The green production process of the watch manufacturer in Schaffhausen, is something to be proud of. Not only IWC, but a lot of other companies seem to embrace durable entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility. One of IWCs projects is to support projects like David de Rothshilds Plastiki Expedition. David de Rothschild and his Adventure Ecology organization built a 60 foot catamaran made entirely of plastic bottles, PET plastic and recycled waste products. With this ship, named the Plastiki, David and his carefully picked crew members will sail approx. 10,000 nautical miles across the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco to Sydney.The name of this boat, Plastiki, was inspired by the f...
Blog
Omega gave us the opportunity to use one of the Golf Edition models of their 2017 Omega Aqua Terra line up. I happily accepted it as my 52Mondayz watch for this week.The Omega Aqua Terra Golf Edition on my wristOmega Aqua Terra 150M Golf EditionThe Omega Aqua Terra 150M collection currently comprises of no less than 22 variations. A closer look learns that in fact there are 9 different watches with each a choice of different straps. Different straps, like the availability of a metal bracelet, a leather strap, a rubber strap, or even a NATO-style nylon strap. Robert-Jan did a good overview article on the entire new 2017 Aqua Terra series here. An in-depth review on one of the other 2017 Aqua ...
Welcome to our newest series, Two For Tuesday. Today, well pit two of the watch worlds most popular watches against each other in a tussle to be Tuesdays-top-dog. Its the omega GMT 16710 vs the Submariner 14060M.Yes, Two For Tuesday is a new concept for us, but it came to mind when we were spitballing about new directions for the site. As the resident watch geek amongst my friends and colleagues, Im usually their first stop for advice. Oftentimes, people dont ask about a specific watch. They actually ask about a brand. Someone will say something like, I want an Omega. Or, I want a omega. Amazingly, theyll often boil it down to two models that are somewhat similar (i.e. both are sporty, both ...
Last year, Breitling launched the new Super AVI collection in five editions, each paying homage to a legendary aircraft. Appropriately, the launch took place at the National Aviation Education Center in Dallas. And even more fittingly, expert pilots wore the namesake models in flight to reflect their vintage planes. Breitling sure likes to amp up the theatrics Following the flashy unveiling, I spent some time with the Super AVI and came to realize something: Breitling has the most legible, mechanical chronograph GMT on the market. I recognize this epiphany reflects a niche within a niche, but Ive got to give credit where credit is due. In this article, I delve into what I mean by its legibil...
Just like that, Grand Seiko introduces two new professional divers watches. The Grand Seiko SBGH289, in steel with a blue dial, and the SBGH291, in High-Intensity titanium with a black dial. Both watches arent powered by Grand Seikos Spring Drive movement, but rather by its mechanical hi-beat caliber 9S85 movement.Divers watches have been a hot ticket item for many years, even to those who dont dive (like me). Its often about the aesthetics of the watch, but also about the technical characteristics of these pieces. They can take a little bit of abuse, you dont have to worry about water or moisture, and often come with a useful rotating bezel (I often use them for timing things) and a proper ...
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 don't forget to let us know which watches you'd like to see torn to shreds/effusively exalted next week. We'll try and feature as many of our readers' choices as we can. In this weeks showdown, the Everose gold omega Daytona faces off against the new Sedna gold Omega Speedmaster.Its not a first that the high-ranking champions of iconic chronographs square up against each other. Nor even is it the first scuffle between the two in our Sunday Morning Showdown series. The...
The story of the Speedmaster began in 1957, when OMEGAs Claude Baillod designed the watch for his manager, Head of Creation Pierre Moinat. The first few models (CK2915 and CK2998) had a symmetrical shape and were replaced by the a-symmetrical case as we happen to know it now, in 1963. When the Speedmaster was chosen by NASA to become part of the astronauts equipment, OMEGA added the wording Professional on the dial in 1965. The rest is history and has been discussed and documented by many, including here at Fratellowatches.Besides the Moonwatch, OMEGA developed and produced a number of Speedmaster watches that were not part of the Professional series. We would say that the Speedmaster Reduce...
Today, were taking a look at an authentic Omega Seamaster 300M and a very high fidelity replica. It used to be very simple to tell the difference. Fakes were cheap knock-offs. They often made obvious mistakes. Many of the key details were wrong. Sometimes, everything was wrong. But in todays world,? replica watches are getting better and better. Sometimes, they are awfully close to the original.The fake Omega Seamaster 300M James Bond limited edition for the 50th anniversary of On her majestys secret service we have here, is being offered online for prices that come very close to 25% below retail. And it is being offered as an authentic watch. So this is not a watch for those who want to hav...
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 Zenith watches from the 2000s.By the turn of the millennium, Switzerland had proudly re...
Salmon dials have a strange effect on me. Whether it was one of the salmon dial omega Datejusts?in the 1990s, the salmon dialled Chronoswiss R|gulateur Automatique CH1223, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo 14802 or Sinn 356 watches, I felt heavily attracted to them. Yet, I never bought one as I felt too scared. With this Patek Philippe 5270P (P for platinum), the dial has yet again that same effect on me.Patek Philippe 5270P Salmon DialAlthough I regret not buying the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak with the salmon dial (and the prices went berserk), I could have bought the Chronoswiss or Datejust with that dial. Yet I actually never dared to do it. Not because I think rose or salmon isnt masculine...
This week in Pre-Owned Picks, I am selecting five watches in five categories under the sum of 3,000. My selecting process was straightforward. I filtered on the price from 0 to 3k, then chose the watch type, whether that be the complication or the purpose. Drilling down the selecting process, I based my choices purely on what caught my eye.And a lot was vying for my attention. 3k is a great budget to have to spend on a cracking timepiece. Enough to cover a luxury purchase but not so much that the bank deduction is a colossal gut-punch. The categories were harder to choose, however. I did my best steer clear of the typical sports and dress watch types, and find watches with a bit of mechanica...
Im a big fan of stainless steel watches with integrated bracelets. The omega Oysterquartz Datejust with reference 17000 belongs to these watches.omega Oysterquartz DatejustC 52Mondayz, week 25The usual suspects in this field are of course the Patek Philippe Nautilus, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo, the Vacheron Constantin 222, the original IWC Ingenieur (SL1832) and lately the Girard-Perregaux Laureato. However the omega Oysterquartz Datejust certainly fits in as well.A little history lessonAfter a model with an outsourced quartz movement in 1970, omega began supplying the Oysterquartz watches with in-house movements at the end of the seventies. Two models became available, the Oysterq...
The best watches of 2019 according to our editorial team, an overview of over 30 different watches!Were looking back at a very successful year for Fratello. We grew tremendously, not only in reach but also in the quality and quantity of our content as well as the number of contributors to Fratello. We hired a head of operations, Daniel, whos responsible for almost everything besides the content you see here (yet we asked him to chip in as well for this article, as he is a watch guy after all), we did a total redesign of our online magazine, we started with our podcast series, we opened our shop, we started to have our articles translated in other languages (live early 2020) and we are about ...
Its been a long time coming. Today TAG Heuer releases the new generation of their famous Aquaracer line with a bunch of refreshed models. The new Aquaracer Professional 300 offers a bold yet elegant contemporary look in a functional and versatile form.The new Aquaracer 300 Professional comes in several iterations. You can choose between steel or titanium and regular production models or limited editions. Lastly, the collection consists of ladies and gents watches as well.Look backThe Aquaracers history started in 1978 with the iconic reference 844. That legendary diver had a distinct look with extensive lume-covered indexes, rotating divers bezel, and a red 24-hour scale. The watch had an au...
3rd Generation Speedmaster pre-ProfessionalIts Speedy Tuesday Earlier this year, Bert and I went on a horological trip to Switzerland and visited the OMEGA museum in Biel. One of the people from the museum showed us a number of Speedmasters that they had on archive (that is: not displayed in the museum). One of them was this very early Speedmaster 105.003 also known as the 3rd generation of Speedmaster pre-Professional model. One can dispute that, as there were three reference numbers before the 105.003.The CK2915 as the very first Speedmaster, the CK2998 is the second generation of Speedmasters and then there was the 105.002. This watch is basically a CK2998, but at this time, OMEGA introdu...
Were back with a look at the top 5 vintage Grand Seiko models. This is an article that Ive wanted to pen for some time. I think were finally ready for it!With the relatively recent rise of Grand Seiko as a global brand, popularity and fandom have thankfully come along. The brand is hot And with such gorgeously crafted mechanical and quartz showstoppers, why shouldnt it be? But this wasnt always the case. Five plus years back, Grand Seiko existed as some sort of watch geek special. We all espoused these watches virtues, but I suppose regional availability combined with a focus on monochromatic designs kept their growth at bay. We also spoke a lot about vintage Grand Seiko and the outlandishly...
I think that for those of us who enjoy vintage watches, we've really been spoiled for choice over the past several years when it comes to new watches with a retro look. Brands such as Longines, Omega, Seiko, Doxa and even Rado have introduced some rather faithful reissues of beloved pieces and many of them even border on affordable. Today, we take a look at a recent release with a vintage theme from a brand that I always followC and one that I'd love to love more: Hamilton. You've likely read a bit about this watch, but today we'll get up close and personal with the Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical. Now, I'll go ahead and clear this up from the beginning: the Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical r...
A few years ago, when I was examining my own vintage omega Datejust from 1969, I concluded that the dial inside was a service dial. I got it in 2002, and at the time there was little to no information available on the topic. But even a few years ago when I decided to finally replace it with an original dial, I realized that it can be very confusing to determine what's correct and what isnt. On eBay, there's a ton of omega accessories such as dials, hands, and bezels. I quickly found out that authenticity is not always guaranteed. With the help of some friends, who know more about omega dials than I do, I managed to source a nice one (also from eBay). Of course, I paid a stupid amount, but at...
The Breitling Premier Heritage Collection rolls on in serious style with the new Premier Duograph 42. Can someone say, in-house, manual wind, rattrapante?The Breitling Premier Heritage Collection is quickly becoming one of my favorites. This group of watches is made up of a beautiful manual wind chronograph, the Datora moonphase chronograph, and now the Premier Duograph 42. If youre into classic chrongraphs and complications, this new Breitling just might be the ticket.Some history and other examplesBefore we get to the new Premier Duograph 42, lets spend a moment on the Duograph name. This model name was given to Breitling chronographs with a rattrapante complication. That function gives th...
Pajamas, Vampires, or Snow Whites. Get some popcorn, welcome to our rundown of five bizarre watch nicknames. Which one is your favorite?Some of the watches you might have never seen or even heard of. Me neither. I probably would have forgotten about one or two of the listed watches if it weren't for the idea to write this article that I had about a year ago. I started writing down all the quirky nicknames I came across to entertain us all a bit. Serious or not, all the nicknames deserve their moment in the spotlight. Bear in mind that we avoided notoriously known nicknames derived from comic book heroes, sodas, or famous ambassadors on purpose. We decided to throw in a couple that might surp...