2024 marked the fifth iteration of Geneva Watch Days, and the first that I was not alone, but joined by Ariel Adams and Ed Rhee from team aBlogtoWatch. We could not have timed it any better, since Geneva Watch Days 2024 was by far the biggest, most complex installment to date. Let us now reflect…

When we look at the history of watchmaking over the past 150 years, we notice that most watches people wore were elegant (by today’s standards, that is). It wasn’t until the beginning of modern warfare in the early 20th century that watches became visually and mechanically utilitarian, with straightforward designs, better movements, and, generally speaking,…

As a brand that primarily creates timepieces for law enforcement, first responders, and military personnel, ProTek approaches watchmaking from a function-forward mentality. Back when the company first started, its sole focus was on ultra-rugged quartz watches with tritium-tube luminous displays. However, for its most recent release of 2024, ProTek introduced an automatic version of its…

They say money can’t buy you happiness, but pretty much everything else is for sale — especially when you have super deep pockets. LVMH stepping into Formula 1 in 2025 for a rumored annual sum of US$150 million is proof of that. Rolex has sponsored the biggest motorsport circus on Earth since 2011. Initially, the…

Since the brand’s founding in 2018, Norqain has built a robust lineup of modern, sporty watches. Customers like the attention to detail, expensive looks, and relatively affordable entry points. At Fratello, we’ve followed this journey by covering many of the latest releases. Today, we continue this by looking at the Norqain Independence Skeleton Chrono 42mm…

Sometimes, watches seem predestined to be worn on either a bracelet or a specific strap. It’s almost a no-brainer, especially for sports watches with integrated bracelets. Straum’s Jan Mayen is one of those watches. The Norwegian brand’s popular modern sports watch is often praised for its brilliant design. A big part of that design is…

Rolex has come with a different kind of release: a book. Oyster Perpetual Submariner – The Watch That Unlocked The Deep is a new 252-page book in partnership with publisher Wallpaper* and authored by Nicholas Foulkes.  Rolex says that Submariner is a “wide-ranging account of the Submariner,” chronicling the entire history of the model introduced in…

My final appointment, if you can call it that, during a whirlwind 48 hours at Geneva Watch Days was an impromptu meeting over beers with young German watchmakers Johannes Kallinich and Thibault Claeys on a patio overlooking Lake Geneva. The young watchmakers were sitting with JX Su (Watches by SJX) and called me over to…