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Welcome to this week's episode of Fratello Talks. Today, we offer you, our dear Fratelli, a public service announcement: get your watches tested for water resistance before jumping into the pool/sea/ocean this summer!

Inspired by a recent experience made by Lex, which serves as a cautionary tale, the guys keep it brief today. The moral of the story? Please don't risk the repair; get your watch tested before you get it wet! Morgan, Lex, and Nacho also offer tips and advice on where and how to get this done. They also exchange some anecdotes on their experience with water-adjacent use of watches.

In this 28th episode of Fratello Talks, hosts Lex, Thomas, and RJ discuss useless features when it comes to watches. It's not (only) about complications that one never uses but also about useless functions, such as a power reserve on an automatic watch or a screw-down crown on a 30M WR watch (yes, this exists). We also try to come up with features that are not invented yet, but that would be useful. 

Fratello On Air returns with another listener-inspired topic. This week, we tackle buying used watches and give some tips that we've learned over time. Expect a good back-and-forth dialog while our co-hosts are traveling away from Germany. As always, we're interested in your thoughts on a topic like this — we're sure that many of you have great ideas!

Buying used watches can be a daunting activity. Concerns about the seller, the price, the location, and the watch itself are just some of the challenges that come to mind. We'll do our best to explore these in more detail and provide our thoughts.

Handgelenks Kontrolle

This week, Mike is in London, England and Balazs is in his hometown of Pecs, Hungary. To cope with their travels, they're each sporting easygoing watches for this episode. Balazs is wearing his trusty G-Shock GW-B5600-2 that serves as his "only-G-Shock." Mike decided to bring his MoonSwatch Mission to the Moon on a black Artem strap with a deployant buckle. Clearly, comfortable is the name of the game during this recording.

Buying used watches

Used watches are so plentiful and so many people buy them every day that it seems like easy business. However, challenges do exist. A listener of ours, Hugh, sent us a note and asked about the Omega Seamaster GMT 2534.50.00 , a model he has been eyeing. He asked us to discuss some of the top concerns we have about buying a pre-owned piece, so we're happy to comply! Everything from buying from a source with protection, asking for better pictures, and pitfalls to avoid come up in the discussion. Locating spare parts and a good watchmaker also makes the cut. If you're one who likes to trawl online marketplaces, this episode might interest you. As mentioned above, feel free to share your top tips in the comments section below.

As always, we thank you for listening. Feel free to let us know if you have any topics for a future episode.

In today's episode of Fratello Talks, Nacho is joined by Daan and Morgan (a podcast debutant and Fratello's photographer) to discuss the topic of GADA watches.
They already shared their thoughts in article form on the website. Still, they decided to have a chat that expands on the topic, tackling hypotheticals such as their "grail GADA" watch or even the ideal adventure they'd take their GADA watch on. Get your headphones in, have a listen, and make sure to tune in next week for another episode of Fratello Talks!

Fratello On Air returns, and we talk about recent controversies related to vintage watches, auctions, and heritage departments. We spare our usual chit-chat in the beginning and loop in a watch-related sighting in an upcoming Christopher Nolan movie. If you like candid talk, we hope you enjoy today's episode!

Handgelenks Kontrolle

Before talking about auctions and other related topics, we kick off with some discussion on Oppenheimer. The upcoming Christopher Nolan film about the atomic bomb looks fantastic. Balazs, however, has done some sleuthing and noticed that Robert Downey Jr. is wearing an interesting vintage chronograph. Could it be a Gallet? We'll try to find out. For the Handgelenks Kontrolle, Mike has unearthed a '60s chronometer-certified Omega Constellation 165.008. It's a watch that will need to go into the regular rotation. Balazs, on the other wrist, is sporting his Benrus Sky Chief chronograph.

Vintage watches, auctions, and heritage departments

We kick off our discussion on auctions concerning the recent Omega announcement about a fraudulent Speedmaster sold in 2021. Then we discuss the effects on the vintage-watch market and what it could mean for collectors, auction houses, and heritage departments going forward. We also discuss transparency and the need for more of it during vintage-watch sales. As for help, the old-school forums are still a great place to ask questions. Finally, we also hope that questionable pieces in auction catalogs gain more coverage going forward to help warn would-be buyers.

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

Do you approach other watch wearers in the wild? Or are you hesitant to do so? We often see others wearing incredibly nice watches on their wrists, but it's only once in a while we will comment about it. Lex remembers someone wearing a full gold Cartier Santos 100 with a very special strap he commented on. And RJ commented on someone's Rolex that wasn't well-received. In this episode, we talk about approaching watch wearers in the wild! 

Welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air. This week, we each discuss our idea of the ideal three-watch collection. Then, we offer up three more at a more approachable level. Enjoy the show and let us know your thoughts.

Yes, the three-watch collection is a popular topic. This time, it's our turn and we each offer a trio without any cost constraints. Then, Balazs and I come back around and do it again with more thoughts on our wallets. We have some similar picks, but also some very different choices.

Handgelenks Kontrolle

After some talk about watches we've seen during travel, it's time to get into the Handgelenks Kontrolle. Balazs is wearing his Excelsior Park and enjoying the use of the EP40 movement. Mike is wearing his recent travel watch, the Doxa SUB 300 "Black Lung." Both declare it as a modern classic.

Three-Watch Collection

Next, it's time to focus on the three-watch collection. We have some real fun with this one. There's some real variety here!

Balazs kicks things off with the Omega Speedmaster Professional 145.022 Transitional. It has all the trappings of a 321, but with the more reliable caliber 861. For an affordable alternative, he brings in the Seiko 6139-7070. This watch has one of the first automatic chronograph movements and can be had for roughly €1,000. Mike leads off with the current Speedmaster Professional, a €7,400 gem with a perfect bracelet. For an alternative, it's another manual wind chronograph known as the Hamilton Intra-Matic H. This 40mm beauty is available for €2,195 in a couple of different dial colors.

For the second round of the three-watch collection, Balazs starts with the Rolex Submariner 14060. He follows this up with the Yema Superman Heritage Special Edition, an affordable vintage-inspired alternative. Mike brings his all-time favorite watch, the Rolex Explorer 14270. His option watch is surprising because it's the Doxa SUB 300 Sharkhunter, a real beauty that can do just about everything.

For our final spin, Balazs leads off with the Patek Philippe Calatrava 5196G, a discontinued beauty of a dress watch. While it's less expensive, the vintage Omega 2505 "Jumbo" is no less attractive. Mike finishes his with yet another Patek, the sublime Calatrava 570. Despite its simple looks, there's nothing basic about this watch. Finally, the more approachable icon is the Grand Seiko 4420-9000. Like the Patek, this watch also boasts a case that is best kept away from the polishing wheel. What is your favorite three-watch collection?

As always, thank you for listening. Feel free to let us know if you have some ideas for an upcoming episode.

Welcome to this week’s episode of Fratello Talks, where we dive head-first into quartz watches. Lex, Thomas, and Nacho gather in the podcast studio to discuss their love for battery-powered timepieces. There’s a lot to like about them. They’re reliable, accurate, and typically more affordable than their mechanical counterparts. And though sometimes quartz watches can get a bad rap, there are plenty of impressive electronic timekeepers out there worth admiring. And though the immediate association of quartz movements with cheaply produced, disposable watches certainly exists for a reason, there are also plenty of high-end options.

In this week's episode of Fratello Talks, Nacho, RJ, and Thomas discuss the matter of in-house movements. What is an in-house movement? Which brands produce/use them? And how much do they matter to the guys when buying a watch? If you want the answers to these questions, listen to the episode below.

Fratello On Air is back with another episode and this time we talk about whether it's worth consolidating to one great watch versus having two (or more) really good watches. Of course, your definition of a great and good may vary, but we think you get the gist.

Is it worth owning one great watch or is variety the spice of life if it occurs at a slightly lesser level? That's our question today from one of our great listeners from Finland who goes by "zenithist" on Instagram. It's a tough question and while we may not have the perfect answer, we debate the possibilities nonetheless.

Handgelenks Kontrolle

Prior to talking about boiling it down to one great watch or not, we hit the news. There's a recent visit to the Seiko boutique for some "routine" servicing, a touch of sneaker talk, and some new watches. We discuss the new Credor Goldfeather, the Seiko Prospex Speedtimers, and the Yema x Alpine Endurance Team watches made for the 100th running of Le Mans. When it comes to our wrists, Balazs is wearing his Omega Speedmaster 145.022 "transitional" with a lovely step dial. Mike is wearing his 1964 Seiko Liner 46999, a watch that will be up for review soon enough.

One great watch?

It's a really tough question that our listener poses — do you consolidate a couple of really nice watches in order to buy a more prestigious watch? The example that we were given is a tough one. The Tudor Black Bay 58 and the Tudor Prince Date-Day have been tossed out as possible trade subjects. What's the upscale bounty? Well, none other than the small but mighty Rolex Explorer. Mike is firmly in the camp of consolidation. Then again, the 14270 Explorer is one of his favorites. Balazs, on the other hand, plays devil's advocate. He likes a bit of variety and the ability to change size. Where do you fall in this argument?

Thanks for listening to the latest episode. As always, feel free to hit us up with any show ideas that you might have.