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Watches – News, Reviews, Brands and Releases
As you might have heard, 2020 is a special year for Grand Seiko the brands 60th anniversary. For some time, a determined team in Seiko's Suwa facility in central Japan had been working on the creation of a watch that would be as precise, durable, comfortable, and beautiful as humanly possible. The re-creation of that legendary timepiece has just launched. And it is a beauty.The result of their efforts? A watch with a 14k gold filled case and a slim movement, whose precision met the highest international standard of the time. The level of their achievement was such that it was decided to call the watch Grand Seiko. Now, in this special year, a re-creation of the first Grand Seiko watch from 1 [...]
Despite the cancellation of Grand Seikos summit, the new watches are being introduced anyway (kudos for that). Thus, were kicking off with the new Grand Seiko 60th Anniversary Professional Divers 600M.Thats right, Grand Seiko was born in 1960 and celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. Not exactly the celebration they had in mind in Japan, but I am sure we will get an opportunity to see the watches live and to test drive them. For now, well have to make do with the press releases theyve shared with us.Grand Seiko 60th Anniversary Limited Edition Divers 600MThis watch might look familiar to you. It looks similar to the Grand Seiko Diver SBGA231G (that I reviewed here) or perhaps better sai [...]
In this Sunday morning column, two of our writers go head-to-head in an epic showdown for the ages. Strong opinions and hysterical hyperbole are welcome (so feel free to join in with the fun in the comments section below). And don't forget to let us know which watches you'd like to see torn to shreds/effusively exalted next week. We'll try and feature as many of our readers' choices as we can. This week the famous Grand Seiko Snowflake dials are being debated. Prepare yourself for some ice-cold cruelty and white-hot barbsLast week, RJ and Ben squared off. The object of their affections/rejections? The Rolex Daytona reference 116500LN. Understandably, RJ, who positioned himself on the hate-fu [...]
What an installment of This Week in Watches we have for you. So much exciting news reached us this week. Lets get to it Ill start with a watch which was presented last week, but exclusively in Japan. It must have taken the news a little while to travel to our region, but trust me, it was worth waiting for.Grand Seiko SBGA421We havent been able to find any official press information in English quite understandable for a watch exclusively sold in Japan but this watch is too beautiful not to show you. Were talking about a limited edition Grand Seiko. In the year that Grand Seiko is celebrating its 60th anniversary, the AJHH the Association Japon de la Haute Horlogerie? celebrates its 15th.Excep [...]
It is with sadness we must convey that Grand Seiko has taken the governmentally-advised decision to cancel its upcoming summit. It would have been held in Tokyo from the 4th-5th of March 2020.Grand Seiko had intended for the summit to be a vehicle to celebrate its 60th anniversary, alongside the 55th anniversary of?Seiko Divers. If you havent already checked out the models released to mark this occasion, you can read about the mens pieces here and the womens piece here.For those that had tickets in their hands, this will come as a crushing blow. Grand Seiko is one of the most beloved and interesting watch brands outside of Europe. Many of its fans were looking forward to following the events [...]
It may seem a little early to talk about news' of Baselworld 2020. But news has been breaking from the organiser and from major brands lately, and we don't want you to miss out.A while ago, Fratello has been informed by Grand Seiko and Seiko that the brands have cancelled their presence at Baselworld 2020. Instead, they will be staging their own GS Summit in Tokyo in early March.After exhibiting for 30 years, Seiko has cited the dates of the 2020 event as the official' reason for its departure. Scheduled for 30th April C 5th May, the fair is too late for the manufacturer because it conflicts with the Golden Week (a major holiday in Japan).Following suit, Casio, maker of G-Shock, has also an [...]
Its This Week in Watches for October 12, 2019 and theres loads of news to share.Hi there, watch lovers and welcome to This Week in Watches.? Weve got quite a bit of news this week so lets quit the chit-chat and get into it.Seiko Prospex LX Line Limited EditionSeiko brought us two new LX divers that will come out in November.? Fitted with calibre 5R65 Spring Drive movements, each of the watches will be made in limited editions of just 200 pieces each.? First up is the reference SNR041J1 with what Seiko is calling a violet gold Ceramet bezel and brown dial.? The watch features a titanium bracelet.? Next up is the reference SNR043J1 which contains a platinum Ceramet bezel and black dial.? The c [...]
At least for us in Europe, a spotting a Grand Seiko watch in the flesh is still as rare as spotting a Japanese supercar like the Nissan GT-R.Perhaps it mainly has to do with price, as the Nissan GT-R starts at 169.600 here in The Netherlands (cars are expensive here in general). Grand Seiko is winning turf though, as its popularity is ever increasing. Enough has been written about the quality of the watches, and thats never really a discussion anyway. It is the unknown, that plays a role for these watches (and cars).Anyway, in 2019 Grand Seiko celebrates the 20th anniversary of their Spring Drive technology and Nissan the 50th anniversary of their sportscar, the GT-R. For this anniversary, G [...]
One of the coolest looking exhibition spaces at Baselworld is the double booth by Seiko.Since Grand Seiko became a different brand the Japanese powerhouse shares a twin booth, between their two major brands, Seiko and Grand Seiko. On the one side, you have the displays for the latest Seiko timepieces, while the other side belongs to the Grand Seiko novelties. Writing a run-down on both brands would be a too long article so this time we will only take a closer look at the 2019 novelties of the other Seiko brand, Grand Seiko. GS has some seriously cool watches to show us this year, both for men and for women. For the sake of gender equality, I think it is time to talk about the ladies' models [...]
A favorite pastime of mine is to scroll through the archives of Bal ezss extensive Watch Strap Review series. In most cases, Im hunting for inspiration to pair an ol faithful watch with a fresh strap. However, in this case, my investigation on Watch Strap Review centered around whether Fratello Watches had previously covered acclaimed British strap-maker The Strap Tailor. Surely, the emerging brilliance of this one-man-band(maker) had graced our Sedna-toned pages? Well, yes, but only recently, and not in the scope of a full-blown review of not one but TWO of his straps. So, lets get to it.Weve featured The Strap Tailor on Fratello before via the most recent Studio Underd0g Mint Ch0c Chip wat [...]
Phillips auctioned off the Omega Speedmaster Professional ref. 145.012-67SP that belonged to American author Ralph Ellison. He wore it from 1968 till his death in 1994. Now it has sold for a whopping $667,800 including buyer's premium.The new owner of Ralph Ellisons Speedmaster 145.012-067SP is the Omega Museum in Biel. The museum will display it beside an impressive line-up of special Speedmaster from noteworthy owners.Its first owner, author Ralph Ellison, wrote the Invisible Man novel of 1952. It received the prestigious National Book Award in 1953. In 1998, the Modern Library ranked Invisible Man 19 on its list of 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.Image of Ralph Ellis [...]
Is there such a thing as the end of your horological journey? I used to believe that there wasnt. But after wearing the Omega Seamaster Professional Diver 300M Chronograph in Sedna Gold, now I am tempted to think that there is. This started out as a story about my favorite model from the Seamaster Professional Diver 300M range. But it turned into an experience of answering questions and ticking boxes with regards to my personal journey with watches. Let me explain why this Seamaster Professional Diver 300M Chronograph in 18K Sedna Gold stole my heart.This story actually starts out pretty randomly. One afternoon not too long ago, Robert-Jan and I were discussing our favorite models of the Sea [...]
In a no less dramatic way than the Formula 1 season, The Fast And The Fratelli came to an end last week. Our mission was to find the best racing chronograph of the last decade. We saw many contenders, including some true legends compete for the crown. However, in the end, the Fratello love for the Omega Speedmaster came through, and the Calibre 321 took the win over the Zenith El Primero A386 Revival at the last moment. The Zenith, a no less impressive contender and worthy opponent, did its best. But in the end, without the need of intervention from the Fratello Inspection Authority (FIA) and after an impressive bit of driving, it succumbed to the Speedy's veteran racing skills.No less fraug [...]
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. Its 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 are still affordable. In this installment, we will take a look at the best Omega watches from the 2000s.By the turn of the millennium, Switzerland had proudly rec [...]
Even if you don't follow watch auctions, you may know that the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 with its Tiffany Co. signed dial in the distinct color of the famous jeweler sold for more than $6 million at an auction earlier this month. Of the 170 watches made, this particular Nautilus 5711 Tiffany 170th Anniversary Limited Edition that normally retails for $52,635, was auctioned off to support the Virginia-based, non-profit Nature Conservancy. Its a special watch for a special occasion; that kind of explains the stellar price. But even when it comes to non-beneficiary auctions, watch auction prices still go through the roof. Why pay so much more for a Patek Philippe or Rolex at an auction with [...]
Here we are, race fans in the final race of The Fast And The Fratelli competition The last four weeks have seen 30 other contenders come and go, all in our quest to determine the best racing chronograph watch released in the last decade. Up until a few days ago, we thought the final round might see two Speedmasters facing off against each other. But the Fratelli have spoken, and such a race wasnt to be. Instead, today, in the very last race, two heavyweights of watch history are going head-to-head!Interestingly, both watches are tightly connected to the year 1969. It was the year of humankinds first moon landing, and the year the first automatic chronograph sprung on the market. This time t [...]
Although we put a lot of care and work into our own Speedmaster archives here on Fratello, they are only available online (with the exception of the print publication we once did for the Speedmaster). Sometimes, it is nice to have something in print to enjoy on the couch with your favorite beverage. Books like Moonwatch Only, the Mondani books on Rolex, and now Magister are a nice way to spend a few hours in the evenings and weekends on your favorite watches.The Magister BookCollector and watch enthusiast Andrea Foffi released a special book on the Speedmaster topic. Meet the Magister book, covering 70 special Speedmaster watches from his collection. We already published about this book bein [...]
We just entered the semi-finals of this The Fast And The Fratelli contest, with a wonderful Traxxas Bandit RC car (scale 1:10) at stake. Now it is getting tough, with two Speedmasters racing each other in this round. The Omega Speedmaster Calibre 321 meets our own Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Ultraman edition. RJs Speedmaster Calibre 321 is in the left lane, Balazss Speedy Tuesday Ultraman is in the right. Start your engines.RJ: I was wearing the Speedmaster Calibre 321 yesterday during the F1 GP in Abu Dhabi. It just felt like an appropriate thing to do. I enjoyed watching F1 this season, although some of the decisions were highly questionable. But the racing has become more interesting, for [...]
The quarter-finals are here and we still have a bunch of Speedies in this game. But have no fear, the Zenith El Primero A386 Revival is here. Will it push the Speedmaster Apollo 8 off the track like Lewis did to Max (or vice versa), or will we see only Speedies in the finals? Today, Andreass Zenith goes up against RJs Speedmaster Apollo 8.RJ: This is going to be interesting. And truth be told, I would have a hard time making a decision between this classic Zenith El Primero A386 Revival despite being a re-edition or a modern interpretation of a classic, like the Speedmaster Apollo 8. A watch with a Zenith El Primero movement is still high on my wish list, but which one?Speedmaster Apollo [...]
Were down to the quarter-final stage, and there is a disturbing number of Speedmasters left in the last eight. We limited the Omega entrants to just four places, but all four of them are still standing. Today, Robs Racing Speedy goes up against Daves surprise package, the Fortis B-42.Rob: Well, well, well, what have we here? An Anglo-Irish showdown. The clash of Bob and Rob. A match-up nobody saw coming (except perhaps Fortis). The fact a B-42 has made it to the final eight in a competition created to find the worlds best modern racing chronograph is a stunning testament to the brands current reputation. But while Fortis is flying high, with its head so frequently above the clouds (and somet [...]
