Rare Berries: GMT-Master BlueberryWhen youre doing a deep dive into specific watches?you often encounter iterations with small variations compared to their root model. Visually and with financial consequences. This episode is about?a watch that?stands out in terms of a specific alternative coloured element: the GMT-Master (ref. 1675) variant with a blue bezel, alias the blueberry GMT-Master. Such a distinctive color and element. It is one single element that instantly made this watch a true rare berry:Accent or Not?Im truly fascinated by the art of creating accents. How do you let specific elements stand out without taking the spectator as hostage and let him/her forget about all other thi...
The story of Armand Nicolet begins around 1875 in Tramelan, Switzerland, a little town in the Bernese Jura. Armand Nicolet, son of a watchmaker, after a brilliant? apprenticeship set up his Atelier dHorlogerie.Between the 30 s and the 70 s Armand Nicolet had one of the most specialised ateliers in the T1 process (the finishing, assembling and fine setting of all these parts to create a perfectly working mechanical movement).At the end of the 70 s, when the crisis hit the Swiss Watch Industry because of quartz movements making their big entrance on the market, unlike other brands which either closed their factories or underwent a conversion process, the Armand Nicolet factory, managed by Will...
Last year, I reviewed the Grand Seiko SBGM021, a similar looking model of what we have here today. However, the Grand Seiko SBGJ017 GMT has a hi-beat movement and a less casual appearance. Let s have a look.Grand Seiko?SBGJ017The ivory dial of the aforementioned SBGM021 is something I really love about that watch. It gives a great contrast with the hands and a playful appearance. This Grand Seiko SBGJ017 GMT has a silver dial and looks a bit more elegant than the SBGM021. But enough with the comparison, this new Grand Seiko SBGJ017 (introduced in September last year) landed on our desk and was introduced at the same time as its black dial SBGJ019 counterpart. It features Grand Seiko s calibe...
Today, on #TBT, were going to take a look at a popular vintage dive watch: the Aquastar 63. This diver is popular because its relatively plentiful and despite an upward surge in prices, examples can still be found at reasonable levels. Plus, this watch ushered in the use of a case design that weve seen the world over C and, it threw in some nifty features as well.? Due to its murky dial and highly polished case, it s a bear to photograph – so be warned!An original ad featuring the Aquastar 63 (photo courtesy of uhrforum.de)Duward, an Aquastar by any other nameAquastar is a watch company that was founded in Geneva in 1962 (seemingly as a sub brand of JeanRichard). From the name, you gue...
A couple of months ago I ran into Juliana Renoult, the co-founder and art director of Suissemecanica. I heard about these watches, I saw them on pictures, but I never saw one in the flesh. I was impressed and asked if I could have one for review. Not much later, a large box arrived with their Suissemecanica SM8 Chrono inside. Let s have a look.Suissemecanica SM8 ChronoThere are niche brands that people tend to buy when they have their share of , IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Panerai etc. watches. There are also people that want to be different and only buy brands that are out of the ordinary. Brands that fall in these categories are (for example) Linde Werdelin, Clerc, Benzinger and then there are ...
For many enthusiasts, a vintage Omega Speedmaster Professional is the way to go, despite the current Moonwatch ticking a lot of boxes as well. You should be able to find a nice Speedmaster Professional reference 145.022 for an attractive price, and this buying guide should help you with the things you need to know.The Speedmaster Professional 145.022 is a sought-after reference that was in production for a long time (1968C1988). It consisted of several iterations, each with small updates. Today, we ll guide you through the different iterations, how to distinguish them, and how to identify the production year.Omega Speedmaster Professional 145.022Let s also make it clear right from the beginn...
Universal Geneve Compax 1950, reference 884.475Last week I mentioned a lot of Panda-love again. Our own Teun van Heerebeek showed the stickers which he will bring to Baselworld. Including in the designs of the stickers is the drawing of his Watches & Pencils #16 about Panda Dials. It immediately became my favorite sticker.This, and a few other items, inspired me to wear a watch with a Panda-dial for this weeks 52Mondayz. I chose the Universal Geneve Compax 1950 with reference 884.475. A very well made watch from the time that UG fell under the Hong Kong Stellux Group umbrella. Please don t be fooled by the official name of this watch, it wasn t produced in 1950, however in the nineties o...
Every once in a while we receive the question whether we could live with just one watch, and which watch that would be. You have probably also fantasized yourself of trading (all) the watch in your collection for just one watch.One Watch Only!In this article, we take a look at watches that we find interesting in a certain price bandwidth. From an entry-level mechanical Seiko to something ‘haute horlogerie . Of course, our picks might change over time (or by the week) as new models are being introduced all the time (as in well over a week during BaselWorld 2017). However, if we?were going to pick only one watch, chances are quite big that we d select an iconic model.That said, only havi...
KlyntIm a fan of pages like Kickstarter. Its a great podium for a lot of watch related?projects which otherwise would not have a worldwide platform. Sure, the things you see there sometimes are a bit immature however often you can find surprisingly well-made and designed products for an attractive?price. The watches coming out of these go-fund-me pages are usually aesthetically driven with the majority of the effort poured into the looks rather than the hidden elements i.e. movement. Great looking watches driven by mostly Japanese movements. Not that anything is wrong with a Seiko or Miyota movement watch, but lets be honest, that Swiss Made at the bottom of the dial still is a big factor wh...
In todays installment of #TBT, well take a closer look at a watch that is still technically on the market C although buying it is a bit difficult outside of Germany C the Sinn Chronograph Tachymeter. This is a watch that gathers near universal praise whenever I post a picture on Instagram, but the plaudits are normally followed by questions of what is that and where can I buy one? Have no fear, Fratello Watches is here to shed some light on a watch that Robert-Jan previewed all the way back in late Summer 2012 when the watch debuted. Personally speaking, this article is a nice opportunity to share info on a watch that I actually find to be one of Sinns best C its just a shame that its so obs...
We are proud to show you some previews of the upcoming Moonwatch Only – 60 Years of Omega Speedmaster edition. It is the new and updated version of the Moonwatch Only book that was introduced in 2014. The?book that should be the standard for all books on watches just got better (and more complete).Moonwatch Only is one of, or perhaps it is, the best book about watches available. Not only because it goes into every tiny detail, but also because it has some clever diagrams and charts on how to detect the correctness of a certain watch. In this case, Speedmasters. We reviewed the Moonwatch Only release from 2014 in detail in this article?introduction evening of the book?and we organized a...
The Sinn EZM 1, my 52Mondayz week #10 watchLast week was a week full of Speedmasters. However one way or the other a lot of Sinn came on my way as well. As their agent for The Netherlands I ve had a long working relationship with Sinn. Starting in 1994, when Helmut Sinn was still on the helm, and ending my agency in 2013, when I closed my shop to concentrate on my journalistic activities.We re still good friends, and quite some people still find me to obtain information or asking advice on Sinn watches. Service, repair, spare parts, or even advice on buying a new watch. That was the case last week as well, which made me wear the Sinn EZM 1 ‘Einsatszeitmesser .When Sinn then EZM 1In tho...
In a few weeks, BaselWorld 2017 will unveil a number of novelties we have all been waiting for. One of them is the re-edition of Seiko s 62MAS diver. The rumors are piling up and we now ‘know that there will be a re-redition of the 62MAS with an 8L movement and a cheaper variant with 6R15 movement (SPB051J1 with bracelet and SPB053J1 with rubber strap).62MAS Re-edition?previewWe thought it would be good to have a look again at the original, the 62MAS from 1965. Michael Stockton wrote this article back in 2015, but let us refresh your memory by publishing it again (or in case you missed it at all). Without further ado.Original Seiko 62MASAsk a vintage Seiko collector about their area(s...
The time that has been and the time to come C to borrow from one and predict what the other might bring makes sense of the present.Our past begins in 1745 when Jurgen Jrgensen was born in Copenhagen and became the founder of a world renowned watchmaking Dynasty.In time, he was outdone by his first born son C Urban Jrgensen: craftsman, inventor, visionary and horological genius extraordinaire.Urban Jrgensen overturned centuries of staid tradition among the makers of clocks and watches of his day and inaugurated a new era of technological and theoretical advancement with standards of ingenuity hitherto unseen in the watch business, manifested by his landmark book from 1804 General principle...
AMG cars,?Lappi tires with 2mm spikes, IWC watches and ice. Very thick ice. The perfect ingredients for the AMG Winter Sporting Experience.Some weeks ago we received an invite from IWC Schaffhausen to join them on an event in the Northern Part of Sweden. Last time we went to Sweden weve been sailing racing yachts. We return again for some high paced action, but it will be on frozen water this time. This part of Sweden offers testing grounds for various car manufacturers and it is the home of the AMG Driving Academy. Doing some homework we realized this would not just be your average press event. Temperatures of around -16 degrees Celsius during the day were to be expected. So here is what ha...
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...
Jaeger-LeCoultre had a strong game this year during the SIHH in my opinion. It is actually one of the Richemont brands that didn t seem to be searching for its own?identity, but did what it does best: design great watches using their heritage and impressive collection of in-house movements. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Chronograph is my favorite from their new collection. In this article, I will show you why.Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Chronograph –?Using HeritageMy first appointment at the SIHH this year was a coffee with the Dutch representative of Jaeger-LeCoultre. I had an interview planned with Stephane Belmonte later that day, and I thought it would be wise to already have a quick loo...
In recent years, it has become trendy to wear bracelets alongside your watch. Whether they are comprised of beads, made of leather or metal, they can instantly add a touch of style to your wrist watch look.PERSONALISATION WITH CUSTOM INITIALSFor those who have tried and enjoyed wearing bracelets alongside your watches, we would like to introduce you to something new and unique C?EPHORI (pronounced Eh-four-rye) LONDON, a luxury mens fashion brand that creates bespoke beaded bracelets for men.Our beaded bracelets are personalised for you according to your tastes with your name initials. These bespoke bracelets are comprised of semi-precious natural stone beads and personalised bracelet plates,...
As you ve read in last week s Speedy Tuesday article, this year marks the 60th anniversary of the Speedmaster. It goes without saying that we love the Speedmaster and thought it might be a nice idea to share the thoughts and favorite Speedmasters of our team for a change.Top 3 SpeedmastersBelow, you will find the six of us talking about the Speedmaster and giving you the Top 3 Speedmasters of our personal choice. This, of course, might change a bit over time, as taste and preferences change and perhaps Omega will blow us away in BaselWorld in a couple of weeks with an anniversary piece. You will be the first to know here on Fratello Watches on March 23rd, with all details and live images.Mic...
The Omega Speedmaster Alaska Project II 2008 re-edition is my 52Mondayz watch of week #9Omega Speedmaster Alaska Project II 2008This week I will attend an Omega Speedmaster event. Long time friends-of-the-show Ace Jewelers in Amsterdam will open their ‘Moon Room Speedmaster Pop-Up on Speedy Tuesday evening.On the opening night our own Robert-Jan Broer will give an introduction talk. Ace Jewelers Moon Room will be open at least from February 28th until March 11. Three more evening events can be attended, you ll read about it here: Moon Room Speedmaster Pop-Up.A Speedmaster, What Else?So what else could I wear this week than a Speedmaster? I chose to wear a rather unseen model, the 2008...
