Omega Speedmaster Pro 145.012-67 As Wedding Gift Speedy Tuesday
Early June we received a letter from one of our readers from Germany, who we will refer to as HU and shares his Speedmaster story with us.Omega Speedmaster Pro 145.012-67“I?was a 10 year old kid when the first Moon landing got my undivided attention. Somewhat later, I dreamt of having his very own Moonwatch, as I knew about the astronauts wearing the Omega Speedmaster. Omega watches could already be found in my family, as my parents bought a pair of them in the early 1960s. My father wore an Omega Seamaster and my mother a Ladymatic. The Seamaster watch is in my possession today and I treasure it!It took until 1992 though, before I got his first Moonwatch. I received the famous Omega S...
Market Update The Crazy Vintage Chronographs
Sell crazy someplace else, we’re all stocked up here. says Melvin Udall, Jack Nicholson's character in the movie As Good as it Gets.The Heuer Autavia sold at Phillips for 75,000 CHF (photo credit: www.phillips.com)The line above could easily explain the current market for vintage chronographs. As I sat down on the couch with, fittingly, a glass of champagne (this was pure happenstance as we had a friend in town I normally prefer my bubbly to consist of malted hops and barley) one evening in mid-May, I decided to tune into the Phillips Stop-Start-Reset auction featuring 88 vintage stainless steel chronographs. I watched a number of pieces sell at very strong prices, but it wasn't until ...
Summer Coolness For Under 500 Euro Seiko Prospex Samurai SRPB53K1 and SRPB49K1
Nothing beats a great summer watch! A watch that is affordable, cool looking and water resistant. Seiko is the go-to brand when you are in the need of such a watch. Today I take a look at the Seiko Prospex Samurai references SRPB53K1 (silicon strap) and SRPB49K1 (stainless steel bracelet) that definitely fall into the summer watch category.Seiko Prospex SamuraiIn case you don’t know, the nickname Samurai originates from the minute hand of the watch. When?the first Seiko ‘Samurai’ (2004) was introduced, it quickly received this nickname because the minute hand shows ressemblance with the swords used by these famous Japanese warriors. The use of Seiko references is quite a ch...
The story behind Hyperion Ocean 600m
You may already have heard about Crafter Blue. At the very beginning, Crafter Blue designed and engineered the curved end rubber straps for popular dive watches.Two years later, they began to design our own dive watch and launched our first watch Mechanic Ocean 300m in 2018. Meanwhile Crafter Blue helped another brand UNDIVE to design the strap for their dive watch. Unfortunately, the watch discontinued due to some issues. By the end of 2018, Crafter Blue is allowed to reissue this watch. Furthermore, they upgrade and enhance the watch in Switzerland. Now, they are proud to launch their first Swiss made watch Hyperion Ocean 600m.DesignOverallThe Hyperion Ocean aims to combine vintage styling...
This Week in Watches June 23, 2019
Konnichiwa, horologically enthused perusers!? It’s This Week in Watches for June 23, 2019!So, I’ve roughly counted it and I’ve done something like 30 flights over the last 60 days.? I’m kind of happy to be back at home while I write this despite returning to heat that just doesn’t belong in a country that finds air conditioning unhealthy.? What the hell is up with that backwoods medical witchery?? Freeze me out and turn me blue!? This week was eventful as I had the opportunity to take in the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep press release.? It was fantastic and my transit was easy thanks to the good folks at Omega and the gem that is London City airport.? ...
Top-5 NASA/Apollo Limited Edition Omega Speedmaster watches
Limited editions are not to everyone’s taste. Sometimes, the sheer volume of limiteds can be overwhelming. With the #SpeedyTuesday editions we’ve contributed to that as well. While limited editions may be more common these days, that’s nothing new. Let’s have a closer look at my Top-5 of earlier NASA/Apollo dedicated Limited Edition Omega Speedmaster models.In 1969, Omega introduced a numbered series of 18k yellow gold Speedmaster Professional watches. We did a review of that model here. These were more or less Limited Editions avant la lettre. They weren’t limited, but they were sequentially numbered - we learned that only 1,014 pieces were made, of which #1 wa...
Omega Seamaster 300M "James Bond" Real Vs. Fake
Today, we’re taking a look at an authentic Omega Seamaster 300M and a very high fidelity replica. It used to be very simple to tell the difference. Fakes were cheap knock-offs. They often made obvious mistakes. Many of the key details were wrong. Sometimes, everything was wrong. But in today’s world,? replica watches are getting better and better. Sometimes, they are awfully close to the original.The fake Omega Seamaster 300M James Bond limited edition for the 50th anniversary of “On her majesty’s secret service” we have here, is being offered online for prices that come very close to 25% below retail. And it is being offered as an authentic watch. So this is no...
Two For Tuesday: Seiko Marinemaster 300 Vs. Baby Marinemaster
It’s Two For Tuesday time and this week we take a look at the Seiko Marinemaster 300 versus the so-called Baby Marinemaster. Let’s see if a mere 100 meters is all that separates these two (marine)masters of the deep.Before we get to the Marinemaster and its stable mate, let’s talk Omega. Specifically, I asked you to consider the iconic Speedmaster Professional against the far newer Seamaster 300M. It seems that practicality trumps the moon because the modern diver took home a solid 53% win. We thank the nearly 3,000 of you who voted and the many who commented. The comments, by the way, were almost all in support of the 300M and its everyday abilities. Today, we’ll loo...
Casio Honda Racing Limited Edition EQW-A2000HR
Limited editions come in all shapes and sizes. They also come with all kinds of nods to their inspiration. When it comes to the Casio Honda Racing Limited Edition EQW-A2000HR, we have a very full-blooded manifestation of the risky and riveting world of motorbike racing. With aesthetic and material cues riddled throughout this piece, we ask whether it achieves its remit.I’ve had the recent pleasure of coming up close and personal with Casio’s modern catalog. I’m not afraid to say I have my favorite sections thereof and that the Edifice collection is not one that particularly resonates with me. However, I do happen to be quite the motorbike fan, so when the opportunity to get...
Exploring The Season With The Grand Seiko SBGJ249 And SBGJ251
In February of this year, Grand Seiko announced four new GMT watches as new additions to their Elegance collection. Two of the four models are the Spring Drive powered SBGE269 and SBGE 271. The other two are the mechanical Hi-Beat SBGJ249 and SBGJ251. Together these four models form the special Seasons series of watches. This series focuses on the changing of seasons that inspired the dials for these watches. I had a chance to go hands-on with the mechanically powered SBGJ249 and SBGJ251. With the world opening up again, could these be your next travel companion?When it comes to GMT watches, there is no better brand than Grand Seiko. The brand offers a variety of different models that featur...
Wrist Game Or Crying Shame: Yacht-Master II
All aboard for another voyage on the S.S. Wrist Game or Crying Shame. This week, we examine a watch that feels a bit polarizing to me: the Yacht-Master II. Before we leave for sea…Marco! Polo! Marco! Polo! Ah, just kidding. Last week, I brought you back to the days of Studio 54 with the Piaget Polo. Folks, this equestrian-intended watch bracelet engaged in quite the horse race and it went down to the wire. Sadly, the Polo lost by a nose in a 51% Crying Shame result. Something tells me that today’s Yacht-Master II will finish far more decisively. Let’s see which direction.The Yacht-Master IIThe Yacht-Master II left the boatyard way back in 2007 and has motored on under i...
Introducing: Squale Master X Marina Militare Dive Watch (2022)
Squale may be a name more familiar to the most hardcore vintage dive-watch collectors. The Swiss brand with Italian heritage, however, is certainly not exclusive to a discerning few. The dive-watch specialist has an illustrious history with its fingers in some truly iconic watches since the 60s. Today, one of them is getting a long-absent sequel (just like Top Gun!). Forty years after developing a military-grade tool watch for the Marina Militare, Squale is issuing a new model, once again for the partnership with the Italian Navy. The limited edition of 300 pieces is aptly called Squale Master X Marina Militare.Squale is slow-growing when it comes to its own portfolio of watches, but it was ...
Fears Brunswick 40 Topper Limited Edition A Sporty Collab
After years of resistance, since the revitalization in 2016, Fears finally embraces the life aquatic with its Brunswick 40 Topper Limited Edition. Famously, Fears’s fourth managing director cannot swim, focusing the brand’s direction on exquisite classic timepieces for dry land. But when revered Californian wristwatch retailer Topper came knocking, sporty was the only way to go. The coastal regions of its Northern California base lend themselves to a functional timepiece. After two years of development, Fears unveils the result just in time for summer. For many, this new Brunswick might be just the Fears watch that collectors were clamoring for. As you’ll find out, however,...
Introducing The New Ressence Type 5 AIT Dive Watch (2022)
Darling of the avant-garde watch scene Ressence has launched its latest creation, the Type 5 AIT. A collaboration with Monaco-based collective Art In Time, the new edition of the brand’s Type 5 dive watch contributes to protecting the environment and promoting sustainable development locally and globally. How exactly? Let’s find out.It all starts with HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco. In June 2006, Prince Albert II established a foundation dedicated to worldwide environmental sustainability. Since then, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation has sought to allow scientists, political leaders, and economic and civil society stakeholders to work together with the united goal of pro...
Hands-On: The Charlie Paris Concordia Blue Dive Watch
A huge benefit of having recently moved back to France (my home country) is that I get to discover French brands I didn't know existed and visit their boutiques in the nation's capital. One of these brands is Charlie Paris, founded in 2014 by two childhood friends with a passion for horology. While the brand started by developing three-hand quartz timepieces, in the past couple of years, it has released sturdier watches like this Concordia automatic.?Charlie Paris has appeared twice on Fratello thus far, in this review about its first automatic watch and this brief write-up about the Concordia model. Today, let's do a hands-on review of the Concordia and see how it holds up in the metal goin...
#TBT Angelus Chronodato With A Fiery Dial
I didn’t have to buy this Angelus Chronodato, but I wanted to. One look at that dial with its crazy patina and the seldom-seen tachymeter scale and you will be hooked too.I never buy gold-plated watches… until I have to. Sometimes, you don’t have the luxury of a wide range of choices and just have to go with what you can get. Take the Tourist Everlight, the world’s first mechanical wristwatch with an electrically lit dial, for instance. The Avia Ajustor with external balance regulation or dead-beat Tourist Radio-Top?would be a few more examples, and the crazy Sperina Counter watch that I’ve never, ever seen in a steel case would be yet another. Sometimes youR...
Strap Check: "Fratelloris" Big Crown Bronze On OEM Oris Bracelet
When it comes to watches, I am a self-professed bracelet lover. I always encourage fellow enthusiasts to get the bracelet version for a number of reasons. Sometimes, however, a watch isn't offered on a bracelet. Usually, that means the watch has less appeal to me, but that was definitely not the case with the limited-edition Fratello Oris Big Crown Bronze Pointer Date. Now, after sourcing a newly released bronze bracelet for this watch, does my advice still hold?As I admitted already, I tend to prefer my watches on their bracelets. In fact, I hardly ever buy a watch that doesn't have a stock bracelet option. Having the “Fratelloris” on the bronze bracelet for a few weeks now has ...
Fratello's Top 5 Watch Brand Ambassadors Ever
It’s Friday, and that means another Top 5! This week’s topic, however, is a bit different. Ever since we started this list series, we have focused on different iconic watches or watch series. We decided to shake things up a bit this time and explore another watch-related subject. This week, we have compiled a list of the top five watch brand ambassadors. Let’s discuss it!Brand ambassadors are a recurring topic of discussion among watch enthusiasts. Lex wrote an interesting article about the world of celebrity watch ambassadors not too long ago. In that article, he questioned the effect that they have. Do brands sponsor them because doing so is part of today’s business...
Norqain Introduces Skeletonized Versions Of The Wild ONE
Summer is here, and a lot of people are getting ready to leave for their summer holidays. For many watch enthusiasts, it’s the perfect opportunity to bring out their best summer watches or buy a new one. Norqain plays into the summer theme with two new skeletonized versions of the Wild ONE. Each celebrates summer in a unique way, with one for active summer days and another for late summer nights.It’s not even been a year since Norqain launched the Wild ONE. The brand’s take on the modern sports watch was unveiled with great expectations. As many of you know, Jean-Claude Biver’s name was connected to the development of the watch, and that will always get people talking...
Revisiting That: Budget Mechanical Watches Don't Make Sense
Last week, I wrote an article on why I thought mechanical watches under $1,000 don’t make sense. In a way, it was an article like many other articles I’ve published here on Fratello. I had a thought, we discussed it during our editorial meeting, and we decided that I’d do an article on it. What happened next was beyond any of my expectations.Just as with any other article, I was expecting a healthy amount of comments. But thus far, that piece has received more than 250 comments, and new ones are still coming in every day. Apart from the huge number of comments, though, I was most surprised about the sentiment in the majority of them. People got angry, very angry, both at me...