Hands-on Review of the Christopher Ward C9 Moonphase
Reviewing a watch that's outside of one's comfort zone is a good way to keep things fresh: and so it was when I received the very blue Christopher Ward C9 Moonphase. As the resident vintage nut at Fratello Watches who squarely focuses on watches of the chronograph persuasion, I must admit that this was the first moonphase watch I'd actually played with. While the Single Pusher Chronograph that Blaise reviewed from Chirstopher Ward might be more my speed, I actually wanted to try something different. Why was that?The Christopher Ward C9 Moonphase has a multi-leveled dialChristopher Ward at SalonQPWe actually have to go back almost six months ago (!!) to SalonQP in London where we first met th...
Speedy Tuesday Hands-On Omega Speedmaster Apollo 17 Reference 311.30.42.30.03.001
Late March, we introduced the gold Omega Speedmaster Apollo 17?‘Tribute to Gene Cernan’ to you, limited to 272 pieces. We received a couple of requests to also cover the stainless steel version, the reference?311.30.42.30.03.001 (limited to 1972 pieces). Let’s have a closer look.Omega Speedmaster Apollo 17 311.30.42.30.03.001As a tribute to Gene Cernan (who passed away on January 16th of this year) and commemorating the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 17 mission. Gene Cernan was the astronaut to set the last foot on the Moon, which was exactly at 05:34 GMT. That explains the writing on the dial, just below ‘Speedmaster Professional’.The gold piece (limited to 272...
Ready To Order Now: Maen Hudson 38mm Automatic
Dutch-Swedish brand Maen is ready for taking orders with their Hudson 38mm automatic divers watch. Both the brand name and the name of the watch derive from their fascination with New York City. Captain Henry Hudson and his ship, the Halve Maen (meaning Half Moon) sailed to the East-coast of the United States in 1609 and play a big role in the discovery of New York (then: New-Amsterdam). Inspired by this, the founders of Maen decided to come up with a divers watch. A watch that is undeniably inspired by vintage diving watches.Maen Hudson 38mm – $349 for the Early BirdsGerard reviewed the Maen Hudson 38mm last February already when we received a prototype of the watch that will be deliv...
Preview of Geneva May 2018 Auctions: Antiquorum Geneva
I had the opportunity to stop by Antiquorum Geneva and check out the watches in their upcoming May sale. Watch auctions are interesting for me to see things that I either haven't seen in person or am not familiar with. I enjoy doing research or checking details to see if I discover something I hadn't noticed before. Clearly, today vintage aficionados are more educated and the free flow of information on the internet allows for more critical buying. A lot of tomatoes are flying around the internet, but that shouldn't take away from the good research and hunting that still awaits us.A personal visit allows me to dig a little further and ask the team more about the watches that interest me. The...
Photo Report: ORIS x Fratello Event
Oris introduced a number of watches during Baselworld 2019 that are worth checking out. We were able to invite some of our readers to have a first look at them.Last Thursday we organized an event with Oris for our readers. In the center of Amsterdam, in the Oris boutique. We already showed you some of the new Oris watches here on Fratello, but nothing beats it seeing them in the flesh and giving them a try. It was a wonderful evening, with approximately 45 guests in total and in the presence of Dutch Oris representative Gijs van Hoorn and the Oris boutique staff.If you’re ever visiting Amsterdam, make sure to visit the Oris boutique (Rokin 48), aside from the watches, they have great c...
Women's Elgin Parisienne From The Late 1920s
Who said that vintage watch collecting is a boy's game?Well, I don't know who said that, but this is what the general understanding is. Our desire and goal at Fratello is to change that. To bring more female readers to watch collecting or #GTGs and prove the general opinion wrong.First female collector I metDo you know who I most share my watch collecting passion with? The woman I now share my mortgage with. It is not any virtual cult club at some watch forum that I've never met face to face. All of my enthusiasm when unboxing a new watch is shared offline, right in the center of our living room. It was a vintage watch on my wrist that sparked mutual conversation in the early days before we ...
Gyre SeaCleaner the world's first sports watch made out of recycled plastic
Meanwhile, we all know what trouble disposed of plastic in our oceans causes. Much of this plastic if not most comes from lost and left behind fishing nets. The Gyre SeaCleaner is here to do something about that.Gyre SeaCleaner – one watch at a timeThe Gyre SeaCleaner is the world’s first sports watch made out of recycled ghost fishing nets from the Indian Ocean. The new brand focuses on raising awareness of the plastic soup problem and contributes to stopping the flow of plastic into the oceans and removing it. It works like this. Local fishers collect the fishing nets from the sea and deliver them to the recycler. They receive a fee for this, which means Gyre also contributes t...
This Week in Watches: May 2, 2020 Fun Edition
Welcome to This Week in Watches for May 2, 2020. Today, we’re all about fun and I think we’ve got the right watches to turn that frown upside down.Nivada Grenchen Returns - That’s Fun!Speaking of fun, Nivada Grenchen is back due to the work of a couple French entrepreneurs. They’ll be kicking things off with modern reissues of the Antarctica and the Chronomaster. The Chronomaster is one of the most popular semi-affordable vintage chronographs under the sun and it came in loads of variants. In fact, it came in so many variants that it inspired its own reference book called?Chronomaster Only. Orders will begin in June and deliveries are expected for December. Figure on ...
Piaget Limelight Gala Aims To Steal The Spotlight
Known for its flamboyant watches and jewelry, and one of the world's thinnest automatic watches, Piaget is no stranger to the spotlight. The Limelight Gala collection embellishes the Swiss Maison's iconic collection.It's a great time to be a watch-obsessed woman. It’s been a long time coming, but the tide is turning. Finally, we are getting more and more pieces of interest. Brands are finally taking note of their modern customer’s needs. Firstly, creating timepieces exclusively for women is a must. Gone are the days in which it was acceptable to cover a man’s watch with diamonds. This exclusivity shines through in the Piaget Limelight Gala models and exactly the kind of spo...
Sunday Read: Shut Up & Read The Truth About Cartier Watches
This is what I often like to say to my fellow watch friends when they start asking the same silly questions about Cartier again.It was 1983 or 1984 when I bought my first real watch; the Cartier Santos. That was, of course, the square watch in steel with yellow gold lunette and steel bracelet with yellow gold screws. It was hot like hell and became the most copied watch. It was also that watch that made me interested in the history of the brand since the dealer told me that the design was inspired by the first men's wristwatch, launched by Cartier in 1904. So you can imagine that it did not take long before I became obsessed with watches in general, especially with Cartier.Cartier Watches Fr...
Omega: The Next Sponsor Of The NBA? Tune In To Find Out
Hi and hello watch fans, welcome to Episode 56 of Fratello On Air, otherwise known as WASP 9.0. This week on Watching Sports and Sporting Watches, Balazs and I will be stepping away from North America itself and focusing on our very own mailbag, which is bursting at the seams thanks to our valued listeners writing in with their questions.We have questions from both sides of the Atlantic to address, with fun answers to chew through. First, though, we touch on the latest developments in European Soccer following the semi-finals of both of Europe’s major cup competitions, the Champions League and the Europa League....
Sunday Read: Shut Up & Read The Truth About Cartier Watches
This is what I often like to say to my fellow watch friends when they start asking the same silly questions about Cartier again.It was 1983 or 1984 when I bought my first real watch; the Cartier Santos. That was, of course, the square watch in steel with yellow gold lunette and steel bracelet with yellow gold screws. It was hot like hell and became the most copied watch. It was also that watch that made me interested in the history of the brand since the dealer told me that the design was inspired by the first men's wristwatch, launched by Cartier in 1904. So you can imagine that it did not take long before I became obsessed with watches in general, especially with Cartier.Cartier Watches Fr...
Tudor Vs. TAG Heuer In The Clash Of The Chronographs (2021)
In our Sunday Morning Showdown, two of our writers go head-to-head in an epic showdown for the ages. Strong opinions and hysterical hyperbole are welcome (so feel free to join in with the fun in the comments section below). And don’t forget to let us know which watches you’d like to see torn to shreds/effusively exalted next week. We’ll try and feature as many of our readers’ choices as we can. Grab a hot drink, settle into a comfy chair and ponder whether the new Tudor Black Bay Chrono finally usurps TAG Heuer’s Carrera Sport.This week continues the trend of pitting a new novelty from Watches & Wonders 2021 against a staple contender. With hundreds of watch...
Hands-On: Bremont S500 Bamford Special Edition
I don't know about you, but I feel like 2022 is turning into the year of collaborations. Months of internal turmoil and potential instability left many brands leaning on contemporaries for reassurance. Many manufacturers ended up showing surprising resilience and, in some cases, exponential growth. Yet, the blossoming partnerships ensured future joint projects. One such example is the recent Bremont S500 Bamford Special Edition. With the backbone of a shock-protected, hardened-steel, 500m-pressure-tested Bremont dive watch, Bamford Watch Department enters the fray with its distinct design flair. Does the clash of genres break the mold or miss the mark? Find out more in this hands-on experien...
Fake Omega Swatch Speedmaster MoonSwatches Are A Thing
I hope you enjoyed a real good weekend and that you're ready to start the week with a real good coffee. With the emphasis on real, because in the first part of this weekly kick-off article, we warn you that fake Omega Swatch Speedmaster MoonSwatches have been spotted. Also, if you're into cycling, Tudor, or both, you might want to know more about the new Tudor Pro Cycling Team. I also have a book tip for you, and that's a re-printed edition of Watches: A Complete History of the Technical and Decorative Development of the Watch by horological experts Cecil Clutton and George Daniels - a must-have for horology enthusiasts.It was only a matter of time, of course, but the first fake Omega Swatch...
Defy Skyline: Zenith's Three-Handed Heir To The El Primero Throne
The Zenith El Primero name is one that demands respect in the watch industry. Zenith introduced the venerable chronograph in 1969, and the movement remains the brand’s bread and butter to this day. Of course, there have been numerous updates and revisions, improving the accuracy and reliability as modern technology has allowed. The El Primero is one of the most well-known chronograph movements, but this year, it’s expanded its horizons to a simpler three-hand offering in the form of the Zenith Defy Skyline.It might take a little getting used to, referring to a non-chronograph watch as an El Primero, but there you go. The Skyline is powered by a variant of the El Primero 3600, the...
URWERK UR-111C Black: Digging Into The Brand's Special Projects
While we may be most accustomed to seeing URWERK watches display the time via the iconic satellite hour complication, the Swiss brand is far more than a “one-trick pony”. Most of URWERK’s horological creations are not designed to be read at a glance like a traditional watch with hands. At least, that’s what I believe. Being disciples of art and design, the brand’s founders, Martin Frei and Felix Baumgartner, want their customers and fans to study and appreciate the timepieces every time they look at them. The brand’s departures from its signature theme of the satellite hours complication are always spectacular. The UR-111C Black from URWERK’s Special...
10 Reasons To Buy A Speedmaster
As a longtime Speedmaster collector, I’d usually say As if you need one… when asked for reasons to buy a Speedmaster. But it's not that simple. Sometimes you need to be thoroughly convinced to spend your hard-earned money on something you don't need, like a mechanical watch.Let me start by saying that the most important reason to buy any watch is that you like, no, love it. And it doesn't matter what brand name is on the dial or what number is on the price tag. If you love a watch and can afford it, wait no longer and get it. But you are probably here because you love watches anyway and want to read about your favorites. Or you may also want to learn about new ones. Most of you w...
Introducing: The Horage Lensman 2 Exposure Watch
It’s often said that innovation in mechanical watches stalled after the 1960s. Some believe that while materials, quality control, and manufacturing techniques have undoubtedly improved over the last 50 years, the conceptual innovation of mechanisms came to its zenith with the introduction of the automatic chronograph in 1969. While it’s a divisive argument, Horage shows that innovation is not dead with a new application of its K2 24-hour GMT micro-rotor movement in combination with an exposure calculator for photography. Partnering with veteran photographer Professor Brian Griffin, the Lensman 2 Exposure uses a camera exposure scale to nail the perfect shot. Read on to find out ...
Jack Mason Announces the Hydrotimer Dive Watch
The year was 1953, and Blancpain released the Fifty Fathoms, a modern dive watch. The year after, released the first Submariner, also a modern dive watch. Whichever became more iconic, both models had a profound influence on the design of countless dive watches. Indeed, ever since the 1950s, other brands have come up with their own icons. Think of the Doxa Sub 300 of 1966, the Omega Seamaster 300M of 1993, and the Seiko SKX of 1996, among others. Each of these key releases introduced something new - a new dial color, a new bezel construction, or a fresh take on the diver’s dial layout. The question is this: how could a brand create yet another icon?Last week, the Texas-based independe...