Watches Blog Wrist Watch Reviews

Breitling has been delivering hit after hit over the last twelve months. The Breitling Navitimer 1959 re-edition is a favorite of many including some of the Fratello team members. But does everything the brand touches turn to gold? Lets take a look at another recent release, the Navitimer B03 Chronograph Rattrapante 45 in 18k red gold.Lets just dive in straight away and compliment Breitling with making waves in the industry. With Georges Kern at the helm, the brand has found relevance amongst watch enthusiasts with a great number of releases. Some of them are re-issues of well-known classics like the Navitimer 1959 re-edition and the AVI Ref. 765 1953. Another release that stood out is the A [...]

We break down the newest additions to the Panerai Luminor Due lineup.Its late August and we have news of five new Panerai Luminor Due models.? That strikes me as somewhat of a curious time of year to release a fairly large number of new models, but with summer over and people now turning their attention to the back end of the year (i.e. the winter and possibly bonus season for some) perhaps the timing makes sense.? Furthermore, its probably best to discuss the Due collection, with its oft-maligned 30 meters of water resistance, outside of prime beach and pool season or it may simply serve to feed those rabid keyboard warriors.? And discuss we shall as we break down the five new models and ad [...]

Wrist Game or Crying Shame remains locked inside, but were thankful that modern technology still allows us all to vote. Today, well consider the Rolex Daytona 116523 and shed some light on a watch thats rarely discussed. But firstLast week, I tried to impress you with my knowledge of both art and hipster clich|s when I presented a vintage Movado Museum Watch for consideration. George R.R. Martin once said that, Art is not a democracy. People dont get to vote on how it ends. Well, you collectively thumbed your nose at George while voting this art to a lumbering 54% Crying Shame loss But we move forward with a very different kettle of fish in the Rolex Daytona 116523.The Rolex Daytona 16523 = [...]

Is it possible to find five alternatives to the Rolex Daytona? Let me answer that by saying that you don't really have a choice. Not if you insist on buying at list price, you don't. For the cool and collected amongst us, the hype-free crowd, this means finding a chronograph that ticks the same boxes. Okay, maybe the five alternatives Ill present from Zenith, Omega, Breitling, TAG Heuer, and Seiko don't tick all the boxes. There is no sign of the illustrious crown on the dial the obvious one. Nevertheless, I feel these chronographs have a lot to offer.So here are my five alternatives to the Rolex Daytona. The current Daytona 116500LN, that is, a 13,800, stainless steel, mass-produced watch ( [...]

During our Speedy Tuesday event in Frankfurt last year, Apollo 16 astronaut Charlie Duke was our special guest for the day.Charlie Duke was selected for the Apollo program by NASA in 1966. In 1969, Duke served as an astronaut support crew member for the Apollo 10 mission and was the CAPCOM for Apollo 11. The CAPCOM was the single person at the Mission Control center who was directly in touch with the astronauts in space. Dukes first words to the Apollo 11 crew on the surface of the Moon were: Roger, TwankTranquility, we copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. Were breathing again. Thanks a lot!.Charlie Duke as CAPCOM for Apollo 11 (on his right are James A. Lovell [...]

I?can't help myself. Anytime I?see an original vintage watch bezel I've never seen before, I?am intrigued and amused. A?witty, surprising, or unusual bezel gives any?watch a hard-to-beat attitude. The best news is that it doesnt necessarily have to be an expensive watch.No grails today. Just a?selection of random brands, some of which you might have never heard of. Just sheer originality and creative bezel freedom. Some designs might look crazy, but you can't argue that each of them is fascinating in its own way. Get ready.Image source: IG @chronyves79Orator Automatic DiverDespite no striking colors, this is anything but a typical bezel for an otherwise pretty standard skin diver watch. It l [...]

The design of the Submariner 114060, is unmistakably Rolex, despite the size and use of modern materials such as ceramics. Compare the modern 114060 to the 1953 Rolex Submariner 6204 and you will immediately notice that these watches share the same DNA.Owning and wearing a Rolex Submariner is one thing, but to dive into the history of this watch is quite a task. To make it somewhat easier for you, we hereby show you the history of the Submariner in a nutshell, including a table with most important references since 1953 till the current line-up of Submariner watches.Diving Into Rolex SubmarinerThe Rolex Submariner is a watch with an interesting story. Introduced over 60 years ago, the current [...]

Auction house Bonhams 1793 is hammering watches (pocket watches and wrist watches) on the 22nd of May. Their catalog has been published today for this auction in Knightsbridge (London) and has some nice pieces.Between the fair share of usual suspects (Rolex, Omega, IWC etc), this 1940s Hanhart chronograph with hand wound caliber 40 movement caught my attention. Not because of the condition, which seems to be quite poor, but because it resembles with Hanharts current Pioneer collection so well. Their MkI watch from the Pioneer collection with black dial and Arabic numerals is based on those very first mono pusher chronographs with caliber 40 movements (1938).Hanhart uses a movement (caliber H [...]

What I have learned from your Speedmaster stories so far, is that theres often more involved than just buying a watch. Sure, there are people collecting Speedmasters for no other reason than love for this chronograph. But so far, the stories weve received are also about emotional reasons to buy a Speedmaster.This week, we have a story from Rosier about his Speedmaster From The Moon to Mars to commemorate his 25th anniversary at work, but also a story from Kirk and why he bought his Speedmaster. A heartbreaking story, yet Kirk shared it with us and I am honored to share it with you as well.Your Speedmaster StoriesOn the one hand, Kirks story makes collecting Speedmaster watches look less impo [...]

Roger Dubuis let us know it is the(ir) year of the Astral Skeleton and comes with a range of new pieces. One of the Roger Dubuis watches we saw here at the SIHH in Geneva that we love best is their Excalibur Spider Skeleton Flying Tourbillon.The impressive case of the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider is only 45mm, but definitely looks (and wears) bigger on the wrist. This watch is not for the faint hearted. However, the most important feature of this watch is of course that it has been skeletonized which allows you to see all of the in-house manufactured hand-wound caliber RD505SQ movement.Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Skeleton Flying TourbillonBut lets get back to the case of this Excalibur Sp [...]

Rob and Balazs scoot through five major sports leagues (and touch on a sixth) as they seek out the very best on-field threads available right now. Pairing each jersey/team with a watch model or brand, is, of course, their secondary task.Weve got lots of Rolex, Breitling, Lange, and other heavy hitters, wild creations like Hublot, Artya, and HYT, fun stuff like Neff and Casio, and loads more watchmaking wonders to discuss. Jump in and enjoy, and let us know your favorite jerseys in the comments section. Today, were touching on the MLB (baseball), NHL (ice hockey), NFL (football), NBA (basketball), and the EPL (soccer). If were not talking about your favorite sport, make sure to let us know ab [...]

Richard Mille struck gold when they teamed up with former World Champion, Yohan The Beast?Blake. But now, the Richard Mille RM 61-01 will be the last of its kind.Yohan Blake burst onto the scene as Usain Bolt's charming teammate, winning legions of fans through his affable persona, ferocious alter-ego, and blistering performances on the track. He announced himself on the world stage, winning the 2011 world title in Bolts absence. A year after that promising win in Daegu, he buddied-up with Richard Mille. For the London 2012 Olympics, he donned a prototype model while the brand developed its first piece for mass consumption.A sleek and stylish reinterpretationThe RM 59-01 tourbillon was relea [...]

Welcome, one and all, to the first round proper of March Mania 2021, here on Fratello. Are you a watch maniac like we are? If so, you're sure to love our month-long feature. 96 watches reviewed last year line up for a battle royale (and extra fries) like nothing that's gone before. We need your votes. We want your comments. Help us decide the champion and share in its glory Let the games commence?-In this first round proper, your task is a bit different from your task in the preliminaries. Below you will find the eight remaining timepieces of each of our Fratello competitors in four head-to-head contests of two timepieces. The seedings in the preliminaries dictate the match-ups. So it's numb [...]

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 yesteryear. 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 remarkable watches. In this third installment, we will take a look at the best Breitling watches from the 1950s.The best Breitling watches from the 1950s? What does that actually me [...]

During my early teens ? we're talking late 80's into the 90's ? I can recall walking by Mayor's jewelers in any one of the many South Florida malls and looking longingly at the Rolex's displayed behind thick security glass. I've mentioned before that South Florida is Rolex land and it's for all the right and wrong reasons. What was the reason for the popularity? Call it a mix of Oceanside utility blended with seedy braggadocio and that pretty much comes to the point of why the Submariner is so ubiquitous in this region. Of course, Rolex makes a carnet of other watches and it's one of the non-sports models that enters the focus of today's TBT article. This watch, when I looked through those [...]

Oris Bronze Watch Carl Brashear Limited EditionTo be honest, Id never heard about Carl Brashear before and did not see the Men of Honor movie. I also doubt?if the story, to which I will come back later, would have impact on my decision whether to like this watch, or not. Or better yet, that it would have add value to the Oris bronze watch for me, personally. I doubt that basically. I like the watch from the moment I saw it in the flesh during a preview of Oris BaselWorld novelties in Zermatt.Without further ado, here is my Oris bronze watch review.Bronze Watches EverywhereBronze is trending.?Panerai set the trend with their Bronzo (Luminor Submersible Ref. PAM00382) back in 2011. I know tha [...]

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. This week we will dive into the world of King Seiko and Grand Seiko.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 Seiko watches from the 1960s.In the [...]

The new Chronomat trims the case diameter from 44mm to 42mm and brings back the unique Rouleaux bracelet. Those are the headlines, but as I have found, this new chunk of steel is filled with hidden details.I was a little shocked when my Chronomat turned up at my door in the middle of May. I placed an order for the limited edition Frecce Tricolori a day after the launch in April but fully expected an email informing me that I had missed out on securing one of the, justifiably limited, 250 pieces. Not only was I allocated an FT, but it was also delivered in less than a month.My own Frecce TricoloriMy eagerness to lay eyes on my guilty acquisition may have overcome my motor skills. I ripped the [...]

As the new year begins, so too does the machine that is the wonderful world of watches. I hope everyone had a good break over Xmas and New Year. We saw very little in terms of new releases and news over the break, but slowly life begins again, and we have a few bits and pieces to talk about today!Top of the list has to be the almighty Omega debuting the much-hyped and worst kept secret: the new Moonwatch. At Fratello, we are big on all things Speedy, so you can imagine how excited we were One of my favorite silhouettes from Zenith also received a facelift I like what the brand has been doing with the Chronomaster revivals of late Our good friends at Ace Jewellers Amsterdam are also back with [...]

Navigating the world of luxury watches as a young and up-and-coming brand with products priced well below the radar of many luxury enthusiasts is tough. What makes things decidedly easier, though, is listening to the community that has propelled your small business to a position few could dream of reaching in such a short space of time. Forstner has done just that. The release of the new Forstner Flat Link with end-pieces specially tailored to fit the pre-2018 Omega Seamaster is a triumph of public relations. Ask and we shall deliver, cries the god of Forstner to the rapturous cheers of his followers!You all know I like Forstner. I have my favorites within the collection and the Flat Link is [...]