Fratello Talks: Trade To Upgrade — Is It Possible To Trade Your Way To Your Grail Watch?

Starting small but dreaming big

September 11, 2025

comments 1

Everyone knows the story: you start with a paperclip and trade your way up to a house. Canadian blogger Kyle MacDonald made it happen in 2006 with his One Red Paperclip project. Could this principle, on a smaller scale, be applied to watches? Today on Fratello Talks, Nacho, Thomas, and RJ join to discuss the topic and share their experiences trading their way up. It was a potentially lucrative pursuit back in the day, but whether you can still trade to upgrade your watch today remains to be seen. Before we get into the episode, it’s time for a wrist check.

Wrist check

On RJ’s wrist today is the Speedmaster to rule them all, his Apollo 11 50th Anniversary model in 18K Moonshine Gold. He didn’t exactly trade in a big case full of Speedies for this one, but it’s still his grail for daily wear.

Thomas is still on a blue kick with the VPC Type 37HW in its sportiest colorway. He has yet to recover his gray version, so the blue one will have to do in the meantime. However, by the sound of things, he seems to be growing accustomed to and even fond of this one.

Nacho has gone with his trusty titanium Breitling Aerospace. This model from the early 2000s combines a slim, lightweight, yet rugged titanium case with a multifunctional quartz movement. It even has a digital minute repeater.

Fratello Talks: Trade To Upgrade — Is It Possible To Trade Your Way To Your Grail Watch?

Could you take a watch in your collection and, through a series of increasingly superior trades, end up with your grail watch? In theory, this should be possible; in practice, it may be more difficult. Today, the guys ponder the idea and speak about their experiences buying and trading watches. Though they have done so with varying degrees of success, it’s still something that, in theory, could be doable today. Regardless, we’d love to hear about your experience with this approach.

Have you ever traded watches in general? How about with your grail as the end goal in mind? Share your stories in the comments below, and tune in next week for a new episode of Fratello Talks!