Watches Blog Wrist Watch Reviews

The story on the iconic IWC Portugieser watch is one that is well known in enthusiasts' circles. Today, IWC introduces an update of their entire Portugieser collection. From a three hands watch to a perpetual calendar.But first, let's do a quick rundown of the Portugieser and why it is such an iconic watch. Back in 1939, IWC watchmakers created a big watch on special request by two dealers from Portugal (hence the name) that had the precision of a pocket watch. At that time, IWC was well known for its precision pocket watches and the Portuguese dealers wanted to have that same level of accuracy in a wristwatch. Smaller wristwatches were the trend in those years, but unable to deliver the sam [...]

The Rolex GMT-Master (II) finally stepped out of the shadow of its diving brother, the Submariner. With the introduction of the ceramic Pepsi and Batman (on Jubilee) recently, the hype is real. Long waiting lists and market prices far over retail result in disappointed customers, but that doesnt seem to slow down the demand. On the contrary.I can imagine why the Rolex GMT-Master II is so much in demand. It is a great daily companion, with the added value of an extra timezone. I had my share of GMT-Master watches, including a few vintage 1675s and a GMT-Master II 16710. When I was ready to purchase a GMT-Master II Ceramic or Batman in 2017, I was confronted with the above-mentioned demand for [...]

Alex at WatchRap.com asks the following:Omega seems to have a good history and nice design. But my perception is that the Purists do not really rate Omegas? Or am I mistaken?I dont consider myself to be a Purist or member of the Purists, because I rarely post there. However, for a generic or public forum, it is one of the best around so I like to lurk over there.I would expect that Omega is not in the league of most Purists, because Omega isnt exactly a manufacturer. But, as one of the answers demonstrate, Omega seems to get mad props because of its diversity, history and classics (e.g. Speedmaster). Although I am personally heavily disappointed by most new Omega models, except for their bes [...]

I was browsing some watch sites and came across a picture of this JeanRichard Bressel 1665 with power reserve. It seems to have its own in-house JR1000 movement by JeanRichard, case size of 42mm and a saphire display back.Prices are just below 6000 Euro according to the Girard-Perregaux forum at The Purists.com (JeanRichard and GP are connected in some way).The Bressel handwound version (not displayed here) is probably around 2000 Euro, according to the same source. It lacks a power reserve feature ofcourse ?? [...]

A Rolex GMT-Master ofcourse!Hannes treats the R-L-X.de forum visitors on these two screenshots from the Discovery channel:The fellow above is Brian Trubshaw, British Concorde Testpilot.Thanks Hannes!If you want over 80 pages of famous (and less famous) Rolex wearers, click here (you might need to register). [...]

Check this nice essay, written by SteveG.Photo by SteveG.Click here to read it. [...]

Yesterday, I finally watched volume 2 of Kill Bill. The first part was great in my opinion, and the second part is nice, but not great. In fact, the only reason to see it is to finally witness how Bill is being Killed.Anyway (to keep it on-topic), in part two I noticed this Rolex Daytona she (Uma Thurman) uses to check her predictor-stick. At first I thought it was cool that she has such a nice masculine watch. Later on, when I examined the still images on my PC, it was clearly a fake Daytona. What a bummer. [...]

Two days ago, I turned 29 years old (to help you out, I was released in 1977). When I was a young kid, I remember getting a hand wound watch from my parents. But I never wore it. It had a small round case and a canvas strap. My first real watch that I really wore was a Casio. It was in the time of the first G-Shocks. But these G-Shock models were too big for my little wrists (I was a skinny little kid, almost hard to believe now.. -)). I also remember getting my first Casio as well. My parents bought it from me when we were on a holiday in the UK. I think they had it for sale at Dixons. Not sure though. I still have it, and it even runs perfectly. After that first Casio, I had some more digi [...]

John Holbrook mailed me that he had written some articles that might interest us (poster and readers of Fratello -)). The first one is an article about watch polishing with the help of this magical stuff from Cape Cod.You can find the review hereJohn also writes for watch magazines in the US. He did a review of a nice Panerai for InSync here (it is a PDF!). And for Chronos, you can find a complete Holbrook report if you click right here. The Holbrook report contains a lot of different watches. Different brands and styles, certainly worth checking out!Have fun! [...]

Gerard Nijenbrinks over at Horlogenieuws.nl (Dutch website covering novelties on watches and the watch business) mentions the new Sinn 142.ST-II.It will be introduced at the coming Basel Fair (30th March) as the successor of the Sinn 142.ST with Lemania 5100 movement. Because the Lemania 5100 is not in production anymore (see earlier posts about this), the 142.ST-II will feature a Dubios-Depraz caliber 2070 chronograph.As you can see below, the lay-out of the dial remains the same.Photo by Sinn.deThe official Sinn announcement can be read here. [...]

Bas van Dorp emailed me a picture of his Seiko Monster. He wore it during his snowboard trip. As you can see, this Seiko Monster is like the Speedmaster Professional with NASA astronauts, worn on top of the (ski) jacket The large orange dial makes it very easy to read while being in full action!Seiko model: SKX781 K3, a.k.a. Seiko Monster, caliber 7S26 (automatic movement with day-date feature). Water resistant to 200 meters (660 ft). Stainless steel case with a diameter of 41mm (height: 12mm). Just google on Seiko Monster and you will find plenty of online dealers who sell this watch for a very reasonable price. The ski jacket is a Lowe Alpine and the gloves are by Ziener. [...]

Today I bought the Le Mans DVD, with Steve McQueen. This is the movie where the Heuer Monaco was put on the horological map ?? Heuer even produced a version of the Monaco with the colors (red/white/blue) of his racing suit. A while back I posted about a clothing brand called Vintage 55, who makes replicas of his racing clothes.Anyway, for 10 USD you are the man. You can make your own stills with this DVD of the Heuer Monaco. Btw, I recall that Steve McQueen was an avid Rolex Explorer wearer. You might want to verify in which movie this is thoughWhile I am at it anyway, you might want to order this one as well. This is the movie called Winning, where Paul Newman wears his Daytona. Or not. Tha [...]

Some time ago, I went through some brochures from Dunhill. Gerard pointed out the Wheel watch. An interesting construction of hiding the crown. The case design is inspired by old motors and it is shaped like the evocative metal spinners often used to attach wire wheels to period sports cars. The crown is hidden by the engine-turned bezel. This systems cleverly protects the crown from knocks. The monolug system looks good and emphasizes the cases spinners design.The watch pictured above is the Wheels watch Petrolhead model. 42mm case diameter and an automatic movement (ETA 2824-2 + Dubois-Depraz module for power reserve) with date and power reserve feature. Only 1500 units available. The case [...]

I thought the Royal Oak Jumbo (or Extra-Thin) had hit its peak a few years ago, but it clearly hadnt. Prices are going through the roof, as you will see in this article.Ive been writing about the Royal Oak (and the Jumbo in particular) a lot over the years here on Fratello. It was my dream watch for a long time, I had a few Royal Oak variations, including the 15202 Jumbo and I saw the development of the market value from roughly 7,000 to 40,000. In a period of 15 years, I have to add.For this series, we select pre-owned watches from Chrono24, the largest online marketplace for watches in the world. In todays article, I included the 15202 similar to the model I had in my own collection, the s [...]

RogerCP (a TZ regular) wrote a nice review on the Omega DeVille Co-Axial GMT. It is a 18 karat ros?? gold version, but thats not even the argument why I think it is special. The watch is only 35mm in size. Thats smaller than the average mens modern wrist watch.Picture by RogerCPThe review is quite in-depth, not only on the movement (caliber 2628, which is based on the famous co-axial movement caliber 2500, which is based on ETA 2892-A2 again. Or did I forget to put the Omega caliber 1120 in there as well?), but also on the case, dial, hands, strap, deployant clasp and last but not least the GMT watch as such (and links to some other GMT related articles as well).Anyway, click here for a good [...]

I suppose that I could be faulted for featuring the rather newish Rolex GMT-Master II 16710?in a TBT article, but I'll live with it.I've covered a couple newer pieces in this series such as the Rolex Explorer 14270 and, more recently, the IWC Mark XII, so I'm more on the side of featuring what I'd call classics instead of purely vintage. Definitions aside, the Rolex 16710 is definitely a classic and one that continues to be on the acquisition list of many people; let's find out why.The Rolex GMT-Master II 16710 was around for so long nearly 20 years that its still hard to believe its goneThe Rolex GMT-Master II 16710It's awfully hard to believe that the Rolex GMT-Master II 16710 has been [...]

Someone at the Paneristi.com forum asks: Do you think it is better to wear PAM outside or inside long sleeves?? i feel so strange..better with the short sleeves, i think..but for people who are working and wearing long sleeves, how?Well, to be honest.. I hate short sleeves. Especially in combination with a suit, short sleeves are never an option. So, long sleeves and a Panerai. Although I think a Panerai goes very well with a suit, sleeves might be a problem. Some cuffs just dont allow it to hide a Panerai. So most of the time, it will look like Nads picture below.Picture by Nad.Another option, also given as an answer in the forum, is to start wearing tailored shirts. According to the forum, [...]

Magus Bosse, regular on TimeZone and owner of the Ornatus Mundi site, posted an essay on Minerva watches on TimeZone. And not to forget, Magnus Bosse is moderating the official Blancpain forum.The first collection (called 1858) of Minerva after their change of management is showed on the TimeZone Minerva Forum.Below, youll see the Minerva Coll. 1858 Cal. 48 White Gold case/grey dial. By clicking here you will find the complete essay by Magnus.Picture by Magnus Bosse. [...]

Benrus is one of those (vintage) brands that has not being re-invented by investors (yet). Luckily, because in most cases, the results are horrible. Benrus is also a brand that has some very nice time pieces (like the one below or the Sky Chief for example) that is nice to wear/have at a reasonable price.Michiel van der Arend bought this 38mm Benrus Ultra-Deep diver and allowed me to put it for show here at Fratello ?? [...]

This Patek Philippe reference 3940 in Platinum is a real beauty, captured by SuitbertW at the Patek Forum. Although these Pateks are quite small (37mm), I feel that I could get used to it.I am not very into yellow gold either, so platinum or white gold would be a perfect option! [...]