Goedendag, this is The Week in Watches for September 28th, 2019. It has been a busy week, for a lot of brands, so here we go.The brands picked up the pace again in September, with new releases from big brands and some smaller brands.?We saw several beautiful and important releases this week that we didnt get to cover in separate articles this week. Without further ado, here are some of the releases you shouldnt miss.Hublot Big Bang Unico SORAIThe young Hublot company (1980) collaborates with a lot of different initiatives, from Ferrari to Berluti to Orlinski and a lot of others. And now with SORAI.Ricardo Guadalupe (CEO Hublot) and Kevin Pietersen (SORAI)Hublot teamed up with Kevin Pietersen...
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China Lake is a dry lake in the scorching hot Mojave Desert in California. It's also the place where Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake is situated. This immense 51,000 km2 base 240 kilometers north of Los Angeles is home to many pilots. Pilots that don't wear green flight suits, but beige ones. This color better blends in with the desert sand of the Mojave Desert. As does the sand-colored ceramic case of IWC's camouflaged BP. I tried my best blending in with the IWC Big Pilot's Watch Top Gun Edition Mojave Desert. Not in the desert but in my natural habitat, the city.You might be thinking China Lake in California? Yep, California in the US of A. The dry lake gets its name from 19th-centur...
Introduced during BaselWorld 2009, the Omega Seamaster Ploprof 1200m (ref. 224.30.55.21.01.001) is slowly hitting the stores and becomes available for the large public. This remake of the original Omega Seamaster Professional 600m/2000ft that was introduced in 1971 (after 4 years of extensive test work) is in my humble opinion one of the best that Omega did so far. Remakes are dangerous, collectors are most of the time insulted by them because there is only little left of the original details, and buyers of modern watches often dont get all the fuzz and dont like the old-fashioned design. This Ploprof 1200m is probably pleasing both groups.The Seamaster PloProf, with its impressive dimensi...
One of the items of the 2019 Neiman Marcus Fantasy Gift is an Aston Martin DBS Superleggera designed by Daniel Craig. A car that comes with a free Omega Seamaster 300M 007 in platinum, only 7 pieces.I had never heard of Neiman Marcus before, let alone their annual Fantasy Gifts. A closer look shows a $70.000 luxury doghouse from Rockstar Puppy (by Denise Richards), which includes a video chat with Denise. Or what to think of a one-of-a-kind pair of Christian Louboutin for $125.000. Or what about a date with Jeff Staple (sneaker designer), and on top of a romantic dinner with him, you will receive eight pairs of his collaboration sneakers. Price tag? $110.000, and thats without the option of ...
Ill just come out and say it. There is no chronograph in the world that I love more than the tri-color Zenith El Primero An irreverent statement coming from a writer at Fratello, I know. After all, its no secret that we love our Speedies around here. However, an absolute, exclusive enthusiasm for the Omega icon is actually not a necessity. And personally, there is just no other chronograph that speaks to me the way the tri-color El Primero does.Known these days as the Chronomaster, everything about the watch just does it for me. From its history as the worlds first high-frequency automatic chronograph in 1969 to its unmistakable blue and gray sub-dials, the watch rings both my intellectual a...
The story goes that after a polo match in India, some British officers challenged their friend Cesar de Trey to create a watch that was able to resist the serious beatings caused by polo sport. Once back in Europe, Cesar de Trey (businessman) shared the problem with Jacques-David LeCoultre, who creates the Reverso watch in association with Jaeger. The Reverso watch was patented in 1931 (the 4th of March to be precise) and was originally designed by Rene-Alfred Chauvot.Almost 80 years later, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso is still going strong and it is one of the classic watches that can also easily be referred to as a cult watch. The rectangular shape, the Reverso mechanism, the inhouse movem...
As watch journalists, we do our fair share of writing about watches. In fact, it's almost all we do. And though some would say that watch journalism is dead, here at Fratello, we feel that its alive and well. And that's largely due to you, the Fratelli. It takes people who are interested in reading our work to keep us going. From quick reviews of new watches to detailed buying guides, or even deep dives into brand histories, we try to cover all the bases here. For us, it's an expression of our interest and passion for watches. We are very lucky to get to express our views and opinions to such a receptive audience. And the ultimate expression of watch enthusiasm would be to use one's acquired...
Collaborations within the world of horology are a pretty common sight these days. But whenever the name Alain Silberstein pops up, Im all ears. The legendary French watch designer has a design signature that always stands out. He is able to surprise me constantly and brings a smile to my face every time. His style of design has that power. And my anticipation grew even bigger when I read that Silberstein teamed up with Beno?t Mintiens from the Ressence. The end result is the brilliant Ressence a Alain Silberstein Carpe Diem' that is presented by the new platform Grail Watch.?Generally, I do not live with a lot of regrets when it comes to buying watches. However, I have mentioned before that ...
As you can probably imagine, having long-winded, in-depth discussions about the watch industry, brand theory, and product particulars consumes a lot of our free time here at Fratello. But thats not to say we dont love it. Quite the contrary Our passion for these nuanced chats paints a clear picture: were mad about simply everything to do with our hobby. One such conversation gave rise to this article, so I thought Id share with you my thoughts on the current state of play at omega and what that might mean for the brand, its consumers, and the industry en masse in the future.omega is no longer a watch brand, I said nonchalantly. Ive been saying it for a couple of years and I often deliver thi...
When the Zenith El Primero A384 Revival hit the market to celebrate the iconic movement's 50th anniversary in 2019, it was a sight for sore eyes. While the strap last year's model arrived on was nice, the newly-released ladder bracelet takes this offering to another level.Pun intended. And to clarify before I forge on, A sight for sore eyes is a good thing. It means a salve, a remedy, a tonic for aching peepers. I only find it necessary to make that clear because I said it to my German girlfriend once, and I spent the night in the dog house because she thought I was insulting her. With potential misinterpretations out of the way, I will say this: Never underestimate the effect of a good brac...
Damn you omega. Ok, more specifically, damn you vintage omega. I don't want to like you, I really don't, because so many others are in love with you and have made you dangerous to buy and a prohibitively expensive process along the way. Plus, you go and change one silly detail here or there like a font often likely without a ton of consideration on how the market will react (in this case would have reacted) and people go nuts. I mean seriously nuts. Today's TBT looks at a watch with a small little detail that collectors love and it's a watch that I kind of accidentally backed into about five years ago. Let's talk about the well-known ref.1680 omega Red Submariner. Actually, and I'll not...
Welcome back to another installment of a Brief History of Time. Today, we pick up where we left off, exploring the fascinating history of Breitling.With the Chronomat and Premier in the 40s and the Navitimer and SuperOcean in the 50s, Breitling had built up some major momentum. The 1960s proved to be yet another fruitful decade for the brand, starting with some notable improvements to the Navitimer. The prior Navitimers all-black dial was changed to feature contrasting white subdials. This improved its legibility, and the new look also made it even more attractive to the mass market. The Navitimer thus became not simply a useful tool watch, but a popular symbol of class and style.Then, in 19...
Quite rare and hard to find: stumbling upon an Omega Seamaster Ref. 145.023 in such a good condition as the one we found on Zeitauktion is like discovering a NOS lightsaber on the planet Mustafar in the Outer Rim. The Omega Seamaster Anakin Skywalker watch is a multipurpose piece of kit because it's both a style statement AND a very interesting chronograph from a historical perspective. The extravagant design catches the eye and immediately takes you back to the 70s. And if you let your mind wander freely, this Seamaster will even take you to a galaxy far, far away.It was the late Chuck Maddox a legendary chronograph collector with a vast collection and the knowledge to back it up, who publi...
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. 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 are still affordable. In this installment, we will take a look at the best TAG Heuer watches from the 2000s.By the turn of the millennium, Switzerland had proudly...
Its been only two months since Hamilton released the special limited-edition PSR MTX to commemorate the release of the first Matrix film. That version of the legendary PSR featured an all-black PVD-coated case and bracelet and came with a green-colored display. Personally, I loved it because it looked very cool. For the newest PSR, Hamilton has chosen the same stealthy black aesthetic, combining it with the classic red display seen in the movie Live and Let Die. Could this be the perfect Bond watch for 007s nighttime missions? If not, it could be the perfect timepiece for yours.The Hamilton PSR is one of the coolest watches out there And its not only me who thinks that. We love the watch her...
Today, I am joined in the studio by Monica Porracin, the founder and director of The Blue Company. Based in London, the Blue Company manages the interests of seven popular brands in the UK, working as a distributor for some and an agent for others.Monica represents Doxa, Junghans, Meistersinger, Maurice Lacroix, Muhle Glashutte, Scatola del Tempo, and SwissKubik in the UK and at events all around the world. Her tireless championing of brands that she sees as united by a mutually strong design DNA has earned her the respect of her peers.The Blue Company was founded in 2008, giving Porracin over ten years of specific experience in this sector of the industry. As such, she has amassed a broad k...
When it came out in 2012 BaselWorld was buzzing because of it. The buzz kind of died and so did BaselWorld, but that's an entirely different matter in the nine years that followed. The flagship model omega presented as some kind of uber GMT, but it never quite make it to the top of people's wish list. Partly because it all started with models in various precious metals with hefty price tags. But also because a complicated annual calendar with dual time zones is very un-omega. But still, the omega Sky-Dweller is the misunderstood genius you need in your life.I declare 2021 the year of the omega Sky-Dweller. And that's because since this year the ostentatious Sky-Dweller in steel with a wh...
My earliest encounter in the flesh with the Patek Philippe Nautilus was somewhere in the early 2000s. Probably 2002 or 2003. Of course, I knew about the watch and read about it, but it was a rare thing. The Nautilus 5711/1A hadnt even been introduced yet.In those years, every Thursday, I found myself in this bar-restaurant to meet up with Gerard and some of his friends. At the time Gerard was the owner of a watch shop in The Hague (he hates the word boutique, but these days it would have been called a boutique) and the other guys were all entrepreneurs in different fields. I was still a student, but besides my typical then student's attire consisting of striped Ralph Lauren shirts, khaki pan...
Yesterday, Ive received a number of pictures from people working on a new project, IWC Pilot DLC watches. They customized the IWC Pilot Mark XVI ref.3235 and Pilot Chronograph ref.3717 and give it a slide bit of blue by adding a blue NATO strap and a blue second hand. I personally think they did a nice job on these pilots watches and it is refreshing to see some non-omega customizations for a change.As you can see, these IWC Pilot watches are now even more stealth looking as they were before. The technical specifications remain the same as that of their original brothers of course (click here), except for the DLC cases and NATO straps. The small blue hand gimmick is a very nice feature imho....
Our auction reporter Sacha Davidoff is on top of the watch auctions to be held in Geneva. Just like his past reports for Fratello, you can read about the upcoming Christies auction in Geneva and his highlights. Without further ado:Christies GenevaWe have seen quite a bit of movement across the watch auction departments in Geneva and worldwide for that matter. The Chrisite's Geneva watch department has had some changes to the team as well. With the unexpected departure of Thomas Perazzi, previously the head of watches Geneva, watch specialist Sabine Kegel has taken his place at the head of the department. During a record-setting year filled with surprising results above all expectations, it i...