New: Breguet Tradition Chronographe Independant 7077 In Blue
Breguet introduced the Tradition Chronographe Independant 7077 back in 2015. The watch displayed awe-inspiring watchmaking inventiveness. How about two balance wheels, two gear trains, an arc-shaped minute totalizer, a power reserve indicator, and a mesmerizing open-worked look on both the front and back? What more could you ask for?Well, if I put on my critical hat, I could ask for better legibility. The reflective silver sub-dial displaying the time can almost disappear in certain lights. Also, its surroundings are so busy that the eye does not naturally gravitate towards the hour and minute hand. I know, I know…we are well and truly in first-world-problem territory here. Regardless,...
Seiko and other Japanese watches
Browsing the forums at WatchUseek, I decided to click the Seiko/Citizen/Orient forum for a change. I noticed all these posts with subjects which look like total jibberish to me. Weird feeling, because I was under the impression that after almost 10 years of this watch crazyness, I could identify most watch descriptions. Anyway, a good way to start was to click a thread called ‘Pics of your current Seiko collection’ where WuS??visitors are being asked to participate by showing their Japanese watch collection. Pictured below is the Seiko Gyro Marvel watch with automatic movement cal.290 dated ca 1959. Owner Robert has a bunch of Seikos in his collection and shows them with pride!By...
Seiko Factory Visit Trip Report Part 2 : Astron GPS and Prospex
June 8, 2017: You can now sign-up for the same adventure as described in this article. Sign-up for the Grand Seiko Experience with Fratello Watches.About a month ago, early October, I traveled to Japan to join the Seiko Media Experience 2015 tour with 6 other journalists from various watch publications. It was a trip to remember and I decided to report about this trip in three separate articles.Part 1 Visit to the (Grand) Seiko and Credor facilities?in Morioka and Shiojiri;Part 2 Astron GPS and Prospex collections;Part 3 Seiko Museum visit and interview with Mr Hattori.This is part 2, covering Seiko’s Astron GPS and Seiko Prospex collections. We were staying at a beautiful location, in...
Presentation of the Oris Movember Edition 52Mondayz week #48
Yesterday Oris presented their Movember Edition of the popular original 40mm Sixty-Five Diver in The Hague Netherlands. As Official Watch Partner of the Movember Foundation, Oris herewith continues the company's ‘Change for the Better’ campaign. And I was invited.Contents of the Oris Movember Edition setOris Movember EditionThe Movember Foundation was founded in 2003 in Melbourne, Australia by Adam Garone, Travis Garone, Luke Slattery, and Justin Coghlan. Meanwhile, it’s a multinational charity organization that aims to raise awareness for men’s health in general. The foundation is active in 21 countries and has a global workforce of 130 people. It has funded more tha...
HUBLOT: Big Bang UNICO GMT
From one time zone to another, at the push of a buttonThe Hublot Unico manufacture movement is equipped with a new patented proprietary module which enables the second time zone to be updated instantly by a push-button, allowing the local time to be read easily via the conventional main hand of the watch. The time at home is indicated using a second arrow-shaped hour hand, which integrates a day/night indicator and is set us ing the crown. Today, we board an aircraft like we were getting in a car, traveling constantly back and forth between time zones. GMT has proven to be one of the most useful and frequently used complications, hence the need to simplify its operation and make it easier to...
Report: Longines 185th anniversary in Beijing and launch Record Collection
It's not everyday that you get to travel to China for an event.?But when it comes to really special occasions it asks for a matching location. And this is exactly what Longines did for their 185th birthday and the official launch of their new Record Collection. With Asia being the most important market for Longines. It wasn't a surprise to see them celebrate the Longines 185th anniversary in the heart of Beijing. So last week we travelled? across the globe for an exclusive celebration in one of the most exotic locations in the world. Longines 185th anniversary in BeijingJust outside of the forbidden city, Longines set up a party location in the courtyard of Taimiao which is the Imperial Ance...
Speedy Tuesday Magnus Walker 911 And His Omega Speedmaster
Exactly 6 years ago today, at the beginning of Speedy Tuesday in 2012, we featured Porsche 911 collector and fashion designer Magnus Walker and his Speedmaster Automatic 176.0012 from 1974. I thought it would be nice to highlight this feature once more, as it is not only a very cool reference but also to watch the documentary on Magnus Walker again (below).Magnus Walker and his Porsche 911 and Speedmaster. Photo (c) https://www.autickar.czMagnus Walker SpeedmasterYears ago, I noticed Magnus Walker wearing his Speedmaster Automatic 176.0012 (Mark 4.5) in a copy of TopGear magazine. I contacted him and asked him about his Mark 4.5 for a feature on Speedy Tuesday. He was happy to cooperate and ...
First Man Latest NASA Movie That's Worth Your Time
There are only a handful of projects in Hollywood that we can think of when we hear that Omega appears in them. The most obvious would be James Bond. Ok, that production is actually not coming from Hollywood, but you get what I mean. Since the release of GoldenEye in 1995 Her Majesty's secret agent straps on an Omega timepiece every time he needs to save the world. Whether it is a quartz Seamaster 300M (GoldenEye) or a Planet Ocean Co-Axial 42mm (Skyfall) Mr Bond always has a nice timepiece to pick up from his secret service watch box. As a matter of fact, in 2020 James Bond will return to the silver screen for the (officially) 25th?time. Hopefully, he’ll be wearing another cool Omega ...
Holiday Gift Guide 2019 The Watches
Welcome to the Fratello Holiday Gift Guide 2019: The Watches!? We have a cool assortment for you that includes both classics and new watches…enjoy and Happy Holidays!Over 5.000 Euro (or USD or GBP)Omega Speedmaster “Dark Side of the Moon” Apollo 8 (9.100 Euro)Well, you knew a gift guide form Fratello would be thick with Speedmasters, so here is our first of two to make the guide: the “Dark Side of the Moon” Apollo 8.? I wasn’t sure about this one when it debuted at Baselworld 2018, but then I saw it months later on the wrist of Roy Davidoff…and I loved it (RJ called it the best of the DSotM collection).? What amazes me on this watch is the impressive...
Wrist Game or Crying Shame: Tudor Submariner 79090
We return to Wrist Game or Crying Shame where you tell us if a watch is worthwhile or simply a wild waste of time.? This week we take a look at the last of the line for an older style of watch, the Tudor Submariner 79090.? But first…I complained wildly a couple weeks ago that you readers were a bunch of softies who were willing to throw your hard-earned virtual cash at just about anything I presented.? After all, all you were doing was committing to a mouse click and everyone is so nice when they’re anonymous on the internet, right?? Well, I threw a meatball right down the center of the plate with the Hublot MDM 1810.1 Chronograph and you hit it right out of the park into the nea...
11 Remarkable Omega Ads From The Past
We have decided to make the ‘Ads From The Past’ a recurring series of articles where we find the best in watch advertising. In the second article of the series, it’s now time to look at some Omega ads and see what remarkable things we can find. We have selected eleven ads from the past to find out what makes them iconic, funny, or strange.Omega has a rich tradition in advertising that goes back to the beginning of the 20th century, so there was a lot to chose from when we selected ‘just’ eleven ads for this article. Some of the advertisements are real works of art, and others are very technical and factual to emphasise the features of the watch.11 Omega ads from...
Pre-Owned Picks 5 Watch Types For Under $3,000
This week in Pre-Owned Picks, I am selecting five watches in five categories under the sum of $3,000. My selecting process was straightforward. I filtered on the price from $0 to $3k, then chose the watch type, whether that be the complication or the purpose. Drilling down the selecting process, I based my choices purely on what caught my eye.And a lot was vying for my attention. $3k is a great budget to have to spend on a cracking timepiece. Enough to cover a luxury purchase but not so much that the bank deduction is a colossal gut-punch. The categories were harder to choose, however. I did my best steer clear of the typical sports and dress watch types, and find watches with a bit of mecha...
Up Close RADO Captain Cook Automatic Dive Watch In Bronze
When Michael wrote his article on the 1962 RADO Captain Cook, I was intrigued. However, I am not that much a fan of buying vintage divers so I was happily surprised when Rado introduced its new Captain Cook in 2017.A vintage diver surely is charming, but I like to wear my watches on daily basis. You can wear a vintage diver every day of course, but I’ve had some nasty experiences with lengthy repair processes and unavailability of spare parts. Enter the new RADO Captain Cook. My most favorite edition is the steel one with the green bezel and dial on a beads-of-rice bracelet (that’s why we carry it in our shop), but the new bronze cased Captain Cook is very interesting as well.Cap...
How Watches Work: What Is Snailing?
We’re often asked about different finishing techniques. Indeed, snailing was one that fascinated me from the first time I ever saw it. Thankfully, I was pretty fortunate to see the watchmakers at NOMOS decorating movements up close and in person earlier this year. It was enlightening to finally understand how it works. So, what actually is snailing?“Snailing” is a form of abrasive finish, and it’s a type of graining. The watchmaker arranges a pattern of circular spirals in one or more bands emanating from the central point of the finished part.How is snailing achieved?To produce the finish on a part, watchmakers use a small rotating “tube” with an abrasive...
The Fast And The Fratelli: Breitling Premier B09 Vs. Tudor Black Bay Chrono
Is there such a thing as a fair contest? When I started writing this article, that was the first question that popped into my mind. But then again, should a contest be fair? Of course not! The question arose most likely because I am slightly biased when it comes to my two contestants. But The Fast And The Fratelli is all about you, determining our readers’ favorite chronographs. So we will see how “fair” this match-up between the Breitling Premier B09 Chronograph 40 and the Tudor Black Bay Chrono turns out to be. I have faith in you, Fratelli! Get ready to put the pedal to the metal!Before we get into this contest, let’s remind ourselves what we are looking for. You, ...
Exclusive Hands-On Review Of The Bohematic Aerodynamic (2021)
It was nicknamed “Icebreaker,” and allegedly, even Ferdinand Porsche himself admired it. The Wikov 35 was the world's first aerodynamic car, and it is the inspiration for the latest watch release from a young Czech independent brand. Meet the Bohematic Aerodynamic.Archives say there weren't more than three to five examples of the Wikov 35 ever produced. It was shown to the world in late 1931 at the Prague Motor Show, two and half years earlier than the Tatra 77, which is officially recognized as the world's first serially produced car with an aerodynamic body. Wikov 35 never actually took off, as the manufacturers forgot about one important detail - covering the chassis. Leaving ...
Buying Guide: Best A. Lange & Sohne Watches From The 1990s
We like to talk about vintage watches a lot within the Fratello team. Though most of what we write about is primarily focused on the most recent releases and developments, for many of us, a lot of the fun can be found in the sometimes weird and often wonderful 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 are priceless, and some of them are still affordable. In this installment, we will take a look at the best A. Lange & Sohne watches from the 1990s.This week, we will continue ou...
?The Artisans De Genve Ciottolo Azzurro Project
Yes, I happily admit to having a weakness for Artisans de Genve and what the small brand does to somewhat ubiquitous big-brand grails. Just like the roughed-up charm of Phil Toledano's Submariner added a rustic soul to an icon, ADG has a magic touch. The watch community will always be split on modifying what many consider lifetime-grail watches. But believe me, the discreet charm of the Artisans de Genve is powerful, as we see in the Ciottolo Azzurro Project.Looking at Instagram with the relentless barrage of rapper-worn diamond-festooned bling, I understand the naysayers. To me, adding 1,478 diamonds and sapphires to a Nautilus or a to makes it less appealing than wearing a gold spacesui...
Dear Seiko, Bring Back The Champion Alpinist J13043
Recently, Balazs and I recorded a podcast about Seiko. We were forced to come up with two of our favorite models from the brand. This was no small feat, but we persevered. One of my choices was Champion Alpinist J13043, a bit of an “if you know, you know” watch that clocks in at roughly 60 years old. I thought this watch would be the perfect addition to our ongoing series of “Dear xxx” articles.The Alpinist is a seriously popular line within the Seiko Prospex series, even if the Alpinist nomenclature no longer officially exists. Yes, that’s right, aside from the “meh” 1959 Alpinist recreation, Seiko chooses not to use the name. No one pays attention,...
Omega Seamaster 300M NTTD Vs. James Bond 60th Anniv.
In today’s Sunday Morning Showdown, two of our writers go head-to-head in an epic battle 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. Today features another James Bond tussle. On one side is the big star of No Time To Die (2021). No, not Daniel Craig, but he did assist with the design of his titanium Omega Seamaster Diver 300M. The shark-mesh bracelet, matte brown aluminum dial and bezel, and cappuccino lume are signatures of its screen-ready style. Facing off against the No T...