Watches Blog Wrist Watch Reviews

This one seriously surprised me the first time I saw it hit the inbox. The second time this question was asked, you could have knocked me down with a feather. At the third time of asking, I figured it was time to stop being shocked the people wanted to know and get on with answering the question. Which watches do Rugby referees wear?So, which watches do rugby referees wear? Off the pitch, I cant comment. Im sure some of the best refs in the game have a few fancy watches they strap-on when they dont have to worry about getting trampled by the stampeding juggernauts of the modern game. But on the field of play, a referees timepiece is often determined by sponsorship agreements between the comp [...]

What is Speedy Tuesday?It all started in a sunny Cannes in 2012, where I stayed over for a holiday. I also remember it was actually in the Radison Blu hotel there, where I made a wristshot of one of my Speedmaster watches and posted it on-line saying Speedy Tuesday (it was a Tuesday). Then, together with the team, we decided to make it a recurring item here on Fratello Watches. We are all Speedmaster fans, some of us have impressive collections, some of us only have one. But we all love the Speedmaster, for many different reasons.Our first Speedy Tuesday event took place in 2013. An official event with the support of Omega, in the ESA/Estec Space Expo visitor centre. A few more followed, wit [...]

We like to talk about vintage watches a lot within the Fratello team. While the daily routine is largely focused on the most recent developments in the world of watches, the most fun for many of us lies in the 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 priceless, some of them still affordable. In this installment, we will take a look at the best King Seiko, and Grand Seiko watches from the 1970s.In the 1960s, we witnessed developments that challenged the status quo of watch design forev [...]

In 1957, Omega introduced three watches for professional use: the Railmaster for scientists and engineers, the Seamaster 300 for divers and the Speedmaster for sports, race car drivers and engineers as well. Now, 60 years later, Omega felt the time was right to bring hommage to these watches. Let us introduce you to the 60th anniversary limited editions of the Railmaster, Seamaster 300 and Speedmaster.Holy Trinity of OmegaThe rumor machine started a while ago already, will there be a re-edition of the Speedmaster CK2915? What about the Seamaster 300 and Railmaster? Those are also 60 years old. Very true, and of course Omega did not forget about that. You dont need to be psychic to see what w [...]

When Piaget created the Polo in 1979, the aim was everyday sophistication. But the new Piaget Polo Skeleton Diamond Paved is anything but an everyday watch. Could I wear this delectable Piaget? That is the question of the day. I am a 62 Norwegian with a beard, just back from hacking big lumps of ice and snow from my car (feel free to stereotype me). I'm not a big fan of the term metrosexual, which is what came to mind when I saw the first images of this new Piaget in white gold. Could I pull it off?While writing this, I am wearing a Seiko Marinemaster 300, one of only two 44mm+ watches left in my collection. Did I put it on today to saw a hole in the ice and go diving with my speargun? No, I [...]

SuitbertW posted a short pictorial on the Purists visit to Audemars Piguet. Click here to view all photos.Check all other posts about this visit in the Audemars Piguet??Discussion Board??as well!! [...]

Since 2017, Oris actively supports the Movember foundation. To raise awareness about mens health and the need to improve it (and to raise donations), Movember supporters reveal themselves by growing a mustache in November. So, November is the perfect time for an event to accentuate Oris dedication.Having started in 2017, Oris each year presents a special Movember edition of one of their watch models and donate part of the revenue. This commitment was the peg for a grand event that Oris hosted last week in Munich.Oris Watch Night in the Munich HearthouseOris, of course, also presented their other novelties as well as some models representing their different collections. But they had also invi [...]

Since the release of the Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Ultraman, we get some questions about the original version from 1968. Time for us to recap our article from 2016 about the Speedmaster Ultraman reference 145.012-67. This will give you some more background on the original Speedmaster Ultraman.For the Speedy Tuesday Ultraman, Omega and us (Fratello) wanted something more colourful, like the 2004 Speedmaster Professional Racing for the Japan market. A few brainstorming sessions later led us to Ultraman. The original Speedmasters with the orange hand from 1968 that can be seen in the 1960s TV series Ultraman are simply amazing and appreciated by many collectors.Omega Speedmaster UltramanWe don [...]

I know how important this watch is for Ben Clymer, so before going into details about this Omega Speedmaster Hodinkee 10th anniversary limited edition, allow me to address a few words to explain.10 Years of HodinkeeBen is a Speedmaster fan. He showed me his Speedmaster Mark40 that he received from his grandfather, and basically started his interest in mechanical watches. He also always shows me his latest Speedmaster purchases, and those range from early CK2915 references to the Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday (ST1) and the recent Speedy Tuesday Ultraman. He also was there with me when I bought my gold Speedmaster Professional in Munich when we were both there to talk at a watch congress?in 201 [...]

Its Speedy Tuesday Just last weekend Ive met Ben Oliver, a car journalist from the United Kingdom who writes for a number of titles. He told me about his love for mechanical watches and vintage chronographs in particular. One of the watches he carried with him last weekend it was during the Concorso dEleganza Villa dEste 2014 in Italy was the 17mm thick Omega Speedmaster Professional Mark III from 1972. A watch that is quite difficult to fit under your sleeve. The Omega Speedmaster (Professional) Mark III reference 176.002 was introduced in 1971 and featured an automatic chronograph movement for the first time in a Speedmaster. Omega and Lemania jointly developed this movement (officially [...]

I love a good list because it really makes me think. I find myself see-sawing between picks for hours, wondering whether I can include the curveball I cant take my eye off over one of the more obvious choices whose omission will no doubt rankle the masses. However, that is my cross to bear (talk about first-world problems). As such, I gamely tackled a question posed to me in the office the other: what are the best five Bvlgari watches on the market right now? Some of my picks may well be low-hanging fruit, but Ill wager the top five contains a couple you didnt see coming. Read on to find outBvlgari is an odd brand. It has, perhaps most like Cartier, a wider reputation as a jeweler. However, [...]

You may remember my introduction to the striking black and yellow depth gauge that Oris released at the start of May. The Depth Gauge was one of Oris's most technologically advanced timepieces. It features a mechanical method for divers to track their current depth underwater. However, as I noted back then, mechanical depth gauge watches are not exactly commonplace in our industry.Before I get stuck into this review, I wanted to add a caveat that there is a limitation to the Oris Depth Gauge, and that is, it only tracks the current depth. Therefore, there is no record of the deepest point of the dive. Now, for decompression time calculations, this is an essential factor to take into account. [...]

As one of the most recognizable luxury watches, the Cartier Tank's sleek design adorns the wrists of many of this French Maisons followers. Today, Cartier revealed the return of the legend let's give a warm welcome to the Cartier Tank Must!In the 1970s, Cartier created a new line of watches: Must de Cartier. The original Must was controversial yet legendary. While its form paid homage to the original Tank Louis Cartier, the material used for the case and bracelet sent shockwaves through the industry, attracting a whole new clientele to the brands door. Why? For the first time ever, Cartier did not use precious metals for the case. The Must de Cartier was an affordable turning point for the l [...]

Jacques Cousteau LOdyss|eA few days ago, The Odyssee (or LOdyss|e) movie has been released in France. It is a biopic about the life of Jacques Cousteau, his wife Simone and his sons Philip and Jean-Michel. It wont be in the theatres before January 2017 here in The Netherlands, but it will be on my to-do list that month.From the Wildbunch (distributor) website:Summer, 1946. The Cousteau family Jacques, his wife Simone and their two children Philippe and Jean-Michel live in their beautiful house by the Mediterranean sea. By day they dive, by night they watch the stars. Its paradise on earth. But Jacques is never content. He lives and breathes adventure and believes absolutely in the virtues [...]

Dear Hublot,Three years ago, we provided coverage of your Basel 2012 novelties at an event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, hosted by your regional distributors The Hour Glass and attended by none other than CEO Mr. Guadalupe and Regional Director Ms. Sakai.Here is the original article, missing images which were hosted on flickr: https://www.fratellowatches.com/hublots-basel-2012-novelties//This morning, I received a takedown and copyright infringement notice from Yahoo the parent company of Flickr, where the images were hosted filed by Hublot SA specifically citing those images as infringing copyright.Except the problem here is twofold:Hublot SA did not contract those images, did not license th [...]

Rolex doesnt seem to make too much noise about their 100 year anniversary, but Guido and Franca Mondani do Yet another great book from the famous publisher Mondani is this 100 Years of Rolex-book, written by himself and his wife.This book covers the Rolex-story (about founder Hans Wilsdorf and the Heiniger-family who are running the Rolex organization since 1963) from 1908 till now, including the introduction of the Rolex Deep Sea-Dweller during the Basel fair of 2008. The book covers all important Rolex watches of the last century by publishing great detailed photographs of these watches, where Mondani also favors Rolex collectors by putting much effort in capturing details of bezels, brace [...]

Some of my fellow Fratello editors have seemingly requested (demanded?) the return of vintage models to their chosen brands current catalogs. Im all for this too, but there is a slight catch. Solely relying on a nostalgic kick is fraught with danger. I enjoy a vintage reinterpretation but prefer a watch taking what it needs from the past while still moving forward. That method is essentially what Rolex has been doing for the last 30 years and it seems to be working well. My request for a watch model Id like to see return is one that was recent yet short-lived. Like a moonflower vine that blooms two months in the year and only at night, sometimes beauty passes us by. Thats the case with the J [...]

Exactly this month, it is 20 years ago that I bought my first Speedmaster. The perfect moment to share a story on my own Speedmaster and about collecting them.I've told the story about when, where, and why I bought my first Speedmaster many times during our Speedy Tuesday events, but I don't think I wrote it in an article. Twenty years ago, on October 1st, 1999, I purchased my first Speedmaster. It wasn't long after I learned that this watch actually the watch worn on the Moon. My father told me about Omega being the brand on the Moon when I was a young kid (11 years old or so), but he never told me it was the Speedmaster.Speedmaster 145.012-67A Speedmaster Professional with reference 145.01 [...]

Kiber launched their new watch line, Gran Specchio, which means big mirror. This obviously has something to do with the mirrored edge combined with carbon look silver dial. These watches come in a luxury wooden box, an extra leather handmade Kiber Race band and a spring bar tool. All pushers and crowns have a screw attachment ?e???? 2 the watch is 5ATM water resistant ?e???? 2 and the stainless 48mm case has a sapphire front glass and a see through glass on the back. The chronograph has an automatic mechanical movement, based on the famous Valjoux (ETA) caliber 7750. The non-chronograph has an automatic mechanical movement based on the ETA 2824-2 caliber. The chronograph is available for Eur [...]

Chopard L.U.C. 2017It's always a treat to visit Chopard when we are visiting?BaselWorld. Despite their success and status in the industry they managed to stay humble and friendly. This year Chopard showed us six new watches and all of them were amazing. Honestly, I could imagine myself wearing each and every one of them for a different reason. And so I did if only for a few minutes before the watches found their ways to the next table to mesmerize the other journalists sitting there. Big ShotI think we went backwards this year during the presentations. I saw the most expensive and complicated watch first. The L.U.C. Perpetual Chrono for example, a 45mm hand-wound platinum grand complication [...]