Bezel Swaps For Luxury Watches: Examples From Omega
It was one of those idle moments when I was scrolling through my Instagram feed. That feed is 100% watches, so I usually scroll through quite quickly while tapping twice every once in a while. But suddenly, I saw something I hadn’t seen before. In a way, the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M in the photo looked very familiar…yet also very different. I scrolled back up to the picture and took a second look. And then it struck me: the guy had swapped the bezel on his Seamaster 300M, exchanging its original black one for a blue one - and it looked fantastic!That guy is Watch.Tommy, an avid watch enthusiast and poster of fine watch photography on Instagram. I had chatted with him about watc...
Introducing: Louis Vuitton's New Tambour In Steel
Everybody knows Louis Vuitton, but you probably don’t know the brand for its watchmaking. The first things that come to my mind, at least, are the Parisian brand’s handbags. My wife uses (and abuses) her Neverfull bag every day. You’ve probably seen many of those around you during your commute to work or while sitting at a restaurant. However, what you don’t see very often are Louis Vuitton watches in the wild. But that might be about to change with the introduction of this completely new interpretation of the Louis Vuitton Tambour.Jorg already mentioned in his article on serious mechanical watches from fashion brands that Louis Vuitton has great horological aspiratio...
The Best Watch Straps For Summer
Today, we’re talking about the best summer watch straps. I love spending time in the ocean, and I take my watches with me, so water resistance is something I keep in mind when wearing them. And in our recent series on GADA watches, it was clear that for many of my fellow editors and contributors, go anywhere, do anything (GADA) watches had to be water resistant to a degree. My GADA choice was the IWC Mark XV, a watch that I would call a modern classic. It's also a watch with good water resistance and one I have taken swimming in the past.This got me thinking though about straps. Why? Well, because a strap is as important as the watch in the wearing experience. Some might even say that ...
?Fratello Favorites: Summer Watches Thor's Picks
I always find myself approaching articles like these with a hint of trepidation and the same danger. For one thing, there are a lot of fresh-looking summer watches this year, and second, I'm not the first horse out of the gate. Both Nacho and Daan have already picked watches I was thinking of, so I'm trying to reboot my horological taste buds and start with a clean slate. That has allowed me some instinctual and offbeat choices for summer watches this time, to my surprise.The choices this year are plentiful, to say the least. Daan’s story mentioned the cool new Tissot Sideral I had in mind, and Nacho already nabbed the Zodiac Sea-Chron. But I've still got rich pickings to choose from, ...
Fratello's Top 5 Affordable Watches In Movies
Another Friday, another Top 5! This week, we’re looking at some of the best watches featured in famous movies. But we’ll stick to the affordable options rather than drumming up some more expensive ones. Maybe we will get to those in a different article. For now, let’s focus on affordable watches with great stories of “co-starring” in some of Hollywood’s great blockbusters.Before we get into our list of five watches, we have a little disclaimer about our picks. We picked one watch per brand because there are simply so many watches to choose from. Is the one Seiko we picked or the Hamilton we prefer also your favorite? Quite possibly, it is not. The selectio...
New: Brellum Pandial Marina Bicompax Titanium Chronometer
Today’s Brellum Pandial Marina Bicompax Titanium Chronometer visited us at Fratello HQ, and we were left impressed by the brand’s latest release. Brellum focuses on numbered, low-production editions with a high value-to-price ratio. This piece may be the most compelling yet.It’s hard not to be cynical when looking at the prices of new watches. Our recurring series focused on the best watches under a certain price point constantly reminds me of this. Don’t get me wrong; there are still tons of options for one’s money, but many brands have pushed upward. There’s also the trend toward smaller watches. That benefits me, but plenty of large-wristed folks like 4...
New: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Openworked Models
Some watches are more emblematic of their manufacturers than others. The Royal Oak is certainly the brand hero for Audemars Piguet. The opening of calibers, however, is equally characteristic of the Maison from Le Brassus. So it is no exaggeration to say that an openworked Royal Oak is about as AP as it gets. The brand has recently added three new references to the lineup in steel, yellow gold, and black ceramic.Join me for a look at these three new additions to the Royal Oak Openworked collection.Audemars Piguet's track record in openworked movementsWhile the Royal Oak is probably the first thing to spring to mind when thinking of Audemars Piguet, openworked movements may be a close second....
New: Breitling Avenger B01 Chronograph 44 Night Mission Editions
Breitling takes off in formation with three Avenger B01 Night Mission chronographs for elite forces in United States naval aviation. Specifically, the first two are for the test squadrons the Bloodhounds, stationed at Point Mugu, California, and the Dust Devils, based in China Lake, California. The third edition is for the US Naval Academy in a blue and gold color scheme matching the emblem at 9 o’clock. The USNA is based in Annapolis, Maryland, and is America’s flagship institution for naval training. Utilizing the newly refreshed Avenger B01 from November 2023, these new watches continue a tradition of Breitling military collaborations.Breitling has a long history of supplying ...
Omega: Constellation pie-pan
My great grandfather, my grandparents and my father all bought (or got) Omega watches in the 1960s. My grandfather still wears his Omega Constellation (which I reviewed here) and my father owns his grandfather’s Constellation and an Omega Geneve. He doesn’t wear any of them, but a O&W mechanical military style watch instead (I don’t know why). However, I recently took my great grandfather’s Constellation (which was bought in 1965, my dad still has the box, booklet, papers and original bill) with me for a small service. The watch lost its original crown, it was terribly scratched on the caseback, didn’t have an original Omega crystal, the Constellation symbol...
Panerai Luminor 1950 PAM557 Destro 3 Days Review
I’ve never been a Paneristi. I had a couple of Panerai watches (PAM113 and PAM000) and did visit some Paneristi events (like P-Day), but in the end I didn’t feel Paneristi enough to really be connected. However, the fact that there is a community called Paneristi does show that there is a lot of love for the brand. The Paneristi community celebrates its 15th anniversary this year and Panerai decided to produce a limited edition Luminor Marina Base (PAM634) to celebrate this anniversary, limited to 500 pieces only.However, today, I am sharing my thoughts on the Officine Panerai Luminor 1950 PAM557 Destro 3-Days that was introduced in 2014. Panerai gave me the watch on loan for a c...
Zenith: History of Zenith's Fuse and Chain
Zenith developed a special complicated watch, the Academy Georges Favre-Jacot, to celebrate its 150th Anniversary in 2014. Zenith traces the roots of this watch, which is equipped with a fuse-and-chain constant force sytem, to its development of marine clocks. In this video, the movement designer of Zenith explains how the system works and show some of important details in its construction, such as a protection system for the delicate chain and an integrated spring to keep the watch running while it is being wound.Want to know more about the assembly of the world's finest timepieces? Subscribe to our YouTube Channel, IBG Worldwide.IBG Worldwide is a video platform dedicated to demonstrating ...
Hands-On Zenith Heritage Pilot Ton-up Review
El Primero – Zenith Heritage Pilot Ton-upZenith is one of those brands you can hardly go wrong with. Whether it is vintage or a watch from their modern collection, there is plenty to choose from. How come? Simple. The El Primero movement. It was one of the first automatic chronograph movements on the market in 1969. A strong competition was going on back in the day between Seiko, Zenith and a joint-venture of Breitling, Buren and Heuer. All three companies came up with a new self-winding chronograph movement. More than 50 years later, the Zenith El Primero is the last one standing from those three ‘firsts’. The Zenith El Primero movement is still in production and also bein...
#TBT The Yema Superman An Early Diver With a Locking Bezel
In June of 2017, I wrote an article about the Yemas that were up for sale at an upcoming Watches of Knightsbridge auction. I felt that the watches were nice, but priced at or around the market. I ended up attending the auction, it coincided with other business I had in town, and I came away highly surprised with the results. A 7736-powered formica dial Rallye chronograph sold for 4500 GBP before commission and a Brown Sugar chronograph sold for an astounding 7500 GBP before the juice. Perhaps I've been asleep at the wheel, but it all adds up to the fact that Yema is hot right now and people are clearly after them. Here on #TBT, and in the auction review article, we've focused entirely on chr...
Hands-On With The A. Lange & Sohne Saxonia Thin in copper blue
Believe me when I say I have one of the coolest jobs in the world. It actually doesn’t feel like work, I am just occupied all day with something I am very passionate about. Fratello has been there since 2004, but it still excites me when I receive a package from A. Lange & Sohne in my office. This time, I asked them if they could provide me with their Saxonia Thin in copper blue. An A. Lange & Sohne Lange 1 would be my end-game for sure, but this Saxonia in 39?millimetres with a copper blue dial (looking very similar to aventurine glass) that they showed earlier this year in Geneva is so breath-taking, I had to have it. Even when it is for just two weeks.Saxonia Thin in Copper ...
This Week in Watches July 6, 2019
Hej, happy campers, it’s time for This Week in Watches for July 6, 2019.This week, I don’t really have a rant-worthy topic prior to getting into This Week in Watches.? It’s not been?too hot here in Germany (sorry, Serbians, you are feeling it right now) and the ground is stable (do take care, SoCal denizens), so what’s there to mention?? Well, how about this?? We now have e-Scooters roaming around in Frankfurt.? That’s not a whole lot different than some other cities, but?damn, the users of these things don’t know what they’re doing quite yet.? It’s amazing, but true, that one cannot text while using one of these lest they wish to end up as a p...
Jorg's Top Five Creative Watch Advertising Campaigns
When did you last see a watch ad that made a lasting impression on you and wasn’t created decades ago? While plenty of brands in different industries have found great success in finding new ways to connect to their audience through advertising, the watch industry is hardly creative in both ideas and execution when it comes to advertising. But that doesn’t mean there haven’t been great promotional campaigns. Let’s take a look at five creative watch advertising campaigns that have great iconic value.If anything, watch brand advertising has hardly changed in decades. For years watch brands have been painting a static picture of an aspirational world of luxury in their ad...
Seiko SLA037J1 55th Anniversary Diver's Watch
Back in the first week of March, Seiko introduced three new limited edition divers to celebrate 55 years of Seiko divers. The moment they were released, people had a lot to say as is usual with the release of Seiko divers that commemorate some of the most iconic of divers out there. Seiko decided to release three different re-creations of legendary Seiko divers’ watches from the first decade of Seiko divers. The first out of the three is the Seiko SLA037J1 55th Anniversary and sees an official release this month. It’s the modern re-creation of the iconic 1965 diver. Let’s find out how it?compares to the original and the previous re-editions.I love the discussions that new S...
Czapek Antarctique Passage De Drake Viridian Green Fratello (2021)
Where to start. Presenting the result of this endeavor to you is, without a doubt, the greatest privilege of my career thus far. Although it has been years in the making, it still feels like an unattainable dream. It is only now that the watch sits upon my wrist that I can be sure I didn’t make it all up in my head. It is with a satisfied smile on my face that I present to you the Czapek Antarctique Passage de Drake Viridian Green limited edition watch for Fratello.My watchmaking journey began 18 years ago in the Market Street branch of H. Samuels in Manchester. Back then I changed batteries and flipped straps in the evenings and at the weekends. It was a brutally humble beginning to a...
Which Is The Best Omega Speedmaster To Buy? (2021)
A question that is often raised with us, is which is the best Speedmaster to buy? And don't think this question only comes from those who are new to watches. Even here in the office, this discussion often comes up. It is especially popular among team members that don't yet have a Speedy to call their own, I have to add.In 1999, when I bought my first Omega Speedmaster, I somewhat did the wrong thing. I bought myself a vintage Speedmaster Professional 145.012 powered by the legendary caliber 321. Although it is difficult to believe that this was a bad decision, I honestly feel it was. At the time, things were totally different from today and there wasn't that much money involved in the world ...
"Space Jam: A New Legacy Collector Set Tourbillon By Kross Studio
Basketball fans around the world are eagerly waiting for July the 16th for a straightforward reason. That is the release date Space Jam: A New Legacy, starring LeBron James and, who else, Bugs Bunny. Twenty-five years after the first film, which starred His Airiness, Michael Jordan, made history the highest-grossing basketball movie of all time, the franchise returned for a second installment. Choosing LeBron James, arguably one of the best players of the (current) NBA, as the lead was a no-brainer, and I can't wait to see the film. However, I'm not the only one looking forward to the movie.Kross Studio, the Swiss Haute Horlogerie brand, created an extraordinary timepiece, the Space Jam: A N...