One of our readers contributes a tribute to the late (and legendary) Chuck Maddox. Some of the Speedmaster enthusiasts that have been around a bit longer already, have probably encountered Chuck Maddox on one of the forums or via his own website. In 2004, RJ published a multi-part interview with Chuck Maddox here on Fratello Watches. Later on, it has been republished in one complete article for your convenience. While it is already 14 years old, some of the topics discussed are still valid. You can find the complete interview with Chuck Maddox here. If you are not familiar with Chuck Maddox, who sadly passed away in 2008, he was one of the first Speedmaster (and chronographs in general) coll...

Todays #TBT takes a look at a Seiko 6619-8060 MACV-SOG and its a watch, when first examined, that doesnt really stand out as something special. That trait, as well see, is actually significant. More significant, perhaps, is the fact that the MACV-SOG lore surrounding this Seiko and a couple other variants grew out of a forum posting on the Seiko Citizen Watch Site and has now grown into what I can only describe as an ever-evolving research project. Its fascinating stuff and reminds that in this day of Insta(gram)nt gratification, the method of posting within a forum still bears some serious merit. Yes, todays article is about a watch, but its also a little about history and the power of coll...

The strap game is strong for the Speedmaster so we continue our quest to that perfect 20mm weapon of choice. We were contacted by Paul from Paul Twice to give their straps a try and we gladly did so. By the way, the name Paul Twice refers to the two Pauls who are running the company.We were asked to select three straps from their webshop and we decided to go for the cognac suede, brown horween?and whiskey cordovan. All in 20mm, although Paul Twice also offers them in 18mm and 22mm.Paul Twice Loves SpeedmastersNot much later, the cognac suede, brown horween and whisky cordovan straps arrived at the Fratello HQ in The Hague. As Paul Twice shows most of the straps they are selling mounted to an...

I am not a mono-brand collector, although sometimes it does seem that way. I have watches from all sorts of brands, but the majority are indeed from one brand - Omega.Although I ve touched upon the topic of Omega and its connection with my family before, I thought I would freshen up a story that I wrote a few years ago.Why do I love Omega?I am often asked why I only buy and wear Omega watches. Well, that s not entirely the case of course. I also own watches from other brands like Oris, Breguet, Nomos, , Hamilton, Seiko, Chronoswiss, Breitling, Swatch, G-Shock, and a bunch of other perhaps lesser-known ones. And in the past, Ive owned IWC, Sinn, Audemars Piguet, Linde Werdelin, and others as ...

Fortis has been working hard to restructure their brand. Their goal is to keep the old values yet give a modern twist to the Grenchen-based watch manufacture. They skipped Baselworld this year to focus on this restructuring. From time to time we still hear from them though. Let that be a watch review, a bit of an inside information on what the future holds for them or an event. And we love to take part if we have the time to do it. The latter brought us together for a great even in Switzerland with PC-7. Heres our photo essay. Private LabelNot sure if theres another brand out there with close ties to flying squadrons, companies, and rescue forces than Fortis. Their Private label is a service...

Some of you might have thought that Watch Strap Review disappeared from our pages. This feature did not vanish but went on an extended holiday. However, Im happy to report that we are back and have something special for you guys today. This articles topic is not entirely new, you could read about a similar project from the same brand a while ago (here). The company is G.L.C. Straps, an Italian strap manufacturer. We did a review of their products as early as 2015, one of the earliest companies in WSR. GLC flies under the radar for the most part but their products are great. The prices are very reasonable, all handmade in Italy (Rome, to be precise) a great option if you want to extend your s...

I ve been into watches since the 1990s and started Fratello in 2004. Ever since I ve seen a lot of different watch bracelets. It always amazed me that only a few watch brands are getting it ‘right with these bracelets. Sometimes, they look gorgeous but wear like crap. And other times, the looks aren t very attractive but wear fantastic. It is a very personal and thus subjective matter of course, but let me share with you the best watch bracelets in my book.Top 10 Best Watch Bracelets1. PresidentThe King, euh, President, of all bracelets as far as I am concerned. Only available in precious metals like white gold, yellow gold, red (Everose) gold and platinum. It consists of three semi-...

We re honoured to receive a constant flow of emails from our readers. Most of them asking for advice on watch related issues. In this new weekly recurring topic, ‘You Asked Us we ll answer one of these emails in public.This Week s Question, or TudorThis week one of the questions we received came from reader T. from The Netherlands. He asked us ‘ or Tudor? , and here s his (translated) question:For me, Fratello Watches is a useful website, containing independent information which is nicely presented. In terms of web experience it s a nice site from which, with pleasure, I took a lot of different information. Now here s my question:I still regret that, back in 1983, I didn t stra...

The legendary Omega Seamaster PloProf has been deservedly praised by many collectors. However, a lot of the information that was published up till now has been wrong. A number of collectors have now set the record straight, with the help of Omega s?International Brand Heritage Manager Petros Protopapas and his team. Not only that, the authors have performed deep research by going through Omega s archives themselves as well as collecting and analyzing material from other watch collectors. This doesn t necessarily mean you can toss away the book on the Ploprof by Jon Wallis, but it surely is important to acknowledge that some of the information in there is outdated now.54mm in width, 45mm in l...

Just like every year, Seiko is one of our favorite visits. They always bring some great limited edition pieces while updating their normal production line with competitive and attractive offerings. As always, theres a lot to see, so well break down the pieces into a couple articles. Today, well focus on the Prospex watches and well return with more on Grand Seiko, the Presage line and a few Astrons for good measure. Seiko Prospex at Baselworld 2018 was a big year for divers, especially with a look back at pieces 40 and 50 years ago C lets take a look.Seiko 1978 Quartz Saturation Divers Re-creation Limited Edition ?Well stay away from the mouthful of a name above and call this new piece from ...

Theres no doubt about it, Baselworld 2018 is the year of the GMT for the group. The flagship brand dropped a new steel Pepsi version of the aviators watch, gave the white gold Pepsi version a blue dial to help differentiate things, and even brought back the root beer bezel on both gold and bi-metal variants. With its more approachable understudy, though, people have been wondering if and when a watch with GMT function would finally debut. Well, with the introduction of the new Tudor Black Bay GMT, that day is here.Tudor kicked off Baselworld 2018 the night before its annual press conference with a video showing a new series of automatic, dressier watches called the 1926 line. Tudor did litt...

The Speedmaster 376.0822 was nicknamed ‘Holy Grail by Chuck Maddox for one simple reason: according to himself he searched for this watch with the intensity that King Arthur searched for the Holy Grail. He began calling the Speedmaster?376.0822 the Grail because he was that obsessed with it.It is not the first Speedmaster that received a nickname by its collectors, as the ‘Broad Arrow for example was used before for the CK2915. However, we could say that it was surely one of the first nicknames given by collectors to a Speedmaster. Chuck loved the Speedmaster 376.0822 for a couple of good reasons, most important was the combination of the Speedmaster ‘Moonwatch case and ...

This week, we have another collector s story for our Speedy Tuesday feature. Our reader Alexander submitted this story about his collection of Omega Speedmaster Professional watches from 1969. A special year for the Speedmaster, as it became the Moonwatch on that day in July 1969. Something that did not happen by accident, of course, but was the result of an official procurement process and some rigorous testing. We covered that entire process here. Although it was the reference 105.003 that was subject to these tests and the later 105.012 and 145.012 references that were sent to NASA for actual use by astronauts, the 145.022 received the case back with the First Watch Worn on the Moon and F...

A hook-up for a new strap for our Watch Strap Review feature comes from all sources. Sometimes I search for a strap on the web and new name pops, other times somebody suggests me a company they worked with. This time, I stumbled upon Peter and his amazing company Watchacc on Instagram. It just so happens that we have more than one mutual friend from within the collectors sphere. So I reach out to my good friend Jack Wong and asked him if he could connect me to Peter. Jack was of course happy to help and introduced us. We corresponded with Peter a bit but from the first moment I sensed that he understands what were doing at Fratello and what could be interesting for us. He graced us with two ...

Somewhere in 2014, Balazs wrote an article on two possible sleeper watches. His explanation back then: A sleeper is a watch that has no significantly high price tag today but is likely to gain value or become more sought-after in a few (more) years time. This could be because of historical significance, because it was produced in a smaller number or maybe because – like everything in life – fashion changes. Five years ago nobody would care about a 1980s Casio or Seiko quartz watch, nowadays thousands of trendy teenagers rummaging throughout their dad s drawers in hope of a working example that they can wear with their skinny jeans, knitted hats and flannel shirts.Omega Seamaster ...

It is the last Tuesday of the year, the perfect opportunity to show you our best read Speedy Tuesday articles in 2017. Some of the Speedy Tuesday articles that are very popular, such as our Buyer s Guides?or our Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch versus Reduced article, have been written before 2017 (but updated) so we don t include those.Find below our Top 5 of the best read Speedy Tuesday articles of 2017.5. Why I Purchased an Omega Speedmaster Professional (and which one)We start our Top 5 of the best read articles with a contribution from one our readers and Speedmaster fans. James talks about his 1995 tritium Speedmaster Professional and why he specifically chose to buy this model. It i...

A Merry Christmas to all our readers who are celebrating! This year, we return to where I essentially started with Fratello Watches and thats with a look at a . It was three years ago that I wrote about the Submariner 14060M and its time for a repeat engagement C with a twist. Yes, this is an examination of a diving , but of the deepest of them all: the Sea-Dweller. Kick up your feet, pour a glass and relax, its time for a Holiday installment of #TBT with the vintage Sea-Dweller 1665.My mind works in mysterious ways. It mines an extensive backlog of trivial information, often making tangential (read: loose at best) connections between what are essentially disparate subjects. And so it shoul...

Tutima presents a new 40-mm midsize model C made in Glashu?tteThe new Saxon One M is a perfect choice for everyone who loves a self-assured look and is consciously seeking an entry-level Tutima model. Maroon Brown dial, ref. no.6121-01.Wear your dreams! The new Saxon One M was conceived with the aspiration of offering a high-quality wristwatch at an affordable price. This 40-millimetre midsize model in the successful watch family from Glashu?tte is ideal for everyone who appreciates distinctive styling and is looking for a reliable timepiece in the luxury class.This youngest member of the Saxon One family celebrated its world premiere at Baselworld in 2017. The case size has been reduced by ...

In 2017, the second oldest Swiss watch brand, Favre-Leuba, celebrates its 280th anniversary with a ground-breaking watch. The Raider Bivouac 9000 is the first mechanical wristwatch capable of measuring altitudes of up to an incredible 9000 meters above sea level. The 48mm, titanium case houses an aneroid barometer, that allows the watch to indicate the elevation at a given point by reacting to the changing air pressure surrounding it.Drawing learning from its own past, when Favre-Leuba was renowned for pushing boundaries and challenging frontiers, the brand continues the vision of its forefathers with the new model while paying homage to the namesake from 1962. The iconic watch which is toda...

As we introduced you to our Catawiki Favorites (Editor s Choice) two weeks ago already (click here), this time we show you three different watches of our choice. A tough one, as we could choose from a nice variety of watches (and brands). However, this week we picked a Yema, Omega and Heuer.We have partnered with Catawiki to bring you a selection of interesting watches they ve auctioned. Different from the other auctioneers in the market, Catawiki started originally in 2008 as a website where collectors could manage and keep track of their collections (comics for example). Then, because of growing popularity of the website, Catawiki started to host weekly auctions for collectible objects, in...