Two days ago, I turned 29 years old (to help you out, I was released in 1977). When I was a young kid, I remember getting a hand wound watch from my parents. But I never wore it. It had a small round case and a canvas strap. My first ‘real watch that I really wore was a Casio. It was in the time of the first G-Shocks. But these G-Shock models were too big for my little wrists (I was a skinny little kid, almost hard to believe now.. :-)). I also remember getting my first Casio as well. My parents bought it from me when we were on a holiday in the UK. I think they had it for sale at Dixons. Not sure though. I still have it, and it even runs perfectly. After that first Casio, I had some...

John Holbrook mailed me that he had written some articles that might interest us (poster and readers of Fratello :-)). The first one is an article about watch polishing with the help of this magical stuff from Cape Cod.You can find the review hereJohn also writes for watch magazines in the US. He did a review of a nice Panerai for InSync here (it is a PDF!). And for Chronos, you can find a complete Holbrook report if you click right here. The Holbrook report contains a lot of different watches. Different brands and styles, certainly worth checking out!Have fun!...

Gerard Nijenbrinks over at Horlogenieuws.nl (Dutch website covering novelties on watches and the watch business) mentions the new Sinn 142.ST-II.It will be introduced at the coming Basel Fair (30th March) as the successor of the Sinn 142.ST with Lemania 5100 movement. Because the Lemania 5100 is not in production anymore (see earlier posts about this), the 142.ST-II will feature a Dubios-Depraz caliber 2070 chronograph.As you can see below, the lay-out of the dial remains the same.Photo by Sinn.deThe official Sinn announcement can be read here....

Bas van Dorp emailed me a picture of his Seiko Monster. He wore it during his snowboard trip. As you can see, this Seiko Monster is like the Speedmaster Professional with NASA astronauts, worn on top of the (ski) jacket! The large orange dial makes it very easy to read while being in full action!Seiko model: SKX781 K3, a.k.a. Seiko Monster, caliber 7S26 (automatic movement with day-date feature). Water resistant to 200 meters (660 ft). Stainless steel case with a diameter of 41mm (height: 12mm). Just google on ‘Seiko Monster and you will find plenty of online dealers who sell this watch for a very reasonable price. The ski jacket is a Lowe Alpine and the gloves are by Ziener....

Some time ago, I went through some brochures from Dunhill. Gerard pointed out the Wheel watch. An interesting construction of ‘hiding the crown. The case design is inspired by old motors and it is shaped like the evocative metal ‘spinners often used to attach wire wheels to period sports cars. The crown is hidden by the engine-turned bezel. This systems cleverly protects the crown from knocks. The monolug system looks good and emphasizes the case s ‘spinners design.The watch pictured above is the Wheels watch ‘Petrolhead model. 42mm case diameter and an automatic movement (ETA 2824-2 + Dubois-Depraz module for power reserve) with date and power reserve feature. On...

Someone at the Paneristi.com forum asks: Do you think it is better to wear PAM outside or inside long sleeves?? i feel so strange..better with the short sleeves, i think..but for people who are working and wearing long sleeves, how?Well, to be honest.. I hate short sleeves. Especially in combination with a suit, short sleeves are never an option. So, long sleeves and a Panerai. Although I think a Panerai goes very well with a suit, sleeves might be a problem. Some cuffs just don t allow it to hide a Panerai. So most of the time, it will look like Nad s picture below.Picture by Nad.Another option, also given as an answer in the forum, is to start wearing tailored shirts. According to the foru...

Magus Bosse, regular on TimeZone and owner of the Ornatus Mundi site, posted an essay on Minerva watches on TimeZone. And not to forget, Magnus Bosse is moderating the official Blancpain forum.The first collection (called 1858) of Minerva after their change of management is showed on the TimeZone Minerva Forum.Below, you ll see the Minerva Coll. 1858 Cal. 48 White Gold case/grey dial. By clicking here you will find the complete essay by Magnus.Picture by Magnus Bosse....

Benrus is one of those (vintage) brands that has not being re-invented by investors (yet). Luckily, because in most cases, the results are horrible. Benrus is also a brand that has some very nice time pieces (like the one below or the Sky Chief for example) that is nice to wear/have at a reasonable price.Michiel van der Arend bought this 38mm Benrus Ultra-Deep diver and allowed me to put it for show here at Fratello! ??...

Although I don t wear it often, I still like my Chronoswiss R??gulateur Automatique a lot. Great dress watch and first ‘real Chronoswiss watch (introduced in 1987 as a hand wound wrist watch).Christopher Meisenzahl mentioned the review on the Chronoswiss Digiteur at The Purists forum last week, and I thought that you might be interested!Enjoy the review by William Riepl on the Chronoswiss Digiteur! Click here to read it…...

The best brand of them all, Patek Philippe, introduces a new automatic chronograph in a large platinum case (40.5mm, at least for PP this is large :-)), Ref. 5960P.The movement is the new automatic caliber CH28-520 IRMQA24H with 40 jewels, a 55 hour power reserve and a flyback column-wheel, a power reserve indicator, an annual calendar, and day/night display. The rotor is 21kt gold. And, like all Patek Philippe mechanical movements, this new caliber has been awarded the prestigious Geneva Seal.The patented Patek Philippe Annual Calendar is a full calendar that automatically recognizes months with 30 and 31 days and, assuming that the watch is always running, only needs to be manually correct...

I ve never been a big fan of TAG Heuer, but I do like their classics. Like this one below, the Monaco (also known as the Steve McQueen model):Photo by -AndrewIn this thread at TimeZone they are showing off their Heuer Monaco watches. If you are interested, take a look.For the real Steve McQueen (and/or Heuer) fans, there is a clothing line by this brand called ‘Vintage 55 dedicated to Steve McQueen. In a local shop (Oger) here in The Netherlands they sell Vintage 55 ‘Steve McQueen clothing (including the Heuer badge :-))....

…according to the prestigious Watch of the Year 2005 Award in Japan that is. Not too long ago, the watch received the award of ??uBest Design 2005?? at the Grand Prix d???Horlogerie de la Ville de Gen??ve.Europastar.Com writes:The Watch of the Year Award is hosted by the World Photo Press (WPP), publisher for many magazines including watch magazine ??uWorld Wrist Watch Time Spec??. The Watch of the Year celebrates its 10th year anniversary this year. The Sports Professional Watch category is awarded to a highly operative watch that excels in its function. Hublot recently re-launched its ??ufusion?? concept. Big Bang, the winner at the ??uWatch of The Year Award 2005?? in Japan, is ...

Bart Thans, a Paneristi (amongst other watches) from Belgium, finished Level 1 from the famous TimeZone Watch School and created the ‘project watch below with his new skills:Incredible eh?The watch has a handwound Unitas 6498 movement inside. Read the complete story on TimeZone here.If you don t care about reading and just want to see pictures, click here....

Earlier this week I had a short but interesting mail exchange with Nick, owner of https://www.clockmaker.com.au/. He pointed this article out on his website, regarding the Dent 1508 Ship Chronometer.For collectors with a passion for accuracy, ship chronometers might interest you!Nick writes:Dent No. 1508 Ships Chronometer, signed Dent, 82 strand LONDON. Purchased by Admiralty in March 1841. Used as navigation instrument on HMS ‘Virago – 1847, HMS ‘Plover – 1869, HMS ‘ Sattelite – 1886, HMS ‘Carysfort . Serviced in 1879 Cape Observatory, 1895 Cape of Good Hope, 1895 by Mercer (famous Marine chronometer himself) , 1902 in Sydney, 1919 in Liverpool. ...

For the watch lovers amongst us who have to wear a suit every (working) day, this might cheer you up:I saw these at the Public Forum at TimeZone.com. I don t know where to get them, but if you do a quick search on eBay or Google, you might get lucky. Have seen a few cufflinks with a working watch inside, but not with this moonphase feature ??Anyway, at least leave the tie bar at home. Unless you drive a bus. ??...

The vintage Omega Constellation is the watch that basically started it all for me. The passion for watches that is. A number of relatives of mine had (and have) an Omega Constellation and it were these timepieces that got me interested in watches in the first place. I inherited a nice vintage Omega Constellation from 1968 which I truly cherish as it has been on the wrist of my grandfather for over 40 years (on a daily basis).?I also bought some Constellation watches myself as well through the years.So, it is about time I give the vintage Omega Constellation a bit of well-deserved attention here on Fratello Watches. A few months ago, we (Bert Buijsrogge and I) visited a collector of rare and ...

..it s an IWC, and I don t like IWC. Their attitude towards complaining customers on their company forum is embarrassing. Furthermore, the design of most IWC s is too sterile for me. Like Audi cars. I bet a lot of IWC fans drive Audi cars ??However, the Ingenieur is an exception to this feeling. I saw and handled one today in Gerard s shop. An IWC Ingenieur ref. IW2337. A thick and solid watch, and one of the view watches I really like for having an integrated bracelet (as the AP Royal Oak and VC Overseas).Horloge Platform Nederland is selling this one New In Box (NIB) for 4640 Euro. If I had the money, and no problems with IWC s attitude, I would probably left the store today with a new ...

Earlier this year, Seiko announced a new spring drive movement intended to mark a new beginning for the brand. And with this new Spring Drive caliber is a great way to celebrate their 60th anniversary. Time to have a closer look at the Spring Drive 9RA5.Grand Seiko was born from a simple and ambitious aim, simply to create the best watches possible. With a small selection of Seikos top watchmakers put to work in the late 50s, the first Grand Seiko was launched in December 1960. With numerology being very important, in Japan, the number 60 marks a moment of new energy and rebirth.Grand Seiko 60th AnniversaryAmong a selection of special edition watches celebrating this milestone, the brand s m...

Emmanuel Coindre has successfully achieved his challenge of rowing across the northern passage of the Pacific, from Japan to the United States, meaning almost 11,000 km in 129 days 17 hours 22 minutes and 22 seconds. Jaeger-LeCoultre supported the sportsman at each step of this daunting and ambitious undertaking, during which Emmanuel???s physical and mental preparation was confronted with extremely unfavourable weather conditions. The Master Compressor Extreme World Chronograph remained firmly strapped to his wrist throughout the voyage.Jaeger-LeCoultre introduces 30 models of this Master Compressor Extreme World Chronograph. 20 watches in titanium & steel combination and 10 watches in...

..is that you can settle for a new strap while saving up for another model… While browsing straps at TimeConnection, Elliot s shop, I found multiple interesting straps. One of them though, is a strap I would never buy because of the material it is made of. I don t mind wearing croco, calf, shark, snake and stingray straps, but a strap made out of elephant goes a bit too far for me..Would you wear one?...