Watches Blog Wrist Watch Reviews

During Watches Wonders last year, Zenith graced us with the new Defy Extreme. The most extreme Defy model was not just a tour de force in materials and design. The main attraction was, without a doubt, the 1/100th of a second automatic high-frequency chronograph movement. We had the pleasure of witnessing one of the models from up close. Besides the amazing movement, I was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable the Defy Extreme was with its titanium case and bracelet. Now the brand makes the watch even lighter by releasing the Zenith Defy Extreme Carbon.I love Zenith because the brand shows great variety in its collections. The biggest joy for me is in the Chronomaster line, and especially [...]

Happy Monday to you, Fratelli, and what a Monday it is Today is the start of LVMH Watch Week, and that means well see a plethora of new watch releases. The groups watch brands TAG Heuer, Hublot, Bvlgari, and Zenith all have a bunch of new stuff up their sleeves. So allow Jorg and I to kick the week off with a few of the first new watches that caught our attention. In Jorgs article, hell be showing you some highlights from Hublot, while Ill be introducing the new Zenith Defy Skyline.Last week, Daan de Groot made his editorial debut on Fratello, writing about the new Zenith Defy Revival A3642. Its a near-spitting image of the first Defy wristwatch that Zenith released back in 1969. And in term [...]

Zenith has been very much on my radar since a get-together with other watch enthusiasts some months ago. In particular, the El Primero Revivals and Defy series caught my attention. That's why I recently tried on the Chronomasters A384 and A386-inspired Original, as well as the blue Defy in 41mm. Of course, I also looked at some pictures from when they were originally introduced in the 1960s. I found that the current Defy range looks especially different from its ancestors. I even thought to myself, Wouldn't it be great if Zenith introduced a modern Defy with a design much closer to that original version? Et voila-Last Sunday, Zenith shared a moving close-up of a watch that would be introduce [...]

Fans of manga, anime, and polarizing watches rejoice: Zenith may have released just the watch for you This Lupin The Third Final Edition is the latest installment into Zeniths highly successful Chronomaster Revival range. It is also the last piece in a trio of watches inspired by the Japanese manga and anime series Lupin The Third. The first two Chronomasters in this limited-edition series featured previously unproduced dials. The designs came directly from episodes of the anime series, and both had an overall classic aesthetic. For the final edition, however, Zenith went all out, combining the previous two dials for an eye-popping look.At Fratello, were big fans of the Chronomaster Revival [...]

Every watch enthusiast can think of a great discontinued timepiece that should return to the spotlight. Not as a reissue, but as a worthy successor to the original. An original 2.0, if you will. That's what we talk about at the Fratello offices. And these talks inspired us to come up with a series about watches that the Fratello editors would like to see make a comeback. Some watches are iconic, some of them are less popular. But all of them are loved by at least one of our editors. Lets look at some of our favorites in this series. This time, it's Lex who wants the late 1990s Zenith El Primero Rainbow Flyback Chronograph redone.In those Fratello team discussions, we regularly dive deep into [...]

Were just one day away from the finals of The Fast And The Fratelli competition. One of the finalists will be a Speedmaster, and the decision seems to be fixed that it is the Speedmaster Calibre 321 presented by RJ. The other finalist will be the winner of this race here either Daves Fortis or Andreass Zenith. Which contestant shall go head-to-head with the mighty Speedmaster?Andreas Zenith El Primero A368 RevivalSo its Daves Fortis that you Fratelli chose to oppose my Zenith in the semi-finals. Well then, lets take a look at that opponent. Why does the Fortis B-42 always remind me of the B-52 Stratofortress? Is it the robust look or the generous dimensions of this chubby little Cosmonaut? Y [...]

Ive said it before, and Ill say it again: the road to our dream watches isnt always a straight shot. Sure, sometimes it is, or at least relatively so. Acquiring my first two grails, the Tudor Black Bay and the Rolex Submariner, had simply been a matter of diligent saving and timely buying. Back in early 2018, however, the Zenith El Primero Striking 10th was proving much more difficult to procure. It was what I had deemed as my ultimate chronograph, and I would stop at absolutely nothing to own one. Or would I?In Part One of this series, I explained how I determined my perfect collection. I detailed my disappointment when, having hunted for over a year, I bought a defective Striking 10th and [...]

It's time for a good, old-fashioned shootout This is the stage where the voting really counts. It will decide who drops out of the competition, and who comes one step closer to taking first place. Today, it's Zenith versus Tudor, and Andreas versus Jorg. Both their picks are firmly rooted in the past. While the Tudor Black Bay Chrono is a more contemporary model, Zenith reaches back to the birth of a legend with the A386 Revival. Will the popularity of the crowns little sister outplay the historical achievements of the grande dame who once established the concept of a manufacture? That's up to you Cast your vote and let us know your pick in the comments!As always, both editors will be presen [...]

Welcome to todays edition of The Fast And The Fratelli. Im making it easy for myself and adding two contestants with vintage vibes to our competition. Vintage style is still incredibly hot. In the days those vintage-styled watches refer to, mechanical chronographs and racing were inextricably linked. You read it in the title: Sinn is going to confront Zenith here. Sinn has a reputation regarding tool watches, which is what were talking about. But how could that German brand have any chance against a more than 150-year-old Swiss watchmaking heavyweight? Well, read on to find out!The goal is simple, and so is the race. During The Fast And The Fratelli Grand Prix, its up to you to elect the bes [...]

Re-releasing a watch inspired by an iconic model from your catalog is something brands are not afraid of doing nowadays. However, only a few brands are brave enough to delve deeper into the oddball and rare releases from their past. This is exactly what Zenith has done with the Chronomaster Revival Poker Chip. It hearkens back to 1969 when the brand released the El Primero G383, which was given the nickname Poker Chip due to its dial design. Very much of the era, the psychedelic patterns are undeniably eye-catching. Now, the modern revival, created by Zenith and SJX watches, brings back the watch with a stealthy appearance and plenty of lume!Weve often sung the praises of vintage and modern [...]

It was only a matter of time before we saw more from the DEFY Extreme. Zenith launched the new model back at Watches Wonders in April of this year. Since then, the DEFY Extreme has quietly sat in the brands catalog, waiting its turn for the limited edition treatment. Zenith has introduced an interesting iterative update in the DEFY Extreme Desert, alongside a series of exclusive photographs by the acclaimed nature photographer Kourosh Keynejad.First, the makeover Zenith gave the DEFY Extreme Desert is subtle by the brands own bold standard. If Id had to guess what the first iterative update/limited edition may have looked like, I think Id have guessed a ceramic or forged carbon case. I mean [...]

We like to talk about vintage watches a lot within the Fratello team. Though most of what we write about is primarily focused on the most recent releases and developments, for many of us, a lot of the fun can be found in the sometimes weird and often wonderful world of vintage watches. Its 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 are priceless, some of them still affordable. In this installment, we will take a look at the best Zenith watches from the 1990s.This week we will continue our journey through watch histor [...]

Our friends from down under have today launched a new collaboration with Zenith. The Aussies announced the collaboration over the weekend with a slickly produced teaser video. Said video indicated we were looking at something from the Defy range, but the finer details were well obscured. Today, we get to see the Time+Tide a Zenith Defy Classic Skeleton Night Surfer in all its glory!It didnt take a super sleuth to work out that we were getting a new Defy model. The case was quite evident in the teaser video, but that was just enough to pique our interest and keeping us guessing until the full reveal today.Enter the Night SurferSeeing the fully lit images gave me a welcome surprise. The Time+T [...]

Ill just come out and say it. There is no chronograph in the world that I love more than the tri-color Zenith El Primero An irreverent statement coming from a writer at Fratello, I know. After all, its no secret that we love our Speedies around here. However, an absolute, exclusive enthusiasm for the Omega icon is actually not a necessity. And personally, there is just no other chronograph that speaks to me the way the tri-color El Primero does.Known these days as the Chronomaster, everything about the watch just does it for me. From its history as the worlds first high-frequency automatic chronograph in 1969 to its unmistakable blue and gray sub-dials, the watch rings both my intellectual a [...]

We like to talk about vintage watches a lot within the Fratello team. Though most of what we write about is largely focused on the most recent releases and developments, for many of us, a lot of the fun can be found in the sometimes weird and often wonderful world of vintage watches. 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 are priceless, some of them still affordable. In this installment, we will take a look at the best Zenith watches from the 1980s.While the 1970s were a decade filled with tremendous change [...]

When I finally got my shot at writing about watches for aBlogtoWatch way back in 2015, I was set an initial task that would serve as my probation: three articles to be turned around in a week. If they were up-to-scratch, I would become a member of the team. Given the years Id invested in earning that opportunity, the pressure I felt was immense. No surprises, then, that the subjects of those three trial articles have remained in mind ever since. One of them, The Zenith Academy Georges Favre-Jacot 18k Gold watch recently popped up on Zeitauktion and brought memories of that experience flooding back.I fancy myself a pressure performer. In any sporting contest, while never the superstar, I alwa [...]

Its been more than a week since the new Zenith Chronomaster Original dropped. I took some time to gather my thoughts on what has quickly become one of my favorite 2021 releases. Do I have any reservations? Lets see!So, a person walks into the local Omega AD or boutique. He or she casually browses the display cases, but, meanwhile, this person knows exactly what they want. The Speedmaster Professional is the watch that will find its way to this buyers wrist. A ritual like this has been going on since the late 1960s because this is the legendary watch most associate with Omega.The A386 cameand wentNow, shift to Zenith, and while space exploration isnt a part of the brands backstory, taking par [...]

Ask any watch enthusiast who has known me for more than a day, and they will tell you of my love for Zenith. It's true. My favorite watch in my humble collection is the 2009 El Primero Striking 10th, and I am an unabashed fan of the brand. Now, I wouldn't say I'm exactly a fanboy. Not every release makes my heart palpitate, and there have been some in the last decade that were just plain hideous (48mm Tribute to Rolling Stones Pilot, anyone?).These days, however, I do greatly appreciate the overall direction in which the brand is heading. From Elite to Chronomaster and Pilot to Defy, Zenith's current offerings cater to a wide range of classical, sporty, romantic, and futuristic tastes, all w [...]

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. 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. In this installment, we will take a look at the best Zenith watches from the 1970s.In the 1960s, we witnessed developments that challenged the status quo of watch design forever. The sheer amount [...]

Quite often, the fusion of two designs leads to controversial results. Can you really combine two unique design ideas successfully? When Zenith introduced the El Primero A3817 in 1971, watch fans must have raised an eyebrow or two when seeing the amalgamation of the iconic A384 and A386. Then again, the 1970s were an age of experimentation, so fusion design was definitely a part of that era. Five decades after the initial release, Zenith has released the modern version with the Chronomaster Revival El Primero A3817. Does my purist heart accept this pairing of iconic styles?Zenith has been releasing watches at a rapid rate over the last roughly two years. With a mixture of limited releases an [...]