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 and Wonders 2025, so we discuss the utility of each.
Handgelenkskontrolle
Before tackling two very different complications, we engage in some banter. This week, we keep it relatively brief and discuss a few TV shows. Silo, 3 Body Problem, Dope Thief, Stranger Things, and You all come up in our chat. Balazs also quickly mentions some New Balance 990V6 Miusa Action Bronson Untitled shoes he will purchase. For the Handgelenkskontrolle, Mike is wearing his Ming 18.01 H41 with a newly received mango rubber strap. It's a great color! Balazs is enjoying his Omega Speedmaster 145.022 transitional from 1968. He has it on a perforated strap from Joseph Bonnie.
Complications — useful or useless?
For some reason, there were a lot of GMT and perpetual calendar complications at Watches and Wonders 2025. Seeing GMTs wasn't a surprise, but the flood of new perpetual calendars gave us pause. In this episode, we talk about whether anyone is actually using these functions. Simply put, we see a GMT as useful and a perpetual calendar as relatively useless. A GMT is potentially practical, but we bring up that it might be better behind a desk in a global job. A perpetual calendar is interesting and expensive, but does anyone keep them running consecutively to ensure they stay on track? Plus, is this type of complication a way to show off for the wearer and/or the brand? Have a listen, and tell us what you think. Do you or would you use either of these complications?
Thanks for listening! If you have ideas for future shows, please let us know.