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It's now been well over a year since the arrival of Georges Kern as CEO of Breitling.? The first releases after his arrival fell into the new Navitimer 8 series and while they were nice, some felt that they were a touch plain.Personally speaking, I like them and I think the neutral reception from most was based more upon the shock of seeing Breitlings that weren't in the vein of the blingy Bentley series than anything else.? Still, it was clear that the watch world was waiting for something earth shaking and triumphant as a result of Kern's leadership.? While today's subject still likely lacks the shock and awe that most seemingly desire, a closer look will hopefully convince you that Breitl [...]

We like to talk about vintage watches a lot within the Fratello team. While the daily routine is largely focused on the most recent developments in the world of watches, the most fun for many of us lies in the 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 priceless, some of them still affordable. In this installment, we will take a look at the best Breitling watches from the 1970s.In the 1960s, we witnessed developments that challenged the status quo of watch design forever. The sheer amou [...]

Between the 5th of June and the 2nd of July 2010, the (Europes very first) Rolex boutique in Berlin is showcasing their most important or better yet, meaningful watches of their 105 years of existence. The watches are chronologically displayed starting with their oldest timepiece dating 1905 and includes their first Oyster watches, produced in 1926 and worn by Mercedes Gleitze while she swam the Channel in 1927.Also on display, the very Oyster Perpetual that Sir Edmund Hillary wore during his 1953 climbing adventure on the Mount Everest and the Deep Sea Special prototype from 1960 with the crazy domed crystal. This particular watch was taken to a depth of 10916 metres, being attached on the [...]

Whats better than having a watch for a hands-on review? Having three, of course. Especially if that brand that supplied you with them is called Grand Seiko. While they only differ in color, the Grand Seiko SBGE253, 255, and 257 offer great versatility for any watch lover. These new SBGE models might fill the void that the previous ones (SBGE201, SBGE215, SBGE248) left in terms of looks and size.They are simple, cleaner, and more elegant. While these are not necessarily attributes of a sports model, Im sure many of you who found the previous versions too bulky will enjoy checking these out. So let us help you with that.Grand Seiko CollectionsIf we want to position these new SBGE models in Gra [...]

Yall hold onto your hats, now. This thing just got stormy. We are racing towards the Quarter-Final voting deadline (MIDNIGHT CET TONIGHT, December 3rd). Our predictions are beaten, battered, and bruised. Ultimately, we came pretty close to calling how this would go but there were some disgustingly unforeseen bumps in the road of this, the latest round of the Omega Speedmaster World CupSo how did your favorites fare? Two of the four Quarter-Finals were one-sided affairs (as wed imagined they would be), but despite that, huge numbers turned out to vote for the losers. Despite not progressing, the FOiS and the Apollo XI 45th Anniversary model have their followers.the overall favoritesIn fact, t [...]

Omega updated its Seamaster 300 collection and added a bronze gold version (reference 234.92.41.21.10.001) as well. Bronze certainly isnt new to the industry. Nor is gold new to the Seamaster 300. However, this fresh new alloy the aptly-named bronze gold is something new to us all.The Omega Seamaster 300 collection receives a few subtle changes, including an upgraded movement (caliber 8912, Master Chronometer certified) and modified case proportions. The 41mm diameter remains, but the case band and bezel combined are slimmer than before, with the old height retained by virtue of a boxy sapphire. The classic Broad Arrow hands and straight lugs remain. Without further ado, lets have a look at [...]

It all started with a conversation in the office. An office thats full of people who are crazy about watches, what they are, and what they can do. The functional core of a watch is, of course, telling time as accurately as possible. The ultimate goal of any watchmaker is to build a watch that tells time perfectly. This was the case in the past when a watch served an essential purpose, but it also does so in the present, as watchmaking is founded on ancient principles that are still upheld, even in times of atomic clocks. Nowadays, a mechanical watch is both a functional and emotional object. Does the emotional element outweigh the functional one? Is the ancient quest for accuracy a noble one [...]

Very often, I use Jaeger-LeCoultre as an example of a brand that is so interesting, yet they have not a single watch for me. The Master Ultra-thin perpetual perhaps being an expensive exception (I wrote about that one here). In 2004 they tried with the Master Compressor Memovox, which I liked at first, but quickly saw that it wasnt a future classic. I dont need a sports watch from Jaeger-LeCoultre, but I am also too young for a Reverso as a daily beater.Were happy to show you that Jaeger-LeCoultre is announcing something that could fill that gap between a dress watch and a sports watch. Meet the new Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris collection. Based on the 1968 Memovox Polaris watch, but with modern [...]

Here is a short review of my Ingenieur ref.3227 after exactly 3 months of ownership.I dont think its necessary to give background information on this watch, as I have done this in the past (here and here) and you can read all about the vintage Ingenieurs (including the 1976s SL) on this page by Larry Seiden, Marco Schoenenberger and David ter Molen.Although this purchase might seemed as an impulse three months ago, I always had a weak spot for the IWC Ingenieur. The packaging and the manuals that come with this watch are very nice. The black box with its leather interior keeps the watch in place perfectly. However, who is going to use it anyway once you put the watch around your wrist? The w [...]

After having worked for the Cantonales Technikum institute and at Rado Watches, Ryser Kentfield moved to the USA to start his Swiss Timepieces store in 1990. He tried his own brand at the JCK Show in Las Vegas, but as he says in an interview with Keith W. Strandberg (Europastar) its very difficult because people want a known brand name. Ryser Kentfield now tries to get retailers world wide, to sell his watches and to get a bit of attention for his brand name. He makes and sells 700 watches a year, but predicts it will be somewhere between 1000 and 2000 pieces in 2007. His watches start at 1100 USD and use an ETA 2824-2 self-winding movement. His website, https://www.ryserwatches.com, feature [...]

For years I thought my first Speedmaster would be the classic Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch as it is the watch with the most incredible story of all watches.And obviously, it is the watch the Speedmaster legacy has been built on so it seemed only logical that a brand new Speedmaster Professional or a Speedmaster Professional from 1977 C the year I was born C were the go-to models for me whenever I had to decide on my first Omega Speedmaster. But as you can read from the title, it didn't quite go as planned. My first Speedmaster turned out to be an Omega Speedmaster X-33 from 1998. And it turned out to be a great first choice that only made the Speedmaster legacy more significant for m [...]

This is more of a story about my Omega Seamaster 300 CK2913 than a review. The story every collector dreams of happening to them ideally 10+ times.But in reality, such lucky moments do not come often. Its another reason why I will try to share it with you as I experienced, taking you through every gripping detail.Omega Seamaster 300 CK2913-8Head back to April 8th and I was sitting in a sweaty corner of Budapest Airport that fails to pass as a restaurant, waiting for my flight to Leeds. While reaching for another fry over the table, I saw a message on my WhatsApp flash on the screen. Tired after a long day of pitching my business to clients, I slowly took the phone. My heart almost literally [...]

Readers SpeedmastersThere is nothing that beats a real readers story or experience in my opinion. At least, those are the stories I like to read myself. Today and in the coming period, we will have a couple of these stories for you. I also like to ask you that whenever you think you have a great Speedmaster story to share, please send us a note.Speedmaster CK2998-6 FAPJohn contacted me a few weeks ago that he owns this beautiful Speedmaster CK2998-6 FAP watch. FAP stands for?Fuerza Aerea del Pera (Peruvian Airforces) and they ordered watches from different brands (e.g. Rolex). Besides the Speedmaster, Omega also shipped Seamaster 300 models to the FAP.From PeruJohn was contacted by someone?w [...]

To be honest, I have at times felt thoroughly exhausted from overexposure to the word Zaratsu. Despite this, I tried a basic Grand Seiko on the wrist. I was hesitant. Not keen on following the pack, I almost didnt want to like it. And then I gazed into that inky black void and got lost. Thus began my obsession with models SBGR053 and SBGR253I got lost to the point of now rethinking my recent purchase of a BB58. Thats despite striking lucky after a short two-month spot on an AD list. And there I was actually considering selling it to buy a second GS, a Quartz model, no lessSure, the 58s lugs were a tad sharp, but surely it wasnt that alone that could threaten to lever me from my latest acquis [...]

The Rado Captain Cook family first appeared in 1962. It disappeared not long after in 1968. For almost fifty years the Rado Captain Cook collection lay dormant. That was until 2017 when the 37mm steel version was revived. It was joined also by a reimagined 45mm version in a hardened titanium case designed for a modern audience.?Nowadays, we have the option of a much more versatile 42mm case to play with, but new for 2020 is the addition of bronze options to the line-up. Sure, it looks great, but theres more to it than thatWhen bronze first became a mainstream thing in luxury watchmaking, there was quite a pushback against it. In fact, despite this rugged material finding its groove in the in [...]

When it comes to practical complications, its difficult to argue against the everyday usefulness of the calendar. Sure, complications like the minute repeater or rattrapante are romantic, awe-inspiring displays of watchmaking prowess. But are their functions of any real consequence to most of our daily lives? Likely not. The calendar, on the other hand, affects us all whether we like it or not. Without the ability to keep track of the day, date, month, and year, our modern societies would collapse. From the humble and economical date complication to the regal perpetual calendar, these complications offer some of the most useful timekeeping information outside of hours, minutes, and seconds. [...]

An Astronauts Speedmaster!Fratellowatches is excited and proud to show you one of the actual astronauts Speedmaster Professional watches worn by Reinhard Furrer. Reinhard Furrer was one of ESAs astronauts during the Space Shuttle mission in 1985.On the 30th of October 1985, the Space Shuttle Challenger lifted off from Pad A of Launch Complex 39 at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA. This mission, a Spacelab mission that was funded and directed by [West] Germany was nicked D-1 besides the official Space Shuttle program code STS-61-A. D-1 stands for Deutschland-1 and a part of this succesful mission was controlled by the German Space Operations Center in Oberpfaffenhofen (near Munich) in Germa [...]

Ho, ho, ho, what a year its been for Hamilton Overall, the Swatch Group has had a surprisingly impressive 2020. Despite challenges that no one saw coming and several circumstances beyond anyones control, SG brands have been turning out the goods on a regular basis. Hamilton has had a particularly strong 12 months, as you can see from the festive selection belowFratello is a broad church. We like all kinds of watches. We enjoy covering extremely high-end horology just as much as we love covering new and exciting microbrands. But above all, we like well-made, reasonably priced steel sports watches. There is room for an all-gold piece in anyones collection, of course, but, if youre anything lik [...]

Rolex, Audemars Piguet, and Patek Philippe watches are not the only ones people buy as investment pieces. I often receive questions about investing in Omega watches as well, especially when it comes to Speedmaster models. The Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award from 2015 saw an increase in value few modern Speedmasters could match. Because of this, a noticeably larger audience has suddenly started considering the prospect of investing in Speedmasters.Whether a watch is a good investment or not isnt something only flippers care about. I find that those looking to make their first big purchase also consider this question as well. Buying ones first luxury watch is often a big deal, and many people [...]