Greg Petronzi is a passionate watchmaker who runs True Patina, a company that specializes in restoring vintage Rolex and Tudor watches. Recently, he sat down with me to share an ultra-rare Rolex Submariner 5510 that came across his workbench. Some of the best things about Rolex and Tudor are the stories. It has been a […]

Visit Bringing A Rolex Submariner 5510 Australian “MilSub” Back To Life to read the full article.

We are trying something new here at Fratello — the Fratelli Stories series. This will be all about researching and publishing some of the great stories out there about you, our readers, and your watches. We’re all here on this site because watches are significant to us, and we want to celebrate the unique ways […]

Visit Fratelli Stories: An IWC Mark XV Pilot’s Watch Fit For A Flyer to read the full article.

Yesterday, NASA astronaut Thomas P. Stafford (September 17th, 1930 – March 18th, 2024) passed away at age 93. Stafford was one of the 24 astronauts who flew to the Moon. Before the Apollo program, he was part of the Gemini 6A and Gemini 9A missions. Apollo 10 “Snoopy” Tom Stafford was the commander of the […]

Visit NASA Astronaut General Tom P. Stafford Passes Away At Age 93 to read the full article.

Yuichiro Miura’s 1970 expedition to Mt. Everest was the subject of a documentary and press coverage, and it became a legend in the extreme skiing community. His companion on that adventure was the Certina DS-2 Chronolympic. It was a hardy chronograph built for adventure. There is a way of considering the world’s tallest peaks that […]

Visit The Man Who Skied Down Everest With A Certina DS-2 Watch to read the full article.

This is the story of how one prime minister’s love of the sea connected him with a senior Rolex executive and inspired the gift of a Rolex Submariner. That prime minister, Harold Holt, was the leader of Australia at the height of the Cold War. His mysterious disappearance shocked the world. On Sunday, December 17th, […]

Visit The Rolex Submariner, The “007 Prime Minister,” And A Cold War Mystery to read the full article.

We cover all of watchmaking at Fratello, and for the last five years or more, our horological world has been marked by a huge retro-nostalgia wave. From budget Kickstarter watches to €10K+ big-brand offerings, many lean heavily on timeless sports watch designs and mid-century inspiration. Then, in the upper echelons, we have a mix of […]

Visit Otsuka Lotec: Perhaps The Coolest Japanese Independent Brand You’ve Never Heard Of to read the full article.

With Wimbledon several weeks behind us, the tennis world has moved on from the majestic grass courts of the All England Lawn Tennis Club in London. The tour will focus mainly on the North American hard courts in the upcoming weeks. It’s all in the build-up to the US Open that will start on the […]

Visit Is There Life After Roger Federer For Rolex In Tennis? to read the full article.

After taking a break from sharing your Watch Box Stories for a couple of weeks, we’ll continue today with a story from Simon. He started the quest for his perfect watch collection with a focus on different watches for different occasions. After we share all the stories, we will raffle off a Peli case and […]

Visit Watch Box Stories: Simon’s Omegas, CWC, And Seiko to read the full article.

On March 25th, Cartier expert, Fratello contributor, and friend George Cramer passed away. His passing did not come totally unexpectedly to me as he was very sick, but it was still a surprise and a shock. George Cramer, Cartier collector and connoisseur George Cramer, a designer by trade, was the art director and designer for […]

Visit Remembering George Cramer (1949 – 2023) to read the full article.

As a vintage guy, it’s always exciting for me to see brands being relaunched. Often, though, my feelings are somewhat ambivalent. It is rare that a watch company comes back to the market with a strategy and lineup that I’m entirely on board with. Nivada Grenchen, however, is an example of a rebirthed brand done […]

Visit An Exclusive Interview With Guillaume Laidet Of Nivada Grenchen to read the full article.