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Today, we're looking at some of the best watches under €2,500 in production right now. This is one of the most contested price points in the watch market, though many brands that previously operated in it have slowly but surely priced themselves out. That said, a handful of microbrands, both new and old, have made sure not to leave this bracket empty. Nacho, Thomas, and Daan have each selected a handful of favorites at this price. These include some from mainstream brands and several less obvious picks from smaller ones. As we have limited the picks to just three each, there are also some honorable mentions, but it's by no means an exhaustive exploration of all the great watches available below the €2.5K price point. So tune in, check out their picks, and let us know your favorites in the comments section below. 

Welcome to another installment of Fratello On Air. This week, we respond to a listener's request for a strap episode. Today's show covers how to choose, which brands we enjoy, and pairing specific watches. Enjoy it! For our listeners, the watch content begins after approximately 21 minutes.

There's no other way to put it — Balazs is a strap monster! His Watch Strap Review articles are legendary and quite literally span the globe, as far as covering different makers. Comparatively speaking, Mike is a novice, but he's learned a few tricks from the master. Today, we address the topic from many angles.

Handgelenkskontrolle

We kick off the show with some news about local London watch events from Fears and Vacheron Constantin. Regarding TV, Your Friends & Neighbors has started well and offers some watch-related content. For the Handgelenkskontrolle, Mike is wearing his trusty Patek Philippe Calatrava 570 after forgetting to wear a watch during a recent watch event. Balazs is sporting his bulletproof G-Shock GW-B5600-2ER with Bluetooth.

Picking the right strap and more!

Our listener Alex asked many questions about one of the most important accessories, the watch strap. In this episode, we discuss our favorite brands, including GLC, Gabarro, Delugs, Atelier Romane, and more! Different leather types, styles, and buckles also surface during the conversation. We mention that there's no such thing as a good, dirt-cheap leather strap, but that a good accompaniment doesn't have to cost a fortune. Finally, we respond to Alex's question about pairings with the Tudor Submariner 94010 "Snowflake" and a modern 42mm Zenith Chronomaster.

We hope you enjoy today's show and look forward to bringing you more content next week. As always, if you have ideas for future episodes, please let us know!

It's no secret that we're Speedmaster fans here at Fratello. RJ, our founder, is an avid collector of these chronographs and the mind behind #SpeedyTuesday. But not all Speedies are created equal. Today, we're looking at some of the best modern Omega Speedmaster models. RJ, Thomas, and Nacho have tasked themselves with selecting their top five favorites. Now, as mentioned, we're focusing only on "modern" models, meaning only those introduced or available during the past 25 years. Though the watch has been around for nearly 70 years, a quarter century still leaves us with plenty to pick from. Omega produced countless special and limited editions over the last two and a half decades, so we're truly spoiled for choice.

Welcome back to another episode of Fratello On Air! This week, we discuss a recent news story about another questionable vintage watch. We aren't taking sides, but it allows us to mention, yet again, the pain it causes the hobby. Still, plenty of great pieces are out there if you do your homework.

Another week, another newsworthy big-ticket vintage watch with incorrect, fake, or swapped parts. It's the kind of news vintage collectors hate to read! Then again, it's nice to see that the hobby has matured to the point where photographic evidence of prior sales is surfacing and helping to prove and disprove claims. Stick around, and we'll address this topic from multiple angles.

Handgelenkskontrolle

During our banter-filled opening section, we mention that the Adidas Stan Smith is back in full-leather as a normal model. This comes after the brand seemingly abandoned the material for the squeaky Primegreen polyurethane. Rejoice! For the Handgelenkskontrolle, Balazs is wearing a new Ming under embargo. Look for the official announcement soon! Mike is wearing a Movado 18241 with a 35mm stainless steel Borgel case. An article on this lovely vintage watch will hit Fratello in the next couple of weeks.

Vintage watch trouble

Last week, a story surfaced about a false Rolex Daytona Red Khanjar. Perezcope, the well-known sleuth, wrote about the piece, which was commissioned for sale to Menta Watches in Miami. Controversy ensued, and while we don't take sides, the conclusion is clear. It's another black eye for the vintage watch market. As both of us favor vintage over new, we're constantly in touch with listeners considering their first vintage watches. Then, an incident like this occurs, arousing fear and causing a setback. What to do? We hope you enjoy listening to our thoughts on the subject, and we look forward to your comments.

Thanks for tuning in to the latest episode. If you have thoughts for future show topics, please feel free to let us know!

Every other week, we're bombarded with an onslaught of new watches. And though we're not too upset about it in principle, the incessant pace at which the majority of watch brands pump out new products has recently had us asking, "Are watch brands doing too much?" Today, on Fratello Talks, Nacho, Thomas, and Gerard join forces to discuss the topic. Of the three, Thomas has the unique perspective of owning and managing a watch brand. Gerard can provide some perspective as a former retailer and from his longtime involvement in watch media. Though we're usually thrilled to see new watches, we can't help but feel that things seem to be on a precipitous crescendo. Today, we dive into the topic and look at what underlying factors might be leading to this trend and what we think will come of it.

Welcome to the latest episode of Fratello On Air! This week, we imagine certain current brands as independent watchmakers. The topic was a lot of fun to discuss and came as a suggestion from two of our listeners. Enjoy the show!

Most of today's watch brands belong to large groups. Undoubtedly, this helped many survive the Quartz Crisis during the '70s. However, what if some brands went independent? In today's episode, we envision several companies on their own and what it would look like.

Handgelenkskontrolle

We start our show with a bit of DIY talk. Then, Balazs mentions a recent auction of Kobe Bryant's debut jersey. It sold for US$7 million! For the Handgelenkskontrolle, Mike is wearing a watch that can survive all the yardwork. It's the Citizen Promaster Tough "Ray Mears." Balazs met with a mutual friend from Swatch Group Germany and is sporting his Omega Speedmaster Professional Speedy Tuesday "Ultraman."

Current brands going independent

For our main topic, we respond to the request from two of our listeners who asked if some brands could benefit by going independent. We do our best to tackle the subject and mention five marques. Cartier is a huge brand and could likely survive on its own, but we're not sure if there's a benefit to being alone. Longines is a brand that made world-class movements long ago, and we'd love to see some of the classic chronograph movements again. Omega, like Cartier, could likely survive as an independent, and we play out the possible scenarios. Finally, Vacheron Constantin and Panerai make the list as possible spin-offs.

We hope you enjoy the show, and thanks to our listeners for the suggestion! If you have ideas for future episodes, please let us know!

Regardless of your opinion on the brand, there’s bound to be a Rolex out there for just about anyone. The brand’s back catalog is vast and full of brilliant references. On today’s episode of Fratello Talks, we’re each picking three of our all-time favorites. Nacho, Thomas, and Lex have done some research, but little to no alignment ahead of this impromptu episode, so there’s bound to be plenty of deep cuts, some overlap, and on-the-fly changes. In the end, each of the guys ends up pretty pleased with his picks. And in this quest for favorites, we certainly get into some of the best Rolex watches ever made. Tune in, and be sure to comment your favorites below.

Welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air. This week, we cover the latest news on watches and other subjects. We discuss the 250th Anniversary of Breguet and several other high-end brands.

It was a relatively quiet week on the watch front, but there were still releases and news. Breguet released its first anniversary model, and it's worth some words. This leads to our thoughts on other higher-end brands. Also, we discuss Rolex, but not in the way you'd expect.

Handgelenkskontrolle

We kick off the episode with a discussion about a vintage mesh JB Champion bracelet Mike purchased on eBay. It's a nice accompaniment to a Speedmaster, but the current Forstner is a fantastically accurate reissue. Then we discuss several TV shows, including You, Daredevil, and Dope Thief. Balazs has bought new New Balance sneakers, which leads to a discussion on some of the brand's other releases. For the Handgelenkskontrolle, Mike is wearing a 14K Movado "Ellipse" he recently received from his father. Balazs is also wearing a recently acquired family piece, the Girard-Perregaux Scuderia Ferrari Foudroyante Rattrapante.

Breguet, Rolex, and other news

We talk about Rolex because Balazs is potentially in the market for a new model. The Datejust has become quite expensive, especially with the white gold fluted bezel. This has Balazs considering an Oyster Perpetual with a dark green dial. We'll report back once he visits the local AD's to see if there is a waiting list. Breguet released the Classique Souscription 2025, a 40mm gold watch with an enamel dial and one hand. This spawns a longer discussion about the brand and how we hope great releases are coming during this important year. Blancpain and, ultimately, Vacheron get pulled into the episode as we long for iconic classic dress watches.

We hope you enjoyed today's show. As always, if you have future topics, please feel free to let us know.

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.