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Watches – News, Reviews, Brands and Releases
My love of watches has gone through the phases many of us know all too well. A resurgence about 18 years ago involved a plethora of Fashion Watches with a smattering of vintage. After buying my first pre-owned Swiss mechanical watch, an Oris, this all changed. The last 4 quartz watches were sold off with a vow never to touch them again. Why then, is my desire for the ticking of a tough quartz watch re-awakened??Some days I just want to go for a run, fall over and sprain my ankle while sledding with the kids, or even just relax without a care in the world. The peace of mind of throwing on a bullet-proof quartz tough-guy of a watch is simply liberating. I might love my 37mm Grand Seiko. And I [...]
Our good friends at WatchPro have some exciting news for watch fans in and around the London area (or anyone that fancies hopping over to Her Majestys land of plenty for a couple of watch-fuelled days). Read on if youd like to take partIn fact, if you get there at the right time, this promising event will be fuelled by more than?just watches. From 14:30 C17:00 on Friday the 12th of November, the event will enjoy a soft start with the Champagne VIP Preview. Following that, general admission starts at 5:00 for the Opening Night Cocktail party.WatchPro SalonThe next day will kick-off at 9:30 am and the event will run until 18:00 giving all attendees plenty of time to visit the more than 40 (yes [...]
Recently, Seiko has been celebrating its 140th anniversary. This milestone also coincides with 20 years of the Japanese brands ingenious Spring Drive movement. The beating heart of this watch has been developed by an elite team of craftsmen at the brands Micro Artist Studio in Shiojiri. And it seems that each time Grand Seiko releases a Spring Drive watch, it comes in an even more mouthwateringly beautiful packageathis time capturing the wintery backdrop of Shinshu.The three-handed Grand Seiko watch paints a lasting memory of the snowy scenes that surround the brands manufacturing facility for its Spring Drive watches. It features a pink gold case with matching faceted hands and indexes, dis [...]
Sometimes it's written in the stars. You can call it cosmic fate. Or karma. Watch karma in this case. The story of why I bought the Grand Seiko Tough Quartz SBGX341 watch is a tale of random events that string together in the end. And it all began back in June of this year As you might know, this year, Seiko celebrates its 140th anniversary. As a consequence, numerous limited editions in all product families have reached Fratello HQ. Last June a rather handsome trio came in and especially one of them really struck a chord with me. That was the Grand Seiko Quartz GMT SBGN023 Limited Edition. That watch made it to my Top Five Watches Of 2021. Why? Because the watch immediately caught my eye. B [...]
The year isnt over yet, but Grand Seiko has been treating us very nicely so far with a number of beautiful watches. Just recently, during our Fratello a Grand Seiko Paris event, I came across a watch that definitely took the top position on my wishlist. To structure my thoughts a bit, I went through all the new Grand Seiko watches in 2021, and realized they actually have more cool offerings than is realistically good for me (and for my bank account).Grand Seiko started 2021 on the right foot with the SLGH005 White Birch model, which received a big cheer from the crowd. Recently, we saw two beautiful Grand Seiko limited editions for the European market popping up: the SBGW267 Asakage and the [...]
Thats right, were back at it again And gosh, how we missed it. Brand events where our readers can meet, mingle and learn are finally possible once more. Our first post-pandemic event took place at the Vendome Grand Seiko Boutique in Paris. Fr|d|ric Bondoux (CEO Grand Seiko Europe) and his team treated us on an unforgettable, information-packed day. [...]
If youve read my recent article, you may well have noticed me banging on about dial textures and why theyre so important. The dial is probably the first thing we see when looking at a watch for the first time. They say first impressions are the key to success, so the dial is quite an important element in this regard. Its not just color that can make a dial truly eye-catching, texture can and does play a key role when it comes to this. I decided to go back and take a look at some of the best dial textures out there today, as well as the brands responsible.As a forewarning and a caveat, Ive purposely tried to steer clear of guilloch dials for this article. Guilloch is an art form of its own [...]
Much time has passed since the last Fratello event, for reasons known to all of us. So, we are extremely happy to announce that we will be having our first event on October 1st after an extensive hiatus. We feel very proud that it will be in partnership with an incredible watch brand: Grand Seiko. To top things off, the event will take place in a very special location la ville de lamour Paris!Together with Grand Seiko Europe, we have organized an event for 15 of our readers in the beautiful Grand Seiko boutique on the Place Vend?me in Paris. The event will start at 11:00 AM when we will welcome you to the Grand Seikos Paris location together with Fr d ric Bondoux, President of Grand Seiko Eu [...]
Just like that, Grand Seiko introduces two new professional divers watches. The Grand Seiko SBGH289, in steel with a blue dial, and the SBGH291, in High-Intensity titanium with a black dial. Both watches arent powered by Grand Seikos Spring Drive movement, but rather by its mechanical hi-beat caliber 9S85 movement.Divers watches have been a hot ticket item for many years, even to those who dont dive (like me). Its often about the aesthetics of the watch, but also about the technical characteristics of these pieces. They can take a little bit of abuse, you dont have to worry about water or moisture, and often come with a useful rotating bezel (I often use them for timing things) and a proper [...]
The Grand Seiko SBGY007 Omiwatari was presented to you in June, so it's about time for a hands-on review of this classic-looking Grand Seiko. As I wrote in an introduction article last month, the Grand Seiko SBGY007 is part of the Elegance Collection. A Spring Drive powered dress watch whose dial pays tribute to the frozen waters of Lake Suwa. I explained the origin story of the Omiwatari in this article, so make sure to read that if you want to know more. This hands-on review of the Grand Seiko SBGY007 article is about the watch itself. No storytelling, just the watch as it is.Grand Seiko SBGY007 OmiwatariGrand Seiko has been on a roll this year, first showing us the White Birch, but also t [...]
Watch buckles and clasps can take many forms. In todays market, we are truly spoiled for choice. For some brands, the quest to manufacture the perfect clasp is eternal. At times, it can seem as we horologically smitten enthusiasts will never guess what nifty buckle innovations lay just around the bend. As watch manufacturers strive to set themselves apart, buckles and clasps, once an afterthought in design, are now becoming ever more critical to a brands prestige.For these brands, determining what makes the perfect clasp may not be as straightforward as one might imagine. The least we can do here at Fratello, however, is to make sure you understand your options and the styles available today [...]
It's been a pretty good year for me so far. From all angles. Im still fit and healthy, I started at Fratello earlier this year, and the world seems to finally be opening up too. I also saw some pretty nice watches swing by the office. More than five, actually, but I had to narrow it down. I went for the watches that I thought looked best, both in my hand and on my wrist, without looking at the price. This list will serve as a look back at my favorite releases of the year so far, in anticipation of what we will see cropping up during Geneva Watch Days.Tudor Black Bay CeramicYou might have already read or seen that at first, I wasn't all that impressed by the Tudor Black Bay Ceramic. My first [...]
How very dare you, Grand Seiko USA This morning, I got an email from Nick Roberts at Lawrence Co PR (thanks, Nick) informing me that three new limited-edition (obviously) time-only Grand Seikos would be debuting in the US market. Its just as well Nick had the wherewithal to let me know otherwise I might never have learned of these beauties. And they are beautiful. First things first, book yourself a flight to the States or tap up your long-lost cousin to pick one up for you. Once youve done that, come back and read about the Grand Seiko SBGW273, 275, and 277.Look, I know Fratello is based in Europe and we are a team of almost exclusively Europeans, but this is 2021. This is the internet. It [...]
Ive said it before and Ill say it again: in luxury watchmaking in 2021, texture is the name of the game. Dial colors get too much attention; dial surfaces, too little. More and more, were seeing brands pay attention to the displays background, the forgotten element, the passive superstar that can decide whether or not a watch lives or dies in the minds of our community. How those textures interact with the colors laid upon them matters too, of course. Today, we see Grand Seiko experiment with one entirely new texture and revisit another that has undeniable potential. Has the Japanese giant got it right this time with the SLGA007? Lets find outGrand Seiko announced the release of the SLGA007 [...]
The watch wish list a piece of personal information that we keep hidden from our partners and spouses, scared by the thought of what theyd think if they only knew of our secret schemes. Schemes which, more often than not, lead head-first into the purchase of a new watch. Challenged by RJ, I recently wrote an article detailing the watches Id buy for under 1,500. Once it was published, a number of people contacted me to ask if I had plans to actually buy any of them. This made me realize that I do get asked about my watch wish list quite often. I cant be the only one who has a list on their phone containing the dream watches they would like to someday buy, right?I must preface this by lettin [...]
Over these last couple of months, I have written a series of articles on vintage watches. The primary theme of the series is to find the very best watches of some of the bigger brands from every decade. It has been an absolute joy to write these articles and delve deeper into the brands offerings and I am far from being done. Along the way, we have even seen quite a few vintage watches that turned out to be great affordable options. Its safe to say that there are also a ton of fantastic alternative options that have not been featured in the series. With an ever-growing interest in vintage watches and many options available, its time to have a look at some of the best vintage options under [...]
Grand Seiko has become synonymous with its incredibly textured dials but theres more to the brand than that, of course. Meet the Grand Seiko SBGY007 from the Elegance Collection: a Spring Drive powered dress watch whose dial pays tribute to the frozen waters of Lake Suwa. During most winters, a long ridge appears in the ice from one side of the lake to the other. Legend has it that this is the Omiwatari', or where the Gods themselves walk over the ice. When Grand Seiko puts it like that, then you know it must be good. And based on what weve seen so far, it is.The dress watch stylings of this Grand Seiko Elegance Collection SBGY007 are unmistakable. The case dimensions also reflect its more r [...]
Stormy. Slick. Sophisticated. Shimmering. Smokey? Smart These are some of the words I would use to describe the new Grand Seiko SBGE271 (the black dial) and the SBGE269 (the white dial). Ive never been a massive fan of Grand Seikos elegance collection but occasionally find myself taken by one or two of the models. These bad boys have my attention because their existence is justified by one thing and one thing alone. It just so happens that one thing is something I definitely like: texture.Im straight of the back of two special edition projects that gave me the chance to play around with my love of texture. The Minase Dividio we released back in March was my take on the Japanese brands classi [...]
How do you like your chronograph? Bi-compax horizontal or maybe vertical? Three-counter Speedmaster or maybe Lemania 5501 style? And what about a single subdial at 12 for the hours and minutes? The agony of choice. And to make things even more complicated, there are the various Spring Drive SBGC model chronographs from Japan with their original layout. And now there's a new version: the Grand Seiko Spring Drive Chronograph SBGC240 the chrono to end all chrono's? Let's try and find an answer to that question.Responsible for the unusual dial layout of the Grand Seiko Spring Drive Chronograph SBGC240 is the Spring Drive Caliber 9R86. Seiko claims that this movement, that debuted in 2007, is b [...]
In February of this year, Grand Seiko announced four new GMT watches as new additions to their Elegance collection. Two of the four models are the Spring Drive powered SBGE269 and SBGE 271. The other two are the mechanical Hi-Beat SBGJ249 and SBGJ251. Together these four models form the special Seasons series of watches. This series focuses on the changing of seasons that inspired the dials for these watches. I had a chance to go hands-on with the mechanically powered SBGJ249 and SBGJ251. With the world opening up again, could these be your next travel companion?When it comes to GMT watches, there is no better brand than Grand Seiko. The brand offers a variety of different models that featur [...]
