It?has been exactly 60 years since?the introduction of the first Day-Date, reference 6511. This is being celebrated by a dedicated Day-Date 40 exhibition at one of the largest retailers in The Netherlands, Schaap en Citroen. Even better, their boutique in The Hague was chosen for this exhibition. A ‘home game for us, for a change. Day-Date?‘President In the last 60 years, a lot has changed about the Day-Date, but a lot has also remained familiar. Today s Day-Date 40 (introduced in 2015) is clearly a descendant of the very first Day-Date from 1956. A child can see that. It is the?watch that was worn by presidents. After?U.S. President, Lyndon Johnson was elected (and wearing a...

For the first time again in a long while, I am super enthusiastic again about a watch. I ve worn the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Perpetual from the moment I picked it up, till the very last hour before I had to hand it over again.Yes, we need to give back the watches that we review. In most cases I am not particularly sad about it, it is our work to do so. However, it has been quite a while ago that a watch made me super enthusiastic again for my own wishlist. Especially a watch in the higher end, with a nice complication (other than a chronograph or GMT).Jaeger-LeCoultre Master PerpetualThis watch has been introduced last year, during the SIHH 2016. We already wrote about it in March of this ye...

Todays #TBT takes a look at a chronograph that Ive been hunting for a long time, a Mark 1 Breitling Top Time 810. Its a watch C and a watch line that existed for some time C thats been grossly underrated in vintage watch collector circles for some time, but is finally getting some deserved notice. Proof of this will come shortly after reading this article should you go look for one because -poof- theyve all but disappeared.Breitling Top Time 810 vs Heuer CarreraThe Heuer Carrera receives the lions share of credit for ushering in modern and clean chronograph design in 1964. Weve covered the early 2447 and theres no doubt about it that its one of watch historys most important pieces.?? Along w...

1858 refers to the founding year of Minerva, a watch company that was located in Villeret, Switzerland. A brand that struggled through its last years of existence, but also a brand with a lot of watchmaking history. If you put some effort into it, you will find – for example ?– the most beautiful chronograph watches that were made by Minerva.About 10 years ago,?the Minerva brand was sold to Richemont Group, who also owns Montblanc. Montblanc, well-known for their writing instruments, was ready for the next step in horologie as well. Haute horlogerie, to be precise. What better way to have an awesome kickstart if you can depend on movements and watchmaking knowledge from a company...

Watch Around the WorldRecently, when we were in Vienna (Austria) during an event, we met up with a loyal reader of Fratello Watches. Let s say his name is Markus, you ll find him on Instagram as @vintagewatchzilla. Except being a Speedmaster and Speedy Tuesday fan, Markus had a very nice idea. Not long ago he bumped into this very nice compressor-type of watch, which bears the name of supplier A. Ganster in Graz (Austria).Not much can be found on this watch dealer, however he sure supplied nice watches. The compressor watch here is of much the same construction as watches of more known brands, and bears the same signs as many other watches manufactured according to the brevet #313813.Brevet ...

Yvo Staudt and his WatchesFor those who aren t familiar with Staudt Watches, a small recap. Staudt Watches was found by Yvo Staudt. Yvo (1991) is actually a professional musician and plays classical accordion. He studied in Italy for two consecutive years with one of the best classical accordionists in the world. While being away from family and friends during that time, he finds some peace in studying mechanical watches.He falls in love with a timepiece that he simply can t afford. He tries to search for an affordable alternative, but without much luck. Instead he decides to do it himself. Design and create a watch he will truly like and enjoy. He teaches the art of designing and assembling...

Contest by OmegaImagine it is 1973, you live somewhere in France and you entered a contest by Omega. A bit later, you receive the following letter and box:A translation below:Sir, We were very pleased that you participated in this global competition, and you have been able to find, through reflection, adequate answers to the questions. Out of the 554,222 people in the world have taken the trouble to write to us, you are one of 2,557 who not only perfectly answered the first six questions, but correctly answered at least three (out of six) of Omega accomplishments in the second part. Congratulations on this outstanding performance! Therefore, our jury has found you worthy to receive one of th...

Are you looking to buy an Omega Speedmaster but don t know where to start? We re here to help! Over the past 65+ years, Omega has created many variations of one of the world s most famous chronographs. The classic 42mm Moonwatch has been in the collection since 1965, and to the novice eye, little has changed since then. But if you look a bit closer, you will find that the Speedmaster evolved quite a bit in the decades that followed.In this Speedmaster guide, we ll give you an overview of the most important references of the Speedmaster (Professional) and some of its variations. Although this article isn t meant as a pricing guide, we will give some hints, of course. If you re already a knowl...

Today, on #TBT, well take a look at one of the most popular vintage chronographs: the Seiko Bullhead 6138-0040. While its a watch I struggle to wear on a consistent basis C more on that later C it has undeniable charm due to its unorthodoxy. Well take a close look at the watch, its odd design, and its great build quality. First, though, lets talk a little about Bullheads in general.The Seiko Bullhead – One of the CrowdIm not breaking any new ground here in explaining that a Bullhead chronograph gets its name from the orientation of its crown and pushers. Notably, the controls sit atop the watch instead of the more customary right side of the watch. Apparently, the rationale for this pl...

Jeff Kingston visits the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva. The video shows particular timepieces of the Patek Philippe Company.There are over 2,000 watches in the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva. It may be theres another museum in the world with more timepieces C thats in the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Watch and Clock Museum C but nowhere in the world will you find a collection this rich, this diverse, this well displayed. Jeff Kingston takes us on a tour of the evolution of timekeeping, finishing with the crown jewel of the Patek Philippe Museum, the Caliber 89, the most complicated watch ever made. Enjoy the video and see a lot of special Patek Philippe watches.This video is blocked bec...

Two Stitch StrapsA little over two years ago, on 13th September 2014 the first Watch Strap Review was published on Fratello Watches. Since then, I tried to bring a new strap maker to your attention every month. A few times RJ or Mike took over, we might have skipped a month but we are still here. This is the 25th episode of Watch Strap Review and I have yet another country to add to the ever-growing list. This edition is about a very sympathetic young business from Serbia. Ivan C together with his two partners?C is taking this thing seriously. Despite his young age of 25 he communicates, acts and runs his business with such professionalism its pretty outstanding. He is also a fellow watch jo...

Speedmaster 105.012-66 RacingWhen Omega designed the Speedmaster in 1957, it was actually meant to be a sports chronograph. It was a time when there was no connection with space yet, and Omega introduced their Seamaster 300, Railmaster and Speedmaster, as watches for ‘professional use.?Racing ModelsEven though the Speedmaster was connected with space since the mid-1960s, the connection with sports, racing in general, stayed. Recent Speedmaster racing watches consist of the Speedmaster Tintin (was actually introduced as a Speedmaster Racing), the 2004 limited edition for the Japan market and of course a bunch of Michael Schumacher editions (the rarest?one can be found here). However, l...

Greubel Forsey is financing Philippe DuFour to produce a film to record for posterity: watchmaking techniques that slowly are being lost, slowly are fading from memory. So that generations to come, people will have a recorded lesson, on how to do these steps of watchmaking.Philippe DuFour shows us what he is going to be doing in his workshops for this film. He would like to share his knowledge and translate to the next generation what he knows, focusing on the most traditional handcraft, traditional ways of building a watch. Learn more about this art of watchmaking.This video is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings Want to know more about the asse...

World Traveller s WatchesSome call it the best time ever, others hate it. Travelling around the world comes?in many flavours, be it for work, leisure or perhaps even both. If you are a regular world traveller, you might want to have a world travellers watch to accompany you on these trips. They help you to show you C in a glance C the time where you are currently located as well as your home time. Very convenient to keep in touch with your family and friends at home, or with your colleagues, of course.I selected three different world travellers watches from three different manufactures: De Bethune DB25 World Traveller, Glashtte Original Senator Cosmopolite, and the Patek Philippe 5930G Worl...

As its the weekend after Thanksgiving and most Americans are either exhausted from eating too much or from being dragged to the mall to fight the crowds (this idea of Black Friday is spreading around the globe by the way), we thought wed lighten your spirits by giving you a mini #TBT Just Because about a barn find Gallet Multichron Decimal. Enjoy it!An Unrestored Gallet Multichron DecimalToday, on Fratello Watches, we thought wed bring you a brief look at an amazing watch C the Multichron Decimal. However, unlike almost all of our articles C weve only featured one pre-spa watch in Blaises Tissot C this watch needs work. In fact, it doesnt work at all right now! But C because I enjoy the arch...

Vintage Vintage is no hype, it is here to stay. It does come with waves though and so do the prices of some of the models. Today, a double red Sea-Dweller is less expensive than it was a couple of years ago, but in general, you could say that almost all of the vintage sports models are a solid ‘investment . I have never lost money on a (vintage) . I bought my first GMT-Master 1675 for 1800 Euro in 2003 and made a nice profit not long after (as part of a trade for a more expensive piece). However, when I wanted one back again, I needed to cough up around 4500 Euro in 2013 for a similar reference 1675. Now, in 2016, you have at least to bring 6 or 7K Euro for a nice 1675. Submariner 5...

Walking into a prestigious watchmakers, you browse the glass cabinets for your perfect timepiece. This a luxurious experience, where attention to detail is a must. It is then when you spot it and instantly, you know this is the one for you. To try the watch on, you ask for assistance and wait excitedly as they unlock the cabinet and gently remove it from the cushioned stand. You then slide the watch onto your wrist and admire the beauty of this outstanding piece of craftsmanship. Ill take it, you reply.As one of the worlds leading Swiss watch analyzer for smartphone and tablets, Lepsi watch technologies understands that after finding your perfect watch, you want to maintain its quality for a...

Holthinrichs Watches Officially IntroducedMichiel Holthinrichs yesterday officially introduced his watch brand ‘Holthinrichs Watches together with his first watch model, the ‘Ornament 1 . Holthinrichs, being a recent Architecture graduate, choose the Faculty of Architecture of ‘his Technical University in Delft (Netherlands) as location for the presentation.This not being our first introduction event, we were positively surprised by how the event was organised and the ambiance it breathed. The Faculty of Architecture seems to inspire one. When entering the building you want to pick up your drawing book and start designing – that kind of feeling.Inspiration, Feeling,...

Ever since the introduction of the new Oris diver watches, the Oris Divers Sixty-Five models, people have been praising them. A cool retro watch with a very affordable price tag. We have reviewed a couple of the Oris Divers Sixty-Five variations ever since (the original Sixty-Five, the 42mm model, and just recently we reviewed the green dial version).ComparisonThis article however, is not another review, but a comparison between the retro Divers Sixty-Five and the watch that inspired it. The original Oris diver ‘Waterproof from the 1960s. How close is the Oris Divers Sixty-Five to the original? What is so good about the Sixty-Five and what could have been done better in our opinion? L...

Are you looking to buy an Omega Speedmaster but don t know where to start? We re here to help! Over the past 65+ years, Omega has created many variations of one of the world s most famous chronographs. The classic 42mm Moonwatch has been in the collection since 1965, and to the novice eye, little has changed since then. But if you look a bit closer, you will find that the Speedmaster evolved quite a bit in the decades that followed.In this Speedmaster guide, we ll give you an overview of the most important references of the Speedmaster (Professional) and some of its variations. Although this article isn t meant as a pricing guide, we will give some hints, of course. If you re already a knowl...