Karina and RJ talk about the Grand Seiko SBGJ201, also known as the Mt. Iwate, due to the structure of the dial. A beautiful stainless steel 44GS case style Grand Seiko, with Hi-Beat GMT movement.The Grand Seiko SBGJ201 Mt. Iwate was not his first choice, as the Snowflake (reference SBGA211) also made quite the impression. The Snowflake turned out to be one of the best-selling Grand Seiko models. In this video, we talk about what made me pick the Mt. Iwate over the Snowflake.Grand Seiko SBGJ201Grand Seikos reference SBGJ201 has a diameter of 40mm and a thickness of 14mm. The relative thickness is partly due to the GMT complication on the movement. Inside, is caliber 9S86, a Hi-Beat automatic...
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In a no less dramatic way than the Formula 1 season, The Fast And The Fratelli came to an end last week. Our mission was to find the best racing chronograph of the last decade. We saw many contenders, including some true legends compete for the crown. However, in the end, the Fratello love for the Omega Speedmaster came through, and the Calibre 321 took the win over the Zenith El Primero A386 Revival at the last moment. The Zenith, a no less impressive contender and worthy opponent, did its best. But in the end, without the need of intervention from the Fratello Inspection Authority (FIA) and after an impressive bit of driving, it succumbed to the Speedy's veteran racing skills.No less fraug...
Yesterday (January 30), tennis player Novak Djokovic won the Australian Open against Rafael Nadal (Richard Mille ambassador). It has been a battle that lasted five sets and almost 6 hours. When he finally lifted the trophy, watch spotters immediately recognized the timepiece on the wrist of this Audemars Piguet ambassador. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver, ref.15703ST. A perfect fit for a sportsman.Weve written a review about this exact same Diver a while ago (click here for our share of fun with the Diver 15703ST and a VW Phaeton) and we think it is the best looking Offshore that AP has to offer. Clean design, perfect size (42mm in diameter) and very versatile, especially when w...
One of the benefits of having the Speedy Tuesday feature is that you often run into interesting people with interesting stories. Last week I was in Tokyo and met a guy who picked up his Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday in the Omega Boutique in Ginza (and I joined him) and had a wonderful time with him discussing watches and Tokyo related things. One of the guys that joined us in Tokyo for our Grand Seiko readers journey was a Speedmaster fan himself as well, and we had interesting discussions on the importance of details on these vintage watches. For this weeks Speedy Tuesday however, we have collector Mark Sinclair talking about his Omega Speedmaster 50th Anniversary Patch reference?311.30.42.30....
In Round 2 of The Fast And The Fratelli, two writers go head-to-head with their qualifying racing chronos Here are Gerard and Balazs a.k.a. the father and son at Fratello with their first-round winners for your consideration.How come we now see the Omega Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Ultraman competing with the Seiko Prospex Speedtimer SRQ037J1? That cause lies in the first round, where the Omega Speedmaster Ultraman made a clear win over a Zenith Chronomaster El Primero Revival A385. It was a 72 over 28% win. With 54 over 46%, the Seiko Prospex Speedtimer was less overwhelming but still a clear winner over the Tissot Heritage 1973. And so, here they are The Omega and the Seiko roar at the ...
2020 marks the 60th anniversary of Grand Seiko. The brand that we love so much here on Fratello. Earlier this year, we already showed you the Grand Seiko SBGH281 in this article. Grand Seiko sent us the watch for a closer look, so without further ado.As you probably know (because of this article), I am a sucker for the 44GS style case. For me, it embodies Grand Seikos specific design choices. It shows that a brand can have a modern watch, inspired by its heritage (1967) without becoming boring. Nobody ever accused Grand Seiko of lacking inspiration when it comes to the 44GS style case. I love all the little facets on the lugs and the wide case band on the 44GS style case. This Grand Seiko SB...
Speedmaster MoonphaseIts Speedy Tuesday Our weekly recurring topic on the Speedmaster has become one of the most popular topics here on Fratellowatches.This week, we have quite an uncommon Speedmaster for you. Only the shape and reference number reveals that it belongs to the Speedmaster-family. This OMEGA Speedmaster ref.3330.20 (case number 375.0034) is a stainless steel / gold chronograph with a calendar and moonphase (click here for some other Speedmaster Moonphase articles).Introduced in 1990, this automatic OMEGA Speedmaster Moonphase 3330.20 comes with the OMEGA caliber 1150 movement. A movement based on the ETA/Valjoux 7750 caliber. Besides time and chronograph functionality, this wa...
Ah, the delights of Watches Wonders, low on pandemic measures but big on revenge spending. Even while much of the world is still struggling with the pandemic aftermath, events are back. And sadly, while Europe is not peaceful as it used to be, isn't this just the right time to daydream? Vacheron Constantin shows us that this is a very real possibility, even a rule.And Vacheron Constantin is never short on material to feed your inner daydreaming child, or rather, watch-obsessive. My wife seems to think there is a deep correlation between the two, and frankly, I see her point. Vacheron Constantin shows the best of what the brand is good at, from the minimalist lux of the Patrimony to beguilin...
In what can only be described as an off-cycle surprise, we're excited to report on the announcement of the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep Professional.It was only a couple weeks ago that we received an invite to a mysterious press release to be held on June 20th in London. Little information was given aside from the fact that the event would feature Victor Vescovo, who, among other interests, is an adventurer and undersea explorer (he's even completed the Explorer's Grand Slam). The invitation made mention of Vescovo's Five Deeps Expedition, a journey to the deepest spots within each of the five oceans and the fact that he actually set the record for deepest dive at 10,928 meters (3...
This year, Zenith dropped a modern update to the legendary El Primero Chronograph: the Chronomaster Sport. With such an iconic watch receiving an update, there was naturally a lot of coverage, and it was quite a marmite design. On the one hand, people loved the classic A338 blueprint brought in the modern age with a ceramic bezel and up-to-date aesthetic. However, the other hand had people less than enthralled that Zenith dared to touch the timeless A386. Some people felt it looked a particular little like a chronograph from a neighboring Swiss brand-The Chronomaster Sport: now in rose gold!Either way, the new Chronomaster Sport was sportier and cleaner, featuring updated aesthetics and impr...
Ever since getting into the world of watches, I have always loved the discussions about watch design. The recurring topic is often progression. The arguments are as much about the lack thereof as they are about the ongoing quest for finding that new instant classic.? Creating something genuinely new that meets with immediate acceptance seems to be the hardest thing there is. Especially when it comes to case design. But the excitement of seeing something novel is excellent.The thing that has intrigued me most over the years is the shape of a watch case. It is often the most crucial element for an immediate yes or no. And a well-designed case can make a design become a proven classic. But the ...
Seasons greetings, our dearest Fratelli As the year comes to an end, and the holiday season is well underway, we wanted to take this opportunity to share with you the watches that we will be wearing during the holidays. Whether its for Christmas Eve tonight, Christmas Day tomorrow, or any other festive year-end celebration, its a perfect time to strap on your most meaningful watch. The Fratello team comes together to share the stories of their picks for the holidays and share with you the reasons why these are the watches that made the list.This time of the year is very special. Some will spend time with family and loved ones and come together to celebrate and share some quality time, delici...
Well, well, well. After a hiatus of almost exactly four months, WASP returns for the (very) long-awaited LIVE Episode 10. This was so important to Balazs and me that we even went down the route of decimal show numbers to ensure we kept our promise.And keep it we did (eventually) Now, for the first time in ages, the Fridge Freezer presenting duo have the chance to chat in person. The show was recorded in one take and is available in audio-only format too. You can find that on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.In this show, we rattle through our favorite watches from Balazss private collection, mock my old-fashioned diameter preferences when it comes to omega, and discuss what those ...
In this Sunday morning column, 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 don't forget to let us know which watches you'd like to see torn to shreds/effusively exalted next week. We'll try and feature as many of our readers' choices as we can. Are you ready for round two? Next up is the A. Lange S?hne Odysseus with a sumptuous new dial.While you may still be drooling over the A. Lange S?hne Zeitwerk extravaganza we featured this morning, were coming right back at you with the second post in our SMS double-header. Thats right, there is yet ...
Welcome back to Wrist Game or Crying Shame, the regular column that asks you to anoint a currently-available pre-owned watch as hot or not. This week were sticking to a classic. Watches from the omega 1601 family are a common sight on the pre-loved market. This ones a clean and crisp option at a good price. But before we get to it, lets recap last weeks resultHola, people. Mike is once again absent, so Im subbing in for him. This time our American dream is floating around on a cruise ship somewhere. I would tell you where, but due to the amount of Seikos that man carries on his person at any one time, theres a very real chance I might get him kidnapped. So while Mike enjoys his well-earned b...
Limited editions are not to everyones taste. Sometimes, the sheer volume of limiteds can be overwhelming. With the SpeedyTuesday editions weve contributed to that as well. While limited editions may be more common these days, thats nothing new. Lets have a closer look at my Top-5 of earlier NASA/Apollo dedicated Limited Edition Omega Speedmaster models.In 1969, Omega introduced a numbered series of 18k yellow gold Speedmaster Professional watches. We did a review of that model here. These were more or less Limited Editions avant la lettre. They werent limited, but they were sequentially numbered we learned that only 1,014 pieces were made, of which 1 was offered to President Nixon. Then, i...
We're approaching the end of the year, and it has been an odd one (again). However, for Speedmaster fans, it was quite interesting. On the one hand, there were no limited editions or special editions this year. On the other hand, Omega introduced to us the new Moonwatch for the coming years, or perhaps even for the next decades. Two of these Moonwatch models are in precious metal. One is in Sedna Gold, Omega's own rose gold alloy. The other one is in Canopus Gold, Omegas white gold formulation.Omega Speedmaster Canopus GoldThe white gold Omega Speedmaster Professional Master Chronometer is on my wrist as I write this article. Together with the platinum Speedmaster with caliber 321, these are...
Since 2006, IWC has released a watch to mark its support of Laureus Sport for Good, a foundation that helps bring the power of sports to underprivileged children and teens. This year, we get a very different type of release. Lets take a hands-on look at the new IWC Blue Ceramic Pilots Watch.IWC is a global partner of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. As a result, fans of the brand get to look forward to a new limited edition watch each and every year. I looked back on some of these releases and an interesting aspect is that the releases have touched most of the product line. One never knows which watch will be in focus. What is a constant is the color blue, which happens to be the found...
As one of the novelties introduced for the brands 60th anniversary, Grand Seiko gave the SLGA001 Limited Edition 600M Professional Divers the honor of presenting its all-new Spring Drive caliber. The 9RA5 caliber is slimmer, more precise, and has a greater power reserve than its predecessor.Grand Seiko Professional Divers 600M?Spring DriveIn my first article on the Spring Drive principle I think it was early 2006 I said Spring Drive was a solution to a problem that didnt exist. That proved to be only partly true. The problem didnt exist indeed, but Spring Drive wasnt meant to be a solution. It became clear that it was an innovation. It was (and still is) an entirely new way of regulating a...
We like to talk about vintage watches a lot within the Fratello team. Though most of what we write about is largely focused on the most recent releases and developments, for many of us, a lot of the fun can be found in the sometimes weird and often wonderful world of vintage watches. Its a world full of history, remarkable watches, incredible stories, and quirky details. It inspired us to come up with a series of articles focusing on the best watches per decade from a select group of brands. Some of them are priceless, some of them are still affordable. In this installment, we will take a look at the best Grand Seiko watches from the 2000s.By the turn of the millennium, Switzerland had proud...