Watches Blog Wrist Watch Reviews

You have to draw the line somewhere. And I draw the line at cheese. Anything beyond cheese is a step too far for me. I'm talking cheese as a building material for watches of course, not cheese as food. Cement, granite, wood, and marble are highly debatable, but at least you can't eat the stuff. Anyway, after looking at all kinds of metals in the first part of this How Watches Work, I'm leaving alloys behind and will proceed to look at some of the more exotic offerings out there.Let's start with getting some of the more unusual, maybe I should say ridiculous, materials brands make watch cases from out of the way. H. Moser Cie. used Vacherin Mont-dOr cheese to make a point regarding the Swiss [...]

Oris has been making big steps over these last twelve months. Obviously, we were delighted to work with the brand on our Fratello a Oris Big Crown Bronze Pointer Date. Next to that, the brand released its new Calibre 400 to much critical acclaim. And we have seen a string of new releases, the latest being the Carl Brashear Cal. 401 Limited Edition. Now Oris is back with a new release for its Change for the Better campaign. The new Whale Shark Limited Edition might just be the best in the series yet. I had a chance to check it out.Back in August of last year, I had the pleasure of trying out the Oris Aquis Hangang Limited Edition. It was a nice break from most of the watches released in the s [...]

After his recent triumph in the 2020 championship, Lewis Hamiltons name is the one on most peoples lips these days when it comes to Formula One. After all, he is now the most decorated driver to ever get behind the wheel.His latest win ties him with Schumachers 7 World Titles. Hamilton also holds the outright records for the most wins (94), pole positions (97), podium finishes (163), points finishes (227), career points (3,738), and points in a season (413). Pretty impressive stuff. That said, to many people, theres another great who tragically left us long before his time. That man is the Brazilian racing legend, Ayrton Senna. In certain circles, he is still considered the greatest racing d [...]

OMEGA Novelties At BaselWorldTo our surprise, Jean Claude Monachon (Head of Product Development) of OMEGA showed us not only the new Speedmaster 9300 line-up (Dark Side of the Moon and 57 editions) and Aqua Terra 15.000 Gauss, but also a new OMEGA Seamaster Bullhead. If you are following us on instagram, you probably have seen our quick snaps of these watches already. However, here are the pictures we took during the presentation with a decent camera.OMEGA Speedmaster 9300 Dark Side Of The MoonThere was already some buzzin around just before Baselworld, perhaps OMEGA did that on purpose, perhaps not. The new caliber 9300 Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon is made out of one block of ceramics. [...]

I've had the privilege of handling many rare timepieces in the past; some of them make more of an impression than others, for various reasons. The Gronefeld One Hertz is one of these but for a very different reason. Built by brothers Bart and Tim Gronefeld, the One Hertz is actually the least complicated watch they have built previously of Renaud et Papi, they also completed the GTM-06 tourbillon minute repeater.The watch ticks, in one-second increments like a (gasp) quartz watch. Flip it over, though, and it's clear that something much more special powers the hands of course an entirely mechanical caliber, developed in house.The rest of this post will be a concise but admittedly s [...]

Welcome to This Week in Watches for February 8, 2020.? Lets get into some news!Chronoswiss Regulator Blue SteelFirst up on This Week in Watches is the Chronoswiss Regulator Blue Steel. Here, we have a blue PVD-treated steel watch in 41mm thats meant to evoke the dashboard of a car. After all, the brands C295 automatic does things in regulator style with separate hands for the hours, minutes and seconds. A hand dyed Louisiana alligator strap keeps this wild watch strapped to your wrist. Surprisingly, I like this funky colored case, but realize its not for everyone. The new Chronoswiss retails for CHF 4,950/4,850/$4,400 and can be found on the companys official site.Longines HydroConquest in G [...]

The first Speedmaster watch, the CK2915, is up for auction at Dr H Crott auctions on the 11th of May. Together with a lot of Patek Philippe and Rolex watches, they have this 1958 Speedy CK2915-2 listed in very nice condition. It has been serviced in 2011 at Omega in Switzerland, but theyve managed to keep it as original as possible in my opinion.This particular Speedmaster was produced in 1958 by Lemania, which was owned by Omega at that time and were licensed to do so, and shipped to Argentina. The picture above shows the beautiful symmetrical case (39mm) with straight lugs and the lack of crown guards that theyve added to the Speedy a few years later (starting with reference 105.012).Aucti [...]

The Pasha de Cartier is a bit of a mystery. Is the original Pasha the water-resistant watch Cartier made for the Pasha of Marrakesh who commissioned it in 1931? Or is it the Pasha former Cartier CEO Alain Dominique Perrin commissioned G rald Genta to design in 1985? Since the first watch is nowhere to be found (and it was a one-off), I would say that the original Pasha is the watch that debuted in the mid-eighties. And we can now go clubbing back to the 80s with the two-tone Pasha de Cartier 41mm watch, the latest incarnation of a creation that ruled the night(clubs) three decades ago.The late 80s and early 90s were times when carefree optimism, bold exuberance, and lavish expressions of lif [...]

As you can probably imagine, last week was a very exciting week at Fratello HQ. We were lucky enough to receive a special package from Omega, jam-packed with some of the brands tastiest novelties of the season. We divvied up the watches among the team and set to work. By complete chance (and a happy one at that), the Omega Seamaster 300 with a rich blue dial landing on my plate.The cynic might ask how many times a brand can keep reissuing or redesigning the same concept while remaining interesting. I dont have an answer for you, but I can tell you this: Omega hasnt reached that cut-off point yet. In fact, the brand is far from it if this new diver is anything to go by.Inspired by the very fi [...]

This week Vacheron Constantin will present a number of interesting new timepieces, but their focus is on their new collection by the name of FIFTYSIX. Of course, referring to the year 1956 in which they released their iconic reference 6073 watch. A stunning 35mm timepiece with the automatic winding caliber 1019/1 movement, a silver matte dial with applied gold numerals? and dauphine shaped hands. A stunning timepiece from a period in which they made? beautiful dress watches.Vacheron Constantin refers to the 1950s as the golden age for round watches. Theres little to bring up against that. Below, an image of this reference 6073 that was auctioned by Christies over five years ago during their [...]

Since the early 2000s, a special project team (Advanced Research Department) within the Patek Philippe manufacture is occupied with the future of (haute) horlogerie. In 2017, their effort resulted in two major innovations: the new Spiromax(R) balance spring made of Silinvar(R) and a new solution to set a second time zone in timezone watches.To welcome these innovations, the manufacture is launching the sporty and elegant Aquanaut Travel Time Ref. 5650 Patek Philippe Advanced Research in a limited edition of 500 watches, the first ones to be endowed with both of the avant-garde developments.Aquanaut Travel Time Ref. 5650GThe Patek Philippe Aquanaut celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2017. The [...]

Steve S shows his 5970 in white gold on the Paneristi Forum.Congrats on the watch Steve! [...]

Chris Mann, founder of? Time4A Pint is giving you the opportunity to win his Oris Diver 65 Movember Edition. In this article, Chris will explain about Movember and how you can support this great cause (and win a watch). Without further ado.Like my Oris Diver 65 Movember Edition? Want the chance to win it? ?Grab a ticket for the Time 4A Pint Movember 2019 raffle?, and you just might!What's the Story?In 2017, during a visit to the Nomad Barbershop, in London, I got roped into an Oris endorsed shave off for Movember where the prize for the Mo Bro who raised the most cash, was a freshly launched, Oris Diver 65 Movember edition of their very own.Thanks to the wonderful attendees of Time 4A Pint, [...]

Welcome to This Week in Watches for December 21, 2019!? As youll see, this weeks news already has us looking forward to next year in certain parts of? the world.? Lets get to itTissot T-Race MotoGP Limited Edition WatchesTissot sent us word of a couple limited edition watches in support of their MotoGP 2020 sponsorship.? First up is a 45mm automatic chronograph that appears to be powered by a 7750.? Its a stainless piece with a leather and rubber strap that will be made in an edition of 3,333 pieces.? Pricing will come in at 1,240 Euros.The next piece is similar but quartz-powered.? Its similarly sized, also good for 100 meters of water resistance, but will be produced in an edition of 4,999 [...]

CronotempVs is a collectors/enthusiast/amateurs community dedicated to sharing the passion of horology. Founded in Madrid in 2009, the purpose is to connect watch enthusiasts away from the public eye. The members of the watch illuminati reside around the world. Initially, they just talked watches among themselves, but things have changed in recent times. The group has worked on projects with brands like ?A. Lange Sohne, Audemars Piguet, Breguet, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Oris, and many others. And when I say projects, Im talking watches. A special watch created by both the aficionados and the brand. The granulated gold grandeur of the Chopard L.U.C Perpetual Twin CronotempVs Edition shows love [...]

One of the finest arts in the world of watchmaking brings the new dials of the Breguet Classique 7137 and 7337 models to life. The time-honored craft of guilloch takes years to master. But for Breguet, the years of training required to operate these archaic machines, are clearly years well spent.When a watch collection is defined by its adherence to traditional styles and values, the use of genuine craft techniques is essential. A guilloch dial, produced using a rose engine machine, is not just a beautiful object because of its aesthetics, but also because of the effort that has gone into making it. It is not possible, however tempting, to achieve the same effect via laser engraving or hyd [...]

An Omega Speedmaster under 2,000 are you sure that's even possible? Sadly, this amount won't buy you a hand-wound Moonwatch anymore. Nevertheless, there are some Speedmaster variations that you can buy for around (or sometimes even under) 2,000. One of them is the Omega Speedmaster 3511.50.00 with its cool reverse-panda dial and automatic movement.Since the late 1980s, Omega has been making smaller variations of the Speedmaster that have come to know as the Speedmaster Reduced. They feature a smaller case, an automatic chronograph movement, slightly different design elements, and, of course, a more attractive price tag.Speedmaster 3511.50.00 Image via ZeitAuktion.Omega Speedmaster 3511.50I m [...]

We won't travel far into the past for today's TBT. The Breitling Spatiographe lived quite a short life between 1997-2002 and it holds a very special place in my collection. It sits as the?lonely wolf among numerous pre-1980s watches and a decent bunch of modern timepieces. What an undervalued watch!Looking back, it does not necessarily mean we have to jump seven decades in the past to show you something spectacular. We haven't featured many young-timers born around the 1990s on TBT, but today we are about to change that. The Breitling Spatiographe is a pretty unusual piece that is often easily overlooked. It has the typical strong Navitimer design DNA but comes with a bit of a twist.Witty [...]

As far as contentious Top 5 lists go, this is about as divisive a topic as I can think of. My Top 5 Rolex watches EVER. And yeah, you really do need to SHOUT the ever. Why? Because if you go into a list like this half-cocked, youre going to misfire. You have to be 100% convinced (and bloody-minded at that) to even pretend that you know what the Top 5 Rolexes in history are. Luckily for you (and for the activity in the comments section, no doubt), I am both those things.The funny thing about anointing myself the international arbiter of Rolex watches is that I dont actually own one. I never have. Ive always wanted one, but these five watches are actually to blame for me never pulling the trig [...]

When I started collecting watches in the late 1990s, my watch dealer and now Fratello contributor Gerard told me that I needed a Rolex Datejust. Cant go wrong with a Rolex Datejust as they always work. With anything.. A short and simple statement from someone who had by that time already seen and tried it all. A few years later, just after graduation, I got my first Datejust. It was a vintage Datejust from 1969, with reference 1600, on a jubilee bracelet that was clearly added later. I managed to find a couple of extra bezels, including the fluted white gold one, so I could change it to a reference 1601 when I felt like it. It was also an easy watch to wear on a leather strap.Rolex Datej [...]