Seamaster Planet OceanWe cover Omega and their Speedmasters every (Speedy) Tuesday, but hardly anything on the Seamaster Planet Ocean. Somehow, I have never considered a Planet Ocean for my private collection of watches when they first came out. That changed already a bit with the introduction of the caliber 8500 models a few years ago. It is an all-round performer, more versatile than the Speedmaster watches I collect myself. I have an old Seamaster 300M Ti Chronograph Diver from the 1990s that I use as my holiday watch and while I love this model, it does show its 1990s roots. The Planet Ocean is a bit more timeless due to some of the 1957 Seamaster 300 influences, but as I said, I rarely ...
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In 2017, during a visit to the Nomad Barbershop, in London, I got roped into an Oris-endorsed shave off for Movember. The prize for the Mo Bro who raised the most cash? A freshly launched Oris Diver 65 Movember edition of their very ownThanks to the attendees of Time 4A Pint and the listeners of the Time 4A Pint podcast my ridiculous mustache drew in more thane2,200 of donations, putting me at the top of the Oris shave off group. Consequently, the handsome retro-styled diver from Hostein ended up on my wrist.Two years on, I decided it was time to find the Oris a new home. As I had won the watch by raising money and awareness for a good cause in 2017, it seemed to me that the right way to put...
Welcome to This Week in Watches for November 30, 2019.? For those of you who celebrated Thanksgiving, we hope you had an enjoyable one and are still working through those epic leftovers.? For those who didnt perhaps you decided to take part in the madness known as Black Friday.? If youre still looking for something new, perhaps this weeks news will present an ideaWolbrook ReturnsFirst up on This Week in Watches is a look at some new watches from a brand that disappeared some 50 years ago: Wolbrook.? Wolbrook made watches that were assembled in France, but the ones I recall used skindiver cases that were found on many brands of the day.? Interestingly, Neil Armstrong had one during his test p...
It must not go unnoticed, this change at the Seiko Watch Corporation. Grand Seiko is is?now a separate entity and will no longer feature Seiko on the dial of their watches. The Grand Seiko logo will proudly show at 12 oclock on all their watches from now on.Grand Seiko SBGW252A wise move I think, as there was a bit too much confusion at times with three different Seikos on the dial. First there was the brandname Seiko at 12 oclock, below the center pinion youd find the GS logo and Grand Seiko written under that. From today on, it is just the GS logo at 12 oclock and Grand Seiko written under it. But not only that, Grand Seiko will be treated as a separate company. Like what Lexus is to Toyot...
About two years ago, I received an e-mail from one of our German readers. He is a radiologist and told me he was ever so happy when Omega introduced their Aqua Terra 15,000 gauss in 2013. Even better, he wrote me that he tested it with one of the MRI equipment up to 30,000 gauss and it still worked perfectly. Not too long ago, Omega tested their watch at 160,000 gauss and guess what happened? Nothing.160,000 gaussHow important is anti-magnetism for a watch? Well, I wasnt even aware (I change watches fairly often that I cant properly measure its?accuracy) but when I was at the Omega HQ?in October one of my Speedmaster watches was performing quite badly. It was magnetized according to the tech...
Ah, the tachymeter. Youve definitely seen them around, and you may even own a watch with one on it. Its the seemingly ubiquitous scale that has graced some of the most famous chronographs in history. Thus, when tasked to come up with my top five picks for the best tachymeter watches, usual suspects like the omega Daytona and Omega Speedmaster Professional immediately sprung to mind. And theres a good reason for that. These models are indeed classics with an unquestionably iconic status. The more I thought about it though, the more I realized that I wanted to make this list a bit different. No taking the easy way out this time After all, just because a watch is famous doesnt necessarily mean ...
Sigh. Another watch forum?. Yes. Although Perpetuelle is more than just a forum on watches. On Perpetuelle youll find a nice on-line library containing a lot of watches with their technical specifications. It is like having your Armband Uhren Katalog online. The forum part consists of a number brand forums, but also a generic watch forum, a forum on vintage watches, a diving watch forum, a ladies watch forum and a forum for watch techies. The atmosphere is very refreshing to be honest, at least when you compare it to the big watch portals where reading the disclaimer before you post is mandatory.Another great feature is that you can fill a virtual watch box with the watches you have or want ...
It is amazing what JC Biver from Hublot accomplished in the past decade or so. Of course, his track record goes much further than Hublot (think Blancpain and Omega for example). Today he manages Hublot and the success he had with the brand is also being applied to TAG Heuer and Zenith.However, those two other LVMH brands have their own customer profile and matching watches. Just like Hublot. You can think or say anything you want about Hublot (some purists regard is as fashion watches, others are totally into them), but they are doing very well since Jean-Claude Biver and?Ricardo Guadalupe are calling the shots.This year, Hublot?introduced a couple of new models that I think are quite intere...
A chronograph is one of the most sought-after complications. Not only do I use mine to time a journey, task, or during cooking, it also makes you really interact with your mechanical watch. You visibly set a mechanism in motion when pushing the start button. When the watch has a transparent case back, it is even more fun to watch the parts respond to your command.Omega was one of the remaining big names that had something to offer in this category, but with the introduction of the new Moonwatch Master Chronometer, this belongs to the past as well. With the Moonwatch moving out of this league, I wondered what chronograph under 5,000 (or $5,000) I would buy.I am aware I should know better but ...
Emmanuel Coindre has successfully achieved his challenge of rowing across the northern passage of the Pacific, from Japan to the United States, meaning almost 11,000 km in 129 days 17 hours 22 minutes and 22 seconds. Jaeger-LeCoultre supported the sportsman at each step of this daunting and ambitious undertaking, during which Emmanuel???s physical and mental preparation was confronted with extremely unfavourable weather conditions. The Master Compressor Extreme World Chronograph remained firmly strapped to his wrist throughout the voyage.Jaeger-LeCoultre introduces 30 models of this Master Compressor Extreme World Chronograph. 20 watches in titanium steel combination and 10 watches in titan...
Thats right, were trying to do keep our podcast on a tight weekly schedule Fratello On Air returns and this week, Balazs and Mike talk about some wishes for 2022. This isnt a pure recap of a recent 2022 Watch Wishes article, so tune in for new content!Balazs and Mike are keeping the microphone hot Both return, and while Balazs is not feeling his best, theyre here to talk about what theyre looking forward to in 2022. Some of those wants are realistic, while others are hopeful thinking.Handgelenks Kontrolle and on to 2022The Handgelenks Kontrolle kicks things off with Balazs wearing his bi-color Datejust 16013 and Mike sporting his Breitling Superocean Heritage 57.? Then, we talk about a few m...
Weve seen this battle many times before. The omega Submariner Date versus just about any dive watch thats willing and able to throw down against the titan. The challenge is selecting a watch that can transcend the general populace as effortlessly as the Submariner. From Steve McQueen to Sylvia Earle, the omega Sub has graced the wrists of legendary ambassadors across the gamut. Regardless of those who wear them, the watch, the engineering, the heritage, and pure design perfection have made the Submariner an inspiration worldwide. This has led many brands to throw their hands up and proclaim, If you cant beat it, join it. That is unless you are Omega with its Seamaster Diver 300M. Today, I co...
Fortuna is auctioning a number of interesting watches during their Important Watches sale on September 27th. We would like to give you our highlights of that auction, but feel free to browse their catalogue anyways, as they have quite an interesting line-up of watches. The Important Watches auction consists of 66 lots, with a fair share of omega watches, of course. But you will also find other interesting pieces, like the G rald Genta Octagon Chronograph for example, or a beautiful desk clock from Jaeger-LeCoultre (Marina).We picked a couple of highlights of this auction, that may interest you as well. Without further ado, lets have a look.Patek Philippe Nautilus 5712/1ANot vintage or someth...
Gatsbys style sign from omega. Original Seiko Date Tee and last, but not least, an Omega Speedmaster poster.A few weeks ago, we shortlisted our first three gift ideas. We created this series to show you whats out there for watch nerds like ourselves, besides watches cool things to have.Creative lightingI once bought an all original 1975 Ford Coke bottle Cortina from an old fellow from the Czech Republic. I also noticed a big Ford sign hanging down from his ceiling. I thought to myself, If you don't ask, you don't get it. So I asked, but I didn't get it. But three weeks after I bought the car, I got a call from him. I was not asking this time, but I got it. I restored it and proceeded to hang...
Squiggly got my attention before, but Ive recently noticed (I am not that much of a Swatch collector) that they have a Swatch Forum besides their Squiggly Swatch Store. The forum is visited by Swatch enthusiasts from all over the world and besides the generic Swatch talk, there is a lot of interest in identifying all kinds of Swatch models.What I also noticed about Swatches is, althought that they are plastic, battery operated, quartz driven and (normally spoken) disposable watches, most people seem to like them (or the brand). Even the sophisticated mechanical watch collectors seem to have respect for the brand that invented this Swiss made watch in 1982. Perhaps it has something to do with...
Today, Im taking?a closer look?at the current?omega line-up?and picking out what I consider design flaws. My selection is subjective, but I cannot be the only one who has looked at a modern omega and thought, It would be better ifa.?I am not attempting to be an armchair designer and fully appreciate I am not the only customer base.?However,?sometimes, a particularly omega model is showered with praise,?yet?I cannot shake the sense of Emperor's new clothes syndrome. There is even a chance to vote and share your voice in the comments section?below, so?let's?get the debate going.?Firstly, you might be wondering why I am deciding to kick-off the New Year in a slightly negative connotation. Hasn'...
Im going to be honest: this is not just a list of my five current favorite omega watches. This is a confrontation with a question that has been on my mind for some time. Is buying a new omega slowly turning into the itch you cant scratch? I dont want to think that way, but who I am kidding? As I was writing it, I knew this list was really a long-overdue goodbye to the idea of buying a new omega. Call me a hopeless romantic, but there is more to this than simply availability. So lets go and close this book for once and for all.I have been fortunate enough to write several entries in our Sunday Morning Showdown column with my colleague Ben. And over the course of these last few months, we have...
How very dare you, Grand Seiko USA This morning, I got an email from Nick Roberts at Lawrence Co PR (thanks, Nick) informing me that three new limited-edition (obviously) time-only Grand Seikos would be debuting in the US market. Its just as well Nick had the wherewithal to let me know otherwise I might never have learned of these beauties. And they are beautiful. First things first, book yourself a flight to the States or tap up your long-lost cousin to pick one up for you. Once youve done that, come back and read about the Grand Seiko SBGW273, 275, and 277.Look, I know Fratello is based in Europe and we are a team of almost exclusively Europeans, but this is 2021. This is the internet. It...
TAG Heuer and chronographs go hand-in-hand and since we love chronographs here at Fratellowatches, we thought it is about time to zoom-in on one of the coolest chronographs we saw at the BaselWorld show this year. Dedicated to the man behind the Carrera, Jack Heuer, TAG Heuer came up with a very nice chronograph with their in-house caliber 1887 movement. Even better, they decided to use the design of a stopwatch and put it inside a watch case (with a strap). This means, that this watch has the classic bullhead chronograph design as youve probably seen from other brands in the past as well. TAG Heuers special piece this year, the Carrera MikroPendulumS has the same Bullhead design.The TAG Heu...
In 2021, Omega updated the iconic Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch with the caliber 3861 movement. A very good reason to update our Speedmaster Buyers Guide as well!This guide dates all the way back to 2014, and since then, a lot happened. Not only did we have our own way with Omega and the two Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday watches (in 2017 and 2018), Omega also introduced a number of interesting Speedmaster watches to the collection. What about the Speedmaster Calibre 321 from 2020, or the new Moonwatch Master Chronometer models in gold? Time for us to update this Speedmaster Buyers Guide.In this Speedmaster Buyers Guide, we give you an overview of the most important references of the Speedm...