The late Massimo Osti was the founder and designer of Stone Island, C.P. Company, and other brands. He was the inventor of garment dyeing and heat-reactive and reflective jackets. His work is kept and maintained by the Massimo Osti Archive. Together with them, we went through Osti s watch collection and share his favorite watches with you.Image via https://www.aphrodite1994.com/Massimo OstiGarment engineer Massimo Osti (1944 C 2005) created innovative and game-changing clothing brands such as C.P. Company, Stone Island, Boneville and later Massimo Osti Production and Left Hand. Osti was way ahead of his time with products such as a heat reactive jacket (1987) and a reflective jacket (1991). ...
My discovery of the year and my purchase of the year. A 300 Euro Mondia with a very amusing and mesmerising visual complication.This year I have already made some unexpected acquisitions like the Mido Rainbow 5907 and the Seamaster 300 CK2913-8 that I wrote about recently. Thinking about all the watches that came to me in the last 12 months, this Mondia is a total blast. I say that without joking. And now the best part: the price tag for this hardly worn automatic Mondia Top Second was t-h-r-e-e hundred euros. This includes an original strap with a signed buckle, a crown and a fancy feature to stare at.Mondia extends my curiosity cabinetThe Mondia Top Second is the first watch since acquirin...
Unless you had gone to the Moon the last couple of weeks, you must have picked up the viral buzz about an AI face-altering App, or the conspiracy theory behind it. Hundreds of thousands of people have been sharing their artificially-aged images looking 50 years older on social media, including celebrities from?Drake, Sam Smith to The Lord (aka the talentless Scott Disick).Aging is trendy.Call me weird, I love growing older. I started looking forward to my 30s when I was a teen. It raised many eyebrows whenever I mentioned it. No one had any doubt again after they attended my big 3-0 bash. We roped off the whole floor of a trendy members club in London for our shenanigans with friends of all ...
You know that when we talk about legendary bracelets sooner or later the Jubilee makes an appearance.Its just inevitable. The Jubilee is just one of those bracelets you immediately associate with . It is making a watch instantly recognizable as a . While the brand mostly used it on dressier watches, the Jubilee found its way to some sportier models too. Like the GMT-Master. Truth be told, it does not look good on all sports watches. Or does it? Well, we will talk about the newest models later. For now, lets stick with the vintage watches.Jubilee bracelet with all-steel claspHistory of the JubileeThe Jubilee, as its name suggests, was born to serve an anniversary. Hans Wilsdorf had establis...
Recently we found our way to Munich, the Bavarian capital, early in the morning. Upon arrival, we joined several other journalists for a typical local dish called Wei?wurst. Time to start the actual Hanhart Primus program.About HanhartWe were invited to join Hanhart for the presentation of their latest novelty. This small brand that has its roots in Switzerland and dates back to 1882. Starting as a watch shop, after 20 years in the existence they relocated the business to Schwenningen in southern Germany. Still close to the Swiss border they began a watch manufactory. Success didnt come until the youngest son, Wilhelm Hanhart, joined the company in 1920. Being into sports, he wanted to creat...
50 years ago, Neil A. Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon for the first time. This remarkable historic moment was a giant leap not only for the culture and science but also for Omega – making the Speedmaster Professional one of the most recognisable watch in the world.Releasing limited series of the legendary Speedmaster Professional – Apollo 11 50th Anniversary in Moonshine Gold, along with the stainless steel model, or hosting Speedy Tuesday World Tour, are just examples how Omega celebrates the first landing on the Moon and the Moonwatch legacy. With the market reevaluation and a drastic shift in consumer behaviour, a new dimension of collecting watches is dedicated t...
No matter how hard you try, your watch will get dirty when you wear it every day. If you have a watch on a leather strap, it might even get smelly.No matter whether it is a $200,000.- Patek Philippe or a $350.- Seiko. Every watch needs its occasional cleaning. Otherwise, you can add extra cheese to your platter:Yes, I m talking about wrist cheese here. I ve asked some watch people to give their opinion and tips. It seems like there are not many in favour of wrist cheese. They came up with a list of cleaning tips to prevent and remove the wrist cheese. Below, the five most often heard responses (spoiler alert: not all are useful tips).Most of them use a soft cloth and soap to clean their watc...
It is Moonwatch Weekend here on Fratello, and at several other places, as it was exactly 50 years ago that Armstrong and Aldrin set foot on the Moon. Accompanied by the Speedmaster Professional.We usually try to keep our Moonwatch enthusiast for a Tuesday, but we feel we re allowed to do so this weekend as well.From the authors of the book Moonwatch Only, you will now also find this smaller hardcover book called ‘A Moon Watch Story . It is not an addition to Moonwatch Only (we reviewed the 2nd edition here), but an alternative for those who don t want to shill out $250 (or more, since it is officially out of print and prices rapidly increased for a copy on eBay and elsewhere). And alth...
Exactly 50 years ago, Apollo 11 landed on the Moon and on the wrist of Edwin ‘Buzz Aldrin was an Omega Speedmaster Professional 105.012. From that moment, the chronograph as part of the astronaut s official equipment became ‘The Moonwatch . Today, Omega shows us the Speedmaster Moonwatch 321 Platinum to commemorate Apollo XI and celebrate caliber 321.As you can read in this article we published last week, the Speedmaster didn t become the watch of choice by accident, it underwent some proper testing procedures by NASA s engineers and was the only watch to pass all tests. The Speedmaster that NASA qualified for all manned flight-missions, was their reference 105.003. But soon aft...
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...
When Omega introduced their De Ville Tresor back in 2014, it was only available in white, yellow and Sedna gold. The watch received a lot of appreciation, but it was merely out of reach for many of us. Omega listened and came with a stainless steel version.Two versions, with a blue dial (that we have here today) and one with a silvery opaline dial. The Omega De Ville Tresor in white gold is a watch that I looked at many times in boutiques, but the price tag of $12.800,- was a bit too steep for me. A pity, as it ticks a lot of boxes for a proper dress watch. A few months ago, during the Time to Move event in Switzerland, Omega showed us the new De Ville Tresor, with models in gold and stainle...
For a long time, quartz watches were to be neglected by the watch enthusiast. Watches without a soul, could often be heard. But that seems to be changing: meet the Longines Conquest VHP GMT.Longines introduced their new collection of VHP watches in 2017, guaranteeing accuracy with a maximum deviation of 5 seconds per year. VHP stands for Very High Precision, and that s exactly what it is. Already in the 1980s, Longines had their VHP quartz watches but they disappeared again at some point. In those days, the accuracy was impressive, but not what they promised back in 2017. Longines is not alone in their battle for the best (quartz) accuracy: Grand Seiko is pushing hard with their 9F quartz mo...
Today on Fratello, we take a look at the Haven Chilton, a real passion project from a small team of Midwesterners.If youre a faithful reader of Fratello, youll know that we dont cover a ton of microbrand watches.? We have nothing against them per se, but its generally not our niche.? I do make it a point to cover limited edition pieces from the Divers Watches Facebook Group and we throw in the occasional higher-end piece from MING or others.? But sometimes, something comes along that should be covered, even if theres a touch of bias involved (hey, I called Ohio and Detroit home for the better part of 10 years!).? That something is the Haven Chilton chronograph.The Haven Chilton C From the Mi...
My major problem with watch collecting is, that searching for grail watches that are on my wishlist only makes the very same list longer and longer.I am so jealous of those enlightened collectors that decided to specify in one particular brand. Omega, Seiko, Breitling or whatever it is. Top respect to collectors of one specific watch model as well. It is not for me though. Never. I happen to love these quirky, funky, peculiar, unbelievable, crazy, creative, technical genius, out-of-box or whatever timepieces, regardless of which brand or model name is on the dial. When I come across such a watch, I need to write it down on my list.Nivada: www.dorotheum.com, Mido: www.catawiki.com, Timex: www...
When I picked up the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Small Seconds with the red dial at the SIHH last January, I was convinced it is some limited or special edition.At first, I thought I wouldn t even ask whether this is the case, but as soon as I put it on my wrist, I wanted to make sure. It is not a limited edition, but it s for our regular collection.. Wow. It was my first appointment at the SIHH, and I already was smitten by the first thing I saw. That sounded promising. Unfortunately, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Small Seconds is about the only watch that stuck with me from the SIHH. Although we ve seen lots of great new watches, the red dial Reverso was the piece I love best.R...
A GMT with a blue and black bezel is one of the most sought-after watches in the world right now. We re pretty sure that although it is not the reason why Seiko chose for this combination, it is pretty convenient.Take that with a grain of salt (or two), of course. It is just something that immediately came to mind when picking this watch up for a closer inspection. The comparison with the GMT-Master II Batman stops with the use of these two colours and the extra timezone complication. The Seiko Prospex LX GMT (reference SNR033) is a very different watch.Seiko Prospex LX SNR033The new Prospex LX collection was introduced last Baselworld, and the conference room that Seiko booked for this pre...
This Episode 3 of Fratello on Air is about the Marlon Brando GMT-Master, the sense and non-sense of Limited Editions, Special editions etc. as well as answering a listener s question about our most un-boring watch.The Fratello on Air podcast is available on Apple s Podcast, Google Podcast, Soundcloud, BuzzSprout, Spotify and via RSS. You can also read/listen our Episode 1 and Episode 2.Fratello on Air – Episode 3 This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings This episode 3 has been recorded in the week that the GMT-Master 1675 from Marlon Brando was in the news via the New York Times. This watch will be auctioned for the good c...
Grss Gott, watch Sammler, it s time for This Week in Watches for July 13, 2019.Ah yes, and we re back this week with a look at all the news that s occurred over the last half fortnight.? Do you want to know something?? No?? Too bad because this is my space.? I ve become a bit of a rabid fan of cricket and have kept abreast of all things during this year s World Cup that will come to an end tomorrow.? Will England or New Zealand claim victory tomorrow?? Let s see, but I will be watching from a barstool in an Irish pub somewhere – strangely, British pubs just don t seem to make it outside out of Britain with quite the regularity of those houses or booze from the enterprising Irish.? But...
ALARM AM ARM (Alarm on the wrist) is a must-have book for alarm watch enthusiasts featuring nearly 2000 watch models.Did you know there are more than two thousand different alarm watches around? This number comes from the man who wrote a four-kilogram book on this topic. His story started exactly like mine. We both just wanted to learn more about mechanical alarm watches. The difference? He had the same problem, but around 20 years ago. Hats off to him for embarking on this journey in times when the internet was not what it is today.The world of alarm watchesHis name is Leonhard Beitl, a humble collector and devoted watch explorer that spent the past 20 years of his life creating what I cons...
Vox populi. La voix des gens. The voice of the people. Or more precisely, the voice of the fans. Last year the French brand Yema decided to follow up on numerous requests and kicked off initial work on a GMT version of the popular Superman Heritage.Yema Superman GMT comes from a collective mindThe final watch design was developed in close collaboration with fans and friends of the Yema brand. Yema created a special platform called Yema CoLabs especially for this purpose. Every step was discussed with the community and design changes pivoted based on their votes. This is nothing revolutionary for various other industries, but it is still somewhat unique in the watch world. We are just glad to...
