Fratello EDC: Lex Shares His Everyday Carry Essentials From Mismo, Ray-Ban, And Bergeon

Back by dope demand, Fratello EDC is here again for the first time since 2022! In this series, the Fratello team members let you take a peek into their bags and share their Everyday Carry (EDC) items. Lex will kick things off by sharing his daily essentials. What does he carry with him, and does he still schlepp the same stuff around as he did three years ago?

To answer that last question: no, but I wish I did. One of the items in my 2022 EDC was my 2016 Montblanc Heritage Rouge & Noir ballpoint pen in coral red, my favorite pen of all time. With looks inspired by the 1906 Rouge et Noir fountain pen, it celebrates the 110th anniversary of that technically advanced writing instrument. It’s slim and has an unusual shape and design, plus a warm and deep coral-red color. The nicest feature of the pen is the serpent-shaped clip that carefully but firmly entwines the pen. And when you look into the snake’s green spinel eyes, they hypnotize you. Well, they hypnotized me, apparently, because I lost the pen, probably during this year’s Watches and Wonders. A hectic watch event is the perfect place to lose something you love.

Lex shares his EDC essentials: a sad story of loss to start

I didn’t realize I’d lost my pen until after Watches and Wonders was over. Not being able to find it was nothing short of traumatizing. I searched for it everywhere but to no avail. The loss of my Rouge et Noir had the practical result that I no longer feel comfortable bringing a fancy pen anywhere. I have a couple of other fine writing instruments from Montblanc. Still, apart from the fear of losing them as well, there’s another problem: neither of my other pens feels as personal as the coral-red Rouge et Noir. Rebuying it feels wrong, so now I use the pens I receive during, for instance, press meetings.

Thankfully, I was lucky enough to put together a small selection of Caran d’Ache 849 ballpoint pens. This Swiss-made pen’s characteristic hexagonal design makes it a joy to write with. I have a couple in bright fluo colors from Roger Dubuis and a black one from Audemars Piguet. None of them are in the picture, but that’s because I don’t want to jinx these pens.

The Mismo bag

Let’s start with the stuff you can actually see in the pics and the thing that holds that stuff — my bag. It’s a Mismo M/S Canvas Shopper in a heavy, high-quality desert-camo jacquard. The zipped tote bag features a brown full-grain leather trim and has a pocket big enough to hold a phone and a cardholder. My laptop fits, but it’s a tight squeeze. But having a not-too-big bag — the M/S Canvas Shopper is 37cm long, 41cm tall, and 10cm wide — also prevents me from packing too much unnecessary stuff. This colorway is no longer in production, but a black camouflage bag in the current collection looks like a good alternative. It looks so good that it could very well become my fall/winter bag.

Ray-Ban

On the bike, Oakley is my go-to brand, but I prefer Ray-Ban sunglasses off the bike. The Olympian II is my all-time favorite pair, but it’s a bit flashy and a tad dressy. I wanted something a bit more toned down and discreet. I picked the RB4378 with a transparent frame, black temples, and gray gradient lenses.

The style is a new interpretation of the 4376, and guess what: these sunglasses have more feminine than masculine DNA, but I like them. Plus, the medium size and the high-bridge fit work for me. They’re also light and comfy, and the absence of color lets them blend in with every outfit.

Three tools

A lume flashlight, a Bergeon pocket knife, and a notebook are essentials for watch journos. The personalized notebook was a gift, and the Swiss-made Bergeon pocket knife with Fratello branding is standard equipment. The MeisterSinger-branded lume flashlight is essential to check out how the watches in for review light up in the dark, but it’s also nice to play with to enjoy the lume of my Omega Speedmaster Replica 3594.50.

What’s your EDC? Let us know in the comments because we’re always interested in seeing (new) gear!