Watches Blog Wrist Watch Reviews

Five years after the release of the hit movie Interstellar, we're treated to something that fans of the movie and watches alike have pined for: a serial production version of the Hamilton Khaki Field Murph.The 2014 Christopher Nolan film was incredibly popular and depicted Matthew McConaughey as a NASA physicist Cooper who travels via a wormhole to another dimension in order to find a place where Earth's population can escape what has become a dying planet. Before leaving to this other dimension, he hands his daughter Murph, played by Jessica Chastain, his watch. While showing a watch in a film isn't so unique, the timepiece plays a greater role later in the film as Cooper communicates with [...]

This early up-down Breitling ref. 174 chronograph powered by a Venus 170 is truly a rare piece, especially in a black dial version.It would be a killer chronograph if it had a 38mm case. Well, it doesn't, but it still makes for a spectacular timepiece. The design, originality and unique feeling under your fingers when you start playing with the timer functions all contribute to the wow factor of this 33mm Breitling chronograph.Baby BreitlingBigger Breitling watches easily fetch north of 2,000 and getting a decent piece has become more and more challenging. As Mike used to joke, a smaller diameter Breitling is just too small for WatchFred?(check his Instagram, if his name doesn't ring the bel [...]

There are people who wear watches strictly for themselves. The calm and introverted types who, unaffected by hype and trends, go their own way. They buy watches that go completely unnoticed. Kudos to them. But there are also people many more people, I dare say who want their watch to send a message. A clear message, even, of status, prestige, or wealth. But their watches can also be an expression of personal style and taste, and an exuberant person will proudly wear a watch with the same characteristics. The right watch will get you noticed in real and virtual life for all kinds of reasons. Buying status, visibility, and likes for less than 5K is possible. And guess what? You don't need a [...]

In 2014, I wrote a guest piece about my three-year-old Submariner 14060M. I threw it all out there and did my best to explain why I was so attracted to this watch. I even brought in references from my childhood in South Florida. Now, seven years later, and nearly ten years after this diver was canceled, the love affair continues.Despite the odd world we currently live in, 2021 has been a symbolic year for me. It marks ten years since I left the United States for Germany. That same year, I also met my wife, and life has been an amazing adventure since. Even back then, Id say that I understood the gravity of those events and I decided to mark it right then and there with the purchase of my Sub [...]

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 [...]

Moonphase watches are among the most elegant timepieces with complications that are available for a relatively affordable price. A simple classic three-hand watch is perfect for most occasions when you need to dress smartly. A moonphase, however, adds a touch of elegance even to that, elevating the watch to another level. At least this is how I look at it. I've had my fair share of moonphase watches in the past from Leonidas to Omega Cosmic and beyond. Certain sporty pieces, like a Speedmaster Pro, also bear this complication. Lastly, watch icons such as Patek Philippe's 5970, my exit watch, has a moonphase indicator too. I associate the name Montblanc with such elegance. This is why I reall [...]

2011 was the year of the Seamaster Planet Ocean, but 2012 was definitely a year packed with some cool Speedmaster news. Already in 2011, someone from the Omega staff briefly mentioned that a new Flightmaster alike timepiece was in development, but with a quartz movement. As it didnt seem appropriate to ask any further about it during the introduction event of the new Planet Ocean, I didnt even try to find out more.However, it kept me busy for quite some time as the Flightmaster (1969 till somewhere in the 1970s) had an odd shaped case that was very typical for that time period. Would it do well in 2012? It was clear to me that this would probably be the successor of the short-time produced S [...]

A great watch dial is made beautiful by techniques such as guilloch . Created by skilled artisans called guillocheurs, who pour thousands of hours into their work, guilloch is the art of engraving fine and intricate patterns on metal with the use of a rose engine, straight-line engine, or brocading machine. Traditional guilloch methods are slowly dying out, as computer automation paves the way for cheap and precise but cold detailing on watches. Guilloch , once a thriving art form taught in dedicated schools, is now used only by a few specialist brands.Guilloch is created by operating the cranks of the machine to orientate the dial of a watch. The guillocheur then applies pressure to the [...]

Earlier this year, I reported about the new Omega Constellation 39mm Gents collection. The lines of this model are a bit sharper than the previous model, and they are now all equipped with the in-house caliber 8800/8801 movements. My only concern, as I wrote in this article, is the thickness of the case. Lets see if that has been addressed by Omega.I never really took notice of the Constellation Double Eagle collection from 2003 and the later 2009 Constellation collection (38mm). They were much bulkier than the Constellation watches that were made from 1982 to 2002 and somehow I simply didnt warm up for them.The new Constellation 39mm Gents collection looks more mature, compared to its prede [...]

A Patek Philippe watch isnt your typical sports watch, even though they want to make you think otherwise with their Aquanaut and Nautilus watches. The new Aquanaut Chronograph does not change anything about this, but surely is an interesting and welcome addition to the Aquanaut collection. The Aquanaut is a beautiful and refined high-end watch, simulating to be a rugged sports watch based on its appearance: an all steel case and bracelet, or rubber strap. You could say the Patek Philippe Aquanaut Chronograph is what a Bentley Bentayga is to SUVs (except for being not ugly). You will rarely come across one in the mountains or desert, as youll more likely to see a Toyota Landcruiser, G-Wagon o [...]

There is something magical about salmon-colored dials. Its not a dial color you see very often, but the love for them amongst enthusiasts is palpable. I also love a beautiful salmon dial. So I was more than happy to see Montblanc add the Heritage Monopusher Chronograph to its collection. With its vintage aesthetic and great salmon dial, this might just be the most stylish piece in the catalog.We have seen a stylistic growth from Montblanc over these last few years. The brand uses the vintage looks of the Minerva watches from the early 20th century to develop its own style. Minerva professional tool watches from the 1920s and 1930 inspired the 1858 collection; the Heritage collection is inspi [...]

Welcome to The Fast And The Fratelli. The goal? To find the best racing chronograph of the past ten years. The rules? Each editor selects two watches that must be able to track elapsed time for at least one minute. The watch choices must feature a tachymeter scale, and their movements must be mechanical. And most of all, each watch must be thoroughly fantastic. But we'll leave that up to the Fratelli to decide.Without further ado, let's take a look at my picks. I decided to go with two totally different watches, covering two ends of the spectrum. One is classic and understated, and the other is far more out there. The thing they have in common? They're both underdogs in the competition (one [...]

Omega Speedmaster 50th Anniversary Limited SeriesWhen OMEGA introduced the Speedmaster in 1957, they never could have guessed that it would take off to these great heights. As far as we know from their own documentation and advertisements, it was a watch meant for those who needed to time certain activities. Sports or racing, it didnt matter. In this article we focus on the Speedmaster 50th Anniversary Limited series that Omega introduced 50 years after the original introduction.The brochure above shows a few early Speedmasters and there is no clue or hint about NASA or the Moon race. In all these years, since 1957, only small tweaks and updates were applied to the watch and it evolved to wh [...]

A pink gold chronograph with a black dial. To me, thats the perfect combination for a chronograph that can be worn during diners, on formal occasions but perhaps even with a nice pair of sneakers and a polo shirt. The A. Lange S?hne 1815 Chronograph in this article is not entirely new, but this combination of pink gold and black was introduced to us in Geneva, earlier this year. Actually, this combination already existed in 2004. Be it that the subdials were done in silver/off-white, a reverse panda dial if you wish. The 1815 chronograph changed a bit over time, like a slightly larger case (and with slightly I mean slightly, just 0.5mm) and an update on the movement. The current movement is [...]

Yes, you read the title correctly. Rolex just pulled a Kansas City Shuffle on us yesterday. While we were looking at the shiny new releases in its keynote presentation, Rolex quietly updated its configurator with some new options.The Rolex Explorer I and Explorer II updates received much of the attention, along with new unique dials for the Daytona and Datejust. Look at the love-it-or-hate-it leafy green Datejust dial Opinion has been somewhat divided among the team, but I think it's a pretty cool summer watch. However, we noticed a few additions to the configurator that went slightly under the radar.Rob noted the blue fluted dial in his article for the new unique dials for the Datejust. Tha [...]

During the Geneva Watch Days, we sat down with Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of Bvlgari. We spoke to him about the event, but also about the new Bvlgari watches introduced.Bvlgari introduced us to the new Octo Finissimo Tourbillon, G rald Genta Arena Bi-Retrograde Sport, and the new Bvlgari Bvlgari aluminum collection. Rob Nudds talks to Jean-Christophe Babin about the re-introduction of the Bvlgari Bvlgari (formerly known as Bvlgari Diagono).Interview with Jean-Christophe BabinClick here for more of our videos, and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel. We also discussed the Bvlgari novelties in-depth during our most recent podcast (click here). [...]

Two days ago, I turned 29 years old (to help you out, I was released in 1977). When I was a young kid, I remember getting a hand wound watch from my parents. But I never wore it. It had a small round case and a canvas strap. My first real watch that I really wore was a Casio. It was in the time of the first G-Shocks. But these G-Shock models were too big for my little wrists (I was a skinny little kid, almost hard to believe now.. -)). I also remember getting my first Casio as well. My parents bought it from me when we were on a holiday in the UK. I think they had it for sale at Dixons. Not sure though. I still have it, and it even runs perfectly. After that first Casio, I had some more digi [...]

A few weeks ago, we sat down with astronaut Nicole Stott when we were in Milan, to talk to her about being a Space Shuttle astronaut, Family and Speedmasters.A day before our Speedy Tuesday event in Milan, we had the opportunity to interview Nicole Stott in the beautiful city of Milan. The event report (with videos) of Milan can be found here.In the video, Nicole Stott is wearing her Omega Speedmaster 38 Co-Axial reference 324.38.38.50.03.001.Nicole Stott (1962) was part of NASAs selection group of 2000. In 2009, she was flight engineer during the STS-128 mission and was in space for 90 days, 10 hours and 44 minutes. In 2011, she was Mission Specialist during the STS-133 mission and was in s [...]

Grand Seiko SBGM021The Grand Seiko SBGM021 is not a new model. Actually, it has been in the collection for a couple of years already. However, I had a closer look at it while I was in Japan and have admired it ever since. In fact, my interest was sparked even more when I saw it on the wrist of friend of the show Jason Heaton. Even though it does not have the sharp and long lugs and case shape like the Grand Seiko SBGH001?for example, I feel it is one of the nicest Grand Seikos out there.The ivory dial of the Grand Seiko SBGM021 and high polished markers and hands give this wonderful contrast. At first glance, it may not register as a Hingucker (eye-catcher) as they say in German, but let m [...]

1810 was a remarkable milestone for watchmaking history. Caroline Murat, the younger sister of Napol on Bonaparte and a huge art collector with her singular vision of beauty acquired over 30 Breguet watches and clocks. It may not come as a surprise, but one of them was special as it was designed to be worn on the wrist by Breguet's artisans at Quai de l'Horloge in Paris.Men still preferred to possess traditional pocket watches. But the Queen of Naples revolutionized the way timepieces could be worn. With the delivery of the first wristwatch in 1812, the chic oblong-shaped repeater with a moon-phase indicator and a thermometer on a gold thread bracelet became a revolution in the watch industr [...]