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

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 a

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

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 S

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

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 whi

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

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

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 sp

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.Ome

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

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 su

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 gener

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 wit

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 t

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, b

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 o

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 ca

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…

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 I̵