This Is For The Players: Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Ultra Light
The Seamaster Aqua Terra has been linked to golf for quite a while now. Players Sergio Garcia and Rory McIlroy even have their own versions of this watch. But today, Omega announces their Seamaster Aqua Terra Ultra Light, with a weight of just 55 grams!I’ve seen better days, as I am kept away from the European Masters in Crans Montana this week because of a middle ear infection which doesn’t allow me to take the plane to Geneva. I like playing golf, and although my skills are not on any serious level (by a stretch), I like to see how the pros play this highly addictive game. Going to Crans Montana in the past actually made me start playing golf (again), as one of the teaching pro...
Ben's Top 4 Watches Worn By Big-Screen Bad Guys
When it comes to recognizing our favorite movie wristwatches, we tend to focus on the good guy. James Bond and the Omega Seamaster 300M, or Ellen Ripley with her Seiko Giugiaro, for example. Yet, in interviews, actors and actresses often proclaim they cannot wait to chew the scenery and portray the antagonist. Therefore, I am selecting wristwatches worn by the bad guys.Playing the part of the bad guy can often turn a performer into a household name overnight. Alan Rickman and Gary Oldman kickstarted their Hollywood careers with Die Hard and Leon respectively. Unnerving yet captivating performances surely leave an impression when exiting the theater. With my keen eye, their wristwatch choice ...
Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Nekton Edition A Nod To Sir Peter Blake
Omega introduces to you their Seamaster 300M Nekton edition. Around 20 years ago, Omega introduced a Seamaster 300M version for the America’s Cup. The watch has a black dial and a white gold bezel, a variation of the 300M that I really adored. And still do. The new Seamaster 300M Nekton shows some similarities!Today, we show you the latest variation on the 300M, the Seamaster 300M Nekton. Nekton is a research foundation committed to protecting the oceans. Omega is supporting them in their mission to save the seas. To underline their partnership, Omega came up with a pretty cool Seamaster 300M Nekton edition. I am looking forward to doing a hands-on review with this 300M Nekton, so I wi...
Breguet Tradition 7597 Adds A Retrograde Date Function To The Range
We often think that having a long history and a rich heritage guarantees success in the modern world of wristwatches. But as powerful a position as such attributes may provide, there is still work to be done. If Spiderman taught us one thing, it’s that with great power comes great responsibility. And being the custodian of a history as peerless as Breguet’s is surely a huge responsibility. I caught up with Team Breguet to find out how the new Breguet Tradition 7597 is keeping things fresh for a modern audience interested in the brand’s past.The new Tradition collection was launched in 2005. The models that populate this collection are heavily inspired by the watches made by...
#TBT Sperina Watch With A Crazy 99 Counter
A recent heated discussion around the Bonhams Seiko auction reminded me of one of the interesting hidden gems I discovered on eBay. The Sperina 99 Counter offers the same “counter complication as the auction's cover piece, but costs nothing in comparison to the holy grail Seiko. Speaking of the price, I?paid exactly $10 for the Sperina 99 Counter, shipping from the US to Europe included. Just the?strap from TwoStitchStraps?that's fitted on it is worth five times the price of the Sperina watch. Ridiculous, I?know. But the watch is as rare as the holy grail Seiko, believe me. I?haven't actually seen another piece since I?found this one.Sperina vs. SeikoThere was a huge storm surrounding ...
Announcement: H. Moser & Cie. Fratello Live GWD Webinar (2021)
That’s right, people: next Tuesday (August 31st, 2021), at 17:00 CET we will be chatting to Edouard Meylan, live from Geneva. We will be unveiling and discussing the latest Moser family member and we would like to invite you to join us for the ride. Using the link below, you will be able to enter the webinar, watch the chat live, and even interact with us by sending through your questions. Fratelli assemble!As Geneva Watch Days prepares to raise the curtain once more, we are working on new and creative ways to bring you all closer to our experience of the event on the ground. What better way than inviting you to take part in an exclusive reveal? It would be my distinct pleasure to welc...
The A-13A Flyback Chronograph Tried And Tested By Real Pilots
Sometimes you come across a watch with a story behind it that is truly intriguing. When the A-13 Flyback Chronograph landed in my inbox, my curiosity was triggered by its distinctive looks. A very clean-looking pilot’s flyback chronograph but without the usual sub-dials and the crown and pushers on the left side of the case. Obviously, the product of some deliberate choices made by founder Paolo Fanton. As it turns out, the story behind the watch is just as interesting as the watch itself. I had a chance to test the watch and chat with Fanton about his passion project. Time to find out more about the A-13 Flyback Chronograph.Whenever a watch like the A-13 Flyback lands on my desk, I im...
Summer Splash: RJ Round 1 Seiko, Tudor, And Omega (2021)
Roll up, roll up! The summer has hit The Hague, and Fratello is keen to celebrate. After the fizzing success of March Mania, we are back with the Summer Splash. A new knock-out competition conceived to find the very best summer watch out there, according to YOU, the Fratelli. And guess what? You can win prizes! No, there won’t be a watch available this time, but there WILL be some of the finest water-firing weapons money can buy: the Spyra 2 water cannon is reputedly the strongest of its kind ever made. Fancy getting your hands on one? Read on and take part in the comments section of this article.It is time for my picks for Fratello's Summer Splash 2021. Three watches below $5,000 each...
Lex's Top Five Watches Of 2021: Tudor, Grand Seiko, Omega (2021)
It's been a pretty good year for me so far. From all angles. I’m still fit and healthy, I started at Fratello earlier this year, and the world seems to finally be opening up too. I also saw some pretty nice watches swing by the office. More than five, actually, but I had to narrow it down. I went for the watches that I thought looked best, both in my hand and on my wrist, without looking at the price. This list will serve as a look back at my favorite releases of the year so far, in anticipation of what we will see cropping up during Geneva Watch Days.Tudor Black Bay CeramicYou might have already read or seen that at first, I wasn't all that impressed by the Tudor Black Bay Ceramic. My...
?The New Depancel Serie-A Stradale States Its Case
Is the watch market flooded with retro cool? Yes. Am I dissatisfied with this? No, absolutely not. I'm not that old, but I did grow up in the late ’70s. I'm not a futurist or a techie, and I have a deep affinity for the style of the ’60s and ’70s. I love mechanical watches, but meca-quartz has turned my preconceptions around. It's a very good base for reliable chronographs. Yes, it comes with a somewhat superfluous 24-hour scale at 3 o'clock, but that's not enough to put me off its value-driven pros.Depancel is a cool small brand from France that is rather good at tapping into the vintage zeitgeist, and this time, the watch community has helped in the creation of its new mo...
Exploring Ressence As A Cartier Collector
Many watch enthusiasts have several watches from different brands and buy what they find attractive. Others stick to one brand and are more likely to buy multiple models. I’m afraid I belong to the latter group. That doesn't mean that I’m oblivious to what's happening in the world of watches, but as such a one-brand follower or collector, I wondered for quite some time how my growing love for the Ressence brand could happen. After all, I really see myself as a Cartier nerd, and as such, I express myself carefully.I have been a big fan of that historical Maison since the ’80s when I bought the Santos. I follow the brand as close as possible, and I will certainly remain a Car...
The G-Shock GLX-5600RT Taught Me A Valuable Lesson
Something happened, and we need to talk about it. Well, I need to talk about it. To confess, basically. I know this might sound like blasphemy to your ears, but I never cared for watches. In fact, I imagined that binding my body to the tyranny of time would somehow infringe on my perceived personal freedoms. I don't know… I read a lot of Ralph Waldo Emerson during my formative years, and stuff like that just messes with your way of looking at the world. Anyway, I'd been raw-wristing for the first 41 years of my life until I ran into a bright orange G-Shock (with a tide graph), and my life has not been the same ever since.You may have never heard my name here on Fratello, but you've see...
Thomas's Five Favorite Watches From Independents
Within our beloved horological universe, independents make up a galaxy of their own. I negligently featured them only sparsely in my earlier article on watch shopping with cheat codes “infinite money” and “infinite purchase history.” And that, my dear Fratelli, requires some rectification on my end. So, this time, I go shopping with all cheat codes on for independents only. Here are my five favorites.Just in case you missed that previous article, the idea is pretty simple. I go on a shopping spree with two cheat codes - infinite money and infinite purchase history. For independents, that second one is a bit different. Basically, it means that the brand will drop every...
Sunday Morning Showdown A Look Back On 2023 So Far
It’s Sunday morning, and usually, you would see a heated battle between two Fratello writers who picked two competing timepieces. But this week, we decided to take a bit of a breather. With Geneva Watch Days around the corner, part of the Fratello team is getting ready to travel to Switzerland to cover the latest releases that will be unveiled during the event. It will also give us new watches for our upcoming Sunday Morning Showdown battles. For this week, we decided to create an overview of the best battles of 2023 so far. On top of that, we want to ask you to suggest some pairings that you would like to see in this ongoing series. First, let’s jump into the overview of the bes...
Introducing: The IFL Watches Fratello CasiOak "Moonlander"
Here at Fratello, we have a soft spot for things like G-Shocks, handcraft, and everything related to space exploration. It sounds like a weird combination, but it all came together perfectly well in the IFL Watches Fratello CasiOak “Moonlander” watch.IFL Watches Fratello CasiOak “Moonlander”As you probably know, the first G-Shock model debuted in 1983, and it’s hard to imagine a horological world without it today. In 2019, Casio introduced the G-Shock 2100 series, which enthusiasts quickly dubbed “CasiOak” due to its specific Audemars Piguet Royal Oak-like shape. This model (GM-2100BB-1AER, to be exact) is the platform for the IFL Watches Fratello Ca...
New: The Sportier, More Casual Orient Bambino 38
Last year, I had a hands-on experience with the fun and affordable Orient Bambino 38. The watches were limited editions and available in four colors, each with a brown nubuck leather strap. To me, they seemed quite dressy with their soft pastel colors and the relatively formal-looking strap. Now Orient tries to make the Bambino 38 feel a little more casual by adding a stainless steel bracelet and more saturated colors on the dials. Let’s take a quick look.I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Orient Bambino 38 last year. I think it’s a great offer for a mechanical watch at its affordable point. These three new Bambinos have a lot in common with those earlier models and build on t...
Servicing A Large Watch Collection
In this week’s episode of Fratello On Air, we discuss how we go about servicing our watch collections. It’s another listener suggestion, and it’s a good one! You’ll hear about how and when we choose to service a watch and where. Then, we end the episode with some suggestions about the tools we have on hand. For our listeners, the watch content starts after approximately eight minutes....
New: The Autumn-Inspired Grand Seiko SBGY035 And SBGA499
Wait, am I writing about autumn already? Well, we are in the last week of August, so yes, it is quickly approaching (here in the Netherlands, at least). Well, at least we get to see some nice burgundy, orange, and brown watch releases. This year, Grand Seiko kicks things off with two autumn-themed new watches. Let's have a closer look at the new SBGY035 and SBGA499.These are both new, limited dial variants of existing Grand Seiko Elegance models. The C-shaped SBGY035 is limited to 700 pieces and priced at $9,200, while the SBGA499 is limited to 1,300 pieces and priced at $6,300. So, what's the occasion for these limited editions? How about 20 years of 9R Spring Drive calibers? Time flies whe...
Omega's Holy Grail
Omega’s holy grail retailed in 1987 for around 1500DM, as much as 750 Euro. Probably no-one would have guessed it would become the Holy Grail of Speedmasters. Chuck Maddox and Alexander Monkowius, amongst others, wrote in great detail about this watch. The Speedmaster Automatic ref. ST376.0822.Once in a while you seem them for sale at a watch fair, watch auction or at one of the online sales corners. However, most of the time they probably change owners within a blink of the eye. This watch is wanted! Why? Because it basically houses in the classic Speedmaster Pro case and is powered by the classic chronograph movement caliber 1045. As a regular Fratello reader, you probably know that ...
The Parrera Ceramic Day Date Chronograph
Something less serious today, the Parrera Ceramic Day-Date Chrono in white (also available in black). I actually don’t think this is a men’s watch, but hey, who am I to judge of course. I never heard of the company, but Ace Jewelers – one of the sponsors here – has these watches up for sale in their e-boutique. I got the white one for Mrs Fratellowatches, who seems to love white ceramic watches. Ever since the Chanel J12, a lot of other brands (low-end to high-end) are willing to ride this wave.This fairly large watch of 42mm in diameter makes it suitable for a lot of wrists, even the smaller ones, like my wife’s. She normally wears a 36mm watch that covers up a...