This weeks You Asked Us is about the most asked question since about a year or two: Is this watch [name any model or brand] a good investment? Every single day we receive this question via email, our contact form, Whatsapp, or direct messages on our Facebook and Instagram channels. I thought it might be a good idea to give a generic answer to this commonly asked question, as we roughly give the same answer to this question all the time.You Asked Us: Is This Watch A Good Investment?Please dont feel offended if you read your own question to us below, they arent bad or wrong, we just want to show the type of questions we receive concerning watches as an investment.What is a better investment, t...
Let me start by saying I don t care much for celebs. Often, I don t even recognize them or know who these people are. It is embarrassing?at times when a watch brand invites their ambassadors over at SIHH for example, and I don t have a clue who they are. It could also be me because I just have no interest in most of them. I don t look up to them, to be honest, although during a recent event I asked to be in a picture with a famous person for the very first time in my life (Alfonso Ribeiro, who played Carlton Banks in the Fresh Prince). But hey, that s nostalgy.I know that many people do enjoy these watch spottings on famous people though, entire Instagram accounts and websites are dedicated ...
Every watch enthusiast knows that with this hobby, watches are the least of your concern when it comes to storage. Your watch often comes with box and papers. If youre a strap geek, like me, your drawer (or wherever you store them) will be filled with them. Catalogs, magazines and of course watch books take up more than a shelf in the home library. Not to mention the window displays, vintage travel clocks and whatnots that we often like to collect (hoard?). And if you still have some empty space left in your drawer; here are our Top 10 Tools Every Watch Guy Needs. You might have some of them already. Or perhaps you have better/newer/more advanced ones. Dont look at this list as something man...
Guards normally don t get much attention. They have to protect the crown of the watch. The crown is for setting/correcting time and date, as you know. But without crown guards, the crown and castle are quite vulnerable. All kinds of monsters and water could come in…While Panerai had the first crown protector (the bridge guard in 1956), was the first with integrated guards on the watch case. The crown guard was introduced and patented on the Submariner in 1959 (reference 5512). These protectors were initially square shaped. After a testing period with divers the crown guard shape turned out to be sub-optimal and that s why they changed them to a more pointed shape after a while. Read m...
Full of energy C the Black Line versions of MeisterSinger classicsMeisterSinger makes mechanical watches with one single hand C for people who dont want to combine two or three readings, but simply keep track of time. The design principles of these timepieces are therefore similar to those of historical instruments C with functional typography and double digits to indicate the hours. However, these watches are quite different from one another in character. Some are extremely elegant, others sporty C and the four Black Line watches show that instrumental can also mean very dramatic.For more information, visit www.meistersinger.comEven more sophisticated and powerful: The Circularis Power Rese...
Rimowa, the suitcase of choice for globetrotters and those who travel frequently. But what makes them so special? For this instalment of our Weekend Read, we talk about this travel classic and why it is favored by many watch journalists.Journalists, like many other professionals, are frequently on the road. Sometimes for longer periods of time but more often than not on shorter 3 to 5-days trips. Like the title of the classic 1987 comedy with Steve Martin and John Candy; Planes, Trains, and Automobiles are all among our means of transpiration. We learned how to pack efficiently and fast. Apart from our clothes, pen, notepad, laptop, various chargers, watch rolls and other EDC are all part of...
Seiko introduces two new models of their popular Turtle and Samurai collections, both part of their limited edition Dawn Grey series. And what s more, these watches are for the European market only. That said, we are pretty sure that Seiko fans outside Europe, can source one if they want. The Dawn Grey series has a nice colour-scheme of grey and orange, according to Seiko it should remind you of the colour of dawn over the Sea. Well, there s that, but these are also simply beautiful looking watches. They also reminded me of something we ve seen earlier though, but about that later on.Let s have a closer look at this new Dawn Grey Turtle and Samuari.Seiko?Automatic Divers SRPD01K1 Dawn GreyA ...
Earlier this week we joined Breitling on their first Breitling Summit in London. Together with several colleagues and partners of the brand, we spent a day going through the Breitlings changes, its direction and the up and coming collections.Opening ActFirst, a word of welcome when Breitling s CEO Georges Kern, takes the stage. He explains about the brand and its history and how to guide things in new and more clear directions as Breitling is not only about pilots watches. Structuring the collection into the 4 segments of land, sea air and professional. Each of which comes with a selected group of brand ambassadors or squad members as they call it. Also a quick introduction about new models ...
Today on #TBT, well take a look at the Girard-Perregaux Chronometer HF. Its a watch that I grew up seeing a lot as a child since it belongs to my father, but it also spent some time with me recently while being serviced in Europe. The GPs distinctive cobalt blue dial was always attractive to me, but it was only somewhat recently that I recalled my Dads comments about the watchs distinctive movement and decided that it deserved a little time on our site.GP isnt a brand we feature heavily in general here on Fratello Watches, but a scroll through our archives does reveal that weve covered a vintage piece before aside from todays Girard-Perregaux Chronometer HF. In fact, the article was penned b...
When you receive an announcement about a new watch from A. Lange & S?hne you know you can expect something stunning. Its not often you actually get to see the watch before the official launch, which is today in Dresden, but on this occasion we did. And amazing it is in all its facets. Let s have a look at the new limited edition A. Lange & S?hne Datograph Up/Down Lumen.About the DatographFirst launched in 2012 as a refined version of the classic column-wheel chronograph, the Datograph has been created in different versions through the years. Starting out as the Lange chronograph with flyback it has been upgraded with different complications. Current models either feature a power rese...
Even though Kickstarters brought Lebois & Co a lot of success, the owners of this revived 80-year-old brand thought it was about time to become more serious. Last April co-founder Tom van Wijlick already let us know that Lebois & Co want to start a different route. The opportunity to become a shareholder of Lebois & Co was introduced. Now, six months later, Lebois & Co introduce to you their new watch that goes by the name Venturist. For a limited time, it is available as part of a unique proposition that allows you to purchase the Venturist along with company shares.This new step also perfectly fits into the strategy of the founders (read an interview with them here).Lebois ...
When RJ and I discussed the topic for this weeks Speedy Tuesday I had no idea how timely this is. See, for someone who loves vintage Omegas and especially chronographs (Seamasters and Speedmasters alike) the Speedmaster 125 is always in the back of their minds. Its an odd-one-out in a good way for so many reasons. Reasons which we will talk about below. So after our discussion, I said to myself; Weve covered this watch numerous times, not sure if theres anything else left to say. Well, when I looked back in our archives I realized that the last article about the Omega Speedmaster 125 is from 2013. And that mainly concerns?Adrian van Hooydonk BMW Groups design director and his 125. One could ...
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...
I am a huge fan of Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watches, and every year at the SIHH in Geneva I am looking forward to seeing what they ve been up to. This year, besides the beautiful titanium & platinum Jumbo and a collection of [bold coloured] Offshore watches, it was the?Audemars Piguet Royal Oak RD#2 Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin that almost swept me off my feet.I ve tried many [and owned some] Royal Oak watches, but the Jumbo is the one that impressed me most. Not only because it is so extremely thin, but also because the design is just perfect. The dimensions are so good, that it is hard to find anything else from the Royal Oak collection with better proportions. In the past, I also ow...
Collabs are hot. Whether it is in fashion, cars or watches, people love the collaborations that lead to creative results. Bucherer has been doing collabs with watch brands and labelled them Bucherer Blue Editions for quite a while now. Just recently we showed you the Vacheron Constantin Bucherer Blue Editions watches, and now it is time to make it a bit more sporty with the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Bucherer Blue Editions.Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Bucherer Blue EditionsThe use of blue is appropriate when it comes to this collab, as the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe is a true diver s watch. Originally, the Bathyscaphe was developed by Blancpain at the end of the 1950...
We are thrilled to announce the release of our exciting new publication: Omega Seamaster 300M Diver Magazine. Tracing 25 years of an icon in 25 articles, this methodically-researched magazine?follows on from the success of our Speedy Tuesday edition. From the icon s birth to the release of Omega s current model, this publication plunges deep into the details of the Seamaster Diver 300M, covering stories as diverse as dive watch history, dial design, famous wearers, limited editions and of course – James Bond.This comprehensive profile of the Diver 300M is a fantastic resource for watch fans and passionate collectors. So be sure to grab a copy of Omega Seamaster 300M Diver Magazine at y...
It s always a pleasure to report about watches which come from our home country. And with the Gr?nefeld ‘horological brothers you know it s gonna be special when they invite you for a sneak preview. So last week we took a road trip across the country to visit them in their hometown Oldenzaal (in the east of The Netherlands). For those who are not familiar with Gr?nefeld and their watchmaking, we have covered their One Hertz and the?Remontoire on multiple occasions in the past. Their watchmaking is on another level and when it comes to finishing you will have a challenge to find movements that outrank these.First Gr?nefeld Automatic WatchTen years after their first Gr?nefeld watch, the...
Watch collector Stijn Busschaert from Belgium has been a passionate collector of vintage watches for many years. According to Stijn, many of the big brands are releasing heritage models these days, but only a few are able to focus on the correct details and storyline(s) that actually matter. Next, and we ve been writing about this trend for the past few years as well, is that many vintage watches are being seen and treated as investment objects. As you know, the prices on vintage watches have been booming and many of them have become unavailable for (especially) the young audience who appreciate vintage mechanical watches. Too cut a long story short, Stijn came up with his own watches based ...
Between the introduction of the Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Ultraman and the Speedmaster Hodinkee Limited Edition, Omega decided it was the perfect moment to introduce the Speedmaster Tokyo 2020 Limited Edition series. Only meant for the Japan market, but also outside this beautiful country, it received some press (also by us, of course). Omega will be the official timekeeper for the Olympic Games in 2020, and it has become a tradition that they present a number of watches dedicated to the Games. This time, but I assume we will see some more in 2020, five different Speedmaster models that can be bought as separate watches (and limited to 2020 pieces each) and one set with all five watches. Th...
When I was researching about the Tissot Antimagnetique watches for the article we published a little while ago I came across a bunch of interesting documents and information. Some came directly from Tissot, others I found in old books and catalogs. These documents are too interesting and valuable for the vintage community not to be used. So, I figured it would be beneficial if I collected and shared them on the pages of Fratello. It could serve research purposes for collectors and enthusiasts. Help to determine the age of your watch, or just entertain you by browsing through some interesting documents of the bygone era of Tissot. Needless to say, as vintage Tissot watches are among my favour...
