Why I Bought The Oris Aquis Date Calibre 400 Bicolor
The Oris Aquis is a modern reinterpretation of a dive watch. Unlike the lovable Divers Sixty-Five, the Aquis eschews all vintage design cues to focus on contemporary sensibilities. The case is angular and purposeful with integrated lugs, chunky crown guards, and an overall solid feel. Spawning from the 2013 Oris Aquis Depth Gauge, the Aquis range emerges as a unique mechanical diving watch with specific complications and practical applications. That, however, is not to say that this tool watch isn't open to a bit of flair here and there. And today, I will be sharing the journey to acquiring my Oris Aquis Date Calibre 400 Bicolor with its 41.5mm stainless steel case, blue dial, and 18K yellow...
The CWC Watches Issued To BBC War Correspondents
We here at Fratello do love a good story of an issued watch. Some of the most iconic and desirable watches out there have come from the humble beginnings of being developed for or especially sold/issued to the military. The “MilSub” or Seamaster 300s issued to the British Royal Navy come to mind when thinking about iconic tool watches. The military-issued Seamaster 300s are probably even the best-looking iterations of the entire Seamaster line if you ask me.It's not just dive watches, though. Consider the “Dirty Dozen” timepieces, which trace their lineage back to WWII. My colleague Thomas did a great write-up on the subject, which you can find here. These were watch...
Daan's 2024 New Year's Watch Resolutions
It was a very eventful year for my watch collection in 2022, and 2023 showed me that I made the right choices. But who knows what will happen in 2024? I’m certainly not ready to consolidate and sell some of my watches yet. On the other hand, I don’t think that I'll add many either since renovations for my family’s new house are putting pressure on the budget. However, I do feel that I’m a little more open to looking at new opportunities. That doesn’t mean there’s a clear objective, strategy, or plan at all, though.My watch resolution for 2023 was basically to sit back, relax, and enjoy all the newcomers in my collection. And that’s more or less what ...
Fratello's Top 5 Horological Wishes For 2025
Another Friday, another list! For the first one of the new year, we decided to sum up our wishes for 2025. We at Fratello all agreed that 2024 was a great year in watches. Some like to define that by the waves that big brands make. However, we based it on the sheer number of exciting releases we had in the office, got to try at the shows and events, or covered on the website and still want to see in person. Our list of wishes for 2025 will include things we writers would love to see (more of) in the watch world and what we’d like to see go in the upcoming 12 months. It’ll be no surprise that after a good year in watches, some of these wishes are based on the things we saw in 2024...
My Most Worn Watch Of 2024: The Santos Galbee XL
Honestly, I’m not sure which watch I wore the most last year. I usually choose a different watch to wear daily, so keeping track is hard. My Instagram feed is a good indicator, though. My Cartier Santos Galbee XL is probably the most featured watch on there. That's partially because it gives me the most endorphin highs with all the likes and messages it generates. But it’s mainly because I love how it wears and looks. Therefore, I'm calling my Cartier Santos Galbee XL my most worn watch of last year, and it probably will be in the years to come.However, there are certainly also other watches that make a popular appearance on my wrist. Below, I’ll give you an idea of which w...
Swedish Arlanch Timepiece Designed By Gerald Genta
Gerald Genta, designer of numerous icons in horological history, presented a design to Swedish watch brand Arlanch. We all know Genta best for his outspoken Royal Oak and Nautilus designs, but he also designed a number of watches under his own label (now owned by Bvlgari). This eight sided timepiece for Arlanch reminds me of the design used by Genta’s own complicated timepieces he did in the 1990s.Picture by Antiquorum, lot #390 of the 5-12-2007 auction.The Arlanch logo on the sub dial, functioning as a second hand looks very cool, just like the lower side of the watch with a small wave in it. The hands remind me of the ones on a Royal Oak. Gabriel Arlanch, owner of Arlanch in Sweden i...
Hands-On With The Breguet Tradition GMT
Just recently we wrote an article on the Breguet 5447BR Classique Grande Complication, a $ 268.000 Euro timepiece that is mind blowing, but also about a ‘dream piece’. Unless something happens in the lottery, it will stay a ‘dream piece’ as well I am afraid. A bit closer to the wallet is the Breguet we are featuring today here on Fratello Watches. The Breguet Tradition GMT. Almost two years ago we wrote about the Breguet La Tradition that was already introduced in the mid-2000s and featured the escapement on the dial side and had a pocketwatch-like construction (read more here).The Breguet Tradition GMT is another version of that family of watches with the escapement ...
SIWP New Co-Event Next To SIHH
With the Geneva based 2015 SIHH watch exhibition around the corner, our mail-box is filling up with many interesting invitations. The SIHH itself this year hosts ‘only’ 16 – mainly Richemont group – brands, however at the same time there is, like always, a lot of activity from independent watchmakers and brands around it.On an individual basis almost every major hotel in the Geneva area hosts one or more of them in one of their conference rooms, where the visitors can take notice of their watches. We have seen larger initiatives in the past as well, think of the Geneva Time Exhibition (GTE), which unfortunately stopped existing a few years ago.This year however, besid...
Watches & Pencils #10 Art for Watch Lovers
Art and WatchesAfter two longer and intense episodes about sandwich dials and Frankenwatches I would like to kick-off in 2016 with a shorter episode and more visual density. Since I like watches nd art I thought it would be nice to take you on a museum tour and discuss several older (Dutch) artpieces which are watch related in some way. Along the tour?we will discover one of the earliest lollipop hands I've ever spotted and a fancy pancy watch stand that will blow away most of regular stands nowadays. So, follow me and. Don't touch anything!PocketwatchesDespite of my intense research for art with (wrist)watches it was quite difficult to find a few interesting ones (not the standard portrait...
Servicing a Chronograph We Followed Every Step
Chronograph ServiceA few months ago, I visited a watchmaker and followed every step he did on servicing this vintage Valjoux 22 chronograph. Not only out of interest, but also to get an idea of all that work a watchmaker does to keep our watches ticking. As a showcase and to create a bit more awareness?for this ancient profession.?I ended up making an appointment with watchmaker Kalle Slaap.Introducing the WatchmakerKalle Slaap runs a workshop?in the picturesque village called Grootschermer', near Amsterdam. He also is watchmaking teacher at (nowadays) the only watchmaking school in The Netherlands, in Schoonhoven. His company is called Horlogemaker Online' (Watchmaker On-line). After years ...
#TBT The Story of an Heirloom Timex Marlin Automatic
So, here we are in the first week of 2018 and Fratello Watches kicks off #TBT with a look at a vintage Timex Marlin. We've never featured a Timex on our site, so why are we showing a watch from a brand that's known as an affordable (read: cheap) maker of utilitarian and reliable timepieces? Well, it isn't entirely due to the much-ballyhooed recent re-release of a 1960’s handwound Marlin, but it certainly means that interest in Timex is at a relative high and that the collector watch world may be more open to hearing about older variants. As mentioned, though, there's a stronger reason for featuring this watch, so let's continue.The Reissued Timex Marlin (image from timex.com)The Timex ...
Oris Big Crown Pointer Date Movember Edition 2018 Review
We reported about the Oris Movember Edition 2018 before, but our focus was mainly on the good cause it supports, not the watch. I assume you also want to know about the watch, not only the cause it supports. So we requested a Big Crown Pointer Date Movement Edition 2018 for a review, and here it is.Oris Movember Edition 2018This watch goes by the name of ‘Movember Edition 2018’, but in fact, I am looking at a Big Crown Pointer Date model with some tweaks. As I wrote in the past, compared to the ‘standard’ Big Crown Pointer Date in 40mm, this Movember Edition has rose gold coloured hands (4N) and a matching gilt minute track on the dial. The writing is also in this gol...
Triple Love Swatch's Annual Valentine Day Special
Just like every year, Swatch comes up with a special watch for Valentine’s Day. For 2019, Swatch introduces the Triple Love watch. A transparent plastic 34mm case with three hearts on there, in different red and pink tones. The strap is white and has hearts all over it. The Swatch Triple Love comes in a special Valentine’s Day box.This watch will be available starting January 10th in all Swatch boutiques and via their online shop.For the die-hard Swatch collector probably a must-have. In the past Swatch released many Valentine’s Day specials. On Squiggly, the official vintage Swatch dealer, you can find many models from the past for sale. Especially the Chinese and Taiwanes...
This Week in Watches: January 4, 2020
Happy New Year and Welcome to This Week in Watches for January 4, 2020.? We’re glad to be back for our second decade and to bring you some news that just might help you break that New Year’s resolution to stop buying watches.? Ha, good luck with that!Oris Big Crown Bronze Pointer DateFirst up on This Week in Watches is a piece that actually came to us a few weeks back.? But, it’s been a busy time since then and we figured it was a fun watch to kick off the new year.? Oris sent us news of a new hue for its 40mm Big Crown Bronze Pointer Date.? Up until now, we’ve had the dark green version that’s called the 80th Anniversary piece and one doofus (that’s me) w...
My Favorite Watches To Take Hiking! Seiko, Breitling, Casio, and Linde Werdelin
Welcome to the new year… 2021. Doesn't it sound good and roll off of the tongue nicely? It certainly sounds better than the sorry excuse for a year that was 2020, right? I hope you all had a lovely break over the Christmas and New Year period. I know I did! I got a chance to reacquaint myself with the great outdoors and spend some time hiking in the absolute middle of nowhere. There's something about removing oneself from the daily grind and spending time in the wild. No people, no cars, no nothing. Just the sounds of the odd sheep, bird, or the wind.Now, in this kind of environment, it can get muddy, wet, and a little dangerous for a watch. Some places I visit involve scrambling up an...
Hands-On With The Ball Roadmaster Vanguard Tritium Watch
Finally! I have kept my eye on the awkwardly bold Ball designs for quite some time. And, at long last, I got the chance to see how the H3 micro gas tubes glow in real life. I chose the GMT model with the “Pepsi bezel - the Ball Roadmaster Vanguard. If you have ever tried to take a lume shot, you know very well that the actual intensity is easy to cheat on in a photo. Many lume shots we see show amazingly glowing dials. It can really suck you in. Sometimes, people base their purchase decision on just that. And then they receive the watch. Sadly, reality often lags way behind expectations. It's simple. You just set a longer exposure time on a camera and the result will be super bright lu...
A Closer Look At The Seiko 7015-6010 Time Sonar Chronograph
We travel back to the 1970s and take a look at the wild-looking Seiko 7015-6010 Time Sonar Chronograph. Buckle up and enjoy the ride!When it comes to vintage Seiko chronographs, most collectors focus heavily on either the 6138 or 6139 pieces. These were the big runners that kicked off everything for Seiko. After all, it was the 6139 that arrived on the scene in 1969 alongside the other automatic chronograph pioneers. However, there’s more to life than these fantastic pieces. Similar to the three-handed watches, it turns out that Seiko’s Daini (second) factory was up to its usual antics. This meant that they were competing with the Suwa factory (the home of those 6138 and 6139 pie...
Hands-On: Bvlgari Aluminum Chronograph For Millennials
This isn’t exactly a new watch. Bvlgari introduced it as the Diagono in 1998, an aluminum watch with a quartz movement. Later on, more models were added, including chronographs with automatic movements.Late last August, in Geneva, Bvlgari introduced the Bvlgari Aluminium chronograph reference 103383. Just a few days before, Bvlgari gave me the Aluminium chronograph to wear. I have been wearing this watch on and off, and today I am sharing my thoughts about this watch with you. Let’s have a closer look at this watch, meant for millennials (as can be seen in this video).Bvlgari Aluminium chronographOn the one hand, Bvlgari being so clear about its target audience rules me out for t...
Omega Speedmaster Calibre 321 In Canopus Gold
If you’ve been paying attention since 2017, you might have noticed that Omega has been up to something. Every first (Speedy) Tuesday of the year, the brand has released either a new Speedmaster or something Speedmaster-related, like the caliber 321 re-introduction in 2019. This year, the 65th anniversary of the legendary chronograph brings us the Omega Speedmaster Calibre 321 in Canopus Gold, reference 311.50.39.30.01.001.I am very proud and honored to be able to go hands-on with this new Speedmaster Calibre 321. It’s an incredible reproduction of the first Speedmaster CK2915, but in Omega's own white gold alloy, Canopus Gold. As the name suggests, it features the beloved 321 chr...
Tasty #CHOCOLATE Picks From Omega, Longines, And More
I might not be 100 percent objective at all times, but here, my personal taste is an advantage. I do own more shoes, belts, and straps in various shades of brown than black. The monochrome architect’s look is not for me, but beiges and browns with a dash of color? Yes, please.What I do miss, though, is a tasty #CHOCOLATE dial in my watch box. This past year saw a few delicious options being released. The first one that came to mind is the new Omega Seamaster 300 in Bronze Gold.Except for the Canopus Gold Speedmaster, I would easily name it as my favorite Omega of 2021, hands down. Match it up with some #CHOCOLATE-flavored accessories, and you're set for success. If two of the dive watc...