Watches Blog Wrist Watch Reviews

When RJ and I discussed the topic for this week's Speedy Tuesday I had no idea how timely this is. See, for someone who loves vintage Omegas and especially chronographs (Seamasters and Speedmasters alike) the Speedmaster 125 is always in the back of their minds. It's an odd-one-out in a good way for so many reasons. Reasons which we will talk about below. So after our discussion, I said to myself; We've covered this watch numerous times, not sure if there's anything else left to say. Well, when I looked back in our archives I realized that the last article about the Omega Speedmaster 125 is from 2013. And that mainly concerns?Adrian van Hooydonk BMW Group's design director and his 125. One c [...]

We are thrilled to announce the release of our exciting new publication: Omega Seamaster 300M Diver Magazine. Tracing 25 years of an icon in 25 articles, this methodically-researched magazine?follows on from the success of our Speedy Tuesday edition. From the icons birth to the release of Omegas current model, this publication plunges deep into the details of the Seamaster Diver 300M, covering stories as diverse as dive watch history, dial design, famous wearers, limited editions and of course James Bond.This comprehensive profile of the Diver 300M is a fantastic resource for watch fans and passionate collectors. So be sure to grab a copy of Omega Seamaster 300M Diver Magazine at your neare [...]

Limited editions are a hot topic today, bot in sales as well as in discussions. Perhaps in the pre-internet age, it was less transparent and as a result, less complaining. What we have here today is a perfect example of a limited edition without a real reason, yet it is starting to become a really sought-after watch.27 CHRO C12This gold Speedmaster Professional dates back to 1992 and was limited to 999 pieces to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 27 CHRO C12 movement, the predecessor of the famous calibre 321 movement. That is right. It celebrates a movement that was not even used in the Speedmaster, but its successor was. But does it affect the coolness of the watch? Heck no. This watch [...]

Fortuna is auctioning a number of interesting watches during their Important Watches sale on September 27th. We would like to give you our highlights of that auction, but feel free to browse their catalogue anyways, as they have quite an interesting line-up of watches. The Important Watches auction consists of 66 lots, with a fair share of Rolex watches, of course. But you will also find other interesting pieces, like the G rald Genta Octagon Chronograph for example, or a beautiful desk clock from Jaeger-LeCoultre (Marina).We picked a couple of highlights of this auction, that may interest you as well. Without further ado, lets have a look.Patek Philippe Nautilus 5712/1ANot vintage or someth [...]

The Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Ultraman has been introduced on July 10th and sold out within two hours. Today we show you some beautiful images of this new Ultraman, from watchmaker, collector and Speedy Tuesday fan, Abel Court. He picked up his Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Ultraman last week and already had the time to shoot some great photos.Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday UltramanMost details regarding this Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Ultraman we shared with you in the introduction article on July 10th. In a nutshell, the Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Ultraman has the following specifications:Reference?311.12.42.30.01.001Case diameter: 42mmLug Width: 20mmMovement: Calibre 1861Crystal: HesaliteStrap: [...]

Golf and watches go together very well. Although there are only very few golf players who actually wear a watch during the game itself, the association is clear. Precision, prestige and enjoying the finer things in life. Last weekend was the final of the Omega European Masters 2018 in Crans Montana, Switzerland. A tournament that has been around since 1923 and title sponsored by Omega since 2001.Omega European Masters 2018On the golf course in Crans Montana, you will find the most beautiful scenery you can wish for. The golf club Crans-sur-Sierre has a length of over 6200 meters and is located at an altitude of approximately 1500 meters. Walking this legendary course will treat you with some [...]

Since the release of the Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Ultraman, we get some questions about the original version from 1968. Time for us to recap our article from 2016 about the Speedmaster Ultraman reference 145.012-67. This will give you some more background on the original Speedmaster Ultraman.For the Speedy Tuesday Ultraman, Omega and us (Fratello) wanted something more colourful, like the 2004 Speedmaster Professional Racing for the Japan market. A few brainstorming sessions later led us to Ultraman. The original Speedmasters with the orange hand from 1968 that can be seen in the 1960s TV series Ultraman are simply amazing and appreciated by many collectors.Omega Speedmaster UltramanWe don [...]

I know how important this watch is for Ben Clymer, so before going into details about this Omega Speedmaster Hodinkee 10th anniversary limited edition, allow me to address a few words to explain.10 Years of HodinkeeBen is a Speedmaster fan. He showed me his Speedmaster Mark40 that he received from his grandfather, and basically started his interest in mechanical watches. He also always shows me his latest Speedmaster purchases, and those range from early CK2915 references to the Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday (ST1) and the recent Speedy Tuesday Ultraman. He also was there with me when I bought my gold Speedmaster Professional in Munich when we were both there to talk at a watch congress?in 201 [...]

Although some people were sceptic about him at first, Daniel Craig has proven to be among the greatest James Bond actors. James Bond started wearing an Omega Seamaster Diver 300M in 1995 (GoldenEye) and continued to do so when Daniel Craig took over this role from his predecessor. This year, Omega celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M watch and introduced a new and improved version of this watch in Basel. A new watch like this also needs a new face. And what is a better fit than Daniel Craig? Omega announces that Craig will be their new Seamaster Diver 300M ambassador from now on.Daniel Craig Represents The New Seamaster Diver 300MHowever, not everyone knows that [...]

A classic watch question almost; the Rolex Submariner vs Omega Seamaster. If we got a Euro for every time we were asked this question, we would have both in the meanwhile. Last week we received it again, for this You Asked Us feature here on Fratello. We thought it would be about time to answer this question in public, as it is probably interesting to many other watch enthusiasts as well (according to our mailboxes).The question we received was relatively short. Nguyen asked us: Please help me decide between buying a Rolex Submariner and an Omega Seamaster. What are the pros and cons of these watches and which one do you prefer?.You Asked Us: Rolex Submariner vs Omega SeamasterThe Rolex Subm [...]

This is a story by one of our readers, Vincent. As a kid he watched the launch of Apollo 17 live, sitting on the hood of his dads car parked near the Kennedy Space Center. Now, more than 45 years later, he decided to buy a Speedmaster to honor those astronauts and remember that magical night in December 1972.He wrote us an email with a great story that we would like to share with our readers. Vincent added:Thank you for the website you created. It would be an honor if you shared my story with your readers. Your work opens up the daunting world of watches to newbies like me. I would have never found my watch and new joy without Speedy Tuesday.Without further ado.Apollo 17 Launch And The Speed [...]

After last weeks publication of my article on watch collecting (and thanks for all the amazing comments!), I also received a few messages about my preference for Omega.Although I did touch on the topic of Omega and its connection with my family, I thought I will freshen up a story that I wrote a few years ago.Why Do I Love Omega?I am often being asked why I only buy and wear Omega watches. Well, thats not entirely the case of course. I also own watches from other brands like Oris, Rolex, Hamilton, Grand Seiko, Seiko, Chronoswiss, Breitling, Swatch, G-Shock, and a bunch of other perhaps lesser-known ones. And in the past, I've owned IWC, Sinn, Audemars Piguet, Linde Werdelin, and others as we [...]

And we're back with part 2 of our Summer Special: 60's Vintage Diver Shootout featuring four archetypal watches from brands that are still here today. To recap, in the first episode, we provided a rundown on the specs of our combatants while providing a little flavor on each watch's history. The frontrunners, in most minds would clearly be either the Rolex Red Submariner Date or the Omega Seamaster 300 Big Triangle, two classics that tend to find themselves at the tops of many collector's want lists. The other horses in this race may come off as long shots, but both the Doxa 300 Searambler and the Seiko 6159 Professional bring their own unique merits to the derby. Let's walk through the part [...]

In 2015, the Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award watch was introducing during BaselWorld. A watch that sold out in one day at the show, to Omega's network of dealers and boutiques. This watch commemorated the 1970 Apollo 13 mission where the Speedmaster played a very important role in the safe return of astronauts Swigert, Lovell and Haise. The full story can be read here, and we also included it in our Speedy Tuesday magazine that came out last year.Omega Speedmaster Apollo 13 Silver Snoopy Award boxSpeedmaster Silver Snoopy AwardOffered for $27950USDOmega produced 1970 pieces of this watch, featuring a white dial with Charles Schulz' beagle on the 9 o'clock subdial and the text Failure is not [...]

Let me start by saying that it always amazes me that there is such a gap between results from auctions and from the normal marketplaces for watches. Todays Phillips auction results are no different, and you also need to deal with buyers premium and deal with taxes. The latter should be always dealt with if you buy abroad (or outside EU for EU residents for example). I will get back to the differences in prices later, lets have a look first at the Speedmaster watches that were part of todays Phillips auction in Hong Kong.The Hong Kong Watch Auction: SIXToday, there were 10 Omega Speedmasters?up for sale during the Phillips auction this morning (my local time). Phillips was so kind to send me [...]

After the impressive auction result of the Elvis Presley Omega Tiffany, we decided to give you an overview of some of his other watches as well. We discuss two of his Omega watches (one is the 1.8mio Swiss Francs Omega Tiffany), his Rolex King Midas and the well-known Hamilton Ventura. Without further ado, lets have a look.Elvis Presleys WatchesElvis Presley was one of, if not the, most influential musician of the last century. Throughout his career, that spanned over 30 years, it was estimated that he sold over 1 billion records. He also sold out 837 consecutive shows in Las Vegas, starred in 31 feature films and musicals and had 18 number one songs on Billboard's Hot 100 Pop Chart in the U [...]

The legendary Omega Seamaster PloProf has been deservedly praised by many collectors. However, a lot of the information that was published up till now has been wrong. A number of collectors have now set the record straight, with the help of Omegas?International Brand Heritage Manager Petros Protopapas and his team. Not only that, the authors have performed deep research by going through Omegas archives themselves as well as collecting and analyzing material from other watch collectors. This doesnt necessarily mean you can toss away the book on the Ploprof by Jon Wallis, but it surely is important to acknowledge that some of the information in there is outdated now.54mm in width, 45mm in leng [...]

When Omega introduced the Seamaster 300M in 1993, their flagship model was the Chronograph reference 2296.80 that came in a combination of three materials: titanium, tantalum and rose gold. Sure, there was an all gold model as well, but this tri-color version was the model they advertised with for the new 300M (chronograph) collection. Tantalum is a rare, hard, blue-grey metal that is highly corrosion-resistant. It is mainly used in electronics today, but sometimes it had a purpose in the watch industry as well. Omega is not the only brand who used it, also Audemars Piguet, FP Journe and Panerai used it for their watches for example.Omega Seamaster 300M Chronograph 1993The blue-grey color gi [...]

NASAs Apollo 8 mission in 1968 was the first flight where the astronauts orbited the Moon, see Earth entirely, witness the Earth rise and C here it comes C see the far side of the Moon. Or dark side. On their wrists, a Speedmaster.Now, nearly 50 years later, Omega introduces you to the latest addition to the Dark Side of the Moon collection. Not a black ceramic Speedmaster Professional like we predicted a few weeks ago, but a watch based on the existing Dark Side of the Moon models. However, not with the famous bi-compax caliber 9300 movement, but with a hand-wound caliber 1869 movement. This manual winding chronograph movement is based on the famous caliber 1861 movement, but with a nicke [...]

Introduced in 1993, the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2018. Therefore, Omega will be introducing an updated version this BaselWorld 2018. The Seamaster Diver 300M, introduced as the 2531.80 for the automatic version and as 2541.80 for the quartz model (both models featured in the Pierce Brosnan James Bond movies), came a long way. Available in mid-sizes as well and in a couple of variations (black dial, Americas Cup, chronograph, GMT, etc.).The Seamaster 300M basically evolved with Omegas grow regarding movements and materials. Where the Seamaster 300M was always based on ETAs 2892-A2 movement, later on with Omegas Co-Axial escapement, you will now see that th [...]