Hands-On: Fleux FLX001 And FLX002 Dive Watches
Vintage-inspired watches are popular among collectors, and brands, both big and small, offer us many options for all types of watches and all budgets. But today, I would like to suggest that there exists a sub-genre of vintage-inspired watches - super-vintage ones that look like new old stock but from a brand created only a couple of years ago. As in, watches that use modern technology and manufacturing techniques but look old. Am I making any sense? Anyway, what we're going to talk about today is the brand Fleux Watches and its first two-watch collection - the FLX001 and FLX002.?Yes, vintage-inspired watches are everywhere, whether from Swiss brands reviving old references or microbrands re...
Hands-On: Circula AquaSport GMT
The Circula AquaSport GMT is the third piece from the German brand that has made it to my wrist. And so far, the watches haven't disappointed me. I find the 1970s styling appealing, and the subtle color choices are something I definitely can get behind. I tried two versions of this dive-ready travel watch, both the blue version on a matching rubber strap and the anthracite model on a very retro beads-of-rice bracelet. But calling them blue and gray doesn't really do justice to the actual shades and subtle color combinations. That's what I experienced during this hands-on encounter.Before diving into the deep colors of the Circula AquaSport GMT, let's very quickly go through a bit of brand hi...
The Five Best Watches At The Miami Beach Antique Show
Most major watch shows center around brands and new releases, leaving the pre-owned and vintage side of the industry to run smaller, typically localized gatherings. However, a few shows break this rule, with one, the Original Miami Beach Antique Show, taking place in the colossal Miami Beach Convention Center. Held every January, the show attracts visitors and exhibitors from across the globe, and every year, my internal feeling of FOMO increases little by little once Instagram begins to fill with behind-the-scenes snaps and watch finds.The reason? The watches at the show are some of the rarest and most coveted examples on the market. The show attracts an international audience, with industr...
Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch: White Dial Vs. Black Dial
Welcome to another Sunday Morning Showdown. It’s time to get that extra-large coffee this morning because we have a special showdown for you! It is the battle of the Moonwatches. If you are a regular Fratello reader, you could have seen this one coming from a mile away. Today, Jorg will defend the recently introduced white-dial version of the Speedmaster Professional. In the other corner, Mike will make his case for the traditional black-dial Moonwatch in today’s battle. In the end, you get to decide the winner, so let’s get going!Within the world of Fratello, this is probably the most epic battle you will ever see. As the home of Speedy Tuesday, this showdown will divide p...
What Breitling's Gallet Acquisition Could Mean For The Brand
About five years ago, when another vintage Gallet chronograph watch landed in my collection, I told my wife what I had been daydreaming of for quite a while: “I will buy the Gallet brand someday!” Well, it seems that I was not the only one.Immediately after I learned about Breitling’s plans to acquire Gallet a few years ago, I felt sad. I truly had intended to buy the Gallet brand, however ludicrous that may sound. On the other hand, the idea of Gallet, my most beloved watch brand of all, rising from the ashes under Breitling’s management was beyond exciting. That’s mainly because we all know how much the current people at Breitling understand a brand’s he...
New: Krayon Anyday The World's First Mechanical Agenda Watch
In 2018, Krayon, the brand founded by independent watchmaker Remi Maillat, won the Innovation Prize at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genve (GPHG) with its Everywhere watch. Four years later, Krayon bagged another GPHG award. That time, the complicated Anywhere won first prize in the Calendar and Astronomy category. With the new Krayon Anyday, a new GPHG seems ready for the taking. According to the brand, the Anyday is the world's first mechanical agenda watch, and I can’t fault that statement. To find out what a mechanical agenda watch exactly is, please continue reading.Krayon is young and different. The brand's founder and owner is Remi Maillat, an incredibly talented watchmaker wh...
The Best Vintage Watches Under $5,000 Mike's Picks
It’s now my turn to pick the best vintage watches under $5K. Most of my colleagues have already taken their shot, and while some of their choices could have made my list, I’ve opted for unique selections. Let’s see what you think.Now, before I get into my picks for the best vintage watches under $5K, I’ll share some overarching thoughts. First, $5K is a challenging target value. I say that because there are many great watches under $2.5K and loads of options around or slightly above $10K. Core models from , Patek, and others really aren’t out there for around $5K. I suppose there are Datejusts, but most would be overpolished or sport a relatively blah dial. Stil...
Breaking News: The Gallet Acquisition By Breitling
Following Breitling’s acquisition of the renowned Universal Genve brand, the Grenchen-based watchmaker has done it again with another iconic name in chronographs - Gallet. With Gallet, Breitling, and Universal Genve, the group will cover a wide range, from entry-level luxury to the high-end segment and everything in between.Gallet Multichron Regulator from 1936 - Image: GalletGallet’s heritageIn a separate article, Fratello member Tomas Rosputinsky will guide you through the history of Gallet watches. It’s a long and rich history indeed, with Julien Gallet having founded the brand in 1826. With a great feel for significant moments, Breitling CEO Georges Kern is reviving G...
Revisiting The IWC Ingenieur Automatic 40 Blue Dial
When IWC released the Ingenieur Automatic 40 at Watches and Wonders in 2023, it was a return to the classic ’70s-style integrated-bracelet look. It draws heavily upon the Gerald Genta-designed Ingenieur SL ref. 1832 from 1976. These collectible vintage watches are expensive and rare, so having a modern alternative makes sense. Two years after the debut, we revisit the watch and look at the latest blue-dial version.Keen watch fans in the early 2020s wondered when IWC would return with a moderately sized Ingenieur with an integrated bracelet. After all, brands including Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Chopard, and Girard-Perregaux had great success with their entries during this period....
Movies for the watch lover
Today I bought the Le Mans DVD, with Steve McQueen. This is the movie where the Heuer Monaco was put on the horological map ?? Heuer even produced a version of the Monaco with the colors (red/white/blue) of his racing suit. A while back I posted about a clothing brand called Vintage 55, who makes ‘replicas’ of his racing clothes.Anyway, for 10 USD you are the man. You can make your own ‘stills’ with this DVD of the Heuer Monaco. Btw, I recall that Steve McQueen was an avid Explorer wearer. You might want to verify in which movie this is though…While I am at it anyway, you might want to order this one as well. This is the movie called Winning, where Paul Newman ...
The 2013 Watch Awards By AskMen | Fratellowatches
AskMen.com – The 2013 Watch AwardsAskMen – to which I am a regular contributor – just introduced their 2013 Watch Awards voting page.Besides the vote of a number of watch experts they also ask YOU to vote for the 2013 Watch Awards. AskMen defined a number of categories and in each category you have to vote for your favorite timepiece.These categories are:Beginner WatchesSports WatchesSpecial-Occassion WatchesWatch-Snob Approved WatchesBrand Of The YearOn the 31st of March, the results will be published on the AskMen.com website. And here on Fratellowatches of course.Click here to vote on your favorite timepieces of The 2013 Watch Awards....
Longines Flagship Heritage L4.795.4.78.2 Review
We have a weak spot for affordable mechanical watches. There is absolutely nothing wrong with dreaming about a complicated piece of haute horlogerie with a flying tourbillon from one of the prestigious big brands out there or from one of the indepedent watch makers. But in all honesty, how many people are fortunate enough to actually wear one on the wrist?Here at Fratellowatches we have a weak spot for brands who are capable to put an interesting mechanical watch in the market that is affordable and nice to wear on a daily basis. With the Legend Diver (a review on it can be found here), Longines caught our attention as a brand to keep an eye on. After that, we reviewed their Heritage 1951 ch...
Omega Speedmaster Professional 105.012
It’s Speedy Tuesday! Speedy Tuesday-fan Dimitri from Australia contributes to this section with his precious Omega Speedmaster Professional reference 105.012. The 105.012 and 145.012 references (the first crown guarded caliber 321 Speedmaster Professional timepieces) are known to have accompanied astronauts such as Neil Armstrong, Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin, Michael Collins and others during their Apollo missions. Therefore these watches are getting more sought-after and prices have been increasing. The supply of affordable pre-Moon Speedmasters has been getting thinner during the last few years, especially those in wearable condition.Dimitri explains:This was the first watch I go...
Omega Speedmaster Professional Silver Snoopy Award 311.32.42.30.04.003
As we predicted in our Speedy Tuesday article from January already, Omega introduces a new Snoopy Award Speedmaster. The Omega Speedmaster Professional Silver Snoopy Award is the 45th anniversary limited edition of the Apollo XIII mission from 1970. Although we haven’t seen it in the flesh yet (Thursday morning, we will be first again), we are very excited to see what Omega made of this anniversary edition.Although it is very different from the earlier Snoopy Award model, it is unmistakably a Speedmaster Professional. The 42mm stainless steel case now has a ceramic black tachymeter bezel though. The tachymeter scale has been applied with Super Luminova, so it will light up in the dark....
OMEGA Speedmaster '57 Caliber 9300 Broad Arrow
Speedmaster fans can be excited! That includes us of course as well. Another introduction from Omega this year is their Speedmaster ’57 Caliber 9300 Broad Arrow model. Based on the 41.5mm Speedmaster 9300 models they showed us in 2013, they now did a proper Caliber 9300 Broad Arrow release.We reviewed the 41.5mm Omega Speedmaster ’57 in great extent in this article (in case you’ve missed it) and frankly the specifications did not change much. The biggest optical change is in the hands and in the use of this faux patina or – as Omega calls it – Vintage Super Luminova. A while ago, we compared the original CK2915 with the Speedmaster ’57 re-edition of the la...
OMEGA and the James Bond Limited Editions An Overview
Every couple of years, leading up to the latest Bond movie release, Omega fans debate and speculate about the type of watch that will be issued to commemorate the film. Omega?either introduces a new model which is debuted by 007 silver screen before it goes into production or they come up with a James Bond-themed Special Edition in advance of the movie. As the highly anticipated Bond movie Spectre will be released later this year (official date is 23rd October 2015) speculations arose about what Omega would present to us this time. Before we welcome the newest member of the family, let's have a quick look at the previous Omega James Bond models.The OMEGA watches worn by James BondAs any Omeg...
Tudor North Flag Introduced During Bloggers Evening
This evening we sat with Tudor and a number of other journalists, bloggers and (on-line) editors in an adventurous setting consisting of a tippi tent in the middle of a dark Swiss forest. A bit earlier, Tudor brought us there with about ten Land Rover Defenders.It was a setting that – according to Tudor’s head of design – fits the new Tudor North Flag, a watch that brings Tudor back to its roots (being a watch manufacturer, including the development of movements).Whether the tippi tent brought us back to our roots as well I don’t know, but what I do know is that Tudor had exciting news. The North Flag, a new model that appears to be influenced by the Tudor Ranger II m...
Tissot 1936 Heritage
Tissot is an old-line brand within the Swatch Group Empire that, from time to time introduces something that calls upon their rich heritage. The Visodate and Navigator are good examples.? It’s nice to see that they’re not always about T-Touch despite the fact that we love the watch. So, this year in 2016 at Baselworld, I was excited to see an interesting release from the brand based upon an early pocketwatch that was often converted to a wristwatch. It's big, it's not overly practical, but it gets my vote as one of the more interesting and enjoyable niche releases from a major brand this year. Enter the Tissot 1936 Heritage.The original Tissot pocketwatch – forms the basis ...
Tudor Black Bay Dark Reference 79230DK
Confusion all over the place. By us, by Tudor, by other members of the press. Is it called the Tudor Black Bay Black or Black Bay Dark? Tudor even mixed it up on their Instagram feed. During the presentation in BaselWorld, one day after the event we wrote about here, we were able to sort it out quickly when Tudor management got involved. It is the Black Bay Dark, it was wrong on the presentation slide and wrong on the official Tudor feed on Instagram.Tudor Black Bay DarkAll confusion aside, the Tudor Black Bay Dark is killing it. Probably – again – Tudor released the most talked about piece in Basel, perhaps it even overshadows the enthusiasm for the new Daytona. That might have...
Hands-on With the Union Glashutte Belisar Moon Phase
We take a look at the?Union Glashutte Belisar Moon Phase, a chronograph with a number of complications.Sometimes, you wonder who reads your articles, but there I was minding my own business when the good folks at the Swatch Group here in Germany shot me a note.? You see, I had mentioned a newly released Union Glashutte Belisar Pilot’s watch (the Big Date) on one of my weekly installments of?This Week in Watches.??I had also stated that I knew little about the brand and had never held one.? Well, the team saw this and asked if I’d be interested in reviewing their new?Union Glashutte Belisar Moon Phase.? I said yes despite the fact that moon phase watches aren’t really in my ...