron Constantin Traditionelle Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin Watches to read the full article.
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Put your 34mm 1960s-inspired dress watch aside for a moment. Turn your watch-snobbery hat backwards for a second. Swap your tortoise-shell glasses for colored lenses for a night. Are you ready for a bit of a party as we approach the year’s end? Yes? All right, let’s dive into the new Hublot Big Bang Meca-10 […] Visit You Can Find Me In Da Club: Introducing The Hublot Big Bang Meca-10 Street Art Editions to read the full article.
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There are watchmakers, and then there are people like David Lowinger, who seem to operate in a world of their own. I honestly cannot remember exactly when we started speaking. It was some time, a good few years ago, after I stumbled across his work on Instagram and reached out. What began as a casual […] Visit Inside The Mind Of David Lowinger: Five Wild Concepts From A German Independent Watchmaker to read the full article.
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Do you prefer mono or stereo? And what about quadraphonic or surround sound? I suspect most of you will answer these questions with anything but “mono.” But mono is the trend when it comes to retail in the world of watches. Monobrand watch boutiques are on a continuous rise. As a watch fan, you, more […] Visit The Trend Continues: Monobrand Watch Boutiques Are On A Continuous Rise to read the full article.
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It’s Sunday morning, which means it’s time for a nice cup of coffee and an early morning watch battle. But as this is the last Sunday before Christmas, this will be the last Sunday Morning Showdown of the year. Next week, Jorg will look back at some of the most remarkable showdowns of 2025 to […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Nomos Club Sport Neomatik Worldtimer Vs. Tudor Black Bay Pro to read the full article.
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It’s late afternoon on a Thursday in mid-December when the call comes in: monsters are closing in on Nazaré. State-of-the-art satellite technology has detected the perfect kinetic sweep across the Atlantic, creating ideal conditions. This monster swell is heading straight for a small fishing village two hours north of Lisbon. But it’s not alone in […] Visit Photo Report: Tudor Nazaré Big Wave Challenge 2025 to read the full article.
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Orient Star unveils three new versions of its flagship F7 Mechanical Moon Phase. Dials in white and navy blue join the regular lineup, while the light blue dial is a limited edition of 190 pieces. Having debuted in 2017, the F7 Mechanical Moon Phase combines three striking elements. The namesake moon phase sits at 6 […] Visit Introducing: The Orient Star M45 F7 Mechanical Moon Phase to read the full article.
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The JB300 Poulpro arrives as Jacques Bianchi Marseille’s latest take on a serious dive watch. It pairs some of the frivolous style of the earlier JB200 Poulpro with a more technical, titanium-based platform. This isn’t about flash; it’s about refining a recognized design language into something even more purposeful. In dive watches, there’s a fine […] Visit Introducing: The JB300 Poulpro - Jacques Bianchi’s Technical Dive Watch Evolves to read the full article.
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Another Friday, another list! This week, we selected our five favorite complicated watches released in 2025. Indeed, many contenders were fighting for a spot among these. We have seen many impressive releases that either introduced new technologies or were groundbreaking due to the sheer number of complications involved. In life, though, it’s not just about […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 Complicated Watches Of 2025 - Featuring Vacheron Constantin, Audemars Piguet, Breguet, And More to read the full article.
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All right, everyone, it’s my turn to tell you about my favorite watches of 2025. With the calendar winding down, it’s remarkable how close the end of the year suddenly feels. The past few weeks have slipped by at an almost unfair pace, but stepping back for a moment makes one thing obvious: it’s been […] Visit Fratello Favorites: The Best Watches Of 2025 - Nacho’s Picks From Nomos, Sinn, Tudor, And More to read the full article.
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We have seen a massive increase in interesting small Japanese brands in recent years. Great examples are Kurono Tokyo, Hajime Asaoka, Kikuchi Nakagawa, and Minase. One of the newest microbrands is Kiwame Tokyo, which presented its inaugural Kurotsuki and Usuki models not too long ago. The watches stood out because of their beautiful dials. For […] Visit Hands-On With The Refined Kiwame Tokyo Iwao Ginkai And Sumi to read the full article.
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Our friends over at Monochrome and Habring² are building quite a history together. Their first collaboration, in 2021, celebrated Monochrome’s 15th anniversary. The online watch magazine and the Austrian watchmaking couple teamed up once more in 2023. Their sophomore release, a split-seconds chronograph, raised money for charity. Today, we get a third collaboration in the […] Visit Introducing: The Monochrome Montre De Souscription 4 By Habring² to read the full article.
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The first thing that popped up in my head when laying eyes on the Spring Drive-powered Seiko Prospex LX GMT U.S. Special Edition SNR058 was “Root Beer.” The colors, shapes, and vibe make me think of that famous GMT watch made by The Crown. It’s a good thing this watch is designed for the U.S. […] Visit Introducing: The Spring Drive-Powered Seiko Prospex LX GMT U.S. Special Edition SNR058 to read the full article.
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As 2025 draws to a close, it’s a natural moment to pause, take stock, and look ahead at what the coming year may hold for the watch industry. In this week’s episode of Fratello Talks, Nacho is joined by Daan and Lex for an in-depth conversation about the various factors and forces that are actively […] Visit Fratello Talks: The Forces Redefining The Watch Industry’s Future to read the full article.
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I don’t mind admitting that I can get a bit cynical and jaded when discussing watches. There’s just so much coming out and, frankly, not everything is equally inspired or well executed. So when I get the chance to go hands-on with something like this, it can feel like a breath of fresh air. This […] Visit Hands-On With The A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange Jumping Seconds to read the full article.
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Did you know that during the Christmas period, salmon consumption rises sharply? A substantial share of annual sales happens in December, particularly in Europe. In fact, around 25% of all smoked salmon is sold during this time. And with that in mind, look at the new Armin Strom Gravity Equal Force Ultimate Sapphire Salmon. The […] Visit Introducing: The Armin Strom Gravity Equal Force Ultimate Sapphire Salmon to read the full article.
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Not too long ago, Rolex added a surprise Submariner Date desk clock to its collection. If you are familiar with the brand’s accessories, you know that a variety of cufflinks are available to match your Rolex timepiece. But with the introduction of the new Rolex Submariner Date desk clock, the ultimate accessory is now an […] Visit A Close Look At The Rolex Submariner Date Desk Clock Ref. 909010LN to read the full article.
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