Today is apparently vintage Heuer Autavia day on Fratello Watches, as we re giving you a double-dose (see our #TBT article on the Heuer Autavia 2446 Jochen Rindt)!In case you missed it, and you wouldnt be alone due to the lightning fast sale, hens teeth were available on eBay earlier this week.? A so-called Heuer Autavia 2446C SN was listed at $20,000 and was apparently purchased by a prominent dealer with a best offer. Most pundits actually consider this an incredible bargain and potential values have been listed as high as $50,000! For those not familiar with Heuer coding, this is actually a panda dial on a compressor-case Autavia equipped with a Valjoux 72.The common dial, of course, was ...

Once the bug bit me, the only remedy was to track down the watch. I absolutely had to find a Heuer Autavia 2446. To me, within the pantheon of rotating bezel 60s sports chronographs, the Autavia has always acted the part of Zeus.? Specifically, the 2446 2nd Execution screw-down case models reign supreme. Theres just something about these watches and Ill do my best to explain the fascination. Plus, the buying experience was an adventure, which always ups the lust factor! For deal-seekers, I apologize because affordable #TBT takes a decided respite in pit-lane this week as we take a look at the undeniably fantastic vintage Heuer Autavia 2446 Jochen Rindt.The Heuer Autavia 2446 is found…V...

We introduce you to the latest project of watch maker Peter Roberts: The Mythique. After the Concentrique timepiece was introduced, Peter Roberts was asked to create and develop a chronograph watch with a new artistic look and using a skeletonized movement. He succeeded doing so with The Mythique timepiece.Here on Fratello Watches we love skeletonized timepieces, as long as they are not too classic in their appearance. Peter Roberts was convinced that thee were already enough skeletonized pieces on the market for everyone s taste. He gave the skeletonized theme a lot of thought and came up with the concept of The Mythique. Only available in a small series, as a one-off would be too expensive...

Welcome back to our Collector s Corner feature, where we give the microphone to you: our dear readers and watch fans.?Not long after we published our Dsseldorf Speedmaster GTG report, we received a message from one of our readers, who wrote us the following:….thanks for the great ‘Speedmaster GTG Dsseldorf Event Report and the last ‘Collectors Corner article, I really enjoyed reading and looking at the photos.?Here is a thought I have flirted with- could I ever be a one watch guy? If I was able to acquire my Grail then maybe. Well, I just acquired my Grail, a 69 Speedy and I am totally smitten by it. It truly is timeless (no pun intended) It looks very much in its elemen...

Advertised as the watch of the US Presidents, but if you are – like me – not from the US, that s something I can t associate with. At least not in the same was as someone who is actually from the USA, I guess. Anyway, despite this Vulcain Cricket is called the 50s Presidents Watch which I hardly can relate to, there are a number of other things that make it a very interesting timepiece:manufacture movementalarm complication (Vulcain claims a ‘first since 1947)attractive designinteresting history of ‘wearers The last bullet does relate to the US Presidents (Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon and Lyndon Johnson and later ones as well) who wore one of cou...

Earlier today, I had the chance to visit the Sinn Boutique in Frankfurt.? I was with a friend who was interested in potentially buying a 103, so I took the opportunity to see if the just-announced blue pieces (T1 & T2 divers and the L.E. 103 A Sa B) were in stock: they were!? I think the bullk of what has been published on the web has been based on press photos, so I took the opportunity to take a few pictures.? Sadly, I do mean only a few shots because the Sinn store was hopping!? I was there at roughly 3pm and there were no less than 3 people (locals, not tourist groups) buying new Sinns.? So, time was limited but I hope you enjoy seeing the blues in real lighting.Sinn 103 A Sa BMy tak...

When I think of German watches, my mind heads in three distinct directions. The first two categories I think of are the tactical/military and the rather high-end. The former is inhabited by brands such as Sinn, Stowa, and Laco, while A. Lange & S?hne and Glashtte Original dominate the latter type. The last sub-genre I think of when considering the Teutonic path contains watches of the modern, minimalist style. Prior to moving to Germany, my experience with these watches was limited to owning a Max Bill Junghans and seeing Braun watches on the wrists of friends. Frankly speaking, these clean watches have interested me but Ive almost always stopped short of buying as they left me a bit co...

In general, when I purchase watches, I end up liking them. I dont sell my pieces because of this, but there certainly still exists a hierarchy of pieces that I like more than others; its not unlike that pile of t-shirts we all own, all of which are the same size yet possess an imaginary ranking.?? Amongst my favorite chronographs, I count a Heuer Carrera 2447S, a Breitling 765CP Killy, and a ratty, overpolished Ed White Omega Speedmaster. Every so often, though, I add a watch that climbs to the acme of the horological summit that Ive created and it fights hard for more than its fair share of wrist time. Recently, this occurred and Im happy to share a little bit about this chronograph because...

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to try another Seiko, the Grand Seiko SBGH001J.? I requested to borrow this watch from Seiko after I already had a bit of Grand Seiko experience with their SBGV009 timepiece (read my in-depth review here).That particular model though, had a quartz movement. You must know, that the Grand Seiko comes basically in three flavours: quartz, spring-drive and mechanical. Although I have a lot of respect for their high-precision 9F quartz movement, my real interest is in mechanical watches.So I requested this Grand Seiko SBGH001J from Seiko to perform a review. Ever since our contributing editor Michael Stockton infected me with this Seiko virus, my interest has ...

Last week I showed you my Top 5 of modern Omega Speedmaster watches and it immediately became clear that a lot of you also want to see a Top 5 of vintage Omega Speedmaster watches. Before I will do so, I have to admit that only 5 different references numbers is a bit low, so when I mention a CK2998 for example, it means any watch of this specific reference (-1 to -62 or even a CK2998 FAP model).My first Speedmaster was actually a vintage Speedmaster Professional (Pre-)Moonwatch, the 1967 reference 145.012-67. I bought it in 1999 for 2000 Dutch Guilders (about $800 Euro these days, without inflation) and it is – of course – still in my collection. It isn t perfect, but it surely w...

Since this years Basel World I was eager to try the Frederique Constant Horological Smartwatch. I had a quick glimpse of what I can expect from it at the fair earlier this year (here is the article of that) and I really liked what I saw there. We visited their stand after TAG Heuer announced their collaboration with Intel and Google to come up with something interesting. Apple watch was already around and we heard rumors that some other major brands are developing their versions of a smart watch, so I was all hyped up about the issue. At the end of July, I received my review watch, the new Frederique Constant Horological Smartwatch.Frederique Constant Horological SmartwatchIn todays life we ...

Swiss watch brand Wryst thrive to break the monotony of classicism with style and controversy offering exclusive sport watches produced in limited editions with highly competitive value for money. Designed to endure the toughest conditions, the specifications of the timepiece are thought-after and a testimony of unique watchmaking style.Sport watch with scratch-resistant coatingProduced exclusively in Limited Editions of 99 pieces, the Ultimate ES20 all-black sport watch provides a long lasting quality timepiece with an all-round scratch resistant black Diamond-Like Carbon coating. Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, 200 meters water resistance and screw down crown are other tough...

Remember those 1970s bullhead chronographs from Omega, Breitling, Citizen and Seiko (for example)? Although Omega did a re-edition of their Seamaster Bullhead chronograph last year, meet a more affordable column-wheel bullhead chronograph that will be available soon: the Stuckx Bull watch.If you are keeping track of all the recent founded micro brands and Kickstarter projects, you are probably just as fed up by them as I am. It is difficult to make a distinction between the ones with good intentions and the ones that are just pushing cheap made watches for too much money. That is where we come in, I hope. I d love to show you a hands-on review of this Stuckx Bull piece that we actually recei...

Watches are so versatile. From dress watch to tool watch, the opportunities to pick the one that fits you best?are endless. Personally, I tend to buy larger watches, usually chronographs with dark colored dials. Thats my thing. Thats why I was really looking forward to this piece that I had the pleasure of wearing for a few weeks. It is so out of the ordinary for me with its colors, but because of the timeless design it felt like a friend you have not seen in a while whom you finally reconnect. I truly enjoyed every second it spent on my wrist. I wear it as I type the article now but in a few days I will have to kiss good-bye to this Omega Seamaster Diver 300M ETNZ.Omega Seamaster 300M Backg...

Today, #TBT ventures back into familiar territory by, once again, taking a look at a mechanical chronograph. This time, however, well talk about a watch from a brand that I really hadnt heard of up until roughly a year ago. I recommended the brand Yema, and its U.S. distribution name Le Jour, as a brand to watch in my Vintage Market Update from a couple months back because the watches combine some great style at a still-affordable price in the increasingly unaffordable vintage chronograph market. Lets take a closer look at one of the brands more popular pieces to see what it has to offer and also use this week to talk a little about finishing on vintage watches; the Yema Daytona is now on #T...

One of the most important attributes a Watch Idiot Savant needs to have is passion. Passion for watches: to understand them, to know where they are coming from, God forbid, passion to create your own brand. Yes, your read it right. This article will be about a brand that has no history in the watch world, yet. The man who gave birth to it chose a totally different profession. By looking at the time pieces he produces you can guess which profession is that. He is Captain Mikls Varga, airline transport pilot, former Boeing 737 test pilot and watch company owner and his brand is:JetPilotThis product ticks so many boxes on my list of things I would like to have in a watch. First and foremost it...

Vintage Heuer is about as hot as it gets right now and today s news should come as rather exciting for fans of the brand.? People are clamoring for the early manual wind models right now and they are especially focused on the Heuer Autavia.? Well, today, we re pleased to share a brief story behind the discovery and purchase of an extremely rare variant.? It defines fantastic and was located just last week on eBay – where else?- by one of the foremost Heuer enthusiasts on the planet: Jeff Stein.Yes, some guys have all the luck (as in timing), but it helps to possess a discerning eye as well. Jeff, as most of you know, owns and manages the great resource, On the Dash. He also moderates t...

A few weeks ago, I received the Panerai PAM 615 (or?Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days Chrono Flyback Automaic Titanio in full) for a hands-on review. This Panerai PAM615 as well as its brother with a titanium?bezel, the PAM 614, were introduced in Geneva earlier this year. I ve had a couple of Panerai watches myself and we ve done reviews on several models in the past, but it is the first time I actually tried and tested te Panerai Submersible for a longer period.Panerai PAM 615 ReviewOperating the Panerai PAM 615Even though the Panerai PAM 615 has a 47mm diameter and is – by all means – a big watch, it didn t shock me when I strapped it on my wrist. I don t have very big wrists, b...

Every couple of years we are treated on a new James Bond movie. Young and old look forward to see what kind of mission impossible Bond has to fulfill, which Bond girls are featured, what type of villains we will see and of course – perhaps just as important – what type of gadgets and accessories 007 will use. One of these items is his watch, of course. Ever since the first James Bond movie, Dr. No, our British secret agent is wearing an interesting timepiece. Many brands saw the wrist of James Bond, but since 1995 it is an Omega watch.A persistent rumor is that someone close to (or related to) Omega or Swatch Group offered – besides the official partnership – a 7-digi...

So, I have to admit that I dont own a lot of quartz watches aside from the vintage Seiko 7A38 I just reviewed. In fact, I rarely buy automatic timepieces any longer as I really enjoy winding a watch every morning. Therefore, it was a little odd when Robert-Jan shot me a note asking if Id be interested in testing Seikos latest Astron, a watch that is clearly on the opposite spectrum from mechanical. However, I am the resident Seiko guy on the team and Im also the one most frequently found hopping in and out of time zones, so there was certainly logic behind the request. Me being me, though, I arrived at some topics that Ill attempt to address with this Seiko Astron hands-on experience aside f...