It wasn t only Seiko s first quartz watch; it was the first quartz watch ever.? Quartz technology was used before, but on December 25 in 1969, Seiko introduced the first wristwatch with this technology.Today, Seiko introduces their tribute to that very first quartz watch from 1969. Meet Seiko s 1969 Quartz Astron 50th Anniversary Limited Edition as it is officially called. It is inspired by that Seiko Astron from 1969, that we showed you here before, as part of our Seiko Visit in 2015.Seiko Astron – World s First Quartz Watch in 1969Seiko 1969 Quartz Astron 50th AnniversaryQuartz movements are a somewhat tricky topic. I understand this, as you will find quartz watches as cheap as 10 Eu...
In August, we introduced FinWatchStraps to you. A company from Finland with a rather large variety of straps. If you missed that article, please click here. For September, I had a few things lined up, but thanks to the ever so active German customs those projects fell through.Dont worry; Ill keep fighting with the system. In the meantime, an old friend got in touch with us. Max from Difues Leather is a Watch Strap Review alumni, as I introduced his work to you guys in the 12th installment back in 2015. To bring you up to speed regarding Difues Leather and Max, here are a few facts about him; Max is based in Belarus, he sells through Etsy, Difues Leather also has an IG account, and he sent us...
About 90% of my watch collection consists of tool watches. And I m not the only one. This watch style is one of the most popular categories. Let s spend some time on the definition of tool watches for this episode of Watches & Pencils.What is a Tool Watch?Sorry disappoint you, but there is no exact definition for a ‘tool watch . Overall, I tend to say that a tool watch is a watch that is designed to support you during specific tasks. Most of the time, it has at least something extra to offer than time-only. A watch with an add-on, you could say. Thousands of ‘add-ons are created for tool watches. For example, the bezel on a dive watch shows divers when to begin to surface. B...
has a rich history of advertising built over the course of decades. The brand has produced some of the most remarkable ads ever created by a watch brand.? Let s take a look at eleven of these ads has created over the years.One of the most interesting and also fun things to do when diving into the history of a watch brand is to look at their advertising. has always been a brand that has created some of the most remarkable ads in the industry, not in the last part because they are connected to outstanding achievements and famous people. Some of the advertisements are stylish, some of them are thought-provoking, and some of them have a nice sense of humor to it. All of them represent a certa...
made a bold move this year by introducing their Sea-Dweller in Rolesor. Rolesor is definition of combining stainless steel and gold, as it combines the words ‘ and ‘Or, French for gold.Although you can expect anything from , a bi-color Sea-Dweller was not something I was prepared for. The Sea-Dweller is a watch I always saw as their serious diving watch. The Submariner was available in different versions, ranging from a die-hard divers watch in steel to shiny sports watch fully executed in 18-carat gold. And in bi-color, of course, with several dial options including one with precious stones (serti dials).And you know what? I think the new Sea-Dweller with reference 126603...
Even up till today, there s a Speedmaster with an LCD screen in the collection, the X-33 (since 1998). But even before that, there were several LCD Speedmaster references in production.Today, I will focus on just one of these models, the reference 186.0005. These were produced from the mid to end of the 1970s. The LCD Speedmaster always intrigued me, even during my first days of watch collecting. Whether it has to do with my year of birth (1977) and growing up with digital watches, or the fact that it reminds me of my friendship with the legendary Chuck Maddox (I once bought one for him here locally for 200 Dutch guilders and shipped it to him), the LCD has a special place in my Speedmaster ...
The Seamaster Aqua Terra has been linked to golf for quite a while now. Players Sergio Garcia and Rory McIlroy even have their own versions of this watch. But today, Omega announces their Seamaster Aqua Terra Ultra Light, with a weight of just 55 grams!I ve seen better days, as I am kept away from the European Masters in Crans Montana this week because of a middle ear infection which doesn t allow me to take the plane to Geneva. I like playing golf, and although my skills are not on any serious level (by a stretch), I like to see how the pros play this highly addictive game. Going to Crans Montana in the past actually made me start playing golf (again), as one of the teaching pros there conv...
Forget about the moon phase or perpetual calendar. We have something better, more ludicrous in store for you. Meet the Astromatic X, a fortune-telling watch from the mid-1970s.Astromatic X with a manual from @right_hand_watchThe scientific super-gadget Astromatic XCross my heart; I?did not make this tag line up. The original Astromatix booklet from that era serves as proof, and Im positive youve never read a?watch leaflet featuring so many ultra-turbo-super-phrase as this one. Reading it, youll learn about the watchs ultra-modern shape or ultra-rapid change of date. Stay calm; there is not revolutionary invention to be found here; its just a quickset by reverse setting. But you get the point...
It has only been a little over a year since Omega successfully released the new 42mm Omega Seamaster Diver 300M at Baselworld 2018. It feels like a long time ago, but it hasn t been that long since the new Seamaster Diver 300M created quite a buzz at Baselworld.The renewed edition of? Omega s iconic diver s watch received a lot of positive critics and has become one of our favourites as well. A little over twelve months later Omega has not been a part of Baselworld in 2019, and the focus has shifted to the Speedmaster. That doesn t mean that there are no Seamaster novelties to discuss for 2019. At the Swatch Group s Time to Move event, Omega introduced three new Seamaster novelties. First, t...
We bring you a look at the updated TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 16, a slightly changed chronograph that should continue to appeal to fans everywhere.Although it s not breaking news, we recently received additional information on changes to the TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 16.? Due to the popularity of this model, the changes are definitely more evolutionary than revolutionary as TAG would be foolish to toy with success. Still, I think the changes are for the better.A Basis of Comparison – TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 16In order to provide you with some background on what has changed (the new model is above), let s see where we ve been with the TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 16.? I was cruising throu...
Our world is moving at a pace faster than people flipping their watches. Things come and go as easily as your Tinder swipes. Longevity is a rare quality.The word didnt exist in my dictionary until I fell into the watch world. My then boss lectured me on longevity. Without grasping the meaning, I brushed it off.Guess what, over a decade later, Im still in watches. Now I get to work with Robert-Jan and the Fratello ring leaders who are trusted old friends and go way back, from the sites inception. We dont need to start counting. Longevity sounds better, doesnt it!? Fratello in its very early days. A screenshot from 2005, via the WayBack Archive. Fratello today, celebrating its 15th annivers...
Only last week, I received this exact question at least three times during a discussion on purchasing a (new) watch.I received this question by email and twice during a discussion in the flesh. In a time where has issues delivering their goods to the final customers, or at least to fulfil the demand, there s a limitation on what you can buy. But if we include vintage and pre-owned watches, there s still enough to choose from. We re not into paying over retail for anything, so forget about the grey market supply for . Or douchy ADs who are willing to sell you one for a premium.You Asked Us: What would you buy?So basically, the question was directed at me. What I would buy. I can t decide f...
We break down the event that unveiled the Omega Seamaster Ultra Deep and think about the future.It s been days since the reveal of the Omega Seamaster Ultra Deep at the British Museum in London, but the event left a lasting impression with me.? For certain, the creation of a watch able to withstand 15,000 meters of depth was extremely impressive, but there were other things at work that made this day significant.? Like every other site, we were Johnny on the spot with an article once the embargo dropped, but let s now take a deeper look at what happened that day, the reaction to the watch, and what we think might develop as a result.London – Never a Bad ChoiceI love London and to those...
Here are our Top 5 coolest watches for the 2019 beach season.If you are one of those guys who has designated watches for different occasions and places, chances are you probably have a beach/holiday watch. For some, a holiday watch is the same as a beater. A timepiece you can wear carelessly whether you are doing some work around the house, messing with your car in the garage or playing in the pool with the kids. Others wear one watch all day, every day. A Submariner, an Omega Seamaste perhaps a Seiko Turtle or whatever else. Again others and Im also one of these guys, have watches for different occasions; dress watch for the suit and tie, bigger sports watches for the jeans and t-shirt att...
Although a sports watch can be very versatile, there s always room (and an occasion) for a good dress watch in your collection. That s why we share with you our top 10 dress watches.For some, there s only one dress watch: a Patek Philippe Calatrava. Like the Patek reference 5227 for example. A beautiful simple three-hand watch, in precious metal. There s no solid definition of a dress watch, but for this article, we keep it to two to three hands and a date window as ‘extra complication. That s just what we feel a simple dress watch is about, although we certainly can see a watch with more complications as a dress watch as well.We cover mainly sports watches here on Fratello. That s wh...
Atelier Del Sur is a small company of long time watch collectors and leather artisans with more than 20 years in the handmade leather business, but just recently felt the need of making what they were looking for years, high quality handmade watch straps with no machine interventions.When you order a strap from Atelier Del Sur the process starts and ends with one craftsman that creates the entire strap from beginning to end. His or her hand makes every cut, application of wax, buff of the hide and hand stitch. That is by far not the most efficient way of making anything, and very few things today are made this way: but it does imbue the final product with a soul as if it was made personally ...
We go hands on with the Seiko Seahorse 6601-8830, a rare piece from 1964 that foreshadows a far more famous Seiko.I ve mentioned this several times, but I ll say it again; it s really easy to find oneself in a rabbit hole when browsing through vintage Seiko models.? The search generally starts with a specific target, but those auction sites just pull you in by offering up suggestions at the bottom of a given listing.? Or, even more captivating, just type a few words into Google images and literally thousands of pictures show up, thereby taking one s once innocuous wish list and turning it into something the length of a piece of governmental legislation.? Such is life and it s how I stumbled ...
We have word of a new diver, the Seiko Prospex Twilight Blue, a special edition for the European and US markets.Seiko is no stranger to special editions.? With the announcement of the new?Seiko Prospex Twilight Blue, the brand keeps things rolling with their newest regional offering.? ?In the past, it was Japan and some southeast Asian countries receiving all the attention, but this newest diver is marketed primarily towards the European and US market.? It s almost weekly now that Seiko announces some sort of a limited or special offering.? To recap what s gone on lately with Seiko, there have been multiple collaboration pieces with Japanese designers and fashion companies, a limited edition...
Desiring an ornate, yet incredibly capable diver?? Look no further than the new Omega Seamaster 300 Malachite on strap.Malachite and Azurite- My Grandfather and Father enjoyed a fair bit of lapidary work as a hobby and I still recall being quizzed about different gemstones.? When it came to that unfinished stone in blue and green, there was only one answer: malachite and azurite.? And so it was with great pleasure when I flipped through Omegas 2019 novelties and came across one gorgeously audacious watch, the yellow gold Omega Seamaster 300 Malachite thats now available on strap.? Its so wild that it almost makes the new 300M in Sedna Gold seem a touch normal.Yellow Gold Seamasters C Our Sof...
Swatch The Netherlands invites you to visit their unique pop-up store to experience their new Flymagic watches.Are you ready to discover the depth of the Swatch Flymagic movement, its spectacular innovation and the latest technology? Three models, limited to 500 each, are now being delivered to selected countries. For the Dutch market, a limited number of watches will be made available of these three Flymagic models. Do you want to secure yours? Make sure to act fast, as the ‘first come, first served rule is applied.The price of the Swatch Flymagic is $1500, regardless of which version of the three.Discover, experience and reserve on:Saturday May 18th: 11am – 5pmSunday May 19th:...
