Watches Blog Wrist Watch Reviews

In this article, we show you the top 10 best Omega watches you can buy in 2021. Its a completely subjective list, but I will explain to you why I think each Omega watch listed here deserves its spot. And dont worry, its not all Speedmasters.If you want to learn more about the Omega brand, have a look at our article about Omegas highlights through the years. Omega is not only the brand whose watches were worn on the Moon and on the wrist of James Bond. But the brand also has a rich history when it comes to (ultra-deep) diving watches, the Olympics, and high-precision chronometer movements.Omegas new manufacture in BienneTop 10 Best Omega Watches You Can Buy TodayIve been a collector of Omega [...]

That's right ladies and gentlemen It's that time of the year again. No, not time to start rummaging through the attic for your Christmas decorations, please do yourself the favor and leave that until at least the end of November. What I'm talking about is the Oscars of the watch world, the Grand Prix D'Horlogerie De Gen��ve (GPHG). This year, a total of 84 watches were selected, with six different watches going head-to-head in 14 different categories with a total of 19 different prizes up for grabs. In case you didnt know, the event has just taken place if youre reading this, you missed it But not to worry, here at Fratello weve put together a list of all the winners along with the official d [...]

Amsterdam?IWC CocktailIWC recently opened their boutique in one of the most famous shopping streets in The Netherlands. We are talking about the PC Hooftstraat in Amsterdam of course. On the 20th of June, IWC is organizing a cocktail to show the new Aquatimer collection. This collection has been presented during the SIHH 2014 in Geneva.? IWC Museum Curator David Seyffer will be there to present the new Aquatimer models. Also, he will bring?some of the museum pieces from Schaffhausen to show to you Fratello Watches is pleased to give away 3 personal ?invitations to our readers from the Benelux?to join this unique event in Amsterdam. Like we did last year, to the IWC event at the race track in [...]

In the world of Omega, the Speedmaster is king. There is no doubt about it. And the Seamaster a very loyal and steady queen to the king. But what about the rest of the collection? We find that several models are not talked about as much as they should be. Even within the Speedmaster and Seamaster collections, some models are sometimes overlooked. As such, Ive compiled a list of five Omega watches introduced over the last couple of years that might not always get the attention they deserve.With a large number of Omega releases every year, there will always be watches that will not have the long-lasting success of some of the other watches in the collection. Consequently, I wanted to take a lo [...]

The early 2000s saw some great Moonwatch variations for collectors. Unfortunately, it was during a time where I was still a student and didnt have the means to go after that Mitsukoshi, Snoopy, Japan Racing, or this Apollo XI 35th anniversary edition from 2004.All of these watches have long since sold out, but you can still find them on the pre-owned market. Very occasionally, you might find them in NOS (New Old Stock) condition. When it comes to regret, there are few watches I regret missing out on more than this Apollo XI 35th anniversary model. One year before its release, Omega released a special edition for a?Japanese department store called Mitsukoshi (an AD of Omegas at the time). It [...]

Let me address the elephant in the room first. Did you also think, hey, that new Aqua Terra in (fill in your color of choice) looks like a great alternative to the Rolex Oyster Perpetual I can't buy at my local dealer? I know I did. The Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M 38mm with five new colorful dials is a fantastic alternative to not just the 41mm OP, but also the 36mm version of that watch I still have no clue why Rolex ever canceled the perfect 39mm OP. 38mm is the sweet spot for a luxury sports watch with a touch of color; it releases a perfect dose of color. Another important aspect of the watch's power to impress is the structure of the dial. Gone is the nautical, horizontal teak pa [...]

A surprising release comes our way in the new Breitling Superocean Heritage 57 and we have all the details. Lets dive inBreitling has been on a roll for a couple of years now. When looking at releases such as the Premier, the various limited edition reissues, or the reintroduction of the Top Time, its clear to us that the brand has returned to form.Under the leadership of Georges Kern, Breitling has done what so many have us have been asking for such a long time. That means producing watches in human sizes and respectfully honoring its back catalog. With todays Breitling Superocean Heritage 57, the trend continues. Oh, and lets add a little spice to the soup because this just might be my fav [...]

Along with New York, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore, Frankfurt stakes its claim as one of the world's banking centers. With this distinction comes a large pocket of substantial wealth, which naturally makes luxury goods such as watches quite popular. As one who spends a lot of time in Frankfurt, I can tell you that it's a strange city as far as watches. Yes, there are a lot of high-end watch shops and brand-specific boutiques. However, aside from the recent influx of these single brand stores, I've generally found the others to lag behind other large cities in carrying new releases. Perhaps these shops have voluminous black books with waiting lists for the newest pieces or the lack, [...]

We all know Hamilton well. Initially formed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1892, the brand now proudly resides under the Swatch Group umbrella. Beloved for its well-constructed and excellent-value-for-money watches, I know several fellow collectors whose first foray into serious watch collecting began with the acquisition of a Hamilton timepiece. In each case, those collectors chose a mighty Khaki Field due to its military heritage and affordable price tag. Now, Hamilton has updated its Khaki Field Titanium range with some more excellent watches.The Khaki Field is one of those watches that speaks to many people due to its no-nonsense legibility and rugged construction. These are, in my opini [...]

Rob talks to Guido Terreni of Parmigiani Fleurier. With over twenty years of experience in the industry, a decade of which was spent with Bvlgari, Terreni brought with him a definite vision to a brand that still benefits from having its iconic founder a living, breathing part of the company.In this podcast, Terreni explains how it is important to honor your existing customer by keeping the Parmigiani Fleurier product message close to a clearly recognizable core silhouette in order to add permanence to the clients purchase.Watchmaking is not a business of fads, nor even fashion in the short term. He aims to create timeless watches that need no explanation. Distilling a design down its bare el [...]

The internet is a funny old place. Last week, quite out of the blue, I was contacted by an old school friend upon whom I hadnt laid eyes for more than 10 years with a bit of news I thought would be of interest to the Fratelli. Having left our northern English hometown long behind, my friend settled in New Zealand. After the best part of two decades in the watch industry, he found himself working in a managerial role for Webbs Auction house where he recently stumbled across a very interested Rolex-Panerai 3646 Type-E AnonymousThis unusual watch is estimated to sell for NZD $140,000 C$200,000 (80,000 C120,000), but as weve seen in the past, Rolex anomalies have a habit of blowing past even the [...]

Japan is a place of great natural beauty. It is also a country with a fascinating culture, excellent cuisine, and a deep-rooted passion for watchmaking. Two of these elements come together within the walls of the Grand Seiko HQ in northern Japan. Excellence in watchmaking is the brands primary purpose. But showcasing an expression of the country's natural beauty through said watchmaking is just as important. Textured dials inspired by very specifically observed natural phenomena add a sort of quiet poetic beauty to Grand Seiko's creations. And the new Grand Seiko Heritage Collection 44GS 55th Anniversary LE (ref. SBGW289) is no exception. It celebrates the springtime blooming of the cherry b [...]

This idea started at the coffee corner in our (former) office in The Hague with some of the other editors. You'll get 1,500 from your boss to go out and buy a watch, what would you pick?And it doesn't need to be a brand-new watch, it is also allowed to buy something pre-owned or even vintage. But I added a rule to this little game, inspired by a recent podcast by Mike and Balazs. You can't sell it and you need to wear it at least two days per week for the rest of your life. It doesn't need to be the only watch to have, but one that will last basically.What is out there for 1,500?This is not an article showing you what's out there for 1,500, because there's a lot on the market that ticks this [...]

This year Cartier surprised us with a new collection, the Cl de Cartier. Cl is French for key and refers to the winding crown of this watch. Cartier positions the Cl de Cartier line-up in the same range of iconic collections as the Santos and Tank. Very ambitious, but Cartier is one of those watch manufacturers that probably can live up to it, creating a new iconic model that is. For designing the Cl de Cartier, the maison was inspired by the perfect circle.Cartier Cl de CartierThe first thing that came to mind when seeing the Cl de Cartier from the front is the C-shape of the case, as Omega called it with their Constellation line-up of the late 1960s, early 1970s. However, the curves [...]

I have to be honest, I dont like the new Rolex Sea-Dweller Deep Sea very much. It is not that I dislike the inner ring that everybody is talking about, with the Sea-Dweller subscription, it is the size of the watch and the rather small bracelet attached to it. Perhaps the watch has to grow on me, like the GMT-Master IIc (ref.116710) and the Milgauss (ref.116400(GV)) did in the meanwhile. I happen to like these last two a lot actually. So who knows, I might be able to like the Rolex Sea-Dweller Deep Sea in the (far) future as well.However, I do not seem to be alone with regards to the new and [technically] improved Sea-Dweller Deep Sea 116660. The former Rolex Sea-Dweller ref.16600 (pictured [...]

Its Speedy Tuesday On this very last day of 2013, we thought it would be nice to do a side-by-side article on three different Speedmaster 57 models. One of them is the very first Omega Speedmaster from 1957, reference CK2915 with caliber 321 movement. The holy grail to a lot of Speedmaster collectors and enthusiasts. The other two are homage watches to this very first Speedmaster CK2915 and feature some of the characteristics that this watch has. One of them is the Omega Speedmaster 57 Replica or re-edition that was in production from 1998 to 2003 and the other one is the Speedmaster 57 Caliber 9300 that was introduced in 2013.In the photo above you see (from left to right): Speedmaster ref. [...]

A couple of weeks ago, our very own Ben Hodges enjoyed an illuminating back-and-forth with one of his musical heroes. The gracious Misha Mansoor of the metal band Periphery took some time out of his day to chat about timepieces. Today, we revisit that interview with the audio supplied by Misha, interspersed with the fearsomely inane commentary of Ben and Rob.Okay, were not?that bad. In fact, theres a good argument to be made that we might be mildly entertaining. From my perspective, the highlight of the show is definitely my spot-on impression of Bens delicious British accent, but he would probably disagree. He might point to the first-hand testimony of one of musics most talented guitarists [...]

On the Dash, a website about Heuer Chronographs (for both on your wrist and in your racingcar) has a very nice section on vintage catalogues on chronographs. Click here for the vintage catalogues. The gallery of fake Heuer watches may come in handy when you are looking for a vintage piece to add to your collection. Great website! [...]

Here at the Fratello offices, we get a lot of questions from you, our readers. Probably the most-asked questions are centered around the topic of what to buy for different budgets. The most popular budget question is what watch to buy for under 5,000 in different watch categories. That's why we decided to set up a small series of articles focusing on the best watches that you can buy within that budget. In this installment of the series, we will look at the best modern dive watches available for under 5K. Let's find out what some of your potential best modern dive watches are.Dive watches are by far the most popular watch genre nowadays, and thats not just something we see hear our readers. [...]

Welcome to Wrist Game or Crying Shame, the weekly serial that allows you to govern your own state of wrist wear affairs. Todays subject is the Rolex Submariner 14060, a popular aspirational steel dive watch. Well see what you think in a bit. But firstLast week, I brought something bright and bulbous with the Chronoswiss Timemaster. It turns out that a wrist lantern and massive onion-shaped protuberance for a crown do not a winner make. The Chronoswiss got pummeled on the way to a 59% Crying Shame loss. Thats a real shame because I find it rather unique. Todays pick is far more common and I know some?miesepieters will whine about yet another Rolex.The Rolex Submariner 14060 is Still a DealI c [...]