A Beautiful Omega Speedmaster CK2998-62 From April 30, 1963
We bumped into a beautiful second-generation Omega Speedmaster, also known as reference CK2998. There are quite a few iterations of this reference, and this is the CK2998-62. Omega produced this watch on April 30, 1963. That happened to be Queen’s Day (Queen Juliana) here in the Netherlands, so perhaps it was a double celebration for the original Dutch owner.Omega Speedmaster CK2998-62 - Image: Spiegelgracht Juweliers1963 Omega Speedmaster CK2998-62The Omega Speedmaster CK2998-62 was the last iteration of the second Speedmaster generation. The short-lived reference 105.002 succeeded it before turning into reference 105.003. Although the Speedmaster 105.003 was the first watch that was ...
Will Cartier Be The New Pearl In The LVMH Crown?
Bernard Arnault, the 74-year-old French entrepreneur with a staggering estimated net worth of around US$200 billion, is the driving force behind LVMH. He runs one of the most successful businesses in the luxury industry and rubs shoulders with presidents and other people in the highest places. The man that took over his father's construction-turned-real-estate business when he was 30 built a luxurious empire that he constantly wants to extend. Not everything he does works out, though. For instance, Arnault failed to acquire French Maison Herms. But rumor has it he has set his aim on another famous French house. Will Cartier be the new pearl in the LVMH crown?Buying other companies seems to ...
Introducing: Omega Swatch Mission To Moonshine Gold
Swatch dropped another little bomb today! Meet the Swatch MoonSwatch Mission to the Moon with a Moonshine Gold seconds hand - or better said, the Mission to Moonshine Gold. This watch is exactly the same as the MoonSwatch Mission to the Moon but with a little Moonshine Gold twist.Mission to the Moon with a touch of Moonshine Gold!Our prediction article from last Sunday definitely ruffled some feathers, to say the least. And just like last year’s announcement of the MoonSwatch, this is exactly what Swatch is after. The brand announced that the new Mission to Moonshine Gold will be available today in Tokyo, Zurich, Milan, and London. It is only in those cities that this watch will go on ...
Are Dress Watches Back? No...And Other Fun Topics
Fratello On Air is back with another rollicking episode. This time, we cover dress watches and ask, in the face of all the hoopla, if dress watches are making a comeback. We think not, but there are a few caveats. Stick around - we recorded this one on a Friday night after a long week, so it’s bound to be good!...
The Best Microbrands To Keep An Eye On In 2023
We’re still in the relatively early stages of 2023, and that means the best is yet to come. With Watches and Wonders right around the corner, the big brands will unveil their new watches for 2023 in a couple of weeks. But at least as exciting are the watches of the smaller independent brands, or microbrands, if you will. Over the past couple of years, we have seen a huge increase in the number of small brands. Some of them have done amazing things. And some do not strike a chord with us. We have set up a small list of microbrands that we hope and expect to surprise with more great releases this year. It’s a great thing to look forward to.Writing about expectations and predictions...
AP's New John Mayer Limited-Edition Royal Oak And More
Audemars Piguet is making sure its 5134 caliber gets a proper goodbye. The successor of the legendary 2120 movement is being discontinued…but not just in any watch. None other than John Mayer had the honor of coming up with one last dial and case design for a limited-edition Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar. In addition to that, the brand showed us many other new references during its 2024 Social Club event in Milan.They included a new Royal Oak Offshore with a white camouflage case. There’s also a new Royal Oak automatic chronograph in yellow gold and three new Royal Oaks with flying tourbillons. But that’s not all. We saw additional references and new technologies, and the br...
#TBT Plan Your Life With The Certina Biostar
I don't know if there are any left today. Late-19th-century biorhythm theory, which got another 15 seconds of fame in the 1970s, is the pseudoscientific idea that people’s daily lives are significantly affected by rhythmic cycles with periods. There is a 23-day physical cycle, a 28-day emotional cycle, and a 33-day intellectualcycle. In the 1970s, Certina created the Biostar watch to help wearers check what their biorhythms looked like in a second.An astrological warm-upI wanted a Certina Biostar just for the fun of it. It belongs in the same category as my Astromatic X, a fortune-telling watch from the mid-1970s. The astrology craze in the 1970s was huge. The first line of my excellen...
Introducing: The VPC Type 37HW
After many months in the making, the VPC Type 37HW is here, and I have the distinct pleasure of penning this hands-on introduction. We often ask ourselves, “Is it impossible to be original when endeavoring to design a new watch? Have all paths in crafting this functional object truly been taken? Have we seen it in all its imaginable forms?” Today’s launch of the VPC brand’s debut model provides a resounding “no” as the answer to these questions. The Type 37HW is one man’s project to create his ideal watch. The vision happens to come from someone who has spent plenty of time around watches, both old and new. Consequently, it provides a fresh and well-...
British Watchmakers' Day: Everything You Need To Know About It
With the revival of watchmaking in the British Isles, the Alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers announces its first exhibition. The British Watchmakers’ Day will take place on Saturday, March 9th, 2024, at Lindley Hall (Royal Horticultural Halls) in Westminster. The event is dedicated to showcasing over 30 new and old member brands within the Alliance.Since its founding in 2020, the?Alliance of British Watch & Clock Makers has aimed to showcase the watchmaking resurgence in the British Isles (including the Republic of Ireland). Britain was once a dominating force in watchmaking during the 16th and 17th centuries. In the 18th century, Switzerland took over as the leader in watc...
New: The Seiko Prospex SPB451, SPB453, And SPB455
The Seiko SPB143 is a veritable fan favorite among lovers of Seiko dive watches. And that’s for good reason. It combined the mid-range quality we know from this level of Seiko offerings with subtle, timeless dive-watch aesthetics. Today, Seiko releases the spiritual successors to this watch. These are the standard-production SPB451 (blue dial) and SPB453 (black dial) as well as the special-edition SPB455 (with gilt-tone accents). The last one celebrates 100 years of the Seiko name on watch dials.We will get into all the nitty-gritty below, but let me kick things off with a spoiler: Seiko delivers some subtle updates that add up to make a big difference. I am quite sure these refinement...
Fratello Talks: Watch Pet Peeves
Welcome to this week’s episode of Fratello Talks. Today, you join Nacho, Morgan, and Thomas, who join forces to discuss a number of their watch pet peeves. The guys are feeling particularly grumpy today, so they decided to go on an extensive rant, listing some of the things watch brands do that rub them the wrong way. There are plenty of groan-inducing factors to consider, whether it’s a lack of micro-adjustment, gratuitous exhibition case backs, deployant clasps, lack of AR coating, or sub-par timekeeping. We start slow but finish feeling like we just scratched the surface. All grievances aside, it turned out to be a fun episode. But before the rant begins, it’s time for a...
Seiko Introduces The Classic Series With Five New Watches
What brand do you turn to when you're looking for a watch with a classic design? Well, to be honest, there are many such brands out there. But one brand that certainly comes to my mind is Seiko. It looks like the people at Seiko think similarly about their watches because, today, the Japanese watchmaker is launching the Classic Series. For now, it’s a collection of five watches that all share the same stainless steel case and bracelet. Three of them are three-handers with a date, and the other two feature an additional 24-hour sub-dial and an open heart.The inspiration for the new Classic Series comes from the soft and gentle side of Japanese design. When you compare these five new mod...
Hands-On: G-Shock's Impressive Mudmaster GWG-B1000 Series
Casio announced the release of the new and updated Mudmaster in September of 2023. The highly anticipated new series of Mudmasters promised not only a new case construction but also some firsts in terms of functionality. We had a chance to go hands-on with two new Mudmaster GWG-B1000 models in green and red. After reviewing the Rangeman and Mudman recently, it was nice to see if the new Mudmaster is the true Master of G. Reading through the description of all the Mudmaster GWG-B1000 is capable of, you would think you would not need another watch to keep you alive during your adventures. It’s time to find out if that is true!Straight out of the box, the two G-Shock Master of G Mudmaster...
Special-Edition Watches: The 2025 British Watchmakers' Day
Are you attending the 2025 British Watchmakers’ Day in London tomorrow? If so, I guess you already have your ticket ready because the ones for club members and the general public are all sold out. I considered attending the event this year, and that was mainly because of the Gimlet, a very attractive special-edition watch that Studio Underd0g and Fears presented. Like most of the other special editions, it will only be available at the event. Unfortunately, I was too late to buy a ticket, so I’m missing out. Some of the special editions will be available for sale after the event, but that's only if any pieces are left, of course.This year, close to 45 British-based watch brands a...
The Best Vintage Watches Under $5K: Lex's Picks
I need gold. My watch collection lacks precious metal, so with that in mind, I started looking for gold watches on a budget of $5K. Please enjoy my gold choices from Audemars Piguet, IWC, and Minerva. And yes, my colleagues told me I cheated by choosing the steel-cased Minerva, but I responded that the gold details on that chronograph with a GMT function were simply irresistible.Going for gold on a budget - yes, it is possible. I looked for small, snazzy, dressy gold watches to spice up my modest collection. And guess what: I was spoiled for choice!Image: Bulang & SonsThe best vintage watches under $5K - Audemars Piguet Ultra-ThinIt's tiny, but this Audemars Piguet Ultra-Thin with its 33...
Hands-On With The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Tech BOC IV
Ask a random watch enthusiast about the great diving watches in history, and the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms will be on the tip of many tongues. In 2023, Blancpain celebrated the 70th anniversary of its legendary Fifty Fathoms in three acts. With a trio of completely different releases, the brand gave us a good idea of the variety of the Fifty Fathoms. The one that left the biggest impression on me was the Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 2 Tech Gombessa. As a follow-up to that release, Blancpain is launching the Fifty Fathoms Tech BOC IV. It’s a toned-down version of the Tech Gombessa for both underwater diving and everyday wear. This 100-piece Blancpain Ocean Commitment (BOC) limited e...
Sinn Factory Tour
Some guys over at the Sinn Forum @ WatchUseek.com took part in the Sinn factory tour in Frankfurt on the 23rd of February 2007. Sinn has a big share of fans over at WatchUseek and the watch internet portals in general. Personally, I am not a????fan of most of their designs because????Sinn is focussing a bit too much on pure functionality of a watch (in my opinion). Anway, I always look at their watches with great interest (I owned a Sinn 142St.S for a while) and have a lot of respect for the brand’s innovative creations.Cick here to see a small pictorial on the Sinn factory visitRon Engels, moderator of the Pilot Watch forum over at WatchUseek bought a Sinn 757. Mr. Lothar Schmidt, own...
A Visit To The Girard-Perregaux Manufacture | Fratellowatches
A few weeks ago, we were invited to visit the Girard-Perregaux manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds. The factory tour was given by Willy Schweizer, who has been working for the Girard-Perregaux company since 1986.We received an impressive ‘peek’ into the kitchen of this La Chaux-de-Fonds manufacture and ended the day with a product presentation. In the near future, we will post an article about the Girard-Perregaux watches that we’ve seen that day. But for now, a (photo) story of our factory tour.A full report (with lots of pictures) of our Girard-Perregaux factory tour can be found here....
'Drive de Cartier', La Maison's New Men's Watch!
Before I will rattle about the new ‘Drive de Cartier’, a few words about the changes at Cartier, that brought the brand to release this new and different mens model. Cartier is known for their historic collection and design details from these early models, that?often come back in new collections. Cartier always relied on their rich design history. Since 2008 however, Cartier changed slowly from a Maison in design, to a powerhouse of ?mechanical calibers.About ten years ago, the brand built a huge 30.000m2 manufacture in La-Chaux-de-Fonds and led by Carole-Forestier Kasapi, the brand?launched one movement after another, from the 1904MC automatic caliber (that became the base calib...
Customize Your Watch With Revolo We Show You How!
A while ago, one of the founders of Revolo came to our head quarters in The Hague to talk about this new concept of customizing a watch. A few months later, Revolo made it happen and their on-line configurator is live. The proof is in the pudding. So we configured a watch ourselves and received it not much later.RevoloRevolo is located in Amsterdam, and I am pretty sure that people who are visiting the building have no clue that behind the doors of this typical office space, are a handful of watchmakers working to fulfill the orders from their clients. Next to the room with the watchmakers is an even larger room, stocked with watch parts. Dials, cases, movements, hands, straps, boxes. Everyt...