FratelloWatches – Watch Reviews And Stories On Watches
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SIHH 2015 – Meet The Clé de Cartier
This year Cartier surprised us with a new collection, the Clé de Cartier. Clé is French for ‘key’ and refers to the winding crown of this watch. Cartier positions the Clé de Cartier line-up in the same range of iconic collections as the Santos and Tank. Very ambitious, but...
Watch Reviews
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Hands-On With The Breguet Tradition GMT
Just recently we wrote an article on the Breguet 5447BR Classique Grande Complication, a € 268.000 Euro timepiece that is mind blowing, but also about a ‘dream piece’. Unless something happens in the lottery, it will stay a ‘dream piece’ as well I am afraid. A bit closer to the wallet is the Breguet we are featuring today here on Fratello Watches. The Breguet Tradition GMT. Almost two years ago we wrote about the...
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Watch Review CT Scuderia Salt Flat Racer 60
I am sure most of you remember that in July we had a survey at FratelloWatches in connection with our birthday anniversary. Many of you guys thought that we should deal a bit more with smaller up-and-coming brands and you also gave us a few ideas regarding these companies. One watch house many of you have mentioned was CT Scuderia. We are here to please you so we took the survey pretty seriously and...
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Fratello Watches Christmas Special – Rolex Submariner 14060M Review
Watch collector and connoisseur Mike Stockton contributed a wonderful write-up about his Rolex Submariner 14060M. A 2000 word write-up about the classic Rolex Submariner 14060M, from the very early moment he laid his eyes on this iconic diver from Rolex, the moment he bought it (years later) up to now, years of ownership. Rolex Submariner 14060M Review South Florida. The words evoke different things to different people. To some, it means sun, fun and...
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Grand Seiko SBGV009 Review
A Grand Seiko is still quite uncommon in this part of the world. A pity actually, as they have wonderful timepieces in their collection that can easily compete with some Swiss and German counterparts. Although I am not particularly a fan of quartz watches, with a few exceptions, I was offered to have a go with this Grand Seiko SBGV009 that has a quartz (caliber 9F82) movement. I asked Seiko how come they had...
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A Hands-On Oris Aquis Date Review
In our on-going quest for affordable mechanical watches I stumbled upon Oris. Oris is a brand that only produces mechanical watches, there is not a single quartz watch in their catalog. Besides that, it is an independent brand that has produced watches from this little Swiss village called Hölstein since 1904. Their key to success is perhaps best captured in their slogan “real watches for real people”, something that we – here on Fratello...
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Speedy Tuesday – Omega Spacemaster Z-33 Review
Let’s be honest, after the 1980s of the last century, in the ‘real watch world’ there are only very few quartz watches considered as serious products. Rolex had its Oysterquartz models from 1977 till the early 2000s, not specially intended for professional use, and Breitling always had their Chronospace and Aerospace models which were aimed at airline pilots. That was pretty much it. Except some Casio-like digital Speedmasters (some even signed Professional) that were introduced in...
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Seiko 6159-7010 Grandfather Tuna
Once in a while we have a guest contributor talking about his favourite brand or watch. Today we have Mike Stockton talking about his passion for the Seiko 6159-7010 Grandfather Tuna and its modern interpretation, the Seiko Emperor Tuna. A BIG thank you to Mike for sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm for the very rare Seiko 6159-7010 Tuna with us on Fratello Watches. Seiko 6159-7010 So there I was, fighting inescapable jet lag while...
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Hands-On With The Rado HyperChrome Court Collection Watch
I remember that in the 1990s, parents of my friends and even some of their grand parents at that time, were wearing Rado watches. The shiny black ceramic timepieces that looked stylish – a bit B&O style – and were impossible to get scratched. Most of them were quartz watches though, so I quickly lost interest in them as I merely saw them more or less as a lifestyle or ‘design’ product. Now to...
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Breguet 5447BR Classique Grande Complication
It has been a while ago that we covered Breguet here on Fratello Watches (in this article by Ming Thein on the Breguet La Tradition). There is no specific reason about the non-coverage, except that the brand wasn’t really on my radar. The brand always appeared to me as very classic – with the exception of the Marine and Type XX/XXI collections – and very expensive. Although Breguet didn’t change much, perhaps my taste...
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Longines HydroConquest Review
A lot of watch enthusiasts love to muse about the good old days when tool watches were still tool watches and had a price tag that was relatively high, but still affordable. A lot of those watches are still on the market, but now marketed as a luxury watch with a price tag that will cost you an arm and a leg. Watches that are technically probably perfectly capable to behave like a real...
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Linde Werdelin Oktopus BluMoon Hands-On
We recently introduced you to the Linde Werdelin Oktopus BluMoon watch with a photo realistic moon phases disc. This Oktopus BluMoon, made of grade 5 titanium, is limited to 59 pieces only. Recently, when we were visiting London, we had the opportunity to see and try the Linde Werdelin Oktopus BluMoon in the flesh. Linde Werdelin Oktopus BluMoon One of the first things that I noticed about the Oktopus BluMoon was the color of...
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Pinion Axis Bronze Hands-On Review
During SalonQP last year, Pinion was introduced and showed their Axis collection to the public. Not too long ago they sent us the bronze version simple called the Pinion Axis Bronze. ‘Hold on to it for some time as it only get’s more beautiful’, they explained. So we did. Our pinion arrived in a small package containing a flat, cotton like bag holding the Axis in a nicely crafted leather ‘watch wallet’, and user manual. Information in the manual is...
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Tudor Heritage Black Bay Midnight Blue Review
When we first saw the Tudor Heritage Black Bay a few years ago (2012), we knew that Tudor had gold in its hands. An amazing timepiece that was inspired by Tudor’s own heritage (we did a report here and here on their vintage pieces). This year, just one day before the BaselWorld exhibition opened, we were invited to witness the new & old collection of Tudor. They decided to come back with a new...
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Sinn EZM 9 TESTAF – Hands-On Review
The German manufacturer Sinn has a long history when it comes to mission timers. Seventeen years ago, in 1997 the now legendary and sought after EZM 1 (EZM is Sinn’s trademark and acronym for “Einsatz Zeit Messer”) was the first in a successful line. Mission timers are watches which have been specially developed for a particular purpose. They always offer excellent readability, and the design of the watch is always dictated by it’s function...
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Longines Master Collection Moon Phase Hands-On Review
I remember when being a kid, our neighbor showed me his new timepiece. A Seiko with a moon phase. I was very intrigued by it, not even knowing it was ‘just’ a quartz watch and that a mechanical moon phase watch would be much more complicated. It must have been mid-1980s somewhere, so what did I know? In any case, a moon phase disc on the dial of a watch is ever since something...
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Bell & Ross Vintage BR 123 GMT 24H Review
Bell & Ross is not only producing the rectangular aviation watches, but also has a fine collection of other models like the vintage series and the WW1 and WW2 collection (covered here and here). For me personally, the Vintage BR collection is very attractive as they offer very clean round watches at an interesting price point. Today, I will show you the Bell & Ross Vintage BR 123 GMT 24H that Bell & Ross...
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Hands-On With The TWCO Air Controller
When reviewing a new brand, like TWCO, for the first time this should come with a short introduction. Driven by passion, TWCO was founded in 2012 by Robbert Suurland. Robbert is a Dutch watchmaker from Oosterhout who was only 19 years young when he began with his new brand. Thinking about the four elements and fundamental forces that surround us every single day, he found a source for inspiration in two elements (water and air) that would be the leading...
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Hands-On With The Linde Werdelin SpidoSpeed Green
Linde Werdelin is a friend of the show for some years now. We did quite a bit of coverage on this Danish design brand founded by Morten Linde and Jorn Werdelin. So let’s cut straight through the chase and talk about their Linde Werdelin SpidoSpeed Green. Just before our Summer holiday started, we received – for reviewing purposes – the SpidoSpeed Green chronograph, as introduced to us during the BaselWorld 2014 exhibition. We’ve had...
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Bremont ALT1-WT World Timer Review
Besides a chronograph complication, I tend to have a weak spot for watches that can indicate additional time zones. Having travelled quite a bit through different time zones in my previous field of work, I understand the importance of being able to see the actual time in other parts of the world in a glance. It was with great pleasure that I’ve reviewed World Timer watches before here on Fratello Watches and basically asked Bremont...
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Hands-On With The Tempest Commodore
Tempest might not immediately ring a bell with you, to be honest it didn’t ring a bell for us either. This changed when distributor FORaSEC contacted us and introduced us to Tempest watches. An appointment was quickly made and we received a couple of Tempest watches to write a review and take some pictures. Keep on reading if you want to learn more about this micro brand and the new Commodore watches. Introduction Tempest...
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#speedytuesday
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Speedy Tuesday – One Of The Last Omega Speedmaster Professional 145.012 Watches
It is Speedy Tuesday! No SIHH or EurCHF-crisis can do anything about that! Today we show you one of the very last Omega Speedmaster Professional 145.012 models. Introduced in 1967 as a successor of the Speedmaster 105.012, with new pushers and a new case back (non stepped). Besides the 105.012 (Armstrong and Aldrin’s watches), the 145.012 was worn by Apollo astronauts (Apollo 11’s Michael Collins for example). In terms of technical specifications, the Omega...
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Speedy Tuesday – Omega Speedmaster Reduced White Dial
The Omega Speedmaster Reduced was once the watch for the fellow who wanted an automatic version of the Moonwatch, or simply wanted to have a smaller timepiece than a 42mm giant chronograph. This particular model was introduced in 1988 and came in several different versions. Best known version is probably the black dial model, often being held for a Moonwatch (but it is not, read our Speedmaster Reduced versus Moonwatch here). Omega also used...
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Speedy Tuesday – Omega Speedmaster Professional DD145.0022
The 1980s could not be described as the decade with the epitome of good taste. Today’s Speedy Tuesday subject is a typical product of the 1980s, a bi-color Omega Speedmaster Professional DD145.0022. Although the case design, dial and bracelet are those of the typical Speedmaster Pro, the use of materials and colours could be defined as ‘1980s’. Personally, I would not mind owning this Omega Speedmaster Professional DD145.0022 as I am a kid of...
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Speedy Tuesday – White Dial Omega Speedmaster 1985 For The German Market
Today, on the last Speedy Tuesday of 2014, we feature one of the rarest Omega Speedmaster watches you’ve seen so far here on Fratello Watches. During our visit to the Omega Museum in November, we were shown this beautiful white dial Omega Speedmaster. On first sight, this watch looks a bit like a customized white dial Omega Speedmaster (like the ‘modding’ of Speedmaster watches we discussed here) and in fact it is. White Dial...
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Speedy Tuesday – Blue Dial Omega Speedmaster Professional 145.012-68
Today we have an Omega Speedmaster for you in store that we haven’t covered here before. Although the reference number does not give it away, it is a Speedmaster with a blue dial. Very difficult to capture on photo, as the lightning conditions inside made it difficult to capture the blue dial. Blue dial Omega Speedmaster Professional In 1968, two Omega Speedmaster models co-existed: the reference 145.012 and its successor, the 145.022. In this...
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Speedy Tuesday – Omega Spacemaster Z-33 Review
Let’s be honest, after the 1980s of the last century, in the ‘real watch world’ there are only very few quartz watches considered as serious products. Rolex had its Oysterquartz models from 1977 till the early 2000s, not specially intended for professional use, and Breitling always had their Chronospace and Aerospace models which were aimed at airline pilots. That was pretty much it. Except some Casio-like digital Speedmasters (some even signed Professional) that were introduced in...
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Speedy Tuesday – Will the Speedmaster Apollo XI 45th Anniversary And Tintin Be The Classics Of Tomorrow?
Here on Speedy Tuesday we like to cover vintage Speedmaster watches as well as modern models. A question we often receive though, is which current models we think will be the classics of tomorrow. By modern, we mean the models that can be bought new today. Models like the Omega Speedmaster Pro Snoopy Award (2003) and Apollo XIII (1995), the panda dialed Mitsukoshi (2003) and Apollo 11 35th Anniversary (2004), there are still relatively...
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Speedy Tuesday – Omega Speedmaster Chronometer White Gold
For those people who are not that familiar with the Omega Speedmaster limited edition models, it might seem that there are just LOTS of them without any logical structure. It does need a bit of attention to discover how it exactly works with these limited editions, but for the Apollo XI example, it is quite simple. Since its 20th anniversary in 1989, there is a commemorative Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo XI edition every 5...
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Speedy Tuesday – Omega Speedmaster Apollo-Soyuz
It was in 1975 when the two super powers forgot about the Cold War for just a moment by docking the Apollo and Soyuz spacecrafts at an altitude of 138 miles. Launched at the 15th of July in 1975, the docking took place on the 17th of July and lasted for 44 hours. After the docking, the American crew transferred from the Apollo to the Soyuz spacecraft. Earlier this year I’ve met with the...
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Speedy Tuesday – London Speedmaster GTG Report
Every now and then we organize a Speedmaster GTG (Get-Together) for enthusiasts, connoisseurs and collectors of Speedies. About two weeks ago, Fratello Watches – together with Bexsonn from London – organized a little Speedmaster GTG. About 25 people were invited and showed up at this nice pub near Baker Street in London. Instead of showing you another Speedmaster on Speedy Tuesday we thought it would be nice to give you a little report on...
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Speedy Tuesday – Omega Speedmaster CK2998-4 From The Davidoff Brothers
The Omega Speedmaster CK2998 seems to be one of the most sought-after vintage Speedmaster watches. On a weekly basis we get a couple of questions whether we know one for sale. A few weeks ago, I met with Roy Davidoff of the Davidoff Brothers boutique in Geneva. He told me that their shop specializes in vintage watches and that they have a huge love for Speedmasters (and Speedy Tuesday). Their collection of watches always include...
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Speedy Tuesday – Speedmaster Holy Grail For The Italian Market
Since we have the Speedy Tuesday feature here on Fratello Watches, we get to see quite a bit of Speedmasters every week. Once in a while, something really rare comes along. We already had the honour to feature an astronaut’s Speedmaster, a prototype Speedmaster that ended up on someone’s wrist and astronaut Stafford’s personal gold Speedmaster. Today we again have something special – or rare – to feature, a special version of the Speedmaster...
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Speedy Tuesday – Omega Speedmaster Day-Date Mk40
Omega’s Speedmaster family comes in many different variations, but always with that special Moonwatch DNA. In the 1990s and early 2000s, one of the popular Speedmaster models were the Speedmaster Automatic ‘Reduced’ watches. One of our friends, Andreas S. Gregoriades sent us photos of this wonderful Omega Speedmaster Day-Date Mk40 Triple Calendar watch. Omega Speedmaster Day-Date Mk40 There were a number of Speedmaster Reduced models (click here to read our Speedmaster Pro ‘Moonwatch’ versus...
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Speedy Tuesday – Astronaut’s Speedmaster Professional Being Auctioned
It’s Speedy Tuesday! Two years ago, we showed you the Omega Speedmaster Pro that once belonged to ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Reinhard Furrer (you can find the original article here). That is, he probably received it during ESA & NASA training in Germany and ‘forgot’ to give it back to NASA. After Reinhard Furrer died in a fatal plane crash, it fell into the hands of a friend of Fratello Watches who showed...
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Speedy Tuesday – Omega Speedmaster Professional 105.012 Complete Set
It’s Speedy Tuesday! We get so many emails from readers who would love to buy a (vintage) Speedmaster watch, preferably complete with the original box and papers. Well, last week I’ve come across this advertisement on the omegaforums.net platform and it probably is a rare chance for you to buy a full vintage set of an Omega Speedmaster Professional 105.012. Omega Speedmaster Professional 105.012 As you probably know by now, the Omega Speedmaster Professional...
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Speedy Tuesday – My Omega Speedmaster Professional 145.012 From 1967
Ever since I was a kid, I have been interested in watches. First in Casio and Swatch watches, but basically in all sorts of watches. Since I was born in 1977, I grew up in the quartz and – for a large part – in the digital era. Digital watches were basically the ones to have. In the meanwhile, the rest of my family was wearing Omega watches, gold Constellations and a sporty 1960s...
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Moonwatch Only Book Introduction – Photo Report
Moonwatch Only Book introduction at the Tourbillon Boutique Last Tuesday, Speedy Tuesday, we organized an event for Speedmaster collectors and enthusiasts together with the Tourbillon Boutique in Amsterdam. The Tourbillon Boutique is owned by Swatch Group where you will find the high-end brands that belong to this group, including Omega. The perfect place to host an event for Speedy Tuesday and some of its followers. Theme of the event was the release of the...
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Speedy Tuesday – Omega Speedmaster Grey Side of the Moon Officially Introduced
We already showed you the Omega Speedmaster Grey Side of the Moon, or Lunar Dust as it was called at the time of introduction in BaselWorld. However, Omega is now officially introducing it to the public as ‘Grey Side of the Moon’, on Speedy Tuesday. The Speedmaster Grey Side of the Moon didn’t change since we’ve seen it in Basel actually. The platinum dial, the grey ceramic case and of course the awesome looking...
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Speedy Tuesday – Speedmaster Price Guide
Every week we receive a lot of questions regarding Speedmaster prices. What’s a good price for this Omega Speedmaster 105.012 or what should I expect to pay for a Speedmaster Snoopy Award or a Speedmaster Gemini IV? We already helped starting collectors a bit forward with our two-part Speedmaster Buyer’s Guide here and here. However, we also thought it might be a good idea to create an Omega Speedmaster Price Guide. Speedmaster Price Guide...
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Speedy Tuesday – Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo XI 35th Anniversary
It is Speedy Tuesday! This week we have one of the most sought-after Apollo XI limited edition models to show you, the Speedmaster Professional Apollo XI 35th Anniversary watch also known as ‘Speedmaster Panda’. This 2004 Speedmaster Professional commemorates the Moon landing of 1969, with a limited production of 3500 pieces only. Omega Speedmaster ‘Panda’ 3569.31 This Speedmaster Professional Apollo XI edition was the first commemorative model for the Moon landing that looked a...
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Latest Posts
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SIHH 2015 – Meet The Clé de Cartier
This year Cartier surprised us with a new collection, the Clé de Cartier. Clé is French for ‘key’ and refers to the winding crown of this watch. Cartier positions... -
Seiko 6139 Versus Zenith El Primero A386
Hot on the heels of the Fratello team’s visit to Zenith in Le Locle, it’s time to talk more Zenith. A joke, you say? It’s not April 1st and... -
SIHH 2015 – The New A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 191.032
A. Lange & Söhne were the talk of the town with their new Zeitwerk Minute Repeater, but also introduced a very impressive line-up of other watches as well. The... -
SIHH 2015 – Montblanc Heritage Spirit Orbis Terrarum
You probably have read it by now, but Montblanc seems to be the big surprise of the SIHH show in Geneva. Again, as the brand from Hamburg could really... -
SIHH 2015 – Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 15400 Two-Tone
The success of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 15400 has to do with the upgrade this watch received a couple of years ago. In Le Brassus they decided that... -
SIHH 2015 – Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 Carbotech
The Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 Carbotech, or PAM00616, gets a lot of attention here in Geneva at the SIHH. You either hate or love the look of carbon, but...
Accessories
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KUKI Works – Watch rolls for the masses™
Our loyal readers know that we have a strap review series on Fratello Watches. We publish a new strap maker once a month and do a little review on... -
Watch Strap Review Part 3. – Introducing Heuerville Straps
We love our watches, there’s no doubt about that. That’s why you’re here, right? There are all those other things surrounding them though; watch winders, watch rolls, tools perhaps... -
Watch Strap Review Part 2. – Introducing: Detroit Strap Co.
We love our watches, there’s no doubt about that. That’s why you’re here, right? There are all those other things surrounding them though; watch winders, watch rolls, tools perhaps...
Speedy Tuesday
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Speedy Tuesday – One Of The Last Omega Speedmaster Professional 145.012 Watches
It is Speedy Tuesday! No SIHH or EurCHF-crisis can do anything about that! Today we show you one of the very last Omega Speedmaster Professional 145.012 models. Introduced in... -
Speedy Tuesday – Omega Speedmaster Reduced White Dial
The Omega Speedmaster Reduced was once the watch for the fellow who wanted an automatic version of the Moonwatch, or simply wanted to have a smaller timepiece than a... -
Speedy Tuesday – Omega Speedmaster Professional DD145.0022
The 1980s could not be described as the decade with the epitome of good taste. Today’s Speedy Tuesday subject is a typical product of the 1980s, a bi-color Omega...
