Watches Blog Wrist Watch Reviews

The Oris Staghorn Restoration Limited Edition has been introduced as a special model in Oris new Aquis line. Sales of this watch will support the Coral Restoration Foundation (CRF) in Key Largo, Florida.The Coral Restoration FoundationThe Oris Staghorn Limited Edition at Pickles Reef, Key Largo, FloridaOcean conservation traditionOris has quite a tradition contributing to marine-life saving projects and ocean conservation. Since 2010, amongst other projects, they teamed up with projects in Australia, the Maldives and the Red Sea. For every project Oris introduced a special divers watch, from which part of its proceeds are donated to the belonging project.Oris Chairman Ulrich Herzoch explaini [...]

A few years ago, U-Boat jumped in the gap at that time of big watches. A Panerai wasnt affordable for everyone, so U-Boat produced large quartz watches and had a wide network of resellers. You could even get them at most clothing stores for men. Clever marketing made U-Boat a big name and even people who didnt care about watches, seem to know this brand. Heck, someone in a clothing store even asked me whether I was wearing a U-Boat, while it was a Panerai.Perhaps not fully justified, but Ive never given U-Boat watches a proper look. Dimer send me a few of his pictures that he took of this U42 model and telling me that he was very impressed by the watch and the watch box. Since I know Dimer [...]

When talking about luxury watches the first country that comes to mind is Switzerland. Germany and Japan might arise in certain cases, but there is one big player in the watch world that is lesser known but quite important, Italy. Considering the obsessive love affair that Italians have with their watches it is not hard to imagine how a few enterprising individuals have created a storied watchmaking tradition there, that is very much alive today.The U-Boat U-42 was designed to the specifications of a watch designed by Italo Fontanas grandfather in Italy in 1942Working at Matt Baily, a luxury watch boutique in the heart of Downtown Montreal (Quebec), Canada, offers a special perspective of th [...]

Fratello has some nice give aways coming up, and this Mario Paci MP XVIII strap is one of them Together with TC Straps and ViaPaneristi, long time friends of FratelloWatches, I can offer you this great give away for your Panerai time piece.Leave a comment with your name and a valid e-mail address, and a winner will be picked on the 15th of July. You will be contacted in order to ask you what colour strap and which size you prefer. The following sizes are available (width at the lug buckle and long part length short part length):24/24 115/7524/24 125/8024/24 130/8526/26 125/80The MP XVIII strap will be available in the following colours: Camel, Cappuccino and Nero (as seen below).Thanks to [...]

Part of being a Paneristi is to collect nice and special watch straps. I have written about straps made from vintage ammo pouches and one not for Panerai in this case made from the leather interior of a Mercedes SLR 300 (1956) formerly owned by Jean Todt.Last week, I received an e-mail about DaLucas Panerai Straps. The owner, Daniel Luczak, creates one-off straps for Panerai watches made out of ammo pouches and other vintage leather used for (mostly) military purposes. Each strap is individually named and will never be duplicated.On PaneraiSource.com, youll find a well written and documented review of DaLuca straps. As I wrote some time ago, these kind of straps and intiatives makes me wan [...]

Paneristi (= dedicated Panarai fans) are famous for their GetToGethers. The best known GTG is P-Day, this year to be held in Florence, Italy. Home of the Officine.Last weekend, WatchRon (one of the Dutch Paneristis) organized a GTG for all Belgian and Dutch Paneristi. Unfortunately, I wasnt able to join them, but the stunning pictures they posted on PaneristiPix and the wristwatchphotoblog by Martin make up a lot.A good GTG comes with a good meal, and according to some of the attendees in the Dutch Panerai Forum, the meal was excellent.Part of the Panerai fun is about straps (and changing them). Dirk Grandry, one of the most famous strap sellers, was also there, presenting a large collection [...]

About a year ago, I wrote about a book called Vintage Panerai by Ralf Ehlers and Volker Wiegmann, both Paneristi from Germany. These guys have written the successor of their first book and it is currently available for pre-order. Their second book is being called Vintage Panerai The References and can be ordered at vintage-panerai.de for 169 Euro. Their first book, Vintage Panerai Watches with History, is also still for sale for 79 Euro.The Vintage Panerai The Legends book is documenting 34 different vintage / historic Panerai watches. The peculiarities and differences between the References 3646, 6152, 6154, 6152/1 and the GPF 2/56 are explained in detail and with rich reference to varia [...]

Project X Designs is a London based company, specializing in customizing [mainly Rolex] wrist watches. You can order a regular Rolex wrist watch on their site, and tick the options to customize it entirely to your wishes. DLC (Diamond Like Carbon is quite popular since a few years, and since Rolex isnt offering in their own catalogue, Project X Designs can do so for you The DLC wiki sums it up as: The hardest, strongest, and slickest is such a mixture, known as tetrahedral amorphous carbon, or ta-C. For example a coating of only 2??m thickness of ta-C increases the resistance of common (i.e. type 304) stainless steel against abrasive wear; changing its lifetime in such service from one week [...]

My 2007 Panerai Luminor Base (Logo) has to go, if you are interested, please let me know. It comes complete with box+papers, OEM rubber strap, bezel protector etc.You can either contact me by mailing me ([emailprotected]) or by visiting the Chrono24 and check the contact details. https://www.chrono24.nl/panerai/1439107.htm [...]

A while ago, I posted about this watch strap made out of the leather interior of this Mercedes-Benz 300SLR (owned by Jean Todt). If you own a Panerai watch, you probably know all about this strap thing. I have seen them in all kinds of colors, materials (even elephant) and with all types of buckles and inscriptions.A very popular leather strap seems to be the ammo pouch strap. Yes, an ammo pouch. Below youll see one of a Russian soldier outfit from the early 20th century.I have seen some really nice models over at Catcherstraps, and for a decent price as well. The straps made by Ted Su are also very popular amongst Paneristi world wide. I really like the vintage Swiss ammo pouch strap by Ted [...]

Oh, shoot me. This Panerai Forum is something I set-up with the help of some Panerai enthusiasts. The Dutch Rolex Forum is quite popular, so I wondered if there would be space for a Dutch Panerai Forum as well. Panerai is a brand that I have the famous love hate relationship with. I had this wonderful PAM 113 and sold it because I thought I could do without. Boy, I was wrong. I really missed the whole Panerai experience.. being a Paneristi, buying and changing Panerai straps once in a while (or too often). So, about a year after I sold it, I ran into this great looking Panerai 000. As good as new. And the enthusiasm was immediately there again. Anyway, as a result, I started the Dutch Paner [...]

The Aquanaut is making its way through the ranks. The Aquanaut's design is a derivative of the Nautilus, and it always stood in its shadow, but the times they are a-changing. There are no less than 17 models in Patek Philippe's sporty-chic Aquanaut collection nowadays. And if that doesn't count for something, there are complications like the Travel Time and Chronograph models to add gravitas to the collection. Today Patek Philippe drops two white gold Aquanaut Chronographs in navy blue and army green gradient dials to further strengthen the ranks. The ambitious Aquanaut is on the rise.When introduced in 1997 the Aquanaut looked like a teenage version of the Genta-designed Nautilus. The round [...]

Patek Philippe Nautilus Chronograph 5980 in goldPatek Philippe surprised us this year with an all gold Nautilus Chronograph reference 5980/1R and gold/steel combination of the watch as well (reference 5980/1AR). Although we feel that a Nautilus should be in stainless steel (unless you are Scott Disick), we actually could appreciate these gold versions of the iconic Genta timepiece.Technically speaking, nothing changed compared to the stainless steel Nautilus 5980/1A model. Both have the automatic winding PP caliber 28-520 C movement with chronograph function with the hour and minute recorder in one sub counter. The central seconds hand is the chronograph hand. Things like the level of water [...]

We value your opinion, dear readers, and you should let us know what the finals are going to look like. In this round of the Summer Splash, its the Doxa Sub300 Carbon versus the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M. The choice is up to you, dear Fratelli, so cast your vote at the end of this article. Your pick will potentially go on to win it So who will it be? The great white shark or the cheeky yellow tropical fish?Omega Seamaster Diver 300MThe summer is coming to an end this week in The Netherlands, where I live. Temperatures are dropping and I noticed I am picking business shirts and sweaters over my polo shirts again. It makes the white dial Seamaster Diver 300M even more versatile, as I cant see [...]

I love my gold Omega Speedmaster, but it took me quite some time to warm up to the idea of having a sports or tool watch in gold. The Omega Speedmaster was initially meant as a tool watch, for sportspeople and scientists. We all know the old advertisements with the racing car and the Speedmaster featured as a timing device. To make one of these watches in precious metal was then not such an obvious choice. However, hindsight is 20/20 and we now know that theres nothing quite as special as a Speedmaster in gold!Essentially, I still feel that a tool watch shouldn't be made of gold. Or, better said, a watch you will use as a tool watch. However, I also believe that a) you should buy and wear wh [...]

Boring goes a long way. As a kid, I wanted nothing more than to eat pancakes every day. One day, my mom couldn't handle my nagging any longer and made me pancakes in the morning. And in the afternoon and the evening too. Guess what? The next day, the kitchen smelled like pancakes again. And I was done. I wanted toast. What do pancakes have in common with the best boring but brilliant watches in the world? Well, a watch with an exuberantly, multicolored dial is a pancake. The Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Chronograph, with a black one, is the toast you can have any day and every day.The good thing about fresh toast is that you can dress it up with sweet or savory stuff. And even just with a litt [...]

The launch of the latest Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch generated a murmur amongst Speedy enthusiasts. Voiced around the world, we have seen this question or better said, remark, popping up quite frequently. So I am here today to try and address the burning question: can the current Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch still be considered a Moonwatch? And while Im at it, Ill be looking at other Speedmasters to see how they hold up when faced with this same scrutiny.In getting right to the point regarding the latest Speedmaster released by Omega earlier this year, the short answer is quite simply no. Strictly speaking, the Speedmasters that were worn on the moon were references 105.003, 105.012, and 145. [...]

WASP 9.91 sees the guys go to two decimal places for the first time, much to the confusion of everyone else. Less confusing, however, is the duos shared love of a very special Omega Speedmaster created for the Olympics, but thats not the only Olympic watch to feature Far from itFor the first time ever, an on-air purchase occurs as Rob stumbles across his all-time favorite Swatch available on eBay for a stunning price (box and papers included). Additionally, Fridge and Freezer discuss Balazss recent purchases (lovers of vintage Angelus be sure to tune in) and Robs burgeoning collection of caps that had a sudden injection of volume thanks to the chance discovery of an old forgotten sports stor [...]

The new Speedmaster Moonwatch Master Chronometer was not even on my short-term wish list, as I already have a few Moonwatch references, but I simply could not resist. This time, I was initially (and finally) aiming for the Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon, but the Moonwatch force was strong. I ended up buying the new Speedmaster Moonwatch Master Chronometer, with Hesalite crystal. Allow me to explain.I bought the new Moonwatch with Hesalite crystal, mainly because I think it is somewhat more historically correct. But more importantly, I like the looks of the Hesalite crystal. It magnifies the dial of the Speedmaster in a way that the Sapphire crystal cant. The Omega Speedmaster sapphi [...]

The boys are back in town after a desperately long hiatus. Weve plugged in the fridge and switched on the freezer Balazs and I are back and this week we have our top Olympic moments and some awesome vintage Omega purchases to share with you.We decided to choose our bronze, silver, and gold performers/moments from the Olympics this year, to round off what turned out to be a pretty darn exciting edition of the greatest sporting carnival of all. Normally, I dont reveal much about the show in my notes, but for posterity, I thought it best that I note down the picks for all those that dont have time to listen to the pod but might like to offer their own suggestions in the comments below.BalazsBro [...]