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The year 1957 was a spectacular one for Omega. It was the year when Omega introduced the?Speedmaster,?Seamaster 300?and Railmaster. The first two are probably best? known, the Railmaster is a bit more a collectors only piece these days. However, that is the watch we are covering in this review. The 60th anniversary edition that is, that was introduced last year.You've all seen the Omega 1957 Trilogy box set with reedition of the three? legends (if not, click here). Where the Speedmaster CK2915 was introduced for timing (sports) events and the Seamaster 300 CK2913 for diving purposes, the Railmaster CK2914 was meant for people working in professional environments where they would be exposed t [...]
Just before the lockdown, Grand Seiko announced that Fr d ric Bondoux had been appointed as President of Grand Seiko Europe. Travel restrictions kept us from meeting him for an interview and having a look at the newly opened Grand Seiko boutique in Paris until last month, but as soon as we were able to travel safely we headed off to the French capital to say hello.What better way to break the nearly-four-month grounding with a visit to Grand Seiko in Paris? The chance to talk to Fr d ric Bondoux about the Japanese brand in Europe was too tempting an offer to pass up. Check our video above to listen to what he has to say about Grand Seiko in Europe, the new boutique, and his favorite GS watch [...]
This is now my fifth article in the Pre-owned Picks column, and I thoroughly enjoy scouring Chrono24 for inspiration. This week I am looking back in the not too distant past at three modern timepieces from Jaeger-LeCoultre.Readers may notice I often side-step the likes of the Rolex GMT Master II Pepsi or the Rolex Daytona Cerachrom. That is not to say these are not worth the time to seek out. Quite the opposite, these watches are in such demand that secondary market price is typically double the asking price brand new.Rare beastsInstead, I select the rare and perhaps unloved darlings in the deep, dark corners of watch collecting. Watches such as the Breitling Emergency Orbiter 3, or IWC Aqua [...]
On this very first Speedy Tuesday of 2020, we have some exciting news to share with you. It took Omega exactly one year from the introduction of the new caliber 321 to the introduction of the first steel Speedmaster with this movement. On this very day, one year ago, Speedy Tuesday fans were invited to Biel to witness the re-introduction of this column-wheel chronograph movement, and the guessing began.Only a few out there guessed it right, and in hindsight, it is easy to tell you that the big give-away was the watch that was used as the subject for their tomography process to get the exact version of the caliber 321 that was used in Gene Cernans watch, a Speedmaster 105.003.It was the topic [...]
It was only a matter of time before we saw more from the DEFY Extreme. Zenith launched the new model back at Watches Wonders in April of this year. Since then, the DEFY Extreme has quietly sat in the brands catalog, waiting its turn for the limited edition treatment. Zenith has introduced an interesting iterative update in the DEFY Extreme Desert, alongside a series of exclusive photographs by the acclaimed nature photographer Kourosh Keynejad.First, the makeover Zenith gave the DEFY Extreme Desert is subtle by the brands own bold standard. If Id had to guess what the first iterative update/limited edition may have looked like, I think Id have guessed a ceramic or forged carbon case. I mean [...]
Welcome to This Week in Watches for August 22, 2020 the hot edition. The searing heat is about to break in Europe, so take in the cool air and some new watches.UNION Glashutte Noramis Chronograph Sachsen 2020How do you like a hot red dial? The UNION Chronographs Sachsen 2020 is a COVID victim. This chrono was designed as a celebratory piece for the Sachsen oldtimer rally. That rally has been postponed to 2021. Union will make just 350 pieces of this 42mm stainless automatic chronograph. It features a reddish dial with a dashboard-inspired theme. An ETA 7753 based movement with 60 hours power reserve called the UNG 27.02 lurks within and the watch is 15.25mm thick. Pricing is 2,875 if you tak [...]
Come one come all to Wrist Game or Crying Shame. This week, we look inside the dial with the Breguet Tradition 7027 in yellow gold. But firstLast week, we took a look at the very first Tudor Black Bay model. This ETA-powered variant has earned its Smiley Face nickname due to the arc-shaped font on its dial. Despite the very lively comment section, 80% of you showed us your pearly whites on the way to a Wrist Game win. This week, we go way upmarket with the Breguet Tradition 7027. Lets see what you think.BreguetI often talk about growing up and learning about watches and brands. My Dad knew and knows quite a bit, but we were also the recipients of quite a bit of in-store learning during the e [...]
A new Speedmaster release on a Speedy Tuesday That makes us proud. Heres the Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Alinghi. Just like the Speedmaster Apollo 8 that we like so much, the Alinghi is based on the Dark Side of the Moon collection.While the Speedmaster Apollo 8 revolves around the Moon, with its caliber 1869 with moon surface pattern (applied by laser ablation), this new Speedmaster Alinghi is all about sailing. A strange combination, you say? On the surface, perhaps a watch from the Seamaster collection might have been a more obvious choice. But remember, the Alinghi boats are all about speed. A sailor on one of these boats has no intention of swimming or diving, so the 50 meters of [...]
Almost 20 years ago, Omega celebrated its 150th anniversary in 1998. For this occasion, they introduced a watch that was based on the Speedmaster57 Replica from one year earlier. A watch collector from Denmark has purchased this 150th Anniversary of Omega model, after it had been on his radar for a couple of years already. Lets have a closer look at Mortens gold Speedmaster watch.150th Anniversary of OmegaWith only 150 pieces of this gold Speedmaster produced, it wasnt an easy task to find one. However, Danish collector Morten found one in Spain (at Icone Watches) in mint condition and fair priced, so in a split-second he decided to go for it. Morten told us that he didnt speak about his hun [...]
Well, so far I havent been the biggest poster on Fratello. Being busy with a lot of other stuff I found it hard to come up with a nice subject for a new post..But now I found a interesting watch.. The Ingenieur Climate Action. Lets start with a pic (posted on ThePurists):Mm.. I actually kinda like the looks. It reminds me a bit of the white Millgauss-funk.But something isnt quite right here. Climate Action? Ok, a valid reason for a nice limited edition. With proceeds partially going to the Climate Action Fund, this is a really nice idea I guess. But it is somewhat weird when youve got a model in the same range in cooperation with Mercedes AMG in my opinion. Keep in mind AMG is famous for the [...]
While the Laco brands history of supplying the German airforce during World War II is a controversial topic on these pages and others (especially because the brand still engraves the side of its cases with the item code assigned to Pilots watches by the Third Reichs Reichsluftfahrtministerium), many of the luxury brands (and plenty of the humdrum) found themselves on the wrong side of history during those dark days.You need only mention brands such as BMW, Hugo Boss, Kodak, or IBM to realize that a troubling level of collaboration or at least association existed between the heads of those companies and the Nazi regime. Despite the dark chapters in these companies shared history, there all st [...]
It's This Week in Watches for August 31, 2019 and we have loads of news today!Well, if last week's This Week in Watches got you down due to the dearth of news, then this week just might overload your senses.? It seems summer is truly over and the watch companies have responded by opening the flood dams.? Or, more likely, it's been six months since Basel. ??Ok, let's step into some new watch news!Timex Navi XLFirst up on This Week in Watches is a new one from Timex, the Navi XL.? Inspired by the brand's first diver-style watch, the Navi XL is a 41mm quartz-powered watch with a rotating bezel.? It's water-resistant to 100 meters, but has a snap case back, so this really is more of a sports wat [...]
Rolex Day-Date ref 118138 and 118139The watch that doesnt need further introduction, the Rolex Day-Date. Introduced in 1956 as the first chronometer wristwatch that had a day and date complication. A classic timepiece from the start, that in the meanwhile has and had a lot of prominent owners. This year during the Baselworld 2013 exhibition, Rolex introduced a few new variations to their flagship collection, yellow, Everrose and white gold Day-Date models on a leather strap with the following dial colors: cognac (yellow gold), ?cherry (white or Everrose gold), chocolate (white or Everrose gold), green (yellow gold) and blue (white or Everrose gold).?Day-Date , a Ladies or Mens Watch?Origin [...]
Hamilton is having a good year. A spate of affordable and versatile releases was perhaps crowned earlier this summer by the Hamilton Khaki Aviation Converter collection. It was popular among the Fratello team when it was announced. As such, Im taking another look at it today as it is now available to buy (after a long wait).Rather than burying the lede for the sake of suspense, I will do something rather unusual for Fratello and mention the price in the first paragraph. Thats not because the cost of these watches is the?only reason to buy them, but rather because it makes assessing the quality of the design elements (and their execution) all the more interesting. The automatic version of Ham [...]
Well, what a massacre the Grand Final turned out to be Perhaps we should have had the Ed White ranked higher when we started the competition. Somehow, despite it clearly being beloved by the Speedy community, it feels like a bit of a dark horse winner. But Im all for dark horses the darker the better And this dark-dialed beauty finally put the dog to the sword, slaying the Snoopy most of us thought would winBut what did we?want to happen? Who did we?want to win? As the rounds progressed, we all threw our allegiance behind different survivors. Some of us championed the Alaska over the Tintin in that memorable back-and-forth quarter-final. A plucky one or two hopped on the seriously under-popu [...]
In 1948, Omega introduced the world to their Seamaster watch. Omegas commercial director of that time, Adolphe Vallat requested a watch that was water resistant with an automatic movement. Omegas designer Ren Bannwart had a sketch on the shelf that was originally intended to be a new Centenary model (the predecessor of the Constellation) that he found to be too bulky to be an elegant dress watch. Adolphe Vallat happened to find it a perfect match for his request.So, there it was, the very first Omega Seamaster. 34mm in diameter, a bumper movement and with these superb looking beefy lugs. These very first Seamaster watches (as pictured below) were available with either center seconds or a sm [...]
Balazs and Mike are sticking to their word by serenading you with their dulcet tones every two weeks. Our latest podcast touches on the subject of vintage chronographs once again, but with a twist.Thats right, vintage chronographs are in focus yet again, but this time we talk about the pieces on our wish list with some cool anecdotes thrown in for good measure. We dont own these but would love to acquire them if funds allow.Our Fratello on Air podcast is also available via Buzzsprout,?Soundcloud,?Apple Podcast,?Google Podcast,?Deezer,??Stitcher, and?Spotify.Handgelenk KontrolleBefore hitting the main topic on vintage chronographs, we roll through our customary Handgelenk Kontrolle. Mike come [...]
Last week I showed you my five picks for an Omega Speedmaster watch under 3,000 USD. Someone commented about the Speedmaster57 Replica 3594.50. That Speedmaster watch wasnt in there, and it should have been.I stand corrected. The Omega Speedmaster watch with reference 3594.50 is actually one of my personal favorites in my Speedmaster collection. The fact that it wasnt in there, is that I thought it would be more expensive than $3000USD. But in fact, when looking on Chrono24, I can actually see some offers that are just below this amount. And that, my dear Speedmaster friends, makes it a very interesting purchase. So yes, the Speedmaster57 Replica 3594.50 should be in last weeks list for Spee [...]
Just before year-end and thus before the 150th anniversary of the Zenith Manufacture, Bert and I visited the impressive and big building in Le Locle (Switzerland) to see with our own eyes what Zenith is about these days.A friend of mine collects (mainly vintage) Zenith El Primero watches and Ive always been very interested in their classics like the Chronomaster (with moon phase) and their El Primero Rainbow Fly-Back from the 1990s. When Zenith was headed by CEO Nataf I lost interest in the brand to be honest and only after his successor Dufour put Zenith back on the horological map for enthusiasts (a.o. with the introduction of the Zenith El Primero Striking 10th) my interest was triggered [...]
Are you tired of walking into empty Rolex ADs, but youd still like to own something worthwhile from the famous brand? Here are ten discontinued Rolex watches that you may wish to consider.Theres so much talk about how difficult it is to buy a new steel sports Rolex. Actually, if my recent trip to South Florida is a guide, its hard to find any Rolex right now. Seriously, the two large ADs I visited were empty save for a few jewel-encrusted gold models. Thankfully, the used market presents a great opportunity to find discontinued Rolex watches in great condition. Furthermore, people have been squirreling away Rolex watches for a long time, often keeping them in great condition.Discontinued Rol [...]
