Watches Blog Wrist Watch Reviews

When it comes to watch complications, the minute repeater has a reputation few others can touch. In terms of cost, it's certainly no slouch. An entry-level minute repeater wristwatch demands as much as a new, entry-level Mercedes-Benz. And when it comes to complexity and delicacy in construction, it's no joke either. Assembling a minute repeater is enough to send most watchmakers to the nearest dark closet, only to curl up in the fetal position and long for the days of fiddling with ETA 6497s.Like all watch complications, however, the minute repeater was born as the solution to a problem how to tell the time in the dark. And my goodness, was it useful. Whether used out of convenience or nece [...]

What is the quintessential watch? What is the watch even non-watch nerds recognize? Rolex? Maybe. The Crown certainly has been king for a long time. But times change, dynasties crumble, and every age has its end. It may be too early for most to see, but Rolex is departing from what it once was for (possibly) better shores. No longer a watch for the professional, intrepid citizen, Rolexs absence is leaving a huge void. Well, Oris has been quietly working to become the next watch, and the brand is just one watch away from ascending the throne.Rolex is an idea more than a watch. This is true more so now than it has ever been. The Crowns association with success and prestige has led to a worldwi [...]

Our good friends at WatchPro have some exciting news for watch fans in and around the London area (or anyone that fancies hopping over to Her Majestys land of plenty for a couple of watch-fuelled days). Read on if youd like to take partIn fact, if you get there at the right time, this promising event will be fuelled by more than?just watches. From 14:30 C17:00 on Friday the 12th of November, the event will enjoy a soft start with the Champagne VIP Preview. Following that, general admission starts at 5:00 for the Opening Night Cocktail party.WatchPro SalonThe next day will kick-off at 9:30 am and the event will run until 18:00 giving all attendees plenty of time to visit the more than 40 (yes [...]

Welcome back to our Watch On Your Wrist? Instagram extravaganza Tag your watch snaps with fratellowatches to be in with a chance to win!Every week, we select four images. You can vote in the article for your favorite image. The winner moves on to the semi-final round (held every fifth week between the previous four weekly winners). Win that and youre into the final, which will be held at the end of the year. There will be five finalists in 2020 and ten from next year on.Basically, if you like winning things and there will be a prize for the champion of 2020 this year represents your best shot. So get snapping, get tagging, and get sharing. And dont forget to vote for yourself ObviouslyView [...]

When I started my watch journey 16 years ago, Hamilton was a brand to which I instantly felt connected. Theres no doubt in my mind that was thanks to my grandfather, who was a lifelong enthusiast of the American railroad. He was an honorary member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, and he had an unrelenting passion for trains and anything related to them. His entire Cleveland basement was filled with locomotive memorabilia, including lanterns, bells, signals, and, yes, watches. Though he collected many brands of American timepieces, Hamilton watches were his favorites by far. Even my grandmother, who knows and cares little about watches, can vouch for my grandfathers lo [...]

For Watchuseek, I just finished this article on 50 years of Sinn Spezialuhren. A German brand with a focus on functionality and technology, celebrating their 50th anniversary this year with a special pilots chronograph Model 358.Personally, I have a weak spot for Sinn watches. Not only their price quality ratio is magnificent, I also like the link between their Sinn 142 (based on the Sinn 140) and the space program. I used to own a Sinn 142.St.S (black model) but unfortunately sold it a few years ago. You can read more about this particular model here, here and here.Another great cult Sinn is the EZM1, which was reviewed for Fratellowatches by Bas van Dorp. Click here.Anyway, make sure to c [...]

Dont say the words heritage re-issue. Its become a sometimes tiresome term over the past few years, with every brand under the Sun mining its back catalog for inspiration, only to artificially age the resulting re-issue so it looks both new and old at once. The Caplan brothers of Topper Jewelers in Burlingame, CA, dont seem to mind being inspired by the past with the latest limited edition to hit their shelves. But with the Oris a Topper Jewelers collaboration, you find any pre-aging whatsoever. Instead, you have an entirely new piece inspired by perhaps the brands most inventive period. Intrigued? So was IIve worked with Rob and Russ personally during my time with NOMOS Glashutte. They are, [...]

The name Senfine is perhaps giving too much hope, meaning eternally in Esperanto, but this concept watch by Parmigiani is already showing some promising results when it comes to power reserve. Where your average mechanical watch has probably a power reserve of somewhere between 40 hours and 10-days (there are some exceptions, like the Rebellion T-1000), Parmigiani strives to get the power reserve for their Senfine up to 90 days. Without using barrels the size of a hockey puck of course. However,??Parmigiani isnt there yetAs written above, the Parmigiani Senfine is still in a development stage and will be at least until 2018. Ever since 2008, Parmigiani is working on this concept that was inv [...]

Wrist Game or Crying Shame returns with a look at the dearly departed Rolex Submariner Hulk 116610LV. We think youll enjoy this one. But firstThere was no Wrist Game last week because we were off galavanting in Geneva for the citys first ever Watch Days event. Sorry about that, but I was too busy stuffing my pie hole with melted cheese in the form of, um, melted cheese. But the week prior, I gave you the Sinn EZM 12 Rescue Watch. It turns out that this handy watch needs no saving because it saved the day with a 74% Wrist Game win. I hereby predict that todays Rolex Submariner Hulk 116610LV will (or should) land with 0 Wrist Game votes. Then again, some doofus didnt vote for Derek Jeter to be [...]

Just recently, I was in Dresden to celebrate the 20th anniversary of A. Lange S?hnes Lange 1 watch and the introduction of the Lange 1 Tourbillon Handwerkskunst (more here). A few weeks earlier, A. Lange S?hne introduced five sets of Lange 1 watches during the Watches Wonders exhibition in Hong Kong.Lange 1 20th AnniversaryThese five sets of A. Lange S?hne Lange 1 watches are limited to 20 pieces each, a number that corresponds the 20th anniversary of the Lange 1 watch itself. Each set contains of a watch for him and a watch for her. The latter one is set with 64 diamonds in the bezel, all Top Wesselton VVS quality.The gents versions have the normal 38.5mm diameter size and the ladies wa [...]

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Extreme Deep Sea Chronograph CermetDuring the SIHH 2013 exhibition in Geneva, I already put on-line some pictures of this watch on our instagram account. However, there was no time yet to write something decent about the Jaeger-LeCoultre Deep Sea Chronograph Cermet watches. Undeserved.I love chronographs, especially vintage ones. This Jaeger-LeCoultre Deep Sea Chronograph has clearly been inspired by their 1950s Memovox Deep Sea models. Although I like the alarm complication, I rather have a chronograph watch to be honest. This Deep Sea Chronograph Cermet comes in two different models. The one pictured above and the Vintage edition (pictured below). The vintage looki [...]

What a season The 2021 Formula One season may go down as one of the most competitive campaigns in its over-70-year history. Not since 2012 have two opponents from opposing teams taken it down to the final race. With Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes-AMG and Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing tied on 369.5 points apiece, everything was to play for in Abu Dhabi. The only advantage was that Verstappen had more wins under his belt for this year. In a thrilling battle under the lights of Yas Marina, Max Verstappen came out on top in a thrilling battle. Verstappen is now crowned the F1 World Champion for the first time and marks Red Bull's first driver's championship since 2013. But what watch was Max Ver [...]

As a matter of fact, a few people asked us the same question within the last week. Almost the same, as some questions were for a specific model, but all related to the availability or lack of Rolex sports watches.You Asked Us: Why are there no stainless steel Rolex watches available?One of the emails comes from Stefan, a Dutch watch enthusiast who set his eyes on a stainless steel Rolex Submariner. Below his translated email to us.Hi Team,I want to purchase a steel Rolex Submariner via my local authorized dealer, but when I asked the sales person just grinned and told me these are so high in demand that there is no stock. And no waiting list. I see? more than 300 of them being offered on C [...]

Happy Summer, faithful readers Its time for Wrist Game or Crying Shame and this week, we take a look at a flashy Breitling Chronomat UTC. Before we coordinate time universallyLast week, I tempted you with the Rolex Datejust in 18K. Despite a bracelet with a lot of stretch, 73% succumbed to the temptation of this less flashy wrist nugget.? Good for you, supporters, because you have style. This week, we travel back to another interesting period with a Breitling Chronomat UTC from 1998. Lets see if this tickles your fancy.Let me take you on a sea cruiseIts hard to remember the exact year during the 90s that I joined my family on a sea cruise. I guess it was around 1994 and I can still recall en [...]

After what feels like a lifetime, Im back penning an article for Fratello. Did you miss me? Did you even notice? I wont be offended if its the latter. Mainly as the team at Fratello has been pumping out solid content all summer. On my side of things, a couple of significant events occurred that required my full attention. A job promotion and a house move in tandem profoundly impacted my free time, consequently pushing aside my hobbies. But when things began settling down again, I had one pastime that I wasnt going to let slip by. In July, I attended the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the south of England. And now, I want to share my experience through lens and literature.If youre unfamiliar w [...]

Does the use of the color green make for a natural and competitive battle between the Rolex Submariner Hulk and the newly released Seiko SLA019 or is there simply too much that separates these deep water tool watches to make the comparison interesting? Well, since you're here and because the two watches are pictured side by side, you know that we're going to take a look. In fact, we'll spend more than a cursory amount of time with each of these divers because, more than proclaiming one the victor, it's a nice opportunity to look closely at a couple models that are amongst the most popular within each brand's lineup.Hailing from Geneva, Switzerland, the Rolex Submariner Hulk 116610LV is a wat [...]

When I just started out liking and looking at (serious) mechanical watches, Ebel was one of the brands that I really liked. Especially their chronograph with Zenith El Primero movement was particularly interesting, easy to recognize as these models have a snap-on case back. Over the years, the movements changed (from Zenith to Ebels in-house caliber 137) but the characteristic case shape with the 5 screws and nice satin finish stayed. Although I wouldnt mind having the Ebel chronograph with El Primero movement (Ebel caliber 134 based on Zeniths caliber 400) actually the same one as Don Johnson was wearing in Miami Vice the new 1911 BTR Chronograph models are more up-to-date and just as int [...]

When watch lovers look at the Omega Geneve collection most of them think about the lower valued so called entry-level vintage Omegas. It is wide known among Omega collectors that back in the day when Omega introduced the Geneve collection it was meant to be one of the flagship lines of the brand though. By the mid- to late 1960s Omega shifted their attention.The Speedmaster collection was very successful (and we all know why). The Seamaster collection with its diver watches was also doing great and with the introduction of a few new Seamaster chronographs the brand was getting to a wider audience than ever before. Older collections like the Omega Geneve was re-positioned and put in the marke [...]

The bread and butter of IWC are their pilot's watches. The Swiss manufacturer has been offering aviation timepieces for a very long time. There are only a handful of big names in the industry with this type of pedigree. Surely IWC is one of them. Their line-up is versatile spanning from dress watches like the Portofino collection to diver's watches such as the Aquatimer and many more models. Yet the backbone of IWC are still the timepieces that take inspiration from aviation. This year the Schaffhausen-based brand goes all in on this theme. Their 2019 novelty list includes reinterpretations of familiar watches as well as some new models. The list is huge, and we will not be able to cover eac [...]

Welcome to WASP 5.0, the fifth edition of the Fratello On Air Pod-column, Watching Sports and Sporting Watches. This week, Rob and Balazs celebrate reaching their fifth episode by sharing some of their favorite players from around the four major North American sports leagues.RB had planned to pick one player each and assign each superstar an on-field/court/rink watch and one off-field/court/rink ticker. Apparently, this was Robs idea. Unsurprisingly, Rob got confused and just picked two players from each league and gave each of them a very special timepiece.Weve got surprising choices like Ryan Fitzpatrick, two NHL goalkeepers, and the eternally sexy John Stockton. Additionally, we have some [...]