Watches Blog Wrist Watch Reviews

Watches Under 1000 EuroA mechanical watch doesnt need to cost you an arm and a leg. Although one could say anything above 50 Euro for a watch is luxury anyway. According to some studies and reports on (Swiss) watches, everything above 500 Swiss Francs is considered to be a luxury watch. I dont like the term luxury very much, I just like to see or own a good watch. Preferably a mechanical watch.13 Mechanical WatchesAlthough I have watches in my personal collection that are way above 1000 Euro, I dont mind wearing a cheaper watch. If it is a fun and good watch, why not? It is about the love for watches, not the love for money. Hence, 13 watches under 1000 Euro.Our German colleagues over at W [...]

Grand Seiko SBGM021The Grand Seiko SBGM021 is not a new model. Actually, it has been in the collection for a couple of years already. However, I had a closer look at it while I was in Japan and have admired it ever since. In fact, my interest was sparked even more when I saw it on the wrist of friend of the show Jason Heaton. Even though it does not have the sharp and long lugs and case shape like the Grand Seiko SBGH001?for example, I feel it is one of the nicest Grand Seikos out there.The ivory dial of the Grand Seiko SBGM021 and high polished markers and hands give this wonderful contrast. At first glance, it may not register as a Hingucker (eye-catcher) as they say in German, but let m [...]

After the last Watches and Pencils episode about Panda dials I decided to briefly discuss another dial which is related to an animal: spider dials. Although there are?similarities they are quite different in terms of creation. The human decided to design and create a panda dial, while the spider dial is (partly) created by the forces of natureHow did the spider dial originate?Roughly in the 1980s several brands delivered?watches with dials that would crack after?time. Often they altered the?dial from a matt finishing to one with gloss finishing with an extra layer of shiny lacquer. Due?factory defects (wrong mixtures in the?lacquer) and weather conditions (sunlight, temperature changes, etc. [...]

Seiko Spacewalk A short introductionBefore I start writing about the Seiko Spacewalk as a daily watch, lets do an introduction first. On the Seiko SpaceWalk but also on Seiko and Space in general.Richard GarriotIn 2008, Seiko introduced the Spacewalk Spring Drive watch during BaselWorld. It was made for astronaut Richard Garriot. Garriot, who?started developing video games in the 1980s together with his brother, sold his company to Electronic Arts in 1992. In 1997, he designed one of the most famous RPG games ever: Ultima Online.Anyway, his father was an astronaut (Owen Garriot) and all his life he dreamt about traveling to space. In 2008, this became reality. He was the sixth citizen to tr [...]

Pogue ChronographIf asked by a vintage watch collector who mainly focuses on Swiss watches for a recommendation on one Japanese chronograph to add, my answer is always the same and without hesitation: a Seiko 6139 Pogue. Astute collectors of the brand might find that a little surprising amongst so many well known and, in certain cases, more traditionally styled watches that I opt for a very 70's looking chronograph. Of course I have my reasons and let's get into them it's TBT time!The yellow dial of the Seiko 6139 Pogue truly radiates in the lightSeiko 6139 A Landmark ChronographThe 6139 was Seiko's initial foray into the automatic chronograph game and actually debuted in 1969 alongside th [...]

Today on TBT, we'll take a look at one of the more legendary tool watches in the Glycine Airman. It's a watch that I've always desired, but, for one reason or another, never purchased until only recently. Even then, I wound up with the watch before you by accident more on that later but boy am I glad I did. The Airman is a great watch and for a piece so well known, it's still relatively easy to find and shhh it's downright affordable Let's take a look The Glycine Airman Special advertisement (photo credit: forums.watchuseek.com)History of the Glycine AirmanMuch has been written about the history of the Glycine Airman, so I won't recount the gory details. The long and short of it, th [...]

Make no bones about it; the Seiko Spring Drive Tuna is the most over the top watch I own. Strike that, mine is even zanier because it's the limited edition Spring Drive Golden Tuna. Yes, I know that this article publishes on a Thursday, which means it's TBT and vintage, but I'll bend the rules big time I suppose because I will review a watch that isn't vintage but it has been out of production for roughly three years. You see, I have a soft spot for the big brand from Japan and, therefore, I'll invoke some license to talk about a seriously different watch.The official release photo of the Golden Seiko Spring Drive Tuna from 2013 (photo credit: Seiko)The Birth of the Seiko Spring Drive T [...]

My First Encounter with a Gold Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo XIWhen I bought my first Speedmaster in October 1999, it didn't take long to get in touch with other Speedmaster enthusiasts. One of them referred me to a watch maker that was close in my area that was more or less specialized in Speedmaster watches. I got in touch with him and the first time we met he was wearing this crazy gold Speedmaster Professional with burgundy bezel and engraved caseback filled with red lacquer. At the time, I didn't know about this specific model but I knew it was something special. Apparently, I had the honor to come across the gold Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo XI numbered edition, refere [...]

Iconic ChronographOne of the most talked about watches this year is without a doubt the new Rolex Daytona 2016 model, with black Cerachrom bezel. But what is all the fuzz about? Let me try to explain this to you in this article, about the Rolex Daytona 2016 model, some of its predecessors and perhaps, about dreams.Truth to be told, I do not own a Rolex Daytona and I never actually did. My Fratello Watches colleagues Gerard, Bert and Michael do own Daytonas, from vintage to new, and I have tried the previous model (reference 116520) more than once. I love the watch, both vintage models and the new (lets say after 1988) models. It is one of the most iconic chronographs and only few things have [...]

Sell crazy someplace else, were all stocked up here. says Melvin Udall, Jack Nicholson's character in the movie As Good as it Gets.The Heuer Autavia sold at Phillips for 75,000 CHF (photo credit: www.phillips.com)The line above could easily explain the current market for vintage chronographs. As I sat down on the couch with, fittingly, a glass of champagne (this was pure happenstance as we had a friend in town I normally prefer my bubbly to consist of malted hops and barley) one evening in mid-May, I decided to tune into the Phillips Stop-Start-Reset auction featuring 88 vintage stainless steel chronographs. I watched a number of pieces sell at very strong prices, but it wasn't until the [...]

It is no secret that we love mechanical watches. But what if you go to foreign places where this type of luxury is not much appreciated, or where theres other sorts of risk of damaging your precious watch? This is where this FW Classic Seiko SKX007 vs Citizen NY0040 article comes in. Two affordable mechanical watches, from well-respected manufacturers, that you can wear with confident and pride during your well-earned holidays.Michael Stockton our vintage expert wrote this article to demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses of both watches, but foremost to show you two affordable alternatives to accompany you on your holidays abroad. However, make no mistake, these watches can easily be s [...]

Announcement: Prints of?Watches Pencils artworksBefore we take a look at?the panda?I would like to start of with an announcement.?Last months I received a lot of questions about prints of the artworks presented in?the Watches Pencils feature. Unfortunately I wasnt able to handle all the individual requests and therefore I decided to open an online shop. In the shop Ive placed a selection of my artwork, which will be updated now and then. Since the payment, printing process and shipping is handled by a professional third party with quality products (RedBubble), buying a print should be a breeze from now on (several materials and sizes available). Please take a look around at the?Watches Pe [...]

Vintage watches are hot, it is beyond hype and especially the interest in Rolex watches from yesteryear is still increasing every day. Ive been occupied with watches since the 1990s, the last couple of years on a full time and professional basis. With great interest I saw the masses also start to buy and collect vintage Rolex. Some because they were told this is the big thing, others because they sincerely love the look and feel of vintage Rolex watches.I am not talking a million dollar Daytonas here, but just the vintage Rolex GMT-Master 1675 or a nice Submariner 1680 for example. But even those can cost you an arm and a leg, especially when something is not right about them and you want to [...]

Normally, I refrain from writing separate articles on variants of the same watch, but when I picked up a second Gallet Multichron 12 Valjoux 72, I felt it was time to spread the news. On TBT, I've had the pleasure of covering an Excelsior Park 40 EP40 Multichron and it is one fantastic watch with an equally stupendous movement.? My fondness for these watches was also shown when we named the Gallet one of our 5 More to look for in our Top 5 Vintage Chronographs article. However, as the 1960's are really my wheelhouse when it comes to chronographs, the V72 truly speaks to me. Yes, I've said it before, this is essentially the Chevrolet 327 V-8 of watch movements ? used all over and still relat [...]

One of the fun things about Speedy Tuesday is that there are so many models and references, we will probably never run out of material to cover. We started on May 29th 2012, almost four years ago, and it doesnt take much time to think of a new subject to cover each single week. If there isnt a new Speedmaster to talk about, we try to answer a Speedmaster related question from one of our readers or focus on something vintage or special. I also believe that the Speedmaster is one of the few watches around that makes it possible to give it weekly coverage, for almost four years now.A few weeks ago, Bert and I visited the Davidoff Brothers in Geneva to have a look at their extensive Speedmaster [...]

Last Friday?we visited the Watch 2016 event, held by Dutch retailer Schaap -/- Citroen at the Okura hotel in Amsterdam. This event, from Friday 20th of May (VIP evening) till Sunday 22nd of May, is being organized for a couple of years now, showing the SIHH and BaselWorld novelties to those who dont have access to these Swiss exhibitions.Brands like A. Lange S?hne, Baume et Mercier, Breitling, Cartier, Hublot, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Omega, Panerai, Patek Philippe, Piaget, Roger Dubuis, Rolex and Zenith for example, show their novelties to the visitors of Watch 2016.The VIP evening of the Watch 2016 event was meant for some member of the press and for Schaap -/- Citroens important clients. D [...]

One of my all-time favorite watches is the Royal Oak. It is actually one of the models that got me into mechanical watches in the mid-1990s. Love at first sight, you could say, and as you know that is something to cherish. However, these watches come at a certain price and with those perpetual annual price increases these watches seem to be only available for the lucky few. The low production number and high demand for them by the lucky few enables Audemars Piguet to stay exclusive and only available for those who are able and willing to spend so much money on?their watches.This shouldnt come as a shock, as Audemars Piguet was always high-end and the stainless steel 1972 Royal Oak 5402 m [...]

A topic that is always actual for watch enthusiasts: watch photography We published the 10 tips for better watch photography early 2015 and would like to put it in the spot light again for those who have missed it or forgot about it.Watch photography is not easy, but with these 10 tips from top (watch) photographer Bert Buijsrogge (who did and still does?numerous shoots and campaigns for watch brands during the last couple of years) you should have a flying start. It also will show you that you dont always need to have the most expensive gear and accessories, but that success is heavily depending on your own creativity.Once youre done reading and learning from Berts tips, make sure to visit [...]

CHRISTIE'S GENEVA AUCTIONFollowing my review of the Phillips watch auctions last week, my brother (Roy) and I took a look at Christie's upcoming auction catalog and had the pleasure of viewing the watches with Thomas Perrazi in Geneva. Thomas and the team have focused on vintage versus modern in recent auctions following a global trend from collectors. In regards to the team, we also had the pleasure of seeing Marie Stauffer at Christie's as she has just moved over from Sotheby's (part of a pretty common game of musical chairs among auction houses). Along with Sabine, Marcello and Richard, the Christie's Geneva watch department team is solid and has put together a great catalog with a large [...]

A while ago I wrote an opinionated article on brand ambassadors (you can find it here), and although I am not a particular fan of brand ambassadors who are paid to love a watch brand, I do love to spot Omega Speedmaster watches on their wrists (but no more than spotting them when walking in the city or when having lunch somewhere for example).An ambassador that I was wrong about in the past is George Clooney. I wrote Do I like Omega suddenly better because George Clooney is in an advertisement with a loupe on his forehead? No. . My opinion didnt change, but Ive witnessed George Clooney (my wife still blames?me for not bringing her along) during the Omega event last year in Houston (a full (p [...]