Dear Omega, Bring Back The Seamaster 60 "Big Crown"
We see a lot - and I mean a lot - of different dive watches come through the Fratello offices. While plenty of them have a great set of specs, not many have the looks to match. They often lack charm and character. Sure, they are diving tools, so in theory, they should perform first and look nice second. But the reality is that 99% of dive watches will not find their way to the water. So in my book, both character and specs are crucial in creating a great daily watch. In my search for great vintage classics, I found the perfect dive watch with plenty of personality that could bring a sparkle to today’s saturated market. Dear Omega, please bring back the Seamaster 60 “Big CrownR...
Tudor Black Bay S&G Vs. Oris Aquis Date Calibre 400
Last week, we had a showdown between two of the most capable dive watches ever made. This week’s divers are certainly not as capable, but they sure are a lot more wearable! And with their two-tone designs, they might even be amongst the most luxurious-looking dive watches out there. Thomas will defend the honor of the Tudor Black Bay S&G (Steel & Gold) and Daan will do the same for the all-new Oris Aquis Date Calibre 400. Let’s see which one of these two show ponies gets to take the flowers home this week!Though they may be “show ponies”, these two are still very serious dive watches when you consider their capabilities. Look, for example, at Gerard’s st...
Comfortable Beasts: Big Watches That Wear Well
This article has been brewing with me for some time now, coinciding with my taste for diversity. I will admit to being too preachy about small-cased wonders. Yes, a 37C38mm watch will almost always wear better and less noticeably than a big 42C44mm bruiser. But there is a time, a season, and a trip for everything, including big watches and these comfortable beasts. Yes, they do exist.I don’t mean the kind of trip where you get hypnotized by your fume dial after one Negroni too many. I mean a summer trip, one where you explore the local woodlands, climb the odd mountain, and visit places where a big, tough, legible tool watch is the right one for the job without it sitting on your wrist...
The Parmigiani Tonda PF Sport Automatic: A Perfect Tonda?
When Parmigiani presented the Tonda PF during the 2021 edition of the Geneva Watch Days, I kept silent. It seemed that the brand not just presented me with an alternative to the usual Haute Horlogerie suspectsthose with a luxury sports watch with an integrated bracelet in their catalogs. Instead, Parmigiani presented me with a watch that outshone all current offerings in that prestigious watch segment in every way. From both an aesthetic end technical standpoint. Now, two years later, the Tonda PF Sport Automatic debuts. It now has three hands instead of two, but there are way more differences that are worth mentioning. Is this the Tonda we've all been waiting for?It took me two glasses of ...
Hands On With The IFL Watches CasiOak Deep Sea Diver
Back in 2019, when Casio launched the G-Shock GA-2100, no one could have predicted quite how popular it would become. Now one of the brand’s most recognizable models, it didn’t take long for the watch to become the coolest G-Shock available. It earned the nickname “CasiOak” due to its eight-sided bezel, loosely resembling that of the AP Royal Oak. The CasiOak also became a perfect canvas for bespoke and colorful customizations from the capable hands of the IFL Watches Team. Today I’m looking at the brand’s latest creation, the G-Shock CasiOak Deep Sea Diver.Until now, most of those customized pieces have seen a colorful blast of abstract patterned dials or...
Hands-On: Parmigiani Tonda PF Micro-Rotor No Date
Did the best just get even better? From the moment the No Date version of the Tonda PF was released, I was sure this was the glorious pinnacle of the Tonda PF line-up. It is the perfect purist take on the Tonda PF that loses the date window and introduces a stunning Golden Siena dial. How could it not be? I had a chance to find out when the watch landed on my desk for review. With a huge smile on my face, I was more than ready to put it on my wrist and be mesmerized by the Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Micro-Rotor No Date. But did it manage to do so?We have had quite a few Tonda models in the office over the years; it is a special occasion every single time. The watches have a certain grace a...
New Seamaster Aqua Terra 150m Ultra Light Mondo Duplantis
On Monday night, Swedish pole vaulter Armand “Mondo” Duplantis set a new world record and won an Olympic gold medal. Both of these achievements could be considered the pinnacle of any athlete’s career, yet with Duplantis, it feels like the opening chapters of what will undoubtedly be a long and illustrious biography. Watch fans worldwide may have noticed a UHO (unidentified horological object) on his wrist. But it wasn’t the usual Zoop or Garmin that you might expect an athlete to wear. The watch on Mondo’s wrist was a new special edition Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150m Titanium. There was no e-mail, no announcement, and no press release. It’s a rather bol...
Fratello Favorites: Balazs' Best Summer Watches
Putting a list of three watches together sounds easier than it is. On the one hand, we have budget limitationsone watch should be $1,000 or less, the next should come in under $10,000, and the last could cost anything. Within those price points, the options are so vast that it’s genuinely a challenge to settle for just one. Then there’s the “summer watch” designation. What is a summer watch? Is it supposed to be a diver? Or are there any other criteria? These were the questions I went through when I put my list together. That said, I’m pretty happy with my picks, which I’d describe as an eclectic bunch. I mean, how often do you see Casio, Ming, and Vacher...
New: The King Seiko KSK 6R 3 Days 36mm In Three Colorh
Seiko caught us by surprise when it reintroduced the King Seiko name back in January of 2022. The journey began with five dial variants in a 37mm case. I loved these so much that I immediately ordered one for myself. Now, two-and-a-half years on, Seiko proves that the collection is here to stay. The range now consists of 13 models, with three more added today. Welcome to the new KSK 6R 3 Days 36mm in three dial colors!Today's Seiko release includes three new references: the saxe blue SPB457, the ivy green SPB459, and the burgundy red SPB461. All are part of the regular collection and, as such, are not limited to a region or number of pieces. All three models are priced at $2,000, including V...
Baume et Mercier Regulator
Finally, Baume et Mercier is back on the map (at least in my book). Their latest retro models are nicely done and will hopefully boost their image a bit. This Regulator (Regulateur) model breaths 1950s according to Baume et Mercier. A caliber 14070 Dubois-D??praz based movement is ticking inside its 39mm stainless steel case. Price of this beauty is far from shocking, namely 1990 Euro (in Germany, it might vary worldwide). If you are into gold, Baume et Mercier also introduced a limited (176 pieces) Regulator with jumping hour, based on a caliber 14400 Dubois-D??praz movement. The price of this one is a bit higher, 7200 Euro, but hey.. it’s gold! Both watches are water resistant up to ...
The Watch Gerald Genta Had Nothing To Do With: The Vacheron Constantin Overseas (Chronograph)
A lot of times, Vacheron Constantin’s Overseas watches are mentioned in the same sentence as Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak, Patek Philippe’s Nautilus and the IWC Ingenieur SL watches. It was actually believed by a former CEO of Vacheron Constantin, that Gerald Genta was involved in the design of the ‘222’, predecessor of the Overseas, as he stated in an interview with The Purists. We now know, that it was Jorg Hysek who influenced the design of the ‘222’ time piece that evolved to the current Overseas line of watches.I guess it is a compliment for both designers, Hysek and Genta, that people are confused about who designed what. The Overseas models are...
Sarpaneva K3 Northern Stars Hands On
Suppose you wanted a watch with a ginormous moonphase display what would be your choices? Actually not many. And I can't think of any that have a larger and quirkier moon than the Sarpaneva Northern Stars, introduced at Baselworld 2011. Fully taking up a good 60% of the distance between the hands and the edge of the dial, I'm not sure how much physically larger you can make the moon without resorting to a clock. What's more, there are actually two moons, the lower of which is framed by vestigial traces of an aperture to indicate its phase.So where do the eponymous stars come into the picture? Well, the disk holding the moons is solid, but has star-shaped cutouts which are nicely delineated b...
Limited Edition SevenFriday charity watch
SevenFriday took the watch world by storm in the beginning of 2013. For those of you not familiar with the brand: SevenFriday is a Swiss-based company that produces aesthetically appealing watches for a little over $1000 or so. First glance the watch resembles the outer features of a $10.000-and-up watch from one of the high-end watch houses but upon close inspection we realize that it has a simple yet interesting layout. There are no one-of-a-kind in house movements, no titanium or gold cases or crocodile leather straps. Inside the watch ticks Miyota's 82S7 open balance wheel movement which is a great and trusty Japanese production. The open balance wheel lets us see inside the movement mak...
Eterna Super KonTiki Chronograph Hands-On Review
EternaBefore I start with the Eterna Super KonTiki Chronograph review, a few words on the company first. Eterna has a long history that goes all the way back to 1856. However, it wasn’t called Eterna until 1905 (but?Dr. Girard & Schild, after its founders). Before I jump to mentioning watches, Eterna is also known for ETA. ETA used to be their?subsidiary company for creating movements for their own watches as well as for other brands. Best known is their Eterna-matic movement, which resulted in the Eterna logo with its five ball bearings. ETA became part of what we know today as Swatch Group. Eterna has been in different hands since 1982 (including Porsche Design) but since a coupl...
VAPAUS A MASTERCLASS IN MINIMALISM
VAPAUS was founded by British brothers, Oliver and Rudi Laing, out of a desire to create a legacy of magnificent, vintage inspired timepieces. The ambitious pair state openly that they are striving to create a new European brand placed to sit beside NOMOS, Stowa and Sinn in terms of beauty quality and technical specification. Commenting, Rudi stated: We are well aware that we have set a herculean goal; but we did so safe in the knowledge that we would be much more motivated to strive to place among the leaders of the genre, than to languish among the more compromised alternatives; for when it comes to quality, we see these three extraordinary brands as setting the bar for transcendent, minim...
Speedy Tuesday A True Oddity: The Omega Speedmaster Hackett
You might be familiar with Hackett London, the menswear retailer from the UK. But did you know there is a Speedmaster Hackett? Hackett was founded in 1979 by Jeremy Hackett and?Ashley Lloyd-Jennings. In 1983 however, they opened their first shop under the name ‘Hackett’ in Parson's Green, London. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of that, Hackett bought two types of vintage watches: the Omega Seamaster and Omega Speedmaster Professional. 25 pieces were offered to mark the 25th anniversary of Hackett London.Omega Speedmaster Hackett – A Customized Vintage WatchSomeone over at Hackett London must (or still do) love their vintage timepieces. It is quite uncommon to re-sell vin...
You Asked Us: Why do my chronographs change the date at 01:00hr?
This week Eddie sent us an interesting question. It seems that his chronographs don’t change their date at midnight. Here’s the whole text of his question:“Has anyone noticed the common phenomenon when it draws near midnight for most mechanical chronograph watches? The date change does not usually occur! With simpler movements, manufacturers of brands usually set the date change fairly close to the dot but most chronograph watches I have come across, including half a dozen I own: Omega, Longines, Ventura, Sinn, Schwartz Etienne etc, tend to have the date change only after 1 am. Is there a reason, technical, conventional or even habitual, for this delay?”You Asked Us: ...
#TBT: Little big date watch Angelus Dato 12
The charm of Angelus extends beyond big diameter chronographs with the Angelus Dato 12.Angelus “Must Haves” for CollectorsIf you’re serious about collecting vintage chronographs, Angelus has some serious candidates to consider, but today we will discuss the Angelus Dato 12. Regarding the chronographs, though, notable examples include the Angelus L.E. chosen by the Hungarian Air Force or the Angelus Chronodato introduced in 1942 as the world’s first chronograph with a full calendar (day-date and month). The title? “world’s first” always helps, and the model quickly became popular. Balazs did a?marvelous job covering the Chronodato and the whole 21x An...
Hands-On SevenFriday W1/01 The Blade Review
We’ve covered SevenFriday quite a few times in the recent past. And one thing that resembles on most occasions is the shape of the case. Whether you love it or hate it, the shape of the case helps you spot a one from miles away. For this article, we picked a different version which is still typical SevenFriday. Time to have a closer look at the SevenFriday W1/01 the Blade.SevenFriday W1/01 the BladeWhen you search for SevenFriday, look at the image results, and you can see why they stand out. Their cases usually are a mix between square and round. Combined with the lack of lugs makes it something you don’t see a lot, apart from them, of course. Typical, one of those designs which...
Cancelled Bonhams Seiko Auction: A Dog's Breakfast
Update: The auction is not cancelled. We reached out to Bonhams: see their response at the end of the article.We take a look at a few pieces from the cancelled online Bonhams Seiko auction. It wasn’t pretty.In this day and age of negativity online, you might think that we get a lot of joy from breaking apart an auction. Let me be clear: we don’t. But when something was this bad, we need to learn from it. After all, we write a lot about Seiko and especially vintage Seiko. We love the brand and its voluminous catalog. We’re not sure how this auction ever came to light, but it had the opportunity to cause a lot of havoc. Hey, it was even featured on some other prominent watch ...