Blue is a dial colour that Vacheron Constantin always associated with steel watches, as it has this cold look to it. At least, according to their Style Heritage Director,?Christian Selmoni. Thats what he told the crowd in a short but interesting panel talk with Laurent Perves (Chief Marketing Officer Vacheron Constantin), Patrick Graf (Chief Commercial Officer Bucherer) and Ben Clymer (CEO Hodinkee). Patrick Graf was delighted to introduce their latest Blue Editions cooperation, this time with Vacheron Constantin. In total, Bucherer did 21 collaborations with 13 different watch manufacturers. We covered previous editions here and here, for example.Vacheron Constantin Bucherer Blue EditionsO...
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1997, 21 years after the introduction of the Patek Philippe Nautilus stainless steel sports watch, Patek Philippe introduced a new watch aimed at a younger clientele: the Aquanaut. Now, in 2016, almost 20 years later, they?introduce a new variation on the Patek Philippe?Aquanaut?Travel Time, a watch that was introduced in 2011: It is the reference 5164R, where the R stands for rose gold.Ive always been a fan of the Patek Philippe Nautilus 3700/1A and 5711/1A and prefer them as clean as possible (no complications), as it was meant to be in my opinion. That is a bit different with the Aquanaut. Perhaps I am a bit too much of a purist when it comes to watches, but the Aquanaut always was the ne...
When we started the competition, we had 96 watches; now, were down to four. The remaining writers are now into their second head-to-head match-up. The winner moves on to the final; the loser goes home. At this point, its simply the best of the best. Your favorite four watches battle it out for eternal glory. Who will be crowned the winner of March Mania? Its up to you to help decide who will be the King!Were at the sharp end now. We have four heavyweights left in our March Mania competition. The semi-final stage starts now All four of our contestants can see the finish line where eternal glory awaits. Tomas and Bert clash in the second of our semi-finals. Its Lange on Lange. Blood on blood. ...
The secret to wearing a watch the price of a Porsche 911 is to just do it. It's really that simple. That's because in the case of the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Eon Gold, people will notice your exuberant watch, but they may not recognize it. A gold omega is as conspicuous as the Porsche, but no matter how extravagant the Excalibur with its flying tourbillon might be, it won't attract the (negative) attention a gold watch with a Cyclops most unfortunately does nowadays. You might even say that if your everyday playground is in the upper echelons, the Excalibur Eon Gold is a safe choice. This is how I experienced wearing it as a daily beater for a week.What I like best about the Roger Dubuis Exca...
The last time I bought a omega Submariner is already a few years ago. The then-current Submariner watch, reference 114060, has recently been replaced by the 124060.Now, I dont feel the urge to replace it with the new reference or add it, but it is about time that this article is amended with the latest references. Back in 2017, when I bought the watch, authorized dealers didnt have the watch in stock. The situation didnt exactly improve since then. Stainless steel omega sports models are hot, its especially the Submariner that can count on a huge fanbase, worldwide.The design of the Submariner 114060, and now 124060, is unmistakably omega, despite the size and use of modern materials such as...
When omega introduced the Submariner LV in 2003, it raised many eyebrows. The omega Submariner is one of the most iconic watches in the world. Meaning dont touch it and yet omega did.The omega Submariner is one of the divers with the longest uninterrupted production up to today. This watch speaks to ones imagination and it developed itself from being a professional tool watch to a luxury item. In 2003, the omega Submariner celebrated its 50th anniversary.That was reason enough for omega to do something completely wild. And so, the idea of giving it a green bezel emerged. This omega Submariner 16610 received an LV indication, 16610LV, where LV stands for lunette verte. omega created larger ho...
Yesterday, A. Lange Sohne celebrated the 20th anniversary of their Lange 1 watch. What better way to come up with a stunning version of their classic Lange 1, with a one-minute tourbillon, a beautiful black enamelled dial (and silver applied sub dial for the seconds) in a classic 38.5mm platinum case?Lange 1 Tourbillon HandwerkskunstUnder laud applause Langes Anthony de Haas presented the Lange 1 Tourbillon Handwerkskunst to the crowd (who went wild). Due to the poor light conditions of the otherwise beautiful place in Dresden, it was almost impossible to take a proper photo of the new Lange 1 Tourbillon Handwerkskunst without using any specific equipment.Only 20 pieces are being produced...
When you think of a mechanical watch with an alarm, it is very likely you are thinking about the Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox.The Memovox has been around for 70 years now, and Jaeger-LeCoultre used this complication in many movements and watches. One of my favorites was the Master Compressor Memovox. Quite a bold watch for its time, but I like it. It is discontinued for quite some years now, so no need to ponder about it for too long. Today, Jaeger-LeCoultre is introducing their new Polaris Mariner Memovox.Polaris Mariner MemovoxI hate to say it, but its been a long time since?Jaeger-LeCoultre brought out a proper sporty watch. Not since the Master Compressor have I seen anything in that vein th...
I just received this email from Rambler, about a new forum on watches. Visit www.wristwatchforums.com and check their Omega, omega and Panerai forum!...
The year 2022 will be the 65th anniversary of the Omega Speedmaster and the 10th anniversary of Speedy Tuesday. I can't believe it was already 10 years ago that I coined the term Speedy Tuesday, and even more, I cant believe what has happened since. But let's save that story for next year. Today, Id like to share our best-read Speedmaster articles of 2021!Today is the last Speedy Tuesday of 2021, and what better way to close this year than with an overview of the seven best-read Speedmaster articles on Fratello. Although we did not see any Speedmaster limited edition watches this year (unfortunately), Omega did release some very interesting new variations. But most importantly, 2021 was the ...
Last weekend was an important one for watch collectors and enthusiasts. Perhaps also for investors, I might add.?Weve seen (or heard about) some of the results of the omega 6062 (5mio USD) and omega Daytona 6263 3.7mio USD) for example. You can debate the hot air in these prices, but someone paid these amounts so it is as real as it gets. But what about the Omega Speedmaster watches we wrote about recently, that were auctioned through?Antiquorum and Christies. I am talking about the skeleton Speedmaster in gold and the two gold 1980 Speedmaster Professional Apollo XI pieces.Auction ResultsLets start with the piece that was skeletonized by no-one else than Armin Strom: the Speedmaster?Jubilee...
Grand Seiko further expands its Evolution 9 Collection with the release of two new chronograph GMT watches. On top of that, one of the two watches celebrates the 15th anniversary of Grand Seiko Spring Drive chronographs. These new Grand Seiko SBGC249 and SBGC251 Chronograph GMT models are part of a greater drop for the Evolution 9 Collection along with two other GMT watches and a new diver. Between these two models, we see a new case design, a new(er) movement, and a colorful limited-edition release. Lets find out more about these new Grand Seiko Chronograph GMT watches.Grand Seiko has put great emphasis on the Evolution 9 Collection, which represents the future of the brand. The five releas...
Today, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Chopard Manufacture, the brand introduces the L.U.C. Quattro Spirit 25. This new limited piece in ethical gold also marks the first jumping-hour movement from the manufacture.Last year, during Geneva Watch Days, we had the opportunity to visit the Chopard headquarters. Things were relatively quiet for obvious reasons, but we did have an opportunity to visit an in-house museum filled with both vintage pieces and the newest models. It was an eye-opener for me and I gained a real appreciation for Chopard. Specifically, I spent a lot of time looking at modern L.U.C. pieces. These are from the Chopard Manufacture and represent the best of what the ...
Its This Week in Watches for September 7, 2019.Bonjour, collectionneur de montres!? This Week in Watches is back with another action-packed look at what went down over the past 7 days or so.? We actually have a lot to cover here, so Ill skip my rant and get right down to itMING 17.06 WatchesMING sent us word of two new watches that will become available for order on the 19th of September via their official site.? Both watches are 38mm (43.9 lug to lug) stainless pieces powered by an ETA 2824-2 automatic thats been modified for two crown positions and adjusted to five positions.? Both are water resistant to 100 meters and feature a new case where the bezel is affixed to the case by screws, th...
The omega Day-Date is the watch that speaks to the?imagination more than any other model from their collection. It is the watch worn by Presidents, CEOs, actors, sports people and so on.By owning a omega Day-Date yourself (if you dont fall into one of the categories above), you might be able to think (or fantasize) that you are in a great company. Besides everything that relates to the image of the omega Day-Date, it is just one heck of a watch. Wonderful design, only available in precious metals (yeah yeah, they did a few protos in steel) and with a wide variation of dial configurations. Although omega also introduced it in 41mm discontinued in the meantime and in 40mm, the Day-Date was a...
Believe me when I say I have one of the coolest jobs in the world. It actually doesnt feel like work, I am just occupied all day with something I am very passionate about. Fratello has been there since 2004, but it still excites me when I receive a package from A. Lange S?hne in my office. This time, I asked them if they could provide me with their Saxonia Thin in copper blue. An A. Lange S?hne Lange 1 would be my end-game for sure, but this Saxonia in 39?millimetres with a copper blue dial (looking very similar to aventurine glass) that they showed earlier this year in Geneva is so breath-taking, I had to have it. Even when it is for just two weeks.Saxonia Thin in Copper BlueThis referenc...
I suppose that I could be faulted for featuring the rather newish omega GMT-Master II 16710?in a TBT article, but I'll live with it.I've covered a couple newer pieces in this series such as the omega Explorer 14270 and, more recently, the IWC Mark XII, so I'm more on the side of featuring what I'd call classics instead of purely vintage. Definitions aside, the omega 16710 is definitely a classic and one that continues to be on the acquisition list of many people; let's find out why.The omega GMT-Master II 16710 was around for so long nearly 20 years that its still hard to believe its goneThe omega GMT-Master II 16710It's awfully hard to believe that the omega GMT-Master II 16710 has been ...
Earlier this year, I had an online talk with Montblanc's new Managing Director Watch Division, Laurent Lecamp (43). Amongst other things, I asked him about his favorite new watch in the collection. That must be the new, bronze 1858 Geosphere Limited Edition 1858, he answered. This new Geopshere is inspired by a 2,000 kilometer solo journey by legendary mountaineer and adventurer Reinhold Messner in 2004 through the Gobi Desert. The watch reads like a logbook of that adventure thanks to the colors used, different details and the laser etching on the back. I had to find out more. And now I want to wear the Montblanc 1858 Geosphere Limited Edition 1858 upside down.I didn't just talk about the l...
You might expect a dress watch to exude a certain sex appeal, exotic class, or self-confident verve. But for the new 40mm Omega De Ville Tr sor in stainless steel, it is much more than that. There is a tone of substance beneath the style. The combination of a steel case, diamonds, and a burgundy dial makes for an unusual visage but a really compelling proposition, from top to bottom.? It is certainly an off-base choice for men, but, as you can see from the below images, it doesnt look all that uncomfortable on a male wrist either.The 40mm De Ville Tr sor collection is quite well-known not only among men but also among women. The history of the De Ville Tr sor line dates back to 1949. That's ...
What better way to make the most wonderful time of the year even better than by giving your watch-loving loved ones some of the coolest goodies out there? Big budget or small budget, the Fratello Watches Holiday Gift Guide has you covered. With picks ranging from 15 Christmas decorations from NOMOS all the way to 730 for the Bennet Winch watch roll (and above), there's bound to be something for everyone. So check out these carefully selected picks from our editors and treat your loved one (or yourself) to one of these great gifts. 'Tis the season after all!You may notice that some of our editor's gift ideas below have already been covered on the site this year. And if that's not testament th...