Watches Blog Wrist Watch Reviews

Marvin was founded in 1850 by two brothers (by the name of Didisheim) in Saint-Imier, in the middle of the Jura. Before we write yet-another-romantic-but-sad-story about a watch company that didnt survive the quartz crisis in the 1970s but DID have some nice watches before that time we are going to stop here.Just a few years ago, Marvin Watches Co was brought back to life again by its current owners, true passionate people about watches and the watch industry. We know, because weve met them during BaselWorld and at their current headquarters in Vaumarcus, Switzerland.The nice thing about being a watch manufacturer with some history, is that you might have some antique catalogs and drawings o [...]

When the Clifton was introduced by Baume Merciers CEO Alain Zimmermann in Geneva, he introduced it as a watch in the category of affordable luxury. Back then, the Clifton series started below 3000 Euro for the most basic version. Later on, complications (including a tourbillon) were added. Today, we take a look at the Baume Mercier Clifton Chronograph Complete Calendar. A watch that does not exactly belong to the affordable luxury category, but does offer a neat and useful complication.Clifton Chronograph Complete CalendarLast year, we reviewed the Clifton Complete Calendar, a watch offering day, date, month and moon phase indicators. This Baume Mercier Clifton Chronograph Complete Calend [...]

I know, Rolex is seriously hyped up these days. That doesn't change the fact that the brand makes superb watches. For those with an adventurous imagination and a love for avant-garde design, the glacial visual progression of The Crowns models might make you yawn. But have another look and consider the sweet 60s or the vintage limbo of the 80s and 90s. If you can live with a well-loved appearance, slightly scruffy hands, and faded dials, you will find a good Rolex for under $5,000. My opening search got nearly 280 hits, so the choices are out there. Me? Well, I bought a manual-wind 6694 once, and the mainspring snapped after a day. It was still worth it for $2000, but those days are gone.The [...]

In 2007, Omega celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Speedmaster family. In my opinion, there is one very special member of this group that is too often overlooked. Perhaps?reference 311.33.42.50.01.001.001 is shunned for its enamel dial. Maybe its down to its F. Piguet based 3201 movement. Whatever the cause for its past neglect, its about time it got a bit more attention.And, in my opinion, it deserves it. Not only because of the commemorative character of the watch but because of the enamel dial, hand-wound Omega caliber 3201, and, last but not least, its impressive presentation box.Omega Speedmaster 50th Anniversary (2007)In 2007, Omega introduced two Speedmaster models that commemorate [...]

Happy weekend folks Its time for This Week in Watches for January 25, 2020. Lets beginParmigiani Fleurier Kalparisma with Snow SettingWell, we hope you like ice because our first piece for This Week in Watches just happens to be the Parmigiani Fleurier Kalparisma with Snow Setting. The front of this 42.57mm x 30.15mm white gold watch is absolutely layered in roughly 6 carats of diamonds. In fact, between the case, dial, and buckle, there are 1,379 of the bright sparklers on this watch Somewhere inside all the bling, the PF342 in house automatic does its thing with a chronometer rating. Parmigiani uses a black crocodile strap. If youre interested, figure on handing over $119,800. Head to Parm [...]

Whenever Hublot announces new additions to its extensive collection, the first expectations are that we will have some extravagant timepieces. I can say that this year, the Nyon brand yet again does not disappoint in bringing some colorful timepieces. But the main eyecatcher for 2022 is the unexpected but completely logical Hublot Big Bang Integral Time Only in 40mm. This new release could become a very popular one for the brand. Next to that, Hublot also introduces the impressive Yellow Gold Collection and three new Sang Bleu II timepieces. Time to find out more.Hublot doesnt shy away from shocking us with its new releases. Over the years, the brand has proven that creating timepieces with [...]

There's a cold wind blowing from the East, and it carries the Grand Seiko Chronograph SBGC247 and GMT SBGE275. Both watches are limited editions that have something to celebrate. The GMT celebrates the 20th anniversary of the first Spring Drive GMT watch. The chronograph, the 15th anniversary of the what again? Exactly. And what did Grand Seiko use as a source of inspiration for the celebratory dials of the watches? Thats right nature. Nature again? some folks would complain. But is that a bad thing? Let me answer that question in this article. And while I'm at it, I will also address something that is a hot topic amongst Grand Seiko fans and followers here on Fratello the stream of new Gran [...]

A few months ago, I pre-ordered a Forstner Komfit JB mesh bracelet. The Forstner brand was resurrected and started to produce those weird-looking mesh bracelets again that could be seen on the wrists of NASAs astronauts.These bracelets are often better known as JB Champion bracelets. JB stands for Jacoby Bender, and they acquired the Forstner brand (in 1963) before astronauts started to use their Komfit bracelets. Both companies were long gone already, but Forstner has recently been brought back to life again. Speedmaster enthusiasts have been responding very positively to the new Forstner company, and I have to say that I shared that excitement as well. Somewhere in October, I decided to ma [...]

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 Zenith watches from the 1970s.In the 1960s, we witnessed developments that challenged the status quo of watch design forever. The sheer amount [...]

We understand that a review of a visit isn't half as good as visiting the manufacture yourself. Just like a review of a watch is never as good as owning the watch and reviewing it yourself. But both might help you to get some insights which might trigger you to go and get your own experience. [...]

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. But all of them are interesting watches. In this installment, we will take a look at the best Omega watches from the 1960s.In the 1960s, we witnessed developments that challenged the status quo of [...]

Introduced on January 10th 2017 and sold out within 4.5 hours and about 7500 people on the waiting list. And believe me if I say that I had some sleepless nights before the release over the number of 2012 pieces in total. The delivery of the Omega Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Limited Edition started in June and is finally about to end. It has been a long ride, and a fun one, with the exception of the long delivery time of the watch. Fact is that Omega did a few things quite differently on this Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Limited Edition than they ever did before, and that took longer than expected.Without wanting to focus too much on things that went wrong, the Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday Limite [...]

Surprise, surprise: we get asked this a lot. Whats the best watch to buy? Such a question cannot help but elicit further questions. Whats your budget? Will it be your only watch? What do you like, for goodness sake? Mostly, however, despite the well-intentioned questioner desiring a solid, definite, concrete answer, supposed experts like my Fratello brothers and me, prefer to side-step the question to place the burden of choice back into the hands of the buyer. Well, for all of you that find that tactic unsatisfactory, I have an answer: the Tudor Black Bay 36 M79500-0007 is the best watch on the market right now. And heres whyHistory, aesthetics, function These things coalesce in a heady coc [...]

El Primero Zenith Heritage Pilot Ton-upZenith is one of those brands you can hardly go wrong with. Whether it is vintage or a watch from their modern collection, there is plenty to choose from. How come? Simple. The El Primero movement. It was one of the first automatic chronograph movements on the market in 1969. A strong competition was going on back in the day between Seiko, Zenith and a joint-venture of Breitling, B��1ren and Heuer. All three companies came up with a new self-winding chronograph movement. More than 50 years later, the Zenith El Primero is the last one standing from those three firsts. The Zenith El Primero movement is still in production and also being used in the new Ze [...]

Our special contributor Sacha Davidoff is reporting from Geneva on the upcoming auctions in May. He will highlight the watches from several auctions that caught his attention. Without further ado, lets have a look.Geneva May 2017 AuctionsPHILLIPS in association with BACS RUSSOBack for their fifth Geneva watch auction, Aurel Bacs Livia Russo in association with Phillips auction house continue to dazzle the auction scene with their drool-inducing May catalog. This team continues to raise the stakes and is relentless in their hold of the top position among the watch auction houses. They have also announced they will host a thematic Heuer auction in November this year curated by Richard Crosth [...]

Its funny, as if youd asked me my opinion of titanium last year, Id certainly not have the same opinion as I do today. Having only really worn and collected stainless steel watches, I was a bit weirded out by titaniums lightness when I first held it. It was a bizarre experience, and I wasnt ready for it. Since that day, practicality and sense have come to rule, and Ive learned not just to appreciate it but also love it!This innate lightness is not for everybody, and I get that. I sat on the other side of this argument for quite a while. So in an attempt to help convert some more folks over to teamtitanium, Ive put together a list of some of my favorite titanium watches that suit the winter [...]

Today, we'll take a look at another vintage inspired piece from Baselworld 2017, the Hamilton Intra-Matic 68. I know that it's TBT day today, but I figured I'd continue to sprinkle in these new retro-styled pieces over the next month or so in case you're tired of fruitlessly searching eBay for the originals. We enjoyed this Hammy a bit more than most, so we thought it was worth a look.The Hamilton Intra-Matic 68 is BigFirst off, the Hamilton Intra-Matic 68 is controversial. When first shown a couple months back, it was a love at first sight internet darling and then the record needle abruptly skidded across the platter to a complete stop when fans came across the size. The formerly Lancaste [...]

Mr. Genta, I need a steel sports watch that has never been done before, I want it to be something totally new and waterproof. That was the message to G rald Genta by then Audemars Piguet CEO Mr. Golay. Not much later, the Royal Oak was born. The rest is history. Today, it is one of the most coveted watches in the world.There was a time, not even too long ago, that I wore a Royal Oak watch on the wrist almost every single day. It was my dream watch. Ever since I saw the watch in one of the Audemars Piguet catalogs, I decided that a Royal Oak was my grail watch. My first purchase was the Royal Oak 15300. A 39mm watch with APs then relatively new in-house developed caliber 3120. I couldnt have [...]

As the final months of 2021 draws closer and the year of the Ox comes to an end, Vacheron Constantin thinks ahead not to January, but to February first. This is when Chinese New Year celebrations will take place and the year of the tiger will begin. The Swiss brand marks the transition into the new year with two limited edition watches that pay tribute to the auspicious animal. A symbol of good luck that drives away evil spirits, the Tiger also represents power, authority, and strength. Brought to life by Vacheron's highly skilled craftspeople these watches are true horological masterpieces with added symbolic value. These pieces will surely take a place of pride in just a lucky few collecto [...]

With a rich automotive history, the (TAG) Heuer Monaco has always been linked to racing. So if you're thinking of a special, haute horlogerie version of the Monaco, nothing beats incorporating components from the race industry in a watch TAG Heuer came up with a new way to drive' their Monaco. After 5 years of hard work, the patented belt-driven Monaco V4 has crossed the finish line back in 2004.10 years later, during the 2014 Baselworld exhibition, TAG Heuer presented us the evolution of this award-winning (including best design award and Red Dot award) watch, the belt driven Monaco V4 Tourbillon.As we take a look at the front, the first things to notice are the two v-shaped bridges. These [...]