Its Speedy Tuesday This week we have a rare bird for you: the Omega Speedmaster Broad Arrow Rattrapante. To be totally honest with you, we kinda forgot about this one actually. However, friend of the show Ruckdee from Thailand (who contributed with his Speedmaster Mark II before) reminded us of this rattrapante timepiece.The Broad Arrow collection has been discussed before (here and here) and is a significant part of the Speedmaster collection.? This rattrapante however, only lived a short life in the Speedmaster family.Ruckdee bought it in 2009 when he heard that it would be taken out of production. The other reason or excuse is that the Speedmaster Broad Arrow uses a movement other then ...
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Oh, to be young and not know the cruel sting of the luxury watch collecting habit. I was young once, and it wasnt as long ago as my impressive collection of crows feet would have you believe. When I was young, I didnt have a lot of money. But what little money I did have, I would spend on watches. One of those watches I bought (with a 70% discount in the Swatch Group Christmas sale) was the quartz-powered Hamilton Ardmore, a watch I believe Hamilton pitches toward its female fans. I dont care if thats the case. I love it. Twelve years on from that purchase, I still own it and wear it occasionally. Thats why I was thrilled to see the Ardmore feature in this intriguing new ladies collection by...
Was it close? Really? Was it ever going to be? The Tudor Black Bay .925 and the Doxa Sub 300 promised much and delivered a fair helping of competition for the ultimately victorious Omega Seamaster 300M, but did they split the anti-Omega vote too far? I guess well never know, but we do know this: after almost one month of voting and jawing, we have our summer supremo: RJ walks away with the title as the much-fancied Omega Seamaster 300M storms to the title.I also won too: way back in the first round I promised to eat my collection of baseball caps (nay,?all hats) if the Seamaster 300M finished anywhere but the first position in this competition. Im not so much crowing as I am breathing a HUGE...
This is a story by one of our readers, Vincent. As a kid he watched the launch of Apollo 17 live, sitting on the hood of his dads car parked near the Kennedy Space Center. Now, more than 45 years later, he decided to buy a Speedmaster to honor those astronauts and remember that magical night in December 1972.He wrote us an email with a great story that we would like to share with our readers. Vincent added:Thank you for the website you created. It would be an honor if you shared my story with your readers. Your work opens up the daunting world of watches to newbies like me. I would have never found my watch and new joy without Speedy Tuesday.Without further ado.Apollo 17 Launch And The Speed...
Pilots watches Love em or hate em, theyre one of the most popular categories within watch collections worldwide. With an interesting heritage and iconic design cues, its hard not to eventually be won over by their bold designs and supreme legibility.So, what are, in my opinion, some of the top pilots watches on the market right now that you can actually buy? Check out my picks, and let us know your favorite(s) in the comments at the end!IWC Big Pilot Perpetual CalendarI have to start this list off with a big one. IWC is well known for its Big Pilot collection, and for me, the Perpetual Calendar represents the very pinnacle. Now, the elephant in the room for many people will be the size. This...
There is the flashy coffee table type of omega book, and then theres the other, more educational one out there. On which end of the spectrum sits The Vintage omega Field Guide?For the first type of omega books, you usually need more than both hands, as those books often have impressive dimensions and ditto weight. The paper is thicker than the cardboard your fridge was packed in and the pages so glossy that you need sunglasses, so you don't burn your cornea. We all know which books I am talking about. And we probably all have a few of them at home, myself included.The Vintage omega Field GuideThe book in review today falls on the other end of the spectrum. A lot of black white pages. Many p...
Instead of discussing another Omega, omega, Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe or whatever, we have picked a Guy David watch to review. A watch of the price that some of us normally would spend on a leather strap for one of the watches just mentioned. Guy David is one of Gassans own label watches and we have briefly mentioned it before here on Fratellowatches.At first sight, this diver holds somewhere in between fashion and real horology. The first thing noticed is the finish of the impressive 47mm watch case. The sides are nicely satin-brushed and the top of the lugs have this Omega Seamaster 300M polish on them. I am not sure whether the designers were inspired by watches like the Seamaster o...
Paneristi (= dedicated Panarai fans) are famous for their GetToGethers. The best known GTG is P-Day, this year to be held in Florence, Italy. Home of the Officine.Last weekend, WatchRon (one of the Dutch Paneristis) organized a GTG for all Belgian and Dutch Paneristi. Unfortunately, I wasnt able to join them, but the stunning pictures they posted on PaneristiPix and the wristwatchphotoblog by Martin make up a lot.A good GTG comes with a good meal, and according to some of the attendees in the Dutch Panerai Forum, the meal was excellent.Part of the Panerai fun is about straps (and changing them). Dirk Grandry, one of the most famous strap sellers, was also there, presenting a large collection...
Do you think Tudor is cool? Well, personally Im starting to doubt it. Tudor wanted to make me believe it's a cool brand, and for quite some time, it succeeded. But now, with the introduction of the Black Bay Pro, it feels that Tudor finally shows its real face once more. The new GMT watch, which looks so very much like the coveted omega Explorer II 1655 Freccione, marks a return to Tudor's old self. Whereas a Black Bay Fifty-Eight in navy blue, for example, gives you the feeling you're looking at an original design, the Black Bay Pro represents a different reality. Yes, though your watch might look like a omega, it is, in fact, a Tudor a more affordable version. Is Tudor again offering a s...
Do you want something exceptional? That's not me asking, it's Alain Silberstein in an advertisement back in 2002. The Architecte Horloger with the mustache is promoting his new Krono Bauhaus, a limited edition of 250 pieces in many colors and one exceptional thing in common; a case clad in exclusive alligator leather. I spotted the reptilian chic Alain Silberstein Krono Bauhaus Alligator on Zeitauktion. And now I'm asking you: do you want something exceptional?Do you know what triggered me when looking at the reptilian chic Alain Silberstein Krono Bauhaus Alligator on Zeitauktion? Two things: firstly, the very recent trio of Louis Erard Alain Silberstein watches that popped up at HQ. And s...
For the first time again in a long while, I am super enthusiastic again about a watch. Ive worn the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Perpetual from the moment I picked it up, till the very last hour before I had to hand it over again.Yes, we need to give back the watches that we review. In most cases I am not particularly sad about it, it is our work to do so. However, it has been quite a while ago that a watch made me super enthusiastic again for my own wishlist. Especially a watch in the higher end, with a nice complication (other than a chronograph or GMT).Jaeger-LeCoultre Master PerpetualThis watch has been introduced last year, during the SIHH 2016. We already wrote about it in March of this yea...
Longines is one of those brands that clearly marked certain eras in the past when it comes to watchmaking. This brand from Saint Imier in Switzerland has a rich history in timekeeping that goes back as far as 1832. However, from our own interest in the brand we can say that in the 1950s and 1960s, Longines had these wonderful Conquest watches with a beautiful gold and [hand painted] green medallion on the caseback. In the 1970s, Longines followed the Swiss industry with sports watches featuring integrated bracelets. In the 1980s, Longines was a well known name in timekeeping and sponsoring of Formula 1 racing (Ferrari). Furthermore, they developed and introduced their VHP (very high precisio...
With a little wink of course, but in a week when my Ploprof has been described by one commenter as the perfect survival tool, it seemed like an opportune moment to pick our top-five pre-owned survival watches.Well, I thought about this, and came up with a few more models for you to consider when its the end of time. Besides the discontinued Ploprof in steel, I selected a Panerai, a Breitling, a omega, and perhaps the sanest choice a Casio G-Shock. But one with a little twist, of course.All watches are pre-owned and picked from Chrono24.? Every week we pick a few pre-owned watches from Chrono24, the largest market place for wristwatches in the world watches that we love ourselves, or think th...
For whatever reason, the omega Datejust glides past almost invisibly. Perhaps the reason is that it's so ubiquitous. Or is it overshadowed by its catalog mates with more tool-like intentions? Whatever the reason, this watch is a standard and deserves a bit more credit.Yawn, another omega Datejust. They're truly everywhere and if you're not seeing an actual example, someone is probably wearing some sort of imitation. The watch has been such a go-to choice for white-collared professionals that it has caused so many other brands to release a copycat or a nearly dead-on competitor over the past 30 to 40 years. As watch enthusiasts, we tend to focus on the sportier models from the brand, but the ...
With the new management at the helm at Breitling and the increased focus on appealing to Far-Eastern customers, you'd be forgiven for assuming classically styled timepieces, such as the Premier, were destined to become the norm.Whilst Breitling is streamlining their collection, masculine timepieces tied to the military still have a strong resonance with the Breitling community.New AvengersContinuing the Summit' ethos, whereby Breitling uses their own platforms to announce new watches to their own schedule, a slew of revitalised and reenergised Avenger models were unveiled in October 2019. A noticeable facelift on the new Avenger was the bezel with fewer numerals on the scale, save only for t...
Almost a month ago, I told you about the upcoming Moonwatch Only 2nd edition (60 years of Omega Speedmaster). During the annual trade show in Basel, I received a signed copy of this 2nd edition of what I quoted as this book sets a new standard in 2014. Lets have a look at this Moonwatch Only 2nd edition book.Moonwatch Only 2nd Edition BookThat said, I can keep this review short and just say that the best book just got better. However, that wouldnt do justice to the book and doesnt answer the question why you should upgrade from the first edition (here is my review of Moonwatch Only first edition).The image above was taken during the book presentation at BaselWorld, a few weeks ago. On the le...
Watch AmbassadorsOnly yesterday, during a press event from a?watch brand, the topic of watch ambassadors and red carpet brands was being discussed with a colleague watch journalist. Here on Fratello, we touched the subject before (click here for my rant on watch brand ambassadors) so there is no need to do that again. Instead, lets have a look at the real watch ambassadors. People who endorsed a watch that were not on the payroll of a watch brand. People who made a watch famous even, without knowing it themselves. Or realizing which impact they would have on the watch (brand).Steve McQueen omegaAlthough Steve McQueen endorsed the Heuer Monaco during the movie Le Mans, he didnt pick it himse...
As we head well into the race stint, the competition heats up. Twenty-four watches have DNFd from The Fast And The Fratelli. The final eight prove themselves worthy of the best racing chronograph watches of the past ten years. But there can be only one winner. The winning watch may even be amongst the choices today. From Bens side of the grid is the omega Daytona reference 116520. On RJs side is the Omega Speedmaster Calibre 321. This is the titanic battle of iconic chronographs we were hoping to have But we wouldnt have gotten there without your votes and voices of encouragement. You now hold the power to select the best racing chronograph. And by commenting, you have the chance to win a Tr...
As a watch enthusiast, watches have always been my weakness. Indeed, my Omega collection could map the story of my adult life. Well, you're probably wondering if Omega was, in fact, the choice of my adolescence. Well, yes and no. I wore Baby-G to my primary and secondary school. As a student, I couldn't afford a crazily expensive timepiece so I happily made do with my first Constellation that I got when I was a kid. At that time, despite my love for Constellation, I wasn't even thinking that watches could actually become a thing for me. As you can imagine, there was not a single article to be found on The Top X Womens Watches under 1,000. Also the discussions on women's watches were really o...
Back in 2011, Jaeger-LeCoultre introduced the Tribute to 1931 collection of Reverso models. Watches with the same dimensions as the very first Reverso models (without the brand name on the dial). In the meanwhile, Jaeger-LeCoultre has been introducing a number of models in this Tribute range. This year, it was time for the Reverso Tribute Moon watch. Lets have a closer look.Reverso Tribute Moon 3958420The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Moon is based on the Tribute to 1931. The watch is slightly thicker of course, due to the complicated movement. Where the original Tribute to 1931 had a two hands manual wound movement which enabled the Le Sentier manufacture to use a case that was only 7.2m...