Besides a new Limited Edition Speedmaster Professional to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 1971 Apollo 15 mission (restricted to 1971 pieces), Omega unveiled their latest addition to the Speedmaster family. The Speedmaster Omega Co-Axial Chronograph. Youve read it correctly, it says Speedmaster OMEGA Co-axial Chronograph. The emphasis is clearly on their new chronograph in-house caliber 9300 and caliber 9301 movements with co-axial escapement, or as they say in Switzerland L chappement Co-Axial.The difference between the caliber 9300 and 9301 are in the finish of the movement, where the 9301 should be seen as the movement with a luxury finish like a 18ct red gold rotor and balance bridg...
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Last week we received the Oris Aquis Date divers watch in for review. Spot on to be my 52Mondayz watch for this week, as this week I will attend an event which includes diving.Oris Aquis DateC 52Mondayz, week 24The Oris Aquis was slightly redesigned and presented at this years Baselworld. Compared to the previous?Aquis model (youll find our review here), the new Aquis?is somewhat more refined in its appearance.The redesign of an already attractive watchThe crown guard and lugs have become more softened, as well the hands got a somewhat more distinct appearance. The bezel inlay became brushed from glossy ceramic. All in all small changes which affect the appearance of the watch towards more ...
Omega unveiled the Seamaster Planet Ocean Orange Ceramic in platinum and the Seamaster Planet Ocean in platinum in black set with a diamond in the ceramic bezel, diamonds in the case and a diamond shaped Omega logo on the sapphire case back. Yes, thats right, although everyone expected a novelty in orange (after some teasers on the official Omega Facebook and instagram channels) Omega decided to introduce two new pieces. Limited to 8 pieces each, both models were unveiled today by Omega in Geneva in their boutique at the Rue du Rhone.Also to become later on available in stainless steel with this new technology of orange ceramics, Omega first introduces this new watch in Pt950 platinum. Not o...
Cartier loves to create bold luxury jewelry watches. Especially given the fact that a large portion of Cartier's legacy comprises magnificent jewels designed for royal families and the sweethearts of Hollywoods Golden Age. The Maillon de Cartier aims to capture the same glamor in one spectacular, jewel-set object.Cartier has gone ultra-feminine. The desire to create an exceptional timepiece for women has led the French brand to accent the watch bracelet. As such, the Maillon de Cartier line is a sumptuous expression of sexiness.The chain-link bracelet is simply gorgeous. It overawes all other elements of this design and takes center stage as Cartier surely intended. The hexagonally shaped be...
is what I often like to say to my fellow watch friends when they start again asking the same silly questions about Cartier.It was 1983 or 1984 when I bought my first real watch; the Cartier Santos. That was, of course, the square watch in steel with yellow gold lunette and steel bracelet with yellow gold screws. It was hot like hell and became the most copied watch. It was also that watch that made me interested in the history of the brand since the dealer told me that the design was inspired by the first men's wristwatch, launched by Cartier in 1904. So you can imagine that it did not take long before I became obsessed with watches in general, especially with Cartier.Cartier Watches From Co...
Its that time again Alon and Rob catch-up over the phone for Episode 32 of Fratello On Air. A relatively snappy show (at just under 40 minutes), focuses on what its like to own and wear a Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Automatic watch among other thingsAlon Ben Joseph has been a Bvlgari dealer for six years. Hes been a Bvlgari owner, however, for three. He finally decided to pull the trigger on a model from the famous Italien brand when the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Automatic (in titanium and on a titanium bracelet) was released at Baselworld 2017. Now, three years on, Rob wants to know what he makes of it.Who buys Bvlgari?Additionally, Rob wants to know who buys Bvlgari? What does the regular Bvlgari ...
The other day I reached a little bit deeper into the safe than I usually do. I ended up with the cheapest blue plastic digital watch you can imagine in my grasp. Rolling it around in my hand, every single bit of it still felt familiar despite not having seen it for about three years (and 20 years before that). It was my first watch ever and it holds a special place in my heart.That was the very moment that sparked the idea for this article: a write-up in which each of the Fratello editors could share their earliest memories of their first watches. I pitched the idea to Rob and RJ. They loved it and instantly sent me back their stories. It didnt even take a full week for me to collect the fir...
Last week, while over in the USA, I picked up a copy of Matt Hranek's A Man and His Watch, a wonderful ode to the wristwatch and its hold on the wearer. It was an appropriate acquisition because, while there, I found myself asking my father to pull out one of my favorite watches that he owns and defined a certain era of his life (or at least his activities), a omega 1680 Submariner. And while my Dad didn't write any prose or wax on about the watch's importance to him, this diver affected me when I was younger. Yes, today's TBT will take a look at this well known Sub, but it also provides the opportunity to do a little story telling while using some of my Dad's L'Eroica-era bicycles, his tru...
Gumball 3000 Anniversary EditionFratellowatches was present on the Gumball 3000 grid in Copenhagen last weekend. With Hublot being the official sponsor for this 15th anniversary edition it was definitely not the only brand on the wrist of the drivers.?The?Gumball 3000?is an annual 3,000-mile (4,800?km) road rally which takes place on?public roads, with a different route around the world each year.?This year the rally starts in Copenhagen and goes to Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Riga, Warsaw, Vienna and the finish is in Monte Carlo.Fratellowatches was there to do some watch spotting!Photo 1. On the wrist of A. Dharamsey from Team Wolfpack we spotted this AP Grand Prix All Carbon.Photo...
Last week we (my gf and I) returned from my vacation in the United States. Going from GMT-7 to GMT+2 (daylight saving time included) resulted in that I still am a bit off-beat. During my holiday, the omega GMT-Master proved itself to be very useful when making phonecalls to The Netherlands.omega is also the brand that I spotted the most in the US, both in shops and in the wild ?? Especially in the watch shops in Las Vegas, they had large collections of them. One of the stores that impressed me the most was the Tourneau store in Ceasars Palace. Besides having enourmeous displays full of omega, they also had Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, IWC, Jaeger LeCoultre, Jaquet Droz, Cartier, Omeg...
Why are most watches round? Why not triangles? And for those few watches that aren't round, why are they square? There are more than a handful in the realm of quadrangular watches, but we need only investigate the few with historic provenance, industry-shaking developments, and direct lines drawn from designs already present in time to gain the answers to these questions. These few are, of course, the Cartier Santos, Casio G-Shock Square, and Bell Ross BR 03, all with many variations of their own to explore.Watches are round only for a couple of reasons. (Actually, watches are round for many reasons, but I'm trying to make a point.) First, the circular sweeping of the hands naturally promot...
We've elaborated on the lack of availability of omega watches more than once. And just last week, we had an article by Lex about the dangers of flaunting your precious omega. But what if you are destined to buy a omega anyway?I think omega is one of the brands that brings a lot of people into this interesting world of watches. But what to do once confronted by the fact that the watches are difficult to obtain, at least at retail price? This has been the case for a long time with certain steel sports models, or when a new sports model was introduced. Now, however, it seems to be an issue with no end in sight.Image by PhillipsBuying a gold omegaLet's say you want to buy a steel Daytona 116500L...
If you've been following high horology seriously for a while, Chopard will no doubt be a familiar name. The brand has certainly been making a splash in the watch world for some time now.? I dare say, however, that for as many who know and appreciate Chopards work, there is an equal or even greater number who simply do not. Many of us may associate the name with jewelry, gem-laden women's watches, the Mille Miglia, or even a more controversial model, the Alpine Eagle. Unfortunately, many collectors are still unaware of just how much history the brand actually has, not simply as a jewelry maker, but as a legitimate player in the world of horology. Today, Chopard is not only one of the last ma...
Welcome, watch-wearing persons to Wrist Game or Crying Shame This week, we head back to 2008 to take a look at the Panerai Luminor Marina PVD Destro. Are you sinister enough for this one? Before we find outLast week, I truly enjoyed myself when talking about the original TAG Heuer Formula 1. This cheap and cheerful watch even brought out some great stories from you fine folks about your adolescent years. Sadly, it wasnt all fun and games because the high school bullies gave this one a wedgie to the poor TAG. As a result, this one flunked out with a 56% Crying Shame loss. Boo Now, lets head to the next decade and talk about the Panerai Luminor Marina PVD Destro. Are you ready?To Texas and bac...
Have you noticed these four lines of text above the 6 o'clock on the Breitling ref. 3865? This omega-like fairytale read amuses me each time I see it. And trust me, I can't help but notice it each time I look at the dial. It is truly awesome and something Im very happy to share with you today.When one says Breitling, most see pilot chronographs. Divers watches come to mind only later. I bet any diver that does jump to mind is somehow unusual. Let me guess, you see the spectacular slow-motion SuperOcean ref. 2005 or the true collectors grail Breitling ref. 1004. I doubt you, the Fratell, thought about the modest but equally interesting skin diver Breitling ref. 3865.Meeting Breitling ref. 386...
Ah summertime, it's finally officially here despite the fact that it's been seriously hot throughout most of northern Europe for the last couple of months. With Summer comes vacations and that means that most of us will make our way towards the beach or at least a refreshing pool. And what watch to wear? The natural response is a dive watch, that casual genre of timepiece that can handle the water just as easily as the condensation dripping from the glass of a poolside cocktail. But let's say you're a real vintage nut and the thought of wearing the same newer (read: watertight) diver for 1,2 or 3 weeks in a row sounds mundane, then we have some suggestions. In today's article, we'll head bac...
Last week, I got in touch with Johann who posted a story on his Instagram account about a TAG Heuer he received from his dad. This TAG Heuer once belonged to Microsoft founder Bill Gates. So time for us to ask a few questions to the current owner of the watch.Johann runs the Instagram account @watchyouwearin. He posts incredibly crisp wrist shots of his watches. Definitely, a? feed to add. Recently, he posted the picture of his TAG Heuer 2000 model. And, along with the pics, the amazing story of how this watch ended up on his wrist. Interested? You should beRobert-Jan: Johann, before telling us a bit about that TAG Heuer 2000 on your IG feed, where does your love for watches come from?Johann...
Omega Speedmaster Pro DD145.0022It is Speedy Tuesday on this first Christmas day This week, we have something rare. A gold / steel combination Speedmaster Professional that dates back to 1981. A gold colored dial with gray sub dials and black hands. This Speedmaster Professional goes by the reference of DD145.0022.The bezel of the Speedmaster DD145.0022 is also made out of gold and the black aluminum inlay features gold printing. The bracelet is more familiar, it is a ref.1171 bracelet with 633 end-links. This surprised me as well, as I only knew this combination in stainless steel. Apparently, Omega just used the same machinery to assemble this gold / steel bracelet as they used for their 1...
Unfortunately, there was no Grand Seiko event this year. Normally, these annual get-togethers provide the perfect backdrop for new releases to first see the light of day. Instead, the Grand Seiko watches came to us. There is plenty to come over the course of the year (some of the novelties are still embargoed, of course). What I can say, however, having had the benefit of seeing what remains behind the curtain, is that the Grand Seiko SBGJ239 watch is absolutely one of my personal favorite 2020 releases.A green dialed GMT on a leather strap? Color me interested. It sounds amazing on paper, but it sounds even more unusual when we consider this watchs context. This watch sits within the Grand ...
Longines Heritage 1945I can comfortably say that this year is about time-only watches. Not that we did not see any three-handed watches the previous years but the amount of coolness the brands present this year in this segment is remarkable. Omega (Railmaster), Montra (Triumph), Tissot (Ballade) or Nomos (basically any 2017 novelty) are just a few brands to mention with such watches. There was however one other brand that stood out; Longines. For many years now we got used to the fact that when it comes to BaselWorld we would see something great from them. We did not disappoint in them this year either. Their Flagship Heritage 60th Anniversary is spot on when it comes to being as close to th...