The fact that Longines decided in 1984 to stop producing their own movements and use ETA instead, does not mean they don t have interesting timepieces for ‘techies . As long as CEO Walter von K?nel is on board, this is not going to change (as he told us here), he is focusing on affordable main stream watches for a large audience. For the smaller group that we belong to, watch enthusiasts, they have their Heritage collection where they grab back to watches from their rich history (since 1832). Since Longines is part of the same group (Swatch) as ETA, they are able to get some exclusivity for their brand. So not in-house, but exclusive movements made for Longines.An example of this is th...
Normally Michael Stockton takes care of our weekly recurring TBT feature, but due to extensive traveling he was unable to this week. To keep this installment of TBT true to him, I would like to talk about the Seiko 6159-7010 Tuna that I bought a couple of months ago. Lately, Mike is blaming me for his shopping spree concerning vintage Speedmaster watches. I actually delivered his latest (as far as I know that is) to him in Frankfurt two weeks ago, I am sure he will dedicate a TBT or Speedy Tuesday to that watch. While he blames me for becoming a Speedmaster collector (or hoarder), I have to blame him for me buying all these Seikos in the last two years.After finding myself wearing the Seiko ...
In 2010, Audemars Piguet introduced the Royal Oak Offshore Diver to us, reference 15703 (a review can be found here). That watch made quite an impression on me to be honest. I am a sucker for the original Royal Oak references, from the 5402 to the current 15202, so I actually surprised myself that I liked that Diver so much.Last week in Geneva, we had the opportunity to go hands-on with the new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver Chronograph. A two-register chronograph version of the Offshore Diver. These four new Offshore Diver Chronograph watches will be exclusively available in Audemars Piguet boutiques. Audemars Piguet decided to come colorful this year and will offer this timepiece...
Willy Mairesse and his Omega SpeedmasterThe Omega Speedmaster is one of the most recognizable watches of the second half of the 20th century. A watch that originally was released as a racing model in 1957C hence the name – but gained worldwide fame as the timepiece that was worn on the Moon in July 1969. Throughout the years it has always been referred to as the Moonwatch and associated with NASA and its astronauts. Little did we know that in the 1960s there was a watch that stayed true to its racing heritage and graced the wrist of a Formula One driver. This watch is thought to be the first Omega Speedmaster we know of that was involved in the golden age of car racing.Who Was Willy Ma...
This year at SIHH, Baume & Mercier introduced a number of new watches dedicated to?ladies. However, they did have a very nice watch for gents to present as well: the Baume & Mercier Capeland Shelby Cobra 1963.Already last year Baume & Mercier introduced a Capeland Shelby Cobra watch, paying tribute to the famous blue and white-striped sports cars. Now, Baume & Mercier is introducing the Capeland Shelby Cobra 1963 Competition in an all stainless steel and in and ADLC version.Stainless steel version of the Baume & Mercier Capeland Shelby Cobra 1963Limited to 1963 pieces each, paying tribute to the year which saw the first Cobra s victory at the American championship. This m...
Its always weird to write from the skies but here I am, tip-tapping away. What else is odd is that todays #TBT subject has been in my possession for less than 12 hours and I was so taken by it that I figured this week was as good a time as any to discuss it. Youll note that, once again, something in gold is on my wrist. I do promise this wont become an addiction, but I do implore you to drop your guard, if only slightly, for the yellowest of metals. I had to, you see, because todays watch is a seriously rare beast. Like any watch, theyre out there, but they come up for sale ever so sparingly. In fact, between my Instagram feed and Fratellos, we both received numerous comments from collectors...
I have a soft spot for the Royal Oak, Nautilus, Ingenieur and Overseas. Only the first three were designed by the late Gerald Genta, the Overseas predecessor was designed by Hysek. The ‘222 , as it was called, was introduced 40 years ago already but the Overseas as we know it today, was introduced in 1996.This year, Vacheron Constantin came with a number of new Overseas models, but the one that made my horological heart tick at a higher rate is the Vacheron Constantin Overseas Ultra-Thin model. This watch, equipped with the very flat 2.45mm automatic movement caliber 1120, is being presented in 18 carat white gold and comes with a beautiful new design bracelet.What surprised me howeve...
To be brutally honest, this newly introduced Panerai Luminor 1950?3-Days, or PAM 663, is already one of my all-time favorites concerning modern Panerai watches. It probably was a question of time when they would come up with a Panerai Luminor 1950?with a stunning vintage looking brown dial and a plexi crystal.This brown color should remember you of the discolored dials of vintage Panerai models (like the?reference 6154 also?named Egiziano Piccolo). These watches initially had black dials, but over time, they changed color to this distinct brown tone due to the effect of the radium-based powder used to lume the hands and indexes. Therefore, Panerai introduces two Special Edition models that h...
Omega s Speedmaster Moonphase watches go back to 1985, when Omega did a limited run of 1300 Speedmaster Professional watches with a Moonphase and 700 of the German Teutonic case Speedmaster Moonphase watches, all with Lemania based caliber 866. Even today, a new version of this movement (caliber 1866) is being used in the Speedmaster Professional Moonphase watch. It was also being used in the Speedmaster Professional Moonphase in 44.25mm with the beautiful Aventurine dial.Today, on Speedy Tuesday, Omega shows us the new Speedmaster Moonphase Chronograph Master Chronometer that is based on the Speedmaster 9300 collection. However, for the Moonphase and calendar functionality, Omega uses a new...
To many people, when they hear Fratello Watches, they think of the Omega Speedmaster. Robert-Jans love for this iconic chronograph spawned a weekly column C youre reading it C on the subject and far more related articles for discussion. Of course, the detractors out there, everyone has them, state that we talk about these chronographs too frequently and that were shameless fanboys. Then, the typical follow-on comment I hear is negativity about the fact that Omega really leans on the whole Moonwatch thing and that its overplayed and long in the tooth. Well, to address the first statement, the members of this site are fans C some newer than others, but more on that in a moment C of this import...
Piaget already introduced this?Emperador Coussin XL 700P to the market in December, but now we finally got to see it at the SIHH in Geneva.40 years ago, in 1976, Piaget introduced their first in-house developed quartz movement, the ultra-thin caliber 7P. Not entirely quartz, but using a quartz oscillating at 32768 Hertz to control the speed of the generator that rotates at 5.33 turns per second is their new caliber 700P movement for the Emperador Coussin XL 700P.You could say that it is using technology similar to Seiko s Spring Drive. When I asked Piaget about it, they explained that it was constructed in a different way. Where Seiko s starting point to develop the Spring Drive was actually...
Today we talk about the most famous submarine in the world: the Submariner (find our historical Sub overview here). Besides the impressive machinery and all its revolutions through time there are a lot of visual aspects to point out. In this article the focus will be on the naming, dial and typography of this U-boat.Wilsdorf the ArtistBeing obsessed by visual perfection, the open-minded founder?Hans Wilsdorf is quite a hero for many watch collectors. ?Myself included.?He understood that for optimal marketing, every detail counted. For example, when he invented the name . He said:I tried combining the letters of the alphabet in every possible way. This gave me some hundred names, but none o...
It is no secret that I have a weak spot for Sinn watches. Although not all of their models are to my liking, the fact that they never fail to deliver interesting and highly functional timepieces never bores me. Today, I have their EZM16 model in front of me, also known as the Sinn U212. EZM stands for Einsatzzeitmesser and means that it is part of their collection of watches that has been specifically designed for a particular purpose. Key features are excellent readability and that the form of the watch is always dictated by the function and handling requirements of the watch. The EZM1 of long time ago (we wrote about it here, 11 years ago!) was the first of this special range of mission ti...
This week, Im butting in on Blaises territory. As Blaise continues to write about straps from the world over (please, contact us if youre making straps from somewhere in the world weve not yet covered), Ive come storming in with another American product. Have I done it because Im American? Not really. Ive actually done it because a reader contacted us last year via email and made a suggestion to take a look at todays featured artisan. Rover Haven is the name of the brand and as youll see, this was especially exciting to me for a couple reasons. First, the straps are exclusively made in Shell Cordovan, which has to be my favorite material on the planet.?? Its durable, oily and unlike any othe...
Dress watches can provide the new or seasoned collector with a great opportunity to pick up a high quality vintage watch for a fraction of the price of a similarly aged sports specimen. Case in point, vintage Datejusts C ok, theyre not that dressy C are typically undervalued by multiples when compared to similarly dated Submariners and GMTs. All the goodness is there from a build quality perspective and, of course, the movements are in-house. Vintage , though, is certainly not the only haven for this type of opportunity. No, weve covered areas like King and Grand Seiko and Robert-Jan has shown us some amazing Omega Constellations. The fascinating thing with these latter examples is that the...
I have a special spot in my heart for Rado. It s the only watch brand I ve ever heard my mother talk about. She was a big fan of the black ceramic Diastar watches that Rado put out in the 1980s and 90s. While that was a defining era for the brand, that s not where it stops. With its flagship Captain Cook series, Rado taps into another part of history dating back to the 1960s, and the Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Skeleton combines both eras in one watch. Rado also integrates a skeletonized movement into the mix. It s time to find out more.I generally do not consider myself a purist regarding watches. However, I must confess that when it comes to watch design, I hold certain basic principle...
Imagine driving your mint-green Ford Mustang convertible from the 60s along the Californian coast during the golden hour. You re wearing your favorite pair of Wayfarer-style sunglasses, and the wind is gently blowing through your hair. On your wrist is the brand-new mint-green Depancel Worn & Wound Allure with a vintage Valjoux 92 movement inside. It s the perfect companion for this nice spring evening. All right, I might not have come up with that little fantasy all by myself. I guess the lifestyle shots that came with the press release helped a little bit.If you re familiar with other limited-edition watches in collaboration with the guys over at Worn & Wound, you ll know they s...
Another Friday, another Top 5! After a little break last week, we are back with our articles highlighting outstanding pre-owned watches. One of the most talked-about watches during Watches and Wonders inspired this week s list. Is the new full-gold Deepsea truly an unnecessary statement of opulence? Many people questioned whether the existence of a full-gold version of s top-of-the-line professional dive watch was necessary. This then sparked a lively discussion about gold sports watches in general. We were inspired by this and decided to pick our favorite full-gold pre-owned sports watches for this week s list.Many watch fans agreed that didn t have its best showing at Watches and Wond...
The big news from Patek Philippe at this years Watches and Wonders came in denim. The pale blue dials and denim-look straps certainly drew the most attention. I would argue, however, that another watch deserves a bit more of a spotlight. Join me for a closer look at the Patek Philippe 5236P-010 in-line perpetual calendar with a new salmon dial.Sure, this is merely a new colorway for an existing watch. However, I wouldnt be surprised if many of you dont have the in-line perpetual calendar at the forefront of your mind. Lets change that today!The Patek Philippe 5236P from 2021This watch was first released at Watches and Wonders 2021 as the 5236P-001 with a vertically brushed blue dial. The key...
Welcome back to Fratello On Air! This week, we re coming back late due to our busy schedules. We ve decided to cut this recording in half and will come back on our regularly scheduled day next week. For this episode, we talk about the new Amida Digitrend and a vintage Tissot Antimagnetique. This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings Sorry, folks; we re late again! Work is having its way with our schedules, but we were able to come together and record a lengthy discussion that we have separated into two distinct parts. Today s episode does have a lot of non-watch-related content for the first half. We discuss running shoes, tennis s...
