While browsing the ViaPaneristi forum, I came across a post by AdrianNJ. He shows off his neat collection, and one of the watches really stands out…. this D.Dornbluth & Sohn!! Good Taste!Picture by AdrianNJ...

Are you looking to buy an Omega Speedmaster but don t know where to start? We re here to help! Over the past 65+ years, Omega has created many variations of one of the world s most famous chronographs. The classic 42mm Moonwatch has been in the collection since 1965, and to the novice eye, little has changed since then. But if you look a bit closer, you will find that the Speedmaster evolved quite a bit in the decades that followed.In this Speedmaster guide, we ll give you an overview of the most important references of the Speedmaster (Professional) and some of its variations. Although this article isn t meant as a pricing guide, we will give some hints, of course. If you re already a knowl...

A quick look on the website of Kwekkeboom Juweliers (in Netherlands) learned me that jewelers and watchsellers who don t do business on the web are better informed than some of us would think. This jeweler will text you (Short Message Service) on your mobile when your watch is ready to be picked up from service or repair. Ofcourse, they will first try to call you, but as busy as we are, we are not always able to answer every call.Oh btw, hurry up, they are having sale in both their shops (IWC, Ebel, B&M, Zenith etc)....

Maastricht is (just like The Hague) one of the nicer cities in The Netherlands ?? My girlfriend and I went there this weekend to relax a bit and do some shopping. I took the opportunity to check out some watchshops in Maastricht!The first shop I paid a visit was Scorpione. The shop is located near the central station of Maastricht and besides watches, they also sell jewellery in gold and silver. The watches they sell are all vintage and displayed in the shop and on their website. The owner of the shop showed me two Movados, a gold chronograph and a steel chronograph. Both with inhouse Movado calibers. The stainless steel model featured an hour totalizer and the gold model didn t. The owner o...

I get a lot of e-mails lately, to quote my best price on watches I even have never held in my hands. So, to clear a few things, I do not sell new watches. I might sell some used watches occasionally, from my own collection or those of friends, but I don t sell new Breitling Bentley models or Patek Philippe Calatrava. People seem to think, after reading an article (some times full of bashing) they can order it right away.Oh, and I recently got two e-mails on the name Fratello Watches. To some it looks like a commercial name or website, but it is not. Fratello is Italian for Brother, which is Broer in Dutch, which is my last name. And Watches… well, that s what it is about! (most of the ...

I read about this brand before, also on WristWatchReview.com, but the last Dutch copy of Miljonair Magazine (and I am not the target audience probably :-)) did a small essay on ‘bling watches. Ritmo Mundo and ofcourse the terrible creations for hiphopping USA, Jacob & Co were both heavily mentioned in the article as being awfully hip and populair amongst Paris Hilton, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, 50 cents and a lot of his iced homies.To quote probably the same target audience, these watches are like school on sunday… no class!...

Speaking of Constellations (see post below), last weekend I visitted my grandfather and he told me he was quite happy with the accuracy and new ‘looks of his Constellation. Some years ago, before the watch got a complete overhaul, I wrote a small essay/review on his watch. Next time I visit him, I should make a new picture of his watch. The dial is cleaned up and the crystal and case are bright and shiny again.Anyway, the review can be found here. Mind you, it is dated (2001) and the pictures are made with a digital camera which probably is even cheaper nowadays than a leather strap....

The Paneristi Vancouver Get ToGether reports (2 parts) can be found here and here at Paneristi.com.Nice to see so much variation:...

When I started collecting watches in the late 1990 s, my watch dealer – and now Fratello contributor – Gerard told me that I needed a Datejust. Can t go wrong with a Datejust as they always work. With anything.. A short and simple statement from someone who had – by that time already – seen and tried it all. A few years later, just after graduation, I got my first Datejust. It was a vintage Datejust from 1969, with reference 1600, on a jubilee bracelet that was clearly added later. I managed to find a couple of extra bezels, including the fluted white gold one, so I could change it to a reference ‘1601 when I felt like it. It was also an easy watch to wear on...

When I borrowed the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Rubber Clad from Watch-Site, I got the AP Royal Oak 15300 as well. Just to?get some look & feel?about this watch. Not too long ago, I was a bit reluctant on this particular model, since there was only one Royal Oak, and that was the Royal Oak Jumbo, also known as the ref.15202ST. I have written many times on this Jumbo by Audemars Piguet, saying it was my dream watch or number 1 or 2 (this position changes back and forth with the PP Nautilus 5711/1A) watch that I need to have somewhere in life. ??Friends of mine have the 15202 and are quite clear on the 15300. A no-brainer, because of the second hand with the ‘wing on the shor...

I really thought that I had seen all kind of possible threads and topics on watchforums, until I crossed this post at TimeZone by beauSF.The whole thread is about watch store girls and which store has the prettiest….. Must have been a slow day at TimeZone yesterday.. ??...

Are you looking to buy an Omega Speedmaster but don t know where to start? We re here to help! Over the past 65+ years, Omega has created many variations of one of the world s most famous chronographs. The classic 42mm Moonwatch has been in the collection since 1965, and to the novice eye, little has changed since then. But if you look a bit closer, you will find that the Speedmaster evolved quite a bit in the decades that followed.In this Speedmaster guide, we ll give you an overview of the most important references of the Speedmaster (Professional) and some of its variations. Although this article isn t meant as a pricing guide, we will give some hints, of course. If you re already a knowl...

Since a few days, WatchUseek, one of the bigger watchportals on the internet, lead by Ernie Romers, just got improved and restyled. A few months back, WatchUSeek installed new forum software which makes it easier to post and manage your threads, and now, the whole site got restyle by a U.K. web design company. See for yourself and make sure to register and post!...

Another OysterQuartz fansite here. However, only for the people who can read German. However, if you click here, you can download some QuickTime movies on these watches and their movements....

I am back from my trip to Italy. Maybe I will post some pictures later on. Besides Rome, Perugia, Siena, the Trasimeno lake I visitted Florence. And ofcourse, the Panerai boutique. The salesperson gave a tour in the small Panerai Museum they have some floors up and it was marvelous. Didn t take pictures of it though, as I have seen loads of these on other websites (Paneristi.com).I wonder what is up with the Italians when it comes to watches. I just saw 1 Panerai in the wilde, in Rome. Just 1. Couldn t make up what it was because I saw in in a flash on someone s wrist. It was just all over. I wonder how many of them were real, because even the guy serving ice cream on the campsite wore a Da...

Marcus Hanke wrote a review/posting on the new Senator series, introduced at Basel 2005.About four years ago, Heinz W. Pfeifer, then president of Glash?otte Original, mentioned a new automatic movement, designated cal. 100, to be in development. Of course, this stirred some unrest among the fans of the brand, and many hesitated to purchase a watch with a movement that seemingly would be replaced within some months or so.However, the years passed by, and the cal. 100 remained unseen. We knew it would eventually come and replace the traditional GO standard movement, the cal. 39, but the exact date of its release was unclear.Finally, at the Basel fair 2005, Dr. Frank M?oller, now the man at the...

The design of the Submariner 114060, is unmistakably , despite the size and use of modern materials such as ceramics. Compare the modern 114060 to the 1953 Submariner 6204 and you will immediately notice that these watches share the same DNA.Owning and wearing a Submariner is one thing, but to dive into the history of this watch is quite a task. To make it somewhat easier for you, we hereby show you the history of the Submariner in a nutshell, including a table with most important references since 1953 till the current line-up of Submariner watches.Diving Into SubmarinerThe Submariner is a watch with an interesting story. Introduced over 60 years ago, the current Submariner model (updat...

Finally, my review on the Panerai PAM00113.Click here to read it!...

??uAlbert Einstein (1879 – 1955)?? Exhibition for the centenary of the Theory of relativity:the new doctrine of time according to Einstein.The exhibition is the most comprehensive and expensive event devoted to Albert Einstein ever staged. It is running from June 16, 2005 to April 17, 2006 at the Historisches Museum in Switzerland???s capital city of Bern. Named ??uperson of the century?? by Time Magazine, Albert Einstein lived in Bern from 1902 to 1909 ?? the most scientifically fruitful period of his life. His Longines pocket watch is being displayed for the first time at this exhibition as an eloquent reminder that with his theory of relativity Einstein changed forever our percep...

Mr. Genta, I need a steel sports watch that has never been done before, I want it to be something totally new and waterproof. That was the message to Gerald Genta by then Audemars Piguet CEO Mr. Golay. Not much later, the Royal Oak was born. The rest is history. Today, it is one of the most coveted watches in the world.There was a time, not even too long ago, that I wore a Royal Oak watch on the wrist almost every single day. It was my dream watch. Ever since I saw the watch in one of the Audemars Piguet catalogs, I decided that a Royal Oak was my grail watch. My first purchase was the Royal Oak 15300. A 39mm watch with AP s then relatively new in-house developed caliber 3120. I couldn t hav...