Speedmasters and racing. The two go together like strawberries and cream. One of the very first advertisements for this chronograph showed a race car driver using his Speedmaster. Although it never had an official role in racing, there are plenty of race car drivers who used the Speedmaster. For this Speedy Tuesday, we talk to Speedmaster enthusiast, collector, and car racer Nick Boon.Through Instagram, I met with Nick Boon, whos active under his @watchescarswinecigars account. Take a peek at his account and his love for Speedmasters and car racing is evident. I thought it would be nice to have a little interview with this Speedmaster and race enthusiast. Enjoy!Interview with Speedmaster col...
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omega is one of the major partners in Formula 1 since 2013. Besides Pirelli and DHL, you see omega mentioned about everywhere along the track. omega is the Global Partner and Official Timepiece of Formula 1.Last weekend, the Grand Prix of Belgium was raced on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. I had the privilege to visit the Formula 1 training day on Friday as a guest of omega. A privilege, as I never visited a Formula 1 event before, and since Dutchman Max Verstappen started racing in this king class of racing, I am an avid follower of Formula 1.The guests of omega were welcomed in the Paddock Club. Inside, omega had an impressive exhibition of their Daytona watch. The chronograph (since 1963)...
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 are priceless, some of them still affordable. In this installment, we will take a look at the best Omega watches from the 1980s.While the 1970s marked a time of tremendous change in the watch industry, the 1980s showed the effects of that...
G rald Genta DesignsYou either like them or you don't, G rald Genta's master pieces from the 1970s. Genta designed Omega watches for years (i.e. Constellation and Seamaster models) before he started his own company in 1969. Although designing watches was mostly a job that people did who were on the payroll of a watch manufacturer, it was an immediate success.Patek Philipps Nautilus and Audemars Piguet Royal OakAs we all know, G rald Genta is the genius behind the Royal Oak watch (1972) from Audemars Piguet and the Patek Philippe Nautilus watch (1976). Both brands have a long history in watch making and both companies are considered high-end' watch brands. Genta also designed the Ingenieur SL...
Earlier this year, Grand Seiko introduced its new caliber 9SA5 movement in this beautiful gold watch, reference SLGH002 (you can read about it here). Today, Grand Seiko introduces a steel watch with this new hi-beat movement: meet the Grand Seiko SLGH003.Earlier this year, we went on a trip to Paris to see the Grand Seiko flagship boutique (click here for our boutique visit report) and to talk with Grand Seiko Europe President Fr d ric Bondoux. You can watch our conversation in the video of our Paris boutique report. What we didnt tell you then, is that we already had the chance to see the Grand Seiko SLGH003 under embargo at the time. And believe me, it was tough to keep this as a secret fr...
Looking at the classic shapes of the Parmigiani Tonda 1950 suddenly made me realize that this manufacture has only been there since 1996. A very young brand C especially for watch industry standards that is able to design a watch that could easily trick you into thinking you are dealing with a brand with a history of at least eight decades. The elegant lines of the Parmigiani Tonda 1950 watch case, the manufacture movement with micro-rotor and wonderful dial and hands are so balanced that it could appear to you as a watch that found its roots in the 1950s and was subject to subtle iterations through the decades to come.Parmigiani Tonda 1950Reality is, as you probably suspected by the recent...
Cartier is well-known for its stylish, slimline dress watches. Among the many elegant forms, the Santos collection often stands-out as an edgier take on the classic form. Now, in an attempt to further modernize a model that was birthed more than a century ago, the Cartier Santos Dumont XL hits the shelves.Living up to 116 years of heritage is no mean feat. In 1904, Louis Cartier created the very first Santos model for his friend and aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont. This large square model has seen quite a few overhauls in its time and the latest focuses on increasing the diameter while keeping the model as thin as can be. The original style is largely retained, with the Breguet-style hands dro...
Once in a very, very rare blue moon, a truly amazing piece crosses your way. This is one of them: The Mother Of All Reversos. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2. A double-axis tourbillon with cylindrical hairspring; reserve de march and date indicators. 373 parts and 58 jewels keep everything turning. Oh, and it runs for 50 hours off one massive single barrel. As you would expect, the case is truly enormous to accommodate most of all the spherically shaped tourbillon; the movement alone is 11.1mm thick, accommodate in a case around 16mm thick. The case is so massive theres a secondary integrated lock slider near the crown to prevent accidental reversing.Click all images for larger...
Timeless watches dont have to be boring, no They can even be fashionable. Such is the case with the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M Co-Axial Master Chronometer Small Seconds 41 MM, ref. 220.12.41.21.02.005.Spring and summer are just around the corner. Our mood brightens, and the desire to reflect our upbeat demeanor comes with it. At least that is the case with me. I always get the urge around springtime to put some bright and colorful watches on my wrist. However, wearing a bright statement piece can also lose its luster quickly. With such a strong presence, such a watch can grow tiresome before you know it. When that happens, its good to have a watch that balances classic styling and vital...
Grey can be seen as a nondescriptive and cold color, but in reality, it can be so much more. The razor-sharp Audi RS color Nardo Grey appearing on vinyl-wrapped M3s by arch-rival BMW only underlines one thing. Like the new look for the Oris Big Crown Pointer Date, there is an inherent elegance to a sharp grey that just works. But, there are an equal amount of grey items that will look at home in a hospital ward if you get it wrong, so just be sure to pick the right shade.Consider this my curated collection of some of the coolest items to be born from the grey mists of COVID boredom. Watches and gear in SHADESOFGREY are cool accessories that work with dark blues and blacks but will fail with...
Welcome back to a Brief History of Time. Today, we bring you the fourth installment in our series on the complete history of omega. Though I swore at the end of Part Three that this would be the last installment, the analytics dont lie you guys love omega-related content So, in a multi-faceted strategy to both give you what you want and preserve my own sanity, this one is going to be a bit shorter than the previous chapters.To recap, when we left off in 1988, omega had just released the first major update to the Daytona in 16 years, the reference 16520. Not only did it feature a new look, but it also housed a new movement, the El Primero-based omega 4030. Indeed, throughout the 1970 and 80s,...
We've featured a lot of iconic timepieces on Fratello Watches, both new and old, including divers, dress watches, chronographs, and others. We obviously go into great depth on a near weekly basis on Omega's legendary chronograph, the Speedmaster and since I've joined the fray, I've tried to touch upon most of the key chronographs. So, the other day, while I was playing around in our archives, it came as a surprise to me that we had yet to cover one of the most epic chronographs created: the Breitling Navitimer 806. Today, on TBT, we'll endeavor to right that error, though, as I'm going to talk about such a watch.We certainly mentioned the Breitling Navitimer 806 in this Summer's Breitling E...
A while ago, we did a hands-on review of the hand-wound Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical and compared it to the original military GG-W-113 (Hamilton) watch (you can find that review here). With a retail price of just 420, that was very hard to beat. But what if you want a self-winding watch, or feel a diameter of 38mm is too small for you? Or, very important to some, need a date feature? Exit Khaki Field Mechanical and enter Khaki Field Day Date. A 42mm military looking watch with an automatic movement that has a date and day function. For less than 750 (~$895). Interested? Read on.Hamilton Khaki Field Day DateI will not go into the military history of the Hamilton like Mike has done in his r...
If there's one modern Longines that left me with a huge impression, it is the Longines Legend Diver. Preferably the version without date, but CEO Walter von K?nel decided otherwise a few years ago and discontinued the non-date model. This year, Longines added some variation to the Legend Diver, with this all black version. Meet the Longines Legend Diver in Black.This Longines Legend Diver in Black (reference L3.774.2.50.9) is just like the other Legend Divers, part of the heritage collection. A collection that is only a small portion of Longines annual production of an estimated 1.3 million pieces. A huge number, but the number of different references from Longines is also quite impressive. ...
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 second installment, we will take a look at the best omega watches from the 1960s.This article is the first of a series to cover the most important ...
Theres something to be said for a classic, simple watch design. Sure, we enthusiasts could easily spend hours ogling complicated offerings from watch brands well never be able to afford. But at the end of the day, some of us demand nothing more from our own watch than legibility, good build quality, and timeless good looks. And TAG Heuers latest new additions to the Carrera Three Hands line provide exactly that. The refreshing new offerings bring some refinements to the design while staying true to the classic Carrera design language.Back in 1958, Jack Heuer learned the importance of simplicity. When he was unable to read his dashboard timer correctly at a glance, Heuer lost his first-place ...
Earlier this year we visited the Breitling roadshow in Zurich, Switzerland, and had a sit-down with CEO Georges Kern. He was incredibly open to us (as you can read here) and the new collections were well received, including the new Navitimer 8 models.Worlds leading online marketplace of watches Chrono24, did a profile on Breitling and put it in an interesting infographic. We would like to share this infographic with you, and perhaps you see something that is new to you and might spark your interest in them.This infographic was made by Chrono24.com....
Traveling out of the central GWD hub to visit Jaeger-LeCoultre might sound like a slog when you consider how packed our schedule was, but trust me, this is a brand that rarely leaves me wanting. While Im often a bit on the fence when it comes to press shots of JLCs master collection, they truly come to life in the metal. Jaeger-LeCoultre has a magic touch. When it comes to imbuing the simplest almost plain designs with just enough je ne sais quoi to transform them into wearable classics, there are few brands able to compete.When I saw the new Master collection released online earlier this year, I wasnt just unbothered. I was actively bored by it. Flat, lifeless white dials in pedestrian, uni...
Ok, this is going to be fun. Nowadays you cannot put all of your eggs in one basket. Meaning, content creation is at its peak so it's not enough to concentrate on one type of channel. That's why Fratello Watches is not only an online magazine but also on most of your favorite social media platforms. I'm talking about the usual suspects like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and of course Instagram. Enter: Watch On Your WristThe rules are simple. Every week we will pick four watch images from Instagram. All you need to do to be eligible for selection is tag your watch shots with fratellowatches. We will publish these four images here on the Magazine with a bit of a background story. You can vote i...
When joining Fratello at the beginning of this year, I knew I was entering a Speedmaster-enthusiast stronghold. Quickly after joining and trying on the 2021 Speedmaster Professional in the office, I was convinced and swapped my First Omega in Space for one. And now, only about a month later, Im adding yet another Speedmaster to the collection. Not just any Speedmaster, though. Its the Mission to Saturn Speedmaster MoonSwatch, launched about two weeks ago. And boy, is it a joy to wear!But before we get into it, Id like to suggest a soundtrack for while youre reading this hymn to the MoonSwatch. Is anyone familiar with Gustav Holsts orchestral suite called The Planets? Well, Holst composed a p...