Watches Blog Wrist Watch Reviews

After coming down from the interview with World Number One Primo? Rogli? last week, Fridge and Freezer are back in the Smooth Booth, foraging around in a bulging mailbag. This week, the boys select two very watch-centric questions for one another.This week, the terrible twosome tackle questions about dress watches (the best ones and the very definition of the genre), which watches one should buy to commemorate achieving the PADI diving certification, why they collect watches and sports memorabilia, and Rob fields the easiest watchmaking hes ever been asked: which watches would you recommend buying as a his and hers wedding gift?Next week, well be back on the boards and the ice to round up th [...]

Today is father's day here in the Netherlands. It wasn't until a few years ago, that I realized that father's day is celebrated on different days around the world. Call me a bad son, but, to me, it meant little more than a mandatory call to my parents on father's day or mother's day. That changed when I became a father myself, on May 31st, 2013. I now know what it means, and I happily call my own parents now to wish them a wonderful day.I can't speak for anyone else, but I remember seeing my daughter for the first time and the only thing I could think was, I know you already. That instant connection and instant love is something amazing. Someone called having a child a life-changing event. I [...]

We've seen more gold Speedmasters in recent years than ever before. The recent introductions of the Speedmaster Apollo 11 Moonshine, Apollo 17 in yellow gold, and the new Moonwatch models in white gold and Sedna gold, for example, have brought a lot of color to the SpeedyTuesday news feed on Instagram. But what about a platinum Speedmaster?This precious material has been used for the Speedmaster since 1994, but only in very small quantities. How come? It is not so much the fact that processing this rather gummy material is challenging, and therefore expensive, but because the demand is just low. Many of you prefer white gold over platinum (for a considerably friendlier price), with almost t [...]

Its a crying shame that dive watches were replaced by dive computers way back when. What could dive watches have become had we relied on them solely for measuring depth and timing how fast our body absorbs gasses before we simply run out of air and have to make an emergency ascent? Lets not go there. Theres some technology that we should be thankful for and computerized diving equipment is one of them. Luckily though, dive watches are still just as stylish and collectible today as they were before dive computers even came onto the scene and attempted to deliver a near-death blow to these wristwatches altogether.Whats more, despite a heavily saturated market, we haven't forgotten those blasts [...]

When I rotated the one and only watch on my wrist back in the day, I remember how obsessed I was with its accuracy. Every few days I set the time against a known source to be sure I always had the most precise time possible.? ?Since more watches have entered my collection, I?seldom wear the same watch for a few days in a row. Even if a watch comes for review, I?switch it during the day, just to refresh my eyes. I?don't know what your vibe is, but when I?have a?watch on my wrist for one?day only, watch accuracy is not an issue for me. Once I?put the watch aside, I?have no clue when it comes back on the wrist. That means I?always need to set and wind it again to feel like I?have the most preci [...]

I can't believe it is already nine years since I published my first Speedy Tuesday story. In 2012, I posted a picture of my Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch on Facebook with just It is Speedy Tuesday', as it was a Speedmaster and a Tuesday. Fast forward to today, and Omega now drops its new Speedmasters on Tuesdays (deliberately). You could say a lot has happened in the last nine years.Since then, we've published nearly 500 Speedmaster articles and the Speedy Tuesday hashtag has been used over 280,000 times on Instagram by Speedmaster enthusiasts and collectors. In 2017 and 2018, we even had the opportunity to create two Speedmaster Professional watches, the Tribute To Alaska III and the U [...]

A couple of weeks ago, our very own Ben Hodges enjoyed an illuminating back-and-forth with one of his musical heroes. The gracious Misha Mansoor of the metal band Periphery took some time out of his day to chat about timepieces. Today, we revisit that interview with the audio supplied by Misha, interspersed with the fearsomely inane commentary of Ben and Rob.Okay, were not?that bad. In fact, theres a good argument to be made that we might be mildly entertaining. From my perspective, the highlight of the show is definitely my spot-on impression of Bens delicious British accent, but he would probably disagree. He might point to the first-hand testimony of one of musics most talented guitarists [...]

On the first Tuesday of 2021, Omega unveiled a slew of new Speedmaster Moonwatch references. Among which were the surprising proprietary Sedna (rose) gold and Canopus (white) gold models. But to its core, Omega kept things straightforward with the stainless steel Moonwatch. In the steel guise were four references with either Hesalite or sapphire crystal on the front glass. Each choice of crystal also had the option of a steel bracelet or strap. But only one reference ended up on my wish list. And it was compelling enough for me to sell my beloved First Omega in Space to own it. I am talking about the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional Co-Axial Master Chronometer reference 310.30.42.50. [...]

The treasures are still out there Last week, I wondered for a while if everything Speedmaster-related was skyrocketing (no pun intended) out of reach, but I quickly found out that this is not the case. Yet.Two of my favorite Speedmaster watches are up for grabs (hey, everything is relative these days) for a total of 5,000. I am talking about the Speedmaster X-33 and the Split-Seconds (or Rattrapante). The X-33 reference 3290.50 is even considered to be a Speedmaster Professional, and the Rattrapante reference 3540.50 seems to be sharing a very similar case design. gallery-1 {margin: auto;} gallery-1 .gallery-item {float: left;margin-top: 10px;text-align: center;width: 50%;} gallery-1 img {bo [...]

Fratello on Air returns with another talkative episode. This time, we answer a listeners question about watch culture around the world.Its true that Fratello boasts one of the more multinational teams. One of our listeners from Finland decided to take advantage of that by asking us about watch culture around the globe. How do people come together, do they come together, and do they even like watches in some countries? We dont have all the answers, but we enjoyed the chat. This time, its Mike, Jorg, and Balazs on the mics for a bit of banter.Wrist check and the newsThe gents roll through a Handgelenks Kontrolle and youll find a lovely Rolex GMT-Master 1675 on the wrist of our main Magyar, Bal [...]

Hey there team, it's time for a little bit of Wrist Game or Crying Shame. This week, we travel back to the days before 007 donned an Omega. Appropriately enough, this week's watch is the Omega Seamaster Pre Bond Automatic. Whether or not this one leaves you either shaken or stirred remains to be seen. But first?-Last week, I took you on a trip down memory lane to El Paso, Texas with a story on the Panerai Luminor Marina PVD Destro. This limited-edition model from 2008 wasn't minty fresh, but that didn't stop it from bringing home a refreshing 59% Wrist Game win. I'm starting to get the feeling that Panerai is making a comebackC and I like it Today's Omega Seamaster Pre Bond Automatic tones i [...]

Collecting watches is also about sharing this passion with others. Theres little or no fun in just collecting without talking about (your) watches with other like-minded people, right? Last year we brought you a number of collectors stories from Speedmaster enthusiasts. Today we have Kelvin who wants to share his story on the new Speedmaster Professional.Kelvin started collecting watches in 2012. Not with an Omega Speedmaster, but with a pre-owned Rolex Sea-Dweller Deepsea. Today, he has a number of watches, including the new Omega Speedmaster Professional Master Chronometer. It isnt Kelvins first Speedmaster watch though. It is his third, and hopefully this one will stay in his collection.K [...]

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 Omega watches from the 1970s.In the 1960s, we witnessed developments that challenged the status quo of watch design forever. The sheer amount o [...]

Yo, yo, yo, weve gone decimal I knew there was a reason we had those funny old episode numbers. Now we finally know why. The long-planned episode 10 has been delayed because for the first time this year both Balazs (Fridge) and Rob (Freezer) are in different countries (whaaat?).Thats right, episode 9.1 (the second installment of our mailbag series) sees the Podcast come to you from Dresden (Germany) and P cs (Hungary). Our intrepid international impresarios have watches from Omega, Artya, Armin Strom, and more for your listening pleasure.This week, we touch on Murderball (correcting an error in last weeks episode), Ice Hockey (the Olympics), the Isle of Man TT, Stamford Bridge, and Baseball. [...]

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. In todays episode, we set out on a grand voyage for exotic dive watches over 10,000. The new 2021 Omega Seamaster 300 in Bronze Gold takes on the Glash1tte Original SeaQ Panorama Date.Again we are selecting a new 2021 watch for our Sunday Morning Showdown series. But this time, the contender was not part [...]

Just recently, I wrote why I love Omega watches so much. I received many wonderful responses, including a lot of questions about vintage Omega watches. This led me to the idea of creating an overview of the 10 vintage Omega watches I like best.It is not easy, to come up with an overview of just 10 vintage Omega watches that are my absolute favorites. It sounds easy and I could just mention 10 Speedmaster references, but we've published an overview of my favorite Speedmasters before. And, not many people are aware, but I also collect Constellations and have a weak spot for some other (vintage) Omega watches as well. So I tried to come up with a nicely balanced overview of 10 vintage Omega wat [...]

Michael Collins, born on October 31st, 1930 in Rome, was one of the three men that were on Apollo 11 in 1969. Together with Edwin Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins left Earth on July 16th, 1969, destination Moon. It became the most famous space mission of all time and remains so to this day.Last week, on April 28th, 2021, Michael Collins passed away aged 90, in Naples, Florida. Having a father in the military, Michael Collins followed a well-trodden path at first. In 1952, he graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point and at some point became a test pilot in the Air Force. Then, in 1963, Collins was selected by NASA for their space program. It wasnt until 1966 that he [...]

Quite rare and hard to find: stumbling upon an Omega Seamaster Ref. 145.023 in such a good condition as the one we found on Zeitauktion is like discovering a NOS lightsaber on the planet Mustafar in the Outer Rim. The Omega Seamaster Anakin Skywalker watch is a multipurpose piece of kit because it's both a style statement AND a very interesting chronograph from a historical perspective. The extravagant design catches the eye and immediately takes you back to the 70s. And if you let your mind wander freely, this Seamaster will even take you to a galaxy far, far away.It was the late Chuck Maddox a legendary chronograph collector with a vast collection and the knowledge to back it up, who publi [...]

Among the watches I have, one of them has a very special meaning to me: the Omega Constellation. For me, the passion for this model started in the 90s when Cindy Crawford inspired so many women to get a Constellation including my mom who bought one for me.For others, it all started even earlier. And that passion still burns strong. We see this regularly, as love for this watch is shared and re-shared here on Fratello or on our social media channels at a surprising rate. I find that very satisfying. I'm not afraid to admit I'm sad when I see people chasing the same type of watches designed by Genta, while there are so many concepts that deserve more attention than those more obvious choices.T [...]

It will be difficult to not use the name Yacht-Master in this write-up. One glance at the midsize Omega Seamaster Professional Automatic Chronometer 300M Diver watch is enough to show you very clearly what I mean. Doesn't that bezel ring a bell? It does, doesn't it? The edgy shape of the uni-directional white gold bezel is distinctly Seamaster and the same goes for the wave pattern on the deep black dial. This dressy Seamaster is quite the sophisticated yachtsman. Or noble diver, if you prefer.With its 36.25a11.5mm white gold case, the midsize Omega Seamaster Professional Automatic Chronometer 300M Diver watch (ref. 2652.50.91) is a very versatile creature. Because of its modest size, it sli [...]