All posts in December 2013

I can’t think of an Omega watch that better fits the definition of an icon than the so-called “Moonwatch.” There are so many variations of it that we cover it weekly on Fratellowatches.com with our “Speedy Tuesday” posts. In the end, it doesn’t really matter which Speedmaster Professional you own, have on your wish list or are about to purchase: they are all great, classical timepieces, starting with the very first one in 1957 to the modern models; a piece of history on the Cheap Omega Replica wrist, so to speak. If you want to learn more about this model and its variations, I urge you to pay Fratellowatches.com a visit.

Omega Constellation Grand Luxe

Once the flagship of the Omega brand, the Omega Constellation is a much-praised and beloved watch among collectors of vintage Omega watches. Even though the Constellation was already considered to be a luxury timepiece, the Grand Luxe editions were considered to be the most high-end model in the collection. The brick-like designed bracelet of the Constellation Grand Luxe inspired the bracelets later used on the De Ville Co-Axial models. These models were available in gold and platinum. In the 1970s, the Omega Replica Watches Constellation models started to “drift” a bit in the area of design, and the collection was re-designed and reintroduced in 1982 as the Constellation “Manhattan,” with the famous “claws” that pressed on the sapphire crystal. Aesthetically, these models have little in common with those very first 1950s and 1960s Constellation watches.

Omega Seamaster Ploprof Replica

The Seamaster Plongeur Professional, better known by the abbreviation “PloProf,” was developed by Omega in the late 1960s in close cooperation with the COMEX company and the famous ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau. Designed and developed solely for professional use, this watch was introduced on the market in 1971. Water-resistant to 600 meters and with a monobloc case construction, this watch was (and still is) huge. It featured a large, red button that was used as a safety lock for the bezel. The crown system was also an interesting part of the watch, using a crown-locking nut. In 2009, Omega Replica introduced a re-edition of this famous model with a water resistance of 1,200 meters and featuring its in-house-developed Caliber 8500 movement (I wrote a review on it here). Like the very first Seamaster PloProf in 1971, this isn’t a watch that sells as well as other Omega watches do, but this has mainly to do with its unconventional dimensions.

These days, most people associate Tissot Heritage 1936 Replica with their sporty PRS line and the clever T-Touch, but the brand was actually founded in 1853 and as such have an enviable back catalogue covering off practically all the classics. This year they’ve delved into the interwar period for inspiration, and cooked up the Heritage 1936, a wallet-friendly winner with tons of wrist presence.
The case

The case of the Replica Heritage 1936 sees Tissot pulling off a very clever double act – they’ve managed to create a replica watch with a legitimate vintage-style case in an oh-so-modern case size of 45mm (and 12.98mm high). They’ve done this by essentially adding lugs and a strap to a pocket replica watch case, with spectacular results. It also touches on a really interesting moment in the history of personal timekeeping, when replica watches – after a few hundred years of being safely ensconced in people’s pockets, moved onto the wrist. This all changed with the First World War, when the extra seconds it took to take the replica watch out of your pocket could mean the difference between life and death and when checking the time in your pocket while assaulting a machine gun nest proved difficult. Many of the earlier wristreplica watch designs simple took existing pocket replica watchcases, and added lugs. This makes wearing the Heritage 1936 a surprisingly modern experience – it’s big and sits high on the wrist, so if you’re used to wearing replica watches of Panerai dimensions, this Tissot Mens Replica will feel right at home.
The dial


The first thing I noticed about the Heritage 1936 was the wonderful combination of Breguet style hands and numerals. Tissot has done an excellent job of capturing the pocket replica watch aesthetic. The old school logo and matt grey centre section are perfect, and from a distance you’d be forgiven for thinking that the dial was porcelain instead of lacquer. The printing is quite crisp, especially given the price point. I would have loved to see blued hands instead of black, but you can’t have it all I suppose.
The movement

Appropriately enough the Heritage 1936 is powered by a big manually wound movement – a nicely finished ETA 6498-1 to be precise, which is essentially a modified Unitas 6487, used in a vast range of replica watches. But the best thing about the movement is that it’s hidden away behind a hunter caseback, giving the replica watch a nice theatrical trick up the sleeve.