Watches Blog Wrist Watch Reviews

The Breguet Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat Automatique 5367 is not new. Nor, as you may have noticed if you live in a clement part of the world, is the color blue. However, these two staples of daily luxury life have never been brought together. That is until nowThere are few brands in the industry that have the name-power of Breguet. It isnt just that the modern iteration of the brand is renowned for high-quality timepieces often flaunting a timeless elegance others struggle to match, but it is also the weight of history attached to the founders name. Abraham-Louis Breguet was not just a watchmaker. He was arguably?the watchmaker. In his lifetime, Breguet was a celebrity. And with good rea [...]

Hej, happy campers, its time for This Week in Watches for July 6, 2019.This week, I dont really have a rant-worthy topic prior to getting into This Week in Watches.? Its not been?too hot here in Germany (sorry, Serbians, you are feeling it right now) and the ground is stable (do take care, SoCal denizens), so whats there to mention?? Well, how about this?? We now have e-Scooters roaming around in Frankfurt.? Thats not a whole lot different than some other cities, but?damn, the users of these things dont know what theyre doing quite yet.? Its amazing, but true, that one cannot text while using one of these lest they wish to end up as a piece of roadside hamburger but theyre trying.? It does [...]

We visited the?Breguet Manufacture recently and witnessed how modern watchmaking can be combined with old watchmaking skills performed by artisans.Breguet overcoil, Breguet hands and of course, the tourbillon. We often use the name Breguet when talking about design elements or movements. Even when it is not about a Breguet watch. Breguet is a very old watch manufacture, that dates back to 1775 when founder?Abraham-Louis Breguet opened his first workshop in Paris. Responsible for many horological inventions in the history of watchmaking that are still being used today. In this article, I dont want to sum up those inventions (you can read about them here), but show you what Breguet is doing to [...]

For many, the 18th century watchmaker represents the forefather of Haute Horlogerie. A visionary who, albeit was not born into a watchmaking family thanks to his stepfather picked up the trade and revolutionized it.In 1775, after marrying his fianc e, C cile Marie-Louise L'Huillier the newlyweds set up their home and watchmaking company in Paris, at the Pont Neuf C a stone throw away of the Notre Dame. Since that date, Breguet has been creating some of the most exquisite timepieces the watch world has seen. They are constantly breaking boundaries while keeping the elegance of each timepiece. Whether it's a highly complicated watch with tourbillon and perpetual calendar like the Classique Co [...]

Aurel Bacs Livia Russo in association with Phillips auction house are back for their seventh Geneva watch auction together. In addition, they assembled a special Rolex Daytona thematic auction they have dubbed The Daytona Ultimatum.Although it is Mr. Bacs' second Daytona thematic auction (Lesson One at Christie's in 2013), it will be the first one for Phillips and is set to be their most successful thematic sale to date.The Geneva Watch Auction: Seven also packs quite a punch with some interesting, stunning and rare timepieces from a variety of brands. Many of these have important provenance and it was fascinating to research several of these.I was excited to get an early preview last week [...]

When it comes to those I surround myself with, I'd guess that I'm like a lot of watch-crazed addicts. I have friends who suffer from the same affliction, friends who are mildly interested in timepieces, and those who truly couldn't give a rip (funny, this latter group is generally comprised of folks who can easily afford a great watch).Those who have slightly more than a passing interest are the ones who often ask me questions about why I am so fascinated by watches and they generally turn into the type of person who asks about what nice watch they should buy when considering their first significant purchase. Sometimes they know the brand or the style/category of watch they want, but often t [...]

ANALYSIS OF RESULTS AT PHILLIPS (BACS RUSSO), CHRISTIE'S, SOTHEBY'S ANTIQUORUMChart RECAP ON NOVEMBER 2016 WATCH AUCTIONS GENEVAAUCTION HOUSETTL LOTS*QTY SOLDSOLD %TOTAL VALUEAVG. PRICEPHILLIPS (Bacs Russo)19117793%CHF 27.513.625CHF 155.444Christies32327685%CHF 14.702.500CHF 53.270Sothebys31327788%CHF 7.088.750CHF 25.591Antiquorum55545081%CHF 5.700.000CHF 12.667TOTAL AVERAGE %1.3821.18087%CHF 55.004.875CHF 61.743*Net of withdrawn lotsNOTE: Amounts quantities sold include after sale results as of November 16, 2016 and may be ongoing.It was an eventful auction weekend here in Geneva. Predicting auction results is much like predicting the weather: there is an underlying science, but it [...]

Just recently we wrote an article on the Breguet 5447BR Classique Grande Complication, a 268.000 Euro timepiece that is mind blowing, but also about a dream piece. Unless something happens in the lottery, it will stay a dream piece as well I am afraid. A bit closer to the wallet is the Breguet we are featuring today here on Fratello Watches. The Breguet Tradition GMT. Almost two years ago we wrote about the Breguet La Tradition that was already introduced in the mid-2000s and featured the escapement on the dial side and had a pocketwatch-like construction (read more here).The Breguet Tradition GMT is another version of that family of watches with the escapement on the dial side of the watch [...]

It has been a while ago that we covered Breguet here on Fratello Watches (in this article by Ming Thein on the Breguet La Tradition). There is no specific reason about the non-coverage, except that the brand wasnt really on my radar. The brand always appeared to me as very classic with the exception of the Marine and Type XX/XXI collections and very expensive. Although Breguet didnt change much, perhaps my taste for watches did.Just recently, Ive started to warm up to Breguets classic round fluted cases and hand guilloch| dials. It is probably because my collection consists with just a few exceptions of sporty watches. For formal occasions or just because Ive been looking around to acqui [...]

The advent of GPS has sadly rendered chronometers obsolete for navigational use. However, the beauty of Breguet retains relevance today. This is perfectly demonstrated with the latest member of the Marine collection, launched earlier this year at Baselworld, the Marine GMT 5857.The Marine collection fuses the traditional and contemporary with handsomely pleasing results. This latest version includes a second timezone, a useful complication for all travellers including intrepid seafarers.Breguet has always been an exemplar of haute horology, favoured by aristocrats and the notable figures whom line the pages of history books. A reputation for innovation, Abraham-Louis Breguet conceived many i [...]

The Breguet La Tradition was launched in the mid-2000s to much fanfare and many subsequently mixed reviews amongst fans and connoisseurs here was a watch that put the escapement on the dial side, was constructed in a very traditional 18th century style (note the odd, almost arbitrary shape of the bridges and sub-plates), finished unusually (but very well indeed) and launched at a reasonably accessible price for what it offered.Even the architecture was pretty unusual: the time dial was pushed to the top of the watch, regulateur-style, with the barrel in the center and going train laid out across the bottom of the watch. Theres also a little power reserve indicator tucked away at top-right, [...]

The new Chronomat trims the case diameter from 44mm to 42mm and brings back the unique Rouleaux bracelet. Those are the headlines, but as I have found, this new chunk of steel is filled with hidden details.I was a little shocked when my Chronomat turned up at my door in the middle of May. I placed an order for the limited edition Frecce Tricolori a day after the launch in April but fully expected an email informing me that I had missed out on securing one of the, justifiably limited, 250 pieces. Not only was I allocated an FT, but it was also delivered in less than a month.My own Frecce TricoloriMy eagerness to lay eyes on my guilty acquisition may have overcome my motor skills. I ripped the [...]

Today Breitling has released the new, bigger brother to its popular Chronomat. The new Super Chronomat is the boldest and, perhaps most ambitious, addition to the Swiss brands sports chronograph collection.?Breitling says that the Super Chronomat is the ultimate choice for those who want a timepiece mastering the balance between sturdy and stylish. Marketing spiel aside, Im inclined to agree, as my initial impression is that they look incredibly sturdy, and theyre also rather stylish to boot. Of course, Id expect nothing less from a Breitling just look at that stunning Four Year Calendar model!The Frecce Tricolori watch that Breitling created for the hotshots of the Italian Air Forces aeroba [...]

Chronomat is derived from? CHRONOgraph for MAThematicians and came to life in 1941. It was one of the first watches with a slide-rule (patented by Breitling in 1940) and this watch was delivered to the market in 1942. The Breitling Chronomat has a long history, which can be found in this article on WatchUseek?and is definitely worth reading if youre into vintage Breitling Chronomat watches. In our Breitling expert interviews with Fred and Rene about Breitling, you can also find some interesting stories about some early Chronomat models.I am not sure if the person who is interested in the Breitling Chronomat B01 Chronograph 44 that we have on Fratello today is the typical collector who is int [...]

Although youll find Breitling not very often covered on this and other websites, they are still highly in demand according to the numbers we showed you last week. The Navitimer is our favorite Breitling model and comes in many variations. One of the models that looks a tad bit different from the others is thisBreitling Navitimer 01 Blacksteel. Lets have a look.Breitling Navitimer 01 BlacksteelJust recently I had a Navitimer in my hands from someone who was visiting our office. A Breitling Navitimer with an automatic B23 calibre (based on Valjoux 7753), probably from around 2011 or 2012. How different is the look of this Breitling Navitimer 01 Blacksteel compared to the Valjoux 7753 powered [...]

Although the new Breitling Navitimer 8 has been in the spot light for months now, it is time to have a look at the revamped Navitimer 1. The most important version for the purists. Michael already gave a short introduction to all the new Breitling collections during BaselWorld (click here), but now it is time to go hands-on with my personal favorite: the?Breitling Navitimer 1 B01 in 43mm.The?Breitling Navitimer 1 B01 43mm would be my personal pick from the entire 2018 collection. This model comes in several variations: steel with a leather strap, steel on steel, gold with a leather strap, gold on gold, gold and steel on leather. For this hands-on article, I picked the full steel version with [...]

We've featured a lot of iconic timepieces on Fratello Watches, both new and old, including divers, dress watches, chronographs, and others. We obviously go into great depth on a near weekly basis on Omega's legendary chronograph, the Speedmaster and since I've joined the fray, I've tried to touch upon most of the key chronographs. So, the other day, while I was playing around in our archives, it came as a surprise to me that we had yet to cover one of the most epic chronographs created: the Breitling Navitimer 806. Today, on TBT, we'll endeavor to right that error, though, as I'm going to talk about such a watch.We certainly mentioned the Breitling Navitimer 806 in this Summer's Breitling E [...]

Breitling's newest elegant but sporty timepieces are moving the womens watchmaking towards a new kind of youth-influenced, minimalistic aesthetic. The latest Navitimer 35mm collection perfectly captures classic codes which are true to Breitling's DNA, while taking a modern approach to the brands signature model.The Breitling Navitimer Automatic 35 comes with four different dials: mother-of-pearl, blue, copper, and silver. The case available in stainless steel, 18-karat red gold, and also a mixture of the two measures 35 mm in diameter and just 9.92 mm thick. The case itself is sporty and modern, while the size makes the whole design more feminine and elegant.Flowing from the case middle are [...]

Welcome back to Wrist Game or Crying Shame, the weekly series that allows you to participate in an important online survey while being stuck in the house. Today, well head back to the late 90s with the Breitling Navitimer Montbrillant. But firstWith our current homebound lives imagine how this will read in a years time a week ago seems like a month. But it was only last week that I showed you a NOS Seiko SKX007J, the ubiquitous everymans diver that not every man owns. For $289 on favored grey market dealer?Jomashop, the watch boomed to a stunning 86% Wrist Game win. Today, well go with something a lot more complex and 10 times more expensive in the Breitling Navitimer Montbrillant.The Brei [...]

Hot on the heels of their first airline-inspired release honoring Swissair, we have a second new colorful watch to view, the Breitling Navitimer Pan Am Edition.? Much like the Swissair piece, the Pan Am pays tribute to another airline from the Golden Age of commercial travel.? Pan Am is arguably the most famous airline to ever exist despite the fact that they ceased operations way back in 1991.? I never flew them, but I recall many family members and friends hopping aboard their wide bodies out of Miami International and over to foreign destinations such as Heathrow.? And then, who could forget 2002s Catch Me If You Can with Leonardo Dicaprio as a captain-in-disguise on Pan American Airways? [...]