Instead of the planned trip to Tokyo earlier this year to see the new Grand Seiko watches, we received two boxes (or more like suitcases) with Grand Seiko and Seiko watches. Most of it under embargo, of courseDespite Covid19 messing up our travel plans for 2020, the advantage is that we had a lot of time with these (and other) watches that made the trip to our office. One of the watches that grabbed immediate attention was this Grand Seiko SBGJ237. A smart looking GMT watch as you can see from the pictures.Grand Seiko SBGJ237Even though the green one (SBGJ239) was speaking to me a bit more at first, as I wrote in a previous article (click here) on Fratello, the blue and white version is defi...
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Twenty-eight and one. In grim times, influenced by the Coronavirus, well try to cheer you up with some good news on this bissextile day. Amidst cancellations of Time To Move, the Grand Seiko Summit, Watches Wonders, and the latest victim Baselworld, we delve deep to help the watch industry survive. Heres what we picked up for you this week.Urwerk UR-111C Two-ToneOne of the most conceptually adventurous watches on the market, the Urwerk UR-111C, now comes in a striking two-tone, black physical vapor deposition?(PVD) and brushed steel. The UR-111C TT comes with three innovative constructions in watchmaking. 1) A?retrograde linear minute display, with?numerals set in a 30? diagonal slant for g...
Just before Christmas, we selected two Omega watches and three omega watches for our weekly Pre-Owned Picks feature. Buying pre-owned is a wonderful solution to purchase the watch of your dreams with a friendlier price tag.Last week I was at the Zurich airport, and you might have seen it on my Instagram stories perhaps, but I walked by the omega boutique and from a distance, I noticed their windows were packed with their sports models. When I came closer, I noticed these signs indicating that these watches were For exhibition only. What a bummer. All watches in the display were dummies with fixed hands, so there was no point to go inside and ask about these watches. And it was not only the s...
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. It's 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 Zenith watches from the 1980s.While the 1970s were a decade filled with tremendous change ...
Its Omega versus Breitling two major players in this last round before we go to the shoot-outs starting on December 1st. In the left track, we find a modern interpretation of the classic Speedmaster, the Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8. Its been praised for its use of ceramic materials and the beautiful, laser-ablated decoration of the movement. In the right track, we have the modern version of the iconic 1980s Chronomat, featuring the return of the rouleaux bracelet. gallery-1 {margin: auto;} gallery-1 .gallery-item {float: left;margin-top: 10px;text-align: center;width: 50%;} gallery-1 img {border: 2px solid cfcfcf;} gallery-1 .gallery-caption {margin-left: 0;}/* see gallery_shortcode() i...
omega made a bold move this year by introducing their Sea-Dweller in Rolesor. Rolesor is omega definition of combining stainless steel and gold, as it combines the words omega and Or, French for gold.Although you can expect anything from omega, a bi-color Sea-Dweller was not something I was prepared for. The omega Sea-Dweller is a watch I always saw as their serious diving watch. The Submariner was available in different versions, ranging from a die-hard divers watch in steel to shiny sports watch fully executed in 18-carat gold. And in bi-color, of course, with several dial options including one with precious stones (serti dials).And you know what? I think the new omega Sea-Dweller with ref...
The best alternative to the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 15202 Jumbo is the brand-spanking-new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 16202 Jumbo. The problem is, of course, that you're not the only one who wants one. The demand exceeds the supply, and you're not willing to break the bank on the parallel market; you have principles and/or a brain and a half. To help you ease the pain, I have lined up for you five alternatives to the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo in five price categories. I have selected watches from Laurent Ferrier and Parmigiani Fleurier in the two highest price categories. Then I've dropped the budget step by step a matter of getting the same looks for less. That's when Girard-Perregau...
Watch Report is a Dutch magazine about watches and their fourth edition has just appeared in the stores. Watch Report has nice cover stories and their coverage on novelties is quite actual for a magazine on paper. One of the subjects in the latest copy is a top 3 of all time favorite watches, given by Watch Report readers. The result is no surprise, but personally I would have thought that place 1 and 2 would be vice-versa.So, here it goes, the Top 3 of watches (of all time) by Watch Report:1. The Omega Speedmaster Professional. Watch Report pictured a ref.105.002-62, caliber 321 model. However, since I dont have one, here is a picture of my own 145.022-67 caliber 321, on a ref.1039 bracelet...
Since the earliest civilizations be it Inca or Egyptian gold was something special. The metal is indeed a meaningful one thanks to its real and symbolic value for mankind. Moreover, gold has been used as money for exchange, as a store of value, and as precious jewelry and other artifacts. The saying that someone is worth his or her weight in gold says a lot. It also brings to my mind the topic of weight. We, very literally, feel gold as an expression of wealth and luxury. But does an exclusive watch always have to be done in gold to feel luxurious? It's a question that some have a hard time answering. But it's worth searching for an answer, as we're experiencing some kind of lightweight luxu...
Last week, the news that omega, Tudor, and Patek Philippe were postponing their 2020 releases was confirmed across the board. That announcement vague as it was sired more questions than answers. The most pressing? The future of Baselworld. With yesterdays confirmation that all three brands will step away from the storied fair, we have more grain for the conversation mill.Thats got to be curtains, right? Im yet to encounter a different reaction. Ive heard people even myself desperately?trying to present this news as anything but a death knell for Baselworld, but it doesnt seem to be sticking. But before we take a slightly deeper dive into what got us to this point, lets bluntly address the ne...
Since many years, I am craving for a gold omega Day-Date. Not always with the same intensity, but ever since I tried a Day-Date in my early 20s, I decided I need one at some point.That point is closing in on me now, 20 years after I tried my first omega Day-Date or omega President, as they like to call them in the US. The President part mainly refers to the bracelet, of course. But it was a 1966 omega advertisement that made a reference to the president, holding a red phone and on his wrist, a omega Day-Date with President bracelet. You can see it yourself in this reference article I did on the Day-Date.Anyway, the gold omega Day-Date is a watch that has been on my list for a very long time....
While it's often overlooked or under discussed when people talk about the most beautiful vintage chronographs, the Breitling Chronomat 808 warrants consideration.It would be easy to cast this watch aside as a less-equipped version of the far more popular Navitimer, but as we'll see, that's a patently unfair categorization. In terms of both intent and history, the Chronomat is truly a significant watch.I've waited a long time to write a dedicated article on the Breitling Chronomat 808. We've featured the model as part of the Breitling Experts Interview article from a couple years back, but there's been little said since. The reason is pretty simple; the culmination of my procrastination and t...
Browsing through the catalogue of MARCH LA.B is like watching an episode of HBOs Mad Men. As a tribute to vintage watches, MARCH LA.B introduced a line-up of interesting timepieces that wouldnt look bad on Don Drapers followers.Clearly being a design brand, which normally would not be something that appeals to me, the models theyve created are very similar to the real thing of the 1960s. After having had a look at their website, I was even more certain that the people behind the MARCH LA.B brand are very capable of providing great design and creating interesting timepieces.Obviously, they are not targeting at watch collectors or aficionados only, as they also incorporated quartz (Ronda) move...
Welcome to a late publishing of This Week in Watches for February 10, 2019.? Apologies, but this is what happens when yours truly tries to upgrade his Mac's OS after 4 years.? I mean, why fix something when it isn't broken well, it finally broke and the fix didn't exactly work.? Anyhow, I'm back and ready to bring all the news that's fit to print.? This week wasn't heavy on the releases, but let's get into it nonetheless Union Glashutte Belisar Pilot Big Date?First up, we have a new release from Union Glashutte in the form of a 45mm pilot's watch.? We don't cover this brand from within the Swatch Group stable very often, but I figured it was worth a mention due to its modern spin on a typi...
Earlier this year, Grand Seiko introduced a number of limited edition series for their 60th anniversary. However, very silently, they also snuck in the SBGH277 and SBGH279 references.I will let the video do the talking (in fact, I did), but you can find some additional pictures of the Grand Seiko SBGH277 and SBGH279 below. These two watches are part of the Heritage collection from Grand Seiko.SBGH279 Brushed Grey DialSBGH277 Sunburst Silvery White DialZaratsu Polished 44GS StyleThe 40mm Zaratsu polished case has the famous Grand Seiko 44GS style. The original 44GS case is a design of 1967, and a bit different from the cases used today. Thats why we speak of 44GS style, and not just 44GS.Deta...
Last Friday?we visited the Watch 2016 event, held by Dutch retailer Schaap -/- Citroen at the Okura hotel in Amsterdam. This event, from Friday 20th of May (VIP evening) till Sunday 22nd of May, is being organized for a couple of years now, showing the SIHH and BaselWorld novelties to those who dont have access to these Swiss exhibitions.Brands like A. Lange S?hne, Baume et Mercier, Breitling, Cartier, Hublot, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Omega, Panerai, Patek Philippe, Piaget, Roger Dubuis, omega and Zenith for example, show their novelties to the visitors of Watch 2016.The VIP evening of the Watch 2016 event was meant for some member of the press and for Schaap -/- Citroens important clients. D...
Last weeks Pre-Owned Picks included some pretty expensive watches, so lets tone it down a notch and have a look at whats out there to buy under 1,000.Every week we pick a few pre-owned watches from Chrono24, the largest market place for wristwatches in the world watches that we love ourselves, or think they will be interesting to you. So to be clear, we picked the watches, Chrono24 only sent us the images without their watermark and in a proper resolution.With this weeks budget, we cant include a omega or Patek Philippe of course, but theres more than enough other interesting stuff out there, that can bring just as much fun as one of the heavy hitters. Lets have a look at the 5 watches I sel...
Welcome to the jungle that is Wrist Game or Crying Shame, the weekly internet voting game that allows you to choose whether a watch is cool enough to grace your supple wrist This week, we take a look at the Panerai Luminor Base Logo.? But firstLast week, I showed you the omega Precision 6694. To jog your memory, this is a sweet 34mm Oyster with a manual wind movement. At just over 3,500, it walked away with a respectable 68% Wrist Game win. Id call that a solid weeks work despite the normal whinging about featuring a omega. Well, this week we are back with yet another finger flexer in the Panerai Luminor Base Logo. Lets see if adding 10mm of diameter is a good thing for you or not!Panerai Lu...
Earlier this year, Oris dropped the third generation of the Carl Brashear Limited Edition. As with the previous two Carl Brashear watches, the popular Divers Sixty-Five is the base of this creation. Yet, for the first time, within the bronze Sixty-Five case is a new proprietary Calibre 401 movement. But how does this new watch compare with the regular SW200-powered Sixty-Five?It's now a regular occurrence that each new Carl Brashear dive watch in the collection adds another string to Oris' bow. For the inaugural Carl Brashear, Oris gave us the first-ever bronze case Divers Sixty-Five. This watch was one hot tamale back in 2016. I distinctively remember the grudge match that ensued with fanat...
When I started to explore vintage Omega watches I was instantly hooked by their chronographs. To me, a chronograph is one of the coolest and most usable features a watch could have. This was the reason or perhaps the fact that my first Omega with a complication was a caliber 1040 chronograph. Still to this day I hold those watches near and dear to my heart. So, as I dwelled into the wonderful world of vintage Omegas I came across a model line that, to me, was the epitome of vintage Omega dress watches, and there were many. It was the Omega Cosmic line. Now, I'm not talking about the late 60's early 70's cushion-case (Seamaster) Cosmics and Cosmic 2000s. Though I had a few of those too. I'm ...