Watches are so versatile. From dress watch to tool watch, the opportunities to pick the one that fits you best?are endless. Personally, I tend to buy larger watches, usually chronographs with dark colored dials. That's my thing. That's why I was really looking forward to this piece that I had the pleasure of wearing for a few weeks. It is so out of the ordinary for me with its colors, but because of the timeless design it felt like a friend you have not seen in a while whom you finally reconnect. I truly enjoyed every second it spent on my wrist. I wear it as I type the article now but in a few days I will have to kiss good-bye to this Omega Seamaster Diver 300M ETNZ.Omega Seamaster 300M Bac...
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This year, it is 80 years ago that Omega became the official timekeeper at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1932. During these 80 years, Omega has been the official timekeeper 25 times.The Games will start at the 27th of July and will go on for 17 days. Over 10,000 of athletes and officials from over 200 countries are participating in the Olympic Games in London. Omega's count down clock has been put in place in March last year and is rapidly approaching the start of the Games.Watch enthusiasts over the world are probably most familiar with the special edition watches that Omega has been introducing over the last few years. However, for the 2012 London Games, Omega did something really sp...
Your weekly installment of Fratello On Air is here. This time, Balazs and Mike handle a reader question about a few rather different chronographs.We love a good reader question, and this week, our faithful listener John sent us a great one Firstly, thanks, John John works at a hospital and were thankful for the efforts hes putting in during these trying times. Were glad that our podcast helps just a little during those tough days.Handgelenks KontrolleBefore getting to our reader question, though, we talk a bit about bicycles and then get into our Handgelenks Kontrolle. Mike is still in love with his 90s omega Datejust 16200, which shows few signs of leaving his wrist. Balazs is wearing a tru...
Welcome back to our Watch On Your Wrist? Instagram extravaganza Tag your watch snaps with fratellowatches to be in with a chance to win!Every week, we select four images. You can vote in the article for your favorite image. The winner moves on to the semi-final round (held every fifth week between the previous four weekly winners). Win that and youre into the final, which will be held at the end of the year. There will be five finalists in 2020 and ten from next year on.Basically, if you like winning things and there will be a prize for the champion of 2020 this year represents your best shot. So get snapping, get tagging, and get sharing. And dont forget to vote (once) for yourself Obvious...
Welcome to an entirely different side of Grand Seiko. Weve seen some rather exotic limited edition models over the past several years, but the Kodo Constant-force Tourbillon has to be the most audacious. This watch is really something, but sadly it is for those with incredibly deep pockets. Still, its fun to dream!The Grand Seiko Kodo Constant-force Tourbillon comes to us at Watches Wonders 2022. It is not the only limited-edition model from Grand Seiko, but it is the most exclusive. Only 20 of these amazing watches will be produced and they will cost wait for it 370,000 So, park your Bugatti, and lets see what all the fuss is aboutThe Grand Seiko Kodo Constant-force TourbillonThe Kodo Cons...
The inspiration for this article stems from a Fratello on Air podcast episode in May. In the episode, Fratello editors Mike, Jorg, and Balazs discussed watch cultures around the globe. While we are an international team at Fratello, we can only speculate on watch cultures based on our own experience. I set out to deliver the cold, hard facts that somehow reinforce the assumptions made as part of the episode. Using statistics, we will define the most popular watch brand and model around the globe. Before we start, take a guess on which watch brand stands above the rest, and let us know your thoughts in the comments.The data we will look at today was graciously provided by Chrono24s extensive ...
Anyone who is part of the watch community will probably agree that watch spotting can be a really satisfying activity. I sometimes entertain myself by checking out the wrists of others on the tram or plane sitting next to me. You usually have a preconceived idea of what a omega wearer or an Omega guy looks like. These are perfect occasions to assure your theory about them. Not to mention, when you see a special piece, a limited edition or a cool vintage watch. All of a sudden, the guy who occupies the whole armrest next to you earns your respect. Watch spotting has another way too; watching movies and TV. Today's Full HD TVs allow you not only to see the watch crystal clear but also to pause...
Why we didnt feature U-Boat beforeIf you are not from The Netherlands, Belgium or Luxembourg, you can skip this small introduction for sure. However, if you want to know why we didnt feature more U-Boat in the past, keep on reading.Earlier this year, I was on a short trip to London and U-Boat UK invited me over to meet with them. I have to be honest with you and say that U-Boat wasnt exactly on my radar for a long time. The reason for this is that they were marketed in The Netherlands (where we are based) in a terrible manner approximately 10 years ago. However, I decided to go to see the people at U-Boat in London and to my surprise they acknowledged the fact these early days werent the bes...
Whether you like Patek Philippe and its watches or not, I think there's one thing we can all agree on: the brand is up there at the very top of watchmaking artistry. Today, the Genevan manufacture presents a world debut of six models from the current collection as part of its 2021 rare handcrafts exhibition. Each watch features artistic decorations such as manual engraving, grand feu cloisonn enamel, grand feu champlev enamel, grand feu flinqu enamel, manual guilloch , and gem-setting. Of these six, I wanted to take a look at one in particular, the Ref. 5374G-001 minute repeater with a perpetual calendar.Why this one in particular? Well, not only is it my favorite of the collection but lo...
I was not raised Catholic, and Im not one today. You wouldnt know that, however, from the guilt that I carry. There are things that Ive done that simply cant be undone, and there are watches Ive worn that surely cant be unworn. There are also some pitiful habits I have that make me feel like less than a devoted watch guy. Today, in this article, its time to come clean, and confess my dirty little horological secrets. Forgive me, Fratelli, for I (feel like I) have sinned.Was that opening paragraph slightly melodramatic? Of course, it was, but its midnight, and Ive got to start this somehow. Nevertheless, this idea has been brewing for weeks, while the seed of guilt that inspired it has been g...
The Speedmaster is and will always be associated with the Apollo program and Moonlanding forever, but that was not what Omega had in mind when they introduced it in 1957. This chronograph was made to measure intervals by scientists, engineers, athletes, but also by racecar drivers. The Speedmaster was the first watch ever to have a tachymeter scale outside the dial, on a bezel. In the very first advertisements of the Speedmaster, we find two men sitting in a sports car, implying they're using the chronograph to time laps or measure average speed using the tachymeter scale.Omega Speedmaster advertisementThe Omega Speedmaster Racing StoryFor those who don't know, the tachymeter helps you calcu...
Last year Omega introduced their new Seamaster Diver 300M watch. A watch that has been in the collection since 1993 and was due for a big update. A new movement, new case size, and a new dial for example, while maintaining the look feel of one of their best selling watches. 2019 just started, and Omega throws in another variation of this new Seamaster Diver 300M.Seamaster Diver 300M In Ceramic and TitaniumWe have been informing you about the steel, gold steel and titanium/tantalum/Sedna gold versions of this new Seamaster Diver 300M, but today Omega surprised us with a model made of one black ceramic and titanium. With a size larger than the regular model (41mm), this 43.5mm is bigger and ...
Pioneering Swiss watchmaking for 150 years. According to the official TAG Heuer website that is, because there is some discussion around the pioneering part. Their latest in-house manufactured caliber 1887 movement seems to be based on a Seiko movement. Nothing necessarily wrong with that,???? however, TAG Heuers press release stated that this caliber 1887 is a designed 100% in-house movement. Even according to TAG Heuers CEO J. Babin, it is clearly not designed in-house, as the CEO himself is posting messages on several TAG Heuer forums to give an explanation to all TAG Heuer fans. His post on WatchUseek starts like this: Hi, Im J.C. Babin the CEO of TAG Heuer, and YES, the new Caliber 1887...
Not too long ago I did a review of this years Panerai Luminor Submersible Titanio (PAM 615?for the reference coders) and now I am back with this much talked about Panerai Luminor Submersible Carbotech (PAM 616). When they showed it to us in Geneva during the SIHH, I took note of a lot of ooohs and aaahs from colleagues around me that have a thing going on for Panerai watches. I am not a Paneristi, but I did understand what the fuzz was about.Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 Carbotech PAM 616 on the wristPAM 616 ReviewCarbotech CaseDuring the SIHH, I wrote the following about the Carbotech case material:In order to produce the Carbotech case, Panerai had to bind the long thin sheets of carbon...
Omega Speedmaster 2915It is Speedy Tuesday today and I realized that we lacked putting the spot light on the very first Speedmaster model. This first Omega Speedmaster 2915, officially reference?CK2915, was designed by Claude Baillod when he was working in the team of Head of Creation Pierre Moinat.The high contrast dial was inspired by Italian race cars of that time, also explaining the very first advertisements of the Omega Speedmaster 2915, showing two sports car enthusiasts and their Speedmaster. As you can see, this Speedmaster is of course close family to the current Speedmaster models, but has some differences. The bezel is stainless steel instead of the black aluminum inlay and the...
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. This week we line up two modern luxury steel sports watches from the mind of G rald Genta. The Royal Oak is one of Gentas pioneering designs, while the Octo Finissimo continued his legacy when Bvlgari acquired his eponymous brand. Which one would integrate into your life?Like Hansel in Zoolander, mode...
We like to talk about vintage watches a lot within the Fratello team. Though most of what we write about is primarily 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 still affordable. In this installment, we will take a look at the best IWC watches from the 1990s.This week we will continue our journey through watch history t...
Stormy. Slick. Sophisticated. Shimmering. Smokey? Smart These are some of the words I would use to describe the new Grand Seiko SBGE271 (the black dial) and the SBGE269 (the white dial). Ive never been a massive fan of Grand Seikos elegance collection but occasionally find myself taken by one or two of the models. These bad boys have my attention because their existence is justified by one thing and one thing alone. It just so happens that one thing is something I definitely like: texture.Im straight of the back of two special edition projects that gave me the chance to play around with my love of texture. The Minase Dividio we released back in March was my take on the Japanese brands classi...
Could there be a better place than Dubai to launch a new dazzling watch created especially for Women? Absolutely not There was magic in the air that night The presentation of this new diamond pav timepiece during LVMH Watch Week had an almost?One Thousand and One Nights feel. Seeing as the Defy family has become Zenith's signature design of recent years, the ladies version might be considered as a risk-free move these days, but that wouldnt always have been the case. A less elegant silhouette that has an edginess not often seen in womens watches of the last century, this is most definitely a piece for now. But let's see if the new model is what we (the wearers) want from a contemporary time...
Its been a couple of years since I last picked up a vintage omega. Woe is me Its a hard life indeed. Jokes aside, I recently took delivery of a lovely omega Submariner 5513 Maxi Dial and I thought Id share my impressions.Im a dummy. As sure as I sit here today looking at the 90s and early 00s Bluesy Submariners telling myself to strike now before its too late (its already too late, by the way), I did the same thing five to seven years ago on another omega. I cant remember the websites, but I remember the watches. I was looking at 5513 Submariner watches and they were staring back at me with their lowly $4,500 to $6,000 price tags ALLaDAYaLONG. What did I do about it? Nothing. I did nothing e...