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.

Welcome back to another episode of Fratello On Air. This week, we discuss our feelings about revitalized watch brands. The retro trend has been strong for over a decade, meaning that long-dormant names have been brought back to life. Are all successful? Enjoy one of our lengthiest episodes yet. For our listeners, the watch content starts after 35 minutes.

It's hard to think of a brand that hasn't returned to the market. For those of us who have collected watches for a long time, this would have been unimaginable 10 or 15 years ago. But are all revitalized watch brands a success? Hear our thoughts on the matter.

Handgelenkskontrolle

We took a week off between episodes, meaning we have some catching up to do. Balazs mentions an upcoming Sotheby's auction featuring the first-ever jerseys from Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Mike talks about a recent 75th-anniversary event with Orient, and then it's on to a visit to the A. Lange & Söhne Berlin boutique, where Balazs spent two hours. We mention a recent evening at Phillips in London with amazing independent brands. For TV, we mention The White Lotus, Zero Day, A Murder At The End Of The World, and Adolescence. For the Handgelenkskontrolle, Balazs is wearing his Omega Dynamic 166.079 with a blue dial. Mike has chosen his Rolex Submariner 5513 "Maxi Dial" from 1979.

Revitalized watch brands

For our main topic, we discuss a small fraction of the existing revitalized watch brands. It's a timely subject with the announcement of Breitling's purchase of Gallet. We share our thoughts on the modern-day efforts of the following historic names:

• Vertex
• Nivada Grenchen
• Benrus
• Excelsior Park
• Angelus
• Universal Genève
• King Seiko
• A. Lange & Söhne
• Aquastar
• Yema
• Dennison
• Favre-Leube

We hope you enjoy today's lengthy show, and feel free to share your thoughts below on these and other reborn vintage brands. Also, let us know if you have any ideas for future episodes. Thanks for listening!

We would all love to have an unlimited watch budget, but that's not the case for most of us. But that doesn't mean we can't have some hypothetical fun and select the watches we'd buy with €10K, €20K, and €30K. On today's episode of Fratello Talks, Nacho, RJ, and Lex run through their picks at those three price points. Technically, they can choose from new, pre-owned, or even vintage watches. But as you'll quickly see, their picks all benefit from the interesting prices on the pre-owned market.

Have you ever wanted to buy a vintage watch but been put off by potential pitfalls? Well, this episode of Fratello Talks is the one for you. Today, Nacho, RJ, and Thomas share their advice on buying vintage watches. They've been doing it themselves for years. In Thomas's case, there's even a history of working as a dealer for Amsterdam Watch Co. On today's show, they combine their expertise and distill some advice that everyone taking their first steps toward vintage timepieces should hear. So be sure to tune in whether you're teetering on the edge of your first vintage purchase or a connoisseur in the field. And if you're one of the latter, we'd love for you to chime in with your words of advice in the comments section.

Welcome back to another episode of Fratello On Air! This week, we're each choosing three non-Swiss watches with a budget of €20,000. The task is tricky, though, because €20,000 is enough to afford great pieces from the usual suspects, but it means being picky if choosing just one from a costly brand. Get ready for some surprises! For our listeners, the watch content begins after approximately 19 minutes.

Switzerland is the center of watchmaking, but there are numerous countries with credible watchmaking chops. Non-Swiss watches are extremely popular, with brands from Germany and Japan leading the way. In this episode, we look at watches from these countries and others as we spend an imaginary budget.

Handgelenkskontrolle

We open our episode with a discussion about TV shows and movies. Sadly, the sneaker marker has been quiet, but we hope it takes off with warmer weather around the corner. For the Handgelenkskontrolle, Balazs is wearing his vintage King Seiko 45-7001, a hand-winding Hi-Beat gem. Mike is off-theme with a Swiss watch. He's sporting his Borgel-cased Movado 18241 with central seconds and a manual-winding movement. We then discuss the brand and these early waterproof cases.

Non-Swiss watches

Will we make some surprising picks with €20,000 to spend, or will we go mainstream and choose something from A. Lange & Söhne or Grand Seiko? How about both? During this episode, we discuss the following non-Swiss watches:

• A. Lange & Söhne 1815 ref. 233.026
• Garrick S7
• Yema Navygraf Slim CMM.20
• Weiss 38mm Standard Issue Field Watch
• Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Solar Chronograph SSC943
• Grand Seiko SBGW038
• Baltic Aquascaphe GMT - Grey

Our choices came from Japan, Germany, France, the UK, and the USA. It shows the wide variety of watches from outside of Switzerland, and the chances are that interesting options from most countries exist.

We hope you enjoy today's episode, and thank you for listening. As always, if you have suggestions for future shows, please let us know.

Today, on Fratello Talks, we're discussing Audemars Piguet. The brand is celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2025 and has kicked things off by introducing a selection of new models earlier this week. Lex was in Le Brassus to report on the novelties, and Nacho and RJ now join him for this week's discussion. They begin by looking at said novelties and wrap things up by sharing their thoughts on the brand's current direction and whether they've felt the influence of recently appointed CEO Ilaria Resta yet.

We're back with another episode of Fratello On Air. This week, we're in myth-busting mode. We've seen some silly things on social media, and it's time to shed light on them. For our listeners, the watch content begins after 25 minutes.

On one hand, we're pleased that so much watch-related content now exists. On the other, the flood of influencers brings a wide array of commentary. Social media is entertaining, but it's also important to keep a clear head while consuming it. In this episode, we go on a myth-busting mission. Enjoy the ride!

Handgelenkskontrolle

We kick off our episode discussing sneakers and TV shows. Nike and New Balance have released some new models worth consideration. Balazs mentions The Madness, a series on Netflix. For the Handgelenkskontrolle, Mike is wearing his new Timex Ironman 8-Lap Gray Shades. It's a model sold exclusively by Timex Japan and is relatively affordable. Balazs is wearing his tried-and-true Ming 17.09 on his favorite black rubber strap.

Myth-busting

We move on to our main topic and begin with one of the silliest claims we've heard on social media. Seemingly, it's trendy to make provocative comments to help build a fan base. One influencer proclaimed that there are no underrated vintage watches left to discover. Hogwash, we say! Then, we discuss a recent video on salesperson etiquette at a watch boutique. Next, we tackle an influencer's self-created fan Q&A. Finally, there's some silly terminology running amok, geezer.

We hope you enjoy today's episode. If you have ideas for future shows, please let us know!