New Blancpain Air Command 36.2mm A Goldilocks Grail
Last autumn, I was the Fratello correspondent at the Oslo Watch Fair and spent some time in the Blancpain booth. There, I tried on the last edition of the intensely blue Blancpain Air Command in titanium and fell for its charms. But I did so despite its 42.5mm case, which, even with the lightness of titanium, was still rather large. This has all changed with the new Blancpain Air Command 36.2mm.It is as if Blancpain read my mind, but why would I say that? Well, the top story last week on Fratello was my yarn on the 36mm IWC quartz-powered 3741. This got masses of comments from the Fratelli (thanks!), and it almost seems like our collective message of small-cased love reached Blancpain. The b...
Engraving Your Case Back Is (Still) Such A Cool Thing To Do!
Last week, I wrote an article about when and how I would engrave one of my own watches. Well, not engrave it myself, of course, but you get the idea. At what moments in my life would I let a skilled person engrave something on one of my case backs? I considered some plausible occasions, but we also asked you, dear Fratelli, to send us examples of your engraved case backs. So here I am again with an overview of occasions and some nice examples of case back engraving from our own community.It might have been our own poor explanation of what we were looking for or the fact that we used examples of famous vintage engraved case backs. Either way, we received a lot of entries of case backs that we...
Early Innovation: The Vintage Seiko Duotime 5619-7000
It’s time for another look at a vintage Japanese watch, and this time, it’s the Seiko Duotime 5619-7000. This was a unique series of watches that Seiko produced from 1972 until 1974, and they are among the earliest pieces with an independent 12-hour hand. This lovely feature was well ahead of its time, but the function came with a flaw that we’ll expose (as an aside, a big thanks to my daughter for her wrist modeling above and for taking some wrist shots of me!).Watches that show multiple time zones are certainly fashionable right now. In fact, they’re so popular that most folks have constructed a mental hierarchy relating to what makes one of these watches worthwhile...
From The Archives: The Omega Speedmaster Holy Grail
Sixteen years ago this month, my friend and legendary chronograph collector Chuck Maddox passed away. The Speedmaster Mark II was the watch that got him into watches and Speedmasters specifically. However, his quest for the Speedmaster ST 376.0822 became incredibly famous. He searched for this watch with the intensity that King Arthur searched for the Holy Grail. He began calling the Speedmaster ST 376.0822 “the Holy Grail” because he was that obsessed with it.Speedmaster ST 376.0822 - Image: PhillipsOmega Speedmaster ST 376.0822 Holy Grail (1987C1988)If you are unfamiliar with Chuck and his work, visit his website, Chronomaddox. It’s a great source of information for chron...
New: Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Geographic
The contemporary Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris debuted six years ago. Since then, new variations have emerged, including a chronograph, a perpetual calendar, and the Mariner Memovox alarm model. But a multi-time-zone version was missing from the revived lineup - until today. The Polaris Geographic is a travel watch with one of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s signature complications. One glance at the newcomer tells you it's a “JLC,” just like what happens when you see a Reverso. It's not just the dial layout but also the placement of the two crowns that are typical of the brand. It makes you wonder why it took the manufacture from Le Sentier six years to come up with this functional luxury s...
New: Panerai Luminor Dieci Giorni GMT PAM01482
Panerai unveils a 44mm stainless steel Luminor with automatic GMT caliber and a 10-day power reserve. As part of the Complicazioni collection, which includes chronographs and high-end complications, the GMT allows the tracking of dual time zones. With the polished cushion-shaped case, sandwich dial, and recognizable crown protector, this new PAM01482 includes many notable Panerai features. But while the model plays it safe and stays within the Panerai formula, the combination of details makes for an attractive watch. Is it enough to inspire would-be Panerai owners? Let's find out.Following Panerai's Luna Rossa-heavy campaign at Watches and Wonders, many on the Fratello team wondered if this ...
War of the Worlds
I just got in this email from a friend of mine, Johan. He visitted the cinema last week and they showed a trailer of the upcoming (at least here in The Netherlands it is upcoming) movie War of the Worlds. He noticed that an Omega was being used in the movie and send me this screenshot (don’t know how he got it):Seems like a caliber 321 Seamaster chronograph to me.RJ...
Jaeger-LeCoultre And Aston Martin At The Nurburgring
Last weekend, the 24 hours of the Nurburgring were raced and Fratellowatches was there with Jaeger-LeCoultre and Aston Martin. Besides enjoying the race and the finish of the Aston Martin team, there was also some time and room to view the Jaeger-LeCoultre collection and follow a short master class in watchmaking.Before entering the Aston Martin terrace in the Dorint Hotel at Nurburgring with the most perfect view on the racing track, I followed the short master class on watchmaking given by one of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s watchmakers from Le Sentier. They brought their work bench to the racing track and with the sound of super sports cars in the back ground, I tried disassembling and assemb...
IBG 2014 Why You Should Visit Watch Events!
Last Tuesday we visited the IBG 2014 event. IBG stands for Inside Basel and Geneva but to be honest it is much more than that. The IBG events are a big success in the United States for a long time now and since a few years they (Ebner, publisher of WatchTime, Chronos and Uhren Magazine) also started to organize these events in Germany.This year’s event counts 14 participating brands and a sponsorship by Jaguar. The brands that participated in 2014 are:A very nice mixture of brands and ranging from relatively affordable (this does not include Seiko actually, as they brought their Grand Seiko collection) to high-end brands like Armin Strom and Moritz Grossmann.Like previous years, the ev...
Omega's New Seamaster DIVER 300M ETNZ And Previous America's Cup Models
Omega has a long time partnership with the Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ). In 1995, Omega started with the Sir Peter Blake’s American’s Cup campaign and again in 2000. You might remember the Omega Seamaster 300M America’s Cup edition with white gold bezel from that time (see below). Also after Sir Peter Blake’s untimely death in 2001, Omega kept on supporting the ETNZ.Omega Seamaster Diver 300M ETNZThe last Omega Seamaster Diver 300M ETNZ was introduced in 2013 and now Omega shows us the piece for the 35th America’s Cup World Series that will take place in 2017. With this new Seamaster Diver 300M ETNZ chronograph watch, Omega celebrates their partnership with ...
Omega Seamaster Professional 300 Chronometer Mid-Size
52Mondayz week #21 is not about the watch I’ll be wearing this week. It’s a tribute to the watch my wife is wearing. Not only this week, not only this month, not only this year. However every single day during her work as chef at her own restaurant ‘Limoncello’ during the last 10 years.The Omega Seamaster Professional 300 Chronometer Mid-Size, reference 2252.50.00Life for a watch at the wrist of a chef is harsh, extremely harsh. Steam, ice, water, grease, and continuously hitting everything from the oven to the sink, from the espresso machine to the bar.Hotel and catering industry-worthyIn my professional life as a watch dealer I’ve had many chefs as valued and ...
Speedy Tuesday Moscow Speedmaster Event Report
Last week I travelled to Russia, to join the first Moscow Speedmaster event. In one of Moscow’s skyscrapers?at an altitude of 354 meters, guests could enjoy a thorough introduction and explanation of the Omega Speedmaster.I have never been to Moscow before (except for a connecting flight at the airport), but it is a very impressive city. Before the Moscow Speedmaster Event started, I made sure to walk around a bit in the centre, enjoy looking at the Red Square with all of its beautiful architecture.Moscow Speedmaster EventOmega Russia, together with Russian magazine WatchAlfavit, organized this wonderful Moscow Speedmaster event on May 17th in restaurant Ruski, the highest located rest...
(Re-)Discovering The ZRC Grand Fonds 300 1964 French Navy Reissue
Owning a brand must be difficult sometimes, even if money was no object because it inevitably skews your opinions.I wear men's watches, in general. And I judge what men wear it's an occupational hazard. Some watches instantly speak to me, some immediately switch me off. So I try to focus on the joy of discovering and sharing. And sometimes the ones that leave me unsure at first sight, end up generating the strongest reaction.ZRC Grand Fonds 300 1964One reaction of late turns out to be a smashingly appropriate simile, for my feelings towards the ZRC Grand Fonds 300 1964 French Navy Reissue. I must have stumbled across this brand about a year ago. Truth be told, I didn't get it. I remember loo...
Hot Take: Omega Seamaster 300 Malachite
Desiring an ornate, yet incredibly capable diver?? Look no further than the new Omega Seamaster 300 Malachite on strap.Malachite and Azurite My Grandfather and Father enjoyed a fair bit of lapidary work as a hobby and I still recall being quizzed about different gemstones.? When it came to that unfinished stone in blue and green, there was only one answer: malachite and azurite.? And so it was with great pleasure when I flipped through Omega's 2019 novelties and came across one gorgeously audacious watch, the yellow gold Omega Seamaster 300 Malachite that's now available on strap.? It's so wild that it almost makes the new 300M in Sedna Gold seem a touch normal.Yellow Gold Seamasters Our Sof...
Top 10 Grand Seiko Watches According To Fratello
Here’s our Top 10 Grand Seiko overview! An overview of the hottest Grand Seiko watches according to our readers.We measured the reading and clicking behavior from May 2019 till now. The result? A list of the Top 10 Grand Seikos according to you, the Fratelli. Grand Seiko made big steps in the last few years. And with every new release, the brand figured out new ways to surprise us. Besides the unmatched dial and hands finishing, the cases are simply to die for. Zaratsu polishing for example, has become a standard. Only a few years ago, nobody except a few enthusiasts had heard about this. Due to the efforts that Grand Seiko took to create more worldwide awareness, the brand’s wat...
A Collector Talks About His Omega Seamaster Ploprof
I have a weak spot for the Seamaster Ploprof, and last year I purchased the steel 1200M version. Although Omega still lists the steel Ploprof on their website, it is out of production since last year. I enjoy the watch a lot and noticed that I am not alone.On Instagram, I got in touch with a fellow owner of the Seamaster Ploprof 1200M. I can’t remember exactly when I started to follow him, but I was triggered by his Instagram account name “Ploprof_guy”. He doesn’t have a very big account, but his pictures intrigued me. Besides his modern Omega Seamaster Ploprof 1200M, he also showed old black and white pictures of his father in Lebanon during the war in 1982. I reache...
You Asked Us: When Were Watches First Invented
As is becoming something of a trope, I’d like to start this edition of You Asked Us with another question entirely. Before we can answer “When were watches first invented”, we must first address the somewhat broader question of “What is a watch?”I’m sure you have a pretty good image in your head. I did too. And then I really started to think about it. How does one really draw a line between watches and clocks? On the surface there are a few simple suggestions that seem to hold weight, but ultimately fall down thanks to exceptional outliers spoiling the party for everyone else.A clean definitionMany sources will define a watch as a portable timepiece. This ...
Introducing The Montblanc 1858 Automatic 24H
For its new introductions for 2020, Montblanc puts a lot of focus on expanding the 1858 collection. The 1858 collection is inspired by the Minerva watches from the 1920s and 1930s. Tool watches that were created mostly for military use and mountain exploration. The all-new Montblanc 1858 Automatic 24H fits perfectly in the 1858 collection and adds its own dose of quirkiness.The first thing that came to mind when I saw the Montblanc 1858 Automatic 24H was the thought of me flipping through the pages of the Grote Bosatlas as a young boy. It’s the Dutch equivalent of the British Oxford Atlas of the World and was first published in 1877. The Grote Bosatlas?is a Dutch institution that still...
IWC's CEO Christoph Grainger-Herr Sits Down With RJ (2021)
RJ chats with the guiding IWC into the next phase of its development, who, coincidentally, also happens to be the same man that designed IWC’s current manufacturing headquarters…Some people have all the talent…...
Hands-On Watch Review: The Cyrus Klepcys GMT Retrograde (2021)
You may recall seeing me mention the CYRUS Klepcys GMT Retrograde in one of my recent Independent Insights columns. In that article, I said that it was a brand that I don’t see a lot of press for, and I wondered why. My first introduction to the brand was on the streets of Manchester about 4 or 5 years ago. One of the many watch shops in the city had a few watches from this brand that I’d never seen or heard of before. That brand turned out to be CYRUS. Since then, I’ve only seen fleeting glances online or on social media.You can understand why the brand was not exactly on my radar when all of a sudden, an email lands in my Fratello inbox with details of the Klepcys GMT Ret...