Were just one day away from the finals of The Fast And The Fratelli competition. One of the finalists will be a Speedmaster, and the decision seems to be fixed that it is the Speedmaster Calibre 321 presented by RJ. The other finalist will be the winner of this race here either Daves Fortis or Andreass Zenith. Which contestant shall go head-to-head with the mighty Speedmaster?Andreas Zenith El Primero A368 RevivalSo its Daves Fortis that you Fratelli chose to oppose my Zenith in the semi-finals. Well then, lets take a look at that opponent. Why does the Fortis B-42 always remind me of the B-52 Stratofortress? Is it the robust look or the generous dimensions of this chubby little Cosmonaut? Y...
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Our friend Jeff Stein from OnTheDash shows his grails from Heuer. An amazing article with an overview of his Heuers with beautiful close-up pictures and descriptions.I confess I dont know that much about Heuer. There are other Fratelli that have more knowledge about these. There are also websites like Jeff Steins OnTheDash. His website is considered to be the authority on the subject. Ive had the pleasure to meet Jeff for the first time not too long ago in Switzerland, but we have known each other for much longer as we shared an old friend in common.Skipperrera. Image by Analog Shift.Vintage Heuer GrailsJeff Stein also makes some recommendations on alternatives to each of these grails. He wr...
Rodrigo is in the need of a dress watch with a brown leather strap. He noticed the Oris Classic Date that retails for under 1000, but he also has a couple of other thoughts he shared with us. He already owns the Omega De Ville Hour Vision, with a black leather strap and he likes the idea of being a one-brand guy.Finding the right classic dress watch isnt easy. Ive been struggling with this myself for a while, and also mentioned this in articles like this one. So lets see how we can help Rodrigo.You Asked Us Oris Classic Date or an Omega De Ville Prestige?Good afternoon, dear friends at Fratello Watches,I am a young man who started collecting watches not a long time ago. I own an Omega DeVil...
The omega Explorer 1016 sprawls on a table, a scant few years shy of its 30th birthday, appearing much as it did when it was produced in 1989.An odd paradox of a watch by this time, its ultimate year of production, for it must have looked like something from so long ago, but yet it bore, and still bears, that newish look of a semi-modern omega. These contradictions, and the fact that the 1016 is, in my highly biased opinion, the most starkly beautiful omega sports watch ever created, make it a highly covetable timepiece indeed. In this week's edition of TBT, we take a closer look at the end of the line for one of omega's greatest creations.The omega Explorer 1016The omega Explorer 1016, of ...
,The latest, number 25 to be exact, James Bond movie is in the making. Finally It was time for the team to continue on this epic journey and bring the adventures of 007 to the silver screen.For a long time, it seemed that the 25th Bond movie was not going to happen anytime soon. First, the debate came about who'll play Her Majesty's secret agent. Now we know that Daniel Craig is back C or rather, never left. Then, Danny Boyle jumped ship, and the production lost its director. Luckily, they found a new person in charge rather quickly. To direct this epic film, the producers chose none other than Cary Fukunaga who most of you might know as the director of True Detective's first season. Fukuna...
As some of you may know, my horological life began some 25 years ago with an Omega Speedmaster Professional. Of course, it wasnt my first watch. Although my very first watch was a mechanical one, quite a lot of quartz and digital watches like Casio G-Shock, Citizen, and many many Swatches had been on my wrist already.?But it must have been beginning of the 90s that a friend of mine bought a Speedmaster. It didnt take more than a month before I had one on my wrist as well.Omega Speedmaster Professional ref 3570.50.00That was not only the start of an ever-growing watch collection, but it also spurred a career change. My interest in these kinds of watches felt so natural that it was an easy c...
Time and Gems friend of Fratellowatches proudly introduces the first Black Gold omega watches. Stainless steel (904L) and 18ct gold omega watches have been coated with Time and Gems ultra hard scratch resistant PVD. For now, Time and Gems re-worked the Submariner and the Daytona, both iconic time pieces for the Giant from Geneva.Below you can see the introduction video by Time and Gems, presenting the Black Gold Sub and Black Gold Daytona. The deep black on these watches, in combination with the 18 carat yellow gold is simply stunning.Price are unknown yet. Keep an eye on the Time and Gems blog for more information....
Wrist Game or Crying Shame returns with a look at an iconic timepiece in the Movado Museum Watch. Lets see if youd like to become a supporter of the arts with your vote. But firstLast week, I showed you a decent but potentially altered Doxa SUB 300 Professional for 3,500. After some hemming and hawing, you folks saw it fit to award the old salt a 62% Wrist Game win. Orange you glad you voted? Now thats enough of the jocularity. Its time to get all sorts of nose in the air like a proper patron of the arts. You know the type. Theyre the snooty folks who proclaim to see something deep and profound from a piece of art that looks more like a dogs doodling. Today, we have a real piece of art in th...
Today, our friend and colleague journalist Michael Clerizo broke the internet with his story How Paul Newman's Legendary omega Cosmograph Daytona Was Foundaand Where It's Going Now published on Wall Street Journal.I am not going to quote anything from the article, as I believe you should read the entire story over at WSJ. Other websites also covered the big find. The watch was actually in the hands of James Cox, he dated Paul Newmans?daughter Nell for many years and was gifted the watch by her father. Although they are not together anymore, they remain close friends. Cox?will be offering it for auction on October 26th in New York at Phillips. This happens to be the first watch auction in tha...
Being separated from our watchmaking partners can be difficult. Most of what we see and hear from the brands takes the form of new releases when they are revealed to the world (or sometimes slightly before that). Without the movement of people, the rumor mill runs dry. Non-physical developments made by brands are easy to miss unless the brand communicates them directly. One brand that has made a good fist of that during this Covid-stricken era, is Breitling. And now the brand unveils a novel watch subscription program we hope will be of interest to readers, enabling an Authorized-Dealer-starved clientele to try before they buy.Last year, Breitling announced its new blockchain security system...
Ahoy friends and all aboard for this weeks edition of Wrist Game or Crying Shame. Well take a look at the very first IWC Aquatimer Cousteau Divers. But firstEvery time I try to have a little fun around here, you guys go and get all kinds of serious. And so it was with the Corum Bubble Shark Diver. You burst my bubble because this expressive diver sunk into the abyss with a 75% Crying Shame loss. Boo hoo Staying on theme with the water ready, though, lets see if youll turn a kinder eye to the IWC Aquatimer Cousteau Divers.Jacques Yves CousteauIf Richard Dawson were still alive and hosting one of my all-time favorite TV game shows, Family Feud, Id try to qualify as a contestant. And if I got t...
About seven years ago, in 2001, I had this Bulova Accutron Spaceview wrist watch. I wrote a review on that watch and posted it here.I bought it off eBay and wore it for about a year or so before I traded it again. I remember that I was too afraid of damaging the movement, which would result in having a useless watch in my drawer. Repairing an Bulova Accutron is expensive and time consuming. Good spare parts are hard to find. However, there is hope. The Watch and Clock Forum created an Accutron forum. Perhaps I should have kept it and wait until there was this Accutron community ?? The nicest Accutron Spaceview Ive ever seen is a triangular cased 14ct white gold version on a leather strap. Be...
Longines has leveraged its outstanding expertise in quartz technology to create the ultimate high-precision wristwatch: the all-new Conquest V.H.P. This collection constitutes another milestone in the history of quartz timepieces, successfully incorporating many features of today's smart connected watches, such as ultra-precision, technical sophistication and a sporty feel, without any of the drawbacks, and all this while preserving the brand's signature elegance. The watch also has an in-built system that resynchronises the hands after exposure to a shock or a magnetic field, a world first that guarantees timekeeping which is as accurate as the new-generation quartz movement itself. Around ...
I feel like Ive gone full circle. The wardrobe of my youth was filled with Levis jeans and denim jackets that seemed to last a lifetime. Before the pandemic, I only had suits and chinos, but now, I have seen the light once again. Ive come around and now embrace DENIM blues and indigo cool. Having said that, however, the image has changed. Gone are the 501s from my bachelor days. Instead, we have access to online bespoke cool from Sweden and the best denim from Japan. Like the grand value of mechanical Seikos (light pun intended), Nippon denim bears a mark of craftsmanship. The Japanese do love a good pair of jeans, but they have taken the US aesthetic and made it their own. There is a deep,...
In our Sunday Morning Showdown, two of our writers go head-to-head in an epic showdown for the ages. Strong opinions and hysterical hyperbole are welcome (so feel free to join in with the fun in the comments section below). And dont forget to let us know which watches youd like to see torn to shreds/effusively exalted next week. Well try and feature as many of our readers choices as we can. In todays episode, we set out on a grand voyage for exotic dive watches over 10,000. The new 2021 Omega Seamaster 300 in Bronze Gold takes on the Glash 1tte Original SeaQ Panorama Date.Again we are selecting a new 2021 watch for our Sunday Morning Showdown series. But this time, the contender was not part...
When I think of a diamond-encrusted watch, I tend to think of AP, Patek, or even omega, achieved in a traditional way, using techniques borrowed from jewelry. But this diamond-encrusted TAG Heuer Carrera Plasma Tourbillon Nanograph turns this idea on its head. Introducing new-to-the-industry methods, this Carrera completely redefines the diamond-set watch. Unapologetically modern, this piece reflects the brand's passion for the avant-garde. It truly lives up to the TAG Heuer name for those who might not know, TAG stands for techniques d'avant-garde. The Oxford Reference Dictionary defines it as a term used in the arts to denote those who make a radical departure from tradition. And simply lo...
With all this talk about the new Speedy, Wrist Game or Crying Shame reviews the Omega Speedmaster White Gold Moonphase. But firstLast week, we reviewed the unorthodox Seiko Landmaster Spring Drive. This watch was incredibly polarizing in the comments section, but the supporters won out and gave it a 64% Wrist Game win. It turns out that entry level Spring Drive is still Spring Drive. Todays pick shares only one major cosmetic similarity with last weeks subject and thats the hue of its case. This time, though, we go fancy. Its time for the Omega Speedmaster White Gold Moonphase.The Omega Speedmaster MoonphaseThe Omega Speedmaster Moonphase has always been an odd duck in my book. It carries th...
This year has been another solid year for the Longines brand. With such global appeal and consistently strong sales across a variety of price points and demographics, it would be easy for Longines to rest on its laurels. Throw into the mix the fact the brand is supported every step of the way by the Swatch Group and the impetus to innovate diminishes further. And yet, despite how easy Longines could have made life for itself, a constant desire to improve has seen some of the most impressive releases in the brands history hit the market in 2020. The Longines Spirit Collection is no exceptionThere are many ways to sell watches in the modern world. Some brands focus on the product refinement it...
The Omega Seamaster Calendar ref. 2627 is such an exciting and historically significant watch. Yet, aside from the hardcore Omega fans, it seems as though it mostly flies under the radar for the average vintage collector. Nevertheless, this 1950s beauty deserves a lot more attention. In this article, well try to give the watch just that.Reference 2627 is not a huge watch, nor was it made in endless executions. However, the Seamaster Calendar was a technologically advanced piece for its time. So much so that even today, one can wear it proudly and enjoy its useful features.History Of The DateThe brand introduced the earliest Seamaster watches in 1948, just a few years after the end of WW2. Du...
The Longines Spirit in 40mm, otherwise known as the L3.810.4.53.0, is our favorite pick from this new collection. Time for us to do a hands-on video with this pilots watch.In our recently published hands-on review on the Longines Spirit, you can read about the background of this watch, the importance of the 5 stars on the dial, and the L888.4 movement. However, we also think it is a good idea to publish more videos of the watches we receive for review. So heres the video review of the Longines Spirit L3.810.4.53.0. It is a five-minute breakdown on the Spirit collection and this matte black dial version in particular.Weve said it before, but it is worth saying again: seeing a watch in the met...