Fratello.com

Welcome to the penultimate episode of Fratello Talks in 2023. Before wrapping up the year, we thought we'd do a little bit of housekeeping. So today, your host, Nacho, and his guests, RJ and Lex, are here to bring you a watch market update. Before settling into the holidays, it's good to look back at the year we'll soon be leaving behind. And one thing that really caught our eye is the current shift in the state of the watch market. New watches' prices have grown like never before, playing catch-up with the over-inflated pre-owned market. Now, as the latter softens, we reach a tipping point. There will be winners, and there will be losers. 

Mike and I are taking some time off from the podcast this week, but we’d still like to leave you with an episode. So this week, I’ll publish my talk with Bosko, the man behind the “Zenith Yugoslavian Military Chronograph Collector’s Guide.” This guide won’t be out for another few days, but rest assured, it’s coming this week. Don’t worry; vintage chronographs are not the only topic the guys will discuss. While this is indeed a vintage-heavy episode, plenty of other timepieces get a mention.
Aside from the usual watch talk, Bosko and I sprinkled in some drinks, sports, travel, and other topics. We hope you enjoy this particular collector-focused discussion.

Handgelenks Kontrolle

It’s a tradition on our show that Mike and I do the Handgelenks Kontrolle, which also goes for guests. For the recording, Bosko did not wear his beloved Zenith 143-6. Instead, he rocked a fantastic vintage US Military field watch, a MIL-W-46374B made by Hamilton. This early ’80s timepiece is as much fun as it gets. A genuine military watch, these very models were the predecessors of many modern field watches, such as the Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical.

I was rocking something like the Zenith 143-6, namely, my Angelus 215 Hungarian Air Force chronograph. I wore it in honor of the Zenith to stay on theme with the show. While they came from different eras and saw action in different countries, both timepieces had close military ties. That is different from how Bosko and Balazs got to know each other, which resulted in this podcast.

JLC, Lange, and more

Although Bosko and I initially started talking about the Angelus Chrono-Datoluxe, the conversation quickly shifted. As it turned out, Bosko is not merely a fan of the Zenith 143-6 (like me). In fact, he even wrote a guide about this model. Please stay tuned as the third and final installment of the Zenith 143-6 topic will come this Friday. That will be the day the Zenith 143-6 Yugoslavian Military Chronograph Collector’s Guide will come out. I also acquired one of those timepieces, so the interest was mutual. This led to further discussion, the recording of this episode, and finally, the publishing of the Collector’s Guide. But before we jumped into that topic, we chatted about some marvelous timepieces in Bosko’s collection — none of them are vintage, for the record. An amazing Jaeger-LeCoultre Duométre gets a mention, and so does an A. Lange & Söhne Datograph.

We hope you enjoy this latest episode, and thank you for listening. If you have ideas for future shows, please let us know.

Welcome to the 48th episode of Fratello Talks. Today, we have a very special episode lined up for you. We invited our good friend, watch photographer, and Instagram staple, Tom, a.k.a. Bowl of Salmon, onto the show. We've always received a lot of questions on watch photography. Even more so after our first episode on the topic featuring Nacho and Morgan. So what better way to answer some of these recurring questions than to get not two but three photographers on the show? Slightly longer than our usual episode, we take a deep dive into photography advice, gear, lights, and even editing.

Fratello On Air returns for another episode and this week, we're talking about our recent €25,000 watch collection choices. Lists are always sure to create some sort of kerfuffle and these articles were no exception. We discuss the watches along with some of the feedback. Enjoy the show!

Our site's recent series on a €25,000 watch collection has been enormously popular. People love to chime in with their thoughts on our picks. This week, we talk about them along with some of those comments, but we go in a slightly different direction. Stick with us to find out more!

Handgelenks Kontrolle

This week, we settle into our normal banter about the weather and, most certainly, sneakers before discussing the €25,000 watch collection. From there, Mike mentions a recent lunch with Parmigiani where they announced their impending return to London. Watches were at the event and Mike was incredibly impressed by the 36mm Tonda (want!). Mike is wearing the new Aquastar Benthos H1 (see the review here) and loves the funky crown at 2:00. Balazs has a watch in review and it's none other than the beastly Omega Seamaster Ultra Deep in Summer Blue.

The €25,000 watch collection

When it comes to our main topic about our €25,000 watch collection choices, we do get around to discussing the actual selections. However, we spend more time on some of the comments. Particularly, there was an undercurrent of readers asking why we chose such customary, boring, pieces. The Rolex Submariner 14060(M) made it to both of our lists while watches from popular brands such as Omega, Cartier, and Patek Philippe also made the cuts. Some had expectations that we would choose off-the-beaten-path pieces and provide new levels of inspiration. Perhaps not, but it makes for some fun discussion.

We hope you enjoyed this latest episode and thank you for listening. If you have ideas for future shows, please feel free to let us know.

Another week, another episode of Fratello Talks! This is our 47th episode so far, and one in which we're feeling a bit philosophical. You join Lex, Daan, and Nacho who get into some eye-opening moments in their watch-enthusiast experience, and the watches responsible. That's right, today's discussion is all about watches that changed the way we look at watches. It might be a timepiece that taught us a lesson, a first when it comes to ownership, or one that opened our eyes to a different horological taste. Each of the guys is bound to have a story (or two) to share. 

Fratello On Air returns with a fresh new episode! 2023 still has a month left in the tank, but we're ready to declare our favorite watches thus far. You'll hear about a wide variety of pieces this week at different price points and why they made the list. Enjoy the ride!

Yes, we're in the final stretch of 2023 and that means it's time to look back upon the year. We do know that there will still be new releases to come, but that's ok. Plenty has crossed our keyboards and wrists over the past 11 months. Our favorite watches make the airwaves this week along with the normal banter that starts the show.

Handgelenks Kontrolle

Before discussing our favorite watches of 2023, we take some time to recount last week's adventures in London. Both Mike and Balazs were in the big city for the last Time4APint session of the year. It was a great time with even better people and watches! There were even some boutique visits before Balazs returned to Germany. Of course, we discuss sneakers, but not for too long this time! Regarding the Handgelenks Kontrolle, Mike is wearing his vintage Universal Geneve Polerouter. Balazs has the fresh new Certina DS Super PH1000M, an amazing diver at an even more amazing price. Be on the lookout for his upcoming hands-on review!

Our favorite watches of 2023

For the main topic of our favorite watches of 2023, we each attempt to name three pieces. I say, "attempt," because both of us unknowingly chose the same watch for one of our picks! We discuss the following pieces:

• H.Moser & Cie Streamliner Small Seconds Blue Enamel
• Bvlgari Octo Finissimo CarbonGold
• Ming LW.01
• Grand Seiko SBGW305, a watch that both of us chose without conferring beforehand!
• The Zenith Chronomaster Original Black and the Zenith Defy Revival Shadow
• Fratello × Nivada Grenchen Racing Chronograph, a watch that Balazs helped design

We'd love to hear your favorite releases so far for 2023 in the comments section below. As always, we thank you for listening and if you have any ideas for future episodes, feel free to let us know!

Today's episode of Fratello Talks is all about accessories. And no, we're not talking about wallets, scarves, and pinkie rings, don't worry. Have a listen as your host, Fratello managing editor Nacho, editor Daan, and shop manager Laurits discuss the watch accessories we can't live without. Despite the somewhat hyperbolic titles, these are all accessories that we truly use just about every single day. Most watch enthusiasts are affected by the same challenges: storage, transport, and strap changes. So, rather unsurprisingly, all three of the guys are rather aligned in their picks. However, there are some twists in the individually chosen accessories to suit their needs.

Welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air! This week, we're excited because we're recording from the same room and we're in London. In fact, we're in the Square Mile! Today, we're talking about vintage Excelsior Park watches, movements, and the related brands that used the movements. Enjoy this vintage deep cut!

Together again! Balazs has made the voyage from the continent over to Blighty and we've decided to record an episode before heading off to the year's last Time4APint get-together. We've been looking forward to this evening for a while and we promised to each bring watches that relate to a certain theme. Well, that common thread is Excelsior Park and we've brought along a number of related watches.

Handgelenks Kontrolle

Before getting to the main topic, we hit upon a little news. Both of us are sporting the Adidas Homer Simpson Stan Smith editions and mention how comfy they are on the city streets. We also bring up a well-written article about the Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox by Charlie Dunne of Wind Vintage. As far as the Handgelenks Kontrolle, Balazs is wearing his new go-to watch, the Ming 17.09. Mike has brought along his treasured Patek Philippe Calatrava 570.

Excelsior Park and friends

Next, we get to the main topic around Excelsior Park. We've assembled roughly 15 watches for the night's gathering and we run through them all to some degree. Excelsior Park was a watchmaker and movement maker and created the EP4/40 line of manual wind chronograph movements. We happen to think that they're some of the smoothest and sweetest operators ever. We've brought along Excelsior Park branded watches, Gallet, Sinn, and Zenith pieces that all used similar cases, dials, and movements. A collection of similarly styled Gallet watches has come along for the ride, but they use Valjoux calibers because Excelsior Park had gone defunct. Finally, there's the big Excelsior Park Monte Carlo, a strange '80s concoction that simply uses the once-famous name. For good measure, Balazs has brought along a couple of Angelus pieces.

We hope you enjoyed today's episode. As always, thanks for listening, and feel free to share ideas for future shows!

Welcome, Fratelli, to Fratello Talks. This week, your host, Nacho, is joined by Gerard and Daan. Together, the three take to the topic of G-Shock watches. The great equalizers, the trusty go-to's, and the watch that every collector should own at least one of. But if you're reading this, you're deep enough down the horological rabbit hole (unless they're genuinely not your thing, which is also OK) that you probably have at least one.

Fratello On Air returns and this week, we discuss the wide world of case back engravings. Whether they relate to military-issued pieces or special occasions, there's a lot to potentially learn from these inscriptions. We hope you enjoy this episode and feel free to comment below about your thoughts on these adornments.

Case back engravings are a wide subject. They cover some of life's most special moments and achievements. Or, they can give us clues about a watch's origin and story. Whatever the case, they're not always to everyone's liking. We talk about our likes and dislikes around these markings while sharing plenty of other side tales. But first...

Handgelenks Kontrolle

No matter what our friends on the Spirit of Time Podcast say, the Handglenks Kontrolle is firmly back on European soil. Mike is wearing one of the first vintage chronographs that joined his collection, the Croton Skymaster. It's making a return to the wrist because it features a case back inscription related to the original owner's 21st birthday. Balazs is also on theme with his Angelus 215 L.E. Chronograph. Here, the L.E. means Légi Er which stands for the Hungarian Air Force. So, yes, we are supporting case back inscriptions.

Case back markings

Once we hit the main topic related to case back markings, we spend time on issued military pieces. Balazs even explains how it has helped to piece together the history of certain models from his favorite brand, Angelus. Mike brings up a special family heirloom Rolex that he covered earlier this year along with a recent engraved purchase. We also discussed whether or not we would have a watch engraved. It's a back-and-forth conversation that allows us to bring up a number of related subjects.

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