All Hallows Eve. My favorite time of year. And Im not alone in this. Watchmakers also revel in putting a spooky spin on their collections. For this weeks Pre-Owned Picks, I am selecting three watches with an occult theme. What may surprise you is how collectible some of these watches have become or will become.Horror films are my guilty pleasure. I am far more likely to select a terrible horror film on streaming services over an acclaimed drama. Many share my deep fascination with horror fantasy, whether that stems from books, art, poetry or motion pictures. Some of the characters within are so ingrained that you can distinguish them from only a few subtle shapes. Konstantin Chaykin uses thi...
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Every now and then we get a message from someone who lets us know that they're selling a watch. But it's certainly not every day that the watch going up for sale is an original-owner omega Cosmograph Daytona 6265 from 1972, especially restored by omega. Yeah, you heard that right. This is a true heavy-hitter. Seeing this one in the metal was a highlight of my time at Fratello so far. Earlier this week, Kenny Vaes from Relleb paid us a visit here at Fratello HQ, and showed us the watch. We sat and had a chat about the watch's story, how he came to own it, the work omega did on it, and when and where it will be put up for sale. If you're in the market for a very special watch, or just want to ...
In a recent installment of This Week in Watches, we mentioned that Jeff Stein C noted Heuer collector and creator of On the Dash and Fred Mandelbaum C noted Breitling collector would be hosting a bit of a celebration for the 50th anniversary of the Chronomatic movement.? Their respective Instagram accounts (@on_the_dash and @watchfred)? will serve as ground zero for the events, but we have a feeling that some others will get in on the act.? As a reminder, begin using the chronomatic50 hashtag starting on March 3rd through the 10th to participate.? First, though, we thought we'd provide a little background on the famous movement and I put together a brief Top 10 Chronomatic list of my favo...
Its This Week in Watches for September 19, 2020 and Ive dubbed this one the Enjoyable Edition. Why is that? Well, I think we have some nice news indeed.Mido Belluna RoyalSometimes, theres something extremely enjoyable about a basic, nice looking watch. In fact, Id say thats what we have here with the new Mido Belluna Royal series. These watches feature a cushion case and guilloch style sunray dial. Interestingly, the shape is meant to evoke Royal Albert Hall in London. Putting the story aside, the gents watches come in at 41mm x 10.14mm thick and use the Powermatic 80. The ladies version uses the same movement, but measures 33mm. All have water resistance of 50 meters. Honestly, I really li...
It's been more than a quarter since I've given an update on the vintage watch market. Why is that? Well, the article would likely have come off as more of the same prices are up and the market is tight. And today? It's no different, so I'll focus the article, instead, on the trends I've witnessed along with some commentary on condition.Your Hobby is Becoming MainstreamThe vintage watch market continues to evolve and what I've noticed is that it has become far more mainstream. What was once a true enthusiast/hobbyist market has now pivoted and attracts a far wider range of customers. Speculators, those concerned about general style, and trend followers now, more often than not, exhibit more...
Announcement: Prints of?Watches Pencils artworksBefore we take a look at?the panda?I would like to start of with an announcement.?Last months I received a lot of questions about prints of the artworks presented in?the Watches Pencils feature. Unfortunately I wasnt able to handle all the individual requests and therefore I decided to open an online shop. In the shop Ive placed a selection of my artwork, which will be updated now and then. Since the payment, printing process and shipping is handled by a professional third party with quality products (RedBubble), buying a print should be a breeze from now on (several materials and sizes available). Please take a look around at the?Watches Pe...
Today, Oris introduces a new variation on the Aquis collection. The?Oris Aquis Small Second with date feature. Let us stress that the small in the model name has to do with the seconds and absolutely not with the size of the watch. A whopping 45.5mm in diameter for this Oris Aquis Small Second Date.The?Oris Aquis Small Second has the same design as the Aquis that was introduced earlier this year. Gerard did an interesting write-up on the new Aquis during his trip to Florida with Oris a few weeks ago, you can read it here.In short, the lugs and bracelet are a bit thinner than on the previous Aquis versions ?and the crown guards are a bit more tapered. These changes give the new Aquis models a...
It is becoming more and more difficult to find a mechanical divers watch under 1,000, especially from the big brands. The watch landscape changed tremendously over the past 10 C15 years, and prices have increased quite a bit.Is it still possible to find a proper mechanical dive watch with this budget? In this top 7 mechanical dive watches under 1,000, you will find my favorites.Top 7 Mechanical Divers Under 1,000I am not a diver by any means. I only go for the occasional swim during my holidays. The real divers in our team are Gerard, Bert, and Andreas. They have their PADI qualifications and know a thing or two about what it takes to dive with a watch. And while I do like the looks of divin...
I recently enjoyed some lens time with this rather unique piece by Peter Speake-Marin. Out of the box, the aesthetic was a littleunusual, but I admit that towards the end of the session, the design grew on me.Enjoy All images can be clicked on for larger versions. Dont forget to check us out on Facebook?and gives us a Like!MTYes, it glows in the dark, too!MoonphaseDay of the week hand and instantaneous change mechanism24 hour handMaster control wheel for perpetual calendar mechanism. Note the incredibly thin jumper spring attached to the pawl center-right, and the square cut gear controlling the date advance at the end of each month.One final view....
Oris is a sympathetic brand in my opinion. Independent (but not small) and very strong in the sub 2000 price range. We covered their Aquis and Sixty-Five Divers watches a number of times, as these are great value propositions. What also helps for us watch journalists, is that the people behind Oris are also sympathetic and real watch enthusiasts. That doesnt help or mean much for the end-consumer perhaps, at least not directly, but believe me, it does for us when the people behind a brand share the (true) love for watches. However, being very strong in that 1000 to 2000 segment, what happens if a brand like Oris creates a watch that retails for nearly 5000?For that kind of money, you are ent...
I am not a big fan of Breitling watches, with the exception of the Navitimer. I have owned one and wasnt very impressed with it, to say the least. However, Breitling is on a roll with their new in-house constructed movements.Breitlings most interesting model, the Navitimer, is now available with their chronograph Caliber 01 movement. Column wheel chronograph with a vertical clutch and the classic tri-compax dial layout (sub dials at 3, 9 and 6 oclock). If it wasnt for the price of approx $7,600.- USD, Id put it on my list.My guess is that Breitling will quickly sell their stock of 2,000 pieces in stainless steel. The run of 200 pieces in 18 carat red gold probably wont sell as fast as the st...
I like the quiet contenders. On school sports day, they're the ones that lag behind at a snail's pace, reserving their energy before pulling a last-minute trick out of the bag and surging past everyone like a little Duracell Bunny. If they're particularly cunning, they'll throw a curveball and trip an opponent up, ever-so-sneakily before the finish line. I'm also quietly competitive. I like to gather all my facts. Observe other people. Study their strategies before conceiving and executing a nefarious master planIs that what smaller watchmakers do, do you think? They may not stand directly under the limelight or indeed, have the financial backing or the marketing they need to steal another's...
As you probably know, we launched the Fratello Shop last December. Recently, we updated our stocklist with a few new watches for your pleasure. Lets have a quick look.Besides the pre-owned (NOS) Omega Speedmaster Professional watches and Frederique Constant Manufacture with Moonphase, weve now added two references each from Rado and Fortis.Rado in Green and RedWe are very enthusiastic about the Rado Captain Cook, but the red-dialed Golden Horse on a beads-of-rice bracelet really struck a chord with our team. When it first came in for review (click here) it was the watch everyone rushed to strap on their wrist. A beautiful 36.5mm dress watch that originally came with a leather strap only, wev...
Tiger Woods, a golf pro hero that sees his career end-up in pieces in just a few weeks, only because he doesnt live up to the high standard of being a role model for every kid in the US who wants to achieve something. Who cares what he does in his private life? He didnt kill anyone, didnt steal.. The hypocrisy of the ones who judge and dropped him is unbelievable imho. I think golf pro Nick Faldo had the same sort of problems in the past (early 1980s) and he recovered quite okay-ish. Anyway, just like his sponsor TAG Heuer, Tiger saw his name/image going down rather quickly due to some bad Public Relations/Communication.I hope that TAG Heuer at least has the decency not to drop him like some...
Drive de CartierCartier Hong Kong celebrated the official launch of the three Drive de Cartier' models and for this important release, an amazing party was organized, that lasted night after night, during the last 9 days of September. The Drive de Cartier time only' model was already available since January, but the wait was still for the more complicated ?Drive de Cartier' with complications and the Drive de Cartier flying tourbillon, to make the trilogy?complete.Nine BoutiquesSince the opening of the Cartier Prince's Building Boutique' in 1970, the first Cartier Boutique in Asia,??Cartier has realized nine boutiques in Hong Kong. Not those small shops like we have in Europe, but really lar...
40 Years AgoJust last week, we published an updated version of our Patek Philippe Nautilus versus Audemars Piguet Royal Oak comparison article. When talking haute horlogerie, I have to admit that these two watches are definitely my favorite pieces. How much I like other high-end watches like a Patek Philippe 3940 or 5140, A. Lange S?hne Lange 1 or Vacheron Constantin Overseas Ultra-Thin, nothing comes close to how?I feel about the Nautilus and Royal Oak. Today, I was somewhat surprised to see the new Nautilus 40th Anniversary models popping up out of nowhere.NautilusThat I picked the Royal Oak for my private collection had also to do with the money to spend, at that time, it was far below 1...
The omega Oysterquartz is a fascinating watch. Not only does it smash the myth that omega watches dont tick but it also hearkens back to a time when omega really pushed the envelope. I know we have a few readers who really love the model, including one who recently picked up a fantastic birthyear example (Warky, this ones for you!). This past week, I tried an Oysterquartz on my wrist for the first time. That got me thinking long and hard about the potential in its design.Especially in the current climate of integrated-bracelet hype, the omega Oysterquartz could be the alternative we didnt realize we needed. And, at least as of December 2021, its one discontinued omega model that still repres...
Fair readers, its time to return with a healthy heaping of Wrist Game or Crying Shame. Last week, we returned after nearly a month away, and I was able to set your pulses racing with a bejeweled omega. This week, we look at the Bell Ross BR 03-92. Before we get to thatLast weeks omega Submariner Silver Serti was a controversial piece indeed. It brought out plenty of comments, and those included words from column veterans Captain Dean Baker and the almighty Chow Their words and your votes sent this flashy diver down to the seafloor in a 67% Crying Shame result. I cant say that Im surprised, but will you shock me with your thoughts on the Bell Ross BR 03-92?The Bell Ross BR 03-92Ah, Bell R...
As mentioned in our first story on omega Myth Busting, there is still plenty of fruit left on this tree. This particular myth is perhaps more meaningful than the last. For those of us who have already spent some years in this wrist-gazing niche, things have changed. The all too common sales pitch of In-House movements has never been so prevalent. What does In-House mean, and is it that important? Compare it to the automotive industry, and stand-alone Big Brands like BMW are proud to say they manufacture around 40% of the 3-series parts. Are watches so different that we should truly care? Well, I tend to say no. And the omega Daytona serves as a perfect example. So before we even get started,...
BR01 Aviation Collection 2013Bell Ross and its iconic BR01 Aviation collection has a few new instruments this year: the Heading Indicator, Airspeed and Climb. Limited to 999 pieces only, although the first 99 pieces are only available in a collectors box that also contains the BR 01 HORIZON, ALTIMETER and TURN COORDINATOR (introduced in 2012). So basically, there are 900 pieces for sale if you dont fancy this collectors box.BR01 HEADING INDICATORThe Heading Indicator piece shows the time using rotating discs. Three discs are in place, for hours, minutes and seconds. Bell Ross made the dial look like the original heading indicator instrument, using the W, E, S and hour indicator (N) on the ...