Watches Blog Wrist Watch Reviews

In our Sunday Morning Showdown, 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 dont forget to let us know which watches youd like to see torn to shreds/effusively exalted next week. Well try and feature as many of our readers choices as we can. This time out, we have not one, not two, not three, but FOUR brand new Breitling Premier Heritage chronographs in the showdown arena. Each watch will be vying for your vote, but not as individuals. Instead, todays showdown is a tag-team brawl where two watches on one team need most of the voting share to [...]

Welcome to Episode 61 of Fratello on Air, otherwise known as WASP 9.3. After spending the last three weeks rummaging around in our mailbag, we're returning to the world of sports to provide you with a quick whizz around the American sports leagues to keep you abreast of news and developments in the NBA, NHL, MLB, and NFL.Find us on Instagram?@robnudds?and?@ferenczibazs. [...]

Breitling made 1,000 pieces of this Old Navitimer with the red and white logo at 3 o'clock. That's a lot more than there are pilots in the flight demonstration team of the Royal Canadian Air Force. But no matter: piloting the 1995 Breitling Old Navitimer Snowbirds Limited Edition is a lot easier than doing barrel rolls with a CT-114 Tutor. You just put it on your wrist, close your eyes, and pretend you're a Canadian Maverick. Or Iceman, it's up to you.Of all Breitlings, the Navitimer is the one I like the most. Ive owned quite a few of them my favorite being the Navitimer Fighters ref. A13330 with its brushed case and bracelet and loved them. Unfortunately, thanks to finding myself tempted b [...]

Depending on where you are in the world, it might be starting to look a bit like summer. In my neck of the woods (Dresden, Germany) were alternating our modes of transport between cross-country skis, rollerblades, and catamarans on a near-weekly basis. Back home in Britain, Ive heard that Manchester is careening from 25 degrees one week to a cozy 4 the next. Anyway, knowing my kinfolk thats still warm enough to reach for the board shorts and lager, so lets say its time for a list of my top six summer stunners chosen for every situation.Summer is a fabulous time of year. All the doom and gloom of winter (especially a Covid winter) will soon be behind us and with restrictions looking to ease a [...]

In our Sunday Morning Showdown, 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 dont forget to let us know which watches youd like to see torn to shreds/effusively exalted next week. Well try and feature as many of our readers choices as we can. This week our writers try to conquer the skies with two Pilots watches: The new IWC Pilots Watch Chronograph 41 and the Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43.With the online extravaganza that was Watches Wonders 2021 behind us, its time to bring you another Sunday Morning Showdown. The past week has bee [...]

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 be looking at some of the best Breitling watches from the 1960s.In the 1960s, we witnessed developments that challenged the status quo of watch design forever. While the 1950s introduced the sports watches next to the dressier timepieces people were used to, the 1960s took that trope to the extreme. The sheer amount of watches that pushed the visual boun [...]

In our Sunday Morning Showdown, 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 dont forget to let us know which watches youd like to see torn to shreds/effusively exalted next week. Well try and feature as many of our readers choices as we can. After a short break for March Mania, were back with todays candidates. Each contender revives a cooky layout from its past in a modern guise. The Breitling Top Time and Zenith Chronomaster El Primero A385. Which revival riles you up?Dont adjust your television set. You are indeed looking at two brand new [...]

Breitling brings out the big guns with the Chronomat 42 B01 Red Arrows Limited Edition. As the name suggests, this version incorporates the RAF Red Arrows insignia. Not only that, but the famous flying diamond nine formation of the Red Arrows jets is displayed prominently on the dial, in place of the B logo.In my first hands-on review of the revived Chronomat, I referred to my Frecce Tricolori as a guilty acquisition. Typically guilt turns to resentment, and I feared the Chronomat would end up sitting unloved in the watch box. As it turns out, the opposite happened, and I find myself fighting the urge to grab the Breitling FT over all the others, including some review pieces. It might just b [...]

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, youre sure to love our month-long feature. 96 watches reviewed last year line up for a battle royale like nothing thats gone before. We need your votes. We want your comments. Help us decide the champion and share in its glory Let the games commenceIn 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 its number 1 vs. number 8, 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 [...]

Being separated from our watchmaking partners can be difficult. Most of what we see and hear from the brands takes the form of new releases when they are revealed to the world (or sometimes slightly before that). Without the movement of people, the rumor mill runs dry. Non-physical developments made by brands are easy to miss unless the brand communicates them directly. One brand that has made a good fist of that during this Covid-stricken era, is Breitling. And now the brand unveils a novel watch subscription program we hope will be of interest to readers, enabling an Authorized-Dealer-starved clientele to try before they buy.Last year, Breitling announced its new blockchain security system [...]

Welcome, one and all, to the preliminary round of March Mania 2021, here on Fratello. Are you a watch maniac like we are? If so, youre sure to love our month-long feature. 96 watches reviewed last year line up for a battle royale like nothing thats gone before. We need your votes. We want your comments. Help us decide the champion and share in its glory Let the games commenceIn this round, your task is simple: vote for your favorite watch. Below you will find a selection of 12 timepieces that we covered here on Fratello throughout 2020. Why not refresh your memory by clicking the links and reading those eruditely penned odes to wrist-wear? Once youve made your selection, vote using the poll [...]

Welcome, one and all, to the preliminary round of March Mania 2021, here on Fratello. Are you a watch maniac like we are? If so, youre sure to love our month-long feature. 96 watches reviewed last year line up for a battle royale like nothing thats gone before. We need your votes. We want your comments. Help us decide the champion and share in its glory Let the games commenceIn this round, your task is simple: vote for your favorite watch. Below you will find a selection of 12 timepieces that we covered here on Fratello throughout 2020. Why not refresh your memory by clicking the links and reading those eruditely penned odes to wrist-wear? Once youve made your selection, vote using the poll [...]

Welcome, one and all, to the preliminary round of March Mania 2021, here on Fratello. Are you a watch maniac like we are? If so, youre sure to love our month-long feature. 96 watches reviewed last year line up for a battle royale like nothing thats gone before. We need your votes. We want your comments. Help us decide the champion and share in its glory Let the games commenceIn this round, your task is simple: vote for your favorite watch. Below you will find a selection of 12 timepieces that we covered here on Fratello throughout 2020. Why not refresh your memory by clicking the links and reading those eruditely penned odes to wrist-wear? Once youve made your selection, vote using the poll [...]

Welcome, one and all, to the preliminary round of March Mania 2021, here on Fratello. Are you a watch maniac like we are? If so, youre sure to love our month-long feature. 96 watches reviewed last year line up for a battle royale like nothing thats gone before. We need your votes. We want your comments. Help us decide the champion and share in its glory Let the games commenceIn this round, your task is simple: vote for your favorite watch. Below you will find a selection of 12 timepieces that we covered here on Fratello throughout 2020. Why not refresh your memory by clicking the links and reading those eruditely penned odes to wrist-wear? Once youve made your selection, vote using the poll [...]

Picture this; you're clutching four aces in a game of Texas hold em poker. It's down to you and a single opponent with all other players either folding or busting out. The only possible hand that could trump you at this point is a straight flush. Your chips are low, and it's all on the table, but your opponent has just pushed. It is not with more chips, but their wristwatch, which they remove from their wrist and gently slide to the middle. It just so happens this is your grail watch, the unicorn, the one that's hard to find, let alone purchase.Your eyes flicker from your hand to the table. You don't have enough chips to match the bet, but you also don't want to split the pot. It's too late [...]

is what I often like to say to my fellow watch friends when they start again asking the same silly questions about Cartier.It was 1983 or 1984 when I bought my first real watch; the Cartier Santos. That was, of course, the square watch in steel with yellow gold lunette and steel bracelet with yellow gold screws. It was hot like hell and became the most copied watch. It was also that watch that made me interested in the history of the brand since the dealer told me that the design was inspired by the first men's wristwatch, launched by Cartier in 1904. So you can imagine that it did not take long before I became obsessed with watches in general, especially with Cartier.Cartier Watches From Co [...]

My first encounter with a Cartier Santos was in my late teens (early-mid 1990s). The owners of the local cafeteria annex snooker place were completely Cartier powered. Cartier Santos on the wrist, wearing Cartier glasses, fingers covered with Cartier rings, and on the other wrist Cartier bracelets and so on. I knew about this watch, but I cant recall where this specific knowledge came from. I guess this is applicable for a lot of people that would recognize a Cartier Santos for just being a Cartier Santos. I actually do remember that I asked the end-boss of the cafeteria about his Santos watch. He proudly told me he was a Cartier fan, and collected many things Cartier. When I dig a bit deepe [...]

This year, Cartier is celebrating the 100th anniversary of their Tank watch. Created by Louis Cartier in 1917, inspired by the (then) new Renault tanks that were used at the front during WW1. Based on this design, Cartier has made beautiful variations; the Tank Louis Cartier, the Tank Ame?ricaine and the Tank Franc?aise.Cartier Tank is a LegendThe Tank design has been copied by many, but theres only one original of course. The Tank is a rectangular watch, but not exactly, as the sides (also referred to as brancards) are a tad bit longer than the center part of the case. It allows the strap to become part of the overall design of the watch. Most Tank watches are characterized by having Roman [...]

Last January, at the SIHH in Geneva, Cartier launched two new Drive de Cartier models. Two models that, despite the name, not have that much in common besides the shape of the case and the large blued hands.?Drive de Cartier Moon PhasesOne is the Drive de Cartier Extra Flat, the watch that made headlines, as soon as it was presented, a stunning dress watch in white- or pink gold. And the other one is the Drive de Cartier Moon Phases' that we're having here this week, a watch which is also not to be sneezed at.The Moon Phases' model shares the typical details with the earlier Drive de Cartier models, that were launched last year. For instance the 40mm x 41mm cushion-shaped case, the guilloche [...]