Watches & Pencils #33 – Christmas Special
Soon Santa will come to town and so it’s time to celebrate this with the yearly Christmas episode of Watches and Pencils. After a compact recap and some thoughts about last year we will look to some Christmas-related questions I asked all the Fratello team members. But first, let’s shake this snow globe watch to see what time it is:
Recap – What a ride!
Let’s have a look at some of the most important horological happenings for me in 2017 first.
Speedy Tuesday
This year was absolutely a remarkable year for the whole team. It has been the year of the Speedy Tuesday Limited Edition of the iconic Omega Speedmaster. Despite the delayed delivery and some other issues it was such a wonderful happening. The entire Speedy Tuesday experience and discussions around it on forums, Facebook, Instagram and meetings made me realize that the community is fun and very important. It is so much fun and interesting to share a common passion, talk about the good and the bad. For example I sometimes get a bit depressed by dealers’ attitudes and brands’ exceptional price increases. It’s the community where you can find support and find people that struggle with the same problems and challenges, and discuss how to deal with them.
My own Omega Speedmaster “Speedy Tuesday”
Design Discussions
Like previous years there were quite some discussions about the lack of new designs, (badly executed) tributes etcetera. I think we should start changing our mindset: although new designs are definitely still possible, it isn’t a bad thing to grab back to (design) elements of the past. In my opinion a designer should always try to focus on keeping things interesting, whether it is new or old. New doesn’t necessarily mean better and old doesn’t mean boring by default. It is the creative mind that will connect or create parts and is responsible for the final product. I hope to see a variety of watch releases and their designs next year.
One of my personal favorite tributes of this year: Omega 1957 Trilogy Speedmaster.
Watches & Pencils Shop
For those those who missed it: I released my own website and webshop: watchesandpencils.com. Last months were absolutely crazy. Again, here it is also the community that makes it interesting. For example: watch lovers come with ideas, want to discuss an illustration or just want to say ‘hi’. Next year I will release several new drawings. For all the Seiko lovers: good news! I’m planning to release a Grand Seiko related piece as one of the first ones for 2018.
Christmas Q&A With The Fratello Team
To conclude this episode I asked every Fratello Watches team member a few questions. Below you will find their answers.
Which white watch would you like to wear when Santa Clause is in town:
Robert-Jan: Omega Speedmaster Professional Silver Snoopy Award, my only white dial watch.
Balazs: No question: Speedy Tuesday.
Michael: A Rolex Explorer II (Polar Explorer) ref 16570.
Gerard: Rolex Explorer II.
Teun: Grand Seiko SBGA125 with a stunning grainy white dial, a.k.a. ‘Blizzard’.
Bert: My stainless steel Rolex Daytona (ref 116520) with the racing (or panda) dial from the white gold version.
Rolex Explorer-II, reference 16570
What strap is your favorite in these cold, wet and snowy days?
Robert-Jan: Either the grey NASA strap from Straps-By-Fleur or the original black textile strap that came with the Silver Snoopy.
Balazs: My OEM brown Speedy Tuesday strap, the vivid red Kill Hubris or a ripstop camo from GLC Straps.
Michael: For me, a nice leather strap from BCatt.
Gerard: A vintage-type brown suede leather from Straps-by-Fleur would suit my Explorer II very well.
Teun: A suede strap in a dark color that suits the winter season. For example, dark walnut or Prussian blue.
Bert: As I like to wear my watches on a nato strap most of the time, this has to be my gunmetal grey G10 Nato strap.
BCatt watch straps come in a wide variety
Santa is here, so make a wish. What do you wish for 2018?
Robert-Jan: Good luck and health for my family, friends, colleagues and our readers. When it comes to watches, I finally need to pull the trigger on a Grand Seiko.
Balazs: A successful and happy 2018. It is already good if it will be the same as 2017. All the best to our readers, friends and colleagues!
Michael: Something in yellow gold of course!
Gerard: Except for good health for all of our family, friends and ourselves, I would wish for more watch trips to the tropics.
Teun: Besides all the obvious wishes: better motivation with arguments why people like certain watch designs or not. Especially online where we tend to react with just likes and thumbs.
Bert: Actually I do not have much to wish for apart from the obvious (ongoing health and happiness) and I wish the same for our readers.
Happy Christmas and a very good 2018!
