Fratello On Air: Balazs & Mike Discuss Exotic Materials — Tudor, Zenith, And More

Exotic materials — titanium, ceramic, and carbon. What do we think of them for our watches? Tune in to the latest episode of Fratello On Air to find out what Balazs and Mike have to say.

What happens when two vintage watch lovers come together to discuss exotic materials? Well, we had to open our minds and consider alternatives to our beloved stainless steel. In the first of a two-part series, we talk about materials that find their way to watch cases. Titanium, ceramic, and carbon are in play, and while they aren’t our favorites, we come up with some suggested models.

Getting into exotic materials

As always, we begin with the Handgelenks Kontrolle. Balazs is rocking his vintage Heuer Montreal and Mike has his (titanium) Seiko Marinemaster “Emperor Tuna” SBDX011. Then, we chat a little about TV shows as Mike expresses his boredom related to the movie The Eternals. Balazs gives some watchable suggestions to help get past those winter blues including Endeavour, Grantchester, Broadchurch, and Bodyguard.

When we come to the main event related to exotic materials, neither of us is truly in love with titanium, ceramic, or carbon. But that doesn’t stop us from providing some suggestions. Regarding titanium, Mike brings up the trusty Tudor Pelagos, while Balazs discusses Zelos. Ceramic brings to mind one of Mike’s favorite all-time review pieces, the Omega Speedmaster Grey Side of the Moon. Balazs chimes in with some wild card suggestions such as the Bell & Ross like the BR 03-92.

Finally, we discuss the fanciest material — ceramic. We discuss the ultra-pricey such as the Zenith Defy Classic and the Panerai Luminor Marina PAM1661. Balazs mentions a crowdpleaser with DOXA SUB 300 Carbon (a watch both of us would love to own) and affordable options from Tempest.

Enjoy the show and, as always, feel free to let us know if there are any topics you’d love for us to discuss on a future episode!