You might have read it before here on Fratello Watches, but on May 15th, Christies has their Rare Watches auction. Three lots in that auction are pieces that you might have read about in a couple of our Speedy Tuesday articles. The white and yellow gold Omega Speedmaster Professional of the 1980s and a stainless steel version from the 1980s. All three with display backs. Actually, the first Speedmaster models with a display back. Lets have a look.Speedmaster Professional Reference 345.0808The first Speedmaster watch with display back in Christies Rare Watches auction catalog is this reference 345.0808 that dates back to ca. 1985. Lot 65, to be exact, was the first stainless steel Speedmaster...
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This years Baselworld was different in many ways but has been particularly memorable for me. It was definitely a Baselworld edition with a strong focus on the independent watchmakers.Not only at Les Ateliers (part of the Baselworld venue), but also the brands exhibiting at the Hyperion Hotel a looming tower of interest is overflowing with all types and levels of independents.?The mad dash to visit every brand that piqued our interest in the run-up to the fair is akin to a high-octane episode of X Games.So which models really stood out this year? Which brands smashed it out of the park? Let's take a look at our Top 5 and why they made it on to the list:Patek Philippe Reference 5168GSimple...
We have partnered with Catawiki to bring you a selection of interesting watches theyve auctioned. Different from the other auctioneers in the market, Catawiki started originally in 2008 as a website where collectors could manage and keep track of their collections (comics for example). Then, because of growing popularity of the website, Catawiki started to host weekly auctions for collectible objects, including comics, art, antiques, classic cars, books and watches.As we introduced you to our Catawiki Favorites (Editors Choice) a? few weeks ago already, this time we show you three different watches of our choice. A tough one, as we could choose from a nice variety of watches (and brands). Ho...
Im a bit of an oddball when it comes to watch collecting. I just dont like to buy watches that other people have. Or at least the ones that too many other people have. If youre familiar with my collection at all, you may be shaking your head, screaming Hypocrite by now. After all, the first two good watches in my current assembly were a Tudor Black Bay and a omega Submariner. How much more cliche could I possibly get? Hear me out, though.My Black Bay and Submariner were the first two grails I acquired. Mine are watches that, while fairly common, are loaded with memories and sentimental value. As such, they are pillars of my collection that will never leave until I pass them on to my children...
Meet Omegas latest addition to the 300M collection: The Seamaster Diver 300M Black Black reference 210.92.44.20.01.003. This 43.5mm diameter diver watch looks similar to the titanium and ceramic edition of? 2019, but now in all-ceramic.What I love about the 2019 Seamaster 300M Diver in titanium ceramic (reference 210.92.44.20.01.002) was the diameter size of 43.5mm and the fact it has no date. I am a sucker for no-date watches, as I rarely use the date on my own watches. Consequently, I prefer to keep things clean. So, I am giving the new no-date Seamaster 300 Black Black a very warm welcome to the collection. Without further ado, lets have a look.Omega Seamaster 300M Black BlackOmega often...
This year, Roger Dubuis showed us a couple of new pieces. But one of the pieces that we liked best, is this?Excalibur Spider Pirelli. Thats right, Pirelli. A partnership with the sole sponsor of Formula 1. It isnt just a container partnership, but Roger Dubuis is actually using the rubber of F1 tyres. Used rubber, that they plucked from the circuit.?Roger Dubuis?Excalibur Spider PirelliNot sure whether some staff members of either Pirelli or Roger Dubuis will do the plucking of tyre parts themselves on the F1 circuit of Monaco, but fact is that they exactly seem to know which tyre they have been using for the straps. Each strap will have a code that matches the product code (like a serial nu...
Roll up, one and all, March Mania has reached its second round At this stage, our eight competing writers get a rest. Rob and Dave will present our weary warriors remaining four watches over the next four days, with each post featuring the winners of two first-round votes.Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to finally help us decide the champions of Mike and Tomass groups. The last two pieces standing trade blows for the right to exit the group stage as king of the castle, and march on to the quarter-finals with their head held highLogin to your Fratello account and drop us a comment. Who did you vote for and why? Whats your prediction for the later rounds? The Omega Speedmaster 321...
Its Speedy Tuesday As promised, something special for today Or should I say something customized? Where there are products with fans, it is only a matter of time before the first modded products will show up. Shane is one of our readers that took the liberty of creating his own version of the Speedmaster, using all original Speedmaster parts of course. Anyway, I asked Shane to do the talking.Vanilla Speedmaster 3570.50I wanted to write about a single watch, my first Speedmaster. It started out as a vanilla 3570.50 but it wouldnt stay that way, or any particular way, for long. Its a nice case study of what drives me to customize watches, of the differences that a few small parts make, and of ...
Hold up, hold up. Smartwatches have a place in our industry. Im not going to tell you you need to shelve your mechanical babies in favor of a modern, super-duper, all-singing, all-dancing, endlessly connected contraption. No. Im not that guy. But I am a guy who is becoming a little more comfortable with keeping one of these luxury gizmos in his stable. I havent always felt this way, but the latest TAG Heuer Connected has started to change my mind.When I think about my former opinion on luxury smartwatches, it didnt really make much sense. I was quite comfortable dismissing them out of hand. Sure, I knew they were highly functional. Sure, I knew they could, in theory, make my life easier. But...
Speedy Tuesday is here This time we show you something special that one of our readers sent to us. Chris from Australia sent us photos of his Omega Speedmaster Professional Moon Phase Skeleton. A platinum Speedy Pro that Omega created in 2003 together with master watchmaker Armin Strom.Armin Strom is well-known for his skeleton and engraving work and is responsible for this beautiful hand finished ref. AT145.0058 Speedmaster movement caliber 3604A.This movement, based on the Lemania 1884 is the skeletonized version of the Lemania 1874. A movement weve seen in other Speedmaster Professional Moon Phase watches as well, being Omega caliber 1866.Only 57 pieces have been made of this skeleton Spe...
My great grandfather, my grandparents and my father all bought (or got) Omega watches in the 1960s. My grandfather still wears his Omega Constellation (which I reviewed here) and my father owns his grandfathers Constellation and an Omega Geneve. He doesnt wear any of them, but a OW mechanical military style watch instead (I dont know why). However, I recently took my great grandfathers Constellation (which was bought in 1965, my dad still has the box, booklet, papers and original bill) with me for a small service. The watch lost its original crown, it was terribly scratched on the caseback, didnt have an original Omega crystal, the Constellation symbol on the caseback was sitting loose and t...
The world of collecting vintage omega watches is an interesting one, where passion and friendship are key in order to attend GTGs (GetToGethers) like these. One of the most respectable vintage omega collectors (world wide) is Dutchman Philipp. Together with one of his friends he organized a superb GTG for collectors and enthusiasts who are passionate about omega (and watches in general).People from all over the world came over to Maastricht to join this Vintage omega Passion GTG. The first photo reports is up at the Vintage omega Forum website right now, posted by the host of the meeting.The world of collecting vintage omega can also be a messy one, we therefore advice you to seek all the ex...
The Speedmaster has the best ambassador in the world The Moon. Since 1962 the Speedmaster has played a role in space exploration and in 1965 it became the official watch to wear during EVA. But the Speedmaster can also be seen on the wrists of many other ambassadors.Brands using ambassadors isnt exactly something from the last few years, although it sometimes does appear that way. The use of ambassadors to promote a watch or watch brand often results in very strong reactions from the crowd. Those who are not so deeply interested in watches dont care much and often gives them a way to make an association with a brand. In case of Omega, think of Cindy Crawford and the Constellation or perhaps...
Every once in a while we receive the question whether we could live with just one watch, and which watch that would be. You have probably also fantasized yourself of trading (all) the watch in your collection for just one watch.One Watch Only!In this article, we take a look at watches that we find interesting in a certain price bandwidth. From an entry-level mechanical Seiko to something haute horlogerie. Of course, our picks might change over time (or by the week) as new models are being introduced all the time (as in well over a week during BaselWorld 2017). However, if we?were going to pick only one watch, chances are quite big that wed select an iconic model.That said, only having one wa...
The design of the Submariner 114060, is unmistakably omega, despite the size and use of modern materials such as ceramics. Compare the modern 114060 to the 1953 omega Submariner 6204 and you will immediately notice that these watches share the same DNA.Owning and wearing a omega Submariner is one thing, but to dive into the history of this watch is quite a task. To make it somewhat easier for you, we hereby show you the history of the Submariner in a nutshell, including a table with most important references since 1953 till the current line-up of Submariner watches.Diving Into omega SubmarinerThe omega Submariner is a watch with an interesting story. Introduced over 60 years ago, the current...
Credor, the JDM luxury brand created by Seiko in the 70s to beat Patek Philippe and omega at the then-hot luxury quartz game. Today, we know Credor for its thin luxury and hand-finished porcelain dials of the Eichi models. Finally available outside Japan, and produced within the inner chambers of the Grand Seiko ateliers, Credor watches are as quirky as they are pure. Representing a very Japanese ethos of wrist-worn luxury, any Credor will make you dismiss the notion that the dress watch is dead. But I bet youve never heard of the Credor Phoenix.It took some time for Seiko to focus clearly on where it wanted to go with its main and sub-brands. Through my incessant Chrono24 browsing and a sto...
Gold Speedmaster Professional Limited Edition Moonwatch 1969Only 1014 have been made of this gold OMEGA Speedmaster Professional in 1969 of which 28 went to the White House and 26 of them were given to the NASA astronauts of that time. Number 1 was offered to President Nixon, but he declined it. This particular watch is on display in the OMEGA Museum in Biel.Above is a picture that I took of the Presidents watch when I was in Biel last year.Anyway, this weeks Speedy Tuesday is featuring this special gold Speedmaster Professional ref. BA145022 from one of our long-time readers. Originally bought in 1970 as you will see on the receipt. This watch was sitting in my mail box for a long long time...
In the 1970s, Hamilton supplied British Royal Air Force pilots with hand-wound chronographs. The new Hamilton Khaki Pilot Pioneer Mechanical Chronograph is a tribute to the watches used by Lightning, Harrier Jump Jet, and Vulcan pilots. Inside the 40mm steel case beats the hand-wound H-51-Si movement, and looking at the dial, it seems little has changed. But let's find out how the new version holds up in a hands-on review.Back in 2017, Mike Stockton wrote about the original chronograph that Hamilton made for the RAF back in the 1970s. In his conclusion, he stated, The Hamilton Military Chronograph is a really purposeful looking watch with great history. The fact that these watches were reall...
Its Speedy Tuesday One of our dear readers and Speedmaster enthusiasts has contributed a number of photos of his recently acquired Omega Speedmaster Pro Tintin watch. We discussed this watch already even before it was released in BaselWorld and then were the first to tell you about the association with Tintin. Jean-Claude Monachon ?Vice President and Head of Product Development told us about the initial plans for this watch when Omega designed it, making it an official Omega Speedmaster Tintin timepiece. Instead, it became the Omega Speedmaster Pro Racing as the owners of the Tintin copyrights (probably) did not like the idea of having this watch as a tribute. As our first publication on th...
Of course, of course, I get it. I understand why every article written about the new omega Oyster Perpetual collection is focused on the 41mm 124300. It is a handsome watch. Most importantly, it is something very new for omega. However, as seminal as its release may be, it has obscured the debut of a true classic. The omega Oyster Perpetual 126000 in 36mmWhy is reference 124300 important? Its the first time omega has released a 41mm Oyster Perpetual. Perhaps even more startling, is the fact it has bulldozed its way into the collection by replacing the 39mm family entirely. That, to me, seemed a shade unnecessary considering the Oyster Perpetual configurator page of the omega website already ...