El Primero Zenith Heritage Pilot Ton-upZenith is one of those brands you can hardly go wrong with. Whether it is vintage or a watch from their modern collection, there is plenty to choose from. How come? Simple. The El Primero movement. It was one of the first automatic chronograph movements on the market in 1969. A strong competition was going on back in the day between Seiko, Zenith and a joint-venture of Breitling, B 1ren and Heuer. All three companies came up with a new self-winding chronograph movement. More than 50 years later, the Zenith El Primero is the last one standing from those three firsts. The Zenith El Primero movement is still in production and also being used in the new Ze...
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Surprise, surprise: we get asked this a lot. Whats the best watch to buy? Such a question cannot help but elicit further questions. Whats your budget? Will it be your only watch? What do you like, for goodness sake? Mostly, however, despite the well-intentioned questioner desiring a solid, definite, concrete answer, supposed experts like my Fratello brothers and me, prefer to side-step the question to place the burden of choice back into the hands of the buyer. Well, for all of you that find that tactic unsatisfactory, I have an answer: the Tudor Black Bay 36 M79500-0007 is the best watch on the market right now. And heres whyHistory, aesthetics, function These things coalesce in a heady coc...
Introduced on January 10th 2017 and sold out within 4.5 hours and about 7500 people on the waiting list. And believe me if I say that I had some sleepless nights before the release over the number of 2012 pieces in total. The delivery of the Omega Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Limited Edition started in June and is finally about to end. It has been a long ride, and a fun one, with the exception of the long delivery time of the watch. Fact is that Omega did a few things quite differently on this Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Limited Edition than they ever did before, and that took longer than expected.Without wanting to focus too much on things that went wrong, the Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Limite...
We like to talk about vintage watches a lot within the Fratello team. While 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. It's 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 interesting watches. In this installment, we will take a look at the best Omega watches from the 1960s.In the 1960s, we witnessed developments that challenged the status quo of...
We understand that a review of a visit isn't half as good as visiting the manufacture yourself. Just like a review of a watch is never as good as owning the watch and reviewing it yourself. But both might help you to get some insights which might trigger you to go and get your own experience....
A few months ago, I pre-ordered a Forstner Komfit JB mesh bracelet. The Forstner brand was resurrected and started to produce those weird-looking mesh bracelets again that could be seen on the wrists of NASAs astronauts.These bracelets are often better known as JB Champion bracelets. JB stands for Jacoby Bender, and they acquired the Forstner brand (in 1963) before astronauts started to use their Komfit bracelets. Both companies were long gone already, but Forstner has recently been brought back to life again. Speedmaster enthusiasts have been responding very positively to the new Forstner company, and I have to say that I shared that excitement as well. Somewhere in October, I decided to ma...
We like to talk about vintage watches a lot within the Fratello team. While 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. It's 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. In this installment, we will take a look at the best Zenith watches from the 1970s.In the 1960s, we witnessed developments that challenged the status quo of watch design forever. The sheer amount ...
There's a cold wind blowing from the East, and it carries the Grand Seiko Chronograph SBGC247 and GMT SBGE275. Both watches are limited editions that have something to celebrate. The GMT celebrates the 20th anniversary of the first Spring Drive GMT watch. The chronograph, the 15th anniversary of the what again? Exactly. And what did Grand Seiko use as a source of inspiration for the celebratory dials of the watches? Thats right nature. Nature again? some folks would complain. But is that a bad thing? Let me answer that question in this article. And while I'm at it, I will also address something that is a hot topic amongst Grand Seiko fans and followers here on Fratello the stream of new Gran...
Whenever Hublot announces new additions to its extensive collection, the first expectations are that we will have some extravagant timepieces. I can say that this year, the Nyon brand yet again does not disappoint in bringing some colorful timepieces. But the main eyecatcher for 2022 is the unexpected but completely logical Hublot Big Bang Integral Time Only in 40mm. This new release could become a very popular one for the brand. Next to that, Hublot also introduces the impressive Yellow Gold Collection and three new Sang Bleu II timepieces. Time to find out more.Hublot doesnt shy away from shocking us with its new releases. Over the years, the brand has proven that creating timepieces with ...
Happy weekend folks Its time for This Week in Watches for January 25, 2020. Lets beginParmigiani Fleurier Kalparisma with Snow SettingWell, we hope you like ice because our first piece for This Week in Watches just happens to be the Parmigiani Fleurier Kalparisma with Snow Setting. The front of this 42.57mm x 30.15mm white gold watch is absolutely layered in roughly 6 carats of diamonds. In fact, between the case, dial, and buckle, there are 1,379 of the bright sparklers on this watch Somewhere inside all the bling, the PF342 in house automatic does its thing with a chronometer rating. Parmigiani uses a black crocodile strap. If youre interested, figure on handing over $119,800. Head to Parm...
In 2007, Omega celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Speedmaster family. In my opinion, there is one very special member of this group that is too often overlooked. Perhaps?reference 311.33.42.50.01.001.001 is shunned for its enamel dial. Maybe its down to its F. Piguet based 3201 movement. Whatever the cause for its past neglect, its about time it got a bit more attention.And, in my opinion, it deserves it. Not only because of the commemorative character of the watch but because of the enamel dial, hand-wound Omega caliber 3201, and, last but not least, its impressive presentation box.Omega Speedmaster 50th Anniversary (2007)In 2007, Omega introduced two Speedmaster models that commemorate...
I know, omega is seriously hyped up these days. That doesn't change the fact that the brand makes superb watches. For those with an adventurous imagination and a love for avant-garde design, the glacial visual progression of The Crowns models might make you yawn. But have another look and consider the sweet 60s or the vintage limbo of the 80s and 90s. If you can live with a well-loved appearance, slightly scruffy hands, and faded dials, you will find a good omega for under $5,000. My opening search got nearly 280 hits, so the choices are out there. Me? Well, I bought a manual-wind 6694 once, and the mainspring snapped after a day. It was still worth it for $2000, but those days are gone.The ...
When the Clifton was introduced by Baume Merciers CEO Alain Zimmermann in Geneva, he introduced it as a watch in the category of affordable luxury. Back then, the Clifton series started below 3000 Euro for the most basic version. Later on, complications (including a tourbillon) were added. Today, we take a look at the Baume Mercier Clifton Chronograph Complete Calendar. A watch that does not exactly belong to the affordable luxury category, but does offer a neat and useful complication.Clifton Chronograph Complete CalendarLast year, we reviewed the Clifton Complete Calendar, a watch offering day, date, month and moon phase indicators. This Baume Mercier Clifton Chronograph Complete Calend...
Marvin was founded in 1850 by two brothers (by the name of Didisheim) in Saint-Imier, in the middle of the Jura. Before we write yet-another-romantic-but-sad-story about a watch company that didnt survive the quartz crisis in the 1970s but DID have some nice watches before that time we are going to stop here.Just a few years ago, Marvin Watches Co was brought back to life again by its current owners, true passionate people about watches and the watch industry. We know, because weve met them during BaselWorld and at their current headquarters in Vaumarcus, Switzerland.The nice thing about being a watch manufacturer with some history, is that you might have some antique catalogs and drawings o...
2020 was quite a year in all respects and thats true regarding timepieces. Here were some of my favorite watches over the past 12 months.I recently penned an article on the vintage Japanese watches that entered my collection during 2020. That was a seriously fun article to write, but what about new watches Japanese or not? Well, I am here to say that this year, of all years, was one of my favorites when it came to new releases. Perhaps I focused more on them than in the recent past, but I dont think so. With so many approachable luxury releases (and many in my favorite dive genre), I really enjoyed myself. Oh, and then there were the bracelets Seriously, for such a wild year, watch companies...
Omega Seamaster Jedi Let's get this straight once and for all!When you start collecting vintage Omega watches from the 1970s and come across the big chunky Seamaster chronographs the top 3 models you will find are: reference 176.001, reference 176.007 (these 2 are basically the same) and reference 176.0005 or the so-called Omega Seamaster Jedi. This due to the fact that these models were produced in fairly large numbers, not too expensive to buy and you can find them all over the internet (eBay etc.).The next thing that will happen is that you start to like the chunky TV-shaped case of the Omega Seamaster Jedi 176.0005 and you slowly start to fancy that model over the others. You search for...
Finally, the Omega Constellation received some necessary attention In 2018 we saw the introduction of the new ladies' models, but now the gents' version has also been updated. Officially, it's Omega's 5th generation of this type of Constellation (although I disagree with that and believe it to be the 6th). Let's have a closer look.But first, let me tell you why this collection means a lot to me (I also wrote it here on Fratello Magazine). It might surprise you to learn why Im so excited about a watch that hasn't been featured much here. The Omega Constellation is the first serious watch I ever received. It was back in 1998 when I graduated, and my mother knew Id been deeply in love with this...
The patina comeback kid bounces back into the spotlight, trending again after a few quiet years. Bronze is cool, but I don't think we can stress this enough: not all bronze is exactly the same. The entire point of bronze is the fact that it is the only watch case material that becomes a part of you. And I don't mean the green wrist-circle you got from that huge 45mm crusty green bronze diver back in 2014. The Oris Big Crown Pointer Date Bronze is a sleeker and more elegant twist on the golden-tinged alloy, and it now comes on the brands most comfortable bracelet.Bronze does develop a patina, just like a omega Submariner from the 60s. Born when it was an actual tool, it all but loses its resa...
We like to talk about vintage watches a lot within the Fratello team. Though most of what we write about is primarily 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 still affordable. In this installment, we will take a look at the best Breitling watches from the 1990s.This week we will continue our journey through watch his...
Today, well seek to answer an age old conundrum posed by prospective buyers: omega Submariner or GMT Master II?If you happen to write for a magazine such as, say, Fratello for long enough, your friends and colleagues begin to come with all sorts of questions about watches.? From fashion brands to odd 40s pieces that once belonged to a loved one, Ive seen them all.? But if theres one topic that comes up more so than any other, its about omega.? Specifically, more often than not, people ask whether to buy the omega Submariner or GMT Master II.omega Submariner or GMT Master IIDespite the repeated calls for the death of mechanical watches due to the rise of smart watches, the ritualistic desire ...