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Welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air. This week, we discuss watch bracelets and cover a wide range of subtopics about these important devices that fasten watches to our wrists. It's another listener suggestion and we hope you enjoy the show! For our listeners, the watch content begins after approximately 20 minutes.

Watch bracelets are always the subject of heavy criticism. When a company decides to offer one with a watch, it can come under fire for the smallest reasons. Great bracelets are rare, but they do exist. Today, we discuss many aspects of these curious little accessories.

Handgelenkskontrolle

We engage in serious banter about, you guessed it (or didn't), recycling. Europe is a wild place when it comes to sorting one's consumables and the rules differ everywhere! Sneaker talk returns to a small degree with Balazs' lady shoes. Finally, for the Handgelenkskontrolle, Mike is sporting a vintage Tavannes tank. It's a funky piece from Japan made from gold and stainless steel. Balazs is wearing his vintage Doxa 300T Sharkhunter while in Hungary.

Watch Bracelets

Next, we're on to our main topic about watch bracelets.  Our listener, GP, sent an email asking if we would cover different types of watch bracelets, which we liked best, and the constructions that gave us the least amount of confidence. I'm not sure if we covered the question completely but we discussed the different types of links and how they're fastened together. We then touch upon vintage versus new. Finally, we cover some of our favorite bracelets. You'll hear names like the Doxa Expandro, Gay Freres, and more. We hope you enjoy this episode because it's another one that delves into the details. Feel free to list your favorite bracelets in the comments below.

Thanks for the topic, GP! If you have suggestions for future show ideas, please let us know.

Welcome to this latest episode of the Fratello Talks podcast! This week, Nacho, RJ, and Daan have prepared a watch market update for you. We often like to circle back to this topic as things evolve and change. We go through the facts and figures (so you don't have to) and summarize different trends and patterns, breaking it all down with their unique industry insights. We've all heard talk of a slump in the market, but is it actually the case? Are the speculative buyers backing out? And what does the current state of things mean for collectors and enthusiasts? All that, and more, in this week's episode.

Welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air. This time, we discuss exit watches after receiving a great topic request from one of our favorite listeners. It's a familiar theme we may have touched upon before. Let's see if our collective tastes have changed. For our listeners, watch content starts after eight minutes.

Exit watches are a touchy subject. Some folks believe in the ultimate watch and the end of collecting. Admittedly, neither of us can picture an end to the hunt. Still, we will play along and discuss the watches that could send us out in style. A big thanks to Richard for the topic suggestion!

Handgelenkskontrolle

We're short on banter this week as Balazs is sweating it out in Hungary and nearly 40 degrees Celsius. Mike is shivering in England where 20 degrees and the sun would be a nice start to the summer. Before, discussing our exit watches, we divert our attention to the Handgelenkskontrolle. Balazs is wearing his mighty 38mm Gallet Multichron 12 with an EP40 movement. Mike is debuting a relatively new acquisition, a Longines 9ct gold dress watch with a lovely engraving on the case back. The '60s time-only piece uses the 19.4 caliber and is in barely-worn condition.

Exit watches

Exit watches supposedly represent the pinnacle of collecting. It also means there's nothing left to purchase after acquiring one of these pieces. We can't fathom such a scenario, but we've pulled together the watches that fit the description. Each of us has listed three and as you'll see, there's no theme. One brand, however, does make each of our lists. We discuss the following watches:

• Patek Philippe 3970, a perpetual calendar chronograph
• Patek Philippe 1463, the Borgel case waterproof chronograph
• Angelus Chrono-Datoluxe, a vintage chronograph with a day-date and moonphase complication
• Grand Seiko VFA 6185-8000/8010, a rare palladium silver watch with amazing accuracy
• Omega Speedmaster 105.003, the "Ed White" and the last vintage straight-lug Speedy
• Rolex Submariner 5513 gilt dial, a '60s beauty with an old-world dial and classic case design

We hope you enjoyed our picks and we're excited to hear about your exit watches in the comments section below! Thank you for listening and thanks to Richard for the show suggestion! If you have any ideas for future topics, please let us know.

Hello, and welcome to a sunny and warm episode of Fratello Talks! This week, Nacho, Lex, and Daan discuss summer watches. More specifically, they look at the ways they go about picking their ideal watch for the season. Is there such a thing as a perfect summer watch? If there is, you can follow Daan's method to find it. We also outline some categories, specs, and styles that make a watch ideal for the warm weather, active lifestyle, and water-based activities that we often enjoy in summer. Whether it's a cheap and cheerful watch that you can enjoy carefree days in the sun with or an action-ready piece that has all the specs to take on sand, surf, and sun, if you follow our advice, you'll have no trouble finding the perfect summer watch.

At long last, Fratello On Air has decided to address a request from one of our faithful listeners. The topic of font on watches has come up as a suggested topic many times. Does it sound mundane? Perhaps, but it couldn't be further from the truth. Our watch content begins after 15 minutes.

Fonts are a characteristic of most watches that we rarely consider. Yet, it's one of those details that if done badly can ruin a watch. Today, we discuss the power of typeface and why it matters. We praise the brands that spend time making fantastic design choices and throw a few tomatoes at missed opportunities.

Handgelenkskontrolle

Before we get to fonts, we open our episode with some discussion on the differences between saying, "half past the hour," in Germany and England. In fact, they translate to the same words, but mean something very different! Then, as we recorded this episode on the 4th of July, we brought up a gift that arrived earlier that morning from America. The Yeti Tundra 45 Patriotic Limited Edition landed in the UK. For the Handgelenkskontrolle, Balazs is wearing the Vulcain Rosaspina GMT, a limited edition of 85 pieces available on the Bergamo-based jeweler's website. Mike is wearing another Borgel-cased Movado reference 18127 from the '50s.

Fonts on watches

Our faithful and committed listener, Saku from Finland, has asked us multiple times to discuss fonts on watches. Other topics have taken priority and, let's be honest, we were concerned about the ability to fill a show with the subject. We were wrong, though, because we had plenty to discuss.  We begin the chat with academic research from Balazs and his contact, @danova from Instagram. This sets the stage for subtopics including our favorite mixed uses of font on a dial, best logos, and our least favorite examples. We mention the following watches and articles:

• The Rolex Submariner 5512 and 5513
• The Seiko J13035, J13040, and J13043
• Thomas' article on building a watch brand, Episode 8
• Our logo discussion mentions Eterna, Tissot, the Roamer Stingray, and Doxa's new and old fonts
• Excelsior Park's number designs
• Our least favorites include the modern Patek Philippe logo, the Tissot Heritage 1938, and the Blancpain Fifty-Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 1, Series II

Thank you for the suggestion, Saku, and we hope all of you enjoyed the episode! If you have any ideas for future shows, please send your suggestions.

Welcome to this week's episode of Fratello Talks, where Nacho, RJ, and Daan ask themselves the question: where did all the watches go? Whether consciously or otherwise, watch-spotting is something every watch-minded person partakes in. It may be walking down the street, at your office, in a restaurant, or even on holiday. Essentially, anywhere where there are people and where said people are wearing watches. But sometimes, a lack of watches can be as noticeable as the watches themselves. And recently, RJ has felt that he's seeing fewer watches on people's wrists. Is this about the specific location? Or does it have to do with awareness of watches and increasing thefts? Certainly, you'll never find yourself asking that question here at Fratello HQ. 

Welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air. This week, we take a listener suggestion and discuss how we research watches before buying. We've hit upon this before, but it's a constantly evolving topic that deserves an update. For our beloved listeners, the watch content begins after 19 minutes.

If you're a watch collector and enjoy vintage, landing a great specimen often requires research. In this episode, we mention some of our most common tactics. Some of these processes are tried and true while others are more recent. They're all helpful, though, and can lead to a rewarding result. The lack of doing one's homework, however, can be disastrous.

Handgelenkskontrolle

We open our episode on watch research with a recap of Balazs' experience at a recent UEFA European Championship match in Stuttgart. It was a fantastic time without any travel troubles! Mike mentions a recent disappointing trip to the famed Portobello Road in London where the watches were abysmal. For the Handgelenkskontrolle, Mike is wearing a new arrival. It's a '60s 14ct gold Movado Museum watch with a manual winding movement that needs a service. This leads to a discussion about the designer of the watch, Nathan George Horwitt. Balazs is still (rightfully!) in love with his new Rolex Submariner 5513.

Research before buying

One of our faithful listeners, Adam, sent us a note and asked if we could discuss how we research a watch before deciding to buy. In particular, he mentioned defunct brands. The topic is a wide one, but we mentioned several of our go-to tips including:

• Using a site such as Google Images to compare different examples of the same watch
• Following the links found on Google Images to see if old forums or sales ads add new information
• Forums
• Social media including Instagram to find similar models and authorities on given brands who can help

It is even more difficult to research defunct brands or watches from the '30s or '40s. We discuss our techniques for sorting the good from the bad.

Thanks again for listening and we hope you enjoyed the show. Feel free to send additional ideas for show topics and we will add them to the queue!

Hi there! Welcome to the latest episode of your favorite watch podcast: Fratello Talks. This week, Nacho is joined by Daan and Lex to run through some of their favorite recently released watches. Having not done one of these for a while, we thought we'd look back to some of the latest introductions from the post-Watches And Wonders period. As you might have come to expect, we've seen a ton of new watches released from the world's biggest brands. However, there are also a handful of novelties from less popular brands that we also show some love to. Tune in and check out this summary of our favorites!

Hello there, and welcome to another episode of Fratello Talks. This week, Thomas, Lex, and Nacho discuss Seiko Watches. A Seiko is a staple of most watch enthusiasts' collections, whether it's a first-ever mechanical watch or an inexpensive curiosity, a vintage rarity in museum-worthy condition, or anything in between. And though there will certainly be those out there who turn their nose up at the brand, most of us will have (at some point or another) been proud stewards of a watch bearing the name of one Kintaro Hattori Seiko on its dial. With a great range in terms of price, function, and design all across the board, it's no wonder the brand is so well-liked.