Fratello.com

In this week’s episode of Fratello Talks, Nacho, RJ, and Lex tackle the very foundation of our watches — the case materials. From trusty steel to precious gold, lightweight titanium, and futuristic ceramics, the trio dives into what distinguishes these materials, their unique features, and why they make a difference when wearing a watch every day. It's not just the movement and specs that matter; it's also what a watch is made of that plays a key role in its aesthetics and how it feels on your wrist.

Welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air. This week, we try our hand at predicting the fortunes of four key watch brands. These makers all have great pieces in their lineups, yet we wonder if they have more in store to become absolute powerhouses. Or perhaps some of these companies will go in the opposite direction and become smaller with more exclusive offerings. Join us as we ponder the fates of these firms in five years.

Admittedly, with a relatively quiet market and turbulent global trade, it's easy to sit back and prescribe improvements for various brands. That's not why we're here today, though. No, instead, we've come together to discuss four well-known names in the industry and how their fortunes may change after five years. That gives each enough time to make sizeable changes, but is that necessary? Let's see!

Handgelenkskontrolle

Our show kicks off with the usual round of banter. We discuss The Brutalist and House of Guinness. Then, we move to a watch topic and talk about the recently announced Timepiece Concours d'Élégance announced by Phillips in partnership with Vacheron Constantin. While we like the general concept, we are dubious about the sponsorship. For the Handgelenkskontrolle, Mike is wearing an interesting new piece from a young brand. The Möels & Co 528 S2 is an usually shaped watch with a manual-winding La Joux-Perret D101 movement. Expect an upcoming hands-on review soon! Balazs shares a watch we haven't brought up in a while. The Fratello × Nivada Grenchen Racing Chronograph was released in mid-2023 and is still a looker!

The fortunes of four brands in five years

For our main topic, we summon our inner Nostrodamus, discuss four brands, and hypothesize about their futures in five years. We didn't share the companies we selected before recording, so call it a premonition that Panerai was a unanimous first choice. It will be interesting to see how the fortunes of this tool-watch brand change over time. Will big watches make a comeback, and how can Panerai ensure that they reach the same level of desirability seen during the early 2000s?

Girard-Perregaux is the next company to make our list. We really like the current lineup, but we find the brand a bit too quiet in its marketing efforts. Frankly, we'd like to see its watches out front and center every so often. Perhaps the recent Laureato Fifty is the start of a new push. Bvlgari is another brand we love. With its Octo Finissimo, the company has created an instantly recognizable classic. However, it's a watch that some of us with small wrists struggle to wear. We'd like to see this watchmaker create one more innovative modern classic that works for everyone. Finally, Jaeger-LeCoultre was always known as the watchmaker's watchmaker. As a result, the marque offered immense value. Now, the watches are certainly nice, but the prices put them in competition with many other brands. How will this play out over the next five years?

As always, thank you for listening to Fratello On Air. If you have suggestions for future episodes, please don't hesitate to let us know!

Though people often focus on specs and price when talking about watches, we believe that design is just as important, if not more so. Today, on Fratello Talks, we're diving into the present and future of watch design. Nacho, Daan, and Thomas discuss current design-focused brands and the individual designers who put pen to paper and don't get nearly enough recognition for their work. They wrap up by pondering what the future of watch design might look like. There are certainly a handful of brands that give us a taste of it, especially microbrands, with their famous ability to adapt and try new, wild ideas. But regardless of what watch design ends up looking like, there's no doubt that exciting times lie ahead!

Hi there, and welcome to this week's episode of Fratello Talks. Today, we've decided to take on the challenge of selecting the watches we'd buy new at three price points. We start with the sub-€1k price segment, then jump to the sub-€5k, and end up selecting what we'd buy for €10k or less. No pre-owned or vintage watches are allowed; only the current-catalog references that anyone should be able to go out and buy today can be chosen. Nacho, RJ, and Thomas gather in the studio to talk through their selection. They also discuss some honorable mentions and include a no-budget pick to wrap things up. 

Is there such a thing as an endgame watch? It's not something we often consider. But just about two weeks ago, Henry wrote an article about his new Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600, referring to it as the ultimate diver and his "endgame" watch. This got us thinking about what this would be for us, so today on Fratello Talks, Nacho, Daan, and Thomas talk about their endgame watches. As you can imagine, it's not as straightforward as it may seem. However, Thomas and Daan do seem to be pretty set on theirs. Still, there's always room for wishful thinking, wild picks, and, of course, establishing the difference between a "grail" and an "endgame" watch.

We're back with another episode of Fratello On Air. This week, we're tackling a timely subject (no pun intended). With prices up over the last five years, we discuss watches that offer the best value at various price points. Oh, but there's a caveat: the pieces we discuss are actually available. For the benefit of our listeners, our watch talk begins approximately 15 minutes after the start.

Two episodes ago, we conversed about the best watches for new collectors. That seemed to resonate with our listeners. This week, we continue down a similar yet different path. Collectively, we've witnessed incessant price hikes in our favorite hobby. It's enough to scare away some fans, but not us! We're out to find the watches that offer the best value in this tough market. Yes, the watches are more expensive than in the past, but we still think each carries its weight.

 Watches with the best value

Our rules for choosing watches with the best value were simple. The watches must be available to buy at retail today, without waiting lists or markups. Also, resale value wasn't a factor in the selection process. We didn't restrict ourselves to large brands, yet we tended toward brands with in-house movements. Finally, we didn't restrict ourselves to price limits, but we coincidentally huddled around three levels. Below €1,000, €1,000–5,000, and above €5,000 were our criteria.

Balazs is always earning extra credit

Balazs supposedly got mixed up with the assignment, but perhaps he was looking to outduel Mike again. He chose three winning watches but also gave many honorable mentions. In the lower-cost section, he named the Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 Forged Carbon, the Baltic Hermétique, and the Dennison ALD Dual Time. His winner, though, is the Timex Tide-Temp-Compass for just €279. In the middle category, he mentioned the Tudor Pelagos 39, various Albishorn chronographs, and the Grand Seiko SBGR257. His champion is the €1,890 Yema Superman CMM.10 with an in-house automatic movement. Finally, in the high-cost category, the Ming 57.04 Iris and the TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Skipper made the list. Balazs's ultimate winner is the €8,800 Omega Speedmaster Professional in white.

Mike's picks

Mike stuck to the supposed brief and named three watches he thought offered the best value. On the affordable side, the €440 Seiko Prospex SRPE93 Turtle is a watch that makes no apologies. It's a simple diver with timeless looks and rock-solid build quality. In the mid-range, the choice is relatively predictable but hard to beat. The €4,150 Tudor Black Bay 58 is a chronometer-certified dive watch that can be dressed up or down. In fact, it's one of the best "only watches" on the planet. For the final category, Mike chose the €10,600 Zenith Chronomaster Original as his favorite piece. The mighty El Primero movement, the A386 case profile, and a legendary dial design make it his favorite luxury automatic chronograph.

Welcome back to another episode of Fratello Talks. This week, we come to you live from Geneva for a special conversation with Federico Ziviani, CEO of Gerald Charles. For those unfamiliar, Gerald Charles is the independent watch brand founded in 2000 by the late, great Gérald Genta. Today, under the stewardship of Ziviani, the brand carries forward its founder's unmistakable design DNA while carving out a space in the world of fine watchmaking. It's not every day we get to hear directly from the person responsible for steering such a historically significant brand. Thankfully, this episode gives us exactly that opportunity. Alongside Federico, your host Nacho and Fratello On Air's Mike Stockton join the conversation.

This episode was recorded live on location, so the audio isn’t our usual quality. Thanks for understanding!

Welcome back to another episode of Fratello On Air. We've been on hiatus for the last month during the summer, but we're back in action! In this installment, we detail some of the places we've been and what we've seen. Cars and watches have been high on the list!

Yes, it's been a while, but we're back together. This week's podcast is primarily about cars and watches at events in major cities. Next episode, we'll be back with a more hardcore topic, which will likely cover one of our listener suggestions. For now, settle in as we recall our travels and experiences.

Handgelenkskontrolle

Before we get into watches, we begin our discussion about Ferrari's latest reveal. The 849 Testarossa is already proving to be controversial. It sparks a conversation about the difference between comments in social media about cars and watches. Regarding television, we discuss Mobland, Only Murders In The Building, Dexter: Resurrection, and The Sopranos. Then, Balazs mentions the recent sale of a Michael Jordan / Kobe Bryant basketball card that set a record at $12.9 million! For the Handgelenkskontrolle, Balazs is wearing the new Albishorn 1958 Marinagraph Paraíba Racing. Stay tuned for an upcoming hands-on review. Mike is wearing his Seiko SLA019, a 2018 release that marked the first ceramic bezel and sapphire crystal for the beloved Marinemaster 300.

Watches and cars

We kick off our main topic on recent travels that included cars and watches with a recap of Geneva Watch Days. Sadly, Balazs didn't attend, but the releases were well-covered. Overall, the mood was somber because of the US tariff scenario. Brands were questioning the need and the expense related to two shows. The reveals were positive, especially from the smaller brands, but it was a quieter show overall despite more brands in attendance. Next, we discuss the 2025 Balkan Rally, which Balazs attended. The event kicked off in Budapest and ended five days later in Dubrovnik. Classic cars and watches were all part of the festivities. Finally, we head back to London, where Mike attended the Concours of Elegance hosted by A. Lange & Söhne. Once again, several of the attendees wore intriguing watches, but the cars were incredible. Of note was a lovely Singer Porsche. It was the first time Mike saw one in person, which followed his first visit to the Singer Reimagined headquarters in Geneva just two days earlier.

We hope you enjoyed our return to the airwaves, and we look forward to coming back regularly. As always, if you have ideas for future shows, feel free to let us know.

Everyone knows the story: you start with a paperclip and trade your way up to a house. Canadian blogger Kyle MacDonald made it happen in 2006 with his One Red Paperclip project. Could this principle, on a smaller scale, be applied to watches? Today on Fratello Talks, Nacho, Thomas, and RJ join to discuss the topic and share their experiences trading their way up. It was a potentially lucrative pursuit back in the day, but whether you can still trade to upgrade your watch today remains to be seen.

As Geneva Watch Days 2025 draws to a close, it's time to look back at some of our highlights from the fair. This bonus Fratello Talks episode was recorded on location at Piaget’s boutique in Geneva, where the team had the opportunity to experience Geneva Watch Days 2025 and all the novelties presented. Set against the backdrop of one of Switzerland’s most historic watchmaking landmarks, the discussion brings together a diverse selection of timepieces, trends, and commentary from the show. In this episode, Nacho, Lex, and Dave share personal impressions, highlighting the watches that stood out most for them during the fair.

[Recorded live on location, so audio isn’t our usual quality—thanks for understanding!]