Watches & Pencils #12 – Use of Color in Watches

Before we enter the next story about color I would like to say something about the past period of Watches & Pencils on Fratello Watches. It all started pretty small with a quick sketch and a few lines (view the very first post about the ‘Bullhead’ here). After the launch W&P quickly evolved to a feature with long intense stories accompanied by complex artwork. The ‘Sandwich’-post or the previous post about the ‘Submariner’ for example. To maintain focus, quality and give the cartoons and stories the attention they deserve, we’ve decided to split up those two ‘types’ of content. Expect […]

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Mens Military Sport Dual Time Zone Man Russian Army Wrist Watch Review - Aliexpress Amazon Ebay

Hands-On Longines Column-Wheel Single Push-Piece Chronograph Review

The fact that Longines decided in 1984 to stop producing their own movements and use ETA instead, does not mean they don’t have interesting timepieces for ‘techies’. As long as CEO Walter von Känel is on board, this is not going to change (as he told us here), he is focusing on affordable main stream watches for a large audience. For the smaller group that we belong to, watch enthusiasts, they have their Heritage collection where they grab back to watches from their rich history (since 1832). Since Longines is part of the same group (Swatch) as ETA, they are […]

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#TBT Seiko 6159-7010 Tuna

Normally Michael Stockton takes care of our weekly recurring TBT feature, but due to extensive traveling he was unable to this week. To keep this installment of TBT true to him, I would like to talk about the Seiko 6159-7010 Tuna that I bought a couple of months ago. Lately, Mike is blaming me for his shopping spree concerning vintage Speedmaster watches. I actually delivered his latest (as far as I know that is) to him in Frankfurt two weeks ago, I am sure he will dedicate a TBT or Speedy Tuesday to that watch. While he blames me for […]

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Hands-On With The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver Chronograph (Live Photos and Official Price)

In 2010, Audemars Piguet introduced the Royal Oak Offshore Diver to us, reference 15703 (a review can be found here). That watch made quite an impression on me to be honest. I am a sucker for the original Royal Oak references, from the 5402 to the current 15202, so I actually surprised myself that I liked that Diver so much. Last week in Geneva, we had the opportunity to go hands-on with the new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver Chronograph. A two-register chronograph version of the Offshore Diver. These four new Offshore Diver Chronograph watches will be exclusively available […]

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Skmei Multifunction Digital Temperature Waterproof LED Luminous Watch Review -Aliexpress Amazon Ebay

Original Curren Business Quartz military Army Vogue watch Review -Aliexpress Amazon Ebay

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Speedy Tuesday – Found: Omega Speedmaster Worn By Willy Mairesse

Willy Mairesse and his Omega Speedmaster The Omega Speedmaster is one of the most recognizable watches of the second half of the 20th century. A watch that originally was released as a racing model in 1957– hence the name – but gained worldwide fame as the timepiece that was worn on the Moon in July 1969. Throughout the years it has always been referred to as the Moonwatch and associated with NASA and its astronauts. Little did we know that in the 1960’s there was a watch that stayed true to its racing heritage and graced the wrist of a […]

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CUTE SMILE FACE SHAPE GIRL WOMEN DIAL FAUX LEATHER WATCH Review -Aliexpress Amazon Ebay

Don’t Be Ashamed About Collecting Watches, The Others Are Worse! 7 Examples Given In This Article!

How often do you need to explain your love for watches? I’ve noticed that I don’t mind explaining why I like watches so much, or explaining what I am exactly doing all day as a watch journalist. It is understandable because – believe it or not – not everyone is into watches or even familiar with mechanical watches. A lot of people are also unaware of the fact that there is an entire industry around watchmaking: e.g. watch magazines, websites, market places, collectors meetings, auctions and so on. For many people a watch is just that, a watch. So I do […]

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Women Vintage Bracelet Watch New 2015 Fashion Woman Retro WatchReview -Aliexpress Amazon Ebay

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Baume & Mercier Capeland Shelby Cobra 1963 (Live Photos and Official Price)

This year at SIHH, Baume & Mercier introduced a number of new watches dedicated to ladies. However, they did have a very nice watch for gents to present as well: the Baume & Mercier Capeland Shelby Cobra 1963. Already last year Baume & Mercier introduced a Capeland Shelby Cobra watch, paying tribute to the famous blue and white-striped sports cars. Now, Baume & Mercier is introducing the Capeland Shelby Cobra 1963 Competition in an all stainless steel and in and ADLC version. Limited to 1963 pieces each, paying tribute to the year which saw the first Cobra’s victory at the American […]

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#TBT Omega DeVille Chronograph 146.017

It’s always weird to write from the skies but here I am, tip-tapping away. What else is odd is that today’s #TBT subject has been in my possession for less than 12 hours and I was so taken by it that I figured this week was as good a time as any to discuss it. You’ll note that, once again, something in gold is on my wrist. I do promise this won’t become an addiction, but I do implore you to drop your guard, if only slightly, for the yellowest of metals. I had to, you see, because today’s watch […]

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Original Curren Business Men Military Army Vogue Casual Wrist Review -Aliexpress Amazon Ebay

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Vacheron Constantin Overseas Ultra-Thin Caliber 1120

I have a soft spot for the Royal Oak, Nautilus, Ingenieur and Overseas. Only the first three were designed by the late Gerald Genta, the Overseas’ predecessor was designed by Hysek. The ‘222’, as it was called, was introduced 40 years ago already but the Overseas as we know it today, was introduced in 1996. This year, Vacheron Constantin came with a number of new Overseas models, but the one that made my horological heart tick at a higher rate is the Vacheron Constantin Overseas Ultra-Thin model. This watch, equipped with the very flat 2.45mm automatic movement caliber 1120, is […]

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Panerai Luminor 1950 3-Days PAM 663

To be brutally honest, this newly introduced Panerai Luminor 1950 3-Days, or PAM 663, is already one of my all-time favorites concerning modern Panerai watches. It probably was a question of time when they would come up with a Panerai Luminor 1950 with a stunning vintage looking brown dial and a plexi crystal. This brown color should remember you of the discolored dials of vintage Panerai models (like the reference 6154 also named “Egiziano Piccolo”). These watches initially had black dials, but over time, they changed color to this distinct brown tone due to the effect of the radium-based powder used to lume the […]

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Omega Speedmaster Moonphase Chronograph Master Chronometer

Omega’s Speedmaster Moonphase watches go back to 1985, when Omega did a limited run of 1300 Speedmaster Professional watches with a Moonphase and 700 of the German Teutonic case Speedmaster Moonphase watches, all with Lemania based caliber 866. Even today, a new version of this movement (caliber 1866) is being used in the Speedmaster Professional Moonphase watch. It was also being used in the Speedmaster Professional Moonphase in 44.25mm with the beautiful Aventurine dial. Today, on Speedy Tuesday, Omega shows us the new Speedmaster Moonphase Chronograph Master Chronometer that is based on the Speedmaster 9300 collection. However, for the Moonphase […]

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Speedy Tuesday – How I Learned to Love the Speedmaster

To many people, when they hear “Fratello Watches”, they think of the Omega Speedmaster. Robert-Jan’s love for this iconic chronograph spawned a weekly column – you’re reading it – on the subject and far more related articles for discussion. Of course, the detractors out there, everyone has them, state that we talk about these chronographs too frequently and that we’re shameless fanboys. Then, the typical follow-on comment I hear is negativity about the fact that Omega really leans on the whole “Moonwatch” thing and that it’s overplayed and long in the tooth. Well, to address the first statement, the members […]

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Piaget Emperador Coussin XL 700P – Mechanical With Quartz Precision

Piaget already introduced this Emperador Coussin XL 700P to the market in December, but now we finally got to see it at the SIHH in Geneva. 40 years ago, in 1976, Piaget introduced their first in-house developed quartz movement, the ultra-thin caliber 7P. Not entirely quartz, but using a quartz oscillating at 32768 Hertz to control the speed of the generator that rotates at 5.33 turns per second is their new caliber 700P movement for the Emperador Coussin XL 700P. You could say that it is using technology similar to Seiko’s Spring Drive. When I asked Piaget about it, they explained […]

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Watches & Pencils #11 – Submariner: Name & Typography

Today we talk about the most famous submarine in the world: the Rolex Submariner (find our historical Sub overview here). Besides the impressive machinery and all its revolutions through time there are a lot of visual aspects to point out. In this article the focus will be on the naming, dial and typography of this ‘U-boat’. Wilsdorf the Artist Being obsessed by visual perfection, the open-minded Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf is quite a hero for many watch collectors.  Myself included. He understood that for optimal marketing, every detail counted. For example, when he invented the name ‘Rolex’. He said: “I tried combining […]

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COMPLEXITY MADE SIMPLE WITH THE H. MOSER & CIE. ENDEAVOUR PERPETUAL CALENDAR CONCEPT

Ten years ago, when H. Moser & Cie. launched its Endeavour Perpetual Calendar it took everyone by surprise with the purest, most ingenious and most practical perpetual calendar on the market. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of this iconic model, the Schaffhausen-based manufacture is pushing the boundaries of creativity further and countering trends. In a market saturated with oversized watches and logos emblazoned everywhere, H. Moser & Cie. boldly presents a watch which is simplicity itself: the Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Concept in a limited edition of 10 timepieces in white gold. As the ultimate expression of minimalism and purity, with […]

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*SEWOR Mechanical Automatic Self-Winding Watch Review

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Hands-on Sinn U212 (EZM16) Review

It is no secret that I have a weak spot for Sinn watches. Although not all of their models are to my liking, the fact that they never fail to deliver interesting and highly functional timepieces never bores me. Today, I have their EZM16 model in front of me, also known as the Sinn U212. EZM stands for Einsatzzeitmesser and means that it is part of their collection of watches that has been specifically designed for a particular purpose. Key features are excellent readability and that the form of the watch is always dictated by the function and handling requirements […]

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Watch Strap Review Part 17. – Rover Haven Straps

This week, I’m butting in on Blaise’s territory. As Blaise continues to write about straps from the world over (please, contact us if you’re making straps from somewhere in the world we’ve not yet covered), I’ve come storming in with another American product. Have I done it because I’m American? Not really. I’ve actually done it because a reader contacted us last year via email and made a suggestion to take a look at today’s featured artisan. Rover Haven is the name of the brand and as you’ll see, this was especially exciting to me for a couple reasons. First, […]

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Shark Men's LED Wrist Watch Kitefin SH265 Review

#TBT Universal Geneve Polerouter Jet

Dress watches can provide the new or seasoned collector with a great opportunity to pick up a high quality vintage watch for a fraction of the price of a similarly aged sports specimen. Case in point, vintage Rolex Datejusts – ok, they’re not that dressy – are typically undervalued by multiples when compared to similarly dated Submariners and GMT’s. All the goodness is there from a build quality perspective and, of course, the movements are in-house. Vintage Rolex, though, is certainly not the only haven for this type of opportunity. No, we’ve covered areas like King and Grand Seiko and […]

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Stowa Flieger Blue Limited

Together with WatchTime.net, Stowa created a new version of one of their iconic pilot’s watches. The Flieger Blue is based on the original design from 1939 and will be limited to 100 pieces only. Stowa produces watches since 1927 and is known for their Flieger watches. Since 1996, watchmaker Jörg Schauer joined Stowa and together with designer (and watch collector) Hartmut Esslinger they introduced a couple of new Stowa models. Stowa’s Flieger watches and Bauhaus designs are being developed and manufactured in the German Black Forrest, where they have their own watchmakers, engravers and goldsmiths to deliver a constant high quality in […]

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Casio Sport Watch LRW-200 Review

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Speedy Tuesday – Speedmaster Professional 145.022-69 from 1971

I’ve had a couple of Omega Speedmaster Professional 145.022 models through the years, from the 145.022-69 to the 145.022-78 references. I kept selling and trading them at that point, they were approx 1500 Euro watches and were quite useful to flip for other more sought-after watches. But late summer 2015 I was approached by a reader who had this Speedmaster Professional for sale and after he sent me a couple of pictures I realized that I didn’t have a 145.022-69 in my collection anymore. Although I had hoped for a case back with straight-text inscription, it happened to be the […]

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Shark Sport Watch Steel Frilled SH190 Review

Collecting Watches – My Personal 7 Rules

I always tell myself I am not collecting watches, even though my wife thinks otherwise, but as a Speedmaster aficionado I have to admit that I do own a collection of those. Normally, I just buy what I like and what I am actually going to wear. So my ‘collection’ consists of a couple of evergreens from Rolex, a Royal Oak (or should I say the Royal Oak) and of course a couple of Speedmaster watches and so on. So perhaps I am collecting watches, but only Speedmasters. The other purchases are just that, purchases of a watch that I […]

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Shark Mens Blue Date Military Oversize Dial Sport Watch whale Review