Fratello On Air: Nick From DC Vintage Watches and Matt From SOTP Join The Show
Mike is taking a week off from the podcast, but that doesn’t mean you have to go without an episode. Instead of finding one guest to fill the gap, I figured, why not two? So this week, I sat down with Nick from DC Vintage Watches and Matt (one half of the Spirit of Time podcast) for a conversation that ended up covering a lot more ground than I expected.
Nick is no stranger to Fratello On Air, having joined us once before. Matt, however, is making his first appearance on our show, though the connection goes back a while. Mike and I have both been guests on Spirit of Time in the past, so it felt only fair to finally return the favor and have Matt join us on our turf for once.
Handgelenkskontrolle
No Mike this week means no need to explain his absence twice, but the tradition stays alive regardless of who’s in the room. Nick showed up with his Heuer Autavia “Orange Boy,” a killer choice for the segment. Matt, meanwhile, was rocking Balazs’ own Rolex GMT-Master 1675, having borrowed it for the occasion. While Balazs kept it vintage and Japanese with his Seiko 6139 chronograph on the wrist. Three very different watches, three very different stories about how they ended up in the room that day.
Engravings, casebacks, double-signed dials courtesy of DC Vintage Watches
Beyond the usual watch talk, Nick came prepared. He brought along a selection from his private collection. As well as a few pieces currently for sale through DC Vintage Watches, all tied together by one theme: case backs with character. We are talking custom engravings, double-branded dials, and other oddities that tell a story most collectors never think to look for. It’s the kind of detail that separates a good vintage piece from a genuinely fascinating one, and Nick clearly has an eye for it.
Now let’s dig into the watches
Seiko 6139-7010 (JASDF). Issued to Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force, likely to fighter pilots. These carry a special case-back serial denoting the year of issue. Nick has found only six examples in nearly three decades of collecting.
Seiko Monopusher Chronograph (Asian Games). Originally developed to time the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics. This monopusher variant was issued days later for the 1967 Asian Games in Bangkok. Complete with its own torch emblem on the case back.
Seiko 6139 “Forward” (Isuzu). A 6139 dial marked “Forward,” which Nick traced to an internal Isuzu Motor Corporation campaign. A fitting find for an owner of a decades-old Isuzu Trooper.
King Seiko 44-9990. An early King Seiko, likely once awarded to a longtime employee of a Japanese conglomerate. And arguably the most timeless design to come out of the King Seiko line.
Seiko 6139 “Pogue”. This one carries an amusingly candid hand-scratched case-back engraving from a previous owner, a small, honest artifact of the watch’s 1970s life.
Seiko 6105-8110 “Captain Willard”. Made famous by Apocalypse Now, this particular example was worn by a U.S. Navy diver, who confirmed as much with photos from his service days.
Seiko 6139-7010 “Iceberg”. The grey-dial sibling to the JASDF model. This one carries a Japanese engraving commemorating a 1970 swim competition.
The non-Seiko selection
Heuer Monza (double-branded “Racing Mate”). A vintage Monza carrying the logo of Racing Mate. A Japanese aftermarket auto parts and racing sponsor, making an already rare reference even harder to find.
Heuer Formula 1 (double-branded “Hot Dog”). A quartz-powered F1 branded for Hot Dog, a low-budget Japanese lifestyle magazine from the 1980s. One of dozens of quirky co-branded dial variants Heuer produced for that market.
Roamer Chronograph “Pasadena” (ref. 133). A Valjoux 7733-powered Roamer chronograph with an engraving suggesting ties to a regional sporting event in the former Yugoslavia.
Omega Dress Watch (Hayden Peterson Inc.). A gold Omega automatic engraved for a 25-year service award. Made all the more personal for Nick once he traced the inscription back to a store in his own Pittsburgh hometown.
Seiko 7005 (Yomiuri). A fully private-label Seiko made for the Yomiuri newspaper, whose founder had a fascinating past as a Cold War-era CIA asset.
Memosail Regatta Chronograph. Worn by Nick the day his daughter was born, this modified Valjoux-powered regatta timer is engraved with her name and birth date. Heuer Autavia “Viceroy”. Nick’s very first Autavia, originally offered through a 1970s cigarette-carton mail-in promotion, is now engraved with the birth details of his son.
