Today was press day at Baselworld 2018 and we took the opportunity to sit down with Breitling to see some of their newest releases. There's been a lot happening with the brand since the arrival of Georges Kern as CEO. Examples of this are the embracing of the brand's rich history, the deletion of the winged logo and the return of the script Band familiar Breitling font. With it, we've seen some new models announced such as the Breitling Navitimer 8 chronographs ? a 3-hand model, a chronograph with in-house B-01 movement and an ETA 7750-powered version. Today, we'll take a brief look at just some of the newly announced Breitling Baselworld 2018 pieces.Navitimer CollectionWithin the Breitling ...
Blog
A visit to the OMEGA Museum was on my ToDo list as soon as I bought my first vintage Omega watch in 1999. In the past, I had mailed several occasions with Marco Richon (former curator of the museum) and John Diethelm (archives of Omega), but it never came to a visit to their museum in Bienne.Just recently, the Omega museum has been refurbished and a new curator (Brandon Thomas) has been appointed. Omega invited me over to come to visit their new museum and two factory visits to see how their Co-Axial movements are manufactured.Together with the guys from aBlogtoRead, Hodinkee, Les Rhabilleurs and WatchingHorology we headed to Bienne, Switzerland, to see these treasures of one of my favorite ...
At my nieces birthday last year, the news finally broke that I had become a total watch nerd. I finally showed my family the Instagram account I had been running for a year and a half, and they asked me about the watches I owned. I named a few, and then they looked at my wife and asked, So, what are you wearing? She proudly showed them her Timex Waterbury, which I got her for around 80 a few years ago. What she didnt know was that, behind her back, I had already ordered a Cartier Tank Must Solarbeat for her 40th birthday.I got her that Timex because she had seen an actual omega Datejust at one of her gym classes and told me she liked it. Back then, I told her what that watch cost roughly 10K...
The impossible happened. The Cartier Santos Galb e changed my mind about bimetallic watches. Just a bit, but every bit counts.Every time I've seen steel and gold mixed together on a watch face or a bracelet, I give it a wide berth. Maybe it's just my childhood memories of walking through cheap markets full of rubbish goods (calling them gadgets would be an overstatement) from Russia or China. As much as I love debating with people and encouraging them to try new things on their wrists, I remain chained to my radical views on bimetallic watches.Gold and steel togetherWhen I see cold steel and warm gold together, I have to cover my eyes to un-see an outfit ready for a local 90s disco. I wasnt ...
As a follow-up to our recent guide to mid-range Seiko dive watches, were back with another helpful article. This time, though, were looking at diving tools from the Swatch Group below 1,500.A quick look at the Swatch Group shows a staggering 18 different brands in the portfolio. From Swatch itself up to Breguet, this massive company offers something for every budget. The heart of the lineup, though, brings some serious value to prospective buyers with a lot of pricing overlap. This is especially true when it comes to mechanical divers below 1,500. We often talk Seiko when it comes to great value in this sporty sector, but dont count out the Swiss. Swatch Group has upped its game over the pas...
I have a sizable watch collection. When people ask, which they often do, I tell them its around 75 pieces. Thats probably a relatively accurate median, but it fluctuates above and below that number as I churn through the lower realms of my hoard on a regular basis, gifting, selling, or trading watches that deserved a long look but never quite cracked my rotation. But is there any rhyme or reason to this hulking morass of timekeepers? Well, for a long while there was a lot of rhyming but not much reasoning. The chance acquisition of an Omega Speedmaster MK40 changed all that and reminded me where I came fromOkay, not literally. I know exactly where I come from. As a Dublin-born, Manchester-ra...
Jamaal Parham is a commercial director, filmmaker, and watch collector living in Brooklyn.? Currently, a director signed with ArtClass, next-gen production company, and a creative consultant at AKA, international marketing and advertising agency. The LA natives passion for filmmaking transported him to the East Coast, where he developed said passion at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. He cut his teeth at the editing desks of several post-production houses in LA, New York, and London, where he helped create several award-winning spots. Parham worked his magic on short films, fashion editorials, comedy specials, feature films, and high-profile music videos. His love for storytelling then took him...
Through the years, weve seen many incredible watches. But some of them certainly love the camera more than others do. Cases, colors, reflections, you name it. All manner of things can affect a watchs performance in front of the lens. To commemorate my favorites, Ive put together this list of the Top 10 most photogenic watches.Being able to capture them in all their beauty is always a pleasure. But not all watches photograph that easily. Needless to say, these watches were a pleasure to work with. Especially because some watches seem to been deliberately designed to make the life of a photographer extra tough.A. Lange Sohne Datograph Lumen.With Lange, it is really tough to select only one fa...
New from Raymond Weil in their adventurous Freelancer range is this green dial version. Working with Sellita, Raymond Weil created the exclusive Calibre RW1212 to power the automatic, smart-casual timepiece.When people ask about my hobbies, and I tell them I write for an online magazine about watches, I get a few standard follow-up questions:Is that a thing?Do people still wear watches?Are there enough watches to warrant an online magazine?These questions I tend to bat off without going into too much detail as I can predict the intended audience would lose interest.But there are a few questions that perk me up:My family member gave me a service watch. Would you know anything about it?Could y...
Whether youre on the road or interested in taking delivery of a keepsake, we have your guide on how to celebrate the?Apollo 11 50th Anniversary.The?Apollo 11 50th Anniversary is a big deal and that means that theres little excuse not to celebrate the golden year of one of mans most incredible achievements.? Whether youre on the road traveling this summer (recall, the Moon Landing took place on July 20, 1969), hanging out at home, or looking for something for your office, there are all kinds of ways to personalize this historic event.? Weve scoured the web in search of all things Apollo 11 and while this article will be link heavy and picture short, we hope its of use.The WatchesOn a watch si...
For the purposes of this article, I?counted all the vintage and modern timepieces in my collection. I?never realized that the latter represents less than 3% in my three-digit plus collection. Well, that number is going to increase slightly. Blame the Zenith Revival El Primero A385.In the pictures, I liked everything about the Revival El Primero A385. The case size, shape and finishing, the dial, and color mix. The question was would I enjoy the movement, proportions, and a bit of that 1970s flair as much live on my wrist? Let's take it step-by-step.The Revival El Primero A385 vs. the Chronomaster SportA?quick warm-up. Have you seen Mike's recent TwoForTuesday article featuring the two new El...
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...
Its time for Two For Tuesday and this week we take a look at two of Omegas finest. The Speedmaster Professional will throw-down with the Seamaster 300M.In our inaugural episode of Two For Tuesday, the omega GMT 16710 duked it out with the Submariner 14060M. It was the heavyweight battle we all expected, but in the end it was the GMT that prevailed by less than 50 votes We thank you for all your participation and for some very lively comments. Lets see if todays contest between the Speedmaster Professional and Seamaster 300M inspires the same spirited debate.We all know people who can easily afford a omega, but they simply will not buy one. For them, a omega is too showy, reminds them of unsa...
I'm always a bit ashamed when people ask me what movement is inside my own Cartier Santos Galb e XL from 2006. It houses a very reliable ETA 2893, which can be serviced by basically any watchmaker in the world. So it's certainly not something to be ashamed of, especially because the watch looks so good. But ever since Cartier launched its Collection Priv , Cartier Paris (CPCP) in 1998, the brand has been trying to impress us not only with that beautiful skin, but also with very impressive movements underneath it. Today, those efforts result in the launch of Cartier's most technical and complex piece to date. Behold, the Cartier Masse Myst rieuse.Here at Fratello, we look at numerous press re...
A bit of pre-Baselworld 2014 news on this Speedy Tuesday Although Omega already gave a few hints on their official Facebook page not too long ago (and enthusiasts immediately guessed it right), today came the announcement of the new Speedmaster Mark II (327.10.43.50) re-edition that Omega plans to introduce during Baselworld 2014. We are looking forward to it!As you can see, the new Speedmaster Mark II comes in two flavors, one with a racing dial and one with a white luminous dial. Just like the two versions that were introduced in 1969. In essence, the Mark II was a newer version of the famous Speedmaster Professional with its hand-wound caliber 861. The same movement, but with a more moder...
Last year, Seiko introduced the Grand Seiko Spring Drive 8-Day Power Reserve SBGD001 during BaselWorld, but did not show it to everyone. It was on display, but available to a few markets only. This year, we came prepared and asked them to take it out of the display for us to take some decent photos and fiddle around with it for a while. Nothing much changed about this piece for this year, but as Grand Seiko became a separate entity (and organization), they also changed the dials on existing models. Including on this flagship' Eight-Day Power Reserve in platinum. It is now being referred to as SBGD201 and swapped Seiko' on the dial for Grand Seiko'.This watch has been developed and manufactur...
Three recent auctions show exactly why the Speedmaster X-33 matters, yet it is still relatively unloved by many Speedmaster enthusiasts.The good thing about this? For starters, you can find a great bargain on the Speedmaster X-33. A watch with proven and significant space history, but under-appreciated because of the quartz crystal and digital display. Second, the Speedmaster X-33 has some cool functions on board that have been developed together with pilots and astronauts. First together with NASA, later on, with the X-33 Skywalker version, with the European Space Agency (ESA). Below, an early prototype of the Speedmaster X-33. Very early prototypes had Flightmaster printed on the sapphire....
If youre looking for a great story, check the attic. Zenith knows this all too well as the story of the revival of the famous El Primero movement revolves around the attic of their Zenith Manufacture building. In 1975, now Zenith legend Charles Vermot hid all the technical plans and tools necessary to produce every component of the famous El Primero movement.? Among them, a box of prototype dials for the El Primero A386 that were never used in production. Until now, with the introduction of the Zenith Chronomaster Revival A386 Manufacture Edition.It has been great to see that Zenith has been gracing us with a string of excellent releases lately. The most loved ones amongst watch enthusiasts ...
We take a long look at the Breitling Superocean Heritage 57 where Ill attempt to convince you that its worth a try.We dont deserve the Breitling Superocean Heritage 57. Were mean, quick to judge, and pretty set in our ways about most things and that includes watches. We complain about watch prices, moan about in-house versus sourced movements without understanding the benefits. Really, just give us a black dial, wrap it in a 40mm stainless case, and maybe include a dive bezel. Artificially limit production and ensure the social media sages pair it with Goyard, LV, Hermes, Gucci, or some bespoke useless slippers and, voil , you have the best watch on the planet.Consequently, its because of th...
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...