Watches Blog Wrist Watch Reviews

Today on Speedy Tuesday, we'll return to a watch we've reviewed before, the Omega?Speedmaster Apollo XI 35th Anniversary limited edition. Why is that? First off, selfishly, I get to spend time with one whenever I visit my parents because my father owns the watch you see here. But more importantly, and more germane to events over the last month, this model strikes me as a really great companion piece to the recently released SpeedyTuesday edition. I say this simply because today's subject is, to date, Omega's only Speedmaster Professional done in panda guise that's been offered globally. Introductions aside, let's enroll in a refresher course on a beloved limited edition.The Speedmaster Apol [...]

Yesterday (about an hour ago), we read that Eugene Cernan, the Last Man on the Moon, passed way age 82. Eugene Cernan was in space three times, with Gemini 9A, Apollo 10 and Apollo 17. Apollo 17 being the last Apollo mission in 1972. Two Speedmaster watches were commemorating that particular mission. One in 2002, with which you received his Last Man on the Moon book, and the later 2012 edition with the coin dial.We wrote about that last watch in 2013 already, but thought it would be appropriate to publish it once more. We also recommend you to watch Last Man on the Moon, a beautiful documentary (Netflix offers it in some countries) about that trip.Speedmaster Professional311.30.42.30.99.002I [...]

Even before the SIHH 2017 starts, Omega announces some BaselWorld 2017 news. Besides the Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday limited edition, they announce the Speedmaster Automatic Racing Dial and the Speedmaster Automatic 38mm. We will cover the ladies 38mm model at a later stage, but lets have a look at the Speedmaster Automatic Master Chronometer with racing dial.Speedmaster Automatic Racing DialJust like last year, when Omega actually announced their Speedmaster Moonphase Co-Axial Master Chronometer during SIHH, it is now time to unveil their Speedmaster Automatic Racing Dial. Also equipped with a Co-Axial Master Chronometer (caliber 9900) movement, of course. While Omega some times still refer [...]

Yesterday, Omega announced the Speedmaster Professional Speedy Tuesday limited edition. Watches were available for reservation immediately via the official Omega website. We werent sure if people would truly take to the watch and the process, but you did. Massively. Yesterday was an unreal experience and I would like to share some of it with you today.First of all, if you reserved one of the 2012 Omega Speedmaster Professional Speedy Tuesday Limited Edition watches, congratulations All watches were reserved in just a few hours time and that was beyond expectations. I reckoned it would take a couple of days, but it went faster. Far faster.We feel sorry for those who missed reserving a piece d [...]

In 2021, Omega updated the iconic Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch with the caliber 3861 movement. A very good reason to update our Speedmaster Buyers Guide as well!This guide dates all the way back to 2014, and since then, a lot happened. Not only did we have our own way with Omega and the two Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday watches (in 2017 and 2018), Omega also introduced a number of interesting Speedmaster watches to the collection. What about the Speedmaster Calibre 321 from 2020, or the new Moonwatch Master Chronometer models in gold? Time for us to update this Speedmaster Buyers Guide.In this Speedmaster Buyers Guide, we give you an overview of the most important references of the Speedm [...]

This episode we finally set the Speedmaster?watch in the spotlight of the Watches Pencils feature. In particular, we zoom in on the first Speedmaster which has passed the NASA tests: the Omega Speedmaster with reference number 105.003. Also known as the Ed White Speedmaster. Later on more about the NASA?tests:Form and Function Hand in HandThe thing that?really fascinates me about this watch is that there is such a harmony between form and function. The fundamentals of the Speedmaster are rock solid from the beginning; While the watch passed all the NASA tests, it was never designed especially for the tests. Before the 105.003 the watch was simply a commercial watch like any other. A sports [...]

What is Speedy Tuesday?It all started in a sunny Cannes in 2012, where I stayed over for a holiday. I also remember it was actually in the Radison Blu hotel there, where I made a wristshot of one of my Speedmaster watches and posted it on-line saying Speedy Tuesday (it was a Tuesday). Then, together with the team, we decided to make it a recurring item here on Fratello Watches. We are all Speedmaster fans, some of us have impressive collections, some of us only have one. But we all love the Speedmaster, for many different reasons.Our first Speedy Tuesday event took place in 2013. An official event with the support of Omega, in the ESA/Estec Space Expo visitor centre. A few more followed, wit [...]

Speedmaster ArtworkOnly a few months ago, we did an interview with Danish artist Cay Broendum in this article. Not much later, we had an exchange of emails about Speedmaster artwork. Now that it is done and ready for ordering, lets have a look at this piece of art and tell you about some of its details.You saw it here first, on Fratello Watches Speedy Tuesday!Speedmaster 105.012/145.012As inspiration for this Speedmaster artwork, Cay Broendum used the Omega Speedmaster Professional 105.012 / 145.012.You can recognize this due to the use of the applied Omega logo at 12 oclock, the Dot Over Ninety bezel and drop counter weight chrono seconds hand. This could still be a transitional model from [...]

Jacques Cousteau LOdyss|eA few days ago, The Odyssee (or LOdyss|e) movie has been released in France. It is a biopic about the life of Jacques Cousteau, his wife Simone and his sons Philip and Jean-Michel. It wont be in the theatres before January 2017 here in The Netherlands, but it will be on my to-do list that month.From the Wildbunch (distributor) website:Summer, 1946. The Cousteau family Jacques, his wife Simone and their two children Philippe and Jean-Michel live in their beautiful house by the Mediterranean sea. By day they dive, by night they watch the stars. Its paradise on earth. But Jacques is never content. He lives and breathes adventure and believes absolutely in the virtues [...]

Omega RailmasterWait a second, the Omega Railmaster is far too new to be featured on TBT Well, for sure, the discontinued watch from Omega?is not so far removed from our mindscape, but it is gone. I had a recent visit from family and my Dad, who is seemingly a master in finding overlooked but worthwhile objects, wore a 39mm (39.2mm but who's counting?) ref. 2503.52.00 version during most of the visit. I noticed it because, well, I notice the watch on anyone and everyone's wrist and I thought, damn, that is one seriously good looking piece that deserves a longer, more reflective view. It simply one of those watches that just feels so right. So, here we are and here you go the Omega Railm [...]

Sigma 7Yesterday, it was exactly 54 years ago that astronaut Walter Wally Schirra?orbited Earth 6 times in the Sigma 7 spacecraft. The name of the NASA mission was Mercury-Atlas 8, and Schirra picked Sigma 7 as the name for the spacecraft. Using the mathematical symbol for summation as appropriate for an engineering evaluation, and the 7 to refer to the seven Mercury astronauts (source).?On his wrist, an Omega, the first Speedmaster in Space. Schirra is?the only astronaut to have flown Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions.First Speedmaster in SpaceNot only did Wally Schirra use a Hasselblad camera for the first time in space, it was also the first time that an Omega watch was used in space. T [...]

In 2021, Omega updated the iconic Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch with the caliber 3861 movement. A very good reason to update our Speedmaster Buyers Guide as well!This guide dates all the way back to 2014, and since then, a lot happened. Not only did we have our own way with Omega and the two Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday watches (in 2017 and 2018), Omega also introduced a number of interesting Speedmaster watches to the collection. What about the Speedmaster Calibre 321 from 2020, or the new Moonwatch Master Chronometer models in gold? Time for us to update this Speedmaster Buyers Guide.In this Speedmaster Buyers Guide, we give you an overview of the most important references of the Speedm [...]

Today on TBT, I'll take a look at one of my favorite watches: the Omega Speedmaster 105.003 Ed White. Yes, I know, this is two weeks in a row for me with a Speedmaster, but I figured that any time is a good time to speak about a straight-lugged Speedy. And?-this one has somewhat of an interesting background that's worth a listen.A Straight-Lugged SpeedmasterA few years back, I decided it was time to get serious about tracking down a premoon Speedmaster. At that time, vintage Speedmasters were nowhere near as expensive as today, but they were still not easy to find and, much like today, were often filled with replacement or incorrect parts. Still, I hadn't decided on what watch I wanted and [...]

The Omega Speedmaster Mark IIIt was at least ten years ago that I stumbled upon a very rudimentary website depicting a chronology of wild, boldly styled 1970's Omega chronographs and I enjoyed marveling at them, but one stuck out as especially notable: the Omega Speedmaster Mark II 145.014. Yes, amongst all of the crazy flying saucer-esque, deeply cased oddities, it was the Omega Speedmaster Mark II that caught my eye. However, priorities changed, time dragged on and I resisted buying one, or even seriously looking for one, for a long, long time. And then C I snapped one up and haven't regretted it since. Today's TBT takes a look at this revolutionary watch, briefly details its restoration, [...]

A couple of months ago, Robert-Jan had the opportunity to give an overview of the new Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Deep Black collection. The watches are an interesting move from Omega as they were introduced outside of Basel and the debut actually occurred in New York. Theres no doubt that it has made waves.? We received a lot of traffic on the article and while most found the watches attractive, most wanted to see them in the metal umm, ceramic as it were before rendering judgment. I was of similar opinion, so when I found out that the collection was on a roadshow across the European Omega boutiques, I jumped at the chance to see them in Frankfurt. While my pictures won't get you any c [...]

Why you want an Extract of the ArchivesWhen I bought my first vintage Omega Speedmaster, I wanted to know more about this specific watch. Information on the Speedmaster I could find on-line or in magazines, but I was curious to learn about the history of my own Speedmaster. For this, Omega and a number of other brands are able to provide you with an extract from the archives.Omegas?Museum And ArchivesI ordered quite a few of these Omega Extract of the Archives documents over the years as I feel they do add value to the (vintage) watch.?It also gives you a production and shipping date, as well as the country it was originally shipped to. But what exactly are these archives, and why is Omega [...]

Jay Pritchett in Modern FamilyThis man really needs no introduction, but you might know Ed ONeill better as Al Bundy or nowadays as Jay Pritchett in the successful sitcom Modern Family. He starred in all 263 episodes of Married With Children, that aired from 1987 till 1997. His movie and TV career started much earlier, but his Al Bundy character was my first encounter with Ed ONeill.During and after Married with Children he featured in a couple of movies and TV shows. But to be honest, I couldnt see him apart from his role as Al Bundy. That changed with the ABC sitcom Modern Family, which I truly enjoy watching. Together with his?beautiful?(young) wife?Gloria Delgado (played by Sofaa Vergara [...]

They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder and such seems to be the case with the out of production Omega Speedmaster Tintin. Even though the watch was only introduced at Baselworld 2013 and then cancelled after roughly one to two years of production (it depends who you ask), I thought it was a good time to take a look at what has occurred around this controversial Speedmaster and why it's a watch worth watching. Also, since I own one, I'll throw my own 2 cents into the mix.The Speedmaster TinTin is a wonderful study in contrastSpeedmaster Tintin IntroductionAs mentioned, Omega very quietly introduced the Speedmaster Tintin in 2013 at Baselworld as ref. 311.30.42.30.01.004. I actually [...]

For just this once, we turn Speedy Tuesday into Seamaster Tuesday, to introduce you to the new Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Deep Black collection. However, before we take a thorough look at the new Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Deep Black, lets give you some background on the Seamaster collection and the Planet Ocean in general.Seamaster HistoryYou probably know that Omega introduced the Seamaster in 1948 and that it looked nothing like the dive watches of todays collection. Actually, those first Seamaster models were based on Omega watches that were supplied to the Royal Airforce during WWII. The British required reliable watches with high precision movements and, water resistant cases. Ren| [...]

Today marks a special day, not only is it the birthday of my beautiful daughter, it is also the fourth anniversary of our Speedy Tuesday feature and the 70th birthday?and?the last working day of Stephen Urquhart, CEO of Omega.Stephen Urquhart was born May 31st 1946?in Trinidad and has both Swiss and British nationality (Scottish father and a Portuguese mother).?He started working for Omega in 1968 as an International Account Manager and as he told me during an event last year he got to communicate with NASA during that time because of his perfect English, which was something quite uncommon in Switzerland in those days. He worked for Omega for 6 years (must have been an exciting time!) befo [...]