Vincent van GoghDutch Post-Impressionist Vincent van Gogh was?almost unnoticed during his (short) life time. Up to his death, age 37, he only sold one painting, La vigne rouge.?However, he painted over 2100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings. He did so in only about a decade, as he only started painting in his late 20s. Before, he was working for a firm of art dealers in The Hague, London and Paris. When he moved to Paris in 1886 to live with his brother Theo van Gogh (art dealer), in Montmartre, where he got his own studio. Here is where he painted the Self portrait as a painter in 1887/1888. This painting is one of his best known works and can be admired in the Van Gogh Museum in...
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To be brutally honest, this newly introduced Panerai Luminor 1950?3-Days, or PAM 663, is already one of my all-time favorites concerning modern Panerai watches. It probably was a question of time when they would come up with a Panerai Luminor 1950?with a stunning vintage looking brown dial and a plexi crystal.This brown color should remember you of the discolored dials of vintage Panerai models (like the?reference 6154 also?named Egiziano Piccolo). These watches initially had black dials, but over time, they changed color to this distinct brown tone due to the effect of the radium-based powder used to lume the hands and indexes. Therefore, Panerai introduces two Special Edition models that h...
When it comes to nearly any vintage omega bracelet, you will hardly find a bigger professional to take care of yours. My mind is still processing the fact that there is a man out there who has had more than 50,000 bracelets pass through his hands. ?I first got in touch with Michael Young maybe four years ago. I was thinking about what to do with a spare Breitling bracelet that came with my Chrono-Matic ref. 2110. It was so heavily worn and so loose that I could push it up to my thigh.Breitling bracelet foreplayFinding a Breitling watch fitted with an original bracelet is not very common, so I could not just throw it out. Especially when Breitling aficionado Fred Mandelbaum confirmed that thi...
With the 2021 Formula One season starting on schedule, I check out the watch brands that sponsor each manufacturer. Some of the partnerships are new for this year, whereas some are dyed-in-the-wool. There are even F1 teams without a watch sponsor as the season gets going. But no matter the case, I cover each team and weigh in with my thoughts on whether they are a good fit for the chosen watch brand.Did you check out Episode 6.0 of the Fratello WASP Podcast? If not, open your podcast player of choice, and have a listen as you read along. I made a guest appearance to give a rundown on the first European-originated sport to feature in the series. Previously Rob and Bal zs focus on the North Am...
Fratello on Air returns with another talkative episode. This time, we answer a listeners question about watch culture around the world.Its true that Fratello boasts one of the more multinational teams. One of our listeners from Finland decided to take advantage of that by asking us about watch culture around the globe. How do people come together, do they come together, and do they even like watches in some countries? We dont have all the answers, but we enjoyed the chat. This time, its Mike, Jorg, and Balazs on the mics for a bit of banter.Wrist check and the newsThe gents roll through a Handgelenks Kontrolle and youll find a lovely omega GMT-Master 1675 on the wrist of our main Magyar, Bal...
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...
It seems not even Patek Philippe is immune to the olive green trend weve seen sweep the industry in recent months. Following the high-profile discontinuation of the 5711 blue dial earlier this year, we knew something was just around the corner. This model, reference 5711/1A-014, is touted as the last of its kind. The last Nautilus of this generation, or so we believe. The question to you, dear Fratelli, is do you think that this olive green version is a fitting swan song for one of the industrys most enduring classics?The Patek Philippe Nautilus has undergone many subtle changes throughout its almost half-century of existence. Few iterations have been as beloved and well balanced as the 5711...
The Zenith El Primero name is one that demands respect in the watch industry. Zenith introduced the venerable chronograph in 1969, and the movement remains the brands bread and butter to this day. Of course, there have been numerous updates and revisions, improving the accuracy and reliability as modern technology has allowed. The El Primero is one of the most well-known chronograph movements, but this year, its expanded its horizons to a simpler three-hand offering in the form of the Zenith Defy Skyline.It might take a little getting used to, referring to a non-chronograph watch as an El Primero, but there you go. The Skyline is powered by a variant of the El Primero 3600, the high-beat, te...
When I picked up the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Small Seconds with the red dial at the SIHH last January, I was convinced it is some limited or special edition.At first, I thought I wouldnt even ask whether this is the case, but as soon as I put it on my wrist, I wanted to make sure. It is not a limited edition, but its for our regular collection.. Wow. It was my first appointment at the SIHH, and I already was smitten by the first thing I saw. That sounded promising. Unfortunately, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Small Seconds is about the only watch that stuck with me from the SIHH. Although weve seen lots of great new watches, the red dial Reverso was the piece I love best.Red ...
Im setting myself up to receive some serious heat right now, but I dont care. Even among my own team, there are several Daytona owners, so to say Im walking into the lions den wearing a meat suit might be a bit of an understatement. But as someone who has become less and less interested in the omega Daytona and all the nonsense that surrounds it and the trials of its acquisition I thought I should say something. You know what? There are loads of excellent alternatives out there. Forget what the fashion mags tell you. Dont listen to the brand fawners or status seekers. Buy smart. Try these five on for size and thank me laterOne quick note: I get that the Daytona is more than a watch. I unders...
Bas van Dorp, friend of the show for many years now, is always keeping his eyes open for a cool chronograph. He found this vintage Cyma Watersport chronograph from the 1940s in a watch shop in Maastricht, in the southern part of The Netherlands. Cyma is a brand with a history dating back to 1891, however they didnt survive the quartz crisis in the 1970s only to be reborn in 2005. The current Cyma company has nothing to do with the one that stopped about 40 years ago.Bass Cyma Watersport is a classic looking round chronograph with a tri-compax dial lay-out, which means it has the sub dials at 9, 6 and 3 oclock. In my opinion, the perfect chronograph design symmetry-wise. A fairly large watch ...
All images may be clicked on for larger versions.I was given an hour with the Hublot Masterpiece collection recently these uncommon pieces were traveling through Kuala Lumpur as part of the Journey Through Time exhibition. These three pieces represent a significant and welcome departure from the staple line of Big Bang offerings and their myriad variants; however tastes and preferences will of course be personal. Hublot has gathered a team of watchmakers called the confrere horlogere, specifically to develop highly complicated pieces in small series. Please note that the watches photographed were non-functioning prototypes, so I am unable to comment on the running and usability of the piece...
Just when watches with a >40mm case diameter are considered to be normal sized, I took my vintage omega Date-Just ref.1601 with me for a meeting last Friday with a small number of watch enthusiasts. Although I consider 36mm the bare minimum of millimeters for my wrist size, the watch stayed on all weekend and Monday during my work day. The other people who were present on the meeting also had fairly modest sized wrist watches strapped around their wrists. Among them a vintage Glash??otte (G.U.B) from the 1960s, a Cartier Tortue Mono Poussoir, a vintage omega Day-Date (ref.1803), a Girard Perregaux Richeville, a Patek Philippe Nautilus (5711/1A), a Breguet Type XX and my vintage Date-Just and...
Have you ever dreamed of being a super spy? Have you ever wondered what watch you might wear if that career should become your daily grind? Well, perhaps we have an answer for you. At least when it comes to counting cards and flinging chips all over the board in the casinos youd no doubt make your second (or first) home. No, this isnt a go-anywhere, do-anything kind of watch. Its something thats been shaken and definitely not stirred. Allow us to present to you, the new Omega Seamaster Diver 300M James Bond Numbered Edition in platinum-gold.Before the coronavirus broke the world in ways wed never predicted something could, we found ourselves basking in the glow of the Omega Seamaster 300M Ja...
One of the most enjoyably divisive watch brands on Planet Earth has released a rush of new models during the LVMH watch week in Dubai. Hublot, known for its endless experimentation with unusual materials, strikes gold with the Classic Fusion Gold Crystal watch.Say what you like about Hublot, but this horological heavyweight knows how to cause a stir. The sheer proportions of many of Hublots models require their wearers to have bags of confidence. Throw in the often wild design of these laboratory-born showstoppers, and youre left with a product that will appeal to a small slither of the luxury watch audience. But that is exactly what this brand wants, and what it does so well. With often str...
Last week we held the first Speedy Tuesday Event again. Its been a long time since the last one (for one obvious reason that has affected all of us). We received an incredibly high amount of registrations, but we were limited (no pun intended) to 50 people in total. For these 50 persons, Fratello and Omega hosted the Speedy Tuesday Event at the Omega headquarters in Biel, with quite some nice surprises in store.Speedy Tuesday Event Biel Edition 2022When I started Speedy Tuesday back in 2012 10 years ago I didnt put a lot of thought into it. It sounded like a nice working title and it allowed me to write about my favorite chronograph at least once a week. The first get-together came in 2012, ...
Since 1904, Oris has strived to make fantastic watches at accessible prices. The brand prides itself on its dedication to this mission, seeing it as an inseparable part of its identity. Through the years, watch enthusiasts have come to love Oris for this commitment to value. Indeed, this is one of the core values upon which the brand was built over 115 years ago.In this installment of A Brief History of Time, well explore as much as we can about where Oris came from, its struggles, its accomplishments, and its modern-day success. Admittedly, its a bit of a daunting task to fit such a long, uninterrupted history into a single article. Nevertheless, I hope youll stick with me, as we find out w...
Balazs and Mike make good on their promise to come back with frequency On this episode we give recommendations for the upcoming Holiday Season and then we talk about our favorite bracelets.Our Fratello on Air podcast is available via?Buzzsprout,?Soundcloud,?Apple Podcast,?Google Podcast,?Deezer, Stitcher, and?Spotify.The Handgelenk KontrolleFirst, its a Handgelenk Kontrolle and Mike is wearing a vintage Meylan Chronograph while Balazs is sporting his Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical with a Kill Hubris NATO.The FratellorisThen, we talk about the Fratelloris Fratello x Oris Big Crown Bronze Pointer Date thats now in our shop!Our Holiday Picks for 2020 are Affordable!Next, for the holidays, we r...
Ah, dont you love it when everything just falls neatly into place? Isnt it a joy when things that never were, suddenly appear and feel as if theyve been present all along? I love it when that happens. It is not the most seldom sensation in watchmaking, but it is one of the industrys finest. The satisfaction one feels when viewing something so tidily realized for the first time is, I would imagine, akin to an athletes sensation of victory. It feels like it was all worth it. The hours spent hammering away at the keys, twiddling screwdrivers at the bench, and peering through shop windows longingly are at once justified. The new Patek Philippe In-Line Perpetual Calendar 5236P-001 makes me feel t...
Time for another Fratello contest This time, it's chronographs that take center stage. But not just any chronograph will do. We're talking chronographs with racing pedigree high-octane watches that get both watch freaks and petrol heads to shift into high gear. First up is a drag race between the well-established Chopard Mille Miglia GTS Azzurro SS and a rookie on the track, the Singer Reimagined Track1 Launch Edition. The Fast and the Fratelli, start your engines!The goal is simple, and so is the race. The Fast and the Fratelli Grand Prix will determine the best racing chronograph of the past ten years. On the starting grid, you will only see watches that are able to track elapsed time for...