No decent watch collection should miss a dress watch. I think we can all agree on that. I think that a very classy yet interesting way to spice up your dress watch line-up is adding a vintage moon phase to it. That is a complication one would use probably the rarest but it is among the most fascinating complications a watch could have. Most people think that these pieces cost an arm and a leg. To be fair, sometimes they do indeed. We are going to talk about the affordable ones though. Fancy a vintage mechanical moon phase for under $1500? Keep reading.Unusual Omega Cosmic Moon Phase by Matthew Bain Inc.Vintage Moon Phase WatchesMoon phase (or moonphase, perhaps moon-phase) watches are the ty...

Looking at the classic shapes of the Parmigiani Tonda 1950 suddenly made me realize that this manufacture has only been there since 1996. A very young brand C especially for watch industry standards – that is able to design a watch that could easily trick you into thinking you are dealing with a brand with a history of at least eight decades. The elegant lines of the Parmigiani Tonda 1950 watch case, the manufacture movement with micro-rotor and wonderful dial and hands are so balanced that it could appear to you as a watch that found its roots in the 1950s and was subject to subtle iterations through the decades to come.Parmigiani Tonda 1950Reality is, as you probably suspected by the...

The majority of vintage watch collectors always look for a nice bargain. It doesn t matter how much money we have in our pockets,? we always dream of finding that special vintage watch at a flea market or car boot sale. But also in the drawer of our grandparents or distant uncle or even on eBay (which is getting more difficult by the way). Lets be honest though; the chances of finding a truly valuable vintage watch for pennies are pretty much zero. As far as Im concerned, I do not really believe in a barn find. Collecting vintage watches wisely and buying a few sleepers. But what is a sleeper watch and where and how can we find it? The answer is probably much more simple as one would think i...

I believe it was somewhere in the mid-1990s till the late 1990s: I told friends and fellow students I was interested in mechanical watches, they almost all replied with …those Kinetic watches?. Ever since the introduction of the Kinetic movement in 1987, it became a well-known concept world wide.However, with the revival of the mechanical movements in the 1990s and the booming interest in them since the 2000s, the popularity of the Kinetic disappeared a bit to the background for the masses. To some extent because the target audience of sub $ 500 Euro watches stopped wearing watches at all since their iPhone or other smart phone tells the time. The other group of people moved on towards...

It is Speedy Tuesday! This week we have one of the most sought-after Apollo XI limited edition models to show you, the Speedmaster Professional Apollo XI 35th Anniversary watch also known as ‘Speedmaster Panda . This 2004 Speedmaster Professional commemorates the Moon landing of 1969, with a limited production of 3500 pieces only. Omega Speedmaster ‘Panda 3569.31This Speedmaster Professional Apollo XI edition was the first commemorative model for the Moon landing that looked a bit different from the regular Speedmaster Professional 3570.50. The silver white dial with applied Omega logo and markers and silver coloured hands make give it a totally different appearance than its ...

Microbrands are hot. Although the watch industry is very mature, new brands are being added every month. Especially affordable watches from microbrands are particularly popular. It might have something to do with the economical situation we re in that not everyone is willing (or able) to put several thousands on the counter for a watch from one of the big brands out there. Visitor Watch Co is a new player on the (niche) market for microbrands and will be put on the Kickstarter initiative to raise funds early November at the latest.The final price of the Calligraph Duneshore has yet to be decided upon, but owner and founder of Visitor Watch Co, Phil Rodenbeck thinks it will be in the mid to l...

We love our watches theres no doubt about that. Thats why youre here, right? There are all those other things surrounding them though; watch winders, watch rolls, tools perhaps but most importantly straps. No decent watch site can function without a strap review. That was in my head when I came up with this idea and presented it to RJ. Nevertheless we gave it a twist. We would like to introduce some of the lesser known craftsmen to the wider audience. People whose work we find interesting or out of the ordinary. Who C most of the time C hand make their products at home or workshop, educate themselves and improve their technique so when their product reaches you and you put it on the?timepiec...

The Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon: a long awaited black version of the famous Speedmaster watch was introduced during the BaselWorld 2013 exhibition (as we reported here). The delivery of the Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon watches took a while, and still not every retailer has them in stock.So, after more than one year after the introduction of the Dark Side of the Moon let s see if we are still as enthusiastic about the watch as we were during Baselworld 2013.Omega Dark Side of the MoonWhen I first laid my eyes on the Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon I was immediately sold. There was a long wish for an all black Speedmaster. Although there had been a couple of PVDed Speedmaste...

Bell & Ross is not only producing the rectangular aviation watches, but also has a fine collection of other models like the vintage series and the WW1 and WW2 collection (covered here and here). For me personally, the Vintage BR collection is very attractive as they offer very clean round watches at an interesting price point. Today, I will show you the Bell & Ross Vintage BR 123 GMT 24H that Bell & Ross sent us just before the holidays.Bell & Ross Vintage BR 123 GMT 24HDuring a diner with Bell & Ross not too long ago, they showed me a number of new models that were either just released or about to be released. One of the watches that drew my attention was this Bell &...

When reviewing a new brand, like?TWCO, for the first time this should come with a short introduction. Driven by passion, TWCO was founded in 2012 by Robbert Suurland. Robbert is a Dutch watchmaker from Oosterhout?who was only?19 years young?when he began with his new?brand. Thinking about?the four elements and fundamental forces that surround us every single day, he found a source for inspiration in two elements (water and air) that would be the leading factor for his line of watches to come. Timeless design, high quality and craftsmanship are the basics for the watches of TWCO.Starting off with a dive watch?called?the Sea Rescue Diver, TWCO?recently announced their?second model. The TWCO Ai...

It is Speedy Tuesday! Remember the Missions case that Omega produced in 1997? In total 50 of these cases were produced (5x HC (hors commerce), 5x EV (epreuves d artistes) and 40x for the collectors out there). There is a slight difference in some of the cases regarding the design of the white cover.The 40 cases have 3 hatches on top so you can see three watches, the series of 5 has just one hatch. The contents were the same, 23 watches and a spare caliber 1861 movement. The movement was new at the time (introduced in 1997). The 23 Speedmaster watches consisted of 22 mission Speedmaster Pro watches and 1 Speedmaster 57 Replica. Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo XI MissionsWe covered the ...

Linde Werdelin is a friend of the show for some years now. We did quite a bit of coverage on this Danish design brand founded by Morten Linde and Jorn Werdelin. So let s cut straight through the chase and talk about their Linde Werdelin SpidoSpeed Green.Just before our Summer holiday started, we received – for reviewing purposes – the SpidoSpeed Green chronograph, as introduced to us during the BaselWorld 2014 exhibition. We ve had a SpidoSpeed chronograph in the past for review purposes as well, but this time it was a bit different. Why? Well, the SpidoSpeed chronograph as evolved a bit over the years. Although it did not lose its unique shape and powerful appearance, Linde Werd...

It s Speedy Tuesday! At the beginning of this year, I had the honour to meet NASA astronaut General Thomas P. Stafford. There we sat down, in the OMEGA boutique in Sochi. What to ask the man who probably has heard all questions a hundred times? However, General Thomas P. Stafford broke the ice by pointing at my Speedmaster Professional X-33 and saying I wrote down the specs for that watch!. Perhaps he is best known for his role in the Apollo – Soyuz mission in 1975, he was also on board of the Apollo 10 and two Gemini flights prior to that. However, General Thomas P. Stafford was also Chairman of The Board of Omega in America. He is now – together with Buzz Aldrin and Eugene Cern...

Besides a chronograph complication, I tend to have a weak spot for watches that can indicate additional time zones. Having travelled quite a bit through different time zones in my previous field?of work, I understand the importance of being able to see the actual time in other parts of the world in a glance. It was with great pleasure that I ve reviewed World Timer watches before here on Fratello Watches and basically asked Bremont if they could provide me with their ALT1-WT World Timer watch. And so they did. In this article I will share my experiences with the Bremont ALT1-WT World Timer accompanied with the photos that Fratello Watches Bert took in his studio.Bremont ALT1-WT World TimerT...

Since the late 1990s producing large watches became a trend that I think Panerai started. Obviously there were larger watches before but the Florentine brand was the first to gain huge worldwide success with their over sized timepieces –? even if the design was not new but a re-modeling of their early divers from the 1940s. After that things got out of hand quickly and for some reason watch manufacturers thought the only way to go is bigger and bigger. Panerai was the barrier breaker, or were they not?When we think about the 1950s and early 1960s we picture the watches of our father, grandfather or uncle. Really nice, round, classic shapes, Omega Seamasters, Datejusts, Longines, Doxas...

If you are a regular reader of Fratello Watches you probably know that I love iconic watches. The terms watch icons and cult watches are used to refer to those timepieces that C most of the time C have been around for decades and gained a certain importance with regards to design or style. They are timeless classics that have only undergone slight changes over the years, most of which were in regard to small design details or under the hood. Watch journalist Michael Balfour even wrote a book on the subject in 2007 (Cult Watches: The Worlds Enduring Classics) in which he shows the readers a number of watch classics. This book covers a wide range of watches that have received cult status for v...

Tempest might not immediately ring a bell with you, to be honest it didn t ring a bell for us either. This changed when distributor FORaSEC contacted us and introduced us to Tempest watches. An appointment was quickly made and we received a couple of Tempest watches to write a review and take some pictures. Keep on reading if you want to learn more about this micro brand and the new Commodore watches.IntroductionTempest is a so-called micro brand and focuses on delivering interesting and unique designed watches for an attractive price. Unique designed means that it is by no means a sticker brand, so all parts are made on the specification of Tempest (with the exception of the movement of cou...

Moonwatch Only Book ReviewI think that after , Omega is the most documented brand out there. Especially in print. Especially with regards to the Speedmaster model, there are already some titles out there that cover this watch in great depth. Not only did Omega publish a specific book on this model by themselves (The Moon Watch) over a decade ago, there were also some interesting titles published by others. One of the most in-depth titles so far were the A Time Capsule book by Kesaharu Imai and the Master of Omega by?Alberto Isnardi.Recently, authors Gregoire Rossier and Anthony Marquie published a new book on the topic. It is called Moonwatch Only and does just that. Covering the Moonwatch i...

SevenFriday took the watch world by storm in the beginning of 2013. For those of you not familiar with the brand: SevenFriday is a Swiss-based company that produces aesthetically appealing watches for a little over $1000 or so. First glance the watch resembles the outer features of a $10.000-and-up watch from one of the high-end watch houses but upon close inspection we realize that it has a simple yet interesting layout. There are no one-of-a-kind in house movements, no titanium or gold cases or crocodile leather straps. Inside the watch ticks Miyotas 82S7 open balance wheel movement which is a great and trusty Japanese production. The open balance wheel lets us see inside the movement maki...

Tissot Navitimer Yachting photo by: Schmittko from?Uhrforum.deYou do not necessarily have to have deep pockets if you want?to acquire cool vintage timepieces. In this article I will show you an outstanding model with an interesting twist to it. Meet the Tissot Navigator Yachting chronograph.For many Tissot is a lower brand, not comparable to the likes of Omega, TAGHeuer, Longines and the others. I beg to differ. Throughout the companys history Tissot produced some of the most interesting and historically significant watches coming out of Switzerland. Many occasions these watches were groundbreaking as well. Think of the first antimagnetic watch, the Tissot Idea 2001 which was the first mecha...