During the Summer, I had the honour to visit the Jaeger-LeCoultre manufacture in Le Sentier, Switzerland. I already knew of course that I was dealing with a true manufacture here, but during my visit I realized that I havent seen anything like it before. Ive been to a high number of watch manufacturers past few years, but Jaeger-LeCoultre surprised me in the most positive sense of the word.I will do a report on the manufacture visit very soon, but first let me show you one of the watches that Jaeger-LeCoultre introduced earlier this year: The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Calendar.Available in pink gold (reference 1552520) as well as in stainless steel (reference 1558420), a wonderful addition t...
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With Seikos recent relaunch of the King Seiko collection, I thought itd be nice to take a look at the history of King Seiko, the Japanese watchmaking powerhouses other son. Historically, it was the rice to Grand Seikos fish, the two vital ingredients in Seikos finest horological sushi. However, King Seiko has lived firmly in Grand Seikos shadow in recent times. While Seiko dedicated a lot of effort to reestablishing Grand Seiko as its own entity (and has done a remarkable job), King Seiko was, until more recently, left by the wayside. Thankfully, Seiko has decided to rectify this, and we are now seeing some of the marvelous work of the Daini Seikosha factorys legacy revisited.As we all know,...
Western culture likes to take things easy. Take the seasons, for example. We have four of them. But Japan has 24 sekki that mark nature's ever-changing seasons. And that's a good thing because the nuances of these 24 periods are way more subtle than the ones we know. For example, in Japan, they have a name for the time when autumn turns to winter. They call that s k , the time of the year when the first frost blankets color the landscape. The Grand Seiko S k Frost SBGH295 and SBGA471 are frosty beauties with a warm afterglow that capture the natural phenomenon. The two watches are U.S.-exclusive special editions (NOT limited editions, just special ones) that are part of the Grand Seiko Heri...
Its Speedy Tuesday Weve been waiting to publish an article on this new Omega Speedmaster Professional X-33 reference?318.90.45.79.01.001, also called Skywalker. It was a surprise to us actually, that Omega was developing a 3rd Generation model of the Marswatch. Weve been a big fan of the Speedmaster Pro X-33 and covered it many times. We actually did?a write-up on the Speedmaster X-33 1st Gen ref 3290.50 right before BaselWorld 2014 started where the new 3rd Gen Speedmaster X-33 was introduced.Omega developed?a new version of the discontinued Speedmaster Pro X33 (2nd Generation) together with the European Space Agency (ESA). According to the Omega press release, it was even developed based o...
Oris just unveiled their new Big Crown ProPilot X Calibre 115 in Shanghai. Our own Bert Buijsrogge is there on location to shoot the watch and join the unveiling, but we are happy to already show you some images.The new Oris Big Crown ProPilot X Calibre 115 is their latest masterpiece and shows what they are capable of. With this watch, Oris wants to show what all of their other watches have lead to so far. They also took their earlier introduced caliber 110 movement and fully skeletonised it for this special Big Crown ProPilot X Calibre 115. Nothing is actually hidden, everything is being shown to the wearer of the watch.Oris Big Crown ProPilot X Calibre 115Interesting to see is that the sk...
A long long time a go, I removed the entire content of Omega-Addict.com after I discovered that the data traffic got a bit out of hand. Probably due to some linkers (eBay?), it went up to almost 40GB a month?? Anyway, since then, I got a lot of emails from concerned citizens asking when it will be back online again. Well, today is the day ?? Here you go!??...
The Grand Seiko SBGY007 Omiwatari was presented to you in June, so it's about time for a hands-on review of this classic-looking Grand Seiko. As I wrote in an introduction article last month, the Grand Seiko SBGY007 is part of the Elegance Collection. A Spring Drive powered dress watch whose dial pays tribute to the frozen waters of Lake Suwa. I explained the origin story of the Omiwatari in this article, so make sure to read that if you want to know more. This hands-on review of the Grand Seiko SBGY007 article is about the watch itself. No storytelling, just the watch as it is.Grand Seiko SBGY007 OmiwatariGrand Seiko has been on a roll this year, first showing us the White Birch, but also t...
Remember the first Omega Seamaster Professional 300M Bond? The 2541.80 (quartz) and 2531.80 (automatic) to be precise. Those watches werent limited editions, but part of the regular Omega collection and worn by Bond in 1995 and onwards. Today, we introduce to you the Seamaster 300M that Bond will wear in No Time To Die, and it will be in the regular collection as well.I love the Seamaster 300M 2531.80. I had many, sold many, and repurchased one two years ago, realizing I shouldnt have sold the first one that I bought in 2000. The Seamaster 300M was, and is, the bread and butter piece for Omega. It always offered a lot of bang for the buck and still does. Especially the recently introduced mo...
Quite often, the fusion of two designs leads to controversial results. Can you really combine two unique design ideas successfully? When Zenith introduced the El Primero A3817 in 1971, watch fans must have raised an eyebrow or two when seeing the amalgamation of the iconic A384 and A386. Then again, the 1970s were an age of experimentation, so fusion design was definitely a part of that era. Five decades after the initial release, Zenith has released the modern version with the Chronomaster Revival El Primero A3817. Does my purist heart accept this pairing of iconic styles?Zenith has been releasing watches at a rapid rate over the last roughly two years. With a mixture of limited releases an...
After the Baselworld storm and some other side projects calmed down, I found some time to work on this tasty episode. This time we zoom in on one of the biggest and most bespoke watches of the flower-power seventies: Breitling 1806 Navitimer., a.k.a Fried Egg. To?me it's more a gigantic pan with two fried eggs:ColossalWith its 48mm in diameter this octagonal shaped watch was probably the biggest or one of the biggest watches Breitling produced in the seventies. It's a very technical watch, with lots of measurement functions and a slide rule bezel (more on that in a sec). If we take a look at the dial, there are no less than three subsections/rings to separate the several timing functions bes...
Welcome to the new year 2021. Doesn't it sound good and roll off of the tongue nicely? It certainly sounds better than the sorry excuse for a year that was 2020, right? I hope you all had a lovely break over the Christmas and New Year period. I know I did I got a chance to reacquaint myself with the great outdoors and spend some time hiking in the absolute middle of nowhere. There's something about removing oneself from the daily grind and spending time in the wild. No people, no cars, no nothing. Just the sounds of the odd sheep, bird, or the wind.Now, in this kind of environment, it can get muddy, wet, and a little dangerous for a watch. Some places I visit involve scrambling up and down r...
Today, we're excited to bring you a hands-on look at something we've been anticipating: the Breitling Navitimer 806 1959 Reedition.For many of us, we thought this day would never come, but lo and behold, we have finally arrived and Breitling has? delivered a watch that should please fans of its impressive back catalog.? With the announcement of the Breitling Navitimer 806 1959 Reedition, we are getting a no excuses watch that ticks every box (aside from it actually being from 1959); there's honestly so little to complain about that it should silence even the most persnickety critics.? We'll talk about why that is, what went into making this watch and what you'll be getting should you be luck...
Wearing an A. Lange Sohne Lange 1 Time Zone is one of those treats you get as a watch journalist. This of course applies to all sorts of watches from a plethora of brands but receiving an A. Lange Sohne is still something special. Even after 16 years of running this magazine, it is still a special moment when you can strap a Lange 1 to your wrist.The Lange 1 Time Zone has been in the collection since 2005, but last year, in June, A. Lange Sohne decided it was time to present an update. This new version of the Lange 1 Time Zone has a new movement, featuring a handy feature for indicating daylight saving time. But, of course, this hands-on Lange 1 Time Zone review is not about that new addi...
Somewhere last year, I was invited to come over to Richard Mille in Switzerland to visit their watch case factory and their HQ in Les Breuleux, Switzerland. With a small group of watch journalists, we arrived at the Richard Mille boutique in Geneva to have a look at all the (new) models they have. A great way to start the factory visit, as I have to admit that I wasnt familiar with most of their models or reference numbers. Although I witnessed their presentation of the Richard Mille collection in SIHH, the brand wasnt really on my radar. After this visit to Richard Mille in Les Breuleux, I have to say that they are definitely on my radar. Keep on reading.In the Geneva boutique, located in t...
The interview, everyone is talking about, had its premiere yesterday in the US and today it will be released in Europe. Meghan Markle and Harry spoke with Oprah Winfrey about everything that raised doubts about their relationship and the reasons behind Megxit. Other burning issues they are tackling are their relationships with other royals, racism, and how their mental health suffered. Apart from the various controversies, they have a big impact on the current trends, maintaining, as they do, an impeccable style. Are you curious about what watches the British royal family wears on their wrists? Read on to find out more!?Meghan Markle wearing Cartier Tank Fran?aise /?Photo: Matt Sayles/PA/AAP...
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...
Although Hublot is known for an arresting aesthetic, the Sang Bleu collection takes things to another level. With their bewitching dials, and multi-faceted, optionally-bejeweled cases, the Hublot Big Bang Sang Bleu II?watches are the very definition of statement pieces.Given the breadth of Hublots past experimentation with materials and aesthetics, it is perhaps surprising that the Sang Bleu collection still occupies an island of outlandishness. These new models, born of the continued collaboration between Hublot and tattoo studio Sang Bleu, double down on that trend. For this outing, both new timepieces put the color blue front and center. Available in both titanium and King gold housings, ...
Here at Fratello, we love vintage dive watches. They not only represent the times in which they were made but also express the quality and precision of manufacturing available these days. So when I came across this awesome collaboration, I felt the need to take a closer look at the new CronotempVS? a Oris Spirit of Sixty-Five.Back in the sixties, two underwater diving pioneers Hans Hass and Christian J. Lambertse needed a proper tool watch that was technologically advanced enough to help other divers keep track of the time while diving. Oris was the major contributor in this venture and it resulted in the very first Oris diving watches for professional divers.In 2015, Oris decided to commemo...
The 2019 SIHH Montblanc Heritage novelties probably have the widest selection of timepieces in the brands current lineup. 6 models from an elegant 3-hand version to a sophisticated limited edition pulsograph. It is a very thought-out collection that offers a watch in every price segment. Let's look at the crown jewel of the line; the Montblanc Heritage Pulsograph. A watch that is a limited edition of only 100 pieces.Montblanc Heritage PulsographWhile I don't fancy fish (on my plate) I really like this salmon dial (color) steel amazingness from Montblanc. It is not only a super cool watch on the wrist but one that packs a lot of punches overall. We'll run through the basics, shall we? The Mon...
Sometimes it's written in the stars. You can call it cosmic fate. Or karma. Watch karma in this case. The story of why I bought the Grand Seiko Tough Quartz SBGX341 watch is a tale of random events that string together in the end. And it all began back in June of this year As you might know, this year, Seiko celebrates its 140th anniversary. As a consequence, numerous limited editions in all product families have reached Fratello HQ. Last June a rather handsome trio came in and especially one of them really struck a chord with me. That was the Grand Seiko Quartz GMT SBGN023 Limited Edition. That watch made it to my Top Five Watches Of 2021. Why? Because the watch immediately caught my eye. B...