Welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air! This week, we discuss two popular complications and their usefulness. It's the type of nerdy talk we hope you enjoy!

Watch complications are a big part of why many of us collect timepieces. Dive watches, chronographs, alarms, and others form the cornerstone of some collections. Today, though, we focus on two types of watches that couldn't be any more different if they tried! The GMT and perpetual calendar genres were popular at Watches and Wonders 2025, so we discuss the utility of each.

Handgelenkskontrolle

Before tackling two very different complications, we engage in some banter. This week, we keep it relatively brief and discuss a few TV shows. Silo, 3 Body Problem, Dope Thief, Stranger Things, and You all come up in our chat. Balazs also quickly mentions some New Balance 990V6 Miusa Action Bronson Untitled shoes he will purchase. For the Handgelenkskontrolle, Mike is wearing his Ming 18.01 H41 with a newly received mango rubber strap. It's a great color! Balazs is enjoying his Omega Speedmaster 145.022 transitional from 1968. He has it on a perforated strap from Joseph Bonnie.

Complications — useful or useless?

For some reason, there were a lot of GMT and perpetual calendar complications at Watches and Wonders 2025. Seeing GMTs wasn't a surprise, but the flood of new perpetual calendars gave us pause. In this episode, we talk about whether anyone is actually using these functions. Simply put, we see a GMT as useful and a perpetual calendar as relatively useless. A GMT is potentially practical, but we bring up that it might be better behind a desk in a global job. A perpetual calendar is interesting and expensive, but does anyone keep them running consecutively to ensure they stay on track? Plus, is this type of complication a way to show off for the wearer and/or the brand? Have a listen, and tell us what you think. Do you or would you use either of these complications?

Thanks for listening! If you have ideas for future shows, please let us know.

It's 2025, and dress watches are in! But that doesn't mean you have to dust off your tuxedo. In fact, it's quite the opposite: the dress watch's link to formal attire has never been less relevant than it is today. Dress watches — both in the stricter definition and in adjacent style — are gaining popularity, but it's not because of all the opulent, Great Gatsby-esque cocktail parties that millennials and zoomers are throwing; it's because of a relatively recent styling trend of juxtaposing a geezer-worthy timepiece with the most casual of outfits. Today, on Fratello Talks, we discuss the phenomenon and get into some exquisite examples of recently introduced dress watches. Whether we'll see them poking out from beneath the cuff of a dinner jacket or a Carhartt jacket seems just as likely, but one thing is sure; we're all for it.

We're back with another episode of Fratello On Air. This week, we're wrapping up Watches and Wonders. We've had time to think about the show, the adjoining events, and the watches. You'll hear our impressions and some good old banter. For our listeners, the watch content begins after 30 minutes.

Mike is at his childhood home in Parkland, Florida, this week while Balazs is in Germany. We apologize for the late release, but vacations get in the way every so often. We've had some time to digest all the releases and news that occurred in Geneva. Now, we're wrapping up with our thoughts.

Handgelenkskontrolle

We kick off our show with errant banter about travel to the USA, current trends, and a bit about old-school Rimowa. Then, it's time to talk TV and the latest shows, including The Last of Us and The Narrow Road to the Deep North. We eventually move on to watches, and Balazs shares that he's finally trying the Ming universal bracelet on his 17.09. It was a slow burn, but now he's hooked on the supple links! Mike is in full vacation mode with his favorite beach watch, the Citizen Promaster BN0220. It's a carefree piece that works well and takes a beating.

Wrapping up Watches and Wonders 2025

Wrapping up Watches and Wonders isn't the easiest task because it leads to many tangential conversations. We discuss some key trends at the show. Then, we tackle some of the standout releases, such as the Rolex Land-Dweller, Angelus watches, Parmigiani, JLC, and more. We also mention the undeniable rise of Sellita and La Joux-Perret. Finally, we wonder if 2025 was so good or if 2024 was that bad! Regardless, it was a fun show to record, and we hope you enjoy it.

Thanks for listening! As always, if you have suggestions for future episodes, just let us know.

We don't just go to Watches and Wonders to get our hands on all the new watches; we also keep our eyes on the bigger picture, looking at the overarching themes that emerge at the show. On today's episode of Fratello Talks, we're looking at some of the trends that we felt were most prominent this year. These are the things we expect to see more of as the year goes on — the influential factors that shape what watch brands will be doing over the coming months. Daan and Lex join Nacho for some trend spotting and to discuss some of the most interesting and noticeable ones they noticed during the fair. 

Welcome to this special installment of Fratello Talks. This is the Watches and Wonders 2025 debrief episode, where Nacho, RJ, Daan, and Lex share their highlights from this year's show. We also discuss just about every brand and novelty released at the fair. Honorable mentions go to some of the novelties released at the other events that took place in town last week. It's not unfair to say that it was the biggest this ever-monumental week for the watch world has been in recent times. There's a lot to take in. So whether you want to hear our take on a specific novelty or to find out what our favorites are, make sure to tune in to this long-form episode of Fratello Talks. 

Welcome back to a special episode of Fratello On Air! This week, we bring you a compilation of recordings from Watches and Wonders 2025. We patched together several segments and even had a guest! Enjoy this inside look at the world's largest watch event.

Watches and Wonders 2025 may be over, but it's still fresh in our minds. As we did for the last Geneva Watch Days, this episode is a collection of small recordings from the conference. It reflects our thoughts about the latest releases, people, and trends. Enjoy the content, and remember, this show was recorded on the floor in a crowded space.

Handgelenkskontrolle

Well, there's no real Handgelenkskontrolle this week. However, Mike brought two watches to help ward off the hairy eyeball of Swiss customs. The Patek Philippe Calatrava 570 and Ming 22.01 GMT made the cut. Balazs is wearing his Rolex GMT-Master 1675 at Watches and Wonders and brought several pieces, including a lovely Angelus 215. Mike delivered a vintage Montal beads-of-rice bracelet and another Angelus to Balazs — special delivery!

Watches and Wonders — live reporting

While we weren't at Watches and Wonders together the entire time, we found the time to meet up for a few different recording sessions. As a special treat, we managed to corner Gary Shteyngart, a friend of the show, and got his thoughts about the releases, the fair, and the craziness. We even gave our friend Eric Wind a shout-out! You'll hear about all the big brands, including Rolex and some smaller marques too!

We hope you enjoy the show, and thank you for listening! As always, if you have ideas for future episodes, please let us know!

On this rapid-fire episode of Fratello Talks, Nacho and Lex take a short break from their busy schedules to discuss some of their Watches and Wonders 2025 highlights. On location at the YouTube studio at the show, they quickly run through some of the most notable releases, starting with Rolex and Tudor and moving on to some oddball favorites and unexpected head-turners. This episode only scratches the surface, of course. We'll be back next week with a full-length episode to discuss more of the new watches.

Watches and Wonders 2025 is just a few days away, so today, on Fratello Talks, we're making our predictions, voicing our wishes, and expressing our fears for the week ahead. Nacho, RJ, and Lex are feeling the pre-Watches and Wonders excitement. After all, it's the biggest week of the year for the watch industry, with a record 60 brands showcasing their novelties at the fair. Though we have unique early access to some of the new watches, we do our best not to give anything away and look to fill the gaps where we can only make an educated guess. Though you'll have to wait until next week to see what some of the world's biggest watch brands have got in store for us this year, we think this episode will whet your appetite for what's to come.

Welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air! This week, we share our hopes and dreams (not really) for what should be an epic Watches and Wonders 2025. After a blah 2024, we're expecting some cracking releases. We discuss some of our wishes and the event in general. For our listeners, the watch content starts after 30 minutes.

Watches and Wonders 2025 is a week away, so it's time to hear our wishes for new releases. Leaks have occurred, but no one knows if they're true. We'll have to wait, but it won't be long!

Handgelenkskontrolle

We start our show by talking about traveling to Watches and Wonders. Then, we get into the event itself, the surrounding events, and the challenges of seeing everyone and everything within a tight timeframe. Dress codes are mentioned, and so is dining etiquette! Then, we move on to some recent topics, including the Nike: Form Follows Motion exhibition at the Vitra Museum in Weil am Rhein, Germany. We also cover recent TV shows and movies. Finally, Balazs regales us with a fantastic yet tragic tale of woe at a German hardware store. For the Handgelenkskontrolle, Balazs is wearing a new Nivada Grenchen Chronosport supposedly based on a prototype. Mike is wearing a vintage Movado Kingmatic ref. 15163.

Wishes for Watches and Wonders 2025

It's hard not to kick off our wishes by talking about Rolex. Then again, if the recent leaks are real, any desires will fall on deaf ears. We move on to Tudor, a brand that always surprises us with interesting releases. Will we see a Big Block, a Ranger II, or a new North Flag? Patek Philippe is interesting, but the company's penchant for louder, larger watches has us looking toward Laurent Ferrier instead. Ming will be in Geneva, so let's see if something new will arrive. We mention TAG Heuer's reinvolvement in Formula 1, and perhaps it will translate to a flood of new pieces. Let's see!

We will be on the ground in Geneva, so feel free to stop us and say hello while we run to meetings. Hopefully, you'll enjoy today's episode, and thank you for listening. As always, if you have future show topic ideas, let us know!

Simply put, not all complications are created equal. In today's episode of Fratello Talks, we discuss many of these horological elements adjacent to a watch's most essential time-telling function. Nacho, Thomas, and Lex begin by defining terms before listing their favorite complications and ending up with some they don't like so much. They also discuss the fact that some complications play more of an active role, such as a chronograph or GMT, whereas others are not as interactive, like a perpetual calendar or moonphase. Regardless, we encourage you to read up on all complications beyond those discussed today. The journey from their functional inception to their development and combination has resulted in some of the world's most impressive watches.