Watches Blog Wrist Watch Reviews

OK, be honest with me. When you hear the name Bvlgari, what are the first things that come to mind? Gold? Diamonds? Snakes? A funny name spelled with a V instead of a U thats pronounced like a U anyway? Or, dare I suggest, high horology? If youre reading Fratello, its probably safe to assume youre at least somewhat familiar with Bvlgari watches. However, Id be willing to bet every last penny of my lunch money that high horology was not the right answer to that question.Ill be honest with you. As a child of the 90s, for the longest time, I merely associated Bvlgari with Colosseum-shaped rings and boldly branded bling. And therein lies a dilemma. How does a legendary jewelry brand cross over i [...]

In 2021, Omega updated the iconic Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch with the caliber 3861 movement. A very good reason to update our Speedmaster Buyers Guide as well!This guide dates all the way back to 2014, and since then, a lot happened. Not only did we have our own way with Omega and the two Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday watches (in 2017 and 2018), Omega also introduced a number of interesting Speedmaster watches to the collection. What about the Speedmaster Calibre 321 from 2020, or the new Moonwatch Master Chronometer models in gold? Time for us to update this Speedmaster Buyers Guide.In this Speedmaster Buyers Guide, we give you an overview of the most important references of the Speedm [...]

In the eight years since SpeedyTuesday first graced the internet, we have covered many Speedmaster watches and stories. One of the earliest stories we did in 2012, on the Alaska III watch we discovered, led to the first Speedy Tuesday watch produced in conjunction with Omega in 2017.But, amongst my favorite stories that you shared with us, is the Speedmaster that was found in a drawer, belonging to a grandfather who worked for the NSA. Another epic one is the story from Nick, who worked on the movie The Spy Who Loved Me in 1976 and used the money earned to purchase a new Speedmaster a year later, as his Moonwatch that he received as a birthday gift from his father in 1971 was stolen a few y [...]

Recently we found our way to Germany to join A. Lange S?hne at the Classic Days at Schloss Dyck. This picture-perfect location welcomed many classic cars in pristine condition. Upon our arrival, we found our way to the House of Lange'. Here we joined the other guests for the program of the day and launch of the Lange 1 Daymatic.House of Lange at the Classic Days Schloss DyckClassic Days Schloss DyckStarting with a relaxing stroll around the exhibition area on the museum island, right next to the castle was already amazing. This is where all the masterpieces are on display, that participates in the Concours d'Eleganza. All cars are categorized from A to I, each with its own class covering ca [...]

Welcome to Wrist Game or Crying Shame, where you dont need the House, Senate, Lords, Commons, or even a quorum to cast your vote on which watch should take office on your wrist.? Today, we come out of left field with the Rolex Day-Date Tridor.? But firstIm kind of angry at you readers.? You were downright rude to what I thought, and still think, is a super cool dive watch: the TAG Heuer Super Professional.? Apparently, you like your TAGs with more color, less mechanicals, or a bunch of buttons on the side as you gave this watch a serious Bronx Cheer with a 75% Crying Shame vote.? Well, thats more Super Professionals for me, then!? Lets see how you feel about todays eccentric pick, the Rolex [...]

I often call the Rolex Datejust the mother of all modern wristwatches. The very first Rolex Datejust was introduced in 1945, and todays Datejust still shows a very close resemblance.A Datejust was actually my first Rolex. A 1969 Datejust reference 1600, that I got back in 2003, right after my graduation. A 36mm watch that goes with everything, and to be frank, it is a watch that deserves at least a try by every watch collector. For this reason, I selected five pre-owned Rolex Datejust references I would rock myself.Rolex DatejustAll pre-owned Rolex Datejust models in this overview are selected from Chrono24. Always make sure to do your homework when buying pre-owned watches. Theres enough in [...]

Fratello On Air is here, and we finally get around to answering a readers question about vintage chronograph movements. Are there differences? Which do we like best? We attempt to answer some of these questions in a chatty, non-technical way. We hope you enjoy it!Balazs and Mike love a good reader question, and after over a month of travel and tackling different subjects, it was time to respond. Our reader sent us a question about vintage chronograph movements. Which do we like, are there differences, and should some be avoided? Well, we arent watchmakers, so the technical discussion is light. Still, little differences find their way into the conversation along with some of our favorite watc [...]

The Breguet La Tradition was launched in the mid-2000s to much fanfare and many subsequently mixed reviews amongst fans and connoisseurs here was a watch that put the escapement on the dial side, was constructed in a very traditional 18th century style (note the odd, almost arbitrary shape of the bridges and sub-plates), finished unusually (but very well indeed) and launched at a reasonably accessible price for what it offered.Even the architecture was pretty unusual: the time dial was pushed to the top of the watch, regulateur-style, with the barrel in the center and going train laid out across the bottom of the watch. Theres also a little power reserve indicator tucked away at top-right, [...]

Sinns EZM (Einsatz Zeit Messer) watches were always dedicated for professionals who need to depend on their watch, like firefighters They need to know how long one can stay in a building burning with all the smoke (even with air tanks), to take someones pulse etcetera. While Sinn used to have the EZM4 for firefighters, it ceased production a while ago. Now, Sinn introduces the EZM7.Click here to read my article on the EZM7 on MotoringExposures Wednesday Watch. [...]

Sometimes, you need to pave the way for something new. Therefore, my IWC Ingenieur 3227 01 is for sale. I have written several times about this watch (here and here for example), but there comes a time of letting go some of your collection pieces to get something else.This type of Ingenieur isnt in production anymore and is therefore probably the shortest in production-Ingenieur model, from 2005-2009. List price was 5.900,= Euro which was a bit steep, I am asking 4.100,= Euro. Offers are welcome though, but if it doesnt fetch enough, it will remain to be in my collection of course.The watch comes complete with box, papers, booklets, IWC soft strap etcetera. As complete as it left authorized [...]

We receive quite a number of questions regarding the Speedmaster, and some of these messages are very similar. One of the recurring questions we receive about the Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch is in regards to its Moon heritage.One of the Fratello readers asked us the following question: Which modern Speedmaster is closest to the original Moonwatch?We do get this question quite often indeed, so today, well share our answer (or opinion, as you wish). The number of different Speedmaster models in the current Omega collection can be a bit confusing for people. The Moonwatch is, by definition, a hand-wound watch, but not all hand-wound Speedmasters are considered Moonwatches. Think of [...]

In 2021, Omega updated the iconic Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch with the caliber 3861 movement. A very good reason to update our Speedmaster Buyers Guide as well!This guide dates all the way back to 2014, and since then, a lot happened. Not only did we have our own way with Omega and the two Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday watches (in 2017 and 2018), Omega also introduced a number of interesting Speedmaster watches to the collection. What about the Speedmaster Calibre 321 from 2020, or the new Moonwatch Master Chronometer models in gold? Time for us to update this Speedmaster Buyers Guide.In this Speedmaster Buyers Guide, we give you an overview of the most important references of the Speedm [...]

A US Air Force veteran who was stationed in Thailand bought a brand new Rolex Daytona in 1975 (ordered it in 1974) for $345USD. He even received a 10% discount.In this episode of the PBS Antiques Roadshow, he hears about todays value of his watch. An estimate between $500K and $700K USD because of the condition of this watch and because it is very complete (warranty papers, the original Rolex brochure for the Cosmograph, two receipts, and the two original boxes). The watch has been rarely worn, as the owner found it to be too nice to be used in or near saltwater, so he kept it in the safe. The reaction of the owner when appraiser Peter Planes tells him todays value? Priceless.Enjoy the video [...]

Fratello On Air returns with what we think is a fun episode. We talk about big watches that work for smaller wrists and small watches for larger wrists. Balazs and Mike exist on both sides of the wrist border, so theres plenty of personal experience on this subject.Balazs and Mike are here to talk about large watches for those with small wrists and vice versa. Its a show chock full of ideas and, thankfully, watches. Some other topics weave their way in as well.Handgelenks Kontrolle and Sneakers!Before hitting the main topic of large watches for small wrists and the reverse, though, Balazs talks about one of his favorite other subjects sneakers. First, theres a Handgelenks Kontrolle that sees [...]

One of the best surprises of BaselWorld this year was definitely the Omega De Ville Tr sor with its Master Co-Axial caliber 8511 hand-wound movement. Available in white gold, yellow gold and Sedna gold (red).Although we know Omega especially for their sports watches in the current collection, their De Ville and Constellation line-up is important as well. These classic looking collection have quite a history and one could say that the Constellation was at one point the flagship of the brand. However, the Constellation took a different course since 1982 with their Manhattan design and the De Ville was until 1999 a toned down collection with a lot of dress watches.In 1999, Omega introduced thei [...]

In 2021, Omega updated the iconic Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch with the caliber 3861 movement. A very good reason to update our Speedmaster Buyers Guide as well!This guide dates all the way back to 2014, and since then, a lot happened. Not only did we have our own way with Omega and the two Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday watches (in 2017 and 2018), Omega also introduced a number of interesting Speedmaster watches to the collection. What about the Speedmaster Calibre 321 from 2020, or the new Moonwatch Master Chronometer models in gold? Time for us to update this Speedmaster Buyers Guide.In this Speedmaster Buyers Guide, we give you an overview of the most important references of the Speedm [...]

Omega likes to celebrate some of the Apollo missions. Although you might think this is a recently-adopted practice of the last few years, it started in 1969 with the gold Speedmaster commemorating Apollo XI. Here we pick-up on a lesser-known animal The Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo 15 35th Anniversary model.Omega likes to celebrate some of the Apollo missions. Although you might think this is a recently-adopted practice of the last few years, it started in 1969 with the gold Speedmaster commemorating Apollo XI.Then, in 1976, Omega celebrated the 1975 Apollo/Soyuz rendezvous with a special Speedmaster, limited to just 500 pieces. Apart from some Apollo XI commemorative editions in the [...]

It's time for a good, old-fashioned shootout This is the stage where the voting really counts. It will decide who drops out of the competition, and who comes one step closer to taking first place. Today, it's Zenith versus Tudor, and Andreas versus Jorg. Both their picks are firmly rooted in the past. While the Tudor Black Bay Chrono is a more contemporary model, Zenith reaches back to the birth of a legend with the A386 Revival. Will the popularity of the crowns little sister outplay the historical achievements of the grande dame who once established the concept of a manufacture? That's up to you Cast your vote and let us know your pick in the comments!As always, both editors will be presen [...]

The Grand Seiko SBGA231G from their Sport Collection is not the first model that comes to mind when thinking about their watches. Perhaps it is the very competitive market for diving watches, whereas in the market of all-rounders, the Grand Seikos seem to do pretty well. So why is it that we don't see not much talk about the Grand Seiko SBGA231G or SBGA229G for example? Is it because its looks are too close to those diving watches from Switzerland? Let's have a closer look at the SBGA231.Grand Seiko SBGA231GThe SBGA231G is the Grand Seiko' update of the Seiko' SBGA031. This means that after Seiko and Grand Seiko were separated two years ago, all models received a new dial that only indicates [...]

I'm sure most of you got started in the watch hobby a while before we got into this weird isolated way of living. Well, not me Alright, I got a Seiko Kinetic Perpetual when I was in high school, and that was quite a serious watch for me at that time. But it was not until January last year when I got my Oris Art Blakey that the bug truly bit. From then on, Ive been hooked. This is a look back at the first year of an obsession I know many of you shareI think all it really took was a connection. Finding a simple emotional link to a watch seemed to open the floodgates. I never expected it to happen the way it did, but the Art Blakey stirred something in me and that was that. My dad really made m [...]