At last years Baselworld, Blaise and I visited Fortis as we really hadnt made contact with the brand during the last several years. We were pretty impressed with their new offerings at the time and their overall range. In fact, I reviewed the then-new Tycoon chronograph and Blaise reviewed a Monolith. We enjoyed the watches, and therefore, were looking forward to the Fortis Baselworld 2016 releases. Ill go ahead and surprise the hell out of you with this statement; Fortis brought amongst the best C if not the most attractive and reasonable C all around new collections of sports watches in the entire show. Believe it-or dont-but lets take a look.All about the details for 2016… The indic...
New Elegant ColorsThis BaselWorld, four new dial variants of the Grande Taille Extra-fort (reference number 31953) were presented by Eberhard & Co. They expanded the color palette of this traditional chronograph by adding the following combinations:A silver dial with silver subdialsA blue dial with silver subdialsA grey dial with grey subdialsA silver dial with black subdialsGeneral LooksLet me first introduce the watch in general. With its mirror polished case and raised Roman applied numerals this is definitely a classic looking watch with elegance. Due the curved lugs it also fits small wrists. Its powered?by an ETA/Valjoux 7750 chronograph movement?with two counters on 9 and 3 oclock...
Confusion all over the place. By us, by Tudor, by other members of the press. Is it called the Tudor Black Bay Black or Black Bay Dark? Tudor even mixed it up on their Instagram feed. During the presentation in BaselWorld, one day after the event we wrote about here, we were able to sort it out quickly when Tudor management got involved. It is the Black Bay Dark, it was wrong on the presentation slide and wrong on the official Tudor feed on Instagram.Tudor Black Bay DarkAll confusion aside, the Tudor Black Bay Dark is killing it. Probably – again – Tudor released the most talked about piece in Basel, perhaps it even overshadows the enthusiasm for the new Daytona. That might have...
Just recently I wrote about the new Omega Globemaster Annual Calendar (click here). The responses on our social media channels were a bit mixed, especially about the writing on the dial. However, like always, it is something you can only really judge when you saw the watch(es) in the flesh. Today we did. Our first appointment in BaselWorld, on the first day, was with Omega and the entire Fratello Watches team was impressed by the new line-up of Globemaster watches (we will get to the Speedmasters in another article). Omega had over 100 new references and 62 of them have a movement that has the new Master Chronometer certification. We explained all about that in this article.The new Omega Glo...
Yesterday evening Bert and I had a wonderful event organized?by Tudor.?After we ve gathered at hotel ‘Les Trois Rois in rainy Basel we were guided under umbrellas by the head of design by Tudor. Only 500 meters further a boat with military camouflage was waiting for us. We entered the stealthy boat and after the lights went out?a captain transported us to our final destination. A long corridor?with blue lights and submarine sound effects led us to the?next floor. After amuses and a sparkling glass of champagne the people of Tudor led us to the dining room.The mysterious corridor with submarine sound effectsTudor added nice details to the?room creating a?nautical setting. Blue lights, ...
In January, we already showed you the new Speedmaster Moonphase Chronograph Master Chronometer ?(click here for our preview of that watch with some notes on its history) that will be unveiled tomorrow in the flesh in Basel. However, Omega has (at least) two more tricks up their sleeve for us this year: here is the Omega Speedmaster Novelties preview for 2016.Perhaps you remember this interview we did with friend of the show RJ Kama (@rjkama on Instagram) about his collection of Omega watches. We asked him about his grail Speedmaster and this is what he answered: My Grail would be a custom Speedmaster C Im sure we are very close to Omega offering this- a meteorite dialed Dark Side of the Moon...
Hey wait, a #TBT on Monday?!?! Yes!!! I was in the air last Thursday on the way from the US of A and wasnt able to publish this story on the Wittnauer 242T. Big deal-why not wait until this Thursday? Well, theres a little thing going on called Baselworld. We know our vintage fan base is a ravenous one, so you get your fix early before we inundate you with new watch news! Enjoy!!Karma can be a wonderful thing and its really what brought me the subject of todays #TBT: the Wittnauer 242T Chronograph. You see, it was a Monday night several weeks back when I told my wife that Id go to sleep relatively early and not troll the web for potential watches. The time was 10:27pm and I turned in. The nex...
The first watch review of this year by yours truly has to be something extraordinary.Thats a nice word; extraordinary. It is the best word to explain the watch we are about to take a closer look at. Let me share with you how we came across this amazing timepiece not too long ago. As our frequent readers might remember, last November, we?visited Salon QP in London. Its one of those rare occasion when we get to hang out with like-minded people, fellow journalists and with the other Fratelli as well, so its always fun. We hit the Saatchi Gallery hard, being there literary all day. The only time we are not strolling the venue was when we went to have some quality British pub food. During this lu...
Before I will rattle about the new ‘Drive de Cartier , a few words about the changes at Cartier, that brought the brand to release this new and different mens model. Cartier is known for their historic collection and design details from these early models, that?often come back in new collections. Cartier always relied on their rich design history. Since 2008 however, Cartier changed slowly from a Maison in design, to a powerhouse of ?mechanical calibers.About ten years ago, the brand built a huge 30.000m2 manufacture in La-Chaux-de-Fonds and led by Carole-Forestier Kasapi, the brand?launched one movement after another, from the 1904MC automatic caliber (that became the base caliber for...
After we were among the first to show you the new Seiko SRP777, SRP775, SRP779 and SRP73 in this post, I couldn t wait to get my hands on them and see if they are just as good as the original Seiko 6309. Michael wrote a wonderful review for our #tbt feature on the Seiko 6309 here?and he concluded with Its a cornerstone piece for any collection and it looks good in most settings. Its also one of those watches that tend to get the respectful nod from those wearing watches 10-20 times more expensive..He?also made me enthusiastic about the Seiko 6309 and found myself buying one from a Seiko collector in the United Kingdom. All parts were original and the watch was in good overall condition. I ha...
It was introduced in 2013 already, this Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra-Thin Perpetual in stainless steel. This year, Jaeger-LeCoultre showed us the Master Ultra-Thin Perpetual with a beautiful black Sunray-brushed dial. The price remains to be under $20.000 Euro, including VAT.A perpetual calendar under $20.000 Euro in ?time where some brands dare to ask that same amount for 2 or 3 hands watch in stainless steel. Apples to apples of course, but finding a perpetual calendar in stainless steel from a respectable manufacture brand like Jaeger-LeCoultre in the same price category is quite a challenge. In the pre-owned market, you will find a couple for sure, but in the market for new watches, it ...
Last year, Omega introduced the Globemaster on press day s eve in BaselWorld (we reported here). The 39mm Globemaster comes in stainless steel, bi-color, (Sedna) gold and platinum and we had the chance to review the 18ct Sedna gold version (click here for my in-depth and somewhat emotional review on the Globemaster). Last October, Omega introduced the first Globemaster that was ready for deliver during their METAS and Master Co-Axial press conference in Bienne (click here for an explanation on METAS and Master Chronometer) and soon after they started to deliver the first Omega Globemaster watches to the boutiques and retailers.Last Tuesday, March 1st, Omega presented the new Globemaster Annu...
If youve followed the vintage watch market to any extent, and #TBT for that matter, Enicar is a name that surfaces with relative frequency. The brand has become a darling to many collectors and for good reason; the watches were well built, uniquely detailed and generally well sized to current tastes. The bulk of the attention on the brand, though, has been centered on the chronographs such as the Sherpa Graph, Aqua Graph and others. Today, however, we move into another realm of tool watch from the brand: the world-timer. #TBT takes a look at an impressive piece that deserves similar attention: the Enicar Sherpa Super Jet.Many font differences on the dial of the Enicar Sherpa Super Jet only a...
Being a kid in the 1980 s, I grew up with digital watches. In fact, my first watch was a Casio that I got in 1986?during a holiday in the UK. Still have it and it still works. Today, my focus is a bit more towards mechanical watches, but I see no reason to neglect a good digital watch. Including Apple s smartwatch (that we reviewed here) and the Z-33 or X-33 from Omega. All interesting digital watches and today s subject is no different; the Tissot T-Touch Expert Solar Review.Although I was familiar with T-Touch watches, introduced in 1999, but I never actually handled one before I got my hands on this Tissot T-Touch Expert Solar. To be honest I always thought that they were a bit gimmicky a...
Unlike the Daytona, where it is quite common to make a choice between a white dial or a black dial, the Speedmaster Professional comes with a black dial. Most of the time, that is. There are some limited and numbered editions from the past where Omega decided to use a white dial instead for the Professional. In all other cases, you need to seek for Speedmaster models that do no belong to the Professional series (or are a ‘Moonwatch ) if you want to have a white dial.With this article, I d like to give you an overview of white dial Speedmaster Professional models.?Let me start by saying that the most beautiful white dial version – in my book – is the one that they never pro...
Today we look at a short but furious match between heavy weights-. Ive selected some of the heaviest watches on todays market and boy, they are heavy. The weight is substantial and you could almost?use them to train your biceps:Tool WatchesWhen we think of heavy watches we normally think of tool watches. Brutal heavy-duty machines with an impressive weight. Size seems to matter as well, but not always?(read on for further explanation).AttractionOften, tool watches attract us because they (also) symbolize strength. Certain aspects?can boost those body-builder watches. For example: rough and brushed surfaces, minimalistic lines and a fat tank-like?masculine shape. For me, weight is another asp...
It was probably in 1997 or 1998 that I did an internship at this hospital for my Informatics study. There was a guy working there who had this stunning titanium watch on his wrists, a Porsche Design. I think it was one of the models done in partnership with IWC, but the memory doesn t provide?any further details. I do know that he told me he got it for his graduation and longed for that specific watch for quite some time already. There was no further interest in watches I discovered, he just wanted to have that specific watch.Somehow, Porsche Design never reminded me about the Porsche cars, but merely about a well-designed and crafted lifestyle product, be it bags, glasses, pens or watches. ...
If youve never heard of a Meylan Chronograph, dont be ashamed because up until recently, I hadnt either! Well, I had never seen or heard of one until a few months ago when Andreas of LocalTime showed me something he had just found. It didnt take long for me to decide I wanted it in my collection, but I had quite a wait on my hands as the watch had to travel from the USA and go through quite an extensive spa treatment. When the watch finally arrived, it was worth the patience because its really a fascinating chronograph. Of course, when youre looking at a piece from a brand thats essentially unheard of, some archaeological research is on order. In todays #TBT on the Meylan Chronograph, well t...
Once in a while we make an exception and cover a battery-operated watch here on Fratello Watches. While we normally prefer mechanical movements, it doesn t mean some quartz movements aren t interesting. What should one think of the multifunction watches like a Speedmaster X-33 or Spacemaster Z-33, or the Apple Watch? But when it doesn t concern a multifunction watch, there needs to be something special about it, right? For example, a watch like the OysterQuartz Datejust and Day-Date at least contain some mechanical parts.For me, the Grand Seiko SBGV019G I am about to review is a special watch as well. I would almost say ‘despite the quartz movement but perhaps it is ‘because of...
As per March 1st, friend of the show Roger Ruegger (known for his blog dive into watches) will be the new Editor-in-Chief of WatchTime Magazine. The current Editor-in-Chief (for 16 years), Joe Thompson, will take the role of Editor-at-Large and remains with the publication as a writer and reporter.I ve been an avid reader of WatchTime Magazine (Ebner Publishing) myself since 2000 or so (not anymore, as it is not available in The Netherlands since a couple of years) and together with the German magazines Chronos (published by Ebner), Uhren Magazine (published by Ebner) and Armband Uhren (published by Heel) helped me tremendously in gaining knowledge about watches in those years, when on-line ...
