I have to be honest, I dont like the new omega Sea-Dweller Deep Sea very much. It is not that I dislike the inner ring that everybody is talking about, with the Sea-Dweller subscription, it is the size of the watch and the rather small bracelet attached to it. Perhaps the watch has to grow on me, like the GMT-Master IIc (ref.116710) and the Milgauss (ref.116400(GV)) did in the meanwhile. I happen to like these last two a lot actually. So who knows, I might be able to like the omega Sea-Dweller Deep Sea in the (far) future as well.However, I do not seem to be alone with regards to the new and [technically] improved Sea-Dweller Deep Sea 116660. The former omega Sea-Dweller ref.16600 (pictured ...
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This idea started at the coffee corner in our (former) office in The Hague with some of the other editors. You'll get 1,500 from your boss to go out and buy a watch, what would you pick?And it doesn't need to be a brand-new watch, it is also allowed to buy something pre-owned or even vintage. But I added a rule to this little game, inspired by a recent podcast by Mike and Balazs. You can't sell it and you need to wear it at least two days per week for the rest of your life. It doesn't need to be the only watch to have, but one that will last basically.What is out there for 1,500?This is not an article showing you what's out there for 1,500, because there's a lot on the market that ticks this...
Japan is a place of great natural beauty. It is also a country with a fascinating culture, excellent cuisine, and a deep-rooted passion for watchmaking. Two of these elements come together within the walls of the Grand Seiko HQ in northern Japan. Excellence in watchmaking is the brands primary purpose. But showcasing an expression of the country's natural beauty through said watchmaking is just as important. Textured dials inspired by very specifically observed natural phenomena add a sort of quiet poetic beauty to Grand Seiko's creations. And the new Grand Seiko Heritage Collection 44GS 55th Anniversary LE (ref. SBGW289) is no exception. It celebrates the springtime blooming of the cherry b...
The internet is a funny old place. Last week, quite out of the blue, I was contacted by an old school friend upon whom I hadnt laid eyes for more than 10 years with a bit of news I thought would be of interest to the Fratelli. Having left our northern English hometown long behind, my friend settled in New Zealand. After the best part of two decades in the watch industry, he found himself working in a managerial role for Webbs Auction house where he recently stumbled across a very interested omega-Panerai 3646 Type-E AnonymousThis unusual watch is estimated to sell for NZD $140,000 C$200,000 (80,000 C120,000), but as weve seen in the past, omega anomalies have a habit of blowing past even the...
Rob talks to Guido Terreni of Parmigiani Fleurier. With over twenty years of experience in the industry, a decade of which was spent with Bvlgari, Terreni brought with him a definite vision to a brand that still benefits from having its iconic founder a living, breathing part of the company.In this podcast, Terreni explains how it is important to honor your existing customer by keeping the Parmigiani Fleurier product message close to a clearly recognizable core silhouette in order to add permanence to the clients purchase.Watchmaking is not a business of fads, nor even fashion in the short term. He aims to create timeless watches that need no explanation. Distilling a design down its bare el...
We all know Hamilton well. Initially formed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1892, the brand now proudly resides under the Swatch Group umbrella. Beloved for its well-constructed and excellent-value-for-money watches, I know several fellow collectors whose first foray into serious watch collecting began with the acquisition of a Hamilton timepiece. In each case, those collectors chose a mighty Khaki Field due to its military heritage and affordable price tag. Now, Hamilton has updated its Khaki Field Titanium range with some more excellent watches.The Khaki Field is one of those watches that speaks to many people due to its no-nonsense legibility and rugged construction. These are, in my opini...
Along with New York, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore, Frankfurt stakes its claim as one of the world's banking centers. With this distinction comes a large pocket of substantial wealth, which naturally makes luxury goods such as watches quite popular. As one who spends a lot of time in Frankfurt, I can tell you that it's a strange city as far as watches. Yes, there are a lot of high-end watch shops and brand-specific boutiques. However, aside from the recent influx of these single brand stores, I've generally found the others to lag behind other large cities in carrying new releases. Perhaps these shops have voluminous black books with waiting lists for the newest pieces or the lack, ...
A surprising release comes our way in the new Breitling Superocean Heritage 57 and we have all the details. Lets dive inBreitling has been on a roll for a couple of years now. When looking at releases such as the Premier, the various limited edition reissues, or the reintroduction of the Top Time, its clear to us that the brand has returned to form.Under the leadership of Georges Kern, Breitling has done what so many have us have been asking for such a long time. That means producing watches in human sizes and respectfully honoring its back catalog. With todays Breitling Superocean Heritage 57, the trend continues. Oh, and lets add a little spice to the soup because this just might be my fav...
Let me address the elephant in the room first. Did you also think, hey, that new Aqua Terra in (fill in your color of choice) looks like a great alternative to the omega Oyster Perpetual I can't buy at my local dealer? I know I did. The Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M 38mm with five new colorful dials is a fantastic alternative to not just the 41mm OP, but also the 36mm version of that watch I still have no clue why omega ever canceled the perfect 39mm OP. 38mm is the sweet spot for a luxury sports watch with a touch of color; it releases a perfect dose of color. Another important aspect of the watch's power to impress is the structure of the dial. Gone is the nautical, horizontal teak pa...
The early 2000s saw some great Moonwatch variations for collectors. Unfortunately, it was during a time where I was still a student and didnt have the means to go after that Mitsukoshi, Snoopy, Japan Racing, or this Apollo XI 35th anniversary edition from 2004.All of these watches have long since sold out, but you can still find them on the pre-owned market. Very occasionally, you might find them in NOS (New Old Stock) condition. When it comes to regret, there are few watches I regret missing out on more than this Apollo XI 35th anniversary model. One year before its release, Omega released a special edition for a?Japanese department store called Mitsukoshi (an AD of Omegas at the time). It ...
In the world of Omega, the Speedmaster is king. There is no doubt about it. And the Seamaster a very loyal and steady queen to the king. But what about the rest of the collection? We find that several models are not talked about as much as they should be. Even within the Speedmaster and Seamaster collections, some models are sometimes overlooked. As such, Ive compiled a list of five Omega watches introduced over the last couple of years that might not always get the attention they deserve.With a large number of Omega releases every year, there will always be watches that will not have the long-lasting success of some of the other watches in the collection. Consequently, I wanted to take a lo...
Amsterdam?IWC CocktailIWC recently opened their boutique in one of the most famous shopping streets in The Netherlands. We are talking about the PC Hooftstraat in Amsterdam of course. On the 20th of June, IWC is organizing a cocktail to show the new Aquatimer collection. This collection has been presented during the SIHH 2014 in Geneva.? IWC Museum Curator David Seyffer will be there to present the new Aquatimer models. Also, he will bring?some of the museum pieces from Schaffhausen to show to you Fratello Watches is pleased to give away 3 personal ?invitations to our readers from the Benelux?to join this unique event in Amsterdam. Like we did last year, to the IWC event at the race track in...
That's right ladies and gentlemen It's that time of the year again. No, not time to start rummaging through the attic for your Christmas decorations, please do yourself the favor and leave that until at least the end of November. What I'm talking about is the Oscars of the watch world, the Grand Prix D'Horlogerie De Gen ve (GPHG). This year, a total of 84 watches were selected, with six different watches going head-to-head in 14 different categories with a total of 19 different prizes up for grabs. In case you didnt know, the event has just taken place if youre reading this, you missed it But not to worry, here at Fratello weve put together a list of all the winners along with the official d...
In this article, we show you the top 10 best Omega watches you can buy in 2021. Its a completely subjective list, but I will explain to you why I think each Omega watch listed here deserves its spot. And dont worry, its not all Speedmasters.If you want to learn more about the Omega brand, have a look at our article about Omegas highlights through the years. Omega is not only the brand whose watches were worn on the Moon and on the wrist of James Bond. But the brand also has a rich history when it comes to (ultra-deep) diving watches, the Olympics, and high-precision chronometer movements.Omegas new manufacture in BienneTop 10 Best Omega Watches You Can Buy TodayIve been a collector of Omega ...
Welcome back to Wrist Game or Crying Shame, the weekly mask-free version of Choose Your Own Adventure This week, well have a look at a Panerai of nearly legal drinking age in the Submersible. But firstIm on a roll. Perhaps my roll is down the hill of despair, but Ive now featured two losers in a row. Last weeks Patek Philippe 5524G Calatrava suffered a tight but ultimately decisive 52% Crying Shame loss. While I quietly applaud the Patek entr|e into more adventurous realms, most of you do not and, therefore, it appears that a Brioni suit still trumps a Givenchy tee (as if). Moving on, lets see if todays Panerai Submersible whets your appetite for adventure. For those who enjoy my sarcastic s...
omega has a rich history of advertising built for decades. The brand has produced some of the most remarkable ads ever created by a watch brand. In this recurring series, we take a look at the most iconic ads omega has created over the years.One of the most exciting and fun things to do when diving into the history of a watch brand is to look at their advertising.?omega has always been a brand that has created some of the most remarkable ads in the industry, not least because they are connected to outstanding achievements and famous people. Some of the advertisements are stylish, some of them are thought-provoking, and some are blessed with an excellent sense of humor. All of them represent ...
Its that time of year when were all either looking backward or looking ahead into the next year. 2021 is gone (thankfully) and 2022 is here (fingers crossed about this one). So, lets spend some time talking about some watch wishes for 2022 from a selection of brands.The new year ahead of us means a whole 12 months of watch releases to come and possible new trends. I have no clue what the color of choice will be this year, but I suppose the recent emergence of light blue will hang around for a while. Plus, Im sure that limited editions, collaborations, and the retro trend are here to stay. But those things wont make my list of watch wishes for 2022. Instead, Ill mention some hopeful releases ...
As it happens with so many things in life, the best items often come along when one isn't looking for them. While I do seek out certain items, watches and otherwise, my bank account seems to take its largest hit when I'm in an ambivalent state. Whether it's the grocery store or a weekend visit to London or NYC before Christmas, I'm at my worst when I go with little to no mission in mind. And then there's the case of a friend who drops an innocent note about whether you have interest in a watch he's looking to sell. These are troublesome, in the best way of course, because they typically represent the ultimate case of buying the seller and the piece tends to be trustworthy. This scenario is p...
The Speedmaster 376.0822 was nicknamed Holy Grail by Chuck Maddox for one simple reason: according to himself he searched for this watch with the intensity that King Arthur searched for the Holy Grail. He began calling the Speedmaster?376.0822 the Grail because he was that obsessed with it.It is not the first Speedmaster that received a nickname by its collectors, as the Broad Arrow for example was used before for the CK2915. However, we could say that it was surely one of the first nicknames given by collectors to a Speedmaster. Chuck loved the Speedmaster 376.0822 for a couple of good reasons, most important was the combination of the Speedmaster Moonwatch case and the use of the legendary...
Earlier this year, we teamed up with Longines to find the oldest Longines watch in The Netherlands.Speaking of the oldest Longines watch, it has to be a pocket watch, of course. Although Longines dates back to 1832, their first pocket watch with in-house movement (caliber 20A) was produced in 1867. This is also the year that Longines starts to record their production in their archives. All Longines watches from that moment on, carry the brand name, and have the hourglass engraved in the watch.But lets face it, only a few of those early watches probably survived. Pocket watches made way for wristwatches a few decades ago, and a lot of these old watches are long gone and forgotten. It makes yo...