Straum Introduces New Strap Adaptors for the Jan Mayen
Norwegian independent watch brand Straum has once again proven its commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction by launching pre-orders for its highly anticipated strap adaptors. These adaptors are the first release in the brand’s extensive accessory product roadmap. They are specifically designed for the Jan Mayen collection, a model that has already garnered favorable feedback among the Fratello community. Indeed, the many Fratello Jan Mayen Limited Edition owners will attest to just that. But what exactly makes these strap adaptors a must-have for every Jan Mayen owner?The answer lies in their ability to marry form and function seamlessly. Traditionally, the Jan Mayen watch co...
Likes And Dislikes Of Working In The Watch Industry
Fratello On Air is back with another rip-roaring episode! This week, our topic comes from one of our dear listeners and we talk about what like and dislike about working in the watch industry. It’s a candid take on some of our favorite aspects with some that don’t rate as highly. For those who wish to skip the banter, begin your journey after approximately 16 minutes....
Omega And The Paris 2024 Olympic Games
This past Sunday, the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games came to an end. Over 45,000 volunteers helped organize more than 300 events across 35 different venues. Over 10,000 athletes from 200 countries tried their best to win a gold medal in one of the 32 different sports. I think we can conclude that this 33rd edition of the Games was a true celebration of sport with a uniquely European (and distinctly French) flair. You won’t be surprised to hear that Omega, the event’s official timekeeper, played an important part for the 31st consecutive time.With its high-tech timekeeping technology, the Swiss watchmaker ensured the judges could determine clear winners without any confusion. But...
Hands On: The Glashutte Original PanoMaticCalendar
The Glashutte Original PanoMaticCalendar is a beautifully designed annual calendar. Today, we’ll look closer at this 18-carat red gold beauty that blends functionality with an elegant layout. It features a stunning movement that’s put on display on the flip side.Glashutte Original is a brand that brings back fond memories. I was in Chicago with my family over 20 years ago and recall visiting watch shops with my dad. The German brand was still relatively new to the US market, and ADs were scarce. We found one on Michigan Avenue, and my dad fell in love with the Navigator Senator with flyback seconds. Even then, the watch impressed me with its finishing and build quality. TodayR...
Speedy Tuesday Gold Speedmaster Professional BA 145.022
Gold Speedmaster Professional Limited Edition Moonwatch 1969Only 1014 have been made of this gold OMEGA Speedmaster Professional in 1969 of which 28 went to the White House and 26 of them were given to the NASA astronauts of that time. Number 1 was offered to President Nixon, but he declined it. This particular watch is on display in the OMEGA Museum in Biel.Above is a picture that I took of the President’s watch when I was in Biel last year.Anyway, this week’s Speedy Tuesday is featuring this special gold Speedmaster Professional ref. BA145022 from one of our long-time readers. Originally bought in 1970 as you will see on the receipt. This watch was sitting in my mail box for a ...
Heirloom Watch Story of a Vintage Record Chronograoh
The most precious piece in a WIS collection has to be the “heirloom watch”, a timepiece passed down by a close relative. Whether that watch is a Daytona or a 1930's Gruen Curvex, it makes no difference at all. The story behind it, the connection to that special person, the moments you shared or the great anecdotes you heard of him/her by other family members – if you had no chance to meet the owner in person – are all factors that play a major role in this highly emotional game. Monetary value in this case is absolutely irrelevant. I do not have any in my collection yet; mind you my father wears a Casio (his choice for pretty much most of his life). I'm guessing my g...
Armin Strom Pure Earth Hands-On Review
The best thing of being a journalist when talking about watches is the wide variety of beautiful timepieces we get to test-drive. A big part of writing a watch review of course is that we receive the item, wear it for a few days, weeks (in this case months) and then pen our impressions, thoughts, and feelings in connection to the watch. Is it comfortable? Is it worth the money? Is it, God forbid, accurate? These, and more, are all question we all have to keep in mind. As you know we?tend to focus on the affordable watches, we'd like to call it the sub-$5000 category. While you can argue that even $5000 is not affordable but astronomically high for some, it is indeed an amount that can get yo...
Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Deep Black Collection in Frankfurt
A couple of months ago, Robert-Jan had the opportunity to give an overview of the new Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Deep Black collection. The watches are an interesting move from Omega as they were introduced outside of Basel and the debut actually occurred in New York. There’s no doubt that it has made waves.? We received a lot of traffic on the article and while most found the watches attractive, most wanted to see them in the metal umm, ceramic as it were before rendering judgment. I was of similar opinion, so when I found out that the collection was on a roadshow across the European Omega boutiques, I jumped at the chance to see them in Frankfurt. While my pictures won't get you an...
The Breitling Chronospace A56012 is 52Mondayz watch for week #33
Guess what!? This is the 26th episode in the 52Mondayz column. That means that we’re half way. Half way the year that every week I wear a different watch which we present to you here at Fratello Watches.The Breitling Chronospace A56012.01 on my wristBreitling Chronospace A56012.01And this week I’m going quartz again. A quartz watch from a brand which isn’t directly my favourite, however from which one or two models always had my interest. First the classic Breitling Navitimer is of course a watch one can’t neglect. This watch is as iconic and as of historical importance as the Daytona, Omega Speedmaster, Heuer Carrera and the like.Secondly Breitling always attracted ...
Formex Swiss Watches: new App lets you try on their watches virtually
Formex Swiss Watches, an independent Swiss watchmaker and direct online distributor of action-sport-influenced watches, just released a free App that lets you try on their watches with your smartphone.Being detached from any retailer and selling exclusively through their online shop, Formex Swiss Watches manufactures high quality watches at very attractive prices. Their new App breaks through the biggest obstacle of online shopping, namely the inability to try on a product before buying it. The App uses augmented reality to project a watch on the wrist and gives a feel of real-life size and look of their timepieces. Formex CEO Raphael Granito explains that despite the many advantages of buyi...
MING 17.01 Watch Excite Seasoned Collectors And Accessible To New Ones
A few years ago, we had a contributor that was particularly strong in photography and knew his watches. I am talking about Ming Thein. Ming decided to focus more on photography and became a very successful one. He also reviews photography gear and became an official Hasselblad ambassador in 2016. In the meanwhile, he never lost touch with the watch industry and collecting watches. Now, in 2017, Ming Thein is here to introduce his brainchild, the MING 17.01 watch.MING 17.01 WatchMing Thein and his team worked on the Ming 17.01 watch to come up with an answer to all the watches released today that lack so much inspiration and differentiation. In the last years, the number of re-issues, uninspi...
Speedy Tuesday Gold Speedmaster Overview Continued (1995 now)
Last week we showed you an (updated) overview of all gold Speedmaster Moonwatch models from 1969 till 1995. Let’s continue with these gold Speedmaster watches from 1995 onwards. This article goes back to 2015, but since then, a number of watches in gold have been added to the Speedmaster family. We will keep it Moonwatch only though, so no gold Speedmaster Racing or other 9×00 caliber models.We ended part I with a 1995 gold Speedmaster Professional that was commemorating the MIR mission of July 1993 – July 1994, where 7 of these gold Speedmaster Professional watches were on board of the space station. Probably the rarest model of all gold Moonwatch models. Also, at the end o...
Hands-On: The Rado Golden Horse
We spend time with the new Rado Golden Horse, a serial production model that just might change your thoughts about the brand.I know our readers come from all over, but I often wonder how many of you hail from my home region of South Florida.? And if you do, were you alive and cognizant during the late 80's into the 90's?? If you were, you'd no doubt recall this special time.? Blousy silk shirts, billowy pleated chinos, gold chains, and slim loafers were all the rage.? And the cars Forgetting the semi-performance rides that sported colors such as teal and mauve, this was the brief period of the gold package. ?If you could pony up for something like a Cadillac, Lexus or Infiniti (in pearl whit...
The Lange 1 Daymatic "25th Anniversary" (and a classic car event)
Recently we found our way to Germany to join A. Lange & Sohne at the Classic Days at Schloss Dyck. This picture-perfect location welcomed many classic cars in pristine condition. Upon our arrival, we found our way to the House of Lange'. Here we joined the other guests for the program of the day and launch of the Lange 1 Daymatic.House of Lange at the Classic Days Schloss DyckClassic Days Schloss DyckStarting with a relaxing stroll around the exhibition area on the museum island, right next to the castle was already amazing. This is where all the masterpieces are on display, that participates in the Concours d'Eleganza. All cars are categorized from A to I, each with its own class coveri...
New In Our Shop: Chronographs, Dress, And Dive Watches
As you probably know, we launched the Fratello Shop last December. Recently, we updated our stocklist with a few new watches for your pleasure. Let’s have a quick look.Besides the pre-owned (NOS) Omega Speedmaster Professional watches and Frederique Constant Manufacture with Moonphase, we’ve now added two references each from Rado and Fortis.Rado in Green and RedWe are very enthusiastic about the Rado Captain Cook, but the red-dialed Golden Horse on a beads-of-rice bracelet really struck a chord with our team. When it first came in for review (click here) it was the watch everyone rushed to strap on their wrist. A beautiful 36.5mm dress watch that originally came with a leather s...
Patek Philippe 5164a Aquanaut Travel Time Watch
Crisis. A Patek Philippe butterfly clasp is covered with hairline scratches. Was it my doing? Incredulously, I realize that it was handed to me in this condition. I find myself torn between a feeling of shock and happiness. The same clasp is worth more than a top piece or two in my own collection, and yet it is scratched. But why does this fill me with happiness? Have I lost my marbles? Is it schadenfreude? Or is it something else…This is the first time I've handled this enigma of a sports watch on a rubber strap that goes for $50-60,000 Euros pre-owned, or new after a 5 year wait for your local AD to get one in stock, and, for me, it's a momentous occasion.The occasion was made all th...
Indie Insights: Konstantin Chaykin, Arken, Minase, And More (2021)
Well, it has certainly been a while since the last installment of Indie Insights. But, thankfully, I am back with what I believe to be some exciting watches indeed. Take a look for yourself and let me know what you think in the comments. I hope you’ll agree, there’s some serious hotness on display today!Konstantin Chaykin – the Joker goes all-in on blackWhen you think of the word “Russia” and “roulette”, your mind will likely go to the deadly game of Russian roulette. Thankfully, celebrated Russian watchmaker Konstantin Chaykin went down a far more literal route. Staying away from gun-related activities with his latest creation, the Joker Black Bet. ...
Buying Guide: The Best TAG Heuer Watches From The 1980s (2021)
We like to talk about vintage watches a lot within the Fratello team. Though most of what we write about is largely 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 TAG Heuer watches from the 1980s.While the 1970s were a decade filled with tremendous chan...
Watch Prices Keep Rising Is That A Good Thing?
In April of this year, I published an article called Watch Prices Keep Rising - Is Greed Killing The Watch Industry? It was a rumination on some of the more extreme price hikes we have seen and how they may affect brands in the future. I wrote it from a personal sense of concern and distaste, expecting most watch lovers to agree. To my surprise, some pushback came from within the Fratello office.Two of my colleagues were quite happy with the ever-increasing watch prices. They had both recently bought watches that had their prices increased afterward. From their perspective, the brands were looking after them. Also, we have spoken to a few brands in the meantime. In short: I think it is time ...
The New Oris Aquis Dat Watt Limited Edition II
Oris is no stranger to environmental conservation efforts tied to limited-edition watches. Due to the relation with its aquatic timepieces, what began as a dedication to ocean conservation expanded to the recent Change for the Better campaign. This campaign encompasses many forms of preservation and improvement projects, which Oris gladly collaborates with. Sometimes, the partnership blossoms into sequels, such as the latest Oris Aquis Dat Watt Limited Edition II. This is not the first LE sequel, as you may recall the Great Barrier Reef I, II, and III. In fact, the Oris Aquis Great Barrier Reef III shares much in common with the Dat Watt Limited Edition II, which I will detail in this articl...