Watches Blog Wrist Watch Reviews

Designer Gerald Genta started his own brand in 1969, however, this talented haute horlogerie designer also did design work for numereous other watch brands. He is responsibles for some all-time watch classics that were produced in the 1970s. The most spectacular designs are those of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, Patek Philippe Nautilus, Vacheron Constantin 222 (Overseas) and the IWC Ingenieur.However, like I wrote before in the blog post on the Vacheron Constantin 222, these watches become unaffordable. A vintage 222 in stainless steel will cost you around 10.000 Euro, and I only found 1 for sale on chrono24.com. Do you love the vintage Patek Philippe Nautilus ref.3700 and want to save up f [...]

Boesch Motorboote from Kilchberg (Lake Zurich) creates reddishbrown mahogany boats since 1920. Boesch boats are famous for their quick starts, especially useful for water-ski matches. To celebrate its 80th birthday, IWC created the Aquatimer Chronograph Boesch, limited to 300 timepieces. Which is, compared to most other limited editions in this segment, really limited. The caseback of this watch has a mahogany inlay with a marine screw propeller and the dial shows the Boesch logo below the date window.Watch-Site, one of my blog sponsors, has this IWC Aquatimer Chronograph Boesch in stock and was so kind to let me do a review on this time piece. The pictures below do represent the actual watc [...]

Sometimes, a watch has more than one face or look. It is all in the eye of the beholder ofcourse, but the photos below support this comment really well ??If you look at your watch from different angles or when being in different locations, it can become a watch with a totally different look. The first photo below show the Ingenieur being this raw, rugged tool watch and the second photo shows this fine shiny sophisticated timepiece that refers to the first GG designs from the mid-1970s. To me, these photos demonstrate that this watch is suited for casual as well as more formal occasions. A Rolex Sea-Dweller (or Milgauss? )) and Yacht-Master in one so to speak. The photos have been taken by Ci [...]

Dear Fratelli, can you relate to this? You look at a new watch for quite some time, and it climbs higher and higher on your wish list. And then, suddenly, you see it in a video or a picture in a way that you hadnt seen it before. Or, you see it on a certain strap for the first time, and you immediately know youll be adding it to your collection. For me, that was the case with the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso. As soon as I saw it on this brown calfskin strap by Casa Fagliano, I knew a Reverso would be mine very soon.A quick disclaimer to start off with, though I just picked up this watch a week ago, and Im still very much honeymooning with it. So, please excuse the wave of positivity as you read [...]

What is the most functional complication out there? No, let me rephrase, no, re-word that. What is the most FUNctional complication out there? Allow me to answer that. I think the mechanical alarm is a strong contender. Yes, the GMT would be my first choice for the most practical complication. But alas, there's very little fun to be found in a watch with a second timezone. On the other hand, an alarm watch and one with a timer function, especially is both practical because it tells you when the pasta is ready and fun because it does so with a charming vibration. The buzzing new Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Memovox Timer in rose gold is equally charming and practical. And its new colorway [...]

Sure, I saw the pictures, but who can trust pictures these days? I mean, some renderings you get from brands truly border on fakery. Reality sometimes has no place in those overly polished and touched-up depictions. You get no real sense of the hue of the colors used, the finishing, the shape, the proportions, and so on. And though the watches from JLC usually don't disappoint and the numbers and words in the press kit made sense, I only had the pre-produced photographs to go by visually. So I was a tad skeptical that's just how I approach things in my watch life, I guess before going hands-on with the steel Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Perpetual Calendar.What I wrote previously about the stee [...]

Nope, no Reverso to be seen at Watches Wonders this year. Jaeger-LeCoultre made things complicated for 2022 by presenting a variety of round-cased watches. At the top of the list, there's the Master Grande Tradition Calibre 948. Just below it, you will find the Master Hybris Artistica Calibre 945 Galaxia in pink gold and the Atomium version in white gold. And last, but certainly not least, the brand from Le Sentier introduces a complicated athlete with endless stamina. Its the sporty 42mm Polaris Perpetual Calendar, which comes in either rugged steel or sophisticated pink gold.At first, I thought I was missing something. That I overlooked something. That I didn't see the full picture. But I [...]

What do you want to talk about on Monday? Most definitely not about the weekend groceries, the chores around the house, or getting soaked in the downpour while cheering on the kid on the hockey field. That's why we present you with a couple of watch conversation starters for the coffee corner. You can use the ideas at the water cooler too, obviously, or during lunch; it's up to you. We will give you a peek at what's new, what's happening, and what's hot. And we will find you some interesting, watch-related stuff to do in the near future. We kick off the week with a couple of numbers, an exhibition featuring Jaeger-LeCoultre's Atmos clock, the 20th anniversary of the Patek Philippe museum, an [...]

Some of my fellow Fratello editors have seemingly requested (demanded?) the return of vintage models to their chosen brands current catalogs. Im all for this too, but there is a slight catch. Solely relying on a nostalgic kick is fraught with danger. I enjoy a vintage reinterpretation but prefer a watch taking what it needs from the past while still moving forward. That method is essentially what Rolex has been doing for the last 30 years and it seems to be working well. My request for a watch model Id like to see return is one that was recent yet short-lived. Like a moonflower vine that blooms two months in the year and only at night, sometimes beauty passes us by. Thats the case with the J [...]

Brycen is swimming against the stream with the 26mm LeCoultre Baron on his wrist. If you dont care what other people think about your wristwatch of choice, a modestly-sized watch can bring unexpected gratification. I know how Brycen feels. My Mido Radiotime is only 23mm wide, but I wear it more proudly than I wear my Rolex GMT-Master 1675. As much as I like the GMT-Master, there are so many people out there that love it as well. Not only does that make prices for the GMT-Master go higher, but it also makes sporting it a bit of a status game which spoils watch collecting for me. I find wearing a small and often impossible-to-recognize, whatever-style-you-like watch the highest level of watch [...]

Let me just start this with a disclaimer: for me, picking an easy Top 5 Watches of a rather exciting 2021 is almost impossible. I have fallen in love with wristwatches many times this year, from press shots to the hitherto unknown joy of handling a $100,000 piece of wrist art at, get this, an actual event. Remember those?So with this in mind, I went with my ten-minute instinctual scribbles. To be fair, these might not be my final Top 5 Watches of 2021, but my personal and strongest impressions of the year. Did I expect more actual events than the charming Geneva Watch Days? Yes. Was this a couple of days to savor, leaving my wrist dazed and confused? Absolutely.Thors Top 5 Jaeger-LeCoultre G [...]

Happy Holidays from the good folks at Wrist Game or Crying Shame Well, thats just me, but no matter. Weve made it through Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, St. Nicholas Day, and the UK not letting anyone in without quarantine. Oh, strike that, Im particularly salty about the latter, and it looks like Christmastime in London will have to wait yet another year. Alas Returning to our subject, this week I offer you the perfect holiday gift in the form of one Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Ultra Thin. But firstThe last time we came together, I showed you a Bell Ross BR-03 92, and despite all the whining and crabbing (hi, RJ!), a full 58% of you decided that an equilateral polygon is wor [...]

An exhibition spanning five floors, covering just one watch model is not something every watch brand can pull off. But Jaeger-LeCoultre can, thanks to its Reverso. The Reverso: Timeless Stories Since 1931 exhibition in Paris is proof. That's why I traveled to Paris to see how Jaeger-LeCoultre puts its past and present Reverso watches on display.This year, Jaeger-LeCoultre celebrates 90 years of the Reverso. The watch that is named after the ninetieth birthday is the Tribute Nonanti me, but to capture nine decades of Reverso in one watch is impossible. That's why the brand decided to put together a grandiose exhibition at one of Paris' most prestigious locations, the rue du Faubourg Saint-Ho [...]

Im pretty sure many of us either thought about buying or actually bought a watch from our birth year. I know I have at least thought about it. But it never happened. When I was looking for one back in the late 90s, I could have bought a 1968 Rolex Submariner 5513 Meters First, but I didnt like it that much. Stupid? With current knowledge, absolutely. But they were different times back then, kids. I didnt like it enough to wear it, and that was that. Recently, though, we had a talk here at HQ about why you should (not) buy a watch from your birth year. For instance, ask yourself: is that Rolex really the one you want? I will share some views and ideas with you. But Im also curious how you fee [...]

Boring is best. I consider it soothing and much better to deal with than large periods of extreme excitement. I like a watch that soothes rather than tries to whip me in a state of frenzy. And nothing soothes like a classic steel Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso with small seconds, blued hands, and a bit of guilloche on a silvered dial. But I won't call that type of Reverso a masterpiece, that title is reserved for a very picturesque and rare version that still has a boring side to it.The fact that I like boring watches like the doesn't mean I've always liked the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso. I mean, I liked it, but I never really loved it. That's why earlier this year I conducted an experiment with a R [...]

Can you believe it? I know I didn't at first, but there you have it. The green Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute really does go with anything. And I literally mean with anything. Do You know why? Because its green, and therefore it probably won't exactly match your outfit of the day. And because it doesn't, it does. Catch my drift?Not too long ago, I went on a quest to find out if the rectangular Reverso was a watch that had I deprived myself of for all the wrong reasons. I found my answer wearing a Reverso Classic Monoface Large Small Seconds. Turned out I had indeed been depriving myself of an undisputed watch icon for all the wrong reasons. I just never realized that a fairly dressy rectan [...]

Let me start by saying I've always admired the Reverso. It's one of the few watches that fully deserves the unofficial and often too easily bestowed title of icon. Most icons are evergreens at best in my book, but the reversible watch is more famous than the producer of it, Jaeger-LeCoultre. And that's not a controversial statement from yours truly, but something St phane Belmont, Patrimony Director of the Maison Jaeger-LeCoultre, once told me during lunch in Le Sentier. I loved the Reverso from a distance though because on the wrist it never felt right. But that couldn't be right, right? So I engaged in a very personal experiment with a Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso to see if the watch had a dif [...]

Wrist Game or Crying Shame is back with a look at the Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic 1958. Well see what you think about this simple beauty, but firstLast week, I was drinking light beer and hard seltzer (theyre kind of the same) while hanging out in a South Florida pool. Appropriately, I chose the Rolex Yacht-Master 40 Oysterflex for your voting pleasure. It turns out that a full 73% of you would like the idea of rose gold and rubber too because this watch beach blanket bingoed its way to a massive win. Now, however, Im back in the land of frequent nasal swabbing and probing aka Germany and that means that the fun has gone kaput. Thankfully, Im going to brighten things up for you with one of m [...]

Ninety years ago, Jaeger-LeCoultre created the Reverso. It was an ingenious solution for polo players who wished to protect the glass of their watches while playing matches. The watch became the backbone of the Le Sentier-based manufacture. The most recent execution is the stunning Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Nonanti me. This pink gold two-faced watch celebrates the ninetieth birthday of the Reverso in a complicated yet elegant way. And it also doesn't lack originality.How do you like your Reverso? As a time-only watch with a solid case back like the recently presented green Reverso Tribute Small Seconds? And where do you stand on complications in a Reverso? Proper complications like a [...]

One of the exciting experiences during watch fairs is the encounter with rare super complication watches. A few brands demonstrate what they are capable of C continuously stretching the limits of what is considered possible in watchmaking. In 2003 Jaeger-LeCoultre presented the first model of their Hybris Mechanica family. Since then, the brand adds one spectacular family member after another. Each new model is not just a modification of the previous one but a completely new approach, new design, and new movement. This year, too, Jaeger-LeCoultre doesnt disappoint us: the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 is the brands new mind-blowing creation.As you probably know, the concept for the Re [...]