On Her Majestys Secret Service is the 10th novel in the James Bond series and the 6th movie about the British spy. For this 1969 movie, George Lazenby played 007 and faced Blofeld (again).To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the On Her Majestys Secret Service film, Omega introduces a special version of the Seamaster 300M Diver. This limited edition is based on last years introduced Seamaster 300M model that has a long history with Bond. Since 1995, Omega has its relationship with James Bond, with the Seamaster 300M 2541.80 (quartz) and 2531.80 (automatic) references on the wrist of Pierce Brosnan as Bond. Even though in recent movies Bond was wearing a Seamaster Aqua Terra and Planet Ocean...
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..for the ones who are able to read German, go here. Article by Elmar, from oysterinfo.de.????...
The Overseas line by Vacheron Constantin is on the move. It is stepping out of the shadows cast by the Royal Oak and Nautilus. Capitalizing on a groundswell of positivity, Vacheron Constantin is bringing us more options to choose from.?Ok, dont tell my wife about the new blue dial Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin. Last year in May, my wife and I attended a Havana Club and Vacheron Constantin party, in Whitehall, London. Sipping Airmail and Dark n Stormy cocktails certainly lowered our inhibitions. Before long, we were inquiring about beautiful Vacheron Constantin Overseas watches that may have (definitely) been beyond our means. Luckily, the helpful staff members were more than happy to provide...
Here at Fratello, we love to shine the spotlight on special projects that members of the watch community are working on. Today we have the pleasure of introducing a new YouTube channel: Winters Bui Photography Watches. Its being launched by Lydia Winters and Vu Bui. And if their names ring a bell, you might know them already. Perhaps from their positions at Mojang Studios as Chief Storyteller and COO, respectively. The Swedish video game developer was responsible for the creation of the well-known sandbox video game, Minecraft. But if you don't know them from that already impressive side of their career, you may have come across their Instagram pages, where they often post stunning pictur...
Longines has done a brilliant job in combining classic vintage looks with quality modern construction and movements in its Spirit collection. Now, the young line expands in an exciting direction with the introduction of the new titanium models. But that's not all, a new dial color as well as detailing in gold give these new models a classy edge. These details elevate the watches well beyond what was already available in the lineup. A new strap option is a cherry on top of this already appealing new offering.The watches found in the Longines Spirit collection walk the line between the pilot and field watch aesthetics. This is certainly well-trodden ground when it comes to watch design. Howeve...
When I borrowed the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Rubber Clad from Watch-Site, I got the AP Royal Oak 15300 as well. Just to?get some look feel?about this watch. Not too long ago, I was a bit reluctant on this particular model, since there was only one Royal Oak, and that was the Royal Oak Jumbo, also known as the ref.15202ST. I have written many times on this Jumbo by Audemars Piguet, saying it was my dream watch or number 1 or 2 (this position changes back and forth with the PP Nautilus 5711/1A) watch that I need to have somewhere in life. ??Friends of mine have the 15202 and are quite clear on the 15300. A no-brainer, because of the second hand with the wing on the short tip, the mo...
TAG Heuer rounds off its 160th anniversary with a new lineup of Carrera Chronograph Calibre 02 models. We break down the news and give our thoughts.160 years as a company is certainly something to honor and TAG Heuer has steadily rolled out the goods in proper celebratory fashion. In January this year, we saw the beautiful Carrera 160 Years Silver Limited Edition. This was a faithful retro model that harkens back to the original 1963 model designed by Jack Heuer.Then, just a short couple of months ago, the first mainstream release came to light. We broke down the new 44mm Sport Carrera and came away impressed by the colorful, yet cohesively designed chronographs. Today, though, we finally ge...
OMEGAs Co-Axial Chronometer. For some time now, OMEGA has been teasing us with beautiful images on their Facebook page. Like the one below. Beautiful. Since it is Speedy Tuesday, we selected this one, but OMEGA did a few more very interesting images.This morning, about an hour ago, OMEGA released a video about their Co-Axial Chronometer movements. The Co-Axial escapement was introduced by OMEGA to the public in 1999 in their DeVille Co-Axial watches (very limited production). In the last 13 years, OMEGA has been adopting the Co-Axial movement in all of their ranges (except for the quartz models and the original Moonwatch of course). This George Daniels invention was adopted by OMEGA a few ye...
Last sunday, I went to the Rikketik watch fair in Houten/The Netherlands. This fair is being held a few times a year, and is also held in Antwerp/Belgium. Besides wrist watches, there are a lot of clocks and pocket watches for sale on the fair. So far so good.My last visit to the watch fair was at least 1 1.5 years earlier and as soon as I entered the large hall with all the sellers, I knew why it was 1 1.5 years earlier. What a mess. They should seperate the (wooden cuckcoo) clocks from the watches to start with. But this is not the worst part. The worst part is the quality of the offered goods. Omega watches seems to be the most popular brand on the watch fair. Logically, because the vin...
Longines has been killing recently. I mean it The brand from Saint-Imier had a pretty good 2020, and it seems pretty intent on keeping that momentum going in 2021. The well-received Spirit collection knocked it out of the park and won plaudits from across the industry. The Heritage line of watches also saw a bit of a makeover with some stunning results. Longines was on a roll Now, as we enter into the second month of 2021, Longines has dropped another winner onto us. A watch we possibly didnt know we needed: enter the Longines Avigation BigEye in titanium.The Avigation BigEye is an instantly recognizable watch from Longines, and it has enjoyed a successful few years since its release. Now, w...
While many brands could be accused of underrating the importance of strap design, not even the best strap can save a poorly designed watch head. And sometimes, when a brand nails the watch head design, it can burst into life on hundreds of different straps. Some watches demand you wear them on the straps the designers designed for them; others encourage you to experiment. We call these watches strap monsters. Lets take a look at a few of my favorites.Theoretically, you can put a strap on any timepiece. In the early days, even pocket watches had wire lugs soldered on as a way to affix the watch head to the wrist. I say theoretically, as not all watches qualify as strap monsters. To comply as ...
In this article, I select the extra-terrestrial movies from the 2010s that feature great watches. As you'll see from the list, Im not just showcasing the space-faring Omega Speedmaster here (although it does feature). What's obvious in the last decade is the investment from Hamilton in cinematic product placement. But in no way do the watches feel shoe-horned into the narrative. Some of the watches even play an integral role in the storylines.I miss going to the cinema. I went from attending at least one showing a week in 2019, to about four in the entirety of 2020. The lack of blockbuster releases has been a shock to my regular downtime routine. And nothing beats a big-screen sci-fi romp or...
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. After the last Bond match up, we return with a second one. One that matches up two lesser talked about Bond watches So lets rev up the Aston Martin once more and discuss the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M James Bond vs. Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra.It was only last week we had our inaugural Bond bust-up bet...
Time to bring out and dust off the Fratello crystal ball and also read the tea leaves in the Hublot mug we have at HQ. With a stream of novelties on the horizon Watches and Wonders is just a couple of months away some veteran references will have to go bye-bye. It's the circle of watch life. And even omega, Patek Philippe, Tudor, Omega, and Grand Seiko can't escape it. The crystal ball and the tea leaves predict the end of models like the Air-King and Milgauss from omega. It also seems the steel Aquanaut 5167A has come to the end of the line. While were at it, lets have a look at a few other brands and watches that are in dire straits.Nothing lasts forever. But some things last considerably ...
When the Omega Globemaster was introduced in 2015, I was super excited. Not only because it was a great new addition for the Constellation collection, but also because it was the first Omega watch with the Master Chronometer certification. That year was Silver Snoopy and James Bond, which made the Globemaster disappear to the background a bit.Not only that, the delivery of the Omega Globemaster watches to the boutiques and authorised dealers took a very long time. I would say that the momentum was gone at some point. In the last months, or perhaps last year even, I would say that I see that the Omega Globemaster is finally receiving some credits from collectors and enthusiasts. On Instagram ...
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...
Welcome back to Wrist Game or Crying Shame, where you choose to point your thumb upwards or in the sinister direction at the end of a gladiator-like battle of wills This week, our contestant is the Vacheron Constantin Les Historiques 31110. But first?-I don't know what to say other than thank you to the new kid on the block, Rob Nudds. You see, yours truly (who is in his early 40s) thought he was still in his mid-20s and did something stupid at the gym and was basically out of commission during the heart of last week. People, if I can leave you with one word of advice it's this: stretch So, Rob stepped up big time and delivered last week's installment with a look at a highly polarizing watch...
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...
The IWC Portugieser Chronograph is one of the most recognizable watches in the industry. Its clean and clear display is often taken for granted, but it is a masterpiece of dial design, with particular attention paid to the spacing and layout of all information. Now fitted with an in-house caliber, the Portugieser is ready to be the go-to watch of the next generation.In recent years weve seen the fashion watch industry move over to exceptionally pared-back designs. The success and proliferation of brands such as Daniel Wellington, Olivia Burton, and Ted Baker may not seem all that relevant to readers of Fratello Magazine, but lest we forget the massive effect the high-volume sales of the fash...
Apollo-SoyuzIn 2014, we already covered the Speedmaster Apollo-Soyuz and the background of this watch:?The Apoll0-Soyuz mission in 1975.Two super powers forgot about the Cold War for just a moment by docking the Apollo and Soyuz spacecrafts at an altitude of 138 miles. Launched at the 15th of July in 1975, the docking took place on the 17th of July and lasted for 44 hours. After the docking, the American crew transferred from the Apollo to the Soyuz spacecraft.All men in this mission, astronauts and cosmonauts, wore Omega Speedmaster watches. Interesting enough, commander Thomas P. Stafford (we had a look at his personal watch here), wore his gold Speedmaster Professional Apollo XI that he r...