Watches Blog Wrist Watch Reviews

Welcome, friends, to Wrist Game or Crying Shame, where we ask you to vote on whether a watch is worth its salt or simply worth what salt is worth.? This week, well go (O)mega with the Omega Ploprof, but firstSomewhere over the Rainbow, way up high? Well, you folks were clearly high on a little Zenith Rainbow because this child of the 90s soared to a colorful 61% Wrist Game win at time of publishing.? We received a lot of colorful responses from folks who lamented the 60s British/French/Italian car reliability of these watches, but a majority of you felt strongly enough about this colorful character to give it?la victoire.? Ah, and we received some cranky responses about my deriding of the ba [...]

Last week I was super excited to see the new gold Speedmaster Professional Apollo XI that commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing.But of course, it is also a tribute to the original gold Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo XI 1969 that was presented to President Nixon, his Vice-President Agnew and to the astronauts of Apollo missions. Michael Stockton did a nice introduction article of the new 2019 Omega Speedmaster Apollo 11 50th anniversary and gave an overview (click here to read it) of the original BA145.022 and which numbers were given to which astronauts.I was so lucky to be in Bienne last week when the new Speedmaster Apollo 11 reference?310.60.42.50.99.001 was introdu [...]

When I sell a watch from my collection, theres probably a good reason for it. I dont have many regrets in that regard, but selling my Rolex Yacht-Master 16622 back in 2009 is definitely one of them.I bought my Rolex Yacht-Master 16622 in 2007, a pre-owned model from 2004. In my collection were already a GMT-Master II, Sea-Dweller, and Datejust, so I thought the Yacht-Master would be something different. It was a bit of a weird choice and was, back then, regarded as a bit of an unloved watch by collectors.Rolex Yacht-Master 16622Even the seller tried to talk me out of it when I was there. Instead, he offered me one of the new GMT-Master II models with a ceramic bezel. But no, I wanted to have [...]

Just recently, we were invited to join the Breitling Roadshow in Zurich, Switzerland. Besides listening to CEO and shareholder Georges Kern during his presentation and gala diner about the future of Breitling, receiving a lesson or two in design by Guy Bove and an amazing history class by Fred Mandelbaum, I sat with Georges Kern to ask him some questions.? About the future of Breitling, the collections, selling on-line and certified pre-owned Breitling watches as well as his personal instagram account, on which he has become very active.Without further ado.Georges Kern InterviewRobert-Jan Broer: What are your most important goals for Breitling?Georges Kern: Globally, the goal is to build out [...]

You might have heard the name Hora Mundi before. The dual-time watch isn't new in the Breguet collection. But until now, the travel complication could only be found in a classic case with a more traditional dial. The new 43.9 �� 13.8mm pink or white gold Breguet Marine Hora Mundi travel watch is anything but a traditional globetrotter. The case is a modern take on the classic theme of nautical watches with very contemporary proportions and design details. And if the size won't get the watch noticed, the elaborate dial sure will.The party trick of the Breguet Marine Hora Mundi travel watch is its ability to switch between two timezones instantly. It took practice to make that possible three ye [...]

Nick Faldo (b.1957) was one of Europeans best golf players in the 1980s and 1990s, and recently honored with nighthood (Sir Nick Faldo) in recognition of an incredible sporting career by the English queen. What most golfers probably do not know (with the exception of the watch connoisseurs amongst them), is the long time partnership between Nick Faldo and Audemars Piguet.Audemars Piguet, King of special editions, created three different Royal Oak watches to honor golf legend Nick Faldo. The first model showed up in 1992, with reference 14790. A rose gold Royal Oak, limited to 325 pieces. In 1997, Audemars Piguet introduced the Royal Oak Nick Faldo edition ref.15090, limited to 150 pieces in [...]

Roger Dubuis was the brand at SIHH with the booth that was the talk of the town. Not because of their watches in the first place, but because of the incredible large gold eagle and the live American eagle they had on their booth. Roger Dubuis definitely knows how to draw attention.But what about their watches? Youve probably seen the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Automatic Limited Edition (ref. RDDBEX0398) where the dial is a round table with 12 knights as hour markers. What about their other SIHH 2013 novelties?We zoom in on the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Quatuor (reference RDDBEX0367) that was presented to us during the SIHH 2013 exhibition in January.In all honesty, I have seen the huge Roger Dubuis [...]

Roll up, one and all; March Mania has reached its second round At this stage, our eight competing writers get a rest. Rob and I have presented our weary warriors remaining four watches over the past four days, with each post featuring the winners of two first-round votes. After today we move onto the Sweet Sixteen, how exciting!Here come the final four warriors from both Ben and Berts groups. The writers arent going head-to-head just yet, so the seedings attached to each watch stay put from the previous round. By the end of the week, well be down to the final two from each initial group of 12 as we barrel towards the showpiece final. As always, what we need from you is simple: vote for your [...]

Welcome to the Speedmaster World Cup. In the absence of Euro 2020, we thought our beloved readers might enjoy a tournament of a different kind. Weve assembled eight groups (ACH), each governed by a different Fratello team member. Each writer has been assigned four watches, which they will pitch to you during the group stages.All we need you to do is vote for your favorite to move on in the competition. The next round will be the quarter-finals, which will see the eight group winners go head-to-head for your votes. The four winners progress to the semis. Following that, a third-place play-off will precede the final round, due to be held on Sunday, December 13th (get the beers in).If you haven [...]

Its a never-ending question, which Speedmaster Professional should I buy? The one with sapphire or a model with Hesalite crystal? And then theres not just a single right answer. Both have their own advantages. But heres why every Speedmaster fan should at least have one model in their collection with a Hesalite crystal.Technology advances. Man developed new solutions for watchmaking constructions. Thats quite understandable. New lubricants brought a better lubrification lifespan. New materials ensured better anti-magnetic properties. Different constructions made longer power reserves possible. And thats not the end of the list.A Speedmaster Professional with sapphire crystalWhy choose an Ome [...]

Welcome to Strap Check, a new column on Fratello where our editors showcase their favorite watch/strap combinations. We all know the feeling. When you've been wearing a watch for weeks on the same strap, there comes a time when the excitement starts to fade a little bit. Maybe that's the time when you start lookingabut looking for what? A brand new watch? Sometimes the answer lies not in the watch, but the strap on which you wear it From the classic to the unique. From cheap NATOs to bespoke leather and special bracelets. This is where we get excited about perfect combinations that make you feel like you've got a brand new watch on your wrist. So tune in every week for a new combination. Are [...]

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 [...]

Last week, I got on a plane to Stuttgart, where Porsche Design hosted an event to mark its 50th anniversary. We were taken to the impressive Porsche museum in a fleet of black Taycans, where we were greeted by a speech from Porsche Design's CEO Jan Becker. Afterward, Porsche Design CDO Roland Heiler brought us up the stairs into the main showroom, where we were shown a number of highlights from the history of Porsche Design. This included the famous sunglasses with interchangeable lenses, laptops, pens using the Tec Flex material, and the All-Black Bounce Chronicles sneakers designed in collaboration with Adidas. Finally, our attention was directed to a freshly restored 911 S 2.4 Targa from [...]

Over these last couple of months, I have written a series of articles on vintage watches. The primary theme of the series is to find the very best watches of some of the bigger brands from every decade. It has been an absolute joy to write these articles and delve deeper into the brands offerings �� and I am far from being done. Along the way, we have even seen quite a few vintage watches that turned out to be great affordable options. Its safe to say that there are also a ton of fantastic alternative options that have not been featured in the series. With an ever-growing interest in vintage watches and many options available, its time to have a look at some of the best vintage options under [...]

We like to talk about vintage watches a lot within the Fratello team. Though most of what we write about is largely focused on the most recent releases and developments, for many of us, a lot of the fun can be found in the sometimes weird and often wonderful world of vintage watches. Its 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 are priceless, some of them are still affordable. In this installment, we will take a look at the best Grand Seiko watches from the 2000s.By the turn of the millennium, Switzerland had proud [...]

As one of the novelties introduced for the brands 60th anniversary, Grand Seiko gave the SLGA001 Limited Edition 600M Professional Divers the honor of presenting its all-new Spring Drive caliber. The 9RA5 caliber is slimmer, more precise, and has a greater power reserve than its predecessor.Grand Seiko Professional Divers 600M?Spring DriveIn my first article on the Spring Drive principle I think it was early 2006 I said Spring Drive was a solution to a problem that didnt exist. That proved to be only partly true. The problem didnt exist indeed, but Spring Drive wasnt meant to be a solution. It became clear that it was an innovation. It was (and still is) an entirely new way of regulating a [...]

Since 2006, IWC has released a watch to mark its support of Laureus Sport for Good, a foundation that helps bring the power of sports to underprivileged children and teens. This year, we get a very different type of release. Lets take a hands-on look at the new IWC Blue Ceramic Pilots Watch.IWC is a global partner of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. As a result, fans of the brand get to look forward to a new limited edition watch each and every year. I looked back on some of these releases and an interesting aspect is that the releases have touched most of the product line. One never knows which watch will be in focus. What is a constant is the color blue, which happens to be the found [...]

We're approaching the end of the year, and it has been an odd one (again). However, for Speedmaster fans, it was quite interesting. On the one hand, there were no limited editions or special editions this year. On the other hand, Omega introduced to us the new Moonwatch for the coming years, or perhaps even for the next decades. Two of these Moonwatch models are in precious metal. One is in Sedna Gold, Omega's own rose gold alloy. The other one is in Canopus Gold, Omegas white gold formulation.Omega Speedmaster Canopus GoldThe white gold Omega Speedmaster Professional Master Chronometer is on my wrist as I write this article. Together with the platinum Speedmaster with caliber 321, these are [...]

Limited editions are not to everyones taste. Sometimes, the sheer volume of limiteds can be overwhelming. With the SpeedyTuesday editions weve contributed to that as well. While limited editions may be more common these days, thats nothing new. Lets have a closer look at my Top-5 of earlier NASA/Apollo dedicated Limited Edition Omega Speedmaster models.In 1969, Omega introduced a numbered series of 18k yellow gold Speedmaster Professional watches. We did a review of that model here. These were more or less Limited Editions avant la lettre. They werent limited, but they were sequentially numbered we learned that only 1,014 pieces were made, of which 1 was offered to President Nixon. Then, i [...]

In this Sunday morning column, two of our writers go head-to-head in an epic showdown for the ages. Strong opinions and hysterical hyperbole are welcome (so feel free to join in with the fun in the comments section below). And don't forget to let us know which watches you'd like to see torn to shreds/effusively exalted next week. We'll try and feature as many of our readers' choices as we can. Are you ready for round two? Next up is the A. Lange S?hne Odysseus with a sumptuous new dial.While you may still be drooling over the A. Lange S?hne Zeitwerk extravaganza we featured this morning, were coming right back at you with the second post in our SMS double-header. Thats right, there is yet [...]