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Fratello Talks: Our Most Recent Watch Purchases Mar 16, 2023

Show notes

Daan, Dave, and RJ sit together for this podcast and talk about their most recent watch purchases. We talk about the whats, the whys, and the hows when it comes to our new watches. All three of us bought through different channels: a boutique, a colleague, and via Chrono24. Sit back, relax, and have a drink of your choice, while you listen to the soothing voices of our editorial team.

Fratello On Air: New Watches & A Lot Of Nivada No Alizé & Vodka Mar 14, 2023

Show notes

Fratello On Air is here with loads of new watches in this episode. No, it's not Watches & Wonders, but it's busy nonetheless! There's a new Fratello Collaboration and even a MoonSwatch!

New watches season is definitely here! Balazs and I take some time to discuss some of the latest pieces to ensure they get coverage before the Watches & Wonders onslaught begins! Settle in and enjoy!
Handgelenks Kontrolle

Before getting to all the new watches, Balazs kicks things off with a decidedly old watch. In fact, this is a pretty lousy piece because it's a so-called office GMT. Yes, he's sporting a watch that no one wants, a vintage Rolex 1675! Mike kicks off the new release topic with a vintage Excelsior Park "Tuxedo Dial" chronograph. This sets our main topic in focus because Excelsior Park just announced that this watch will be their next release. Exciting!
New Watches

We kick things off with the newly announced Seiko Prospex GMT Divers and despite the fact that they're not "pilot's" GMT's, we really like them. That golden GMT hand is the bee's knees! Next, we mention the Mido Ocean Star Decompression Worldtimer because it was pitted against the Seiko in a recent Sunday Morning Showdown. It has a fancier movement, but we're a bit concerned about everyday legibility. Next, we broach the latest MoonSwatch and declare it to be a neat, but quickly passing event. Last but not least, we roll out the Fratello × Nivada Grenchen Racing Chronograph and talk about the different variants.

Thanks so much for listening! As always, if you have episode suggestions, feel free to let us know!

Fratello Talks: The Swatch x Omega MoonSwatch Mission to Moonshine Mar 09, 2023

Show notes

The anger surrounding the new Swatch MoonSwatch Mission to Moonshine Gold was very visible in the comments section on our website. It was less noticeable during the Swatch "pop-up" sales event in Zurich on March 7th. We did a report here, but we also want to discuss the watch itself a bit more in-depth. How does the story sit with us, do we like the watch as such? Listen to our Fratello Talks podcast of this week to find out.

Fratello On Air: Are Dress Watches Back? No...And Other Fun Topics Mar 07, 2023

Show notes

Fratello On Air is back with another rollicking episode. This time, we cover dress watches and ask, in the face of all the hoopla, if dress watches are making a comeback. We think not, but there are a few caveats. Stick around — we recorded this one on a Friday night after a long week, so it's bound to be good!

Dress watches are all over the media landscape these days and we decide to take on the topic. We both own at least a couple of collared shirts, so we feel that we're qualified to make a decision on whether these watches are making a comeback! First, though, we return to a comment on the recent Sinn T50 and even bring up the whole "caller" versus "pilot" GMT argument. The heat is on!
Handgelenks Kontrolle

We decide to don dress watches for this episode and both of us have picked real doozies. Balazs saunters into the ballroom with his Omega Cosmic Moonphase, a gold-plated stunner with loads of complications. He even raises a pinky when drinking tea whilst wearing this watch! Mike is strangling himself with an overtightened half-Windsor while wearing his King Seiko 4420-9990 from 1965. That kicks off a discussion about his watch and a donor that he purchased with a similar serial number — listen for more details!
Dress Watches

Are they really making a comeback? Will people dump their beloved sports watches for simple, three-handed dress watches with leather straps? Nah, we think this is over-baked and talk about why. We also talk about the definition of a dress watch and chuckle about this definition and discuss this one. There's also the fact that the dress watch never went away. In the end, though, we like a formal watch, but we just don't see them supplanting a more versatile, "dressier" watch. Enjoy the ride!

Fratello Talks: How To Travel With Your Watches Mar 02, 2023

Show notes

Daan, Ignacio, and RJ talk about traveling with their watches in this podcast. Being watch journalists, we travel a lot, and often want to bring more than one watch. But with Switzerland as the main destination, it's not as easy as you think. You need to be mindful of Customs and the fact that they can stop you to ask if you're "importing" any valuable goods. In this podcast, we talk about the risks of traveling with multiple watches.

Fratello On Air: The Sinn T50 And NBA All-Star Weekend Feb 28, 2023

Show notes

We've been away for a few weeks, but Fratello On Air is back again! We're talking about the newly announced Sinn T50 lineup and then dipping into some travel talk. Balazs attended the recent NBA All-Star Game in Salt Lake City, Utah, and we talk about the festivities.

Yes, we've been on the road for quite some time now. England, Switzerland, Austria, and America — we're beginning to sound like a Johnny Cash song around here! We apologize for missing the last couple of weeks, but we should be around for the foreseeable now.
Handgelenks Kontrolle

We kick things off with our Handgelenks Kontrolle and we've both decided to go vintage. Balazs is sporting his Benrus Sky Chief with a Valjoux 72 movement. Mike is wearing the Rolex Datejust 1601 with a lavender no-lume dial that recently came from Eric Wind. Both of us have declared that we're really enjoying wearing smaller (sub 40mm) watches lately. Before moving on to the Sinn T50 and the NBA, we discuss a few things that we've watched on TV lately.
Sinn T50

The Sinn T50 dropped last week and we are pretty excited about this watch. We think it looks great and should do well in the face of its titanium competition. It starts at roughly €3,000, so it isn't inexpensive, but it offers a lot of nice features in an attractive package. We then talk about our travels. Mike mentions a trip to Vienna and some of the nice watches he saw at a ball. Balazs, on the other hand, was a literal baller and attended the NBA All-Star Game in Salt Lake City. He talks about his trip and some of the icons he saw while there.

Thanks for tuning in again and, as always, if you have show ideas, please let us know!

Fratello Talks: The Plastic (S)Watch That Saved The Watch Industry in '83 Feb 23, 2023

Show notes

Lex, Nacho, and RJ talk about Swatch and its upcoming 40th birthday! One of the coolest brands of the 1980s celebrates 4 decades of amazing and colorful watches. Last year put this brand back on the horological map with the MoonSwatch, but there's so much more to the brand that saved the entire Swiss watch industry in the 1980s. In this episode, Lex, Nacho, and RJ show the plastic watch a lot of love, not only because of the MoonSwatch but also for many other Swatch variations.

Fratello Talks: Brands And Their (Super)Fans Feb 16, 2023

Show notes

In this episode of Fratello Talks, Daan, Timo, and RJ talk about the fanatic fans of watch brands. The comments on articles where we discuss Rolex, Tudor, or Omega, are sometimes quite unforgiving towards one of the brands. But often also entertaining (and educational). We discuss why fans are so important for brands, why fans feel the need to defend their favorite brand with all they got, and why some brands have louder fans than others.

Fratello Talks: The Evolution Of Luxury Watch Prices — Breaking The Sense Barrier? Feb 09, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to this week's episode of the Fratello Talks podcast. Today, Nacho, Lex, and Daan sit together once again. Today's topic of discussion? It's all about the money! More specifically, about luxury watch prices. In other words, the money that we (meant in the broadest sense possible) are asked to pay, by watch brands, for their products. Call it what you will, RRP, price tag, cost of horological indulgence... anyway you spin it — in Swiss Francs, Euros, Dollars, with or without tax — as watch enthusiasts (and buyers) sooner or later, the price gets to us all. Therefore, when faced with an influx of new watches, which often go hand in hand with a nice long list of new prices, we ask the question(s): do these prices make sense? Does the price match the product? Is there value to be had when purchasing these watches for their retail price?

Fratello On Air: Balazs & Mike Talk DOXA Feb 07, 2023

Show notes

Fratello On Air comes at you with another brand-focused episode. This week, we’re talking about DOXA and the picks are a bit less diver-centric than you might think. Have a listen and hear about watches that, surprisingly, don’t have a dive bezel.

Yes, with the recent Synchron news, we’ve had our eyes on the brand that inspired the watch. DOXA is in play this week and it’s a company we both genuinely enjoy. If you’re a fan, perhaps you’ll already know our picks. If not, at least one of these might serve as a low-cost way of getting one on your wrist!
Handgelenks Kontrolle

The Handgelenks Kontrolle is properly on point this week as both Balazs and Mike are sporting DOXA 300’s. Balazs is wearing his early generation 300 Sharkhunter with US Divers logo on the dial. His is differentiated by its pre-Synchron dial, sailboat case back, and screw-down crown. Mike is sporting his early ‘70s Synchron-era 300 Sharkhunter. His lacks a screw-down crown and was found in Israel where it seems to have lived the life of a real dive watch.

DOXA

As mentioned, DOXA is a real favorite of both of ours. While we don’t own many models from the company, we’re constantly looking and considering more for our collections. We each decided to pick two pieces that we find interesting from the brand and as usual, Balazs makes some funkier choices. We discuss:

Sfygmos pulsations chronograph, a unique DOXA with a mono-pusher Valjoux 23 and a crazy magnifying crystal
The 300T Divingstar, a notable version due to its relative rarity and vivid yellow dial
DOXA Conquistador, a watch in the same vein as a ‘70s Omega Seamaster, but far more affordable
The original 1967 300 Searambler, a watch that is among the most desirable from the brand

We hope you enjoyed our show today and thanks for listening! If you have ideas for topics, feel free to let us know.

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