In-Depth Watch Research And Myth Busting
We’re back with another episode of Fratello On Air! We apologize for missing last week, but travel and visitors got in the way. This week, we’re discussing watch research, the time it takes, and the self-satisfaction obtained when uncovering a new fact. It’s another nerdy episode, but recording was a lot of fun. For our listeners, the watch content begins after 22 minutes....
New: Seiko Astron GPS Solar SSJ023, SSJ025, And SSJ026
The Seiko Astron GPS Solar with an easy-wearing tonneau case design debuted in the spring of 2022. This series started with four models housing Seiko’s 5X53 dual-time movement, and after that, several models followed, including ones with the chronograph caliber 5X83. Now three new, simpler references assume their places in the core collection. The dark blue SSJ023 and the dark gray SSJ025 and SSJ026 all have dials with a gradient design.The three new Seiko Astron GPS Solar have a few things in common. All three references have a super-hard-coated titanium case with a 42mm diameter, 12mm thickness, and 47.9mm length. They also use the same GPS Solar caliber 3X62. This latest-generation ...
WatchUseek Just Opened The First Linde Werdelin Forum
Finally ?? Every great brand deserves to have its own forum. Ernie Romers of WatchUseek pulled the trigger and created a special place for Linde Werdelin owners or future owners to discuss this brand.Click here to go to the forum and be one of the first to salute the other LW owners.Update: Me and my big mouth ?? Have been promoted to be the Linde Werdelin Forum moderator over at WUS. Come and see!...
The New Glycine Incursore II Lineup An Affordable Classic
Glycine introduced their new lineup of Incursore watches, reminding us how it all started with this model in 1998. The Glycine Incursore was a very large watch for that period in time, and I remember that because a watch collector acquaintance of mine had a Glycine – which I thought was just ridiculously sized at the time.The new Incursore II model is 44mm in diameter (no biggie in 2010) and comes in a hand wound mechanical version as well as an automatic movement version. The first Incursore in 1998 was a hand wound model, so I would personally go for that one. The nicely brushed 44mm case holds either the hand wound ETA/Unitas 6498 movement or the automatic ETA 2824-2 movement. The a...
Speedy Tuesday Speedmaster Professional Moonphase Aventurine
There seem to be a lot of questions about the watch we are featuring today on Speedy Tuesday. The Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonphase with Aventurine dial.Even on our favorite Omega Forum some people started to wonder whether it was a phantom Speedy or that it really exists. Well, we’ve definitely had it in our hands during our BaselWorld visit and in the meanwhile, we’ve seen a few photos floating around of this Speedy model for sale at a Californian Omega boutique.Although we like this ‘Speedy Aventurine’ a lot, there are a few things that keeps us busy. First of all, the wording ‘Professional’ on the dial seems a bit strange to us. Although it has ...
First Richard Mille Boutique in London
Since a couple of years there is a trend of watch brands opening their own boutiques or flag ship stores. This way, the watch brand has more control with respect to the quality of the sales staff, has direct contact with its customers and – perhaps – decreases the number of watches disappearing into the grey market. Also, the brand is able to create the perfect atmosphere for its clients that fits the brand in the best way.Will retailers disappear? I don’t think so, at least the big chains (think Wempe, Tourneau etc) will survive as well as shops that really specialize in certain (niche) brands (think Chronopassion, Marcus etc). Small individual stores might get into troubl...
Hands-On Baume & Mercier Clifton Complete Calendar Review
When Baume & Mercier’s CEO Alain Zimmerman introduced the new Clifton collection as “affordable luxury” to us at the SIHH in 2013, I was happy to learn that some brands still understood the importance of creating affordable timepieces. The Clifton collection started at approximately CHF 2500 Swiss Francs but due to the annual price increases and the CHF/Euro “disconnect” earlier this year, the Clifton collection now starts at $ 2800 Euro for the gents’ models.As expected, Baume & Mercier quickly created a number of Clifton models with (and without) complications. This review is about the?Baume & Mercier Clifton Complete Calendar that I had on m...
Casio MRW S300H-8BVCF the cheapest watch on Fratello Watches ever
This will be the cheapest watch ever covered at Fratello Watches. And until we would do the illustrious Casio F-91W, it will most probably remain that way.Casio MRW S300H-8BVCFFirst I want to apologize for the picture quality of this weeks 52Mondayz. I had no access to a decent camera and thus the pictures in this weeks article are made with a mobile phone and and compact camera.Casio MRW S300H-8BVStill in a not very easy going area in Latin-America, I had to look for another watch which doesn’t get me a lot of attraction. For these occasions I love to look at watches which do give wearing pleasure without costing a lot of money.A lot of wearing pleasure at minimum costsJapanese brands...
Watches & Pencils #31 Creating Watch Names: Analysis, Conventions and Examples
Watch experts often refer to watches with reference numbers, especially with models that have many variations and long history. 145.022-69' instead of Omega Speedmaster Professional' and 1675' instead of GMT-Master'. Of course, this is the most specific way to refer to a watch. But it is the original name that starts the story. And let's admit, a name sounds better than a number. In this episode we're going to dive into watches and their names.Imagination and AttractionSome names really trigger a complete story. Tudor Black Bay' for example. I immediately imagine myself drifting together with with the watch. On a small stealthy boat, I float along a dark bay with a light-tower and the moon ...
Top Watches at Catawiki This Week
Each week over 2,000 watches are up for auction at online auction platform Catawiki. Every watch is first reviewed by their team of 12 watch experts to ensure quality, authenticity, and suitability for auction. Their experts then carefully curate the auction to provide the most diverse and best possible quality listings. Have a look at a few of the top watches selected by their experts from this week's auction below.IWC Schaffhausen Der FliegerOmega Seamaster PloProfJaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Grande TailleOmega Seamaster Olympic Limited Edition Oysterquartz President Day-DateFor more exceptional watches, visit Catawiki's weekly Watches auctions....
ARCHIMEDE Pilot 42 GMT: Fliegerwatch with dual timezone
More than 90 years of experience in the watch industry underpins ARCHIMEDEs expertise. Starting with the design, through the production till the final control: Everything is made in Pforzheim / Germany. Here the prototypes are built, the ICKLER cases manufactured and finally the whole watch assembled and controlled.For Pilots, frequent flyers, globetrotters and business travelers (and of course for those who just like watches) ARCHIMEDE presents now the all new Pilot 42 GMT. Whether you are a frequent traveler or just have regular communication with people in another time zone, knowing the time in more than one place can be very useful. GMT is short for Greenwich Mean Time. It is the average...
Fortuna 'Important Watches' Auction September 27th Our Highlights
Fortuna is auctioning a number of interesting watches during their ‘Important Watches’ sale on September 27th. We would like to give you our highlights of that auction, but feel free to browse their catalogue anyways, as they have quite an interesting line-up of watches. The ‘Important Watches’ auction consists of 66 lots, with a fair share of watches, of course. But you will also find other interesting pieces, like the Gerald Genta Octagon Chronograph for example, or a beautiful desk clock from Jaeger-LeCoultre (Marina).We picked a couple of highlights of this auction, that may interest you as well. Without further ado, let’s have a look.Patek Philippe Nautilu...
Speedy Tuesday Ultraman Photo Gallery and Q&A
The Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Ultraman has been introduced on July 10th and sold out within two hours. Today we show you some beautiful images of this new Ultraman, from watchmaker, collector and Speedy Tuesday fan, Abel Court. He picked up his Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Ultraman last week and already had the time to shoot some great photos.Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday UltramanMost details regarding this Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Ultraman we shared with you in the introduction article on July 10th. In a nutshell, the Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Ultraman has the following specifications:Reference?311.12.42.30.01.001Case diameter: 42mmLug Width: 20mmMovement: Calibre 1861Crystal: HesaliteStrap:...
A Longines From 1874 Winner Of The Oldest Longines Watch In The Netherlands
Earlier this year, we teamed up with Longines to find the oldest Longines watch in The Netherlands.Speaking of the oldest Longines watch, it has to be a pocket watch, of course. Although Longines dates back to 1832, their first pocket watch with in-house movement (caliber 20A) was produced in 1867. This is also the year that Longines starts to record their production in their archives. All Longines watches from that moment on, carry the brand name, and have the hourglass engraved in the watch.But let’s face it, only a few of those early watches probably survived. Pocket watches made way for wristwatches a few decades ago, and a lot of these old watches are long gone and forgotten. It m...
Pre-Owned Picks 2020 Watches For Less Than RRP
You'd have a hard time convincing me in March that we would see any more watch releases. With fairs postponing to next year, or cancelling, how would brands react to an unfamiliar release schedule? Even the Grande Maisons such as and Patek, set our expectations very low and swore off 2020 unveilings. But the story of this year, in general, is of remarkable resiliency in the face of adversity.As it transpires, 2020 has been a tremendous year for new watch announcements. Just flick through our help page for all new watches, and you will witness a wide variety of price points, innovation and fascinating designs. We are aware that many digital outlets are vying for your eyeballs these days. Tha...
Hands-On Longines Spirit L3.810.4.53.0 Review
We introduced to you the Longines Spirit collection last June, an important new collection for the brand from Saint-Imier. Today, we go hands-on with the three-handed Longines Spirit L3.810.4.53.0.If you’d like some more background information on the Longines Spirit collection, please click here for a recap. This review is about the watch itself, how it looks on the wrist, and basically what you’ll get for your hard-earned money. Without further ado, let’s have a closer look at the “Flieger” from Saint-Imier.Longines Spirit L3.810.4.53.0The new Longines Spirit collection consists of a number of variations. Besides a Longines Spirit version with a chronograph, th...
No , No Cry: Tomas's Top 5 Pepsi Bezel Watches
It took me several years to fall in love with vintage GMT Master reference 1675. I had ignored it so long, that I ended up paying for it. Literally. As both vintage or modern GMT Masters arent cheap, I’ve decided to put together a shortlist of my Top 5 alternative Pepsi bezels for you. If you want to thank me, I will accept payment in soda form…Let's see which one wins the Fratelli’s heart. To shake it up a bit, we decided to mix together a few modern and few vintage models. And we do not stick with divers' watches only, you will find also some day-dates, GMTs, chronograph, and even a quartz watch. Let's get to it.Heuer Autavia GMTA few years ago my internet was exploding...
Introducing The New Fears Brunswick Watches For 2020
The breakout British brand Fears expands its cushion-cased Brunswick collection for 2020. Two new models round-out the roster of manually wound mechanical beauties from the revived brand.I have been lucky to witness the growth of Fears watches from the early days of the revival in 2016. Following a 40-year hiatus, Fears initially established a breadth of quartz tickers in the form of the Redcliff. Even from my early exposure to Fears, there was acute attention to subtle details paying homage to its past. The Brunswick model was Fears' first mechanical watch that ushered in a new era and eventually led to the discontinuation of all quartz-powered pieces.Brunswick dials bending lightLast year,...
MB&F To Auction The LM1 Longhorn Prototype For Charity (2021)
It's always a good day when something new and exciting drops into our inbox from the team over at MB&F. After it finally revealed HM10 Panda for Only Watch on Monday (check out our article about the HM10 Panda right here!), today, the Swiss masters of the eccentric have announced another Pice Unique that is going to auction, all in the name of charity: the MB&F Legacy Machine 1 Longhorn.The interestingly named watch is a special version of the brand's iconic Legacy Machine 1, built to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the LM1. There's a twist, though. The Longhorn is based on one of the very first prototypes developed a decade ago, when the LM1 first came to life. Pretty cool, huh?T...
Buying Guide: The Best Seiko Watches From The 1990s (2021)
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, some of them still affordable. In this installment, we will take a look at the best Seiko watches from the 1990s.This week we will continue our journey through watch ...