Watches Blog Wrist Watch Reviews

40 Years AgoJust last week, we published an updated version of our Patek Philippe Nautilus versus Audemars Piguet Royal Oak comparison article. When talking haute horlogerie, I have to admit that these two watches are definitely my favorite pieces. How much I like other high-end watches like a Patek Philippe 3940 or 5140, A. Lange S?hne Lange 1 or Vacheron Constantin Overseas Ultra-Thin, nothing comes close to how?I feel about the Nautilus and Royal Oak. Today, I was somewhat surprised to see the new Nautilus 40th Anniversary models popping up out of nowhere.NautilusThat I picked the Royal Oak for my private collection had also to do with the money to spend, at that time, it was far below 1 [...]

Grald Genta DesignsYou either like them or you don't, Grald Genta's master pieces from the 1970s. Genta designed Omega watches for years (i.e. Constellation and Seamaster models) before he started his own company in 1969. Although designing watches was mostly a job that people did who were on the payroll of a watch manufacturer, it was an immediate success.Patek Philipps Nautilus and Audemars Piguet Royal OakAs we all know, Grald Genta is the genius behind the Royal Oak watch (1972) from Audemars Piguet and the Patek Philippe Nautilus watch (1976). Both brands have a long history in watch making and both companies are considered high-end' watch brands. Genta also designed the Ingenieur SL [...]

Once in a while we are being confronted with the scum of the Earth who steal other peoples stuff. In the worst case scenario, with violence. On the 5th of July one of our friends was robbed during a watch trade in Amsterdam. It concerns the following watch:Patek Philippe Nautilus reference 5726/1ASerial number: 5686847 / 4587076Reference number: 5726 / 1A 010Dial number: H900.936.THNT1If you come across this watch or know more about it, please contact the Watches and Art blog. A $5000 reward is there for the one who is able to get this watch back to its rightful owner.Photo shown above is not the actual watch but a similar watch. Please refer to the link above to see pictures of the actual [...]

Our friends over at Hodinkee did a very interesting hands-on review with Eric Claptons Patek Philippe ref.2499 Chronograph Calendar timepiece in platinum. Only two 2499 watches have been made in platinum, only one of them was sold on the market. Click here to read all about this magnificent Patek over at Hodinkees.Watch the video below for Ben Clymers visit to Christies in New York City.Up Close with the Patek Philippe Platinum 2499 owned by Eric Clapton from HODINKEE on Vimeo. [...]

Gianni Agnelli, former Head of FIAT and Italian industrialist was famous for his flamboyant style. Nicknamed The Rake of the Riviera, Mr Agnelli was always wearing his carefully selected timepieces over his cuff.In the autumn of his life he has been spotted wearing this large especially for that time OMEGA Seamaster PloProf over his cuff. Earlier even but already a bit grey haired he has been spotted wearing this wonderful classic Patek Philippe World Time ref.1415 HU timepiece. Jake featured him on his Patek Blog last year and states that this picture dates back to approximately 1960.We found a similar Patek for sale over at Chrono24, worlds leading market platform for timepieces. Selle [...]

Chronos magazine celebrates its 20th anniversary Besides their anniversary edition of the magazine (including a Vacheron Constantin supplement), editor-in-chief Rudiger Bucher selected 20 of the best watch advertisements that were printed in Chronos magazine in all those years. Chronos is part of the Ebner Verlag (publishing company) and also responsible for Uhren Magazine and WatchTime.Below, we show you the two we like best The first is one from Swatch and dates back to 1995. The one below is probably a bit more well-known and dates back to 1998. Pateks Begin your own tradition campaign has been successful ever since, as even non-watch enthusiasts seem to know this brand and its slogan.Pat [...]

Patek Philippe not only surprised us by introducing white dial versions of the Nautilus collection, they also made us gaze at this other white dialed watch. The Patek Philippe Grand Complication 5402P, a split seconds and perpetual calendar in platinum.The 5402P is the successor of the 5004P, a rattrapante chronograph? with perpetual calendar in a 36.7mm case, also available in other case materials than platinum. Not only the dimensions of the watch case and the dial lay-out changed, Patek also did some innovations regarding the rattrapante mechanism. A number of technical measurements (a.o. a new isolator system and a new split-seconds lever) improved the reliability of the split seconds ch [...]

Patek Philippe introduced some white dial versions for their Nautilus collection during the BaselWorld 2012 exhibition. Fratellowatches had a chance to get them in front of the lens during our meeting with Patek and were happy to share our photos with you. We also were able to get the new Patek Philippe 5204P (split seconds chronograph and perpetual calendar) in front of our lens, we will get to that fantastic timepiece in another blog post.As you may know, the Nautilus is together with the Royal Oak a watch that get mentioned a lot here. We love icons, especially when designed by the late Gerald Genta. Last years BaselWorld brought us a new version of the Aquanaut (Travel Time)?ref.5164 f [...]

There is no such thing as a Grail when it comes to collecting watches. As soon as you think youve found one, the next Grail is arising. However, the Patek Philippe Nautilus is the Grail for many watch enthusiasts out there, especially those with a weak spot for Gerald Genta designs. One of our readers belongs to that category, and showed us his Patek Philipe Nautilus 3700/1A. After having his share of OMEGA, Rolex and Audemars Piguet watches, it seems that this stainless steel piece de resistance gives him inner peace with his watch collection. Hed like to share some of the pictures of his 1977 Nautilus 3700/1A with the readers of Fratellowatches.In the past, weve written an in-dept article [...]

Todays subject is one of the less common Patek Philippe models: the Ref. 5055. Its powered by their staple Cal. 240 micro rotor movement, with the added complications of power reserve, moon phase, date and offset sub seconds. The movement of course carries the Geneva Seal, as with all Pateks.As usual, all images in this post may be clicked on for larger versions. Enjoy MT [...]

Perhaps it is the BaselWorld buzz, but?we are really excited about the Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time (5164) timepiece. With its crown protector on the right side and correctors on the left side, it is moving towards the legendary design of the Nautilus. This 40.8mm Aquanaut features an extra timezone (as its name implies), a day/night indicator and a date sub dial. Despite all this useful functionality, Patek Philippe made sure to keep the dial as clean and readable as possible.Shot through a display under bad circumstances, this photo doesnt do any justice to the watch of course. I advice you to hop over to the official Patek Philippe website to get a better view on the Aquanaut Tra [...]

Patek Philippe in America is a book on how this brand conquered the United States. The sub title of the book, Marketing the Worlds Foremost Watch, covers it pretty well. The impressive dimensions of this hard cover book 13 x 11 and the 360 pages with over 500 images reveal that this must be something special. The arrival of Patek Philippe in the USA has been documented using archives, photographs and numerous advertisements starting in 1860. The author of this book, John Reardon, did an excellent job creating such a valuable treasure for collectors and admirers of Patek Philippe watches.Patek Philippe in America contains 8 chapters covering the marketing of the brand from the 19th century [...]

Since the introduction of the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1A in 2006, the watch has reached a mythical status. Especially during the last few years, it seems this watch has been picked up by a larger audience than ever before.With a retail price of?26.810,- Euro, not an easy sell for an all stainless steel watch with no complications other than a date. Wrong These watches have a long waiting list today, and a pre-owned Nautilus 5711/1A is not a cheap alternative with prices starting at around 40.000,- Euro. It is the watch craze we live in today I am afraid, but it has gone to extremes with the Nautilus.Patek Philippe Nautilus 3700/1A and 5711/1A TodayThis article is a comparison between th [...]

You merely look after it for the next generation. With this slogan, Patek Philippe seduces you to take the plunge on one of their magnificent watches. It creates some kind of justification to spend a tremendous amount of money on one time piece that could have bought you half a dozen other Swiss quality watches.One of my favorites is the Patek Philippe Nautilus (ref.5711/1A) in its purest form: stainless steel and with hours, minutes and date only. However, Patek Philippe also manufacturers the 5712/1A, which is basically the same watch in terms of design or look feel, but it features a moon phase, date and power reserve indicator. These complications make it the ultimate luxury sports watc [...]

Giuseppe Bonanno (January 18, 1905 ?e???? 2 May 12, 2002), better known as Joseph Bonanno, was a Sicilian-born American organized crime figure who became the boss of the Bonanno crime family in 1931 until his retirement in 1968. Joseph Bonanno was instrumental in forming The Mafia Commission, which was designed to oversee all Mafia activities in the U.S. and serve to resolve conflicts between the Mafia families. Joseph was married to Fay and they got three childeren. Salvatore Bill Bonanno (who was quite a character himself as well), born 1932; Catherine, born 1934; and Joseph Jr., born 1945.Joseph Bonanno received this Patek Philippe ref.1516 from other Sicilian mobster Charles Lucky Lucian [...]

Some people may be surprised to hear that reviewing watches isnt always a walk in a park. Its not a binary process Is this watch good? Yes/No. Theres more to it than that. Watchmaking and design is an art form, which you have to consider when reviewing a watch. Just because you dont inherently love a watch, it doesnt make it wrong. Art is meant to evoke some kind of emotion or discussion, so if a watch does that, then surely its a success? This philosophical question was very much at the fore of my mind when I spent some time with the Rado True Square Designer Collection watches.Obviously, I will look at the raw details of these pieces, as thats always a must when trying to describe watches [...]

High-tech materials is a bit of a buzzphrase in the watch industry. To many, it's a marketing gimmick, while to others (myself included), it's a fascinating look into the future of watchmaking. Materials like ceramic may seem new and high-tech, but some brands have dabbled in the dark arts of ceramic watchmaking for decades. The most famous? Rado. The Swiss brand has used ceramic in its watchmaking since 1986 That's some pub quiz knowledge for you right there.This groundbreaking material, which had never been used in watchmaking in this way before, conquered the hearts and wrists ? of watch enthusiasts around the world with its scratch-resistant, lightweight and skin-friendly qualities. Its [...]

Ive been more intimately acquainted with most modern Rado watches than most people would care to know. And trust me, although the very recent stuff is pretty smartly designed, the semi-modern output from the late nineties to 2010s was Well Lets just say, it was sent to try us. Manufacturing watches out of ceramic has come a long way since those days, and Rado has always been at the forefront of the practice. Those early attempts were creatively executed, but now were seeing signs of a master maker settling down into its field of expertise. So are these new flagship models in the Captain Cook range worthy of flying the flag for the famous Swiss brand? Lets find out.Flashback to the days I spe [...]

Captain Cook? No, it's Captain Nemo I'm thinking of when I look at the black, shiny, and semi-transparent aquatic watch on my wrist. Let's go hands-on with the RADO Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic as we welcome a little steampunk to our livesAccording to Wikipedia steampunk is a retro-futuristic subgenre of science fiction that incorporates technology and aesthetic designs inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery. I couldn't have said it better myself. One look at the black RADO Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic and ?I think of Jules Verne's Captain Nemo aboard his futuristic submarine Nautilus a vessel both incredibly luxurious and technically advanced. It must be the mix of [...]

Rado and ceramics go hand-in-hand. First in square watches only, but since 2006 Rado is also able to manufacture round watches in ceramics. Rados latest is the new Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic watches. We show you the new 43mm Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic collection.Rado shook the world of watch enthusiasts with its Captain Cook watches in steel and bronze, released over the past few years. Inspired by the famous Captain Cook watch from the 1960s. It is something that we all thought Rado forgot about, but they did not. Never underestimate those clever Swiss watchmakers. With the new Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic collection, it seems that old meets new. Based on that same classic 1960s d [...]