IWC Ingenieur EventRemember our give-away of tickets to the AMG and IWC event at the Zandvoort Racing Track in The Netherlands? The conditions to participate were quite strict, you needed to have an IWC Ingenieur already AND live in The Netherlands, Belgium or Luxemburg. We had to disappoint quite a few people who mailed us from Denmark, UK, Franc and even Italy. In the end, we had two people who met all requirements!We have a Winner!However, one of them needed to cancel the evening before due to an important business meeting. So, in the end, we only brought Maarten van Mnster to the race track. Instead the other winner, there was suddenly some extra room for our photographer Bert Buijsrogg...
Patek Philippe Nautilus Chronograph 5980 in goldPatek Philippe surprised us this year with an all gold Nautilus Chronograph reference 5980/1R and gold/steel combination of the watch as well (reference 5980/1AR). Although we feel that a Nautilus should be in stainless steel (unless you are Scott Disick), we actually could appreciate these gold versions of the iconic Genta timepiece.Technically speaking, nothing changed compared to the stainless steel Nautilus 5980/1A model. Both have the automatic winding PP caliber 28-520 C movement with chronograph function with the hour and minute recorder in one sub counter. The central seconds hand is the chronograph hand. Things like the level of water ...
Speedmaster 311.30.42.30.01.004Remember our post about the Speedmaster Racing a few weeks ago? Well, there s more to it! During our appointment with Jean Claude Monachon (Head of Product Development) of OMEGA we ve heard the true story about the OMEGA Speedmaster Professional 311.30.42.30.01.004 ‘Racing that was introduced during Baselworld 2013.Tintin – Destination MoonTintin Destination Moon (or Objectif Lune) is the 16th comic album of Herge s Tintin series. It was written 19 years before the Moonlanding (Apollo 11 in 1969) and 8 years before the first manned space flight (Yuri Gagarin). The story about Tintin, Haddock and professor Calculus continues in the next album, Explo...
GMT-Master Black And BlueThe rumor machine was working full throttle before the Baselworld show started. Rumors included a new GMT-Master II with either a Coke (black and red) or Pepsi (red and blue) bezel. Eye brows were frowned when the curtain was lifted up and showed the stainless steel GMT-Master II reference 116710BLNR with a black and blue bezel.We waited a few days before posting news on this new GMT-Master II (except on our instagram account) as this was a combination we didn t expect as well and needed to give it a place first. After we tried it in the flesh during our appointment with in Baselworld, we ve come to the conclusion that it is actually a nice addition to the existi...
NoveltiesAs every year, everyone started running towards the booth right after the opening of the Baselworld exhibition. Rumours about a new GMT-Master II seemed to be true, although there wasn t a Coke or Pepsi configuration to show. Instead, came up with a blue and black configuration. New was the Yacht-Master II in stainless steel. More about those models later. Let s focus on the brand new Daytona reference 116506 first! Daytona 116506Although doesn t celebrate it officially, it s the 50th anniversary of the famous Daytona model. The all platinum version of the iconic Cosmograph Daytona is not a limited edition nor is it a time limited edition. It is just regular collection. The ...
You probably know Hamilton for their affordable yet very interesting mechanical timepieces. We visited them yesterday and they showed us their masterpiece watch for Baselworld 2013, the Hamilton Jazzmaster Face 2 Face. A very cool oval shaped timepiece that you can reverse. This means that you can turn the watch around by this clever mechanism that Hamilton came up with. On the one side, this watch is a chronograph and on the other side it is a time-only watch. The price of the watch is almost very un-Hamilton-ish, but let s zoom in first at this piece before we get to the pricing.In both cases, you are able to see one of the two mechanical movements. The movements are the ETA2094 for the ch...
OMEGA Novelties At BaselWorldTo our surprise, Jean Claude Monachon (Head of Product Development) of OMEGA showed us not only the new Speedmaster 9300 line-up (Dark Side of the Moon and 57 editions) and Aqua Terra 15.000 Gauss, but also a new OMEGA Seamaster Bullhead. If you are following us on instagram, you probably have seen our quick snaps of these watches already. However, here are the pictures we took during the presentation with a decent camera.OMEGA Speedmaster 9300 Dark Side Of The MoonThere was already some buzzin around just before Baselworld, perhaps OMEGA did that on purpose, perhaps not. The new caliber 9300 Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon is made out of one block of ceramic...
Speedmaster Pro Racing 3570.40It s Speedy Tuesday! The moment you ve all been waiting for. This week s Speedy Tuesday is about the Speedmaster Professional Racing models, both old & new. You probably know the re-edition that OMEGA did in 2004, the reference?3570.40.00 Speedmaster Professional. Last week, we received photos from one of our readers (Martijn Hofman) Speedmaster Pro 3570.50 that was converted to this Racing edition by his watchmaker. The reference 3570.30 model was for the Japanese market, but apparently the dial and hands are still available as spare parts. More about customization? Check Shane s Speedmaster Paramedic here.As you can see, the orange chronograph hands, hour...
Omega Speedmaster Pro DD145.0022It is Speedy Tuesday on this first Christmas day! This week, we have something rare. A gold / steel combination Speedmaster Professional that dates back to 1981. A gold colored dial with gray sub dials and black hands. This Speedmaster Professional goes by the reference of DD145.0022.The bezel of the Speedmaster DD145.0022 is also made out of gold and the black aluminum inlay features gold printing. The bracelet is more familiar, it is a ref.1171 bracelet with 633 end-links. This surprised me as well, as I only knew this combination in stainless steel. Apparently, Omega just used the same machinery to assemble this gold / steel bracelet as they used for their ...
Speedmaster RestorationIt is Speedy Tuesday! Remember our feature on the Speedmaster Quartz LCD of one of our readers? Click here to read it in case you missed it or want to refresh your memory.This week, we feature this Speedmaster restoration project of one of our readers. A Speedmaster Quartz LCD ref. 186.0004 that dates back to 1977. It is actually a shout-out for help, read on…Last week, we received pictures of this round Speedmaster Quartz LCD of one of our readers. The Speedmaster Quartz LCD was available in two flavours in the 1970s, a square shaped model and a round model. Both feature the quartz Omega caliber 1620 movement.Perhaps – if you are a Speedmaster connoisseur ...
In 1993, 21 years after the introduction of the Royal Oak, Audemars Piguet introduced the Royal Oak Offshore. It was time for an evolution regarding the Royal Oak collection, to make it more rugged, more sporty and – perhaps – younger. The Offshore is the most popular Audemars Piguet collection without a doubt. Some purists though, might prefer the ‘normal Royal Oak collection as it is more or less an understatement, and yes, closer to the original design of 1972.History aside, we assume you know most of the stuff already, we were in the opportunity to have a closer look at the Royal Oak Offshore Diver made out of forged carbon. The Offshore collection is pioneering with e...
The biggest buzz on last year s BaselWorld might have been the HYT timepiece. An interesting new concept in watchmaking and causing a lot of stir amongst enthusiasts and collectors. We ve been told that the delivery of the first HYT timepieces has started. One of the official retailers of the HYT watch is Chronopassion in Paris, owned by Laurent Picciotto.Laurent Picciotto has an interesting range of brands in his boutique, a combination of manufacturers with history that goes back for centuries and new small brands with very special or interesting timepieces. The so-called ‘independents amongst watch makers. Vincent Perriard s brand HYT seems to fit right in. An interesting conversat...
It is Speedy Tuesday! In the past, we ve shown you a couple of Speedmasters with Moon Phase complications. There was the first Speedmaster Professional Moon Phase from 1985 that we ve covered in August, the Speedmaster Professional Moon Phase ‘Replica or ‘Broad Arrow we did in July, the new Speedmaster Professional Moon Phase Aventurine in September and the platinum skeleton Speedmaster Professional Moon Phase we did in October.One of our readers from Germany, who is a serious Omega (Speedmaster) collector, submitted his trio of Moon Phase Speedmasters to us. We briefly mentioned all three of them in our Speedy Tuesday article in August about the Moon Phase watches (click here)...
Drawing its inspiration from an advert from the 1950s discovered in its archives; Marvin has created its superhero and showcases it in a fun-filled, exuberant fashion by launching an 88-piece limited edition every year.For the very first edition of this incredible adventure, Marvin has partnered with Fratellowatches. This Malton Cushion Superhero timepiece is combined with matching cufflinks.Marvin and Fratellowatches met each other a few times over the last couple of years during Baselworld trade shows and followed each other with great interest. The combination of an influential blog and the manufacturer of affordable luxury watches led to designing a mechanical watch with an edge, the Sup...
Photographer Mike Mellia visited the special exhibit at the Service Center in NYC, showcasing the history of the Deepsea watches. From the very first giant domed 1960s model up to the latest version that James Cameron wore on his Deepsea Challenge mission.In addition to showcasing these historical watches, has recreated these watches for the exhibition as large-scale models showing cross sections of the inner case mechanisms.Mike Mellia took some pictures exclusively for Fratellowatches! ?? Thanks Mike!Make sure to visit his official website as well, lots of cool photography. Click: www.mikemellia.com...
Made to measureIf you take a trip to Savile Row and visit a traditional tailors, you are often presented with three choices; ready to wear, made to measure and bespoke.Savile Row will not be an option for many individuals. Those who are fortunate enough to sample the delights of peerless tailoring will appreciate the finest fabrics, cut, sewn and pressed without compromise.Ready to wear is the entry point to this world of sartorial excellence. Suits are presented in an array of sizes. The only form of personalisation is the trouser length, finished to suit and with a choice of buttons to indulge the whim of the wearer.For those gentlemen blessed with a regular physique, there is a rationale ...
I have to admit that I had never heard about Gilt, but it is a US based luxury shopping platform. As of yesterday, they re also selling a number of very cool watches.Friend of the show Ben Clymer of Hodinkee is the curator of the whole lot. A number of interesting pieces are being put up for sale. One of them is this cool ‘Paul Newman Daytona, I guess it is a ref.6239 as the lot doesn t tell.Price tag, $85,000.- USD.Go Gilt, click here....
Speedy Tuesday is here! Although we love all the limited edition Speedmasters, mission patch models, X-33s, Flightmasters, Z-33, Moon phase etcetera etcetera models, we are the first ones to admit that some times it is just best to buy the ‘original Moonwatch.The current Moonwatch is – in our opinion – the ref.3570.50 (as discussed and compared to a vintage Moonwatch in the recent past) but the real Moonwatch that has been used ON the Moon by Buzz Aldrin and other astronauts are the Speedmaster Professional models with reference number 105.012 and 145.012. At least, these are the reference numbers we know of. Perhaps during later missions the caliber 861 models (145.022) a...
There will be a few readers who experienced the 1970s themselves – or from a close range, like myself (1977) – and there will also be a readers that know the 1970s best from ‘That 70s show . The first group probably don t know about ‘That 70s Show at all. The 1970s was an era of continued NASA Apollo launches, super jets, orange curtains, quartz LED watches and crazy super sports car designs as the Lambo Miura, Maserati Boomerang, Mercedes CW311 and so on.Anyway, growing up in the 1970s, MB&F owner Max Bsser was surrounded by super cars like the Lambo Miura which made him dream to become a car designer one day. Things ended up a bit differently and he became o...
Watch winders have been topic of this blog several times in the past. In all cases, the principle of the winding system was always the same. Besides a few technical thingies like a rotating programme that could bet set manually or using a LCD display instead of just a simple switch, the packaging – or casing – was most of the time the most important aspect. A leather box, a winder with wood finish or just a low-cost plastic case. In all cases (no pun intended), they worked the same way.The Gyrowinder of German company D?ttling, lead by CEO Markus D?ttling, is something entirely different. As you may know, we are a sucker for NASA and Apollo stuff, so it was a nice surprise to lea...
