Glashutte Original Seventies Chronograph In Turquoise (2021)
I thought I’d seen perfection. I thought I’d stared into the green face of God and known inner peace. Truthfully, when I “passed” on the opportunity to buy the Glashutte Original Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date with a green dial, I was convinced my best shot at happiness and fulfillment in life had passed. And yet, the oft-marginalized “other” brand in Glashutte has thrown me (and 99 other would-be owners) a lifeline. Say hello to the Glashutte Original Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date in turquoise, and get ready to say goodbye to 13k.The exact price of this blue-dialed beauty will vary depending on your region. I’m in Germany so the 19% VAT h...
Misha Mansoor Talks Watches With Fratellowatches.com (2021)
A couple of weeks ago, our very own Ben Hodges enjoyed an illuminating back-and-forth with one of his musical heroes. The gracious Misha Mansoor of the metal band Periphery took some time out of his day to chat about timepieces. Today, we revisit that interview with the audio supplied by Misha, interspersed with the fearsomely inane commentary of Ben and Rob.Okay, we’re not?that bad. In fact, there’s a good argument to be made that we might be mildly entertaining. From my perspective, the highlight of the show is definitely my spot-on impression of Ben’s delicious British accent, but he would probably disagree. He might point to the first-hand testimony of one of music̵...
Sharp Edge Seiko GMT Takes On Its GS Counterpart (2021)
I really don't want to, but Seiko doesn't leave me any choice. The Presage SPB217J1, SPB219J1, SPB221J1, and SPB223J1 we had at Fratello HQ beg to be compared to high-end Grand Seiko GMT's. Maybe it's like comparing a Toyota to a Lexus, but if that's the case GS has nothing to worry about. The first thing that came to mind while laying my eyes on these four new GMT watches was GS, that's what happened. So let's find out if we have to rise up for the Seiko Presage Sharp Edged GMT and run to the stores because they're worthy GS alternatives, or if I didn't see and think straight when I first laid eyes on them.Why did I immediately think of Grand Seiko when I first saw the Presage Sharp Edged G...
Record Breaker: Gold Speedmaster Owned By Michael Collins
The gold Omega Speedmaster Apollo XI BA145.022-69 that belonged to Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins fetched a record price at Heritage Auctions’ Fine Timepieces auction on June 1st. My first thought was that Omega must have acquired the watch for its museum, as I had guessed in my announcement article for this auction from May 10th (click here).In that article, you will find all the details about this specific gold watch owned by Michael Collins. When we published the announcement for this auction about a month ago, the highest bid was at US$50,000. From there, and it quickly went up to around $180,000 including the buyer’s premium. During the auction itself, the highest bid w...
Audemars Piguet [Re]master01: Why Pay Double For A Royal Oak?
Sorry for the [Re]master-piece pun. The Audemars Piguet [Re]master01, however, is just that, and rather it’s accessible compared to the R.O. When you can have this, why pay double retail for a plain Royal Oak? I'll throw some petrol on a fiercely burning fire by saying that I understand , Patek, and AP. I understand them not ramping up production of their steel sports watches. They could all quadruple their output of steel grails, and Patek could pump out the three-hand Nautilus again, but for what?Imagine if BMW only produced the 3-series to satisfy demand? Do we want Armani to only produce show-off logo T-shirts and keyrings instead of Haute Couture? Many brands have so much more to ...
Balazs And Mike Talk Longines Along With An RJ Interview
We're back with another episode of Fratello On Air. This time, Balazs and Mike discuss Longines. This is an episode where we cover some of our favorite models and play an interview that RJ had with Giuseppe Maccio, the head of product at Longines. Enjoy it!...
The New Grand Seiko SBGP017 44GS 55th Anniversary Edition
Quartz movements are getting more respect from watch enthusiasts these days. In my opinion, that’s largely thanks to Grand Seiko’s beautiful 9F movements. It’s a brand like Grand Seiko with its prestigious high-end quartz calibers that is making this type of movement desirable again.Surely, brands like Breitling with its SuperQuartz, with its OysterQuartz, as well as super-high-end brands like F.P. Journe with its caliber 1210 are also to credit. But discontinued the OysterQuartz nearly 20 years ago, and Breitling mainly uses the SuperQuartz in its digital watches. F.P. Journe’s exclusivity and ballooning gray-market prices make buying a quartz-powered Elegante an e...
The Hunt For A Ming 17.09 Ends
Those of you who follow me on Instagram (@ferenczibazs) or listen to the Fratello on Air podcast know that my Ming 17.09 journey is very well documented. I love the watch, especially since Mike showed me his collection. After riding the vintage wave for many years, I began to develop an itch for new watches. Ultimately, I boiled down my picks to two models, the Ming 17.09 being the second. If it weren’t for the podcast, getting this watch would have been much more challenging, but in the end, I scored it. Let me explain how.You need to know the whole story to understand the journey and how I ended up here. As a side note, this is probably my most documented watch purchase ever. But it&...
Bad Watches Don't Exist Anymore Or Do They?
Bad watches don't exist anymore. Any modern watch from a reputable maker will perform decently and survive everyday life. Does that mean that we can buy watches worry-free, or are there still things to avoid? In today's article, I want to explore some misconceptions about quality, and in the process, we may find ourselves being a little overcritical sometimes.We're not talking about quality in the sense of finishing or exotic materials. Rather, we are talking about the build quality that determines whether a watch can handle daily life.Bad watches don't exist anymoreAs a former vintage dealer, I know many people who wear nothing but 50-to-60-year-old watches (well, yes, and clothes too). The...
Nacho's GADA Watch: Omega SMP 300M 2254.50.00
While I was off on holiday a week and a half ago, RJ and the editorial team decided to tackle the topic of “go anywhere, do anything” (GADA) watches. Now that I’m back from my “go anywhere, do anything” scenario, I feel I’m more than prepared to share with you both my definition of the term and my GADA watch itself. When it comes to the latter, let’s not beat around the bush. It was only ever going to be my Omega Seamaster Professional 300M ref. 2254.50.00. It’s my latest purchase and a watch that has been enjoying a six-month (nearly) exclusive honeymoon on my wrist. Other than the watches I’ve worn for my duties as a watch journalist an...
Hands-On: The Nordic Marine Instruments S?v?rn
Another day, another watch launch. With the sheer number of microbrands out there, there’s a new launch nearly every day. Indeed, it can be hard to keep up with everything. Not everyone has time for microbands, and I get that. Still, I got into this hobby via this affordable segment, and I still love seeing some of the great pieces that make their way out of the din and onto our wrists. Today, I am looking at the sophomore launch of a brand I wasn’t familiar with. It’s the Nordic Marine Instruments S?v?rn. A friend brought Nordic Marine Instruments to my attention when asking for my opinion. Sadly, having never seen the watches, I had nothing to say. A quick bit of research...
Introducing: The Manhattan Project By Maen Seconde/Seconde/
Watch collecting is about fun, and for most people worldwide, spending nearly $1,000 on a watch is a luxury. We can get perfectly capable time-telling watches for $30, so we collect more expensive ones for other reasons. What about wearing something with a deeper meaning? Maen makes some great takes on vintage-inspired wristwear, while seconde/seconde/ straddles the line between art and design. But this time, the inspiration is the Pandora's box that was the Manhattan Project of the 1940s.The Manhattan Project - a history lessonFor those of you who didn't pay attention in school, here's a timely reminder of the Manhattan Project. The original watch from Maen goes by the name the Manhattan 37...
Fratello's Top 5 Surprising Watches Of 2024
Another Friday, another Top 5! This week, we will follow up on last week’s list of full-lume-dial watches with something new. First, thank you to all of you who added some great suggestions in the comments under last week’s list. There were quite a few great ones that could have easily been featured among ours. This week, we decided to look back at the first half of 2024. Instead of the best releases, we decided to focus on some of the most surprising and remarkable watches we’ve seen over the last six months.While I am taking a little break from the gloomy Dutch weather with a holiday in sunny Croatia, it’s a nice moment to look back and reflect. With the first half ...
A Flurry Of New Releases From Omega, Ming, Seiko, And More
Fratello On Air is back after more than two weeks. We didn’t plan to be away, but illness and travel got in the way again. Today, we talk about some new releases after our normal banter about a variety of topics. We hope you enjoy the show and, yes, we’ll be back in a few short days per our normal schedule!...
Fratelli Stories: How Andre Combines Watches And Diving
In this edition of Fratelli Stories, we learn more about Fratello reader Andre. He combines his passions for diving and underwater photography with his love of horology. This includes his fondness for his favorite diving companion, a Sea-Dweller.Underwater photography is a passion of mine as well. The underwater world is both enchanting and familiar to me, living so close to it as I do. For Andre, the connection between his passion for this aquatic world is also tied to his love of watches. Let’s find out more.A passion for vintage watchesAndre, who lives here in Australia, is a collector of all sorts of vintage watches. Before developing his connection to the underwater realm, Andre ...
Hot Take: King Seiko SJE109, SJE111, SJE113, And SJE115
When King Seiko watches returned to the scene a few years ago, they did so with the instantly recognizable KSK case shape. Of course, we always knew more shapes would follow at some point, and here they are! I am a big fan of the 2022 release, and the SPB281 was my daily watch for a full year. To say, then, that I am excited to see the second shape is an understatement.Join me for a closer look at the brand-new King Seiko SJE109, SJE111, SJE113, and SJE115 models.A familiar shape for the new King Seiko modelsThe new releases build on a case shape that we can trace back to 1969. The King Seiko 45KCM used this tonneau shape in typical Seiko execution. It has intricate angles and curves, result...
AP 15300 vs 15202 continued...
About a year ago, I wrote that the Royal Oak Date ref.15300 could be more interesting than the famous Royal Oak ‘Jumbo’ Ref.15202 (click here for the article). Not long after that article, I decided to pull the trigger on Royal Oak Date. On the 24th of December 2009, I did a trade-up to the Jumbo because it crossed my path.Now, I just received a message from John over at WatchUseek writing the following (left out some non-relevant information for this blog post):“I? have read your articles comparing the Jumbo and the 15300. First of all, congratulations on a very nice review. It was well written and very informative. In fact, your blog was one of the reason I am now in the ...
Watch Strap Review ABP Paris
This June?edition of Watch Strap Review will add yet another country to the already long lists of international strap creators. The company I will talk about today has been in the leather business for quite some time now. Our very own Gerard, RJ and Bert paid a visit to them a few years ago in Paris. Our paths crossed earlier this year when Yann and me were involved in a correspondence regarding some other issues. I asked him if he would be interested in a review and he said yes. We met personally in Basel during the BaselWorld exhibition?this year. ?Later that month the FedEx guy brought me a little something from them. As I said it before, they are based in Paris, France and they are:?Atel...
Hands-On With The Longines RailRoad
On April 18th 1891, a train crash in?Kipton, Ohio took the lives of 11 people?and was caused by railroad engineer’s watches not being in sync (4 minutes difference). This accident led to new strict standars for railroad watches in 1893. Where today’s trains are controlled by high-tech systems using GPS, in those days the network heavily relied on the railroad watches to safely operate and control the train time table.Due to the 1891 accident (and many accidents before), the?Railroad Timepiece Standards Commission presented new guidelines, referred to as the General Railroad Timepiece Standards. These guidelines consisted of:Be open face (no lid over the dial), size 18 or 16 (size...
#TBT The Rado Captain Cook A Rare 1960's Diver That Spawned a Reissue
A recurring theme in our #TBT articles revolves around the aberrations from various watch companies. These are the one hit wonders, the exceptions and they're typically major breaks from a brand's ethos. Think of watches like the Nivada Datomaster, the Meylan chronograph and even the 1655 Explorer II and you'll be on my thought train. Today's excerpt continues the trend with a look at the original Rado Captain Cook. As you'll see, it's a timely article, but it's also a look at a watch that's essentially escaped view from all but the most ardent dive watch collectors. Hoist the mainsailall aboard! (Come on, you have to chuckle a bit ?? )A New Rado Captain Cook Was at Baselworld 2017If there ...