Watches Blog Wrist Watch Reviews

What is the most functional complication out there? No, let me rephrase, no, re-word that. What is the most FUNctional complication out there? Allow me to answer that. I think the mechanical alarm is a strong contender. Yes, the GMT would be my first choice for the most practical complication. But alas, there's very little fun to be found in a watch with a second timezone. On the other hand, an alarm watch and one with a timer function, especially is both practical because it tells you when the pasta is ready and fun because it does so with a charming vibration. The buzzing new Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Memovox Timer in rose gold is equally charming and practical. And its new colorway [...]

We value your opinion, dear readers, and you should let us know what the finals are going to look like. In this round of the Summer Splash, its the Doxa Sub300 Carbon versus the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M. The choice is up to you, dear Fratelli, so cast your vote at the end of this article. Your pick will potentially go on to win it So who will it be? The great white shark or the cheeky yellow tropical fish?Omega Seamaster Diver 300MThe summer is coming to an end this week in The Netherlands, where I live. Temperatures are dropping and I noticed I am picking business shirts and sweaters over my polo shirts again. It makes the white dial Seamaster Diver 300M even more versatile, as I cant see [...]

I am back from my trip to Italy. Maybe I will post some pictures later on. Besides Rome, Perugia, Siena, the Trasimeno lake I visitted Florence. And ofcourse, the Panerai boutique. The salesperson gave a tour in the small Panerai Museum they have some floors up and it was marvelous. Didnt take pictures of it though, as I have seen loads of these on other websites (Paneristi.com).I wonder what is up with the Italians when it comes to watches. I just saw 1 Panerai in the wilde, in Rome. Just 1. Couldnt make up what it was because I saw in in a flash on someones wrist. It was just Rolex all over. I wonder how many of them were real, because even the guy serving ice cream on the campsite wore a [...]

There are some watch/strap combinations that are classic, timeless, and with which you can never go wrong. Take, for example, the trusty gray NATO. Gray is a neutral color that pairs well with any steel or titanium watch. Even black DLC or PVD watches look great on gray. A black or brown two-stitch leather strap will also look good on just about anything. And black alligator, overused and boring as it may be, is a perfect match to any dressier watch. But life is too short to stick to classic pairings. Sometimes, going over the top with color, patterns, or texture is the way to go. That, or a strap that perfectly matches and complements the basic color scheme of the watch in question. And tha [...]

Last week, we discussed whether or not watches would ever become obsolete. Hopefully, we went some way towards allaying any fears you may have had on that front. This week we dig into whether the frequently heralded return to smaller, more classical diameters is finally about to crest the horizonFor several years now, the watch industry seems to have been waiting for a sudden and stark reversion to smaller watches. Its a funny thing for the industry, which is, one would assume, in control of itself to a degree, to be waiting for. But, of course, no commercial enterprise can operate in ignorance of its customers desires. And so, while the watchmaking industry does tend to dictate what is cool [...]

NicoH, posted a picture of his new watch strap on TimeZone. Nothing special you think.Looks even a bit old, you might think. You are right. It is about 50 years old. This strap has been made out of leather from a Mercedes Benz 300 SLR dated 1956. It gets even better. The car belongs to Jean Todt, who is the executive director of Scuderia Ferrari, the Ferrari companys Formula One constructor.His car needed a new leather interior and a strap maker could lay his hands on the original leather interior and decided to make some straps out of it. 40 straps have been made, individually numbered and stamped.Click here to read the full story, including more pictures. [...]

Looking back to 1949 for inspiration, and embracing more contemporary design of their watches, in 2018, Omega introduced Tr sor a new line for women. Two models from De Ville sub-collection are the latest Omega release to have fallen for the romance of diamonds and ultra-slim cases.Historically speaking, while men still preferred to rock traditional pocket watches, two women? Queen Elizabeth I, and Queen Marie Antoinette revolutionized the way of wearing timepieces. At that time, both ladies ordered discreet and chic repeaters on a diamond bracelet called wristlets. With the release of the first wristwatch in 1810, bejeweled cocktail timepieces become extremely popular among women, resulti [...]

The watch wish list a piece of personal information that we keep hidden from our partners and spouses, scared by the thought of what theyd think if they only knew of our secret schemes. Schemes which, more often than not, lead head-first into the purchase of a new watch. Challenged by RJ, I recently wrote an article detailing the watches Id buy for under 1,500. Once it was published, a number of people contacted me to ask if I had plans to actually buy any of them. This made me realize that I do get asked about my watch wish list quite often. I cant be the only one who has a list on their phone containing the dream watches they would like to someday buy, right?I must preface this by lettin [...]

If all tanks were made by Cartier, wed have the time to live in peace. Such were the famous words of French designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac. He's so right. Everybody prefers a (boring) life of peace over the horrors of war. Cartier's Tank is like a gun with a flower in the barrel. And of all the Tanks that Cartier built, the Cartier Tank Louis Cartier is probably THE Tank. It followed the Tank Normale in 1919, and it was the second Tank that Cartier launched. Even in its modern guises, the watch is still relevant today.All Tanks in the Cartier collection stem from the same idea. The design takes inspiration from a Renault tank in service with the French Army during WWI. Imagine looking [...]

Sometimes watch collecting or enthusiasm goes past the love for watches. It is about stories and heritage that has more meaning than the watch itself. Today, Fratello Watches brings you the story of RAF Squadron Leader Frank Wright Walton (Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order,?Distinguished Flying Cross and bar) and his Omega 30T2 pilot's watch.Not too long ago, I received a message from Julian after I posted a military Longines that was sent to a Londoner in the RAF Pathfinders in 1941. Julian told me that his grandfather was also in the Pathfinders in WWII, as a Squadron Leader of 109 Squadron and that he had inherited his RAF issued Omega 30T2 timepiece.Frank W. Walton on the left.RAF [...]

Last weekend Gerard and yours truly went on a trip to the most southern part of the Netherlands for a get-together at Bulang Sons. Speedy Tuesday was the main theme. Due to the nature of the event, the location was undisclosed with the request not to post anything on social media for the obvious safety reasons. So, in the early afternoon, we arrived with other watch collectors from various countries. Awaiting us was a smorgasbord of horological delightsCommunity-driven Speedmaster EventThose who have been at one of our Speedy Tuesday events have already know what they entail. Speedy Tuesday is mainly about the community of Speedmaster enthusiasts and therefore shouldn't only be limited to w [...]

Weve reported on a blue dial Speedmaster 105.012 and a blue dial Speedmaster 145.012 before in our Speedy Tuesday features, but never on an earlier reference with this dial colour. These dials are still a bit of a vague territory, at least for us, as no one exactly know how many of these watches are around or how they ended up in production. Was it by special request or did Omega just fiddled around with colour options? One thing is certain though, they exist and are original.Blue Dial Speedmaster 105.003The previously reported blue dial Speedmaster reference 105.012 and 145.012 were Professional watches, this 105.003, of course, isnt. Interesting to see that Omega used this beautiful blue/g [...]

A few weeks ago there was a small get-together in Vienna, Austria, with some pretty serious Omega collectors. We say Omega, not Speedmaster, as people also brought in some pretty decent other Omega watches. Our very own Berti joined a Saturday in Vienna and took pictures of all the horological candy that was brought along.Vienna CallingOrganized by some very serious Omega collectors (some watches might look familiar if you are an avid Omega follower on Instagram for example) in Austria, it was by invitation only, as trust is often the most important aspect when it comes to these things. If a get-together is not organized by a brand or boutique, imagine the struggle with a venue and its secur [...]

For IWC, 2009 is the year of the Aquatimer relaunch. IWCs first Aquatimer saw daylight in 1967 and I doubt that one of these first models ever saw some water, because they didnt look very water resistant. However, looks might be deceiving because IWC claimed it to be water resistant to 200 meters. Anyway, between 1967 and now, IWC has had several sports watches (GST, Ocean, Aquatimer) suitable for use below the surface.The new line of Aquatimers have been presented at SIHH 2009 and a number of jewelers organized introduction events for their customers (click here for the Ace Jewelers presentation earlier this year). One of my personal favorites this year, is the IWC Aquatimer Chronograph Edi [...]

While some people refuse to buy a watch with a comic character on the dial, others pay over 40,000 for one. We will try to explain the immense popularity of the white dial 2015 Omega Speedmaster.Before the introduction of the Omega Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award 50th anniversary watch (we showed it to you here), the white dial 2015 Speedmaster Snoopy prices were already on the rise. The Omega Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award (ref. 311.32.42.30.04.003), introduced at Baselworld 2015, originally had a price tag of 6,000. On the first day of the Baselworld 2015 exhibition, the Speedmaster Snoopy sold out.In this case, sold out means Omega sold all 1,970 of these watches to its authorized dealer [...]

Patek Philippe Nautilus Chronograph 5980 in goldPatek Philippe surprised us this year with an all gold Nautilus Chronograph reference 5980/1R and gold/steel combination of the watch as well (reference 5980/1AR). Although we feel that a Nautilus should be in stainless steel (unless you are Scott Disick), we actually could appreciate these gold versions of the iconic Genta timepiece.Technically speaking, nothing changed compared to the stainless steel Nautilus 5980/1A model. Both have the automatic winding PP caliber 28-520 C movement with chronograph function with the hour and minute recorder in one sub counter. The central seconds hand is the chronograph hand. Things like the level of water [...]

Another OysterQuartz fansite here. However, only for the people who can read German. However, if you click here, you can download some QuickTime movies on these watches and their movements. [...]

TAG Heuer is on a roll at the moment. The Swiss brand's last two green-dialed beauties (a Carrera and a Monaco, both limited to 500pcs each) sold out super fast, and quite rightly too. TAG Heuer seems to come in for a lot of criticism in the watch collecting community; I'm not totally sure why or if it's warranted, really. Nevertheless, the brand has some fantastic models, a really cool history, and the propensity to release some excellent watches. What's not to like?The TAG Heuer Monaco Titan(ium)Today, we see TAG Heuer dropping another new watch, this time circling back round to the Monaco again. Will it be as much of a hit as the green-dialed one? Who knows, but I must say it's equally as [...]

Dutch Speedmaster GTGIts Speedy Tuesday As you probably know, the first steps on the Moon were set by NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong on July 21st at 2:56 (UTC time) in 1969. 44 years later, a perfect date to have a GTG with Speedmaster enthusiasts to have a lunch.Gerard Nijenbrinks of the in2watches.com watch blog and I invited some Speedmaster collectors and enthusiasts to meet in The Hague, The Netherlands. Some of the attendees just have one Speedmaster, others had dozens. The love for the Speedmaster was very much the same though. From vintage to new, all kinds of Speedmasters were brought to the table.To give an impression of the meeting (or GTG), we show you some pictures taken that day [...]

I admit that I don't spend a ton of time looking at IWC's latest offerings. No, I don't find IWC's unattractive, but they're often too large for me. Plus, they're expensive. But the real reason that my eye rarely finds itself glancing at the current collection is primarily due to the brand's activities during the late 90's that spanned until the early 2000's. This was when the brand was in the throes of its GST Gold, Steel, Titanium collection (as well as making some other gems like the Mark XII we reviewed) and that's where we'll center our attention today with the IWC Aquatimer 3536.Introduced in roughly 1997, the IWC Aquatimer 3536 was made in three distinct flavors. The -2 variant came [...]