Watches Blog Wrist Watch Reviews

Heuer or TAG Heuer only got limited attention here at Fratellowatches, but thats going to change today. Recently, I had the opportunity to see the Heuer 300 SLR and TAG Heuer Carrera Caliber 1887 in the flesh and handled both of them. The Heuer 300 SLR is a chronograph to my liking, the column wheel in-house chronograph (although some voices whisper Seiko when discussing this movement) is a very straight-forward but impressive movement. The sleek case design with its elegant lugs and chronograph pushers and the brown dial with orange details make this 300SLR a great tribute to 1960s chronograph watches. Also, true Heuer fans will be excited that this watch has no sign of the TAG logo, its [...]

Heuer (and later on TAG Heuer) has a strong relationship to racing, hence the names of their watches (Monaco, Monza, Silverstone, Daytona, Carrera and so on). In 1975, Heuer shocked the world by introducing a timepiece with a LCD and LED combination. Quartz driven of course and operated by two separate movements. In 1977 which was a fine year Heuer ditched the LED display and replaced it by a LCD display as well. The LED screen was a power consuming display which probably caused a lot of reliability issues.LED-Forever, a website dedicated to these type of watches, has put up one of the rarest versions of them all, the Heuer Chronosplit Ferrari Edition (r102.703-3) as sold in 1978. Famous d [...]

Pioneering Swiss watchmaking for 150 years. According to the official TAG Heuer website that is, because there is some discussion around the pioneering part. Their latest in-house manufactured caliber 1887 movement seems to be based on a Seiko movement. Nothing necessarily wrong with that,???? however, TAG Heuers press release stated that this caliber 1887 is a designed 100% in-house movement. Even according to TAG Heuers CEO J. Babin, it is clearly not designed in-house, as the CEO himself is posting messages on several TAG Heuer forums to give an explanation to all TAG Heuer fans. His post on WatchUseek starts like this: Hi, Im J.C. Babin the CEO of TAG Heuer, and YES, the new Caliber 1887 [...]

Brand boutiques are popping up like mushrooms the last few years. I wonder how the authorized dealers feel about this and what the ideas are behind these brand boutiques. The authorized dealers are more or less required to buy a certain collection of watches from a brand, even if they know upfront they wont be selling certain models. The boutiques however, can probably decide on their own what to buy, or it just doesnt matter because they ARE the brand and can return the watches that dont get sold back to Switzerland (for example).The authorized dealers have their own solution for this, which is selling or trading the watches that they dont want to sell or cant sell, to [grey] dealers elsewh [...]

One of the big bummers of the BaselWorld 2009 show was that I was unable to take a closer look at TAG Heuers new watches. The gigantic booth had this display in front of it, with both the old Monaco (1133) (it was the actual watch that Steve McQueen wore in Le Mans) and the new 40th anniversary Monaco.The girl (a rented promo model with a cool leather TAG Heuer Gulf jacket) couldnt allow us to go inside the booth to make some decent pictures and she was also told NOT to give any press kits to the press (I had a press card via Perpetuelle).I wonder if thats really the policy, since TAG Heuer at least floods my mailbox with ALL of their new releases and celebrity news. Anyway, since there was [...]

Last week we introduced you to the U-Boat U-51 Chimera Bronze edition, if you havent read it yet, go there first as it has a small introduction on the brand as well.We decided to do a U-Boat review once every week in July and we picked this U-Boat U-42 BB reference 6947 as our second watch to review.The case parts of this 53mm large U-42 (which refers to the founding year of the company by Italo Fontanas (CEO) grandfather and certainly not to the size of the watch) have been made out of titanium with a black coating. However, the size of 53mm doesnt appear to be extra-ordinary, just plain large.However, if you ever seen one of the Fratello guys, you know were no slim and short guys. So maybe [...]

Why we didnt feature U-Boat beforeIf you are not from The Netherlands, Belgium or Luxembourg, you can skip this small introduction for sure. However, if you want to know why we didnt feature more U-Boat in the past, keep on reading.Earlier this year, I was on a short trip to London and U-Boat UK invited me over to meet with them. I have to be honest with you and say that U-Boat wasnt exactly on my radar for a long time. The reason for this is that they were marketed in The Netherlands (where we are based) in a terrible manner approximately 10 years ago. However, I decided to go to see the people at U-Boat in London and to my surprise they acknowledged the fact these early days werent the bes [...]

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. This week sees us (mosh)pit two quartz-regulated titanium barnstormers in a battle like no other the Omega Speedmaster X-33 and Breitling Aerospace. Life in the ISS and above the clouds may be the primary intent of these watches, but Jorg and Ben share a passion for music, which led them to uncover an unintentional benefit of both the Omega and BreitlingHip hop see [...]

Thats it. Its over. After a strange few months, the 2020/21 season has come to a stunningly normal conclusion. If Tom Brady keeps this up, hell be in the market for extra fingers before we know it. With his seventh ring and fifth Super Bowl MVP award in the bag, there is not much left to be said about a career that could be broken in half, viewed sideways, with one eye closed, while standing on your head and still be worthy of a first-ballot induction to the Hall of Fame. Instead, were turning our attention toward one of the most worn watches of the event. The new Breitling Chronomat.In all honesty, I am still bitter about the whole 2020/21 season. As a die-hard Broncos fan since the John El [...]

Balazs and Mike are sticking to their word by serenading you with their dulcet tones every two weeks. Our latest podcast touches on the subject of vintage chronographs once again, but with a twist.Thats right, vintage chronographs are in focus yet again, but this time we talk about the pieces on our wish list with some cool anecdotes thrown in for good measure. We dont own these but would love to acquire them if funds allow.Our Fratello on Air podcast is also available via Buzzsprout,?Soundcloud,?Apple Podcast,?Google Podcast,?Deezer,??Stitcher, and?Spotify.Handgelenk KontrolleBefore hitting the main topic on vintage chronographs, we roll through our customary Handgelenk Kontrolle. Mike come [...]

Personally, I like the idea of a limited edition release. But I have started hating the frequency with which brands like to use the words limited edition. And thankfully, some brands have taken a step back and realized they might have pushed the limits of the credibility of these two words.? But it does not necessarily mean there are no worthwhile limited editions anymore. We saw some pretty amazing limited-edition releases in 2020. These are my favorites of last years string of limited releases.While there is something to be said about brands actually overusing the term limited edition, the behavior it sparks in consumers remains mindblowing. There is hardly a consumer phenomenon as powerfu [...]

Welcome back to another Fratello on Air Podcast. This time, Balazs and Mike talk about their favorite vintage chronographs.Balazs and Mike love vintage chronographs and are keen to share the top three favorite pieces within their collections. Its a discussion of timers that spans the decades.Our Fratello on Air podcast is also available via Buzzsprout,?Soundcloud,?Apple Podcast,?Google Podcast,?Deezer,??Stitcher, and?Spotify.The Handgelenk Kontrolle and some newsBefore focusing on the main topic, though, its time for a Handgelenk Kontrolle and a fair bit of news. During this recording, Balazs chose one of his vintage chronographs for the occasion with the 70s Seiko 6139-7070. Hes a huge fan [...]

Welcome to the new year 2021. Doesn't it sound good and roll off of the tongue nicely? It certainly sounds better than the sorry excuse for a year that was 2020, right? I hope you all had a lovely break over the Christmas and New Year period. I know I did I got a chance to reacquaint myself with the great outdoors and spend some time hiking in the absolute middle of nowhere. There's something about removing oneself from the daily grind and spending time in the wild. No people, no cars, no nothing. Just the sounds of the odd sheep, bird, or the wind.Now, in this kind of environment, it can get muddy, wet, and a little dangerous for a watch. Some places I visit involve scrambling up and down r [...]

2020 was quite a year in all respects and thats true regarding timepieces. Here were some of my favorite watches over the past 12 months.I recently penned an article on the vintage Japanese watches that entered my collection during 2020. That was a seriously fun article to write, but what about new watches Japanese or not? Well, I am here to say that this year, of all years, was one of my favorites when it came to new releases. Perhaps I focused more on them than in the recent past, but I dont think so. With so many approachable luxury releases (and many in my favorite dive genre), I really enjoyed myself. Oh, and then there were the bracelets Seriously, for such a wild year, watch companies [...]

Fratello is a broad church. We want everyone that visits our site to feel welcome and find something for them among our many pages. As such, in the run-up to Christmas, we want to focus a little more on ladies watches. Of course, these articles are mostly for our female readers, but also provide valuable insight into some of the watches the women in your life may be lusting over this yuletide.Today, two of our editors, Kristin and Franziska, share a recent email exchange regarding the perfect watch for the festive season. Wed love to know your thoughts on the format, so drop us a note in the comments section at the end of the article.19th November 2020Dear Franziska,I hope you are doing well [...]

If there is something that drives Breitling collectors nuts, it's all the online listings where sellers claim that Sicura was a sub-brand of Breitling. Or, more controversial still, that Sicura watches were produced by Breitling or even that a Sicura watch is effectively a Breitling watch in disguise. Let's make it clear once and for all. To help us, lets focus on the witty Sicura Rally GT with an unusual bezel.The problem mentioned above is endemic. If you go online, you will find many Sicura watches listed incorrectly. And it doesn't only happen on eBay, but you can even see it at auction houses. Why is there so much confusion? Is it just an unfortunate misunderstanding or is it the delibe [...]

This year has been weird, I dont have to do much explanation here. It also applies to my watch collection though, but I am not sure this has anything to do with Covid-19. In previous years, I purchased more watches, and with a higher value per watch. Interestingly enough, the 7 watches I bought in 2020 range from 215 to 14,000. Make sure youre ready to see some quirky choices!For me, it is not so much about the price tag or brand name on the dial. I either like a watch or I dont. However, I have been known to be a bit rash on occasion. Several times this year, I pulled the trigger without really thinking about it. This generally leads to more amusement than regret (as some of the Fratelli wi [...]

Theres no denying that 2020 has been one heck of a year. Any way you cut it, its been one well all remember for a long time. And thankfully, the luxury watch industry has been providing us with plenty of interesting things to keep us distracted2020 saw the release of several new models from Breitling, Tudor, and Bvlgari. Today, in Episode 26 (were back on track with that), Alon and Rob discuss these novelties and pick out their favorites. For the most part, this is a Podcast full of happiness, sweetness, light, and unbridled positivity. That is except for the part when Rob loses his mind (and almost his lunch) while expressing his fervent dislike for one headline-grabbing novelty on this lis [...]

On May 24th 1962, Commander Scott Carpenter was the second American to perform an orbital space flight onboard the Aurora 7 spacecraft. So busy was he taking photos of frost particles, or fireflies that he went off course and overshot the landing by 400km. But from the smooth launch, sitting atop the Mercury-Atlas 7 rocket, to splashdown, the Breitling Cosmonaute was Carpenter's watch companion. This journey makes the Cosmonaute the first Swiss chronograph worn in space. But my story about the Breitling Cosmonaute is much more personal. And it begins precisely ten years after Scott Carpenter's space flight.The start of a family traditionThe year is 1972, four years after my father won the Ge [...]

Typically, I bring a specific theme to Pre-Owned Picks to focus my choices to a brand, era or watch type. A theme can be a healthy challenge that uncovers some interesting watch listings that would otherwise pass me by. Luckily, the search and favorites functions of Chrono24 make sifting through the vast library an absolute breeze. Even after a year of covering Pre-Owned Picks, many watches fell off my lists. Either by disqualification from the theme or not demonstrating the traits of appealing to a mass audience. These watches did remain on my wishlist, however, for a rainy day.As luck would have it on this day, at least in my area of Ol' Blighty, it's raining hammers and nails. Of course, [...]