The German based R-L-X forum has a number of excellent authors aboard. One of them is Percy, also known by his initials PCS. Percy wrote a great review on three (later on four) omega watches that are priced just over 7000 euro in the current omega catalogue.The Cosmograph Daytona is only marginally available. Although the waiting lists arent as ridicilous anymore as a few years ago (when you had to watch 6 years to get one, if you could get on the list at all), you still have to wait for one a few months at the authorized dealer (7200 Euro). In the grey circuit, you can get one for approximately 8000 euro. The Sea-Dweller DeepSea has been introduced during the last Basel Fair, and its availa...
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We often think that having a long history and a rich heritage guarantees success in the modern world of wristwatches. But as powerful a position as such attributes may provide, there is still work to be done. If Spiderman taught us one thing, its that with great power comes great responsibility. And being the custodian of a history as peerless as Breguets is surely a huge responsibility. I caught up with Team Breguet to find out how the new Breguet Tradition 7597 is keeping things fresh for a modern audience interested in the brands past.The new Tradition collection was launched in 2005. The models that populate this collection are heavily inspired by the watches made by Breguet towards the ...
When I started collecting watches in the late 1990s, my watch dealer and now Fratello contributor Gerard told me that I needed a omega Datejust. Cant go wrong with a omega Datejust as they always work. With anything.. A short and simple statement from someone who had by that time already seen and tried it all. A few years later, just after graduation, I got my first Datejust. It was a vintage Datejust from 1969, with reference 1600, on a jubilee bracelet that was clearly added later. I managed to find a couple of extra bezels, including the fluted white gold one, so I could change it to a reference 1601 when I felt like it. It was also an easy watch to wear on a leather strap.omega Datej...
There are many different ways to illuminate a watch face at night. Different materials, different styles of application, different methods entirely. And within those different methods, there are vastly different qualities of execution. Lets take a look at some of the lume styles available.You may rarely use your watch at night. Thats fine. Im not sure I do either, to be honest. Regardless, there are few things I scrutinize more thoroughly prior to purchase than lume performance, and even more importantly for me, lume homogeny. I like to see a clean, crisp glow from the hour markers. And almost as important, I want that glow to be on the same level of intensity as the hands. So often, hands b...
And we're back with part 2 of our Summer Special: 60's Vintage Diver Shootout featuring four archetypal watches from brands that are still here today. To recap, in the first episode, we provided a rundown on the specs of our combatants while providing a little flavor on each watch's history. The frontrunners, in most minds would clearly be either the omega Red Submariner Date or the Omega Seamaster 300 Big Triangle, two classics that tend to find themselves at the tops of many collector's want lists. The other horses in this race may come off as long shots, but both the Doxa 300 Searambler and the Seiko 6159 Professional bring their own unique merits to the derby. Let's walk through the part...
Its Speedy Tuesday and I?could just rant and rave about the newly introduced Speedmaster Grey Side of the Moon with meteorite dial (introduced here) or I could involve the new and much appraised omega Daytona 116500LN with ceramic bezel in this article. Lets go with the latter, to add a bit of punch.The omega Daytona doesnt need much introduction, we did an extensive bit of coverage here and the Omega Speedmaster Grey Side of the Moon was reviewed in-depth in this article. However, both models I discuss here today are BaselWorld 2016 novelties and seem to be in the same price range (CHF 11,800 Swiss Francs for the Daytona, 13.500 Euro for the Speedmaster). Two?watches?with in-house develope...
Koen Simon is a 26-year old reader of Fratello, and he has been a fan of watches from an early age. When he was 12 years old, he noticed his uncle wearing a mechanical watch, an IWC from the 1960s. The smooth sweep of the second hand fascinated Koen and triggered him to learn more about watches.Just recently, Koen Simon came to the Fratello office to show some of his collection. One of these watches he brought is an IWC caliber 61 in a Hermet case. Truth to be told, I had never previously heard of this watch, but Koen explained to me in detail what it was all about. We decided that it would be fun to have him feature his story on the IWC Hermet case with caliber 61 on Fratello, so were here ...
Welcome back to Wrist Game or Crying Shame, the online voting serial where playing along doesnt require social distancing. Today, well take a look at the limited edition Omega Speedmaster Apollo XVII 40th Anniversary and get your thoughts. But firstLast week, I decided to give you a two-part cocktail made from equal parts of rarity and controversy. It was a stiff drink in the end, but apparently youd order another as the Grand Seiko SBGX115 triumphed in a 55% Wrist Game win. Today, with the Speedmaster Apollo XVII 40th Anniversary, well look at another limited watch. The bigger question well ask is if its appeal is also limited.The Speedmaster L.E. BattleBefore we get into the Speedmaster Ap...
I thought the Royal Oak Jumbo (or Extra-Thin) had hit its peak a few years ago, but it clearly hadnt. Prices are going through the roof, as you will see in this article.Ive been writing about the Royal Oak (and the Jumbo in particular) a lot over the years here on Fratello. It was my dream watch for a long time, I had a few Royal Oak variations, including the 15202 Jumbo and I saw the development of the market value from roughly 7,000 to 40,000. In a period of 15 years, I have to add.For this series, we select pre-owned watches from Chrono24, the largest online marketplace for watches in the world. In todays article, I included the 15202 similar to the model I had in my own collection, the s...
LL Cool Js lyrics Dont call it a comeback, Ive been here for years are very much in place when it comes to Bvlgaris watches. With the recent Octo Finissimo watches, they are throwing some good punches. Weve been raving about the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo watches a number of times, it has become one of our favorite new watches.You are probably also aware that Bvlgari is a proper watch manufacture, located in several places in Switzerland. We visited the P?le Habillage in Saignel gier,? the assembly atelier in Neuchatel, and the Bvlgari Manufacture de Haute Horlogerie in Le Sentier. In this article, we show you how things are done at Bvlgari.Bvlgari Manufacture Visit ReportOur trip starts with a ...
Among many novelties, three of them from Vacheron Constantin are extremely limited. The Vacheron Constantin M tiers d'Art line is a tribute to some of the World's most famous explorers, and, as one would expect from this holiest of brands, each one of these pieces has been caressed into being by the hands of a trained artisan. Its hard to associate work like this with the majority of the industry. This is real art. And while it is, like the kind of art wed expect to see hanging on the walls of galleries around the world, divisive, no one could realistically disparage the effort and skill put into these models creation.?To commemorate the greatest Portuguese explorers of the 15th century, Vac...
My girlfriend bought me this box, suitable for 4 (large) watches. The Panerai is 44mm, the Sinn is 44mm as well I guess and the other two are 40mm. There was also a cloth with it to clean the box, it is made out of wood and has a sort of piano finish on it which makes it very shiny...
I am excited and honored to write my first article for Fratello Magazine. I have been thinking a lot about the first topic to talk about and, in the end, I decided to write about the iconic omega Daytona ref. 16520.Because from my point of view, this model really stands-out in the history of omega and represents one of the timepieces whose value increased more over the years. In 1988, after the discontinued production of the manual winding Cosmograph, omega launched the first references of the self-winding chronograph with sapphire crystal on the market: 16520 for the stainless steel model, 16523 for the steel and gold model, and 16528 for the gold model.omega 16520-Mark 1 to 8The main chara...
We brought you quite the handful in TBT this year. To help you decide which vintage watches you should push higher on your bucket lists, I?created 10 interesting vintage watch categories and nominated my winners. Looking back through our weekly Thursday vintage boost, I am proud to say that it was a great mix of watches. They ranged from previously unseen pieces and $100 bargain to bizarre quartz watches, eye-watering provenance, and all-original, never-before-touched grail timepieces. Which parameter is the most important for you when choosing your next acquisition? Here are 10 categories showcasing how rich and diverse the passion for vintage watches can be. 1: Complication of the year: M...
During the summer, I went hands-on with three variations of the Vacheron Constantin Overseas Perpetual Calendar in pink gold. To say I was a bit spellbound would be an understatement. Of all the watches that have come my way this year, the full gold Overseas was my favorite. But like any sin, it comes at a price. Which is why this week, I am selecting four classic Vacheron Constantin watches that inspire the modern collection.VC may well be best known for its art deco and opulent collection of classic timepieces. In an age that generally requires strict trend conformity, Vacheron Constantin steadfastly believes in its traditional watchmaking and design. You don't survive 265 years of continu...
If you're a fan of baseball, then you probably just finished watching the World Series (Congrats, Nats!).? And while the Chicago Cubs weren't in the hunt at the end of this season, they're a highly competitive team with a rabid fan base. ?In the spirit of America's pastime and related to the Cubbies, let's take a look at a neat story, the story of Ron Santo's omega President and the watch's current owner, Sean Madigan.I've mentioned it before that we receive a lot of email here at Fratello and it was one such day that Robert-Jan forwarded a message that served as the inspiration for today's story about Ron Santo's omega President.? Now, if you're European C and the last time I checked, Robe...
Do you know Toby Young's book How To Lose Friends And Alienate People? And if you don't, you might have seen the movie with the same title, starring Simon Pegg as Toby and Megan Fox as the woman he so desperately wants. Toby is the most obnoxious man ever. He's rude and vulgar and rubs everyone the wrong way. And you know, sometimes watch brands act just like Toby. So, what do watch brands do to turn you off? Let us help you answer that question with a few issues we have ourselves.To be honest, we don't know the exact watch-brand equivalent of Toby Young. Let us quickly tell you the story of the high-flying British journalist that left London in 1995 for New York to become a contributing edi...
Yesterday, Omega announced its new Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award 50th anniversary watch (click here). The third Speedmaster with the Snoopy theme and the 4th watch commemorating the Apollo 13 mission.I am lucky enough to own the first two Speedmaster Snoopy watches (2003 and 2015) and the Apollo 13 watch from 1995. But, thats not a reason to blindly buy the next one as well. I need to like no, love a watch before I spend that much money on one. Perhaps it would be different if I had unlimited financial resources, but I dont. I need to make choices. Spoiler alert, though: I did order the new Snoopy. The first deliveries will take place in November, weve been informed.Without further ado, le...
You might have a permanent headache realizing you didnt pull the trigger on that omega GMT-Master or Submariner ten years ago. You know what the problem is with my dearest Longines 5699? That I was basically 25 years late to the partyThe last online listing for a Longines ref. 5699 that I bothered to inquire about was about three years ago. I remember it very precisely, as it were yesterday. I studied the Longines 5699 in more detail and instantly fell in love with it. Being slightly naive, I sent the seller an email asking the price for which hed part with the watch. The Longines you inquired about is a truly rare and special beast. The price is 95,000. I passed out. I dont think I even man...
You might have already seen the in-depth article on my Day-Date 18238 (if not, you can find it here), but we also decided to highlight this beautiful gold omega President in a video. The Day-Date is one of the most recognizable watches in the world, and perhaps a bit of a safe, and therefore the boring choice for a watch. But, buying a nice omega Day-Date is not as easy as you expect, there are several things you need to consider when youre on the hunt for one.Ive been eying a omega Day-Date for a long time, but only in recent times (meaning recent years) did I feel I was ready for one. As I joked in the video, I needed to have a few grey hairs first, to make it feel right. But just recently...