Welcome back to another episode of Fratello Talks. This week, we come to you live from Geneva for a special conversation with Federico Ziviani, CEO of Gerald Charles. For those unfamiliar, Gerald Charles is the independent watch brand founded in 2000 by the late, great Gérald Genta. Today, under the stewardship of Ziviani, the brand carries forward its founder's unmistakable design DNA while carving out a space in the world of fine watchmaking. It's not every day we get to hear directly from the person responsible for steering such a historically significant brand. Thankfully, this episode gives us exactly that opportunity. Alongside Federico, your host Nacho and Fratello On Air's Mike Stockton join the conversation.

This episode was recorded live on location, so the audio isn’t our usual quality. Thanks for understanding!

Welcome back to another episode of Fratello On Air. We've been on hiatus for the last month during the summer, but we're back in action! In this installment, we detail some of the places we've been and what we've seen. Cars and watches have been high on the list!

Yes, it's been a while, but we're back together. This week's podcast is primarily about cars and watches at events in major cities. Next episode, we'll be back with a more hardcore topic, which will likely cover one of our listener suggestions. For now, settle in as we recall our travels and experiences.

Handgelenkskontrolle

Before we get into watches, we begin our discussion about Ferrari's latest reveal. The 849 Testarossa is already proving to be controversial. It sparks a conversation about the difference between comments in social media about cars and watches. Regarding television, we discuss Mobland, Only Murders In The Building, Dexter: Resurrection, and The Sopranos. Then, Balazs mentions the recent sale of a Michael Jordan / Kobe Bryant basketball card that set a record at $12.9 million! For the Handgelenkskontrolle, Balazs is wearing the new Albishorn 1958 Marinagraph Paraíba Racing. Stay tuned for an upcoming hands-on review. Mike is wearing his Seiko SLA019, a 2018 release that marked the first ceramic bezel and sapphire crystal for the beloved Marinemaster 300.

Watches and cars

We kick off our main topic on recent travels that included cars and watches with a recap of Geneva Watch Days. Sadly, Balazs didn't attend, but the releases were well-covered. Overall, the mood was somber because of the US tariff scenario. Brands were questioning the need and the expense related to two shows. The reveals were positive, especially from the smaller brands, but it was a quieter show overall despite more brands in attendance. Next, we discuss the 2025 Balkan Rally, which Balazs attended. The event kicked off in Budapest and ended five days later in Dubrovnik. Classic cars and watches were all part of the festivities. Finally, we head back to London, where Mike attended the Concours of Elegance hosted by A. Lange & Söhne. Once again, several of the attendees wore intriguing watches, but the cars were incredible. Of note was a lovely Singer Porsche. It was the first time Mike saw one in person, which followed his first visit to the Singer Reimagined headquarters in Geneva just two days earlier.

We hope you enjoyed our return to the airwaves, and we look forward to coming back regularly. As always, if you have ideas for future shows, feel free to let us know.

Everyone knows the story: you start with a paperclip and trade your way up to a house. Canadian blogger Kyle MacDonald made it happen in 2006 with his One Red Paperclip project. Could this principle, on a smaller scale, be applied to watches? Today on Fratello Talks, Nacho, Thomas, and RJ join to discuss the topic and share their experiences trading their way up. It was a potentially lucrative pursuit back in the day, but whether you can still trade to upgrade your watch today remains to be seen.