At its core, good branding comes down to balancing two often contradictory things at once: to maintain brand recognition, while not becoming stale. For a brand like MING, which has built something of a reputation for its roster of eye-catching designs, this is an especially fine line. The...
The audacity of Horologer Ming as a watch designer and an independent watchmaker isn’t to be demonstrated anymore… Over its short life, the brand has managed to create a strong identity, yet it never ceases to evolve. Since its debut in 2017, the collective led by designer and photographer Ming...
The name Leica often comes up in the Fratello office. Usually, it’s in reference to its famous cameras, but ever since the German brand introduced its first mechanical watches, we’ve also begun associating it with horology. This shows how closely connected mechanical watchmaking and photography...
Spring is in the air, and French brand March LA.B celebrates its favourite month with a limited edition of its flagship AM2 watch collection. Founded in 2009 by three friends, united by a passion for surfing and retro design, the LA.B part of the brand’s name does not refer to a laboratory but...
March LA.B initially caught my eye with the release of its AM2 GMT Grall Edition in 2024. But the French brand has been around for much longer than just a few years. It is the brainchild of three friends — Alain Marhic, Jérôme Mage, and Joseph Châtel. They share a passion for surfing and 1970s...
I don’t like chronographs. I don’t like chronographs. I don’t like chronographs. I have to keep repeating that to myself so that I don’t buy Traska’s newest watch. Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised that Traska was able to create a chronograph I felt I actually wanted to own. The brand is known for...
With the Masterlink Boutique Edition, Gerald Charles aims to reinforce its preference for controlled distribution and direct customer dialogue. Available only through the brand’s boutiques in Geneva and Nagoya, this limited edition follows the earlier Masterlink series. First introduced in 2024,...
Time flies when everything resonates nicely, doesn’t it? It sure does for Armin Strom. No fewer than 10 years have passed since the independent Swiss house launched its breakthrough resonance mechanism. Although not actively marketed as an anniversary model, I reckon it is safe to say this...
Benrus has unveiled a new version of their Sky Chief, a classic pilot’s chronograph that dates to the brand’s 1940s heyday. There are many, many vintage inspired chronographs and re-editions of classic references on the market, so it takes a certain something to stand out from the crowd in this...
