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Fratello On Air: The Three-Watch Collection And Three Alternatives Jun 20, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air. This week, we each discuss our idea of the ideal three-watch collection. Then, we offer up three more at a more approachable level. Enjoy the show and let us know your thoughts.

Yes, the three-watch collection is a popular topic. This time, it's our turn and we each offer a trio without any cost constraints. Then, Balazs and I come back around and do it again with more thoughts on our wallets. We have some similar picks, but also some very different choices.
Handgelenks Kontrolle

After some talk about watches we've seen during travel, it's time to get into the Handgelenks Kontrolle. Balazs is wearing his Excelsior Park and enjoying the use of the EP40 movement. Mike is wearing his recent travel watch, the Doxa SUB 300 "Black Lung." Both declare it as a modern classic.
Three-Watch Collection

Next, it's time to focus on the three-watch collection. We have some real fun with this one. There's some real variety here!

Balazs kicks things off with the Omega Speedmaster Professional 145.022 Transitional. It has all the trappings of a 321, but with the more reliable caliber 861. For an affordable alternative, he brings in the Seiko 6139-7070. This watch has one of the first automatic chronograph movements and can be had for roughly €1,000. Mike leads off with the current Speedmaster Professional, a €7,400 gem with a perfect bracelet. For an alternative, it's another manual wind chronograph known as the Hamilton Intra-Matic H. This 40mm beauty is available for €2,195 in a couple of different dial colors.

For the second round of the three-watch collection, Balazs starts with the Rolex Submariner 14060. He follows this up with the Yema Superman Heritage Special Edition, an affordable vintage-inspired alternative. Mike brings his all-time favorite watch, the Rolex Explorer 14270. His option watch is surprising because it's the Doxa SUB 300 Sharkhunter, a real beauty that can do just about everything.

For our final spin, Balazs leads off with the Patek Philippe Calatrava 5196G, a discontinued beauty of a dress watch. While it's less expensive, the vintage Omega 2505 "Jumbo" is no less attractive. Mike finishes his with yet another Patek, the sublime Calatrava 570. Despite its simple looks, there's nothing basic about this watch. Finally, the more approachable icon is the Grand Seiko 4420-9000. Like the Patek, this watch also boasts a case that is best kept away from the polishing wheel. What is your favorite three-watch collection?

As always, thank you for listening. Feel free to let us know if you have some ideas for an upcoming episode.

Fratello Talks: Quartz Watches Jun 15, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to this week’s episode of Fratello Talks, where we dive head-first into quartz watches. Lex, Thomas, and Nacho gather in the podcast studio to discuss their love for battery-powered timepieces. There’s a lot to like about them. They’re reliable, accurate, and typically more affordable than their mechanical counterparts. And though sometimes quartz watches can get a bad rap, there are plenty of impressive electronic timekeepers out there worth admiring. And though the immediate association of quartz movements with cheaply produced, disposable watches certainly exists for a reason, there are also plenty of high-end options.

Fratello Talks: In-House Movements Jun 09, 2023

Show notes

In this week's episode of Fratello Talks, Nacho, RJ, and Thomas discuss the matter of in-house movements. What is an in-house movement? Which brands produce/use them? And how much do they matter to the guys when buying a watch? If you want the answers to these questions, listen to the episode below.

Fratello On Air: One Great Watch Or A Couple Of Really Good Watches Jun 06, 2023

Show notes

Fratello On Air is back with another episode and this time we talk about whether it's worth consolidating to one great watch versus having two (or more) really good watches. Of course, your definition of a great and good may vary, but we think you get the gist.

Is it worth owning one great watch or is variety the spice of life if it occurs at a slightly lesser level? That's our question today from one of our great listeners from Finland who goes by "zenithist" on Instagram. It's a tough question and while we may not have the perfect answer, we debate the possibilities nonetheless.
Handgelenks Kontrolle

Prior to talking about boiling it down to one great watch or not, we hit the news. There's a recent visit to the Seiko boutique for some "routine" servicing, a touch of sneaker talk, and some new watches. We discuss the new Credor Goldfeather, the Seiko Prospex Speedtimers, and the Yema x Alpine Endurance Team watches made for the 100th running of Le Mans. When it comes to our wrists, Balazs is wearing his Omega Speedmaster 145.022 "transitional" with a lovely step dial. Mike is wearing his 1964 Seiko Liner 46999, a watch that will be up for review soon enough.
One great watch?

It's a really tough question that our listener poses — do you consolidate a couple of really nice watches in order to buy a more prestigious watch? The example that we were given is a tough one. The Tudor Black Bay 58 and the Tudor Prince Date-Day have been tossed out as possible trade subjects. What's the upscale bounty? Well, none other than the small but mighty Rolex Explorer. Mike is firmly in the camp of consolidation. Then again, the 14270 Explorer is one of his favorites. Balazs, on the other hand, plays devil's advocate. He likes a bit of variety and the ability to change size. Where do you fall in this argument?

Thanks for listening to the latest episode. As always, feel free to hit us up with any show ideas that you might have.

Fratello Talks: On Location At Manbodh Watches Jun 02, 2023

Show notes

It's not every day we run into someone wearing an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Watch from 2002. But when you meet Jerrel Manbodh, of Manbodh Watches, chances are likely you will see him wearing that special Royal Oak watch made of Alcrite. For this Fratello Talks podcast, RJ and Nacho went on location with Manbodh at his watch boutique. We talk about the watch business, the development in the vintage and pre-owned market over the last few years, and, of course, about his favorite watches.

Fratello On Air: Six Divers For Under €1,000 That Are Ready For Summer May 31, 2023

Show notes

Fratello On Air returns with a look at six divers for under €1,000. We could do this episode any time, but Summer is the perfect time due to casual wear and loads of water-related activities. We've picked a fairly wide range of pieces from a wide array of countries. If rotating bezels are your thing, sit back and listen!

So, you don't dive? Well, neither of us do either, but we do spend a fair amount of time in the water during the Summer months. And hey, maybe one of us will dust off the snorkeling gear at some point. Regardless of actually strapping on a tank, divers have become a go-to practical watch for just about any activity these days and that includes simply acting as a good watch. We've come together to name six divers that truly range in price, but all come in below €1,000. We hope you enjoy it!
Handgelenks Kontrolle

For those of you who don't love blathering, we're fairly light on the small talk this week and get right into the divers. Well, almost. Before the Handgelenks Kontrolle, Balazs discusses his profound admiration for the Tissot PRX. We think this would make a great Summer watch because it pairs so well with some shorts and a rolled-up linen shirt. Then, Balazs talks about wearing his Doxa 300T Sharkhunter, a watch that made the trip with him to his hometown in Hungary. Mike is wearing the newly released Aquastar Model 60, a 37mm skin diver that wears really well. He also discusses bringing the Tudor Black Bay 58 Silver and the Synchron Military Poseidon on a recent trip to Italy - a foray filled with pool and ocean activities.
Six divers under €1,000 for Summer

We're ready for the main topic and that means choosing six divers that all sell for below €1,000. Let us know what you think of these choices:

Certina DS Action Diver, a €975, 43mm PVD-coated stealth watch that we loved during our recent visit to Swatch Group in Germany
Yema Pearldiver, a €799 retro-styled diver with a thick Hesalite crystal and in-house automatic movement
Nivada Grenchen Antarctic-Diver, a brand new €815 retro diver with a Cyclops!
Seiko Prospex Solar Diver SNE573, this €499 watch has a no-fuss solar heartbeat, a great footprint, and is only 10.6mm thick
Baltic Aquascaphe Titanium Blue, for €849, is a classic diver with a comfortable and lightweight case
Citizen Promaster Mechanical Diver, for roughly €579 was a long time coming for the big brand and it also brings a titanium case

We hope you enjoyed today's episode and thank you for listening. If you have thoughts on future episode topics, please feel free to let us know!

Fratello On Air: Watch News, First Impressions Of Classic Watches From TAG Heuer, IWC, And Grand Seiko, And Other Rambling May 23, 2023

Show notes

Welcome one and all to this week’s episode of Fratello On Air. As Mike is out of town, Balazs invites Nacho — who happened to be in Germany — to join him for a chat. Today’s installment brings you a loosely structured discussion. The guys talk about their current comings and goings before steering into the topics of watch news and case back engravings. They then wrap things up by running through some first impressions of classic watches from TAG Heuer, IWC, and Grand Seiko.

Fratello On Air: Don't Believe The Hype! May 16, 2023

Show notes

Fratello On Air returns with a rip-roaring episode where we ask you, dear listeners, to step away from the hype. There's a lot of it around these days and it can be overwhelming. We're here to talk about it and have a little fun along the way.

Don't believe the hype! No, this isn't a discussion about Public Enemy, but a discussion about watches and some of the brands that have been making their way back into the mainstream. The hype is well orchestrated at times, a little too orchestrated as we'll see. It doesn't mean that the watches are bad, but are they the second coming? We have our doubts.
Handgelenks Kontrolle

We kick things off with some discussion around the recent Geneva auctions. There were some interesting lots, but the weekend felt a bit muted. The hordes of "AquaNautilus" and Royal Oaks seemed to dominate the scene, which got a bit snoozy. Vintage was there but to a relatively small degree. Mike discusses his impressions after watching some of the proceedings over the weekend and we even chat about certain lots. For the Handgelenks Kontrolle, Balazs is wearing his '70 Grand Seiko 5646-7010 which leads to a discussion on a Seiko Duotime that Mike owns with the same base movement. Mike is back to his trusty Rolex 1016 because he's in comfort mode.

The Hype Machine is alive

The main focus of our show today is to discuss brands that have been inundating our Instagram accounts, the web, and now the auction circuit as recently as this past weekend. Daniel Roth and Gerald Genta are LVMH brands that have received a lot of press coverage recently. In our eyes, they were niche at best and controversially designed at a minimum. Should you be as excited as the collective wants you to be? Then, we see heavy dealer activity on brands like Franck Muller and vintage Piaget. Is this where we're heading or does the push boil down to hype? We discuss and hypothesize why this is happening. The hype is real folks.

We hope you enjoyed today's episode. If you have thoughts on upcoming shows, don't hesitate to let us know.

Fratello Talks: The Omega x Swatch Speedmaster MoonSwatch May 11, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to this week's episode of Fratello Talks. This time, Nacho, Lex, and Thomas light a candle, dim the lights, and get nice and cozy as they touch on the topic of MoonSwatch. After a stunning debut, the Omega × Swatch Speedmaster MoonSwatch has struggled to follow up on its initial hype. We have been following along with the latest developments and have been left a little bit baffled. So, we ask ourselves the question: "how do we feel about the current state of the MoonSwatch?" We also look at what the future of this collaboration might look like, making some wild guesses and predictions.

Fratello On Air: Discussing Selling Practices By Brands & Another Speedmaster Question May 09, 2023

Show notes

Fratello On Air returns with more listener questions. This time we take on selling practices from brands and attempt to respond to yet another Speedmaster question. Enjoy the ride!

Yes, we are back with more listener questions and this time we take on a two-part question that revolves around selling practices by brands. There's also some more talk about the cherished Omega Speedmaster and its fan base. It's another candid discussion where no punches are pulled, so turn it up!
Handgelenks Kontrolle

We kick things off with a bit of a weekend recap and then get right into watches. We talk about the upcoming Argon release and a new Nivada diver. Then, it's time for Handgelenks Kontrolle. Mike is wearing a '60s Rado Starliner that features a "water sealed" case back with seahorses just like the Captain Cook of the same era. Balazs is rocking his Speedmaster 145.022 "transitional," a lovely piece that looks like it has a caliber 321.
Selling Practices

We received a query from a listener regarding a small microbrand that decided to sell unsold watches from its first batch at the recent Windup show in California. The brand did this instead of fulfilling the orders of some patient customers who ordered as part of a second batch. Was this a good idea? We debate the good and the bad. Then, we discuss whether brands can take action to prevent flipping. We don't have all the answers, but we do like the selling practices of a brand like Oak & Oscar. They pledge to always offer their newest releases to their existing customers. Finally, we talk about whether Speedmaster fans are the most fanatical in the watch world.

We hope you enjoyed this latest episode and thanks for listening! Feel free to let us know if you have an idea for a future episode.

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