Welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air. This week, we try our hand at predicting the fortunes of four key watch brands. These makers all have great pieces in their lineups, yet we wonder if they have more in store to become absolute powerhouses. Or perhaps some of these companies will go in the opposite direction and become smaller with more exclusive offerings. Join us as we ponder the fates of these firms in five years.

Admittedly, with a relatively quiet market and turbulent global trade, it's easy to sit back and prescribe improvements for various brands. That's not why we're here today, though. No, instead, we've come together to discuss four well-known names in the industry and how their fortunes may change after five years. That gives each enough time to make sizeable changes, but is that necessary? Let's see!

Handgelenkskontrolle

Our show kicks off with the usual round of banter. We discuss The Brutalist and House of Guinness. Then, we move to a watch topic and talk about the recently announced Timepiece Concours d'Élégance announced by Phillips in partnership with Vacheron Constantin. While we like the general concept, we are dubious about the sponsorship. For the Handgelenkskontrolle, Mike is wearing an interesting new piece from a young brand. The Möels & Co 528 S2 is an usually shaped watch with a manual-winding La Joux-Perret D101 movement. Expect an upcoming hands-on review soon! Balazs shares a watch we haven't brought up in a while. The Fratello × Nivada Grenchen Racing Chronograph was released in mid-2023 and is still a looker!

The fortunes of four brands in five years

For our main topic, we summon our inner Nostrodamus, discuss four brands, and hypothesize about their futures in five years. We didn't share the companies we selected before recording, so call it a premonition that Panerai was a unanimous first choice. It will be interesting to see how the fortunes of this tool-watch brand change over time. Will big watches make a comeback, and how can Panerai ensure that they reach the same level of desirability seen during the early 2000s?

Girard-Perregaux is the next company to make our list. We really like the current lineup, but we find the brand a bit too quiet in its marketing efforts. Frankly, we'd like to see its watches out front and center every so often. Perhaps the recent Laureato Fifty is the start of a new push. Bvlgari is another brand we love. With its Octo Finissimo, the company has created an instantly recognizable classic. However, it's a watch that some of us with small wrists struggle to wear. We'd like to see this watchmaker create one more innovative modern classic that works for everyone. Finally, Jaeger-LeCoultre was always known as the watchmaker's watchmaker. As a result, the marque offered immense value. Now, the watches are certainly nice, but the prices put them in competition with many other brands. How will this play out over the next five years?

As always, thank you for listening to Fratello On Air. If you have suggestions for future episodes, please don't hesitate to let us know!