Fratello announced their latest limited edition last week, a collaboration with Straum, a Norwegian brand on the rise who made some noise a few years ago with the Opphav, a stainless steel integrated bracelet sports watch made for an affordable price with a dynamic textured dial. The new collaborative watch with Fratello is notable in that it appears to be a true collaboration, with Straum making rather significant changes to their design at Fratello?s request. This is somewhat rare in the world of collaborative watches, and in this case has resulted in a rather compelling edition with a fiery red dial and some key refinements made from the brand?s earlier watch. 

The Fratello x Straum Jan Mayen Limited Edition is named for a Norwegian island that the brand has tapped for inspiration when it comes to the striking red dial. Fratello describes it as ?lava red? fumé, appropriate given Jan Mayen is home to the Beerenberg volcano. Ridges emanating from the dial?s center replicate flowing lava, and the effect is achieved via a stamping process followed by several steps of painting and surface finishing treatments. The dial text is minimal, just the brand?s logo and wordmark at 12:00, allowing the unique texture to truly take a starring role.
There are several small details beyond the new dial design that differentiate the new LE from Straum?s earlier Opphav. First, the case size has been slightly reduced, from just shy of 41mm to 39mm. At the same time, the bez...