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It's not every day we run into someone wearing an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Watch from 2002. But when you meet Jerrel Manbodh, of Manbodh Watches, chances are likely you will see him wearing that special Royal Oak watch made of Alcrite. For this Fratello Talks podcast, RJ and Nacho went on location with Manbodh at his watch boutique. We talk about the watch business, the development in the vintage and pre-owned market over the last few years, and, of course, about his favorite watches.

Fratello On Air returns with a look at six divers for under €1,000. We could do this episode any time, but Summer is the perfect time due to casual wear and loads of water-related activities. We've picked a fairly wide range of pieces from a wide array of countries. If rotating bezels are your thing, sit back and listen!

So, you don't dive? Well, neither of us do either, but we do spend a fair amount of time in the water during the Summer months. And hey, maybe one of us will dust off the snorkeling gear at some point. Regardless of actually strapping on a tank, divers have become a go-to practical watch for just about any activity these days and that includes simply acting as a good watch. We've come together to name six divers that truly range in price, but all come in below €1,000. We hope you enjoy it!

Handgelenks Kontrolle

For those of you who don't love blathering, we're fairly light on the small talk this week and get right into the divers. Well, almost. Before the Handgelenks Kontrolle, Balazs discusses his profound admiration for the Tissot PRX. We think this would make a great Summer watch because it pairs so well with some shorts and a rolled-up linen shirt. Then, Balazs talks about wearing his Doxa 300T Sharkhunter, a watch that made the trip with him to his hometown in Hungary. Mike is wearing the newly released Aquastar Model 60, a 37mm skin diver that wears really well. He also discusses bringing the Tudor Black Bay 58 Silver and the Synchron Military Poseidon on a recent trip to Italy - a foray filled with pool and ocean activities.

Six divers under €1,000 for Summer

We're ready for the main topic and that means choosing six divers that all sell for below €1,000. Let us know what you think of these choices:

• Certina DS Action Diver, a €975, 43mm PVD-coated stealth watch that we loved during our recent visit to Swatch Group in Germany
• Yema Pearldiver, a €799 retro-styled diver with a thick Hesalite crystal and in-house automatic movement
• Nivada Grenchen Antarctic-Diver, a brand new €815 retro diver with a Cyclops!
• Seiko Prospex Solar Diver SNE573, this €499 watch has a no-fuss solar heartbeat, a great footprint, and is only 10.6mm thick
• Baltic Aquascaphe Titanium Blue, for €849, is a classic diver with a comfortable and lightweight case
• Citizen Promaster Mechanical Diver, for roughly €579 was a long time coming for the big brand and it also brings a titanium case

We hope you enjoyed today's episode and thank you for listening. If you have thoughts on future episode topics, please feel free to let us know!

Welcome one and all to this week’s episode of Fratello On Air. As Mike is out of town, Balazs invites Nacho — who happened to be in Germany — to join him for a chat. Today’s installment brings you a loosely structured discussion. The guys talk about their current comings and goings before steering into the topics of watch news and case back engravings. They then wrap things up by running through some first impressions of classic watches from TAG Heuer, IWC, and Grand Seiko.

Fratello On Air returns with a rip-roaring episode where we ask you, dear listeners, to step away from the hype. There's a lot of it around these days and it can be overwhelming. We're here to talk about it and have a little fun along the way.

Don't believe the hype! No, this isn't a discussion about Public Enemy, but a discussion about watches and some of the brands that have been making their way back into the mainstream. The hype is well orchestrated at times, a little too orchestrated as we'll see. It doesn't mean that the watches are bad, but are they the second coming? We have our doubts.

Handgelenks Kontrolle

We kick things off with some discussion around the recent Geneva auctions. There were some interesting lots, but the weekend felt a bit muted. The hordes of "AquaNautilus" and Royal Oaks seemed to dominate the scene, which got a bit snoozy. Vintage was there but to a relatively small degree. Mike discusses his impressions after watching some of the proceedings over the weekend and we even chat about certain lots. For the Handgelenks Kontrolle, Balazs is wearing his '70 Grand Seiko 5646-7010 which leads to a discussion on a Seiko Duotime that Mike owns with the same base movement. Mike is back to his trusty Rolex 1016 because he's in comfort mode.

The Hype Machine is alive

The main focus of our show today is to discuss brands that have been inundating our Instagram accounts, the web, and now the auction circuit as recently as this past weekend. Daniel Roth and Gerald Genta are LVMH brands that have received a lot of press coverage recently. In our eyes, they were niche at best and controversially designed at a minimum. Should you be as excited as the collective wants you to be? Then, we see heavy dealer activity on brands like Franck Muller and vintage Piaget. Is this where we're heading or does the push boil down to hype? We discuss and hypothesize why this is happening. The hype is real folks.

We hope you enjoyed today's episode. If you have thoughts on upcoming shows, don't hesitate to let us know.

Welcome to this week's episode of Fratello Talks. This time, Nacho, Lex, and Thomas light a candle, dim the lights, and get nice and cozy as they touch on the topic of MoonSwatch. After a stunning debut, the Omega × Swatch Speedmaster MoonSwatch has struggled to follow up on its initial hype. We have been following along with the latest developments and have been left a little bit baffled. So, we ask ourselves the question: "how do we feel about the current state of the MoonSwatch?" We also look at what the future of this collaboration might look like, making some wild guesses and predictions.

Fratello On Air returns with more listener questions. This time we take on selling practices from brands and attempt to respond to yet another Speedmaster question. Enjoy the ride!

Yes, we are back with more listener questions and this time we take on a two-part question that revolves around selling practices by brands. There's also some more talk about the cherished Omega Speedmaster and its fan base. It's another candid discussion where no punches are pulled, so turn it up!

Handgelenks Kontrolle

We kick things off with a bit of a weekend recap and then get right into watches. We talk about the upcoming Argon release and a new Nivada diver. Then, it's time for Handgelenks Kontrolle. Mike is wearing a '60s Rado Starliner that features a "water sealed" case back with seahorses just like the Captain Cook of the same era. Balazs is rocking his Speedmaster 145.022 "transitional," a lovely piece that looks like it has a caliber 321.

Selling Practices

We received a query from a listener regarding a small microbrand that decided to sell unsold watches from its first batch at the recent Windup show in California. The brand did this instead of fulfilling the orders of some patient customers who ordered as part of a second batch. Was this a good idea? We debate the good and the bad. Then, we discuss whether brands can take action to prevent flipping. We don't have all the answers, but we do like the selling practices of a brand like Oak & Oscar.  They pledge to always offer their newest releases to their existing customers. Finally, we talk about whether Speedmaster fans are the most fanatical in the watch world.

We hope you enjoyed this latest episode and thanks for listening! Feel free to let us know if you have an idea for a future episode.

Welcome to this week's episode of Fratello Talks. Today, we are rolling with the punches and discussing buying watches on impulse. Sinara, Lex, and Nacho gather around the Fratello podcast table to share their stories, have a laugh, and misquote Mike Tyson. Because there's nothing quite like having a plan for purchasing a specific watch to just getting caught off guard by an impulse buy.

Welcome back to another episode of Fratello On Air. This week, we discuss a recent visit to the Swatch Group in the Frankfurt area. We also respond to a listener's question about the beloved Omega Speedmaster. Enjoy!

Yes, Balazs and I were on the move and managed to visit the Swatch Group in their offices near Frankfurt. We've also received a number of reader questions that we'll attempt to answer over the next several episodes. Our first question is about the Speedmaster and it's a good one.

Handgelenks Kontrolle

We begin our episode with some sneaker talk as Balazs mentions an upcoming re-release of the Nike Huarache that Kobe once wore. Mike mentions the newly announced Yema Urban Field, a cool series of field watches with loads of optionality. Next, we get to the Handgelanks Kontrolle and Balazs is debuting his new MING 17.09 in burgundy! Mike is wearing his vintage Gruen Ocean Chief on a Forstner Klip bracelet.

Visiting Swatch Group and a reader question

Our visit to Swatch Group was truly a pleasure. The fine folks in Eschborn shared a number of watches with us from Rado, Hamilton, Tissot, Mido, and more! We share the highlights while remarking that it's always nice to see watches in person. Finally, we answer a listener's question about the Omega Speedmaster. The question is simple — what's the big deal about the Speedmaster anyway?

Thank you for listening and as always, if you have any ideas for future shows, don't hesitate to contact us!

For this episode, the topic is hype and hype watches. Lex, Daan, and Nacho discuss their own experiences with hype and how they've navigated this tricky topic. Daan shares his unique view as a RedBar Amsterdam member, who surrounds himself with people and watches every month — a precarious position for those partial to falling for the hype. Overall, the discussion leads them back to Watches And Wonders 2023, an event with a distinct lack of hype. They also touch on the topic of watch brands manufacturing hype, as well as the hype watches they wish they had bought when they had the chance. 

Fratello On Air returns with an episode that focuses on vintage watches that are great for everyday wear.  We all love our pieces from yesteryear, so why not choose some that can handle the rigors of daily life? Settle in and listen while we talk for a while.

The problem with most vintage watches is that they're fragile and can be hard to fix once broken. Parts are rare and the watches are often so valuable that they remain locked away for safekeeping. Well, we have some picks for you that should stand up well to daily routines while not breaking the bank (too much).

 Handgelenks Kontrolle

After some discussion about a recent guitar auction, we jump into the Handgelenks Kontrolle. Mike is wearing his beloved MING 27.02 and has taken it along to Spain for a few days of work. Balazs is going with one of his vintage watches and is enjoying his 7750-powered Heuer Montreal with Hungarian Air Force provenance.

Vintage Watches

Now, we're into the main topic and discuss older watches that can accompany you on life's daily adventures. It's a mix of all sorts of genres and price tags, but most are easily found and repaired. Plus, they all have "street cred" to a large degree, which should give them staying power on anyone's wrist. Our vintage picks are:

• Tudor Chrono-Time 79180 "Big Block," a robust 7750-fueled chronograph with all sorts of Daytona vibes
• Omega Geneve 131.018, a simple three-hand manual wind dress watch that is about as classic as it gets
• Seiko 7549-7010 "Tuna Can." a quartz (the horror!) diver from 1978 that wears like a dream
• Seiko 6117-6409 World Timer, a colorful c-cased watch that's ready to travel the world!
• Omega Speedmaster Mark II, an underrated '70s gem with a manual chronograph movement and plenty of innovation
• The Valjoux 773x chronographs, an iconic series of chronograph movements that are easy to repair, durable, and affordable

Well, there you have it! We hope you enjoyed today's episode and we look forward to coming back to you next week! Feel free to let us know if there's anything you'd like us to discuss.