Glashtte Original surprised many people by introducing the Glashtte Original Spezialist collection as a new and fifth collection to their line-up. The Spezialist collection is Glashttes collection for instrument watches and the first watch in the collection to be introduced is the Glashtte Original SeaQ that is available in three different versions.Its Glashtte Originals take on a classic divers watch to make sure its not just about classic elegance for the Saxon brand. Lets see how Glashtte Original has combined their high level of craftsmanship with their heritage and salutes sixties East German design.The SeaQ CollectionAlthough the introduction of the SeaQ has come as a surprise, i...
Next time you read an online watch dealers headline crying out loud about a crazy patina, think back to this watch.Citizen Shine divides the worldWhere some people may see just dirt, sweat or dust glued to the dial, I see the most honest and natural patina humans could ever create. While some collectors are up for hunting complications, there isnt one to be found here. Citizen Shines true purpose is to make reading time anything but complicated. While one would laugh to call a watch with no advanced protection from impacts, water or magnetic fields a tool watch, I dare say are few tougher tools than the Citizen Shine. Am I mad? No. Unroll your watch sleeve, take out any of your vintage watch...
In the first episode of our special Watch Strap Review series, we ll take a closer look at the Doxa Expandro bracelets.Vintage watches are awesome for so many reasons. They either represent an era in watchmaking history or perhaps connect you to a loved one as a family heirloom. Vintage watches might have a complication that is still interesting and scarce after many years. We have discussed vintage watches at a great length on Fratello. From simple 3-handers to complicated timepieces, Fratello has covered loads and loads of vintage timepieces from hundreds of brands. Do not worry, we are continuing to do that. After all, this is one of our forte. Though we have to focus on other stuff that ...
Siduna as a watch brand currently comprises of just one single watch model in two movement variations. That s not much of a brand one would say. However, Siduna has plans for more and, although I had never heard of it before, it isn t a new watch brand at all.Siduna M3440 Professional Flyback ChronographWhat was before the Siduna M3440In the late 1800s already, the Siduna brand was founded in Bienne, Switzerland, and became known as a producer of aggressively priced pocket watches. Later, in 1929 to be precise, the company was transferred to Denmark and became a supplier of mainly 18k gold chronographs. Like many other watch brands, Siduna didn t survive the seventies quartz-crisis. Then, in...
Last week we visited Milan where we held our second Speedy Tuesday event this year (and more to come). In this article, you will find some impressions of that day.If you re new to Speedy Tuesday and wonder what it is about, please visit this introduction page on the topic. If you are already familiar, and perhaps already part of this ‘movement , simply continue to read.This year started with an amazing cool Speedy Tuesday event in Switzerland, where we (with about 50 Speedmaster enthusiasts) witnessed the introduction of the caliber 321 re-birth. Omega kept this introduction especially for the Speedy Tuesday community, even before the press got to see it, to show their appreciation for...
If you are a vintage Angelus fan or a military watch geek, youd probably want to read this article.Angelus Collectors GuideThe latest issue of Klassik Uhren for our German readers…a lot of dealers offering these watches are far from being honest.Some of you remember that around this time of the year in 2017 we published an article that contained a pdf about a similar topic. Good friend and vintage Angelus expert Dr. Christoph ?hm-Khnle have written extensively about Angelus, covering the brand from its early days until today. I was asked to help with a few topics, and this is when the idea of the below project was born. I had been already doing some research on military Angelus chrono...
The sun is shining, the weather is nice, the BBQ is warming up… It s summer! While I already covered the tropical dial, there was one other dial that came up to me when I was thinking of my favourite season:Smoked dials are hot! Some recent releases are the Hamiltion Intra-Matic and the?Mido Multifort Patrimony. Let s zoom in a bit on the details of this smokey face.Focus on the centerThe smoked dial is actually quite functional from a design perspective. With the radial gradient from dark to light, it leads the eye to the center. Visually, it attracts attention to the center of the watch head. From there the viewer has an optimal starting point for reading the time. With a little imag...
Introducing the ‘Horizons GMT from Zelos. A sleek GMT timepiece that will take you from the boardrooms to the depths of the seas and everywhere in between.Inside, a Swiss ETA 2893 Elabore is visible under a sapphire caseback. This 2893 features a custom engraved and rose gold plated rotor. A bidirectional 24 hour bezel and GMT hand allows for the tracking of 3 different timezones, making it ideal for frequent travellers.For more information visit www.zeloswatches.comWe have designed the Horizons GMT to be extremely wearable with a 40mm diameter and 12mm thickness. Despite its diminutive size, its designed to be abused with its hard sapphire crystal and ample 200m of water resistance. ...
Whether you re on the road or interested in taking delivery of a keepsake, we have your guide on how to celebrate the?Apollo 11 50th Anniversary.The?Apollo 11 50th Anniversary is a big deal and that means that there s little excuse not to celebrate the golden year of one of man s most incredible achievements.? Whether you re on the road traveling this summer (recall, the Moon Landing took place on July 20, 1969), hanging out at home, or looking for something for your office, there are all kinds of ways to personalize this historic event.? We ve scoured the web in search of all things Apollo 11 and while this article will be link heavy and picture short, we hope it s of use.The WatchesOn a wa...
Today, we ll seek to answer an age old conundrum posed by prospective buyers: Submariner or GMT Master II?If you happen to write for a magazine such as, say, Fratello for long enough, your friends and colleagues begin to come with all sorts of questions about watches.? From fashion brands to odd 40 s pieces that once belonged to a loved one, I ve seen them all.? But if there s one topic that comes up more so than any other, it s about .? Specifically, more often than not, people ask whether to buy the Submariner or GMT Master II. Submariner or GMT Master IIDespite the repeated calls for the death of mechanical watches due to the rise of smart watches, the ritualistic desire to reward onese...
Let me start by saying that this green dialed Sinn?104 St Sa A G with its list price of $1250 is just a slightly different version from the standard Sinn 104.The 104 could be seen as the entry-level watch from the watchmaker from Frankfurt am Main in Germany. But that doesn t mean it is cheap. I would say that the Sinn 104 is on my shortlist when it comes to watches around a 1000 Euro. This new green version that was introduced during Baselworld 2019, is slightly more expensive than the regular version (starting at $1150), but I am sure that this difference can be neglected.Sinn 104 St Sa A GSinn has a special place in my horological heart. Although I currently do not own one of their watche...
Italian collector (and Universal Geneve aficionado) Mr. A and I researched the Film Compax 22522. A watch with only 7 known examples, it is?considered a grail in the UG sphere. Let s have a closer look at this rare reference.But before we do so, a brief background for those who aren t that familiar with Universal Geneve. Universal Geneve (UG) was founded in 1894 and soon rose to become a pioneer in the manufacturing of chronograph movements as the popularity and subsequent development of wristwatches spread in the 1920s and 30s. Having their own movement manufacturing facility named Martel, UG was able to provide chronograph calibers for many major Swiss houses, such as Jaeger-LeCoultre, Zen...
Independent German watchmaker Stefan Kudoke expands into a new field with a clearly classical Haute Horlogerie approach at an attractive price.Stefan Kudoke has made his mark trough creative and artistic skeletonising and engraving of watch movements to create art pieces for the wrist whose purpose to indicate the time is secondary at the most. Now he has added a completely different collection of watches with classically clean looks and an impressive new own movement. With the decoration of this movement, Stefan Kudoke enters Haute Horlogerie standards which he offers at an attractive price. I met him at Baselworld 2019 where he presented himself at the booth of the AHCI as a Candidate.Kudo...
Owning a brand must be difficult sometimes, even if money was no object because it inevitably skews your opinions.I wear mens watches, in general. And I judge what men wear C its an occupational hazard. Some watches instantly speak to me, some immediately switch me off. So I try to focus on the joy of discovering and sharing. And sometimes the ones that leave me unsure at first sight, end up generating the strongest reaction.ZRC Grand Fonds 300 1964One reaction of late turns out to be a smashingly appropriate simile, for my feelings towards the ZRC Grand Fonds 300 1964 French Navy Reissue. I must have stumbled across this brand about a year ago. Truth be told, I didnt get it. I remember look...
Sometimes we see a watch that we don t recognize. Either it was very rare, a fake, a frankenwatch or a prototype.Today, we have a watch like that for you here on Fratello. A gold Speedmaster Professional that looks very similar to the well-known and sought-after BA145.022-69, but with a strange looking dial.We don t need to introduce you to the gold Speedmaster Apollo XI from 1969, I am pretty sure. We covered that watch many times here and even recently when we did the comparison article between this year s 50th-anniversary edition of the Speedmaster Professional Apollo XI in Moonshine gold and the original 1969 model in gold. Often referred to as the Nixon watch, as it was offered to the t...
H.Moser & Cie. tapped into yet another territory with the C new C Endeavour Flying HoursIn case you follow the brand closely, you might have seen this watch already. Moser released the Endeavour Flying Hours in 2018. At the time, only one version was available; with a Funky blue fume dial. Fans of the model did not have to wait too long for the new releases. At Baselworld 2019 Moser introduced two new variations to the Flying Hours, one in green and one in a blue/grey combo. All three colours can be familiar with Moser fans, and the Swiss brand often uses them with their creations. Over the years they developed these tones to perfection. So, the new Endeavour Flying Hours is not only ext...
It is the perfect example of how a brand can take one of their successful models and turn it into something new and special without changing much in the design.In case you are not familiar with the new MeisterSinger bronze watches let me give you a short run-down. The new MeisterSinger Bronze Line consist of 3 models. These are namely the No.03, the Perigraph, and the Metris. None of them are new models, all three have been in the MeisterSinger collection for years now. However, this is the first time we see these three iconic models from the German brand in a bronze case. Bronze is not a new thing in the watch industry, so much so that one might even say that the time of bronze watches are ...
Minases flagship model, Divido, is also the brands only round watches collection. Its revolutionary approach in terms of design and manufacture brings an effect of depth to the product, achieved thanks to the large number of parts used for both the case and the lugs.For more information visit minase-watches.chTRADITIONAL CRAFTSMANSHIPTraditionally manufactured in Japan, Divido timepieces bear the registered label ? HiZ ?, a concept inspired by the Japanese words ? Hizu ? (exceptional) and ? Hi Izuru Kuni ? (Land of the Rising Sun). The products labelled? HiZ ? are unique with innovative features such as the ? case in case ? structure, the extraordinary ? Sallaz ? polishing technique and the ...
The Blancpain Air Command debuts and reignites interest in a mythical military chronograph meant for the US Air Force.Well now, it seems that everyone wishes to join in the fun by offering some truly delectable vintage-inspired models.? With the new Blancpain Air Command, the brand steps up in a big way and gives us something thats hard not to like.? The Air Command looks old and thats because its fashioned C very closely C after an enigmatic chronograph that was apparently built for the US Air Force in the late 1950s.? Per the lore, and now Blancpains literature, less than a dozen prototypes were built and sent to US distributor Allen V. Tornek (yes, that Tornek of Tornek-Rayville fame that...
With Time to Move complete, we re now free to shed details on all the new releases such as the new Omega Seamaster 300M Sedna Gold.Since the release of the new 42mm?Seamaster 300M at Baselworld 2018, we ve been smitten by this diver.? With its reintroduction of the wave dial made popular by Pierce Brosnan as 007, but with far higher quality looks, what s not to like?? Whether in full stainless, bi-color (probably the watch we love most), 44mm titanium, or the limited edition tantalum titanium, it s a real looker.? And with a Co-Axial Master Chronometer inside and a starting price of only 4,500 Euros for steel on rubber, it s a seriously competitive watch.? Today, though, the ante has been up...
