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What watch would you buy with €5k in your pocket today? And what if you could spend no less than €4,500? That's the hypothetical dilemma we're tackling on Fratello Talks today. RJ, Daan, and Nacho have taken the challenge, and in this week's episode, they go through their picks. They were shocked at how few watches actually land within the price point, with Tudor holding the lion's share of options. Still, they managed to put together a varied series of watches, both new and pre-owned. Be sure to tune in if you want to hear about the watches they'd buy for €5,000 today. 

These days, "heritage" might be the most overused word in watch marketing. Every other press release seems to reference archives, vintage inspiration, or a glorious past. But at what point does heritage become a crutch rather than a strength? In this episode of Fratello Talks, Nacho, Daan, and Thomas unpack the role heritage plays in today’s watch industry. Is it still meaningful? Is it overused? And are we, as enthusiasts, partly to blame for demanding it?

Collecting watches can be as simple or as complicated as you make it. For some, it’s a slow accumulation of pieces they like. For others, it’s a focused, evolving pursuit built around themes, eras, or even specific references. In this episode of Fratello Talks, RJ, Daan, and Nacho discuss how to get the most out of the hobby — not in terms of value retention or flipping strategies but, rather, in terms of enjoyment. How do you keep things fresh? How do you avoid burnout? And how do you build a collection that actually reflects your interests rather than the algorithm’s?

Welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air. This week, we hop into our time machine and travel back 10 years to 2016. As we'll see, in some ways, this wasn't so long ago. Yet, in others, it was a different lifetime. Join us as we look back on fonder days.

Handgelenkskontrolle

It's been a while since we've recorded, and much of this is down to Mike's travels in Germany. Sadly, on one of the trips, he had a very Balazs-like travel experience involving planes and trains. If he did have a time machine, he'd probably go back and choose to sleep through his alarm that day. We mention an upcoming Sotheby's auction featuring a pair of Michael Jordan's shoes from the Dream Team Barcelona Olympics. Balazs discusses the return of The Night Manager, a show that, coincidentally, has returned after its first season in 2016! For the Handgelenkskontrolle, Balazs is wearing an upcoming release, the Nivada Grenchen F77 MKII. Mike was wearing his Rolex Sea-Dweller 1665 "Great White" in Germany and still has it on his wrist.

Taking our time machine back to 2016

Yes, it's hard to believe that 2016 was 10 years ago! Time flies! In this episode, we're reminiscing about a year that brought some interesting releases and behavior. Specifically, vintage watches were within a boom period. In particular, a Patek Philippe 1518 sold at Phillips for over CHF 11 million! It was hard for us to believe that watches were achieving these sums a decade ago.

Many new watches from back then still feel relatively modern, but there's no doubt that larger diameters and chunkier cases were in vogue. The Blancpain Bathyscaphe Blue and Ceramic is a good example of this, but to be fair, the same basic platform is still in the catalog today. Speaking of big and robust watches, Robert-Jan reviewed the Sinn U212, which still looks fresh. If we truly want to feel old, Tudor was already in its second year of offering non-ETA movements. Omega launched a rare box-office stinker with the blue and white CK2998, a piece that has aged quite well.

Our time machine continues its journey and finds the wild Hublot Big Bang Berluti, which was available in gold or steel and showed off a leather dial. Seiko, announced a partnership with PADI. This caused a stir, and several of us on the team grabbed one of the new models. TAG Heuer announced a Monza PVD, a retro chronograph with a thick case. However, we save the most significant announcement for last. Rolex, after producing steel Daytona 116500LN models with a steel bezel for over 25 years, introduced pieces with ceramic bezels. Understandably, the excitement was palpable and hit Basel like a hurricane. We remark that these watches have been unavailable since that time!

We hope you enjoy today's episode. Share your watch memories from 2016 in the comments below, and let us know if we forgot any momentous pieces.

For many of us, there’s a clear line between the watches we liked and the first one we considered "serious." Maybe it was the first mechanical piece we bought with our hard-earned money. Maybe it was the first watch that required actual research, comparison, and a deep breath before hitting "confirm order." In today’s episode of Fratello Talks, Thomas, RJ, and Nacho discuss the different approaches to buying that first “serious” watch. Should you go safe and classic? Should you follow your heart? Or should you stretch the budget? And perhaps most importantly, what does "serious" even mean?

Have you ever wondered exactly what the water resistance rating on your watch's dial means? In this episode of Fratello Talks, Nacho, Thomas, and Daan get into the different ratings, what they mean in theory, and, more importantly, in practice for the person wearing a watch. Tune in and listen to this episode, and if you don't already, you'll come away fully understanding water resistance. The guys also offer some easy-to-follow advice to keep your watches safe from a watery demise. 

Why do we choose analog watches in a digital world? It's a valid question, as these mechanical timekeepers (though still functional) are no longer the necessity they once were. Why, then, do they remain not just an obsession for the few but also relevant and ever-present objects in people's private lives and even pop culture? That's the subject we're grappling with in today's episode of Fratello Talks. Nacho, RJ, and Lex are in the studio, and they go through many of the reasons why, to them, watches are still relevant today. These range from distancing you from the digital overload of modern life to serving as long-lasting vessels for emotional significance and acting as accessories for expressing one's individual taste.

We're barely three weeks into 2026, and things are off to a strong start. It used to be that we'd have to wait until Watches and Wonders to get the first proper wave of novelties. But LVMH has taken it upon itself to produce the first major round of releases early in the year. Today, on Fratello Talks, we're taking a look at some LVMH Watch Week highlights. Thomas, Daan, and Nacho are in the studio to talk through some of the major releases from Zenith, Hublot, Daniel Roth, Louis Vuitton, Gerald Genta, and more. 

Welcome back to another episode of Fratello On Air! This week, we discuss the latest Speedmaster Professional reverse panda. However, this isn't your standard review. We take it all the way back to Speedy Tuesday 1 and rue the passing of the limited-edition models of yore. Fear not, though; it's not all about Speedies.

Yes, last week's Speedmaster reverse panda caused quite a stir. In many ways, it feels like Omega's move was easy, but it took until 2026 for it to arrive. Overall, we're happy it did show up, but it made us quite sentimental. There were also some other new releases worth mentioning. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

Handgelenkskontrolle

We kick off the show with a bit of TV talk. Landman, Fallout, and The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon are some of the shows we've been enjoying. For the Handgelenkskontrolle, Mike is wearing the Ollech & Wajs OW C-1000 Y, a watch that easily survived a cold-weather car wash earlier in the day. Balazs, on the other wrist, is wearing a watch that he just received. It's the Nivada F77 Chrono Mecaquartz, and he's rocking it with a blue dial on a bracelet. At roughly €750, it represents a nice expansion of the F77 lineup.

The Speedmaster reverse panda is a looker

We debate the new Speedmaster reverse panda and remark on how the Moonwatch collection has grown mightily. It also gives us time to reminisce about the 2017 Speedy Tuesday 1, which featured a thematically similar dial design. This evolved into a discussion about the days of Omega's limited-edition Speedmaster Professional models. Dammit, we miss them and hope that the brand brings them back in some form. Another interesting release just dropped in the form of the TAG Heuer Carrera Seafarer Chronograph. We like it and enjoy all the different colors on the dial. Finally, we mention one of the more surprising drops, the Zenith El Primero-powered Tiffany & Co. Tiffany Timer. While we hope it foreshadows a new beginning for the American jeweler's watchmaking future, we're not necessarily in love with this brightly colored model.

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

The year is off to a flying start with some big releases from fan-favorite brands. In today's episode of Fratello Talks, we're taking a look at the first watch releases of 2026 and, based on patterns they present, seeing what they reveal about the year ahead. Though we haven't had many new introductions so far, the handful of novelties is still enough to get us excited, from Seiko celebrating its 145th anniversary and bringing back the tonneau case to Oris appealing to two price segments and Omega going all in with a pair of reverse-panda Speedmasters. We're only two weeks in, and it's already set to be an exciting year indeed.