This year marks the 5th anniversary of Speedy Tuesday. Not only here on Fratello, but we are happy that Speedy Tuesday has become a community on its own, where people share their love for the Moonwatch and other Speedmaster watches.Speedy Tuesday MagazineEarlier this year, it was already celebrated with the introduction of the Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Limited Edition watch (which is currently being delivered to those who ordered). However, we now also are happy to announce the Speedy Tuesday Magazine. Thats right, a paper magazine. Although we are very much on-line, there is something about a paper magazine or book that cant be transmitted to an on-line medium. Some times you just need to ...
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Of course, over the course of 2020, Omega introduced more than three Speedmaster watches. However, the release calendar was significantly scaled back in comparison to previous years. It seems that Omega took the feedback on limited editions very seriously.In all honesty, I somewhat regret the fact that there was no limited edition Speedmaster Professional for 2020. I love the standard Moonwatch, but I also like to add some variation as I consider myself to be a collector of Speedmasters. A limited-edition is not a bad thing, but what is bad, is that there are people who just buy them to flip them immediately to make a quick buck. It drives up the prices, and just as bad takes the spot of som...
If you are a long time follower of Fratellowatches you probably already know that we are huge fans of Omegas Speedmaster collection. We do not only care about the Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch, we also like a lot of the other Speedmaster models that Omega introduced since 1957. Whether it is the modern Speedmaster 9300 chronograph, a vintage CK2915 Speedmaster pre-Professional or something completely different like a Speedmaster X-33, we (almost) love m all. Like this Speedmaster Day-Date ref.176.0016 for example, sometimes being referred to as the Speedmaster Mark 4.5.We decided to do a short write-up on a Speedy every Tuesday. Just because. If you are willing to play, please send us a...
Water-resistance is always a hot topic in watchmaking circles. Although very few of us actually dive, knowing your watch would be unbothered by a week beneath the waves is often necessary to feel okay about doing the dishes without doffing your luxury timepiece first-To directly answer this one: Yes, most watches are okay getting wet, assuming we are talking about a bit of rain or the odd splash from the sink. If we're talking about being dragged through a piping-hot whirlpool at 100 knots, the answer changes. But why?Water-resistanceWater-resistance is a really misunderstood area of watchmaking. You only have to spend a couple of scrolls of the screen on any dedicated forum to find some cle...
Whos not a fan of the Omega Seamaster 300M?I guess there are some of you out there. Especially hardcore Speedmaster fans. I get it; the Seamaster 300M collection is not as homogenous as the Speedmasters. But I guess this is part of its charm. It includes watches that still look great 25 years after they first appeared on James Bonds wrist in Goldeneye (1995). Of course, over time, they changed quite a lot, yet the significant features remained the same. So, I thought it was time to take the new Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Co-Axial Master Chronometer Chronograph for a spin. In this case, the spin is, as you know, a week on the wrist. Is it going to wear heavy after a few days, or will I be del...
Have you noticed how many brands have jumped on board with the matching-strap-dial trend? Jaeger-LeCoultre presents a striking design that falls in line with this years hottest look. Deep red juxtaposed with a stainless steel case gives JLCs most famous model a shot in the arm. This Reverso One has bags of character and demands your attention.If you're into bold colors, your prayers have been answered. The next time youre checking your watch collection for something striking, remember?Jaeger-LeCoultre's take on red. The rectangular design features a 30-m water-resistant case that is 40mm length, 20mm width, and 7.9 mm thick. Made of stainless steel, it features 27 brilliant-cut diamonds (0.3...
Bart Thans, a Paneristi (amongst other watches) from Belgium, finished Level 1 from the famous TimeZone Watch School and created the project watch below with his new skills:Incredible eh?The watch has a handwound Unitas 6498 movement inside. Read the complete story on TimeZone here.If you dont care about reading and just want to see pictures, click here....
When it comes to re-editions or vintage-inspired watches, we've seen quite a few over the years. Some are truly awesome and well-executed where others are nowhere close to being as good as the pack shots want to make you believe. The Longines Heritage Classic Chronograph is one of those watches you would rush to hold when presented with it in real life.Although I gravitate toward a certain type of watches when it comes to my personal collection (more rugged, sporty styles), that doesn't mean that I dont occasionally lust after something different. However, it must be said that experience has shown me these outliers rarely get the wrist time they deserve. Thats why getting the chance to wear ...
This year its 350 years ago that famous Dutch painter Rembrandt passed away. He is known as one of the greatest artists in history and Hollands most renowned master. During the?year of Rembrandt?the artisans at Jaeger-LeCoultre re-created the The Night Watch. Transferring the main characters of this iconic masterpiece on the dial. Together with boutique partner GASSAN they present the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso in tribute to Rembrandt.Rembrandt van RijnBorn in 1606, Rembrandt grew up becoming an innovative master and is considered as one of the greatest artists. During his career he created many biblical and mythological scenes. Many of them in dark, high contrast and large sizes. Thats also t...
Like every Tuesday, it is Speedy Tuesday If you own a Speedmaster, or a Speedmaster is part of your watch collection, at least wear it on Tuesdays It is also a very good reason (or excuse) to purchase a Speedmaster new, pre-owned or vintage of you dont have one yet.This weeks Speedmaster is the new Speedmaster Racing. Weve seen it during the BaselWorld 2012 show, when OMEGA showed it to us in their press booth. Luckily, every year OMEGA takes the time to give us a private viewing of their new collection. One of the watches that caught our attention was this new Speedmaster Racing.We say new, because there have been Speedmaster Racing models in the past as well. Like this new model, it is b...
Luminor MarinaLast week I attended the introduction of a couple of new Panerai models. Their most recognizable watch, the Luminor Marina, received an update.Now, I dont want to ruin a party, but changing or even slightly modifying an iconic watch can be very dangerous. Weve seen that escalating with a couple of brands, including omega (remember their initial 39mm Explorer, or what about the Day-Date II. Both short lived.). Anyway, while I was holding my breath, Panerai built up the tension by showing a bit of background information first.I assume you are familiar with Panerai, we covered it many times, so I am going to skip the history lessons. Important to know is that Panerai has been a ma...
Im just gonna be real with you guys the Zenith Pilot is the most gorgeous pilot watch I have ever seen. Since the fateful moment I laid eyes on my friend Lawrences Type 20 Montre DA ronef Annual Calendar back in 2015, I have been obsessed with the design. For six years now, I have desperately longed to add a Zenith Pilot to my collection. I have bugged boutique staff, and Ive tried on nearly every version Ive seen in stores. Ive taken albums worth of wristshots, and Ive sworn it would be my next watch more times than I can count. And yes, Ive even opened a new bank account labeled Zenith Pilot fund to save for it. And yet, six years later, I still dont have one. So what gives?Well, no matter...
Its Speedy Tuesday Speedy Tuesday-fan Dimitri from Australia contributes to this section with his precious Omega Speedmaster Professional reference 105.012. The 105.012 and 145.012 references (the first crown guarded caliber 321 Speedmaster Professional timepieces) are known to have accompanied astronauts such as Neil Armstrong, Edwin Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins and others during their Apollo missions. Therefore these watches are getting more sought-after and prices have been increasing. The supply of affordable pre-Moon Speedmasters has been getting thinner during the last few years, especially those in wearable condition.Dimitri explains:This was the first watch I got for my collection. I...
There's not just one Grand Seiko GMT watch to pick in the The Best Boring But Brilliant Watches In The World series. There are 37 GMT watches on the European GS website to pick from. And if you also include a few discontinued or renamed models from the recent past the numbers go up even more. What is most interesting when you go through all the different references is that they cover all the bases. There's quartz, mechanical 4Hz and Hi-Beat, and Spring Drive. And the different GMT's range from introvert to exuberant.Right off the bat, I'm going to throw something controversial at you. I am going to compare the Grand Seiko GMT line-up to beef. Not just any beef, though, wagyu beef. A steak cu...
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 cant express how happy I was to see this Omega release in our inbox. Ive been waiting for this a long time, as the original Seamaster 300M Chronograph in tantalum, titanium, and rose gold from 1993 is one of my favorite eccentric watches.Soon after I purchased the full titanium Seamaster 300M Chronograph (2298.80), I decided my grail Seamaster 300M would be the version made of titanium, tantalum, and rose gold. A few years ago, I made the purchase. It turns out it was more than nostalgia talking. In fact, I wear it quite often.When Omega released the new 300M collection in 2018, the brand also introduced a limited edition model in titanium, tantalum, and Sedna gold. Now, two years later, w...
When it comes to watch design, vintage has been the magic word for quite some time. Call it a re-issue, a modern re-interpretation, or simply an updated version of a classic. Its hard to think of a watch industry without vintage-inspired pieces. One of the brands that has mastered the art of vintage-inspired timepieces superbly is Longines. The brands Heritage collection is full of great watches that link to Longines estimable past. We dived into the collection to find out why the designs make them such great pieces.Retro design is here to stay. Its hard to think of a watch industry without newly introduced watches inspired by the archives of all the illustrious brands. It has been a great s...
This is part II of our Speedmaster Professional 145.022 Buyers Guide (part 1 can be found here), with a number of updates since the previous publications (2015 and 2017).This second part of the 145.022 Buyers Guide goes into the details of the Speedmaster Professional 145.022, details you should pay attention to when you are in the market for this reference. We are receiving a healthy amount of e-mails and messages to help some of our readers with their quest for a Speedmaster Professional 145.022. There are quite some of these watches out there that have been tampered with or have been serviced with authentic parts but from a later era. That also affects the value of the watch.As always, th...
Another week, another butt-load of news in the watch industry. I get the almighty power of deciding what was cool enough to make it into my column. This week, it was a celebratory Minase, a new Urwerk, and a deep blue Credor that really caught my eyeplus I couldnt ignore the GPHG Awards 2020. Read on!Minase's celebratory sweet 15!Who doesn't love a good birthday celebration? There's usually cake, sweets and other treats involved. When Minase got in touch to tell us a little more about their birthday celebrations, they indeed treated us to a rather stunning new release. For its 15th birthday, the brand has produced a limited edition of its signature 5 Windows model, limited to just 15 pieces,...
Hublot Big Bang Unico Titanium CeramicWe had the opportunity to test drive the Hublot Big Bang Unico Titanium Ceramic for a while. Before we continue with the actual review, lets spend some words on this remarkable manufacturer first.HistoryWhen it comes to fashionable manufactures, Hublot is easily in the top 3. The industry considers them one of the hippest brands despite their relatively short history. Even though the company was established in 1980 it had mediocre success. Until 2003, when Jean-Claude Biver went on-board. Before, Jean-Claude Biver was responsible for Swatch Group brands.His approach to the brand was different and revolutionary. As a result, the Big Bang was released in 2...