Watches Blog Wrist Watch Reviews

Marvin was founded in 1850 by two brothers (by the name of Didisheim) in Saint-Imier, in the middle of the Jura. Before we write yet-another-romantic-but-sad-story about a watch company that didnt survive the quartz crisis in the 1970s but DID have some nice watches before that time we are going to stop here.Just a few years ago, Marvin Watches Co was brought back to life again by its current owners, true passionate people about watches and the watch industry. We know, because weve met them during BaselWorld and at their current headquarters in Vaumarcus, Switzerland.The nice thing about being a watch manufacturer with some history, is that you might have some antique catalogs and drawings o [...]

When it came out in 2012 BaselWorld was buzzing because of it. The buzz kind of died and so did BaselWorld, but that's an entirely different matter in the nine years that followed. The flagship model Rolex presented as some kind of uber GMT, but it never quite make it to the top of people's wish list. Partly because it all started with models in various precious metals with hefty price tags. But also because a complicated annual calendar with dual time zones is very un-Rolex. But still, the Rolex Sky-Dweller is the misunderstood genius you need in your life.I declare 2021 the year of the Rolex Sky-Dweller. And that's because since this year the ostentatious Sky-Dweller in steel with a wh [...]

Arcadia is the boutique brand of the Fleurier Watch Company that was originally found in the 19th century and brought back to life in 2007. With three types of collections (four if you include the watches made on request), Arcadia is able to?fulfill the demand of all sorts of watch consumers. Arcadia has a Contemporary line of watches to which the reviewed AC01-V2 ?belongs, a Vintage collection that grabs back to chronographs of yesteryear and a collection especially for ladies.We received an Arcadia AC01-V2 for review and wed like to share the pictures we took with our readers.This AC01-V2 chronograph by Arcadia has this unusual shape and is packed with all kinds of cool details. The AC01-V [...]

Henri Germain Delauze, CEO and founder of COMEX passed away today at the age of 83. The diver watches everyone is craving for bear the name of this famous diving organization, also known for being the NASA of the sea.Although Ive seen an OMEGA PlopPof COMEX edition just recently in the OMEGA museum in Biel,?we know Rolex watches best for being the choice of COMEX. Shown below, are two fine examples of COMEX divers watches by Rolex.?Rolex COMEX divers watches are one of the most sought-after models from this Geneva brand.The joint venture between Rolex and COMEX is there since the early 1970s and word is that they had a lot of influence when Rolex developed the Deep-Sea Sea-Dweller watch.Than [...]

I think that for those of us who enjoy vintage watches, we've really been spoiled for choice over the past several years when it comes to new watches with a retro look. Brands such as Longines, Omega, Seiko, Doxa and even Rado have introduced some rather faithful reissues of beloved pieces and many of them even border on affordable. Today, we take a look at a recent release with a vintage theme from a brand that I always followC and one that I'd love to love more: Hamilton. You've likely read a bit about this watch, but today we'll get up close and personal with the Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical. Now, I'll go ahead and clear this up from the beginning: the Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical r [...]

Today on TBT, we'll have a look at what's become a rather popular vintage watch, the Hamilton Military Chronograph. It's a popular watch because it hits on two of the more collectible sub genres: the military and the chronograph categories. I stared at these watches, and their identical, yet other branded brethren, for what felt like a long time before I became serious about acquiring one. While I generally consider myself well timed in finding things, this was one of those cases, though, where I really struggled to find an example. Chalk that up to a vintage market that remains piping hot. So, yes, we'll talk a little about the buying experience because it was a new one for me.The Hamilton [...]

Today, we'll take a look at another vintage inspired piece from Baselworld 2017, the Hamilton Intra-Matic 68. I know that it's TBT day today, but I figured I'd continue to sprinkle in these new retro-styled pieces over the next month or so in case you're tired of fruitlessly searching eBay for the originals. We enjoyed this Hammy a bit more than most, so we thought it was worth a look.The Hamilton Intra-Matic 68 is BigFirst off, the Hamilton Intra-Matic 68 is controversial. When first shown a couple months back, it was a love at first sight internet darling and then the record needle abruptly skidded across the platter to a complete stop when fans came across the size. The formerly Lancaste [...]

Autumn is here and that must mean it's time for a Vintage Watch Market Update. In the time since I've started writing these, we've seen a lot of changes on the vintage scene. We've gone from highlighting opportunities on the market to discussing the craze that affects so many of us regarding collecting and how it has rapidly changed pricing. It's been a whirlwind and it's one that shows little signs of abating aside from a few stormclouds on the horizon. Today, though, lets focus on some of the trends I've noticed over the past quarter regarding the types of pieces that people are collecting and the behaviors that are becoming ever more present within social media outlets and forums.Former P [...]

Today on TBT we'll talk about a watch that's become a real easy go to piece one that looks good with just about everything because it looks so good the Hamilton 600 diver. Hamilton is a brand I like to feature because of its historic link to Lancaster, Pennsylvania: a place where I've spent a lot of time. However, it's not just the American tie but it's also the fact that the brand made some really nice watches that exercised a high level of constraint in their execution as well as what I'd call quiet confidence. Hamilton was such a powerhouse at one time in the United States that even though they were flagging by the late 60's and the onset of the quartz/Japanese invasion, they still d [...]

Since 3 years, Hamilton is the main sponsor of the Volkel Air Show in The Netherlands. This Air Show will take place on the 25th of May 2014, but Fratellowatches was invited to come to the press event that was held on the 7th of May.Hamiltons ambassador and pilot Nicolas The Quick Corsican Ivanoff (who currently races in the Red Bull Air Race World Series) was present to treat us with some impressive flying skills in his plane. Ivanoff will also be the first pilot to open the Air Show on the 25th of May.The association with aviation goes back a long way, to 1919. That was the year when a Hamilton watch ensured that the very first US airmail postal service flight was operated in a timely mann [...]

Many of the readers of Fratellowatches come from the United States according to our statistics. In that respect, we feel that this part of our readers are probably more familiar with Hamilton than we are. You should know, that Hamilton wasnt very known in Europe until a few years ago when their PR machine started here as well. Especially with the Khaki models, they quickly conquered the market for affordable mechanical watches. The presentation we received by one of the Hamilton representatives last year in Basel was reason for us to have a closer look at this brand. We asked or a Hamilton Khaki Pioneer Pilot Chronograph watch and we received it for a hands-on review.The Hamilton company has [...]

You probably know Hamilton for their affordable yet very interesting mechanical timepieces. We visited them yesterday and they showed us their masterpiece watch for Baselworld 2013, the Hamilton Jazzmaster Face 2 Face. A very cool oval shaped timepiece that you can reverse. This means that you can turn the watch around by this clever mechanism that Hamilton came up with. On the one side, this watch is a chronograph and on the other side it is a time-only watch. The price of the watch is almost very un-Hamilton-ish, but lets zoom in first at this piece before we get to the pricing.In both cases, you are able to see one of the two mechanical movements. The movements are the ETA2094 for the chr [...]

Earlier this week, we broke the news about our first ever Fratello a Oris collaboration in the form of the Big Crown Bronze Pointer Date. If you read the release, you'll know this one is near and dear to me, so I thought I'd share some additional views on this limited-edition watch.It was back in 2019 at Baselworld when I first saw the newest Big Crown Pointer Date models. I was truly impressed. As I've mentioned before, I really enjoy how Oris manages to keep its models fresh by adding color. But Oris doesn't just run into the direction of trends by just adding the typical colors. Instead, they go in unorthodox directions that sound a little strange on paper but look incredible in person. T [...]

Allow us to proudly introduce the Fratello-designed collaboration watch. This time, weve teamed-up with Oris to bring you the Fratello a Oris Big Crown Bronze Pointer Date with oxblood red dial. With a festive palette and a heartwarming story behind its creation, it is the perfect watch with which to kick off the holiday season.RJ and his Fratello a Oris Big Crown Bronze Pointer DateFratello a Oris Big Crown Bronze Pointer DateRobert-Jan: It is with great pride that we are introducing the Fratello a Oris Big Crown Bronze Pointer Date. This adventure to create a watch together with Oris has been a great experience from start till end. Michael Stocktons idea of creating a bronze watch with a r [...]

The end of October brought a flurry of news surrounding the new Calibre 400 Aquis. A lot of the usual press channels covered the details. But what was interesting was the number of influencers on social media sharing their shots of the watch. Oris, in its wisdom, sent out examples of the new Aquis to many in the community to maximize its reach under COVID-19 restrictions. Smart move, but with the dust settling and social media checks clearing, what do current Aquis owners think of the new Calibre 400?Robert-Jan Broer went into great depth with his hands-on review of the new Aquis Calibre 400. I am pleased, but not too surprised that he was captivated by the blue gradient dial. The sunburst A [...]

I always enjoy putting together these weekly roundups. Some releases and other news floats under the radar, and I miss them during the week as I am busy working on other things. So, having a reason to go back over the week's news and launches is always quite refreshing.Out of everything that has gone down this week, these are things I found the most interesting Weve got some hot news straight from the Fratello press (see below), some festive news from the Horological Society of New York, a straight gut-shot from the ever-creative Artya, a ghostly Girard-Perregaux, a birthday special for Mr. Heuer, andwellthe Ming that Mike covered yesterday? Why? Because its SO good, we just had to mention i [...]

In 2017, during a visit to the Nomad Barbershop, in London, I got roped into an Oris-endorsed shave off for Movember. The prize for the Mo Bro who raised the most cash? A freshly launched Oris Diver 65 Movember edition of their very ownThanks to the attendees of Time 4A Pint and the listeners of the Time 4A Pint podcast my ridiculous mustache drew in more thane2,200 of donations, putting me at the top of the Oris shave off group. Consequently, the handsome retro-styled diver from Hostein ended up on my wrist.Two years on, I decided it was time to find the Oris a new home. As I had won the watch by raising money and awareness for a good cause in 2017, it seemed to me that the right way to put [...]

Welcome back to Wrist Game or Crying Shame, where your votes are counted immediately no matter where you are This week, we visit a florist while taking a look at the Oris Chronoris while being a tourist. Some of that is true, but firstLast week, I showed you a lightweight Hamilton Khaki Pioneer Aluminum with an anodized blue finish. You were anything but sad as you voted this interesting and highly recyclable automatic to a 63% Wrist Game victory. This week, well also bring up a watch that may have slipped your mind. After all, 2005 was a long time ago and well before people started getting together at drinking establishments to show off their watches. Its the Oris Chronoris 2005 Replica E [...]

Hundredth-anniversary wristwatches do not come around that often. Especially watches that are recreations of designs of the time, yet still appealing to todays consumer. In 2017, Oris kept the faith in one of its original Big Crown pilots watches from 1917. This is my story about how and why the Oris Big Crown 1917 became my wedding watch.The story began in March 2017. I, along with some friends, found myself in the Oris Baselworld booth enjoying the hospitality. Soon after, a dapper-dressed fellow by the name of Matt Miller, aka @sunflowerman on social media, arrived. Miller is accustomed to sketching inside showrooms, on trade-show floors, and at famous landmarks. Even whilst surrounded by [...]

Funny, when I unboxed this new Oris Aquis Calibre 400 for this review, I couldnt stop looking at the dial. I know it should be all about the in-house caliber 400, but Ill tell you that it took a few minutes before taking the watch off again to have a glance at the new Oris movement.The dial (and watch) look quite similar to their Aquis Ocean Cleanup limited edition. That watch was a bit smaller, and there are some aesthetic differences, but it just reminded me of that one. If youre a watch fanatic, you havent missed the introduction of the new Oris movement: Calibre 400. It is interesting that Oris decided to introduce the movement first, and a few weeks later introduce the first watch to be [...]