Fratello Talks: The Most Underrated Watch Brands

A handful of brands that get less love than they deserve

October 03, 2024

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Hey there, and welcome to this week’s episode of Fratello Talks. What are some of the most underrated watch brands out there? That’s the question that Nacho, RJ, and Daan have chosen for today’s discussion. And though there are indeed many brands that may not receive the praise and recognition they deserve, the guys have chosen to focus on just a handful. For the sake of brevity, they also specify that their picks are limited to larger, more mainstream brands that they believe to be underrated. Being such a subjective topic, it’s one that always results in a polarizing and interesting discussion that we know you’ll enjoy. But before we get into it, let’s see what’s on the wrist today.

Wrist check

You may not be surprised to find an Omega Speedmaster on RJ’s wrist today. However, you may be shocked by the fact that it’s a steel 3570.50 Speedy and not his go-to 18K Moonshine Gold Apollo 11 50th Anniversary. He’s also not wearing this Speedy on the bracelet as he usually does, the reason for which he briefly reveals in this episode.

Next up is Daan, who is rocking his crowd-pleasing Cartier Santos Galbée XL. This neo-vintage Cartier is a classy number that gets plenty of attention whenever Daan posts it on his Instagram. After wearing it as often as he does, it certainly has become a signature watch for his wrist.

Finally, Nacho has his Tudor Pelagos FXD back on his wrist after a short break and brief honeymoon with his wild card, an orange-dialed Scurfa he’s been enjoying for the last couple of weeks. It seems that he’s on a mission, determined to find out just how many titanium watches one man can own before it’s enough (so far, he’s at five and counting). Now, with the wrist check out of the way, it’s time to jump into the topic.

Fratello Talks: The Most Underrated Watch Brands

Tudor, Omega, and Cartier are three brands that are far from underrated. If we turned the clock back 5–10 years, though, perhaps we couldn’t have said that about Cartier. These days, La Maison and its timepieces are enjoying a streak in the limelight. However, some watch enthusiasts scoffed at Cartier for being “just a jewelry brand” for a long time. Now, for the sake of keeping today’s discussion brief, the guys focused on larger brands that they consider underrated. This means that they consciously steer clear of microbrands and independents. It’s far more tempting to consider them underrated or underappreciated. Admittedly, they tend to be slightly more niche and known only by the few rather than the many. Today, though, Nacho, RJ, and Daan focus on mainstream brands that they think are not getting enough credit for what they do.

Zenith Pilot Automatic and Big Date Flyback Boutique Editions

As always, we ask you to join the discussion. Let us know your thoughts on these picks, and share the brands that you feel are underrated in the comments below. Also, make sure to tune in next week for a new episode of Fratello Talks.

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Fratello Talks: The Most Underrated Watch Brands

Most under-rated company making watches today? Casio.
As for Cartier, the majority of their watches contain entirely mundane calibres. They have very nice designs and are good at producing them. The finishing on a Santos is meticulous. But you do pay a lot for the privilege. Perhaps the reason they are now better-regarded is because other companies’ prices have become so ludicrous? I mean, right now, Hermes watches seem reasonable. That is bizarre!

I bought a used 3570.50 in the summer and I have been wearing it all the time ever since. It’s my first Speedmaster and I’m in love with it. I don’t wear it when I’m with our toddler, because I’m still babying the watch, but I will need to let this go soon, especially because the intention is to gift the watch to him on his 18th birthday.

Definitely Hentschel and Zeitwerk. Who hear has heard of them? I am sure some have.

Who else… Citizen and their cheap yet tech packed Ti-Eco-Atomic watches. Perhaps they should be more active in marketing and refreshing these collections while they intoduce the automatics and divers which do get attention. Even their 0200/0210 are thought of being too expensive.

Chronoswiss–despite being one of the most original ones out there.

I still think Oris is–based on the constant comments that they charge too much. I think their watches (with the in-house movements) perfectly fit their price but are though to too expensive just beacuse of the brand name.

I agree about Hermes.

I guess it would be better not to step into the “overrated brands” theme, right?;-)

Now the market has softened and we can see all those puny physiques as the tide has gone out, it might be a good idea for your next ‘Talks’ to look at who were the most overrated. 😉

Will get round to watching the vid later, but going by the simple principle of who offers the best bang for buck, I suppose Breguet could be seen in a good light, especially the new Type XXs that Lex was so adamant are grossly *underpriced *.

I’d say Moser, too. They’ve had the tiniest increase in price of any brand while offering exceptional technical quality, and they never really attempted to take advantage of the wake of the Big Boys during the spike of ’21-’22 and surf too high, so always kept it real.