With the Longines Heritage Classic, the brand pays tribute to a 1934 classic with sector dial.Before delving into the new Longines Heritage Classic, Ill go ahead and admit something: Ive long followed Longines and its Heritage collection.? As a watch collector and admirer who truly enjoys vintage watches, what could be better than one of the industrys most storied brands deciding to recreate some of its most famous models?? Well, it sounds fantastic but if Im being honest, models within the Longines Heritage collection have always left me just a tad cold.Ill share a personal analogy but hopefully youll be able to follow.? I, like so many others, dont eat red meat with the frequency that I on...
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I had the opportunity to stop by Antiquorum Geneva and check out the watches in their upcoming May sale. Watch auctions are interesting for me to see things that I either haven't seen in person or am not familiar with. I enjoy doing research or checking details to see if I discover something I hadn't noticed before. Clearly, today vintage aficionados are more educated and the free flow of information on the internet allows for more critical buying. A lot of tomatoes are flying around the internet, but that shouldn't take away from the good research and hunting that still awaits us.A personal visit allows me to dig a little further and ask the team more about the watches that interest me. The...
Brand boutiques are popping up like mushrooms the last few years. I wonder how the authorized dealers feel about this and what the ideas are behind these brand boutiques. The authorized dealers are more or less required to buy a certain collection of watches from a brand, even if they know upfront they wont be selling certain models. The boutiques however, can probably decide on their own what to buy, or it just doesnt matter because they ARE the brand and can return the watches that dont get sold back to Switzerland (for example).The authorized dealers have their own solution for this, which is selling or trading the watches that they dont want to sell or cant sell, to [grey] dealers elsewh...
Happy New Year Lets kick off this first Speedy Tuesday feature with some awesome photos done by our very own Bert Buijsrogge. We received the Speedmaster Co-Axial Master Chronometer Moonphase Blue Side of the Moon recently, and we thought it would be fun to show you some details.Blue Side of the MoonIt started with the Dark Side of the Moon in 2013, an awesome and surprising piece coming from Omega at the time. Using their in-house developed chronograph movement (caliber 9300) in a full ceramic watch. The success was amazing. Not only did it sell very well, it was also very much appreciated by the collectors community. A tough crowd, as you know.? What happened next is that Omega started to ...
OK, folks, this is not a drill. For one last hurrah, Patek has brought back the 5711 for a super limited edition of watches. Did I mention it's a co-signed edition with Tiffany with a Tiffany blue dial? Let your mouth salivate as we present the incredible new Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711.Yesterday the watch industry went to bed with nary a thought about the possibility of a new Nautilus. Why would they expect such a thing? Patek announced it had discontinued the 5711 back in January of this year. So why now? Out of the blue (no pun intended)? The gorgeous new 5711 celebrates the 170-year partnership between the Swiss watchmaker and Tiffany, as well as Tiffany's new ownership as a part of the...
Are you looking for a beautiful watch to pair with your ugly Christmas sweater? A classy companion for the happiest time of the year? A way of keeping your eye on the time between spiked-eggnog-and-turkey-induced naps? Omega has your back Not just one, but three new stunning models for the Globemaster Annual Calendar lineup are introduced just in time for the end-of-year festivities. These rather festive releases include a steel watch with a pale pine-green dial, a two-tone model with a burgundy dial, and a Sedna Gold bezel, as well as one in full 18K Sedna Gold.As the end of November rolls around, and December sneaks up on us all, there's no better time to get into the festive spirit. And w...
I am not that well-endowed in the wrist department. There, I said it. I dont have the wrist mass that allows me to successfully and confidently wear some larger-sized watches, and thats a shame. Theres plenty of watches that I would love to own, but the sheer heft of the case means itd look like I was wearing a wall clock on my wrist. Despite my lamentations, theres not much I can do. Im not a weights guy, and I wont be going down to the local gym to pump some wrist iron and bulk them up. Its just not happening.I like hiking on the weekends, but thats as far as my exercise goes. All of the above basically means that most Panerai watches are firmly outside the realms of wrist-based realism fo...
Ive said it before and Ill say it again: in luxury watchmaking in 2021, texture is the name of the game. Dial colors get too much attention; dial surfaces, too little. More and more, were seeing brands pay attention to the displays background, the forgotten element, the passive superstar that can decide whether or not a watch lives or dies in the minds of our community. How those textures interact with the colors laid upon them matters too, of course. Today, we see Grand Seiko experiment with one entirely new texture and revisit another that has undeniable potential. Has the Japanese giant got it right this time with the SLGA007? Lets find outGrand Seiko announced the release of the SLGA007 ...
Last week we joined Hublot for a canal cruise in the center of Amsterdam for the launch of a new watch. Officially called Hublot?Classic Fusion Aerofusion Chronograph Special Amsterdam Boutique Edition. We went to the recently opened Hublot Boutique in the P.C. Hooftstraat in Amsterdam, which is named after Pieter Cornelisz Hooft, who was?a Dutch historian, poet and playwright and lived from 1581C1647. This street is paradise in Amsterdam for those who are looking for an?exclusive shopping destination. Amsterdam Hublot BoutiqueMeeting up in the recently opened Hublot Boutique we are welcomed with champagne and typical Dutch snacks. Cheese cubes and (liver) sausage. Only the little Dutch flag...
It is my great pleasure to announce that the inaugural Speedmaster World Cup will kick-off on Fratello on Saturday the 24th of October (thats THIS weekend).In the absence of Euro 2020, we thought our beloved readers might enjoy a tournament of a different kind The Speedmaster World Cup We've assembled eight groups (A CH), each governed by a different Fratello team member. Each writer has been assigned four watches, which they will pitch to you during the group stages.All we need you to do is vote for your favorite to move on in the competition. The next round will be the quarter-finals, which will see the eight group winners go head-to-head for your votes. The four winners progress to the se...
We like to talk about vintage watches a lot within the Fratello team. Where the daily routine is largely focused on the most recent developments in the world of watches, the most fun for many of us lies in the 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 priceless, some of them still affordable. But all of them are remarkable watches. This week well kick things off with the best omega watches from the 1950s.The best omega watches from the 1950s? What does that actually mean? Every week we ...
Click on all images for larger.After many sleepless nights of deliberation, it was time for a change. I sold my Lange 1815 to make room for something new in the collection. What would it be? After much hunting and poring over catalogs and visiting dealers, I decided on a Jaeger Le-Coultre Reverso Grande GMT (RGGMT from here on) in steel. The standard alligator strap wasn't very flexible or comfortable for me, and left the watch sitting high, so I went for the bracelet model.That was in early 2009. Two and a bit years on, am I still in love?Let's back up a little. There are three things that can happen to a watch after you've owned it for a while: either it grows on you, you like it as much a...
Wrist Game or Crying Shame returns with a look at an Ebel 1911 Chronograph.Back in 98, I was a fresh young face in the workforce, but a bit of hard work didnt stop me from partaking in a bit of high-rolling high jinks.? It was during a long weekend that I packed my bag and made my way to the airport in the 216, aka Cleveland.? My buddy flew out of the mean streets of Newark and we met in Sin City.? Vegas.? Now, back in 98, you could actually play black jack for $5 a hand on the Strip and stay at a hotel on that very street for a fair deal.? Nowadays, good luck with that as those prime location casinos are full of fancy pants partygoers and tattooed goofballs who make it rain with $100s for a...
Having initially been postponed due to the coronavirus crisis, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games have been announced for 2021. Following last year's limited edition Olympic Games releases, Omega just has announced the Seamaster Diver 300M Tokyo 2020.?Exactly one year ago Omega introduced two modern sports watches the ichimatsu-moyo-inspired Aqua Terra and the Planet Ocean with the red lollipop central seconds hand. Both models turned out to be a remarkable success even though Tokyo 2020 has been carried over to this year. Will this Seamaster be as successful as its predecessors? Lets see what its got going for itThe inspiration behind the design?Just like the Aqua Terra, the design of Seamaster D...
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...
Boring goes a long way. As a kid, I wanted nothing more than to eat pancakes every day. One day, my mom couldn't handle my nagging any longer and made me pancakes in the morning. And in the afternoon and the evening too. Guess what? The next day, the kitchen smelled like pancakes again. And I was done. I wanted toast. What do pancakes have in common with the best boring but brilliant watches in the world? Well, a watch with an exuberantly, multicolored dial is a pancake. The Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Chronograph, with a black one, is the toast you can have any day and every day.The good thing about fresh toast is that you can dress it up with sweet or savory stuff. And even just with a litt...
The Breguet Type XXI 3815 is a colorful addition to the already existing vintage-inspired Type XXI 3817 that was introduced in 2016. The Type XXI has its roots in a larger and more complicated iteration of the famous Type XX. Breguets Type XXI 3815 comes in two different colors orange and green and we have both.The Breguet Type XXI 3815TI/HO/3ZU (orange) and 3815TI/HM/3ZU (green), are limited to 250 pieces each, so 500 in total. The new Type XXI we have here looks similar to the Type XXI 8515 but uses a 42mm case made of titanium. By using the vivid green and orange on the lacquered dial of the Type XXI 3815, the watch becomes a bit more of a contemporary version of the classic Type XXI. But...
Thats one of the advantages being a watch journalist: wearing so many different watches. More than one reasonably could have ever have bought. This week is no exception. I am able to try the Omega Constellation Globemaster in stainless steel and Sedna gold.Omega Constellation Globemaster Co-Axial Master Chronometer 39mmA serious model indication, isnt it? It seems to me that Omega is proud about the specifications of their watches, and theyre eager to let you know them. This two-tone Globemaster is a serious watch as well however.Whos afraid of gold and steel?Personally I've never been afraid of gold and steel (two-tone) watches, and a few of them are always in my collection. There are even ...
Weve been here for 15 years, and covering many vintage watches in all those years. However, since 2014, we have our TBT feature with a dedicated focus on vintage watches.Based on the most popular articles in our tbt category, we present to you the top 10 vintage watches overview here on Fratello. As you will see, it is mainly Seiko and omega dominating this overview. Why is there no Omega? Well simple, we try to allocate all of the (vintage) Speedmaster content to our Speedy Tuesday section (and only publish on Tuesday about them). If you want to have an overview of the best read Speedmaster articles, or Top 10 Speedy Tuesday articles, click here.Top 10 Vintage WatchesWe have covered dozen...
Parmigiani is still a young brand, yet the build quality of its watches is nothing short of astonishing. The watches coming out of the brands Fleurier workshops exceed the standards of high-end icons that sell for far more. In fact, Parmigiani has built complete watches for some of the most praised high-horology brands. Parmigiani itself, however, is still is more of an insiders tip. The restrained marketing of the past surely played a part in that. But Parmigiani has resolved to change this by appointing Guido Terreni as CEO, and the new Tonda PF collection that originated under this new management has created quite a stir. The signature model of this new collection is the Tonda PF Micro Ro...