We previously announced the Oris Artelier James Morrison Academy of Music on Fratello here. And now we have the chance to test drive it on the wrist. The Acadamy of Music slots into the existing jazz collection, but this time, it is inspired by a living trumpeting legend, James Morrison.After the announcement, and the excellent article by my fellow Fratello, Andreas, on the Art Blakey, I just had to get my hands on this piece.?I applaud Andreas for combining the Oris Art Blakey review with his passion for percussion. Im a guitarist, and although Ive chosen a piece intended for a trumpet player, James Morrison regards himself as a multi-instrumentalist. Im hoping that covers the electric guit...
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A while ago, I mentioned that The (Dutch) Speedmaster Club is being revived. The first step is here.. a dedicated forum for Omega Speedmaster watches.I installed a PHPBB forum system on my omega-addict.com site and since today it is up and running. For other non-Speedmaster watches, I suggest you (still) go to WatchUseeks Omega Forum ofcourse.Click the banner below or click here to go to the Speedmaster Forum It is a bit sparse ofcourse, but its new ??To prevent confusion, you dont have to be Dutch to join!!...
A question that is often raised with us, is which is the best Speedmaster to buy? And don't think this question only comes from those who are new to watches. Even here in the office, this discussion often comes up. It is especially popular among team members that don't yet have a Speedy to call their own, I have to add.In 1999, when I bought my first Omega Speedmaster, I somewhat did the wrong thing. I bought myself a vintage Speedmaster Professional 145.012 powered by the legendary caliber 321. Although it is difficult to believe that this was a bad decision, I honestly feel it was. At the time, things were totally different from today and there wasn't that much money involved in the world ...
Remember the Seamaster Ultra Deep from 2019? It is the Omega watch that played a role in Victor Vescovo's Five Deeps Expedition, and went down to 10,927 meters. Now, in 2022, Omega introduces a version of that watch you can actually wear (as the 2019 piece had a thickness of 28.5mm). Meet the Seamaster Ultra Deep in titanium. Its part of the Planet Ocean collection and able to go as deep as 6,000 meters, or 20,000 feet.I saw and tried on the 15,000m water-resistant Ultra Deep when I was in the Omega Museum in Biel, Switzerland. Its an incredibly impressive watch, and definitely not suitable for normal wear. One could have guessed that the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean collection would receive...
We receive quite a few messages about our personal collections or personal favorites. Based on these requests, our Social Media Manager Sinara asks founder RJ about his personal collection. RJ decided to bring some of his most meaningful watches.Robert-Jan started collecting watches in the late 1990s as a student. His first major purchase was his Omega Speedmaster Professional 145.012-67SP, but he already had received an Omega Constellation 95 before that as a graduation present. Omega is a brand that runs in the family, as you will see in this video. One of his most cherished watches is the one that Sinara asks about first, a gold/steel Omega Constellation Deluxe from 1969. It belonged to h...
I never get tired of getting new watches in hand. Even after thousands of timepieces have passed through my possession, I remain surprised at how surprised I am still able to be. The more watches I encounter, the more I must remind myself to keep an open mind and to get them on the wrist. If Id ignored that sage advice, I might still be sleeping on the Grand Seiko SBGW257 and SBGW259.The Grand Seiko SBGW257 and SBGW259 watches would not have been watches Id have gravitated to in the boutique. Why not? I hear you cry. Do you not think theyre beautiful? Well, yes, actually, I do think theyre beautiful. In fact, I would go as far as to say that their beauty far outstrips almost anything else th...
Collecting watches is also about sharing this passion with others. Theres little or no fun in just collecting without talking about (your) watches with other like-minded people, right? Last year we brought you a number of collectors stories from Speedmaster enthusiasts. Today we have Kelvin who wants to share his story on the new Speedmaster Professional.Kelvin started collecting watches in 2012. Not with an Omega Speedmaster, but with a pre-owned omega Sea-Dweller Deepsea. Today, he has a number of watches, including the new Omega Speedmaster Professional Master Chronometer. It isnt Kelvins first Speedmaster watch though. It is his third, and hopefully this one will stay in his collection.K...
It is here, thanks Dave I can only use it as a picturebook since it is in Japanese, but everything on Panerai is welcome.It will probably get a place on my bookshelf near the Time Capsule book by Imai on the Omega Speedmaster-series which are also in Japanese....
Last week, Omega announced a little contest for SpeedyTuesday fans. All you have to do to take part is to post a picture of your Speedmaster on your Instagram feed and tell us your Speedy Story. What makes it special to you? Why did you buy it? Has it seen adventures or memorable times on your wrist? Get snapping and join in the fun. We cant wait to read your words!Your Speedy Stories should be 100 words or less. Omega will choose its favorites and post them (with your consent) to its official Instagram Stories feed and on the official website. This little initiative runs for the next three weeks and you dont need to wait till it is Tuesday, but you must remember to use the SpeedyTuesday a...
In our Sunday Morning Showdown, two of our writers go head-to-head in an epic showdown for the ages. Strong opinions and hysterical hyperbole are welcome (so feel free to join in with the fun in the comments section below). And dont forget to let us know which watches youd like to see torn to shreds/effusively exalted next week. Well try and feature as many of our readers choices as we can. This week our writers try to conquer the skies with two Pilots watches: The new IWC Pilots Watch Chronograph 41 and the Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43.With the online extravaganza that was Watches Wonders 2021 behind us, its time to bring you another Sunday Morning Showdown. The past week has bee...
One of my favorite omega watches is the GMT-Master. With the introduction of the 116710LN and 116713LN models, I feel that the classic GMT-Master has been phased out by omega. The new updated model with its bulky lugs and ceramic bezel surely is a nice timepiece and probably suits all modern requirements, but it cleary stands further away from the original 1954 model than its more recent predecessors (i.e. 16710, 16760, 16700).The first GMT-Master (ref.6542) was introduced in 1954, in the same year as Pan Am took the Boeing 707 in operation. Since the Boeing 707 was demanding the highest of Pan Ams pilots in terms of psychological well being. Pan Am thought that at least a time piece that co...
One of my biggest fears is that I take things for granted. And by things, I mean both immaterial and material ones. Let me focus on the material side of my fear since this is a watch website and not a self-help platform. When you see as many watches as I do a privileged situation, I know it can cause an overload of the senses. You go numb a bit. Watches start to look alike, and prices become numbers without meaning. That's bad. A watch journalist needs to be sharp and open-minded like a child. And during the recent Watches And Wonders show in Geneva, I did feel like a child again, and what I saw sharpened my senses. After an intense touch-and-feel session, I was back in on cloud nine with Pa...
Zenith has been very much on my radar since a get-together with other watch enthusiasts some months ago. In particular, the El Primero Revivals and Defy series caught my attention. That's why I recently tried on the Chronomasters A384 and A386-inspired Original, as well as the blue Defy in 41mm. Of course, I also looked at some pictures from when they were originally introduced in the 1960s. I found that the current Defy range looks especially different from its ancestors. I even thought to myself, Wouldn't it be great if Zenith introduced a modern Defy with a design much closer to that original version? Et voila-Last Sunday, Zenith shared a moving close-up of a watch that would be introduce...
Its Speedy Tuesday This week we present to you our review on the Omega Speedmaster 57 Co-Axial Caliber 9300 Chronograph that was introduced to us last year in Basel. A modern Speedmaster that we already compared to the original Omega Speedmaster from 1957 and the Omega Speedmaster 57 Re-edition (click here). This review talks about this straight-lugged Speedmaster 57 with its subtle nods to the original Speedmaster timepiece. We had it on our wrists for quite some time and wed like to share our thoughts and experiences with you.Omega was so kind to lend us this Omega Speedmaster 57 reference?331.22.42.51.01.001, the stainless steel and red gold combination on a brown leather calf strap. Alth...