Often referred to as a doctors watch, a pulsometer chronograph is a handy tool that makes checking ones heart rate a breeze. Dont worry, though. Despite the nickname, you dont need to have a Ph.D. to use one. As one of the most straightforward chronograph scales out there, all it takes is a bit of curiosity, and, well, access to one. Thankfully, whether youre a medical professional, a cardio-loving athlete, or a chronograph nut on the prowl for something different, there is a pulsometer watch out there for you.Today, Im bringing you my top five picks for the best pulsometer chronographs on the market. If youd like a refresher on how to use one (as well as a tachymeter, telemeter, and asthmom...
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The omega GMT-Master (II) finally stepped out of the shadow of its diving brother, the Submariner. With the introduction of the ceramic Pepsi and Batman (on Jubilee) recently, the hype is real. Long waiting lists and market prices far over retail result in disappointed customers, but that doesnt seem to slow down the demand. On the contrary.I can imagine why the omega GMT-Master II is so much in demand. It is a great daily companion, with the added value of an extra timezone. I had my share of GMT-Master watches, including a few vintage 1675s and a GMT-Master II 16710. When I was ready to purchase a GMT-Master II Ceramic or Batman in 2017, I was confronted with the above-mentioned demand for...
The Bvlgari Octo Finissimo in steel is the talk of the town since its introduction earlier this year in Dubai. During these events, you only get a few moments with the watch, to take some pictures and do a quick try feel with the watches.It is certainly not enough time to really let the watch really work into you. It could be me of course, but often I need some time to have it all processed. Especially when it concerns an unusual design as the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo (yes, Bvlgari and not Bulgari). To me, it wasnt love at first sight, that I will have to admit. I like the fact that the watch has its own identity, that you can basically recognize an Octo (Finissimo) from 20 meters distance fo...
A dive watch does a lot. Its a tool for a safe dive in lieu of (or in combination with) a dive computer. Its becoming an acceptable GADA (Go Anywhere, Do Anything) in modern culture. And, of course, dive watches capture an aesthetic and serve as robust companions for all of us non-divers. But of all the dive watches with all the additional complications possible, there are hardly any that have a moonphase indication. The Oris Aquis Dat Watt Limited Edition and Blancpains Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Quanti me Complet Phases de Lune show the phases of the Moon within the confines of a unidirectional divers bezel. The Panerai LAstronomo Luminor 1950 Tourbillon Moon Phases Equation of Time GMT com...
There is no way around it, 2020 has been a weird and eventful year. Looking back at this year, it might be wise to remind ourselves of the amazing releases to which weve been treated. Some of them defined the year in watches, and some of them you might have forgotten about. Its the latter that could make for a nice Santa gift. Perhaps you neglected to put them on your list, but Santa stepped-up and scribbled them down on your behalf. Why? Because Santa knows best. So lets find out what gifts he came up with that werent on your list.Before we get into Santas list of treasures, just a quick look back at watch releases in general for 2020. As per usual, we have seen some amazing releases, and w...
Sunday Morning Showdown is back Its so good to say that. After nearly a year-long hiatus, Jorg and Ben are ready to duke it out once again. For those recently joining the Fratelli, this series is where two of our writers go head-to-head in an opinionated showdown. One, two, or more watches are thrown into the arena to be either torn to shreds or effusively exalted by each defending editor. We have some extremely hot-off-the-press timepieces to get us back into the action the Vacheron Constantin Historiques 222 and the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 16202. Both have roots in the 1970s and are bathed in glorious gold for these particular references. Will the comeback kid 222 knock the integrated l...
In this Sunday morning column, 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. This week, weve got another head-to-head for you. Its getting deep this week. The omega Sea-Dweller 126600 is going up against the Grand Seiko SLGA001.If we were running a competition for misleading titles, this one might win it. No, dear readers, we are not diving headfirst into the muddy trenches of ...
One of the fun things about Speedy Tuesday is that there are so many models and references, we will probably never run out of material to cover. We started on May 29th 2012, almost four years ago, and it doesnt take much time to think of a new subject to cover each single week. If there isnt a new Speedmaster to talk about, we try to answer a Speedmaster related question from one of our readers or focus on something vintage or special. I also believe that the Speedmaster is one of the few watches around that makes it possible to give it weekly coverage, for almost four years now.A few weeks ago, Bert and I visited the Davidoff Brothers in Geneva to have a look at their extensive Speedmaster ...
Heres something you dont see every day I was recently lucky enough to have some lens time with this rare beauty: a pre-Vendome Officine Panerai Mare Nostrum chronograph. Only 500 were made. I recall having the opportunity to purchase one for not that much money in the early 00s; like everybody else in that position, Im now kicking myself. Its a simple, functional timepiece with trademark Panerai legibility, but some interesting twists like that unusual crown, which not only lacks the locking guard, but is also rather curiously shaped. (It winds well, though). The watch is powered by a manual wind ETA 2801-2 with a Dubois-Depraz 3217 chronograph module; these were (and are still) notorious fo...
Designing a bracelet for watches is one of the most difficult things to do. I didnt just make that up, instead, this was said to me on multiple occasions by different designers and product developers. I am not a designer myself, but I can definitely judge a bracelet after having tried and seen so many watches in the last 20+ years.Ive done an article on the best watch bracelets before, but I thought it was time for an update. Taste changes, but Ive also seen and tried some bracelets that were new to me (Moser certainly comes to mind), and immediately loved them. One is from a brand (Bvlgari) where their designer was one of the guys that told me it is one of the toughest challenges: designing...
For Collector's Week here on Fratello, I thought it would be nice to tell you about collecting Speedmasters. I've been doing so since 1999. Even though that still doesn't make me an expert, I do have some advice for the beginning collector of Speedmaster watches.There are not that many watches that truly deserve the label iconic and, on top of that, are still somewhat affordable. The Omega Speedmaster Professional, however, belongs in that category. You can buy interesting Speedmaster models for a very acceptable amount below 4,000 or go as crazy as you'd like.Starting a Speedmaster collectionI am amazed that there are still some undiscovered beauties out there that can be had for a very dec...
We travel a lot to visit watch events, but most are in the surrounding countries. However, we found our way to China for a special occasion last week.Oris launched the Big Crown ProPilot X in the centre of Shanghai, with amazing views of the famous Bund skyline in the background. With this event report, we want to take you behind the scenes and show you what has been shown to us in Shanghai.ProPilot X Event ReportAfter 17 hours of travelling, we arrived in the centre of a warm and humid Shanghai. Here we are welcomed by co-CEO Rolf Studer, David and Mona Weber, Michael Meier and Marco Gemperli followed by a nice dinner.In a relaxing atmosphere, we get to enjoy a selection of traditional Chin...
Omegas holy grail retailed in 1987 for around 1500DM, as much as 750 Euro. Probably no-one would have guessed it would become the Holy Grail of Speedmasters. Chuck Maddox and Alexander Monkowius, amongst others, wrote in great detail about this watch. The Speedmaster Automatic ref. ST376.0822.Once in a while you seem them for sale at a watch fair, watch auction or at one of the online sales corners. However, most of the time they probably change owners within a blink of the eye. This watch is wanted Why? Because it basically houses in the classic Speedmaster Pro case and is powered by the classic chronograph movement caliber 1045. As a regular Fratello reader, you probably know that this cal...
Omega introduces to you their Seamaster 300M Nekton edition. Around 20 years ago, Omega introduced a Seamaster 300M version for the Americas Cup. The watch has a black dial and a white gold bezel, a variation of the 300M that I really adored. And still do. The new Seamaster 300M Nekton shows some similarities!Today, we show you the latest variation on the 300M, the Seamaster 300M Nekton. Nekton is a research foundation committed to protecting the oceans. Omega is supporting them in their mission to save the seas. To underline their partnership, Omega came up with a pretty cool Seamaster 300M Nekton edition. I am looking forward to doing a hands-on review with this 300M Nekton, so I will keep...
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. It's 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 still affordable. In this installment, we will take a look at the best Breitling watches from the 1980s.While the 1970s were a decade filled with tremendous chang...
This is a omega you wont see every day: the Submariner Big Crown Four Liner 6538. Four Liner refers to the four lines of text on the dial that not only indicates the model name (Submariner), depth rate (200 meters / 660 feet) but also that it is an Officially Certified Chronometer.Submariner Big CrownAlthough it is definitely related to todays omega Submariner, this reference 6538 chronometer model is something else With a diameter of just 37.5mm, it looks very distinguished and the big crown (8mm diameter) gives you immediately the feeling of having a proper vintage tool watch on the wrist.A 1957 Reference 6538In the early days of the Submariner (introduced in Basel in 1954), things were a ...
In 2021, Omega updated the iconic Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch with the caliber 3861 movement. A very good reason to update our Speedmaster Buyers Guide as well!This guide dates all the way back to 2014, and since then, a lot happened. Not only did we have our own way with Omega and the two Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday watches (in 2017 and 2018), Omega also introduced a number of interesting Speedmaster watches to the collection. What about the Speedmaster Calibre 321 from 2020, or the new Moonwatch Master Chronometer models in gold? Time for us to update this Speedmaster Buyers Guide.In this Speedmaster Buyers Guide, we give you an overview of the most important references of the Speedm...
As always, a lot happened this week in the watch world. COVID-19 ain't gonna stop us Some cool watches launched, and it's challenging to pick just a few things. We did get some colorful releases, so I'm christening this the colorful edition. Here are some of my favorites from the past week.Zenith Pilot Type 20I'm a big fan of Zenith and what they've been doing lately. As ever, watch design is very subjective, but Zenith has been ticking a lot of boxes for me. This week they launched a new version of their Type 20 Pilot's watch. It has a fascinating blue dial, and when looking at it, the nickname Blueprint makes sense. It adds a nice colorful flash to the model lineup.a matte blue base showin...
And it's that time of year again and we always look forward to the new releases from one of our favorite brands: Seiko. Today, though, we'll give you a sneak peek at the 2017 Grand Seiko Baselworld novelties. Last year, this was a widely read story and we expect you're interested again While we normally refrain from using stock photos, we will have only just walked out of the press conference held by the brand and still have a hands-on appointment in the wings. For now, let's take a look at three new models.The 2017 Grand Seiko Baselworld noveltiesThe 2017 Grand Seiko Baselworld novelties usher in a serious change that seemingly everyone outside of Japan has desired. Quite simply, the models...
On April 18th 1891, a train crash in?Kipton, Ohio took the lives of 11 people?and was caused by railroad engineers watches not being in sync (4 minutes difference). This accident led to new strict standars for railroad watches in 1893. Where todays trains are controlled by high-tech systems using GPS, in those days the network heavily relied on the railroad watches to safely operate and control the train time table.Due to the 1891 accident (and many accidents before), the?Railroad Timepiece Standards Commission presented new guidelines, referred to as the General Railroad Timepiece Standards. These guidelines consisted of:Be open face (no lid over the dial), size 18 or 16 (size 18 equals 44....