Namaste, downward dogs, its time for This Week in Watches.Welcome to This Week in Watches for August 3, 2019.? I cant really complain about the heat this week because, lo and behold, things have moderated.? I cant talk about the new Corvette anymore because this is a watch site and I played that card last weekend.? So, I should probably just talk about watches.? Youve now come to know this paragraph as the rant portion, but theres no pain in my game this week.? You see, I currently have four watches in for review (one is the Orient Kamasu we published this past week) and guess what?? Theyre all?really good and that made me realize, despite all the collective moaning that goes on, were living...
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This is 52Mondayz week 51. The penultimate week of the year already One way or the other, towards the end of the year I tend to wear more gold watches than in any other period. To get smoothly used to the change in material, I started this year with a omega Day-Date in 18-carat white gold.omega Day-Date in white gold on President braceletThe omega Day-Date Im wearing this week was supplied new in the US in 2001. It bears the reference 18239, which tells us its a Day-Date with a fluted bezel, made of 18-carat white gold.Double Quick-set Caliber 3155The reference number indicates as well that the movement used in this watch,?omega caliber 3155, has a double-quick-set feature. I.e. the day and...
A classic watch question almost; the omega Submariner vs Omega Seamaster. If we got a Euro for every time we were asked this question, we would have both in the meanwhile. Last week we received it again, for this You Asked Us feature here on Fratello. We thought it would be about time to answer this question in public, as it is probably interesting to many other watch enthusiasts as well (according to our mailboxes).The question we received was relatively short. Nguyen asked us: Please help me decide between buying a omega Submariner and an Omega Seamaster. What are the pros and cons of these watches and which one do you prefer?.You Asked Us: omega Submariner vs Omega SeamasterThe omega Subm...
The SIHH 2014 started today and we had appointments with a number of brands already, including Piaget. We wrote about the new Piaget Altiplano 900P before (here), but didnt see it in the flesh yet. The groups of people present during the presentations are quite big ( 30 persons), so there is little room to do some quiet photography work. In any case, we hereby show you some live pictures of this ultra-thin 38mm timepiece.Piaget has a long history of creating and producing ultra-thin watches, it has become their signature actually. Their famous caliber 9P from 1957 only measured 2mm (manual winding). Their calibre 12P from 1960 only measured 2,3mm, for a self-winding watch. From the 35 mechan...
The Hamilton Khaki Field Titanium Automatic Far Cry 6 Limited Edition watch offers a watch for video game and watch enthusiasts alike. I'm sure that anyone that enjoys the kind of gaming experience that the beloved Far Cry series provides has found themselves wishing they could jump into this world and take part in the adventures themselves. Immersion is a key aspect of video games. It's the feeling of losing yourself in a world created by the developers, and something that is made possible by a combination of next-level visuals, a well-written script, immersive sound effects, and relatable characters. Those familiar with the Far Cry universe will almost certainly know this feeling. With thi...
The Christie's Geneva watch department has maintained a great reputation and stayed coherent while adapting quickly to market demand. We see almost no modern watches left in their recent catalogs and the quality of vintage watches being offered is excellent.Christies GenevaThis auction house has a rich history and continues to overshadow its British competitor Sotheby's in the watch category. I say British' because they were both founded in London, but, yes, ownership has changed since.The watch department remains a small portion of this auction giant's business, with art being a much larger earner of course. Just to put things in perspective: let us estimate that, in a year, Christie's sell...
Sometime during the late 1990s, when I got into watches, Breguet was a brand that I positioned next to Patek Philippe, A. Lange Sohne, Vacheron Constantin, and Audemars Piguet. To me, it was clear this was a high-end brand. It seemed the pinnacle of watchmaking, with an amazing history. Today I share my experiences and thoughts on the Breguet Classique 5157.Now, more than 20 years later, I still think of Breguet to be top-notch when it comes to watchmaking. I only pity that this manufacture has not been able to get the right amount of exposure like Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, and A. Lange Sohne do. Is Breguet too humble perhaps?Breguet Classique 5157 Extra-ThinFor...
Grand Seikos journey began in the 1950s. The best and brightest watchmakers working for the brand banded together with a lofty goal: They set out to create the companys finest watch yet. In December 1960 the inaugural Grand Seiko hit the market. It was the first installment of a story that has now reached its sixtieth year. Leading the celebrations is the Grand Seiko SBGH281.To celebrate this milestone, Grand Seiko is releasing four new models. Were going to take a look at the three watches released for men in this article, and follow-up with the ladies piece next week (so check back for that update also). These watches dont just mark this significant birthday, but also look towards the bran...
My longtime watchfriend Bas van Dorp informed me that he just ordered the Stowa Airman. Stowa was also present on the Watch 2008 event in Maastricht, but I must admit that I skipped this brand because I dont like their bauhaus style watches. They remind me too much of Nomos. And I prefer Nomos if Id wanted a Bauhaus style wrist watch.Stowa is a brand founded in 1927, by Walter Storz. After their factory was destroyed in Word War II (February 1945), Herr Storz immediately started building a new factory in Pforzheim. During the war, there were only five companies that made official/original pilot watches. These were IWC, Lange S???hne, Laco, Wempe and Stowa.Just like the other brands, Stowa i...
Stop the presses Bvlgari has something to sayAlthough Ive always wanted to say that, I really wish it wasnt under these circumstances. Minutes ago, the news that Bvlgari will not be attending Baselworld 2020 broke. As one of the most exciting and forward-thinking brands of the past decade, Bvlgaris absence is a real blow to a fair already reeling from a mass exodus.A decision for nowBvlgari has made one thing very clear: This is not yet a decision to end the brands relationship with Baselworld going forward. It is simply a decision for now. Given the roaring success of LVMHs watch week and the positive reception to Bvlgaris latest releases (such as the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater ...
Michael Clerizo, friend of the show for a long time now, already had written a beautiful book called Masters of Contemporary Watchmaking. Clerizo (Wallstreet Journal contributor) just finished another great book another masterpiece called George Daniels, A Master Watchmaker His Art.Many of you will know George Daniels for his (important) work on the Co-Axial escapement. One of the or perhaps the most important inventions in watchmaking which has been adopted by OMEGA since 1999. However, Daniels already came up with the first co-axial escapement in 1975. After having having it tried and tested in a pocket watch first, he also applied his invention into wristwatches. By coincidence, he a...
The word icon is thrown around way too often for comfort, in my opinion. But, like it or not, every brand has them within its history. The definition of the word a person or thing regarded as a representative symbol lessens its grandiosity and clearly makes it the perfect descriptive term for the TAG Heuer Carrera, a model which has, alongside other iconic pieces from the brand (such as the Monaco) defined the companys character for decades. Now its time for the latest chapter of this icons history to be written with the release of the TAG Heuer Carrera Sport Chronograph 44 mm Calibre Heuer 02 Automatic Watch.Updating icons is a tricky task. You cannot deviate too much from the script. This ...
Omega Speedmaster Reduced White DialThe Omega Speedmaster Reduced was once the watch for the fellow who wanted an automatic version of the Moonwatch, or simply wanted to have a smaller timepiece than a 42mm giant chronograph. This particular model was introduced in 1988 and came in several different versions.Best known version is probably the black dial model, often being held for a Moonwatch (but it is not, read our Speedmaster Reduced versus Moonwatch here). Omega also used the Speedmaster Reduced for their bright coloured racing series (Schumacher had one). However, one of our readers owns a rare white dial version. Now you will come across a white dial version in a bi-color Speedmaster R...
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...
Chopard L.U.C. 2017It's always a treat to visit Chopard when we are visiting?BaselWorld. Despite their success and status in the industry they managed to stay humble and friendly. This year Chopard showed us six new watches and all of them were amazing. Honestly, I could imagine myself wearing each and every one of them for a different reason. And so I did if only for a few minutes before the watches found their ways to the next table to mesmerize the other journalists sitting there. Big ShotI think we went backwards this year during the presentations. I saw the most expensive and complicated watch first. The L.U.C. Perpetual Chrono for example, a 45mm hand-wound platinum grand complication ...
Kiber launched their new watch line, Gran Specchio, which means big mirror. This obviously has something to do with the mirrored edge combined with carbon look silver dial. These watches come in a luxury wooden box, an extra leather handmade Kiber Race band and a spring bar tool. All pushers and crowns have a screw attachment ?e???? 2 the watch is 5ATM water resistant ?e???? 2 and the stainless 48mm case has a sapphire front glass and a see through glass on the back. The chronograph has an automatic mechanical movement, based on the famous Valjoux (ETA) caliber 7750. The non-chronograph has an automatic mechanical movement based on the ETA 2824-2 caliber. The chronograph is available for Eur...
Exactly this month, it is 20 years ago that I bought my first Speedmaster. The perfect moment to share a story on my own Speedmaster and about collecting them.I've told the story about when, where, and why I bought my first Speedmaster many times during our Speedy Tuesday events, but I don't think I wrote it in an article. Twenty years ago, on October 1st, 1999, I purchased my first Speedmaster. It wasn't long after I learned that this watch actually the watch worn on the Moon. My father told me about Omega being the brand on the Moon when I was a young kid (11 years old or so), but he never told me it was the Speedmaster.Speedmaster 145.012-67A Speedmaster Professional with reference 145.01...
Some of my fellow Fratello editors have seemingly requested (demanded?) the return of vintage models to their chosen brands current catalogs. Im all for this too, but there is a slight catch. Solely relying on a nostalgic kick is fraught with danger. I enjoy a vintage reinterpretation but prefer a watch taking what it needs from the past while still moving forward. That method is essentially what omega has been doing for the last 30 years and it seems to be working well. My request for a watch model Id like to see return is one that was recent yet short-lived. Like a moonflower vine that blooms two months in the year and only at night, sometimes beauty passes us by. Thats the case with the J...
omega doesnt seem to make too much noise about their 100 year anniversary, but Guido and Franca Mondani do Yet another great book from the famous publisher Mondani is this 100 Years of omega-book, written by himself and his wife.This book covers the omega-story (about founder Hans Wilsdorf and the Heiniger-family who are running the omega organization since 1963) from 1908 till now, including the introduction of the omega Deep Sea-Dweller during the Basel fair of 2008. The book covers all important omega watches of the last century by publishing great detailed photographs of these watches, where Mondani also favors omega collectors by putting much effort in capturing details of bezels, brace...
Dear Hublot,Three years ago, we provided coverage of your Basel 2012 novelties at an event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, hosted by your regional distributors The Hour Glass and attended by none other than CEO Mr. Guadalupe and Regional Director Ms. Sakai.Here is the original article, missing images which were hosted on flickr: https://www.fratellowatches.com/hublots-basel-2012-novelties//This morning, I received a takedown and copyright infringement notice from Yahoo the parent company of Flickr, where the images were hosted filed by Hublot SA specifically citing those images as infringing copyright.Except the problem here is twofold:Hublot SA did not contract those images, did not license th...