Balazs and I are inquisitive folks. We acted on this trait with a very different type of show. Each of us came up with two questions for the other person. The rules? They were simple! The question had to relate to watches in some way and neither of us could prep the other person ahead of time. The hypothetical looms large and your hosts had to think on their feet. We think you'll enjoy this candid listen.

Wrist check and the news

Before hitting the main topic, we do a wrist check and then mention friend of the show Jason Heaton's new book. Depth Charge sounds like a riveting thriller and we're rooting for the success of Jason's first book!

Two questions

The questions begin and along the way, we mention everything from Rolex to Omega to Moser. Like I said, this is unscripted, so enjoy us in our natural state.

Hi and hello watch fans and welcome back to Watching Sports and Sporting Watches. In episode 8.0 and we will begin with a short interview, as the Hungarian Horntail takes the reins and welcomes his most charming guest to the smooth booth yet...

Spoiler alert: it's Rob. But that's all we're going to say about that. After Balazs has put our resident motormouth through his paces, we kick him into touch in favor of Dave "down the pub" Sergeant, who phones in (quite literally) to chat some hockey.

And to round out the show we have another exhilarating installment of Robley's Believe It Or Not. This week, we will be touching base with the real/fictional stories of Eric Money, Ray Caldwell, and Nicolas Rieussec. There's mid-game team switching, lightning strikes, and bizarre inventions to entertain. We hope you enjoy the show. 

This year's introduction of the new Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch, Seamaster 300, De Ville Trésor, Constellation, and black ceramic 300M  is a good reason to catch up with Omega's CEO and President, Raynald Aeschlimann.

On the first (Speedy) Tuesday of this year, Omega introduced its new and improved version of the iconic Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch. A combination of the latest innovation when it comes to movements and heritage when it comes to design. Then, at the end of March, Omega introduced the other aforementioned watches. New models in each Omega collection: Speedmaster, Seamaster, De Ville, and Constellation.

After some jocular banter and a wrist check, the trio gets down to business. The team trades watches (and quips) in rotation with two favorites per person. We talk about the following:

• A. Lange & Söhne Triple Split in Pink Gold and Blue
• Vacheron Constantin Traditionelle Split Seconds Chronographe Ultra-Thin Platine
• Breitling Premier Chronograph 40 in Steel
• IWC Big Pilot's Watch Shock Absorber XPL
• Patek Philippe In-Line Perpetual Calendar 5236P-001
• Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight 925

It's a diverse group of watches mixed with a bit of fun — enjoy the ride!

Welcome to Episode 51 of Fratello on Air, otherwise known as WASP 7.0. Today we’re going to discuss our three favorite sporting icons and which watches we’d gift them if we had the chance. 

We've got disgraced and redeemed French cyclists, Swiss footballers and tennis stars, Hungarian and Irish soccer legends, a swaggering quarterback, and arguably the GOAT of all GOATs for your listening pleasure. The watches we've handed over to these sporting heavyweights range from the ludicrous to the luxury.

Ending the show today we have a new segment called "Robley's Believe It Or Not" based on the popular books, "Ripley's Believe It Or Not". In this new segment, Rob presents Balazs with frankly unbelievable stories and Balazs has to decide whether they are true or false.

Today we have sports stars turned watchmakers, the fascinating Schillertron movement, and the sports played in space as well as their potentially deadly consequences.

Find us on Instagram @robnudds and @ferenczibazs

Rob and RJ select their three favorite watches from Watches & Wonders 2021. Some very unexpected choices appear in their lists. And, on top, they pick a bonus (4th) watch.  Listen to Rob and RJ talking watches from Watches & Wonders.

We discuss the new Rolex Explorer, Explorer II, Daytonas, and new Datejust dials in detail in this podcast. The responses were all over the place yesterday, and so are ours. A bit different for Tudor, with some proper new releases in silver and gold. And its new Black Bay Chronograph, of course. We have these watches in the Fratello offices for a closer look and will be publishing a hands-on review soon. Last but not least, we talk about the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 in steel, with a green dial. Will this really be the last Nautilus in steel, or will they keep it for precious metals only? 

This week, Balazs and Rob tackle the subject of watch brand ambassadors in the four major professional sports leagues in North America.

Amazingly, six episodes in, this is a topic that hasn't been fully addressed. In our pilot episode, we touched upon Tom Brady's ambassadorship for IWC but he is far from alone in the NFL, with Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings coming in atop Balazs' list of football-playing watch lovers and Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers is Rob's pick.

The MLB throws up a couple of throwbacks, with Balazs stretching all the way back to the fifties for his selection. Rob, meanwhile, reaches back about a decade to call upon a superstar that played in the modern era.

The NHL gifts us a couple of under-the-radar players and brands, along with the predictable powerhouse. And, as for the NBA, we take polarized routes to find our champions.

Most exciting of all, however, is WASP'S first phone in Ben Hodges of team Fratello joins us to discuss his love of Formula 1 and how it and his passion for watchmaking combine.

We hope you enjoy the show. Follow us both on Instagram @ferenczibazs and @robnudds.

Part of me was scared to over-hype this interview/podcast in case you'd feel let down by the end of it. Then I re-read the interview, listened to the Podcast (enduring an hour of my own voice), and revisited the Lapinist's Instagram account and realized that, if you class yourself as a fan of vintage Seiko or Grand Seiko, you won't possibly be disappointed. On the contrary, I'm willing to wager you will be totally amazed...

About a week ago, I conducted an interview with Kamil, otherwise known as the Lapinist (@lapinist_watchrestoration on Instagram). He wasn't comfortable coming on Fratello on Air himself, but after sharing the content (and the images of Kamil's work with Balazs) he agreed to hop into the recording booth with me and act out the interview so you have the choice of consuming the content in either format.

Honestly? If this subject interests you, I'd recommend consuming BOTH. In the Podcast, we go a bit off base and discuss a few interesting asides that Kamil's answers gave rise to. So right below this paragraph, you'll find the Podcast link. Below that, you'll find the interview text. Hit us up in the comments and let us know your own vintage Seiko/Grand Seiko stories. And don't forget to tell us what you make of Kamil's work. I'm hoping you'll be as impressed as we were.

Welcome to WASP 5.0, the fifth edition of the Fratello On Air Pod-column, Watching Sports and Sporting Watches. This week, Rob and Balazs celebrate reaching their fifth episode by sharing some of their favorite players from around the four major North American sports leagues. 

R&B had planned to pick one player each and assign each superstar an on-field/court/rink watch and one off-field/court/rink ticker. Apparently, this was Rob's idea. Unsurprisingly, Rob got confused and just picked two players from each league and gave each of them a very special timepiece.

We've got surprising choices like Ryan Fitzpatrick, two NHL goalkeepers, and the eternally sexy John Stockton. Additionally, we have some slam-dunk superstars like Dennis Rodman, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Mike Trout for your entertainment. And what of the watches? Major brands like Omega, MB&F, Richard Mille, Rolex, and Vacheron Constantin dominate the arena, but there's plenty of space for the little guy, with Doxa, Konstantin Chaykin, and NOMOS Glashütte making into the smooth booth along with several others.

Follow me on Instagram @robnudds