Although our focus is on affordable mechanical watches, we once in a while zoom in on watches that are either very special or plain beautiful. In this case, it is both. We have to admit that we didn t make it to see this relatively new brand called Breva during last year s Baselworld, but we wanted to make up for it this year at least. So we had the opportunity to look at last year s introduced Breva Genie 01 and this year s introduction of the Breva Genie 02.The title of this article is one with a wink, as it refers to the Genie collection as being mechanical Smart Watches. Not your digital Smart Watch that has been recently discussed here by Prof. Dr. Jan Adriaanse, but a mechanical watch ...
It s Speedy Tuesday! An uncommon Speedy Tuesday, as we have a contribution from one of our readers about his unusual Omega Speedmaster Pro with reference number 145.0077 / 345.0077. Roman from Croatia writes us the following:Two unconnected events started this story.Purchase of a white dial Speedmaster in January, 2005.The OMEGAMANIA auction in April, 2007.In 2005 I bought Omega Speedmaster with with a white dial, Ref.No: DD145.0022 with a OMEGA 861 movement, Year of manufacture 1984. I wrote to Omega Switzerland to request some additional information about this watch.Below is the answer I have received from Mr.Jean-Luc Miranda, OMEGA Museum in February 2005.:?Your movement number is well re...
When Omega introduced the Seamaster?Ploprof 1200M back in 2009, I was actually happily surprised to see that they did such an amazing job.The resemblance with the original Omega Ploprof 600M 166.077 was amazing. ?On first sight, the new Omega Seamaster PloProf 1200M looked identical to the PloProf 600M version of almost 40 years earlier. On Fratellowatches we wrote about the PloProf watches several times, but never took the time to put the two models together and have a closer look.Seamaster PloProf 1200 History In A NutshellFor detailed history on the Omega Seamaster Ploprof 600 I will ask you to read this article on the Omega Ploprof s History. I will give the highlights of the PloProf his...
It s Speedy Tuesday! We ve been waiting to publish an article on this new Omega Speedmaster Professional X-33 reference?318.90.45.79.01.001, also called Skywalker. It was a surprise to us actually, that Omega was developing a 3rd Generation model of the Marswatch. We ve been a big fan of the Speedmaster Pro X-33 and covered it many times. We actually did?a write-up on the Speedmaster X-33 1st Gen ref 3290.50 right before BaselWorld 2014 started where the new 3rd Gen Speedmaster X-33 was introduced.Omega developed?a new version of the discontinued Speedmaster Pro X33 (2nd Generation) together with the European Space Agency (ESA). According to the Omega press release, it was even developed bas...
Longines Conquest HeritageLongines seems to be spot on with the Heritage models that they are introducing. We recently did a comparison review between the original Longines Flagship Heritage and an original Longines Flagship (you can read it here), but it seems that Longines is taking the release of the Conquest Heritage a step further and makes it a real tribute by even using the 35mm case size of the original version. That s right, 35mm. It is quite daring even, for a watch brand to release a men s watch in 35mm these days.Although we appreciate the efforts of a lot of watch brands to create something retro, to use ingredients of watches from the past to create something new, to target the...
It s Speedy Tuesday! Every 5 years, Omega introduces a commemorative edition of the Speedmaster Pro with regards to the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. In 2009, the 40th Anniversary edition of this Speedmaster Pro Apollo 11 was a slightly modified version of the standard Speedmaster Pro 3570.50 model. A beautiful silver medal patch on the sub dial on 9 o clock and a big Eagle on the case back. We covered it in one of our Speedy Tuesday articles, of course (click here).Omega Speedmaster Pro?311.62.42.30.06.001It wasn t a surprise to anyone that Omega introduced the 45th Anniversary Edition of the Speedmaster Professional Apollo 11 this year. However, I guess that nobody expected the watch to be li...
The most famous watch brand from Geneva did not only shocked the World with their new range of Oyster models, but also introduced a range of watches that belong to the Cellini collection. Admitted, I don t have a lot going on for the previous Cellini models and that includes the revamped Cellini Prince models. However, I was happily surprised to see that came up with classic but modern-sized dress watches in Basel. introduces three different versions of the Cellini: Cellini Time, Cellini Date and Cellini Dual Time. Each available in two different materials for the case and buckle, namely 18 carat white gold and 18?carat Everose gold. Each version is then also available in two different di...
One of the big surprises this year in Basel was the Tri-Axial Tourbillon timepiece by Girard-Perregaux. This company from La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland has basically two pillars for their collections, watches and haute horlogerie. During our visit to Girard-Perregaux (you can find our report here), we noticed that these are really physically separated as well. Like Chinese Walls.The Girard-Perregaux Tri-Axial Tourbillon Reference 99815-52-251-BA6A is part of the haute horlogerie collection of course. The decentralized dial – using a Clous de Paris motif – indicating hours and minutes is located at half past one while a huge aperture (or dial) for the tourbillon cage is at 9 o ...
Fratellowatches starts with a new series of articles as of today, columns written by others as well as by ourselves. Columns about the watch industry, watch collecting, trends, design and so on. We start our first column with a publication by Professor of Turnaround Management Jan Adriaanse.ImagineImagine a world without . Imagine a world without Breitling. Imagine a world without Swatch. Can you? We can. But are most of the 140,000 visitors of Baselworld 2014 able to do so? We doubt it.When we asked international acclaimed watch blogger-journalist Robert-Jan Broer he implicitly confirmed: I havent seen smart watches yet at Baselworld (-) I doubt whether it is at the top of minds here in Swi...
When the Sea-Dweller reference 16600 was taken out of production at the facilities in Geneva, a lot of admirers probably shed a little tear. announced the Deepsea Sea-Dweller 116660 as the successor of the Sea-Dweller but many fans of the former model(s) just more appealing than the new bulky 43mm Deepsea. I urged the people who had a weak spot for the former people to get one while they still could in a little article (here). In 2009 I wrote One of the few things that gives me hope, is that they went from reference number 16600 to 116660 instead of using 116600. Will there be a 116600?. Now in 2014, there is a Sea-Dweller reference 116600. And yes, it is 40mm.I will not go into detail ab...
Speedmaster Lunar DustIt s Speedy Tuesday! What else would you ve expected us to write about than the new Speedmaster Lunar Dust? The brother (or fratello?) of the Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon that was introduced last year during BaselWorld came a bit as a surprise, but what a pleasant surprise it is!First of all we d like to stress that this Speedmaster Co-Axial Caliber 9300 Lunar Dust (reference 311.93.44.51.99.01) model won t be on the market before end of this year. Both the newly introduced Speedmaster Lunar Dust watch and the new Speedmaster Professional X-33 are not on the Baselworld 2014 novelties page of the Omega website yet, as they were probably just finished in time to pres...
Last Tuesday, a day before Baselworld 2014 started, we were invited by Tudor to join them for a diner and the introduction of the new Heritage Black Bay timepiece in blue. During the diner, Tudor pulled out some amazing watches from their archives in Geneva, including this 1958 Tudor Oyster Prince Submariner ‘Big Crown reference 7924.The nick name ‘Big Crown was given to this watch by Tudor collectors, just like the Submariner 6538 from 1958. The very same watch that James Bond was wearing in Dr No. Tudor used a number of same parts as the Submariner in those days, except for the ‘Auto-Prince caliber 390 movement. The crown and Oyster bracelet carry markings.This 37mm...
The watch everyone has been waiting for is there, partly that is. This means that there is a Pepsi bezel for the new style GMT-Master II, it also means that decided to use it on a 18 carat white gold watch first. We sat down with in Baselworld and had a look at the new models and would like to start with this GMT-Master II 116719BLRO first.As you know we have a weak spot for the GMT-Master watches and covered them many times. An overview from the very first mid-1950s GMT-Master models to the latest models with Cerachrom bezel can be found here. After introduced the GMT-Master II 116710LN (Lunette Noir) in 2005 and last year the 116710BLNR (Bleu Noir), we could only hope for the best th...
Omega Seamaster 300This is the watch weve all been waiting for since Omega started to tease us via their Facebook page. We already did a guess some time ago (here), but now we finally get the chance to try the watch and see it in the flesh.Based on the original Seamaster 300 CK2913 from 1957, Omega introduces the new Seamaster 300 Master Co-Axial in a number of different flavours. The name Master Co-Axial C as this confused a number of people C is referring to the anti-magnetic movement. Omega introduces 69 new watches with 8 different calibers that will carry an anti-magnetic movement based on the > 15,000 gauss movement they introduced in the Seamaster Aqua Terra last year.This Seamaste...
Our first meeting during the Baselworld 2014 exhibition was with Tudor. We had a little sneak preview before Baselworld even opened, during a diner with Tudor. They showed us the Tudor Heritage Black Bay in a new colour, midnight blue. The bezel that is, as the dial has gone from brown (the other Heritage Black Bay execution) to matte black. This 41mm watch comes with either a stainless steel bracelet or a blue leather strap. Another possibility is to wear it on an awesome blue NATO strap. The blue color reminds us of the NAVY watches that Tudor issued to the French in the previous century. The Tudor Heritage Black Bay features the same specifications as the brown / burgundy combination that...
It s Speedy Tuesday! Just a few days before BaselWorld will start and Omega unveil the new Speedmaster Professional 45th anniversary Apollo 11 limited edition. At least that it was we suspect they will be doing besides demonstrating the new Omega Seamaster Master Co-Axial Chronometer. Just before doing so, we would like to grab your attention for the discontinued* Omega Speedmaster Professional X-33 3290.50 (or 3990.50 for the version with kevlar strap only).This Speedmaster Professional (it really is part of the ‘Professional collection, like the LCD quartz models from the late 1970s) was developed by Omega using the input of NASA astronauts and pilots with regards to useful function...
In 1972 a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn t commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the A-Team.That famous opening line comes to mind every time I look at the Marvin Cushion M119 (M119.23.47.98) with the camouflage strap. The Marvin M119 ‘A-Team is basically the same watch as the Marvin Superhero that we designed as our Fratellowatches limited edition (which you can find here), but with a different dial (and app...
Just like last year, the watch press is being overwhelmed with novelties that are going to be presented during the Baselworld exhibition. Some brands show the product in all its glory already, no secrets to unveil anymore and others are only showing you bits and pieces of their upcoming releases.Last year, Omega leaked information regarding their Omega Speedmaster Professional ‘Tintin a day before Baselworld started. This year, they showed some teasers on their official Facebook page with bits and pieces of a new Omega Seamaster. Among the +500.000 fans of that page, there were some Photoshop magicians that were able to unraffle the mystery without much hassle.Although we will not be ...
We have a weak spot for affordable mechanical watches. There is absolutely nothing wrong with dreaming about a complicated piece of haute horlogerie with a flying tourbillon from one of the prestigious big brands out there or from one of the indepedent watch makers. But in all honesty, how many people are fortunate enough to actually wear one on the wrist?Here at Fratellowatches we have a weak spot for brands who are capable to put an interesting mechanical watch in the market that is affordable and nice to wear on a daily basis. With the Legend Diver (a review on it can be found here), Longines caught our attention as a brand to keep an eye on. After that, we reviewed their Heritage 1951 ch...
It s Speedy Tuesday! Speedy Tuesday-fan Dimitri from Australia contributes to this section with his precious Omega Speedmaster Professional reference 105.012. The 105.012 and 145.012 references (the first crown guarded caliber 321 Speedmaster Professional timepieces) are known to have accompanied astronauts such as Neil Armstrong, Edwin ‘Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins and others during their Apollo missions. Therefore these watches are getting more sought-after and prices have been increasing. The supply of affordable pre-Moon Speedmasters has been getting thinner during the last few years, especially those in wearable condition.Dimitri explains:This was the first watch I got for my col...
