A regular podcast about watches. Hosted by Fratello Magazine. During our podcast shows, we discuss watches, the watch industry, watch collecting, watches events and more. Make sure to subscribe!
Every other week, we're bombarded with an onslaught of new watches. And though we're not too upset about it in principle, the incessant pace at which the majority of watch brands pump out new products has recently had us asking, "Are watch brands doing too much?" Today, on Fratello Talks , Nacho, Thomas, and Gerard join forces to discuss the topic. Of the three, Thomas has the unique perspective of owning and managing a watch brand. Gerard can provide some perspective as a fo...
Welcome to the latest episode of Fratello On Air ! This week, we imagine certain current brands as independent watchmakers. The topic was a lot of fun to discuss and came as a suggestion from two of our listeners. Enjoy the show! Most of today's watch brands belong to large groups. Undoubtedly, this helped many survive the Quartz Crisis during the '70s. However, what if some brands went independent? In today's episode, we envision several companies on their own and what it would l...
Regardless of your opinion on the brand, there’s bound to be a Rolex out there for just about anyone. The brand’s back catalog is vast and full of brilliant references. On today’s episode of Fratello Talks, we’re each picking three of our all-time favorites. Nacho, Thomas, and Lex have done some research, but little to no alignment ahead of this impromptu episode, so there’s bound to be plenty of deep cuts, some overlap, and on-the-fly changes. In the end, each of the guys ends up pretty pleased...
Welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air. This week, we cover the latest news on watches and other subjects. We discuss the 250th Anniversary of Breguet and several other high-end brands. It was a relatively quiet week on the watch front, but there were still releases and news. Breguet released its first anniversary model, and it's worth some words. This leads to our thoughts on other higher-end brands. Also, we discuss Rolex, but not in the way you'd expect. Handgelenkskontrolle ...
Welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air ! This week, we discuss two popular complications and their usefulness. It's the type of nerdy talk we hope you enjoy! Watch complications are a big part of why many of us collect timepieces. Dive watches, chronographs, alarms, and others form the cornerstone of some collections. Today, though, we focus on two types of watches that couldn't be any more different if they tried! The GMT and perpetual calendar genres were popular at Watches an...
It's 2025, and dress watches are in! But that doesn't mean you have to dust off your tuxedo. In fact, it's quite the opposite: the dress watch's link to formal attire has never been less relevant than it is today. Dress watches — both in the stricter definition and in adjacent style — are gaining popularity, but it's not because of all the opulent, Great Gatsby-esque cocktail parties that millennials and zoomers are throwing; it's because of a relatively recent styl...
We're back with another episode of Fratello On Air . This week, we're wrapping up Watches and Wonders. We've had time to think about the show, the adjoining events, and the watches. You'll hear our impressions and some good old banter. For our listeners, the watch content begins after 30 minutes. Mike is at his childhood home in Parkland, Florida, this week while Balazs is in Germany. We apologize for the late release, but vacations get in the way every so often. We've h...
We don't just go to Watches and Wonders to get our hands on all the new watches; we also keep our eyes on the bigger picture, looking at the overarching themes that emerge at the show. On today's episode of Fratello Talks, we're looking at some of the trends that we felt were most prominent this year. These are the things we expect to see more of as the year goes on — the influential factors that shape what watch brands will be doing over the coming months. Daan and Lex join Nacho...
Welcome to this special installment of Fratello Talks . This is the Watches and Wonders 2025 debrief episode, where Nacho, RJ, Daan, and Lex share their highlights from this year's show. We also discuss just about every brand and novelty released at the fair. Honorable mentions go to some of the novelties released at the other events that took place in town last week. It's not unfair to say that it was the biggest this ever-monumental week for the watch world has been in recent times. ...
Welcome back to a special episode of Fratello On Air ! This week, we bring you a compilation of recordings from Watches and Wonders 2025. We patched together several segments and even had a guest! Enjoy this inside look at the world's largest watch event. Watches and Wonders 2025 may be over, but it's still fresh in our minds. As we did for the last Geneva Watch Days, this episode is a collection of small recordings from the conference. It reflects our thoughts about the latest release...
Nacho and Lex discuss their highlights from Watches and Wonders 2025, focusing on notable releases from Rolex, Tudor, and other brands. They share their opinions on specific models, including the Rolex Land Dweller, Tudor Pelagos Ultra, and Nomos World Timers, and reflect on the overall atmosphere of the event.
Watches and Wonders 2025 is just a few days away, so today, on Fratello Talks , we're making our predictions, voicing our wishes, and expressing our fears for the week ahead. Nacho, RJ, and Lex are feeling the pre-Watches and Wonders excitement. After all, it's the biggest week of the year for the watch industry, with a record 60 brands showcasing their novelties at the fair. Though we have unique early access to some of the new watches, we do our best not to give anything away and loo...
Welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air ! This week, we share our hopes and dreams (not really) for what should be an epic Watches and Wonders 2025. After a blah 2024, we're expecting some cracking releases. We discuss some of our wishes and the event in general. For our listeners, the watch content starts after 30 minutes. Watches and Wonders 2025 is a week away, so it's time to hear our wishes for new releases. Leaks have occurred, but no one knows if they're true. We&apos...
Simply put, not all complications are created equal. In today's episode of Fratello Talks , we discuss many of these horological elements adjacent to a watch's most essential time-telling function. Nacho, Thomas, and Lex begin by defining terms before listing their favorite complications and ending up with some they don't like so much. They also discuss the fact that some complications play more of an active role, such as a chronograph or GMT, whereas others are not as interactive...
Welcome back to another episode of Fratello On Air . This week, we discuss our feelings about revitalized watch brands. The retro trend has been strong for over a decade, meaning that long-dormant names have been brought back to life. Are all successful? Enjoy one of our lengthiest episodes yet. For our listeners, the watch content starts after 35 minutes. It's hard to think of a brand that hasn't returned to the market. For those of us who have collected watches for a long time, this ...
We would all love to have an unlimited watch budget, but that's not the case for most of us. But that doesn't mean we can't have some hypothetical fun and select the watches we'd buy with €10K, €20K, and €30K. On today's episode of Fratello Talks, Nacho, RJ, and Lex run through their picks at those three price points. Technically, they can choose from new, pre-owned, or even vintage watches. But as you'll quickly see, their picks all benefit from the interesting pri...
Have you ever wanted to buy a vintage watch but been put off by potential pitfalls? Well, this episode of Fratello Talks is the one for you. Today, Nacho, RJ, and Thomas share their advice on buying vintage watches. They've been doing it themselves for years. In Thomas's case, there's even a history of working as a dealer for Amsterdam Watch Co. On today's show, they combine their expertise and distill some advice that everyone taking their first steps toward vintage timepiec...
Welcome back to another episode of Fratello On Air ! This week, we're each choosing three non-Swiss watches with a budget of €20,000. The task is tricky, though, because €20,000 is enough to afford great pieces from the usual suspects, but it means being picky if choosing just one from a costly brand. Get ready for some surprises! For our listeners, the watch content begins after approximately 19 minutes. Switzerland is the center of watchmaking, but there are numerous countries with credib...
Today, on Fratello Talks, we're discussing Audemars Piguet. The brand is celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2025 and has kicked things off by introducing a selection of new models earlier this week. Lex was in Le Brassus to report on the novelties, and Nacho and RJ now join him for this week's discussion. They begin by looking at said novelties and wrap things up by sharing their thoughts on the brand's current direction and whether they've felt the influence of recently ap...
We're back with another episode of Fratello On Air . This week, we're in myth-busting mode. We've seen some silly things on social media, and it's time to shed light on them. For our listeners, the watch content begins after 25 minutes. On one hand, we're pleased that so much watch-related content now exists. On the other, the flood of influencers brings a wide array of commentary. Social media is entertaining, but it's also important to keep a clear head while cons...
In this week's episode of Fratello Talks , we're making a public service announcement: don't let money stop you from enjoying watches! This topic is close to our hearts and has come up more than once at Fratello HQ lately. So today Nacho, Lex, and Thomas gather around the microphones and hash out their thoughts on the matter. Ultimately, it's something we can recommend to you all: don't limit your appreciation. Ownership is a small (and somewhat arguably overrated) part ...
Welcome back to Fratello On Air ! This week, we tackle the second half of our discussion on vintage chronographs. We get into the weeds in this episode, so we hope you like it nerdy! Last week, we kicked off this discussion on vintage chronographs with our thoughts on why we find these watches so alluring. We mentioned racing, the space race, and other daring feats, along with how chronographs were present during many of these activities. Now we're ready to go into detail. Handgelenkskontro...
Hello, and welcome to Fratello Talks . In today's episode, we're taking on the challenge of building a €15,000 watch collection. Nacho, RJ, and Lex have crunched the numbers and leafed through the catalogs and each selected three modern (currently available at retail) watches that they would buy if they had a €15K budget. It's a hypothetical exercise and meant to be just a bit of fun, but ultimately, it's still a challenge trying to leverage the budget to get the most bang fo...
Welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air . This week, we begin a two-part series on vintage chronographs. Apparently, our listeners like hearing about these complicated watches that measure elapsed time. Note that the watch content starts after approximately 25 minutes. Vintage chronographs are a special category of watches. They're complex, often fragile, and strangely addictive! In this episode, we'll begin exploring what makes them so alluring. In our next installment, we'...
Welcome back to Fratello Talks . It's time for some tough love! Today, Nacho, Lex, and Daan are talking about a handful of watch brands with untapped potential. These are big names in the watch world that they deeply respect and admire but feel are not currently delivering to the full extent of their capability. This can relate to a brand's history and legacy, its technical expertise, or even aspects of watchmaking on which a brand has fallen behind. Some of it may sound harsh, but it&...
Welcome back to another episode of Fratello On Air ! This week, we stick to Rolex under €8K and pick our favorites. The entire history of the brand is up for grabs as long as the price is right. Enjoy the episode, and tune in to the watch content after approximately 19 minutes. Getting a sweet Rolex under €8K is not only doable but pretty darn easy! There are loads of models available, including steel sports pieces and dress models in precious metals. Vintage or modern, we've got you covere...
Last week, LVMH Watch Week took place. This week, Nacho, RJ, and Lex are looking at all the watches released by Zenith, TAG Heuer, Louis Vuitton, and Daniel Roth (to name a few). We review all the releases and share our thoughts on those we found worth highlighting. With Watches and Wonders just a couple of months away, you might not have expected the deluge of novelties, but it seems LVMH and its brands have more than one ace up their sleeve. It's a strong start to the year for watches, se...
Welcome back to another episode of Fratello On Air ! This week, we discuss a popular request from our listeners about traveling with watches. We've discussed this topic before, but it's been a while since we last did so. For our listeners, we begin the watch content after 32 minutes. Traveling with watches is a typical topic on forums and boards. Some may think it's a tired subject, but with new collectors always entering the fray, the theme deserves more attention. Plus, with new...
Welcome back to Fratello Talks , folks! What's the best way to spend your hard-earned cash as a watch collector? Should you splurge on many or save for one special piece? One method satisfies curiosity and is fulfilling for some, but it can also leave you with your head spinning, a full watch box, and an empty wallet. The other limits you to fewer watches, but those can, in turn, be more expensive, rare, and "special." This is the topic of discussion for today's podcast. Nach...
Welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air . This week, we discuss our favorite divers from the '60s, '70s, and '80s. We also offer more affordable alternatives. Enjoy this lengthy episode! For our listeners, the watch content begins after 27 minutes. We're receiving some great show ideas from our listeners. For example, today's show on our favorite divers from the '60s, '70s, and '80s came from our chat group. We aim to please with this discussion, and...
