Watches Blog Wrist Watch Reviews

Welcome to a late publishing of This Week in Watches for February 10, 2019.? Apologies, but this is what happens when yours truly tries to upgrade his Mac's OS after 4 years.? I mean, why fix something when it isn't broken well, it finally broke and the fix didn't exactly work.? Anyhow, I'm back and ready to bring all the news that's fit to print.? This week wasn't heavy on the releases, but let's get into it nonetheless Union Glashutte Belisar Pilot Big Date?First up, we have a new release from Union Glashutte in the form of a 45mm pilot's watch.? We don't cover this brand from within the Swatch Group stable very often, but I figured it was worth a mention due to its modern spin on a typi [...]

Browsing through the catalogue of MARCH LA.B is like watching an episode of HBOs Mad Men. As a tribute to vintage watches, MARCH LA.B introduced a line-up of interesting timepieces that wouldnt look bad on Don Drapers followers.Clearly being a design brand, which normally would not be something that appeals to me, the models theyve created are very similar to the real thing of the 1960s. After having had a look at their website, I was even more certain that the people behind the MARCH LA.B brand are very capable of providing great design and creating interesting timepieces.Obviously, they are not targeting at watch collectors or aficionados only, as they also incorporated quartz (Ronda) move [...]

Since many years, I am craving for a gold Rolex Day-Date. Not always with the same intensity, but ever since I tried a Day-Date in my early 20s, I decided I need one at some point.That point is closing in on me now, 20 years after I tried my first Rolex Day-Date or Rolex President, as they like to call them in the US. The President part mainly refers to the bracelet, of course. But it was a 1966 Rolex advertisement that made a reference to the president, holding a red phone and on his wrist, a Rolex Day-Date with President bracelet. You can see it yourself in this reference article I did on the Day-Date.Anyway, the gold Rolex Day-Date is a watch that has been on my list for a very long time. [...]

While it's often overlooked or under discussed when people talk about the most beautiful vintage chronographs, the Breitling Chronomat 808 warrants consideration.It would be easy to cast this watch aside as a less-equipped version of the far more popular Navitimer, but as we'll see, that's a patently unfair categorization. In terms of both intent and history, the Chronomat is truly a significant watch.I've waited a long time to write a dedicated article on the Breitling Chronomat 808. We've featured the model as part of the Breitling Experts Interview article from a couple years back, but there's been little said since. The reason is pretty simple; the culmination of my procrastination and t [...]

Last week, the news that Rolex, Tudor, and Patek Philippe were postponing their 2020 releases was confirmed across the board. That announcement vague as it was sired more questions than answers. The most pressing? The future of Baselworld. With yesterdays confirmation that all three brands will step away from the storied fair, we have more grain for the conversation mill.Thats got to be curtains, right? Im yet to encounter a different reaction. Ive heard people even myself desperately?trying to present this news as anything but a death knell for Baselworld, but it doesnt seem to be sticking. But before we take a slightly deeper dive into what got us to this point, lets bluntly address the ne [...]

Since the earliest civilizations be it Inca or Egyptian gold was something special. The metal is indeed a meaningful one thanks to its real and symbolic value for mankind. Moreover, gold has been used as money for exchange, as a store of value, and as precious jewelry and other artifacts. The saying that someone is worth his or her weight in gold says a lot. It also brings to my mind the topic of weight. We, very literally, feel gold as an expression of wealth and luxury. But does an exclusive watch always have to be done in gold to feel luxurious? It's a question that some have a hard time answering. But it's worth searching for an answer, as we're experiencing some kind of lightweight luxu [...]

Watch Report is a Dutch magazine about watches and their fourth edition has just appeared in the stores. Watch Report has nice cover stories and their coverage on novelties is quite actual for a magazine on paper. One of the subjects in the latest copy is a top 3 of all time favorite watches, given by Watch Report readers. The result is no surprise, but personally I would have thought that place 1 and 2 would be vice-versa.So, here it goes, the Top 3 of watches (of all time) by Watch Report:1. The Omega Speedmaster Professional. Watch Report pictured a ref.105.002-62, caliber 321 model. However, since I dont have one, here is a picture of my own 145.022-67 caliber 321, on a ref.1039 bracelet [...]

The best alternative to the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 15202 Jumbo is the brand-spanking-new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 16202 Jumbo. The problem is, of course, that you're not the only one who wants one. The demand exceeds the supply, and you're not willing to break the bank on the parallel market; you have principles and/or a brain and a half. To help you ease the pain, I have lined up for you five alternatives to the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo in five price categories. I have selected watches from Laurent Ferrier and Parmigiani Fleurier in the two highest price categories. Then I've dropped the budget step by step a matter of getting the same looks for less. That's when Girard-Perregau [...]

Its Omega versus Breitling two major players in this last round before we go to the shoot-outs starting on December 1st. In the left track, we find a modern interpretation of the classic Speedmaster, the Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8. Its been praised for its use of ceramic materials and the beautiful, laser-ablated decoration of the movement. In the right track, we have the modern version of the iconic 1980s Chronomat, featuring the return of the rouleaux bracelet. gallery-1 {margin: auto;} gallery-1 .gallery-item {float: left;margin-top: 10px;text-align: center;width: 50%;} gallery-1 img {border: 2px solid cfcfcf;} gallery-1 .gallery-caption {margin-left: 0;}/* see gallery_shortcode() i [...]

Rolex made a bold move this year by introducing their Sea-Dweller in Rolesor. Rolesor is Rolex definition of combining stainless steel and gold, as it combines the words Rolex and Or, French for gold.Although you can expect anything from Rolex, a bi-color Sea-Dweller was not something I was prepared for. The Rolex Sea-Dweller is a watch I always saw as their serious diving watch. The Submariner was available in different versions, ranging from a die-hard divers watch in steel to shiny sports watch fully executed in 18-carat gold. And in bi-color, of course, with several dial options including one with precious stones (serti dials).And you know what? I think the new Rolex Sea-Dweller with ref [...]

We like to talk about vintage watches a lot within the Fratello team. Though most of what we write about is largely focused on the most recent releases and developments, for many of us, a lot of the fun can be found in the sometimes weird and often wonderful world of vintage watches. It's a world full of history, remarkable watches, incredible stories, and quirky details. It inspired us to come up with a series of articles focusing on the best watches per decade from a select group of brands. Some of them are priceless, some of them still affordable. In this installment, we will take a look at the best Zenith watches from the 1980s.While the 1970s were a decade filled with tremendous change [...]

Just before Christmas, we selected two Omega watches and three Rolex watches for our weekly Pre-Owned Picks feature. Buying pre-owned is a wonderful solution to purchase the watch of your dreams with a friendlier price tag.Last week I was at the Zurich airport, and you might have seen it on my Instagram stories perhaps, but I walked by the Rolex boutique and from a distance, I noticed their windows were packed with their sports models. When I came closer, I noticed these signs indicating that these watches were For exhibition only. What a bummer. All watches in the display were dummies with fixed hands, so there was no point to go inside and ask about these watches. And it was not only the s [...]

Twenty-eight and one. In grim times, influenced by the Coronavirus, well try to cheer you up with some good news on this bissextile day. Amidst cancellations of Time To Move, the Grand Seiko Summit, Watches Wonders, and the latest victim Baselworld, we delve deep to help the watch industry survive. Heres what we picked up for you this week.Urwerk UR-111C Two-ToneOne of the most conceptually adventurous watches on the market, the Urwerk UR-111C, now comes in a striking two-tone, black physical vapor deposition?(PVD) and brushed steel. The UR-111C TT comes with three innovative constructions in watchmaking. 1) A?retrograde linear minute display, with?numerals set in a 30? diagonal slant for g [...]

Instead of the planned trip to Tokyo earlier this year to see the new Grand Seiko watches, we received two boxes (or more like suitcases) with Grand Seiko and Seiko watches. Most of it under embargo, of courseDespite Covid19 messing up our travel plans for 2020, the advantage is that we had a lot of time with these (and other) watches that made the trip to our office. One of the watches that grabbed immediate attention was this Grand Seiko SBGJ237. A smart looking GMT watch as you can see from the pictures.Grand Seiko SBGJ237Even though the green one (SBGJ239) was speaking to me a bit more at first, as I wrote in a previous article (click here) on Fratello, the blue and white version is defi [...]

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 it's the turn of the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 116500LN. Let the battle commence.Last week, everyone imagined that Robs attempt to defend the Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 series might cause him fatal damage. Surprisingly and unexpectedly proving the worth of these polls he lost out to Balazs b [...]

The Dutch have a reputation for being cheap. The English expression going Dutch doesn't help curtail that reputation. And neither does the joke, Who invented copper wire? Two Dutchmen fighting for a penny. It's also true that we I am Dutch, I can't help that pride ourselves on our sparing ways. A recent study revealed that the thrifty Dutch spend significantly less than any other European nation on holiday gifts and celebrations. Germans spent the most, Dutch the least. So trying and explain to a Dutchie when and why paying over retail for a watch makes sense seems to be a task of biblical proportions. But if I succeed in that, the rest of the world automatically also gets it, and that's why [...]

Welcome back to This Week In Watches for August 8, 2020 the Retro Edition. Ive been on vacation for a couple weeks, but Im back and ready to share the news.Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Sedna Gold BlueThe new Blancpain Fifty Fathomas Bathyscaphe Sedna Gold Blue is a watch that blends a retro case design with modern touches. Its hard to dislike this clean looking model, but I just cant pull of the 43mm case. If you can, though, this Sedna Gold piece adds a new blue dial and comes on either a nylon or sail-canvas 23mm strap. The brands caliber 1315 automatic works away inside the 300 meter diver. The price of entry for feeling blue is 22,660. More information can be found on the Blancpai [...]

Last year we brought you the Speedmaster World Cup; this year, were ratcheting things up a gear with Fratellos March ManiaHere at Fratello, we love a good competition. Why? Well, we simply love the sweet smell of victory. No, Im kidding, as much as watching my fellow editors crash and burn at my feet would amuse me, the closest I got to sniffing the title last year was a Semi-Final flattening at the hands of our eventual Speedmaster World Cup champion, Balazs. As such, the smell of victory is unknown to all but one of our team. And while the sharp saltiness of last years tears has sustained the rest of us into 2021, were sick of swallowing defeat. Its time to go back to war. How about you co [...]

Since a couple of years there is a trend of watch brands opening their own boutiques or flag ship stores. This way, the watch brand has more control with respect to the quality of the sales staff, has direct contact with its customers and perhaps decreases the number of watches disappearing into the grey market. Also, the brand is able to create the perfect atmosphere for its clients that fits the brand in the best way.Will retailers disappear? I dont think so, at least the big chains (think Wempe, Tourneau etc) will survive as well as shops that really specialize in certain (niche) brands (think Chronopassion, Marcus etc). Small individual stores might get into trouble in the end, due to [...]

Another rare bird passed by my studio the other day: the?Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph?City of Sails (ref.25860IS.0.1110IS.01).I must admit that APs are not my speciality (we have RJ for that), so I dont have a lot to say about this one other than some observations on the aesthetics and design of the piece: For a watch this large, its surprisingly light since it is a combination of stainless steel and titanium. Even more impressively, there does not appear to be any degree of compromise made in the finish, which is amazing as titanium is an incredibly difficult material to work with especially polishing. The dial isunique. It brings to mind several things swimming pool, Chinese ce [...]