Watches Blog Wrist Watch Reviews

Wrist Game or Crying Shame returns with a look at an Ebel 1911 Chronograph.Back in 98, I was a fresh young face in the workforce, but a bit of hard work didnt stop me from partaking in a bit of high-rolling high jinks.? It was during a long weekend that I packed my bag and made my way to the airport in the 216, aka Cleveland.? My buddy flew out of the mean streets of Newark and we met in Sin City.? Vegas.? Now, back in 98, you could actually play black jack for $5 a hand on the Strip and stay at a hotel on that very street for a fair deal.? Nowadays, good luck with that as those prime location casinos are full of fancy pants partygoers and tattooed goofballs who make it rain with $100s for a [...]

Watches in TV series, we all know you have been trying to identify Jerry Seinfelds Breitling (or Cartier), Kim Kardashians AP Royal Oak (or Scott Disicks), Dexters Timex, Charlies Rolex Yacht-Master and Tony Sopranos Rolex Day-Date. And although Don Draper wore a Rolex Explorer in HBOs Mad Men TV series, Jaeger-LeCoultre recently released a Mad Men special Mad about Reverso that features aSterling Cooper Draper Pryce logo engraved in the reversible back side of the watch. So it seems that watch manufacturers are pretty aware of the fact that you are eagle eyeing the watches in TV shows.Was this always the case? One of our avid readers Johan sent us a screen shot of the second part of A-Tea [...]

When I just started out liking and looking at (serious) mechanical watches, Ebel was one of the brands that I really liked. Especially their chronograph with Zenith El Primero movement was particularly interesting, easy to recognize as these models have a snap-on case back. Over the years, the movements changed (from Zenith to Ebels in-house caliber 137) but the characteristic case shape with the 5 screws and nice satin finish stayed. Although I wouldnt mind having the Ebel chronograph with El Primero movement (Ebel caliber 134 based on Zeniths caliber 400) actually the same one as Don Johnson was wearing in Miami Vice the new 1911 BTR Chronograph models are more up-to-date and just as int [...]

Welcome back to Wrist Game or Crying Shame. This week we put on our fancy duds with a look at the Cartier Tank Basculante 2390. But firstIt turns out that the once unpopular Omega Dynamic Chronograph is a rip-snorting cultish success these days. Despite its initial sales flop, a full 69% of you favored this low calorie Omega. If those 800 or so positive voters had only bought one of these watches, perhaps it would still be in the lineup today. This week, we are moving onwards and way upwards with a look at a watch from one of the most luxe brands arounds: Cartier. Enter the Cartier Tank Basculante 2390.Visiting a Cartier boutiqueI often talk about my formative years in South Florida. And hon [...]

As one of the most recognizable luxury watches, the Cartier Tank's sleek design adorns the wrists of many of this French Maisons followers. Today, Cartier revealed the return of the legend let's give a warm welcome to the Cartier Tank Must!In the 1970s, Cartier created a new line of watches: Must de Cartier. The original Must was controversial yet legendary. While its form paid homage to the original Tank Louis Cartier, the material used for the case and bracelet sent shockwaves through the industry, attracting a whole new clientele to the brands door. Why? For the first time ever, Cartier did not use precious metals for the case. The Must de Cartier was an affordable turning point for the l [...]

The impossible happened. The Cartier Santos Galb e changed my mind about bimetallic watches. Just a bit, but every bit counts.Every time I've seen steel and gold mixed together on a watch face or a bracelet, I give it a wide berth. Maybe it's just my childhood memories of walking through cheap markets full of rubbish goods (calling them gadgets would be an overstatement) from Russia or China. As much as I love debating with people and encouraging them to try new things on their wrists, I remain chained to my radical views on bimetallic watches.Gold and steel togetherWhen I see cold steel and warm gold together, I have to cover my eyes to un-see an outfit ready for a local 90s disco. I wasnt [...]

In this Sunday morning column, 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 don't forget to let us know which watches you'd like to see torn to shreds/effusively exalted next week. We'll try and feature as many of our readers' choices as we can. This week, one of the classiest classics is up for discussion. We give you, the Cartier Santos De Cartier Large.Who would have thought it? The Cartier Santos is becoming a regular player on the Fratello rotation. I for one think that makes for an interesting conversation topic. But not all Santos watch [...]

Cartier is well-known for its stylish, slimline dress watches. Among the many elegant forms, the Santos collection often stands-out as an edgier take on the classic form. Now, in an attempt to further modernize a model that was birthed more than a century ago, the Cartier Santos Dumont XL hits the shelves.Living up to 116 years of heritage is no mean feat. In 1904, Louis Cartier created the very first Santos model for his friend and aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont. This large square model has seen quite a few overhauls in its time and the latest focuses on increasing the diameter while keeping the model as thin as can be. The original style is largely retained, with the Breguet-style hands dro [...]

The much-appreciated Cartier collection the Ballon Bleu family welcomes three new models. This line, introduced in 2007, brings Cartier's calling cards to the party. Refined craftsmanship and a nod to the brands fine jewelry legacy make the Ballon Bleu the kind of crossover piece that keeps on giving. While the diameters of mens watches trend downward, the availability of larger ladies watches continues with this release, with the Ballon Bleu now available in 40mm.At 40mm wide and 12.45mm thick, this watch could easily be worn by men or women. There are a ton of options, ranging from the distinctly feminine, to the undeniably neutral. The steel version with the leather strap, boasting a dial [...]

Cartier made huge progress with their own calibers during the last 9 years.?Complication after complication was presented at the SIHH in Geneva and I think I am right in saying that with the launch of the new Cl de Cartier watch powered by?their new automatic 1847MC movement the total amount of Made by Cartier calibers reaches over 40 now.Cartier?has since the beginning of 1900 a beautiful collection of watch cases, of which many are still in production. Most of them however, were rectangle or square shaped and since more and more calibers with complications are being developed by Cartier, the need?for round mens cases, to house these calibers, became more urgent. Besides that, men in gen [...]

Before I will rattle about the new Drive de Cartier, a few words about the changes at Cartier, that brought the brand to release this new and different mens model. Cartier is known for their historic collection and design details from these early models, that?often come back in new collections. Cartier always relied on their rich design history. Since 2008 however, Cartier changed slowly from a Maison in design, to a powerhouse of ?mechanical calibers.About ten years ago, the brand built a huge 30.000m2 manufacture in La-Chaux-de-Fonds and led by Carole-Forestier Kasapi, the brand?launched one movement after another, from the 1904MC automatic caliber (that became the base caliber for a coupl [...]

Cartier loves to create bold luxury jewelry watches. Especially given the fact that a large portion of Cartier's legacy comprises magnificent jewels designed for royal families and the sweethearts of Hollywoods Golden Age. The Maillon de Cartier aims to capture the same glamor in one spectacular, jewel-set object.Cartier has gone ultra-feminine. The desire to create an exceptional timepiece for women has led the French brand to accent the watch bracelet. As such, the Maillon de Cartier line is a sumptuous expression of sexiness.The chain-link bracelet is simply gorgeous. It overawes all other elements of this design and takes center stage as Cartier surely intended. The hexagonally shaped be [...]

The Cartier Pasha celebrates its 35th birthday this year. With the help of designer G rald Genta, the Pasha de Cartier (as the French say) was meant to be a sporty/sportier watch than they had in their collection at that time.Sportswatch is not the word that comes to mind when I look at the Cartier Pasha. Having said that, compared to the watches in the collection back in the day, it really fit. According to Cartier expert George Cramers book, Cartier The gentlemans files, the Pasha was meant to be a masculine, sportive, and waterproof watch, but with the stylish elements that are so typically Cartier.The original Pasha was introduced in a 38mm diameter. That certainly wasnt a small size ba [...]

Ronde Louis CartierCartier has been best known for its square and rectangle watches, ask anyone on the street to name a Cartier watch, and you will get an answer like; that watch with the screws.'. That is what Cartier is among the general public; the Santos and the Tank watches. They represent the common understanding of the essence of Cartier, in the luxury world of watches.?It therefore had lasted 30 years, after the first Cartier men's watch was made,?before a round mens dress watch was launched on a larger scale.Elegance, Style and SophisticationThe Ronde Louis Cartier' as it's still called, was born around 1937 and is a creation by the maestro himself. I have to be a bit vague since th [...]

Cartier's presentation at the SIHH in 2013 was for me personally an important one, since the Rotonde Mysterieuse was introduced and the Santos Dumont Skeleton in pink gold was launched. Two watches that I absolutely adore. Both of them had amazing features like the floating hands of the Rotonde Mysterieuse and the transparant movement of the Santos Dumont Skeleton.?Just now a few days before the SIHH 2017, Cartier pre-announced a new Rotonde Mysterieuse that excels the current version.?Rotonde de Cartier Skeleton Mysterious Hour Watch The 2013 Rotonde de Cartier Mysterieuse It excels because?it is even more mysterious than its predecessor. Cartier managed to bring two of the Maison's grail w [...]

This series was actually my idea, and boy, do I regret it The premise of this idea is to help guide a watch-loving newbie down the right path to a hypothetical starter collection. I'm normally not indecisive, but here, the word doesn't even start to explain my situation. As I am in the middle of a personal consolidation of my collection, it makes the concept even more poignant. But when I try to tell you how to spend 10K wisely, these are loose guidelines only, not a gospel.Embarking on this quest was difficult, believe me. You have no idea of the number of watches I've mentally sorted through to get to what I find is a curated but fluctuating three-watch collection. I'm not mentioning which [...]

With the re-release of the Pasha Grille at Watches And Wonders 2022, Cartier has launched a model that comes very close to the design that the brand says was custom made for the Pasha of Marrakesh in 1943. But before we get into the new 2022 models, lets take a quick look back at what the Pasha actually is and when it came on the market; opinions are quite divided on that. Until the 80s, Cartier was always known for its small, often square and rectangular watches, usually made in yellow gold. Therefore, it was quite a surprise when in 1985, a 38mm round timepiece suddenly hit the windows of the Cartier boutiques. Believe me, 38mm was very large for a mens watch at the time, and some models e [...]

At my nieces birthday last year, the news finally broke that I had become a total watch nerd. I finally showed my family the Instagram account I had been running for a year and a half, and they asked me about the watches I owned. I named a few, and then they looked at my wife and asked, So, what are you wearing? She proudly showed them her Timex Waterbury, which I got her for around 80 a few years ago. What she didnt know was that, behind her back, I had already ordered a Cartier Tank Must Solarbeat for her 40th birthday.I got her that Timex because she had seen an actual Rolex Datejust at one of her gym classes and told me she liked it. Back then, I told her what that watch cost roughly 10K [...]

I remember my dad walking around the house, winding the antique clocks on the walls when I was a kid. I think practically all of them had Roman numerals marking the hours. At that time, I never noticed what kind of four they used. I didnt bother checking whether it was a subtractive IV or an additive IIII the latter of which is also known as the watchmakers four. But since I often wear my Cartier Santos Galbe XL, I started wondering where the IIII actually came from. So, I decided to look it up on the big interwebs.Now, please dont expect any final answer on the origins of the watchmakers four at the end of this article. What I found is that there are many stories about where the IIII on wa [...]

There is no question that Cartier is hot property at the moment. In the last two years especially, things have gotten rather crazy. And rightfully so If you look at the sheer number of great Cartier releases, you can see why there are many fans of the brand. In all honesty, though, I wasnt one until this year. Dont get me wrong. I have great respect for Cartier, and I love what the brand stands for. But up until recently, my respect never turned into a great love for one of the brands timepieces, no matter how much I wanted it to. But during Watches And Wonders 2022, that changed. The new Cartier Tank Louis Cartier in yellow gold and black represents all I love about Cartier captured in one [...]