Omega Classics Of The 1970s: A Buying Guide (2021)
We like to talk about vintage watches a lot within the Fratello team. While the daily routine is largely focused on the most recent developments in the world of watches, the most fun for many of us lies in the world of vintage watches. It's a world full of history, remarkable watches, incredible stories, and quirky details. It inspired us to come up with a series of articles focusing on the best watches per decade from a select group of brands. Some of them priceless, some of them still affordable. In this installment, we will take a look at the best Omega watches from the 1970s.In the 1960s, we witnessed developments that challenged the status quo of watch design forever. The sheer amount o...
Dear Omega, Bring Back The Dynamic
The Dynamic might not be the first watch that comes to mind when asking for a re-edition. As a matter of fact, it might not even be “a watch” to most, except for maybe the vintage guys. And even some of THEM raise an eyebrow when I sport my beloved Dynamic. Yet, this watch has so much character, it’s incredible. I’m fairly sure Omega will never bring back the Dynamic, but one can dream.To be clear, when I say Dynamic, I do not mean the models from the ’90s. Rather, I’m talking about the oval, funky, two-tone models with the quirky strap system. They’re fun, cheap, and wear fantastically!A page from a vintage Omega catalog - Photo credit: www.old-omeg...
Doxa SUB 300 Carbon Vs. Tudor BB Ceramic
Welcome, one and all, to this week’s Sunday Morning Showdown! In this series, we take two watches that share some key features, or that at least exist in the same conceptual ballpark, and pit them against each other. This week, we have a fantastic showdown for you all. Two divers, both of which feature exotic materials for their cases, go head to head and battle it out for the win. It's also my (Nacho’s) very first time stepping into the Sunday Morning Showdown arena. And who better to go up against than the old war dog that is our very own Balazs Ferenczi? But will this be like the tale of David and Goliath? Or will the more experienced fighter proceed to a masterful takedown? I...
Lightweight Neo-Vintage Watches: Pre-Owned Spotlight
In today's edition of Pre-Owned Spotlight, we’re going lightweight neo-vintage! Nacho likes to set increasingly specific challenges for us, and I think this might be my most particular one yet. But hey, I like a challenge. And, as a matter of fact, I immediately had a couple of serious contenders in mind.I will limit myself to models introduced in the 1990s and 2000s and, obviously, to lightweight materials. Without further ado, let's go on the hunt for some pre-owned picks.Image: Sivils LuxuryLightweight neo-vintage pick #1: Panerai Luminor Base PAM00176Let me kick this off with a classic from Panerai. Wait, what? Isn’t Panerai known for heavyweight wrist dumbbells? Well, yes. B...
Arcanaut ARC II Fordite: An Industrial "Stone" Dial Watch
Did you know Detroit, Michigan, USA is a precious place riddled with gemstones? Motor City is the city where Fordite comes from. No mining is needed, though, since Fordite is hardened old automotive paint that's reclaimed from car factory assembly lines. The Arcanaut ARC II – Fordite is a Danish-made watch with a handmade dial crafted by James Thompson, co-owner of Arcanaut and founder of Black Badger. The exotic industrial dial fits the case with its sober industrial design and strong, curved lines paradoxically well.James Thompson talked about Fordite before here on Fratello: We're using solid chunks of the stuff, he explained. Nodes, we call them. The Fordite we used to create these...
Hands-On: Titoni Seascoper 600 CarbonTech
Titoni’s Seascoper series made a lasting impression on me last year. Back in November, I reviewed the stainless steel version of the Seascoper 300, and I loved that watch. The comfort, build quality, and COSC-certified movement made for an incredible package at well under $2K. For the money, it simply is very hard to beat. But what about its carbon bigger brother? The Titoni Seascoper 600 CarbonTech comes with a lightweight carbon case, an in-house movement, and double the water resistance. Importantly, it also takes a step away from the Submariner-esque looks of the Seascoper 300. Let’s find out if the Titoni Seascoper 600 CarbonTech is twice as good as its little brother.When I...
Favorite Watches Under $1,000 In 2023 Gerard's Picks
Quite unintentionally, my interest in watches in the budget segment (under $1,000) has grown quite a bit in recent years. It could have something to do with the fact that the prices of more reputable ones have been going pretty wild lately. Or it may also be because some of the latest versions of established models are simply not available. I’ve also noticed that I care less about brands’ reputations. Brands seem to be very involved with whom or what they want to be associated with more so than building a reputation by presenting good and attractive watches. I often don’t know or recognize their ambassadors of choice, nor am I interested in the activity a brand chooses to c...
Hands-On: Seiko Presage Style60's SRPL07 And SRPL09
Though often overlooked in the Seiko catalog, the Presage collection contains some good watches, including the Cocktail Time and Classic models. My favorites, though, are the Style60’s watches, so I was happy to take the new SRPL07 and SRPL09 for a spin. As it turns out, these steel-bezel versions are my new favorites in the Style60’s series.At first glance, it seems that the Seiko Presage Style60’s SRPL07 and SRPL09 simply offer a new bezel. But there is more to the story than that. They also introduce a slightly smaller case and a wonderfully comfortable new bracelet. These factors combined make these two new watches the best in the Style60’s lineup. I liked them so...
Hands-On: Gerald Charles Masterlink Blue
Is the hype for luxury sports watches with integrated bracelets over? If you look at a benchmark in this market segment, the steel Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo, which sold for four times retail at the height of the wave, is now going for just twice the price on the secondary market. So, yes, the ultra-hype might have died down, but that doesn't mean high-end watches with integrated bracelets are done for. Still, it is fair to ask if a price drop of an icon has consequences for newcomer watches that have yet to reach a similar status. How desirable is, for instance, the new Gerald Charles Masterlink Blue in light of current market developments? I went hands-on with the watch with a lot on ...
The Best Watches Under $2,500 Nacho's Picks
The team at Fratello continues its yearly quest to highlight some of our favorite watches available on the market today. We are currently deep into exploring those that we consider to be the best watches under $2,500. After missing out on the sub-$1K picks, I’m pleased to provide my two cents at this price point. It’s still within what I’d consider my comfort zone (albeit less so than the picks under $1,000). Still, as it goes year after year, watches you thought you could reliably list within a specific price bracket have either been discontinued or increased in price. However, it would be unfair to say we are not spoiled for choice at this price point.In fact, there are s...
Introducing: The Chronoswiss ReSec Manufacture Series
Just two months ago, Chronoswiss announced a new, modern design direction at Watches and Wonders 2024. Don’t worry, hallmark characteristics such as reeded bezels and onion crowns still exist. However, the watches look more contemporary. Today’s three new ReSec Manufacture models continue the theme and bring bold dials for good measure.In late March, Chronoswiss debuted the Strike Two Golden Gear and H2O models. These pieces ushered in a new era of design for the brand. Still, one look at these watches leaves no doubt about the maker. The onion crown is there in an updated form, and the case design also looks more modern. However, the beautiful, often bold dials remain. Now we ha...
Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Event On Capri
Last week, I attended the Omega event on Capri, a small island near the city of Naples in Italy. Omega invited me, and a number of other journalists, over to this beautiful island to join their Seamaster Planet Ocean introduction and announcement of a special collaboration.To start with the latter, Omega and environmentalist/filmmaker Yann Arthus-Bertrand are collaborating on creating a film about the Earth’s oceans. Yann Arthus-Bertrand, famous for his movie HOME, showed up together with this other famous Omega ambassador, Buzz Aldrin, to announce their plans on this joint venture.Besides this introduction, Omega took us on a boat and sailed away to the beautiful coast of Capri with t...
Watch Spotting At Gumball 3000 In Copenhagen
Gumball 3000 Anniversary EditionFratellowatches was present on the Gumball 3000 grid in Copenhagen last weekend. With Hublot being the official sponsor for this 15th anniversary edition it was definitely not the only brand on the wrist of the drivers.?The?Gumball 3000?is an annual 3,000-mile (4,800?km) road rally which takes place on?public roads, with a different route around the world each year.?This year the rally starts in Copenhagen and goes to Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Riga, Warsaw, Vienna and the finish is in Monte Carlo.Fratellowatches was there to do some watch spotting!Photo 1. On the wrist of A. Dharamsey from Team Wolfpack we spotted this AP Grand Prix All Carbon.Photo...
Schaap -/- Citroen Watch 2016 Event
Last Friday?we visited the Watch 2016 event, held by Dutch retailer Schaap -/- Citroen at the Okura hotel in Amsterdam. This event, from Friday 20th of May (VIP evening) till Sunday 22nd of May, is being organized for a couple of years now, showing the SIHH and BaselWorld novelties to those who don’t have access to these Swiss exhibitions.Brands like A. Lange & Sohne, Baume et Mercier, Breitling, Cartier, Hublot, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Omega, Panerai, Patek Philippe, Piaget, Roger Dubuis, and Zenith for example, show their novelties to the visitors of Watch 2016.The VIP evening of the Watch 2016 event was meant for some member of the press and for Schaap -/- Citroen’s import...
Speedy Tuesday Sedna Gold Speedmaster Racing Master Chronometer
In the last few days, I've been posting a couple of gold watches on my private Instagram account (@rjbroer). Not to test or try something, but because I've noticed I've grown into this precious material. Owning a couple of gold watches myself, including the Speedmaster Professional Stafford', I've come to appreciate the material more and more. Even yellow gold. And bi-color. Not too long ago, I was in London and tried the new Speedmaster Racing Master Chronometer in 18kt Sedna gold. Sedna is Omega's own alloy for rose gold and it has been used for almost all their collections if I am not mistaken. Sedna gold is an interesting material, as it as opposed to normal rose gold will not turn into ...
Vertex Launches The New DLC Coated M100B 150 Pieces Only
A year ago, Vertex introduced their M100. A watch that paid tribute to the military Vertex watch that was part of the famous dirty dozen. Only 600 pieces were made of those, and only available via an exclusive invitation and referral program. Now, there’s the Vertex M100B. Vertex M100BInterestingly, the current Vertex company is owned by the great-grandson of the founder of the Vertex company over a 100 years ago. He explains that the original 1944 Vertex military watch with calibre?59 movement has been the blueprint for the M100 and this new M100B, with DLC finish. In fact, he is assured that if today’s technology would be available in WW2, the original ca...
A Couple Of Things You Should Know About Breitling A Cool InfoGraphic
Earlier this year we visited the Breitling roadshow in Zurich, Switzerland, and had a sit-down with CEO Georges Kern. He was incredibly open to us (as you can read here) and the new collections were well received, including the new Navitimer 8 models.World’s leading online marketplace of watches Chrono24, did a profile on Breitling and put it in an interesting infographic. We would like to share this infographic with you, and perhaps you see something that is new to you and might spark your interest in them.This infographic was made by Chrono24.com....
Universal Geneve Film Compax Reference 22522
Italian collector (and Universal Geneve aficionado) Mr. A and I researched the Film Compax 22522. A watch with only 7 known examples, it is?considered a grail in the UG sphere. Let’s have a closer look at this rare reference.But before we do so, a brief background for those who aren’t that familiar with Universal Geneve. Universal Geneve (UG) was founded in 1894 and soon rose to become a pioneer in the manufacturing of chronograph movements as the popularity and subsequent development of wristwatches spread in the 1920s and 30s. Having their own movement manufacturing facility named Martel, UG was able to provide chronograph calibers for many major Swiss houses, such as Jaeger-Le...
Kudoke 1 and Kudoke 2
Independent German watchmaker Stefan Kudoke expands into a new field with a clearly classical Haute Horlogerie approach at an attractive price.Stefan Kudoke has made his mark trough creative and artistic skeletonising and engraving of watch movements to create art pieces for the wrist whose purpose to indicate the time is secondary at the most. Now he has added a completely different collection of watches with classically clean looks and an impressive new own movement. With the decoration of this movement, Stefan Kudoke enters Haute Horlogerie standards which he offers at an attractive price. I met him at Baselworld 2019 where he presented himself at the booth of the AHCI as a Candidate.Kudo...
Introducing The Zenith Chronomaster Revival A386 Manufacture Edition
If you’re looking for a great story, check the attic. Zenith knows this all too well as the story of the revival of the famous El Primero movement revolves around the attic of their Zenith Manufacture building. In 1975, now Zenith legend Charles Vermot hid all the technical plans and tools necessary to produce every component of the famous El Primero movement.? Among them, a box of prototype dials for the El Primero A386 that were never used in production. Until now, with the introduction of the Zenith Chronomaster Revival A386 Manufacture Edition.It has been great to see that Zenith has been gracing us with a string of excellent releases lately. The most loved ones amongst watch enthu...