Already mentioned in our?La Lune Exhibition visit report,?at Fratello, we love things related to space travel, ignited by the Omega Speedmaster Professional, a.k.a. The Moonwatch, however, easily extended to other items. Our special interest goes to flown objects, watches at best, but objects like pens and cameras appeal to us as well.?And it s no secret that many watch lovers and collectors have a special place in their heart for photography and cameras as well. So whats more obvious that an article on cameras used in space?Hasselblad Cameras, Astronauts?ChoiceFrom the beginning of manned space exploration, the Swedish brand Hasselblad has been the astronaut s choice. Unmodified Hasselblad ...
Last week saw the last of our Speedy Tuesday events of 2019 returning to Biel, Switzerland. With the return to Omega Headquarters, a year full of Speedy Tuesday events ended where it started almost twelve months ago. Twelve months full of Speedy Tuesday events that saw great novelties and the last one was no exception.With the ‘Back To Base event held last Tuesday at the brand new Omega Museum in Biel, the Speedy Tuesday events have come full circle. The first of the eight Speedy Tuesday events in 2019 events took place at Omega HQ back in January of 2019 and saw the introduction of the new caliber 321 movement. At last week s event guests had a chance to experience the Omega Speedmas...
Seikos persistent devotion in the 1970s to chase precision down to just a few seconds a year is pretty fascinating. Meet the Seiko Superior 9983-7000. Making new friends is a part of the watch collecting passion that I truly enjoy. When I get a message from a fellow collector in Slovakia, the small country where I live, the joy is even greater. Thats how I met Michal too. He dropped me a line a few months ago and added a few snaps of watches from his collection. A couple of days ago, when he came to Bratislava, we finally had lunch together and, unsurprisingly, talked watches. What was surprising though, was that he trusted me enough to lend me one of his favorite watches for a few weeks, th...
Our 9th episode of Fratello on Air is about the 5 best watches from 2019 according to Michael Stockton and Robert-Jan Broer.After the mandatory wristcheck (see below), Michael and RJ discuss their best 5 watches of 2019. Watches that have been introduced in 2019 and that made a lasting impression on them. Also in this episode, an interview with Lebois & Co founder Tom van Wijlick. We talk about his passion for watches, founding the Lebois & Co brand and their latest Venturist watch with special certification. Our Fratello-on-Air podcast can be played via?Apple,?Soundcloud,?Spotify,?Google podcast, and?Buzzsprout. This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing coo...
The Anomaly 01 was born from the desire of three enthusiasts to offer a quality watch at a fair price, while observing total transparency on origin (TTO). The 01 is a mechanical spectacle. It s the result of community voting on the brand s website, a decision made by the creators, who wanted to work directly with their customers. The result is a timepiece with strong DNA, meticulously constructed and perfectly finished. A success that exceeded all expectations; an ambitious yet successful gamble!CaseIts 42mm 316L steel case, with black PVD coating and modular construction, graces the watch with all of its character. In addition, the PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) is the best currently on th...
One of the items of the 2019 Neiman Marcus Fantasy Gift is an Aston Martin DBS Superleggera designed by Daniel Craig. A car that comes with a ‘free Omega Seamaster 300M ‘007 in platinum, only 7 pieces.I had never heard of Neiman Marcus before, let alone their annual Fantasy Gifts. A closer look shows a $70.000 luxury doghouse from Rockstar Puppy (by Denise Richards), which includes a video chat with Denise. Or what to think of a one-of-a-kind pair of Christian Louboutin for $125.000. Or what about a date with Jeff Staple (sneaker designer), and on top of a romantic dinner with him, you will receive eight pairs of his collaboration sneakers. Price tag? $110.000, and that s with...
Welcome to This Week in Watches for December 21, 2019!? As you ll see, this week s news already has us looking forward to next year in certain parts of? the world.? Let s get to it…Tissot T-Race MotoGP Limited Edition WatchesTissot sent us word of a couple limited edition watches in support of their MotoGP 2020 sponsorship.? First up is a 45mm automatic chronograph that appears to be powered by a 7750.? It s a stainless piece with a leather and rubber strap that will be made in an edition of 3,333 pieces.? Pricing will come in at 1,240 Euros.The next piece is similar but quartz-powered.? It s similarly sized, also good for 100 meters of water resistance, but will be produced in an edit...
Just before Christmas, we selected two Omega watches and three watches for our weekly Pre-Owned Picks feature. Buying pre-owned is a wonderful solution to purchase the watch of your dreams with a friendlier price tag.Last week I was at the Zurich airport, and you might have seen it on my Instagram stories perhaps, but I walked by the boutique and from a distance, I noticed their windows were packed with their sports models. When I came closer, I noticed these signs indicating that these watches were ‘For exhibition only . What a bummer. All watches in the display were dummies with fixed hands, so there was no point to go inside and ask about these watches. And it was not only the spo...
As a journalist specialized in watchmaking, I often get that simple yet annoying question: What is your favorite brand or worse What is your favorite watch.It s impossible for me to answer the second one since I always have like at least 10 watches I d like to buy in mind. And to the first question, well, I always try to get around it… Honestly, several companies are dear to my heart, but this year, I don t know why but I ve decided to stop avoiding that dumb question, answer it frankly and mostly be true to myself. Yes, I can say it out loud, write it in black and white, engrave it on my front door, tattoo it on my arm: my favorite brand is Jaquet Droz. I discovered it in 2007 and fel...
It is never too late to give yourself a nice present. If you order a vintage watch today, you know, you can pay FedEx to arrange for a little miracle and have it delivered to your doorstep (or shall I say under your Christmas tree) the next few days.So, if you havent spent all of the savings on the ones you love the most, here is the December selection with watches from my never-ending vintage watches wishlist.Heuer Autavia 73363 Orange Boy StyleAfter the hype on vintage Heuers in the last few years, it is relatively quiet these days. Which is not bad. You have time to think twice and not to make impulsive purchases driven by fear of loss. I thought it might be the right time to talk about a...
Let s see if the new Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M Worldtimer in Sedna Gold is something I can cosign.Im not particularly a fan of gold watches. Unless they are white gold, that is. I have nothing against the alloy or anyone who wears a timepiece made of gold. I like the tone of rose gold, even yellow gold, and I also have some gold (plated) vintage watches. Mind you, I bought them for the importance of their movements or the model (like this Omega Moonphase Jumbo), not for their case color. Now white gold or platinum is a different story. Granted, they look like steel, and I guess this is why I like them. I think that gold does not go well with my skin tone. Or so I thought. Until I was offered...
Welcome back to Wrist Game or Crying Shame, the online fun fest that allows you, the reader to decide whether a given watch has been naughty or nice.? This week, we take a look at an original 70s IWC Ingenieur SL Jumbo.? Lets see if its too round to get down the chimney in your house right before the holidays! But before we begin-Sigh.? Just when I think Im trying to do something creative and bring you a real surprise, you shoot me down.? Last week, I tried to make things colorful during this oft-gloomy time of year with the tri-colored Day-Date Tridor.? That 12,950 Euro watch went down in a ball of fanciful flames as it lost support with a 55/45% loss in favor of the Crying Shame team.? He...
The Seiko Prospex reference SPB105J1 Dark Green Sunset is more than a special edition of the Seiko MM200 diver.It s no secret that we are fans of Seiko at Fratello. I am no exception to this although my love for the brand has not been without hitting a few speed bumps along the way. But just like other Fratello members, I also have great respect for what the Japanese brand brings to the world of watches. But maybe it s good to explain a bit more about why my love for the brand has been one with ups and downs but has seen a lot of ups lately with the release of some very well designed and produced watches. This Seiko SPB105J1 ‘Dark Green Sunset perfectly shows why my love for the brand...
The Moonwatch is undoubtedly the most popular Speedmaster model and always has been. But there are variations that we consider to be very interesting as well, and worth collecting. The Speedmaster Mark II 145.014 is such a reference, for example.For a long time, I neglected the Speedmaster Mark II, officially a Speedmaster Professional Mark II, as well. Mainly because of the case shape, which didn t appeal to me. Not in the last place because I thought it would be uncomfortable on the wrist. I regret to this day that I didn t buy one in the early days of being a Speedmaster collector, as these watches could be picked up dead cheap. A few hundred Euro would get you a nice looking Speedmaster ...
In 2013, Oris released the Aquis Depth Gauge spawning a new collection of modern dive watches. This deep diver had a unique mechanical depth gauge highlighting Oris ambition to create practical applications rather than superfluous complications. Without further ado, let s dive into my first 52Mondayz column below.Oris Aquis CollectionThe Aquis was made a bonafide collection when the core design cues of the Depth Gauge were later separated into time-only, chronograph and many special edition watches. A subtle facelift in 2017 introduced even more angular design cues cementing the Aquis as Oris best selling model across all regions. The Aquis had always escaped me though. At the time, my int...
A trip around the world which started on August the 5th in Goodwood, UK, would end at the same airfield exactly 4 months later. With their goal in sight, the two pilots and their Silver Spitfire, however, first touched down in The Netherlands to pay homage to the country the Spitfire dwelled in most of its life.We witnessed the IWC Silver Spitfire Longest Flight Amsterdam Stopover event at Lelystad Airport on December 4th, 2019.#gallery-1 {margin: auto;}#gallery-1 .gallery-item {float: left;margin-top: 10px;text-align: center;width: 50%;}#gallery-1 img {border: 2px solid #cfcfcf;}#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {margin-left: 0;}/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */Steve Boultbee...
After the first Frederique Constant Worldtimer launch in 2012, the watch stood proudly as one of the brands best-selling Manufacture watches. Since then, the Worldtimer has come in a range of 11 models featuring a wide colour palette.In 2019, yet another colour variation of this elegant and sophisticated traveling watch is unveiled: a dark grey design of the world map finely etched onto to the dial and the twenty-four cities on its outer rim make one wish for globe-trotting. The date by hand at 6 oclock makes the perfect addition to the Worldtimer function and further enhances the aesthetic of the watch. The indexes on each hour add to the dials readability, offering additional comfort when ...
We joined the official launch of the new Omega Seamaster 300M James Bond watch in NYC. We thought it would be interesting to share some impressions of that event, as Omega also took the opportunity to talk about their connection with military watches.In the past years, Ive had many experiences which I would have never had if I would still be working in real estate. Visiting NYC twice for two cool Omega events (one being our own Speedy Tuesday event in collaboration with Omega and the other this James Bond launch) is a privilege. Enjoy my report.The Launch Of The James Bond WatchThe official launch begins with a word of welcome by Omega CEO Raynald Aeschlimann, followed by sharing the first v...
In this weekly Pre-Owned Picks series, a Fratello editor will select some watches from the pre-owned market and explain why it is an exciting offer (or watch). This week, we have two watches from (both with a ‘touch of gold), an Omega Speedmaster, a Breitling Aerospace, and a Sinn 142.If you ve been a reader of Fratello for a while now, you are probably aware that (especially) Michael Stockton and I have been going into the ‘gold watches direction for a while now. I have some gold Omegas, including two Speedmasters and several Constellations, either in gold or bi-color. It is a material I fought against for a long time, as I felt it isn t me, or perhaps because I felt too youn...
Before we commence our review of the MING 17.06 Slate, here s the link to the brand s site for ordering.? As I ll mention shortly, MING watches sell quickly – so if you like what you see, hit the link.? Now for the review…Regrets, I have a few…When it comes to watch collectors, they always have regrets – also known as the ones that got away.? I m rather fortunate because my list of should ve, could ve, would ve pieces is relatively short.? Way back in 2011, I found (more precisely, my Dad alerted me) a lovely Red Submariner in Canada.? That was a win, but they also happened to have a late 60 s GMT-Master 1675 for something like 5,500 Loonies and both my Dad and I dec...
