The story on the iconic IWC Portugieser watch is one that is well known in enthusiasts' circles. Today, IWC introduces an update of their entire Portugieser collection. From a three hands watch to a perpetual calendar.But first, let's do a quick rundown of the Portugieser and why it is such an iconic watch. Back in 1939, IWC watchmakers created a big watch on special request by two dealers from Portugal (hence the name) that had the precision of a pocket watch. At that time, IWC was well known for its precision pocket watches and the Portuguese dealers wanted to have that same level of accuracy in a wristwatch. Smaller wristwatches were the trend in those years, but unable to deliver the sam...
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Today we'll take a look at a significant watch in the history of dive watches: the Jenny Caribbean 1500. Just to clear the air preemptively, the name on the dial states Philip Watch, but as I'll touch upon later, Jenny did build the watch. Perhaps innovation was easier in the 1960's because the market was comparatively wide open and hungry, but with the Caribbean, we shall see how David actually stood up to the Goliaths of the era. TBT is here and it's time to go deep!The Jenny Caribbean 1500 is from the family of the first commerically available 1000M diversJenny (as always said, pronounced like Yenny and not like the character in Forest Gump) was founded in Switzerland in 1963 and basical...
As we introduced you to our Catawiki Favorites (Editors Choice) a? few weeks ago already, this time we show you three different watches of our choice: Zenith El Primero Chronomaster, a Bell Ross (by Sinn) chronograph and a Cartier Tortue in gold.This article is a partnership with Catawiki, but our selection consists of watches that we picked and theres no interference from Catawiki regarding the editorial work. If you are not registered on Catawiki yet, we urge you to do so. It is free or charge and will make bidding and marking watches as interesting a lot easier, click here to do so.As always, let me start by saying that before you bid on a watch, you should have done your homework. A lot...
I like the hypothetical and that brings us to a seemingly outlandish question that may become a little less so. By the end of this article, you will get to answer whether youd put down your hard-earned money to buy a steel sports omega even if you dont want it. It seems like an easy one, but lets seeI dont daydream enough, but when I do its often about scary great white shark encounters or hitting a World Series deciding homer in the bottom of the ninth with two outs and a full count. Sometimes, though, I think about watches. And when I do, its a thought thats probably not too original. Ive got this wild plan where Im in some sort of out of the way town and there just so happens to be a omeg...
In 2015, the Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award watch was introducing during BaselWorld. A watch that sold out in one day at the show, to Omega's network of dealers and boutiques. This watch commemorated the 1970 Apollo 13 mission where the Speedmaster played a very important role in the safe return of astronauts Swigert, Lovell and Haise. The full story can be read here, and we also included it in our Speedy Tuesday magazine that came out last year.Omega Speedmaster Apollo 13 Silver Snoopy Award boxSpeedmaster Silver Snoopy AwardOffered for $27950USDOmega produced 1970 pieces of this watch, featuring a white dial with Charles Schulz' beagle on the 9 o'clock subdial and the text Failure is not ...
Its Speedy Tuesday Our successful Speedy Tuesday Event that we organized on the 29th of October in ESA-ESTECs official visitor centre Space Expo led to a number of Speedmaster purchases. Even up till now we receive e-mails and notifications from people who bought a (new) Speedmaster as the Speedy Tuesday Event inspired them to do so. We are happy to hear these stories and some of them are rather special.One of the cool stories we got so far are the purchases of very beautiful CK2998 watches, a bunch of new Speedmaster Professional 3570.50 models, a 105.003 and an X-33. We have covered the Omega Speedmaster Professional X-33 before and although we think it is an ugly watch, the features and t...
With the introduction of the new Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep in titanium, the line-up of Seamasters has become even more interesting. It is the oldest collection in the Omega catalog and started all the way back in 1948. Before the Constellation (1952), Speedmaster (1957), and De Ville (1967). In these almost 75 years of Seamasters, Omega made some pretty iconic watches you should definitely know about.Although the first Omega Seamaster watches looked nothing like a dive watch, this changed in 1957 with the introduction of the Seamaster 300. At the same time, Omega also introduced the Railmaster and the Speedmaster. Despite the fact that I have a weak spot for these first Seamast...
Bund-strap haters beware, there's a new sheriff in town The new Hamilton Khaki Field Automatic Chronograph takes the rugged good looks of the brand's beloved field watch and transforms them into a beefy Flieger-style chronograph offering. Hamilton has quite literally dared to go big in this latest offering in their Khaki Field lineup. But is this a watch that flies too close to the sun, or is it a bull's eye? As one of the few Fratello proponents for a bund strap, I was given a special mission to strap this one on and head to the front lines to see if this truly was a watch worthy of the leather it sits on.Size does matterBefore I get started, there's something you should know about me and m...
Our headquarters has recently been swimming with Hamiltons latest fare. Pleasingly, the American-born, Swiss-made brand saw fit to send us a big box of its newest watches for review. And the Khaki Aviation Pilot Pioneer Bronze is the first under the lens.Its always a treat for us to get our hands on all the models in the catalog rather than just the selected few the brand wants to crow about. Why? Because it allows us to make choices, to decide upon our favorite models, and choose how best to cover them. When it came to the Pilot Pioneer Bronze, RJ took such a shine to it that he made a short video tribute, which you can now watch below.Of course, it is our job to deliver the news of new rel...
We like to talk about vintage watches a lot within the Fratello team. Though most of what we write about is largely focused on the most recent releases and developments, for many of us, a lot of the fun can be found in the sometimes weird and often wonderful world of vintage watches. Its a world full of history, remarkable watches, incredible stories, and quirky details. It inspired us to come up with a series of articles focusing on the best watches per decade from a select group of brands. Some of them are priceless, some of them are still affordable. In this installment, we will take a look at the best Omega watches from the 2000s.By the turn of the millennium, Switzerland had proudly rec...
Every collector likes bargains. Or at the very least, like the feeling that fair value for money has been had. Although the definition of value is relative and will vary from collector to collector we all have a different sense of aesthetics after all there are some things that hold across the board.This article will try to identify those watches, both new and on the secondary markets. Pricing, where given, is a rough guide only.Let's first define what's important:1. Some sense of differentiation from other similar pieces, be it pricing, movement, aesthetics or other technology;2. An in-house movement would be nice, but not a necessity;3. Sound aesthetics and design; something with atten...
Finding omega Submariner alternatives over 10,000 is not very easy. You might think this is the case. If you want something with a minimum water-resistance of 300 meters, and a diving bezel, it gets really thin with results. Unless you add some precious metals to the game.Some of the Submariner fans werent overly happy with my chosen title in a previous article where I showed seven? Submariner alternatives under 5,000. And let me state it once more, I have nothing against a omega Submariner, and if you want one, you should get one. Luckily, most of you acknowledged my intentions to show whats out there, for less money. Just not everyone has 10,000 to spend (or retail price if youre overly lu...
We already briefed you about the new Seamaster Ultra Deep in titanium, but Omega also adds three models in steel. Available on a steel bracelet and on a rubber strap.The technical specifications of the caliber 8912 movement, the pending patents, the ISO 6425 certification, (etc.) are all identical to the Seamaster Ultra Deep model I discussed here. Whats different, is the case shape and the material of the case and bracelet. To start with the latter, the steel that Omega uses for the Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep is called O-Megasteel.Seamaster Ultra Deep in O-MegasteelThree different models, in total 6 variations (on strap and bracelet) are available in this new O-Megasteel alloy. It is...
Limited editions are a hot topic today, bot in sales as well as in discussions. Perhaps in the pre-internet age, it was less transparent and as a result, less complaining. What we have here today is a perfect example of a limited edition without a real reason, yet it is starting to become a really sought-after watch.27 CHRO C12This gold Speedmaster Professional dates back to 1992 and was limited to 999 pieces to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 27 CHRO C12 movement, the predecessor of the famous calibre 321 movement. That is right. It celebrates a movement that was not even used in the Speedmaster, but its successor was. But does it affect the coolness of the watch? Heck no. This watch ...
The struggle is real Getting a new or used omega watch is becoming more difficult by the day. At least, if you want one of the usual suspects. A omega Submariner, Daytona, GMT-Master, or even a Datejust is becoming virtually impossible.But behold There are still some omega models out there that are offered within reason. Especially considered what you get for your hard-earned cash. For this weeks installment of Pre-Owned Picks (in cooperation with Chrono24), I selected 5 less popular omega watches (compared to the obvious ones) that I find interesting. Actually, I own or have owned a few of these omega models myself.Five Less Popular omegaesBuy what you like, is the advice I often give to pe...
Trawling through watch blogs searching for useful, trustable information can be a slog. It can seem like an endless stream of positivity as many up-and-coming (and, regrettably, some established) blogs vie for sponsors' budgets. I was discussing with one of my colleagues just the other day how we try and avoid overwhelming bias on Fratello while remaining true to ourselves for the good of our readership. Quite bizarrely, the new Breguet Classique Double Tourbillon 5345 Quai De L'Horloge popped-up at just the right time for me to use it as a perfect example in answering this questionFirstly, it is true that we allow certain brands to advertise on our website. It is not something we hide as it...
The first image Ive come across from the guy we have on Fratello today was in this dedicated Speedy Tuesday Facebook group?where he showed an incredible nice composition of the first Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday (2017) and some props.These props often consist of everyday things and Lego. A lot of Lego. Space Lego to be precise. Being a kid from the 1980s, I often recognize the little figures he uses as Space Lego was my favourite as well. Recently, he started an Instagram account (@Plywoodemoji) where he shares his artwork with the rest of the world. In the meantime, he also purchased the Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Ultraman and did some amazing compositions with this edition as well.Space, Leg...
Breitling is one of the brands that has been capable to bring continuously bold, inspiring, and innovative watches since the early days. Picking my top 5 models from such a vast and inspiring catalog turned out to be quite a challenge.Opinions on the Breitling brand tend to be quite strong, one way or the other. I either meet collectors that feel zero affinity towards the brand or, more often, enthusiasts that have not just one or two, but dozens of Breitling watches. It only confirms that you have a lot of choices once you fall under the vintage Breitling spell.1. Breitling Chronomat ref. 769In 1940 Breitling applied for a patent on a rotating logarithmic slide rule, a tool for Mathematicia...
Let there be light Lume is often referred to because of its functional properties. But there is something magical about it. Not too long ago, I was researching the best Heuer/TAG Heuer watches from the 1980s. During that quest, I was reminded of the brilliance of the brands full lume dial diving watches from the 1980s. On top of that, our Fratello master of lume Lex wears his Chronoswiss Timemaster with a full lume dial regularly. It triggered me to find out more about the brilliance of lume dials and put the spotlight on some of the best lume watches. Fiat lux!At first, the idea was to select the best full lume dial watches from the past and the present. But during the research for this art...
Whod have thought Bronze cases and red dials would become an almost mainstream thing here on Fratello? We certainly didnt see this coming, but here we are. Following on from last weeks very special limited edition Oris a Fratello Big Crown Pointer Date, we have another autumnal vision in bronze for you to feast your eyes upon. The Rado Captain Cook in bronze with a rich burgundy dial joins the clubA year ago, that club seemed pretty exclusive. But now, thanks to the Oris and this latest addition to the Captain Cook range, the Burgundy Bronze Brigade is gaining new members at an unprecedented rate. And why not? It is a color/material fusion that makes perfect sense. Green dials with bronze ca...