Welcome back to another episode of Fratello On Air! We’re back (sort of) after more travels, and this week, we discuss the fallout that happens once a formerly unloved brand becomes popular. Call it sour grapes or wanting to keep something to oneself, but feel free to listen to our thoughts on the subject. Enjoy the show!
I’m sure you know what it’s like to be holding a secret. No, I don’t mean the salacious kind, but when you know of something good that others are ignoring. Sometimes, it’s the best song on a new album that hasn’t been released. For this episode, though, we’re here to talk about watches. Specifically, we mention the recent attention garnered by a brand that has been dormant to mainstream collectors for the better part of four decades, Movado. We also mention Balazs’s favorite, Angelus.
Handgelenkskontrolle
We kick off our episode about a cult brand getting popular with some banter. After all, it’s been a while since we’ve spoken. Mike is currently in Canton, Ohio, and had the opportunity to visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It’s a must-see for anyone who enjoys the game! Then, we turn our attention to the TV shows we’ve been watching. Paradise, The Night Agent, and Cross are current hits worth streaming. For the Handgelenkskontrolle, Mike brought one watch to Ohio. It’s his metallic-black-dial Rolex Datejust 16030 from 1983. He hasn’t worn it much over the past five years, but it has performed admirably on the trip. Balazs has even more exciting news. After his recent trip to Japan, he ordered the Ōtsuka Lōtec No.5 Kai, and it just arrived. This is a very different brand and style of watch for him. We can’t wait for the review!
When a brand you love becomes popular
We spend our time discussing the positives and negatives of when a brand you enjoy suddenly gains more of a mainstream following. Our recent prime example of this is Movado, a company that made some fantastic watches from the 1930s through parts of the 1970s. We discuss how Movado’s more complicated vintage models were once popular with collectors during the 1980s, when smaller pieces were all the rage. However, since then, no one cared much until now. Savvy collectors have long appreciated Movado’s in-house movements and above-average attention to detail, but this somehow escaped dealer websites until recently.
Aside from rising prices, we discuss the other pitfalls of a once-cultish brand becoming more widely known. Balazs keeps our conversation balanced with similar thoughts about his favorite vintage marque, Angelus. Of course, availability has dropped along with the ability to find a diamond in the rough. Plus, we’ve witnessed a rise in dubiously knowledgeable merchants proclaiming originality on a piece when there are clear issues (as an aside, I know the sub-seconds hand in our header photo subject is incorrect). Also, for collectors who place a lot of trust in dealers, there’s a big difference in the robustness between a watch from the ’30s or ’40s without shock protection and a more modern ’60s chronograph. When problems occur, will people abandon a brand like Movado? In our experience, servicing such older pieces is also more challenging due to parts availability and watchmaker patience. If it sounds like we’re bad-mouthing Movado, we’re not! Perhaps we’re simply concerned about the fallout once the hype subsides.
We hope you enjoy today’s episode, and we’re looking forward to your comments. If you have thoughts on subjects for future shows, please let us know!
Michael Stockton
2026-03-10 08:00:00