I have to confess, when Yacine Sar, Urwerks PR manager, showed me the prototypes of their new Urwerk UR106 for ladies earlier this year, I was drooling. Urwerk had never made a ladies watch before and while not very petite, this is the first one made for the opposite sex.It was back in 2005, when I bought my UR103.03, one of the earlier models, with that amazing U-shaped mineral crystal. For me it was Star Wars and after all those years, of seeing the rotating satellites going around and around, the watch hasn t bored me for a minute.Since then, more models followed within the 103 series and the Urwerk collection started to grow, also with more complicated timepieces, like the UR201, the fir...
June 8, 2017: You can now sign-up for the same adventure as described in this article. Sign-up for the Grand Seiko Experience with Fratello Watches.In July this year, I received a phone call from Seiko whether I d be interested in the?Seiko Media Experience 2015 tour in Japan. I gladly accepted this invitation, as?I was very curious about Seiko and their production facilities as well as about Japan itself. Although the program of the Seiko Media Experience was fully packed with visits and traveling within Japan, it would probably gave me a little peek into this fascinating country.The Seiko Media Experience 2015 tour consisted of:a couple of seminars on the Astron, Grand Seiko and Prospex wa...
I travel around quite a bit for this watch thing. When I am not in a plane to Switzerland, I might be driving around to visit a retailer, brand or meet with (other) watch enthusiasts and collectors. Although I think I still have a life besides watches, my wife has different thoughts on this topic. Anyway, I don t want to bore you with the regular recurring discussions on traveling that I have with my loved ones.When I travel, my aluminum Rimowa Topas Cabin Trolley is my reliable companion that keeps my laptop, camera, toothbrush and watches safe.?Depending on the duration of the trip, I d like to take at least two watches with me when traveling. Having them inside an aluminum trolley is alre...
Im back with another episode of our favorite accessories series: Watch Strap Review. Last month I took some time off but Ive returned and have so much to share with you. First and foremost Im happy to announce that Watch Strap Review is back on the imaginary road again. We continue our travels across the globe to find you the best strap makers out here. Also, for the last two months of the year we thought we should give you an early Christmas present with a double-dose of WSR. In November and December you wont only have one but two episodes per month.The strap maker I am about to present to you comes from up north from a country youd never guess. Hes making straps, wallets, key chains everyt...
We cover a lot of vintage Seiko on #TBT and we do it for good reason. Ive spoken at length about the great value one receives when buying a vintage Seiko. The quality of the pieces certainly stand up to almost anything Swiss that was sold during the 1960s -1970s and this relates to the general finishing and robustness of the movements. Due to the latter part, older Seikos are some of the most reliable vintage watches on the market. If theyve had a recent inexpensive service, theyll run like a diesel-powered big rig C not the sexiest looking at times, but fantastically stout. Regarding the looks, Ive come to accept the often staid, yet clean designs that Seiko often employed, but I do enjoy t...
Ever since Tudor unleashed their Heritage Black Bay in 2012, the watch community embraced it! I honestly don t know anyone who has criticized this timepiece for any reason. This is a rare thing, as it seems everyone has his or her own opinion about a timepiece, positive or negative. Only a few watches out there seem to be regarded as great, offering a lot of bang for the buck, original, authentic and so on. The Tudor Heritage Black Bay is one of them. Today, Tudor introduces the Heritage Black Bay Black. Fratello Watches had the opportunity to go hands-on with this piece before the official introduction today, which gave us enough time to fiddle around with it and have it in our own photo st...
I started thinking about this almost a year ago. Last autumn, my Dad turned 64 and it immediately drew my attention to the big 65 that was coming a short twelve months later. I honestly had no idea of what to get him but I knew that it needed to be a watch. It was one of those what do you get the person who has everything conundrums and while my Dad certainly doesnt have everything, hes like most guys in the sense that he generally procures what he wants/needs without waiting. Anyhow, I knew I wanted the watch to be special, sporting, and, of course, vintage. Additionally, I wanted to somehow blend in the love of cars and racing into the purchase as my Dad instilled this within me from a ver...
Scatola del Tempo 2+2 Over Size ReviewYour prized possessions deserve a prized place for storage. There are a number of options available. On the most basic level, you can go with the original box supplied with the watch. Of course if you have more than one watch it might get a bit uncomfortable displaying all of them on the bedside table, right? If you put it on a shelf you need a whole lot of space, not to mention a safe. Those are usually not the size of a cupboard. Then there is the watch box. This comes in various sizes. You can have one from 2 all the way up to 20-30 etc. watch slots. Prices are just as versatile as the number of the aforementioned slots. Cheap Chinese ones go for as l...
Value, amongst its several meanings from Meriam-Webster, is defined as relative worth, utility or importance. Taking it a step further, value is often assigned when price is taken into consideration. If we digest all of this, we, as vintage watch collectors often search for watches possessing great value. Some, such as Omega Speedmasters, are well known, but, thankfully, there still exist pockets C they are fewer and fewer sadly C of low cost, high value in the marketplace. Todays #TBT covers a piece that, every time I don it, I smile because its so damn good looking. Its awfully wearable and it provides a bona fide alternative to a lot of NATO-clad, faux USA-made, silly quartz hipster piece...
Here is?something interesting for the?weekly dose of vintage awesomeness also known as Throw Back Thursday or #TBT. This week we drift away from the vintage chronographs that ruled #TBT and jump into the world of dive watches (sorry about the pun). Our subject for this episode managed to fly under the radar for a long time but we feel its time to shed some light on the piece and explain just how remarkable it is in the flesh with its rare technical details. So without any further ado please meet our subject:?#TBT Aquastar Seatime Ref. 1007.Aquastar SeatimeAquastar S.A. is one of those brands that you definitely come across if you read more about vintage divers. The Benthos 500 with its outst...
Since we started with Speedy Tuesday in 2012, we receive many e-mails from readers about advice on Omega Speedmaster watches. The content of these e-mails vary from questions to help us authenticate a vintage Speedmaster, give advice where to buy a Speedmaster as well as which models to go after. In the past, we did a Speedmaster Buyer s Guide?series to give some pointers for those who are in the market for a Speedmaster. However, giving advice on which Speedmaster to buy is difficult, as there are so many?different models and just as many differences in taste.Top 5 Omega Speedmaster WatchesIn this article I will give my personal Top 5 Omega Speedmaster watches, based on new or at least rece...
Watches are the main focus of Fratello Watches. However with our monthly Strap Review articles and many similar articles we try to bring you some interesting stuff from the world of accessories. We have already introduced G.L.C. Straps for you guys not too long ago. Owner Massimiliano and his team?are known all over the world. They attend watch shows such as the Munich and Miami fairs. If you are at one of these events chances are high you will meet them. If you do so, make sure you check out the following items.CamouflageIf you want something special for your timepiece but afraid that with the camouflage pattern it looks too military even if the watch is not, dont be afraid. Camouflage is g...
You probably?know that we have a strong?focus on watches that are available for the wider audience. Watches that represent excellent value for money. In my book a watch is considered a member of the above group if it has a mechanical movement and a?price tag up to $3,000 USD. The watch we are about to review today is no exception from this category. For your viewing pleasure: the Davosa World Traveller Automatic.Davosa World Traveller AutomaticI think the first time I came across this brand was an ad in one of those onboard magazines during a flight. To be honest I did not know if this was a resurrected old brand or a fairly new company. Well its a little bit of both. Davosa was founded in 1...
Remember we introduced you to Toolwatch? An initiative from a few guys who work in the watch industry and decided that it was time for an on-line tool to measure the accuracy of your your watch. In case you missed it, click this article for a more thorough introduction on Toolwatch. In the meanwhile, they have 1500 watches measured!Measuring the accuracy of your watchAn accurate mechanical watch is not something to think lightly of. Your mechanical watch is a complex piece of work and it is not a given fact that it will keep perfect time. Bumps, shocks and magnetism, it can all influence the accuracy of your watch. Although you will see the Witschi equipment on many watchmaker s benches, the...
Seikos 6309 diver is one of those watches that everyone seems to know and love. Instantly recognizable due to its bold case shape and stark dial, Id say its one of the more important watches created during the last 30-40 years. In todays #TBT, well take a closer look at the famous 6309 and try to explain why its so beloved. Ill also highlight its dark side, which actually makes the thrill of the hunt, and the kill, that much more enjoyable when a proper piece is located.The 6309-7040/9 was introduced in 1976 and lasted an incredible 13 years through 1988. The 7040 nomenclature refers to a model sold to the Japan market and the 7049 is rest of world which was primarily the USA. In comparison ...
With our recurring reviews on watch straps it was great to see local Dutch watch strap maker Olaf Lugten from Dstrap, announce the worlds first?‘strap maker workshop . After getting in touch we were one of the lucky few to join Olaf for this master class (as we like to call it) that took takes place in his workshop in Alkmaar.After being welcomed we all did a quick introduction?about ourselves,?followed by Olaf kicking off his master class, doing so by explaining why he started making his own straps and what motivates him to do it the way he does. In short it was the lack of quality that he was expecting and the missing buyer experience when buying after market watch straps in general....
The story starts, not with my 1978 Speedmaster 145.022 but on a July day in 1961 in West London. Three months earlier Yuri Gagarins Vostok One took the first man into space. Now aged 7, I stood with my Dad in the crowds lining the streets near our house in Hounslow. As Gagarins car drove past towards London Airport he waved and even today I get butterflies just thinking about that moment. On Yuris wrist during that first manned earth orbit C a Sturmanskie watch made by the First Moscow Watch Factory. The first watch in space.Fast forward 8 years to July 1969. I was watching grainy black and white TV pictures with my family of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepping onto the Moons surface. On...
Every week we receive tons of e-mail from people who are looking for an Omega Speedmaster, new or pre-owned. That s our own fault, as we have our Speedy Tuesday topic that has turned into a crazy but popular phenomenon. So, we are happy to answer these e-mails but also thought about putting some generic articles on-line that makes both your and our lives a bit easier. You can ready part 1 about the different Speedmaster models and part 2 about sourcing them.This third part of the Speedmaster Buyer s Guide is about paying attention to details. What is important and what s isn t. As some of the e-mails we receive also include questions about new or young pre-owned models, we will also try to i...
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...
It is already about a month ago that BaselWorld 2015 took place. For Fratello Watches, the first time we were present at the show with no less than 5 team members. Running from appointment to appointment, seeing and touching brand new watch collections, some time even prototypes still, talking to brand s representatives, attending diners and drinks… all hard work.We thought it would be nice to give you a run-down of our team s Top 5 best watches, per member. So that will be 25 watches in total, given the fact that some of us might favour the same watches. However, the reasons might vary and that should make it interesting. Also, we decided to also give one bummer watch per writer. The ...
