Gerard is the instigator of the 52Mondayz feature, but we all thought it was a good idea to chime in. Besides the fact that it makes this a bit more personal and versatile, you also get to learn more about what we wear and why we wear it. So the first contribution from my hand will be about my omega Submariner with reference 116610.omega Submariner 116610LNAlthough the omega Submariner needs very little introduction, here's a recap of the history of this watch. This model was first launched in 1953, and this iconic diver has seen minimal change over the years. When comparing the current Submariner to the first models, you can clearly see the DNA of this watch. Over the years, it became more ...
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We are very happy to have the CEO of Officine Panerai on our podcast, Mr. Jean-Marc Pontrou . We talk to him about the current status of the watch industry, how the brand is navigating these difficult times, and about the recent introduction of Panerais very own PAMCast.After the mandatory wrist check (see below), Mike and RJ discuss these topics. Our Fratello on Air podcast can be played via Apple,?Soundcloud,?Spotify,?Google Podcast, and?Buzzsprout.During the podcast, we discuss the PAMCast initiative by Panerai. With this content-based initiative, Panerai offers interesting stories to their fan base. You can visit the PAMCast here. The latest PAMCast is about the Luminor Blue Mare, and ca...
While it isn't exactly breaking news, we have the lifting of an embargo on the new Breitling Curtiss Warhawk collection.? Curiously, Breitling showed one of the models back in November, but we are now treated to a three-piece collection of non limited special edition watches.? Let's take a look.The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk (photo courtesy of the United States Air Force)Fighter PlaneWith the Breitling Curtiss Warhawk collection, we have a themed line of watches dedicated to the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, a legendary American single-seat fighter plane from World War 2 that was first built in 1938.? If you're not familiar with this plane, it saw serious action in both the European and Pacific theaters w...
Lets face it: most of us are never going to own a Patek Philippe. Most of us will never own an Hublot. If were being realistic, most of us watch aficionados may never even own a omega either. Im here to tell you thats okay. Really. It may, in fact, be good. We shouldnt strive to own everything we appreciate, and we should be mindful of what is lost in attaining these luxury and hyper-luxury watches.The hype machine is in full force. I blame Instagram. I blame YouTube. And I blame publications like us at Fratello and the rest. But really I blame us, the public, the consuming watch market. Were adrift in a perfect storm of ingrained FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) blended with algorithm-driven envy...
This week, Balazs and Rob tackle the subject of watch brand ambassadors in the four major professional sports leagues in North America.Amazingly, six episodes in, this is a topic that hasnt been fully addressed. In our pilot episode, we touched upon Tom Bradys ambassadorship for IWC but he is far from alone in the NFL, with Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings coming in atop Balazs list of football-playing watch lovers and Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers is Robs pick.The MLB throws up a couple of throwbacks, with Balazs stretching all the way back to the fifties for his selection. Rob, meanwhile, reaches back about a decade to call upon a superstar that played in the modern era.T...
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...
Friend of the show Boris Pjanic who deals in watches and occasionally writes about them too, found this bi-color omega Datejust reference 6605 with German writing on the dial for the indication of the chronometer movement.Boris writes us the following:Collecting and trading watches for over 16 years has enabled me to pursue my love and passion for vintage watches which was instilled deep inside of me as a child.? What I recall is that as a child I used to look at the windows of jewelers in town when my parents too me for a stroll.? While I am not coming from a family of jewelers, nor do I possess any other relation to the business, I have always been wanting nice watches.? Not necessarily fr...
Zenith kicked off the 50th anniversary of the El Primero with a trio of watches first shown during, but not at, SIHH in January.? At Baselworld 2019, the celebration continued with additional pieces the brand that the brand has named Zenith El Primero A386 Revival.It was only a couple months ago that we first laid eyes upon Zenith's 50 Years of El Primero Anniversary Set.? It was a set offering three different expressions of the famous movement that first debuted in 1969.? A futuristic Defy, a modern Chronomaster, and a re-edition of the original A386 were included in this run of 50 sets for 50,000 CHF.? We liked the notion, but most of us vintage grouches were really hoping for either a lim...
What do you remember about the omega Datejust II? Do you remember what you thought of it at the time? Is it a model you pine for daily, still wear proudly, or had completely forgotten ever existed? I find myself in the latter category way too often, so I thought Id take a moment to look back on the watch that time forgot; the failed future hero that omega never cares to mention.Sports history is littered with nearly men and women. There are countless tales of careers that got off to a blistering start only to fall foul of injury, contract squabbles, or some other misfortune. Whenever I think of the omega Datejust II, those stars that came tantalizingly close to reaching the top of their resp...
A trip around the world which started on August the 5th in Goodwood, UK, would end at the same airfield exactly 4 months later. With their goal in sight, the two pilots and their Silver Spitfire, however, first touched down in The Netherlands to pay homage to the country the Spitfire dwelled in most of its life.We witnessed the IWC Silver Spitfire Longest Flight Amsterdam Stopover event at Lelystad Airport on December 4th, 2019. 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() in wp-includes/media.php */Steve Boultbee...
The panda dial is without question one of the most iconic dial color configurations out there. But although slapping two black sub-registers on a white dial might make it a panda dial, it doesnt necessarily make it a great one. One of the brands that perfectly understood that is Hamilton. The Hamilton Intra-Matic Auto Chrono is the perfect example of a panda dial done very well. I got the opportunity to go hands-on with it and experience what it is that makes this model such an attractive piece.There is something magical about the high contrast black and white dial that gives the panda dial its wide appeal. Its a stylish statement like a mobsters black shoes with white spats. But as with any...
Thats right, no masks, no Covid Pass, and all the top-tier brands gathered in one arena. And this includes a rather large stand from omega, a strong move in this non-Baselworld year. WOW, how much I missed this, even after attending the Geneva Watch Days. The Oslo Watch Fair is not perfect, with many brands missing due to an AD hosting the fair, but impressively so. This is nothing but welcome and says a lot about the strong market in Northern Europe. Many attendees were actually from central Europe and even the UK. So heres a big thanks to my Fratello colleague Lex for reminding me that I live 10 minutes away from the event, and Jaeger-LeCoultre for the invite.Image courtesy of @pylsogramTh...
Captain Cook? No, it's Captain Nemo I'm thinking of when I look at the black, shiny, and semi-transparent aquatic watch on my wrist. Let's go hands-on with the RADO Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic as we welcome a little steampunk to our livesAccording to Wikipedia steampunk is a retro-futuristic subgenre of science fiction that incorporates technology and aesthetic designs inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery. I couldn't have said it better myself. One look at the black RADO Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic and ?I think of Jules Verne's Captain Nemo aboard his futuristic submarine Nautilus a vessel both incredibly luxurious and technically advanced. It must be the mix of ...
omega has a rich history of advertising built over the course of decades. The brand has produced some of the most remarkable ads ever created by a watch brand.? Lets take a look at eleven of these ads omega has created over the years.One of the most interesting and also fun things to do when diving into the history of a watch brand is to look at their advertising. omega has always been a brand that has created some of the most remarkable ads in the industry, not in the last part because they are connected to outstanding achievements and famous people. Some of the advertisements are stylish, some of them are thought-provoking, and some of them have a nice sense of humor to it. All of them rep...
Its a valid question, but to answer it, we also need to add another word to the equation chronometer. Youve probably heard of a chronometer (different from a chronograph), and it may even be written on the watch that youre wearing right now. But, what is COSC? And what is a chronometer?Ten points if you worked out that COSC is an acronym. Im sorry to say those points arent worth anything, and you cant trade them in. Points are nice to have, though, even if they dont mean prizes. It stands for Contr?le Officiel Suisse des Chronom tres, also known as the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute. You can see why people stick to COSC; its far less of a mouthful.Tell me more about this mysti...
It is not always easy to be a watch critic. Theres a lot out there that is not really good or making a difference. We shift a lot of the stuff that we come across on forehand, to present you at least the watches we think are interesting for you to read about. Sometimes, theres a watch out there that does make a difference. The (new) Omega Seamaster 300M in steel and Sedna gold is exactly a watch like that.?Then, it becomes very difficult to write a review without making it look like a promo.But believe me, it isnt. Omega has no influence in our editorial work and neither has any other brand. When that day comes, I will start doing something else as this freedom is a huge part of the fun for ...
What's cooler than a gold Speedmaster Apollo XI from 1969? One that is complete with box and papers The gold Speedmaster Apollo XI BA145.022-69 was one of the first special Speedmaster watches that I came across when I just started to become a Speedmaster collector. In an early stage, I was introduced to a local watchmaker and Omega collector, who happened to have one (and still has). It made a huge impression on me, and it never failed to do so from then on. In fact, I think it is one of the most beautiful Omega watches out there. Gold is not for everyone, and some purists might wonder why I don't prefer a nice CK2915 or CK2998, but to me, this BA145.022 is just magic.Speedmaster Apollo XI ...
Today's TBT takes a look at a chronograph that I've been hunting for a long time, a Mark 1 Breitling Top Time 810. It's a watch and a watch line that existed for some time that's been grossly underrated in vintage watch collector circles for some time, but is finally getting some deserved notice. Proof of this will come shortly after reading this article should you go look for one because -poof- they've all but disappeared.Breitling Top Time 810 vs Heuer CarreraThe Heuer Carrera receives the lion's share of credit for ushering in modern and clean chronograph design in 1964. We've covered the early 2447 and there's no doubt about it that it's one of watch history's most important pieces....
Roger Federer won the French Open and got his 14th grand slam title. As soon as he received the Coupe des Mousquetaires from Andre Agassi, people over at the online watch community websites started guessing which watch he was wearing.Although omega advertizes with Roger Federer wearing either a omega Daytona in white gold or an all gold omega GMT-Master II (he probably has all models anyway )), Roger is wearing a omega Yacht-Master II.Elmar of Oysterinfo.de has an incredibly large collection of original omega advertizements (vintage and modern), including this one of Roger Federer and his white gold Daytona. You can see its white gold due to the dial. The stainless steel versions have no Ara...
During the Covid-19 lockdown, Robert-Jan spoke with Panerai CEO Jean-Marc Pontrou about this years Panerai introductions, the Panerai experience trips and whether Pontrou considers himself to be a Luminor or Submersible type of guy.Jean-Marc Pontrou , Panerai CEOOther videos from us can be found on our YouTube channel, here....