Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Skeleton Flying Tourbillon
Roger Dubuis let us know it is the(ir) year of the Astral Skeleton and comes with a range of new pieces. One of the Roger Dubuis watches we saw here at the SIHH in Geneva that we love best is their Excalibur Spider Skeleton Flying Tourbillon.The impressive case of the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider is only 45mm, but definitely looks (and wears) bigger on the wrist. This watch is not for the faint hearted. However, the most important feature of this watch is of course that it has been skeletonized which allows you to see all of the in-house manufactured hand-wound caliber RD505SQ movement.Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Skeleton Flying TourbillonBut let’s get back to the case of this Excal...
One Of The Last Omega Speedmaster Professional 145.012 Watches
It is Speedy Tuesday! No SIHH or EurCHF-crisis can do anything about that! Today we show you one of the very last Omega Speedmaster Professional 145.012 models. Introduced in 1967 as a successor of the Speedmaster 105.012, with new pushers and a new case back (non stepped). Besides the 105.012 (Armstrong and Aldrin’s watches), the 145.012 was worn by Apollo astronauts (Apollo 11’s Michael Collins for example).In terms of technical specifications, the Omega Speedmaster Professional 145.012 is the last model that had a caliber 321 movement. The column-wheel chronograph movement based on Lemania’s 2310 movement. A movement also used by Patek Philippe and other high-end watch b...
Vacheron Constantin Overseas Ultra-Thin Caliber 1120
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 surpris...
Panerai Luminor 1950 3-Days PAM 663
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...
Most Popular Watches Of 2016 (on Chrono24)
Some of you may know that I like to crunch numbers, talk statistics and discuss the watch market. Chrono24 is the largest watch market place in the world, and shows us some statistics in the wonderful infographic. Amongst others, it shows the Top 15 of brands with the highest demand in 2016 on their website. A website that received well over 200,000,000 clicks last year on the offered 300,000 watches. Definitely a relevant source for the (pre-owned) watch market. Without further ado, have a look!Most Popular Watches Of 2016Go here for the original article on Chrono24 Magazine?with even more interesting statistics on brands and models....
Fratello Frederique Constant Manufacture Moonphase Joins Watch & Act Auction
As devastating bush fires continue to rage in Australia, local online magazine Time+Tide Watches is mobilizing a group of concerned companies from around the industry for a very good cause.You love koalas, right? Sure you do. Everybody does. Well, the koalas and their fellow Australians are facing one of the worst bush fire crises in memory, and they need your help. Time+Tide Watches is launching the “Watch & Act!” World Watch Auction in support of the brave humans fighting the relentless fires that are sweeping the country.Unique PiecesThe name “Watch & Act!” is an official bush fire threat level that has no doubt worn out its welcome over the past months. El...
Seiko SBBN011 the original and first Darth Tuna Professional Diver
This week I’ll be wearing my last acquisition of 2019, the original and first Seiko Darth Tuna with reference SBBN011. Bought December 29th, 2019, but while out of the country I couldn’t take delivery of it until last week. I’m very happy to have it on my wrist now, and here’s why.Seiko Darth Tuna SBBN011 1000m Saturation DiverA bit of Tuna background first: In the late sixties and early seventies, professional saturation divers?had started to use Seiko’s watches. But all was not well. It quickly became apparent that?the inert helium gas used in saturation diving could enter a watch when under extreme pressure. This undesirable intrusion resulted in a massive pr...
Zenith Releases Ladder Bracelet For the El Primero A384 Revival
When the Zenith El Primero A384 Revival hit the market to celebrate the iconic movement's 50th anniversary in 2019, it was a sight for sore eyes. While the strap last year's model arrived on was nice, the newly-released ladder bracelet takes this offering to another level.Pun intended. And to clarify before I forge on, A sight for sore eyes is a good thing. It means a salve, a remedy, a tonic for aching peepers. I only find it necessary to make that clear because I said it to my German girlfriend once, and I spent the night in the dog house because she thought I was insulting her. With potential misinterpretations out of the way, I will say this: Never underestimate the effect of a good brac...
Wrist Game Or Crying Shame: Omega Speedmaster White Gold Moonphase
With all this talk about the new Speedy, Wrist Game or Crying Shame reviews the Omega Speedmaster White Gold Moonphase. But first…Last week, we reviewed the unorthodox Seiko Landmaster Spring Drive. This watch was incredibly polarizing in the comments section, but the supporters won out and gave it a 64% Wrist Game win. It turns out that entry level Spring Drive is still Spring Drive. Today’s pick shares only one major cosmetic similarity with last week’s subject and that’s the hue of its case. This time, though, we go fancy. It’s time for the Omega Speedmaster White Gold Moonphase.The Omega Speedmaster MoonphaseThe Omega Speedmaster Moonphase has always been an...
Hands-On With The Farer Pilot Watches Bradfield And Morgan
The design of early “three-hander pilot watches never spoke to me. They just looked too much like a dashboard instrument and not enough like a watch. Farer however took that design and transformed it into something that really grabbed my attention. Let's take a closer look at the new shiny Farer Bradfield and the more subtle Farer Morgan.Farer often launches as many as three models at a time. As usual, I couldn't make up my mind so I asked to review two models. After carefully checking the new line of Farer Pilot watches online, I scratched the Cayley and opted for the white dial Bradfield and the black, night-rider Morgan.You don't need to wait till the end to find out who my winner i...
Top 10 Watches That Our Fratello Editors Love Under 2k Oris, Seiko, anOrdain, And More...
You guys seem to enjoy our Top 10 articles, so we thought it would be interesting to do another one. This time we would focus on watches below the 2k mark. But here’s the twist: instead of just listing ten watches that I love, I decided to open this up to the team. Our editors got one choice and one choice only. Let’s see what they’d spend their $2,000 on…I asked nine of our editors to send me their favorite picks under 2k. It’s a pretty exciting list that reflects the versatility we have at Fratello. You’ll see each editor’s selection with a quote from the person explaining why they went with it. Additionally, I’ve included the price and a few...
Ressence's New Type 3BBB The Brand's Best Model Yet (2022)
I don’t know about you, but I’m a music fan. In particular, I prefer rock and metal music. As a guitar player, I love music that’s driven by the sweet sound of distorted riffs and crunchy solos. Naturally, growing up as a guitar-loving teenager, I found my way to the music of Metallica and “The Black Album”. The album sold more than 600,000 copies in its first week, hitting No. 1 in 10 countries and topping the Billboard 200 for four weeks. It was a career-defining achievement for the band. Why is this relevant? Well, today, Belgian independent brand Ressence is releasing its Type 3BBB, a new version of the award-winning model. And this watch is, in my opinion, ...
#TBT The Beloved And Hated Pierce Chronographe Cal. 134
The Pierce Chronographe is the?result of persistence and curious genius. It's important, yet underrated, unusual, but cute. It is an original and pretty timeless watch. But, it's also a watchmaker's nightmare…It has a striking arrangement of sub-registers that stood out from miles away in the late 1930s. From today’s perspective, the double-pusher Pierce Chronographe also introduced a surprising reversed operation of pushers, where the reset pusher sits on top. Count in the world's first integration of a vertical clutch in a wristwatch and you get a highly flammable collecting target. The surprisingly decent price tags swinging around a criminally low $1,000-$1,500, however, don&...
Hands-On With The Baltic MR01 Micro-Rotor Back In Stock!
October 7th, 2021, 6 pm CET. That is the exact date and time when Baltic began its takeover of my Instagram feed. It was also the exact moment when the scrappy French independent released its latest watch, the MR01. I say that Baltic took over my Instagram feed because, for days after the release of the MR01, it took a noticeable presence. Both in posts and stories, these watches were everywhere! The excitement was palpable, and only a few days after the announcement, they started to appear on people's wrists. This overload of images showed just how incredibly photogenic this watch really is. And it's not just the front that looks good. Flip it over and you'll find yourself looking at a pret...
Omega Flightmaster 910 Ode To An Icon?
Way before the Speedmaster, my very first Omega chronograph was a caliber 1040. It was the gold-plated Seamaster ref. 176.005, the watch that many call the “Jedi”. Well, it is neither a Jedi nor a “flat Jedi”, but that’s a story for another day. That Seamaster was the watch that spawned my interest in 1970s Omega chronographs. Many years and a good few purchases later, last year, I landed this Flightmaster 910. What happened before and since then is what this article is about.Don’t worry; it will not be a sentimental ode. To be honest, I just needed a catchy title. Yet, one thing is for sure - I’m pleasantly surprised by how much I love this watch. W...
New: Fears Christopher Ward Alliance 01 Jump-Hour Watch
We didn’t have to wait long to witness the continuation of 2022’s watch collaboration trend. It’s month one of 2023, and we already have our first release to combine the efforts of two independent British brands. Maybe it has been the mantra since the pandemic that companies are “stronger together,” but it’s always exciting to see the creation of combined efforts. The Fears Christopher Ward stands for more than “brand brand.” The goal of the collaboration is to celebrate and raise awareness of the Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers. So much so that the new Alliance 01 timepiece is only available to club members of the Alliance and at a ...
?The New Laurent Ferrier Grand Sport Tourbillon Pursuit
There, I said it, and mean it. I do believe that the Laurent Ferrier Grand Sport Tourbillon is a splendid piece of Haute Horlogerie, and I’d have it over a Nautilus. Obviously, I can say whatever I want as this is altogether immaterial and way out of my budget. But still, there is a reason the latest LF releases end up on my virtual desk at Fratello. Does that make me biased? Well, probably, but I honestly try to keep a fairly objective eye and mind. To prove my point, I will admit to the Grand Sport being too wide for my liking, but do you know what? I would happily invest in a personal trainer and wrist exercises (no, don’t go there) to make it fit.But my picky taste of 36C39mm...
Zenith Introduces The Striking Defy Revival A3691
Zenith has done it again, surprising us with another great classic from its archives! This new Zenith Defy Revival A3691 is the second modern reissue celebrating the unique style of the original Defy series that debuted in 1969. For this new Defy, Zenith reintroduces the brilliant look of the reference A3691 from 1971. The watch combines the unique design of the original Defy with a beautiful deep red gradient dial. In a surprising twist, the new Defy Revival A3691 is a permanent addition to the Zenith collection. What’s not to love?!Zenith has been showering us with great releases over the past couple of years. As a result, the current collection is a great mix of reissues of the bran...
Sir Elton John's Watches Up For Auction At Christie's
Now, I have to admit, when I signed up to write for Fratello, I did not expect to ever write about Sir Elton John. But here we are! Granted, it’s for a good reason. Christie's is auctioning a plethora of items from his Atlanta mansion, including a watch collection. And what a watch collection it is! At first glance, this is exactly what you might expect Sir Elton's watches to look like if he resides at the fringes of your awareness. Upon closer inspection, however, there is some serious horological prowess going on sale here, indicative of an enthusiast who knows what he's doing. Let's have a look at some highlights!Elton John bought a four-bedroom, seven-bathroom condo in Atlanta in t...
Breaking Down The Brand Zenith
When you read the name Zenith, what comes to mind? Radios? Televisions? Well, at one point in its history, the watch brand Zenith was owned by the Zenith Radio Corporation of America, so that's not completely weird, especially if you're American. But for non-US citizens and, in particular, watch-focused ones, Zenith means El Primero - the movement that was (or wasn't) the very first integrated automatic chronograph caliber. The use of the word integrated is important here because Georges Favre-Jacot, the brand’s visionary founder, imagined and realized the very first vertically integrated watch manufacture - indeed, just like the brand with the crown. If everything had gone exactly to ...