Watches Blog Wrist Watch Reviews

Not too long ago, I wrote about the best Seiko JDM releases of the last 25 years. The next step was obviously to pick the best Grand Seiko JDM releases. But its not that simple. Ever since 2010, Grand Seiko has officially had an international focus. So JDM releases would technically be releases created in collaboration with Japanese retailers or the special Grand Seiko boutique editions. On top of that, I would love to add a Grand Seiko to my personal collection soon. So I decided to tap into the world of Grand Seiko limited editions and pick the best of the many that are out there.The big question when it came to this list, however, was whether I should go with the models that people genera [...]

Imagine the shame: I'm an editor doing three to four stories a week at Fratello Watches, without an Omega Speedmaster to my name. How did I get the job, and how could I even be allowed to have my byline on the website sans Speedy? My colleagues keep asking why I dont own a Speedmaster proper peer pressure. It's not like I haven't tried on the Speedmaster Professional or had the budget, but I remain confused and Moonwatch-less.Let me try to be objective and truthful about this. First, please forgive me. I have been writing about watches for a couple of years now, and I am a contrarian by nature. This means that even if something is intrinsically beautiful, I will shy away from it if it is pop [...]

If I said to you, Men are strong and do all the hard work would you agree? What about Girls are not as good at sport as men? Or Men are messy and unclean?? We'd like to think stereotyping has no place in today's society, right? So why, when we strike up a conversation with someone about watches, do we suddenly fall into a bad habit? You're wearing a pilot's watch, so you must be a qualified pilot? There's one If we think about it long enough, the statement feels about as substantial as saying all divers need a dive watch.Of course, it's not a true statement. Professional divers have access to a whole host of computerized equipment to help them navigate the big blue. In the same vein, a pilot [...]

I kid you not, the sharks are already trying to charge you nearly 20,000 for the new Rolex Submariner. The new Rolex diver didnt solve the ongoing issue of dealers taking abuse. Its not necessarily the fault of grey market dealers, because remember, these watches have to come from somewhere. Luckily, there is a fine alternative hiding in plain sight: the Rolex Sea-Dweller.Anyway, without starting a rant about ridiculous market prices for the new Rolex Submariner watches, I thought about the Rolex models that you can actually buy. For an amount close to the retail price of the new Submariner, you could pick up the very handsome Sea-Dweller. The Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600 is the first Rolex I bou [...]

A favorite pastime of mine is to scroll through the archives of Bal ezss extensive Watch Strap Review series. In most cases, Im hunting for inspiration to pair an ol faithful watch with a fresh strap. However, in this case, my investigation on Watch Strap Review centered around whether Fratello Watches had previously covered acclaimed British strap-maker The Strap Tailor. Surely, the emerging brilliance of this one-man-band(maker) had graced our Sedna-toned pages? Well, yes, but only recently, and not in the scope of a full-blown review of not one but TWO of his straps. So, lets get to it.Weve featured The Strap Tailor on Fratello before via the most recent Studio Underd0g Mint Ch0c Chip wat [...]

Welcome to my race track. On the left side, we have the TAG Heuer Monza, and on the right side of the track, theres the Omega Speedmaster Calibre 321. This race is part of our contest, The Fast And The Fratelli, where you get to decide which watch wins and goes on to the next track. The goal of this race is to find the best racing chronograph of the past ten years.Weve set some rules for fair play. The watch must have been produced in the last ten years (since 2011), it must be mechanical, and it must be able to measure elapsed time for at least one minute. Also, it must feature a tachymeter scale. Oh, and it must be awesome, of course As you can see, we will not exclude limited or special e [...]

During the Baselworld novelty presentation at Maurice Lacroix, we were happily surprised by the new Masterpiece collection. Apart from the Square wheel' and Mystery' line-up, perhaps the most interesting novelty was the Masterpiece Gravity. We already posted some live wristshots on our @fratellowatches Instagram account. Now, we present our hands-on review of the Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Gravity with better photos.Maurice Lacroix describes the Gravity as the force that is intended to attract admiring glances'. And to be honest, the Gravity was the first thing?that caught our attention on the presentation tray, containing some of the novelty watches for this years Baselworld.The large and [...]

The Rolex GMT-Master (II) finally stepped out of the shadow of its diving brother, the Submariner. With the introduction of the ceramic Pepsi and Batman (on Jubilee) recently, the hype is real. Long waiting lists and market prices far over retail result in disappointed customers, but that doesnt seem to slow down the demand. On the contrary.I can imagine why the Rolex GMT-Master II is so much in demand. It is a great daily companion, with the added value of an extra timezone. I had my share of GMT-Master watches, including a few vintage 1675s and a GMT-Master II 16710. When I was ready to purchase a GMT-Master II Ceramic or Batman in 2017, I was confronted with the above-mentioned demand for [...]

In this Sunday morning column, two of our writers go head-to-head in an epic showdown for the ages. Strong opinions and hysterical hyperbole are welcome (so feel free to join in with the fun in the comments section below). And don't forget to let us know which watches you'd like to see torn to shreds/effusively exalted next week. We'll try and feature as many of our readers' choices as we can. This week its the turn of the Vacheron Constantin 4500V. Let the battle commence.Rob NuddsIt seems like were gearing up to feature the Holy Trinity of manufactures right off the bat in Sunday Morning Showdown, but thats no bad thing Last weeks inaugural outing for the SMS series went down a storm, with [...]

Visiting Seiko at Baselworld 2017 was, once again, an experience marked with numerous new releases and an exciting blend of technology mixed with retro cues. We showed a preview of the Grand Seiko releases the minute the press conference had concluded (which coincided with the embargo lift) and we'll show some more pictures of those here. The focus, though, will be on the watches from the parent brand. Let's take a look.Seiko at Baselworld 2017The Seiko SLA017 62MASThe most eagerly awaited release from Seiko at Baselworld 2017, and perhaps one of the most anticipated overall, was the reissue of the famous 62MAS. We ran, and reran, an article on my original piece from 1965 in advance of the s [...]

Arcadia is the boutique brand of the Fleurier Watch Company that was originally found in the 19th century and brought back to life in 2007. With three types of collections (four if you include the watches made on request), Arcadia is able to?fulfill the demand of all sorts of watch consumers. Arcadia has a Contemporary line of watches to which the reviewed AC01-V2 ?belongs, a Vintage collection that grabs back to chronographs of yesteryear and a collection especially for ladies.We received an Arcadia AC01-V2 for review and wed like to share the pictures we took with our readers.This AC01-V2 chronograph by Arcadia has this unusual shape and is packed with all kinds of cool details. The AC01-V [...]

I was instantly attracted to the Breguet Tradition when it was introduced in 2005. Despite the movement being based on Breguets historical Souscription and Tact pocket watches, using the design as a wristwatch was no less than groundbreaking. Never before had Breguet used this construction to show the mechanics of the movement above its baseplate, resplendent for the wearer to admire.When it comes to watches I love two things: simplicity and mechanics. The Breguet Tradition ticks both boxes. In its initial form, it is a simple two-hander, with only a power reserve indicator as a complication. Which, by the way, I consider an adequate feature for a hand winding watch. Looking at the watch, be [...]

ANALYSIS OF RESULTS AT PHILLIPS (BACS RUSSO), CHRISTIE'S, SOTHEBY'S ANTIQUORUMChart RECAP ON NOVEMBER 2016 WATCH AUCTIONS GENEVAAUCTION HOUSETTL LOTS*QTY SOLDSOLD %TOTAL VALUEAVG. PRICEPHILLIPS (Bacs Russo)19117793%CHF 27.513.625CHF 155.444Christies32327685%CHF 14.702.500CHF 53.270Sothebys31327788%CHF 7.088.750CHF 25.591Antiquorum55545081%CHF 5.700.000CHF 12.667TOTAL AVERAGE %1.3821.18087%CHF 55.004.875CHF 61.743*Net of withdrawn lotsNOTE: Amounts quantities sold include after sale results as of November 16, 2016 and may be ongoing.It was an eventful auction weekend here in Geneva. Predicting auction results is much like predicting the weather: there is an underlying science, but it [...]

Roughly a month before the SIHH in Geneva, where Richemont brands (a.o.) introduce their novelties to the press, retailers and consumers, Jaeger-LeCoultre presents their Master Ultra Thin Moon Enamel already. Limited to 100 pieces only, this watch features a dial that is completely executed by hand by a few artisans trained in Le Sentier, where the Jaeger-LeCoultre manufacture is located.Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Moon EnamelThe Master Ultra Thin collection is among our favourites, as we wrote in this article on their Master Ultra Thin Perpetual Calendar.? Jaeger-LeCoultre uses the Master Ultra Thin not only to show their?hand-guilloch blue enamel dial but also their moonphase indic [...]

It has only been a little over a year since Omega successfully released the new 42mm Omega Seamaster Diver 300M at Baselworld 2018. It feels like a long time ago, but it hasnt been that long since the new Seamaster Diver 300M created quite a buzz at Baselworld.The renewed edition of? Omegas iconic divers watch received a lot of positive critics and has become one of our favourites as well. A little over twelve months later Omega has not been a part of Baselworld in 2019, and the focus has shifted to the Speedmaster. That doesnt mean that there are no Seamaster novelties to discuss for 2019. At the Swatch Groups Time to Move event, Omega introduced three new Seamaster novelties. First, there [...]

Bas van Dorp emailed me the following story:Some months ago, I went snowboarding for a week with some friends. As everyyear, I just wear my Omega Speedmaster Pro during snowboarding. I figured thata Speedmaster Pro should be able to deal with this quite easily.However, after a few days on the slopes, I noticed a rattling sound comingfrom my watch. It sounded as if something had come loose. Ooops The watchwas was still running, but I had these visions of what could happen when apart would get stuck in the escapement or somewhere in the geartrain. Igathered all my courage and I decided it was the best thing to to open thewatch immediately.I didnt have a caseback tool at hand, and the pliers on [...]

The Historiques American 1921 Excellence Platine is a watch that made me realize that Vacheron Constantin is still the boss. In the past, things were much easier than they are today. Once upon, we had the big three, the holy trinity, the masters of watchmaking clearly defined: Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, and Vacheron Constantin stood atop the mountain. All others could do little but marvel at their superiority. There was a huge gap between that trio and whichever brand came next. Those were simpler times.Today, its much more complicated. New high-end brands have entered the game and are right up there with the holiest of holies. Even in the same stable as Vacheron Constantin, the Richem [...]

My favorite Tag Heuer silhouette receives a new facelift with the TAG Heuer Monaco Green Dial Limited Edition release. Green dials have been a bit of a hype colorway this year, and you know what? I'm entirely OK with that. I'm not one to jump on the bandwagon, but when a brand does the hype color as nicely as this, I can only sit back and admire the view.This tasty green-dialed beauty is limited to just 500 pieces. It celebrates this year's Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, of which TAG Heuer is the Official Sponsor. The TAG Heuer Monaco is also the Official Watch of the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix. This goes to show there is more than just a tenuous link between the Monaco watch and its Pr [...]

GoodPlanet and OMEGARemember our trip to Capri in May 2011 to join OMEGA during the introduction of the new Seamaster Planet Ocean? During this event, Yann Arthus-Bertrand joined for an evening and it was announced that OMEGA support his work for the GoodPlanet foundation. The GoodPlanet foundation released a movie Planet Ocean to demonstrate whats going on in our oceans today and what the consequences of our abuse of these oceans might be in the future.Last week, Fratellowatches attended the screening of this movie in Amsterdam. Hosted by OMEGA and Mooi PR, the Planet Ocean movie was shown to the press in The Dylan hotel in Amsterdam. After a nice reception with drinks and some food, we wer [...]

Two for Tuesday is here and this time we are going for the gold Thats right, its time to dig between the couch cushions to collect all that dough. Youll need it as we pit the new Omega Sedna Speedmaster against the Canopus Speedmaster.Its been a couple of weeks since Omega dropped its quartet of new Speedmaster models. Were still frothing at the mouth here and, as such, have plenty more new Speedy content on the way. The newest Speedmaster models look like a sure-fire hit. While that in itself may not be wholly surprising, the release was different this time, though, and the watch cognoscenti seem to notice.The stainless steel models have gotten most of the press for good reason. Theyre more [...]