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Fratello’s Top 5 Dress Watches Of The First Half Of 2025 - Featuring Rolex, Cartier, Patek Philippe, And More Fratello
Patek Philippe Jun 27, 2025

Fratello’s Top 5 Dress Watches Of The First Half Of 2025 - Featuring Rolex, Cartier, Patek Philippe, And More

Another Friday, another list. Freshly back from two weeks of holidays, I’d like to properly kick off our overview of the first half of the year. This week, we’ll focus on our five favorite dress watches of 2025 so far. While that may not be the first category you think of, it’s certainly a good […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 Dress Watches Of The First Half Of 2025 - Featuring Rolex, Cartier, Patek Philippe, And More to read the full article.

The Most Expensive Rolex Watches Teddy Baldassarre
Rolex Jun 20, 2025

The Most Expensive Rolex Watches

Admit it, you’re here because you googled “Most Expensive Rolex Watches” in the hopes of gathering up some horological bar trivia, right? No? You say you’re here because you really, truly are interested in buying one of the most expensive watches Rolex currently puts out? Well, good news. We’ve updated this article to incorporate both.  Photo: Sotheby's Founded in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf, Rolex is today the most globally recognized Swiss luxury watch brand, one of the leading innovators in the watch industry from the 20th Century to today, and the maker of some of the most popular and coveted watch models in the world, from gents’ classics like the Datejust and Day-Date to sport-luxury icons like the Submariner, Daytona, and GMT-Master. As one might expect with such a horological pedigree, Rolex watches have also become some of the most valuable watches on the secondary and auction markets, with the most elite and exclusive pieces selling for $1 million or more. (Disclaimer: obviously, for the most avid and well-connected Rolex customers, it is the legendary “off-catalog” models - like the "Rainbow Daytona" pictured above - that both project the most mythical aura of exclusivity and command the most stratospheric prices. The problem with accurately reporting on which of them is really the “Most Expensive” is built into their rarity: such models change hands without an actual MSRP ever being declared publicly, and whatever that original purchase pric...

Rolex Nicknames Explained Teddy Baldassarre
Rolex Jun 5, 2025

Rolex Nicknames Explained

When it comes to Rolex, nicknames for its watches are almost as plentiful as the watches themselves – and often so esoteric that even avid watch enthusiasts can be perplexed by them. Can you tell a Kermit from a Hulk, for example? Or a John Player from a John Mayer? And would you be able to identify a Thunderbird or a Texano in the rare chance you’d come across one these days? Rolex’s legions of fans have been bestowing colorful and often esoteric nicknames on its most noteworthy watches for decades, and there are more of them than you probably even realize. Here’s a mostly alphabetical primer on the top 20 Rolex nicknames you’re likely to hear (and maybe even use) regularly in today’s buzzing watch-enthusiast community.  Batman GMT-Master II Ref. 116710BLNR Debuting in 2013, this Rolex GMT-Master II reference garnered the nickname “Batman” for its first-of-its-kind bicolor Cerachrom bezel in shades of blue and black, which undoubtedly brought to mind for many enthusiasts the signature colors of DC Comics’ dark-garbed guardian of Gotham City. This “Batman” moniker is now applied primarily to the model on the three-link Oyster bracelet.  Batgirl GMT-Master II Ref. 126710BLNR As alluded to directly above, the “Batgirl” name has been applied to the Ref. 126710BLNR of the aforementioned GMT-Master II, introduced in 2019, which differs from the original “Batman” only in its choice of a Jubilee bracelet rather than an Oyster. Is one more masculine...

Sunday Morning Showdown: Rolex Oyster Perpetual 36 “Lavender” Vs. Grand Seiko “Kiri” SBGW323 Fratello
Grand Seiko Kiri” SBGW323 Welcome Jun 1, 2025

Sunday Morning Showdown: Rolex Oyster Perpetual 36 “Lavender” Vs. Grand Seiko “Kiri” SBGW323

Welcome to another installment of Sunday Morning Showdown. This week, we decided to put the Swiss up against the Japanese, each with a purple-dial stainless steel watch of their own. The Rolex Oyster Perpetual with a lavender dial represents the Swiss, while the Grand Seiko “Kiri” SBGW323 represents the Japanese. Both came out during Watches […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Rolex Oyster Perpetual 36 “Lavender” Vs. Grand Seiko “Kiri” SBGW323 to read the full article.

Hands On: The Unique Rolex Daytona “Zenith” Platinum Ref. 16516 SJX Watches
Zenith Platinum Ref 16516 May 9, 2025

Hands On: The Unique Rolex Daytona “Zenith” Platinum Ref. 16516

Sotheby’s upcoming Geneva auction that takes place on May 11 is a relatively compact affair. But the 124 lots includes notable highlights, with the top lot of the sale being the especially unique Rolex Daytona “Zenith” ref. 16516 in platinum with a pink mother-of-pearl dial. This watch is one of just four Daytonas combining the El Primero movement and platinum case – the only platinum specimens in the 16500-series Daytona – all of which were made at the behest of former Rolex chief executive Patrick Heiniger in 1999. Famous for being powered by the cal. 4030 derived from the Zenith El Primero, the 16500-series was the first-ever self-winding Daytona. The model was never commercially available in platinum; the four examples in platinum are truly unique. Moreover, each of the four are one-of-a-kind, each fitted with a different dial in exotic materials. Sotheby’s sold the prior three examples, starting with black mother-of-pearl in 2018, lapis lazuli in 2020, and turquoise in 2021. While those three featured applied Arabic numbers, this example has diamond hour markers. Initial thoughts The unique nature of this Daytona is unquestionable. Amongst automatic Daytonas this ranks amongst the rarest and most valuable. Two of its platinum siblings sold for over US$3 million each, making them the priciest modern-day Daytonas. Of the four platinum Daytonas, however, this example is the most paradoxical. It’s the most unusual in having diamond indices, but also the most...

Rolex Oysterquartz: The Complete Guide Teddy Baldassarre
Rolex May 1, 2025

Rolex Oysterquartz: The Complete Guide

When Rolex introduced its Oyster Perpetual Land-Dweller watch at Watches & Wonders 2025, some longtime fans of the brand experienced a bit of déja vu for a Rolex watch - and a Rolex era - that have been largely consigned to the mists of history. Why? Because the Land-Dweller's angular case and integrated-bracelet design reminded many enthusiasts of the Oysterquartz models introduced during the early heyday of quartz watches in the 1970s. That's correct: once upon a time, Rolex, one of the undisputed champions of luxury watches with mechanical movements, jumped on board the Quartz Revolution bandwagon and not only produced its own in-house quartz calibers but marketed the watches that housed them as the pinnacle of the Crown's timepiece portfolio at the time. Here is everything you need to know about the Rolex Oysterquartz and its quirky but significant place in horological history.  Rolex Oysterquartz: The Early Days Of Electric Watches The wristwatch industry, like any other industry, is uber-competitive and every watchmaker wants to be the first to market with The Next Big Thing. In the 1950s and into the ‘60s, that Next Big Thing was a watch that could be powered by electricity. American companies like Hamilton, with the Ventura, and Bulova, with the Accutron, were among the pioneers, even though the movements that resulted from these early efforts proved to have difficulty maintaining reliability in mass production. The Japanese, particularly Seiko, took a diff...

Fratello On Air: The Latest News Including Breguet And Rolex Fratello
Breguet Apr 29, 2025

Fratello On Air: The Latest News Including Breguet And Rolex

Welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air. This week, we cover the latest news on watches and other subjects. We discuss the 250th Anniversary of Breguet and several other high-end brands. This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings It was a relatively quiet week on the […] Visit Fratello On Air: The Latest News Including Breguet And Rolex to read the full article.

Sunday Morning Showdown: Rolex Land-Dweller 127336 Vs. Patek Philippe Cubitus 7128/1G Fratello
Patek Philippe Cubitus 7128/1G It’s Sunday Apr 27, 2025

Sunday Morning Showdown: Rolex Land-Dweller 127336 Vs. Patek Philippe Cubitus 7128/1G

It’s Sunday again, and for our showdown this week, we set up a clash between two polarizing watches that inspire no shortage of fervid opinions. First, there is the brand-new Rolex Land-Dweller that the brand unveiled during Watches and Wonders a few weeks back. It goes up against the much-debated Patek Philippe Cubitus, which debuted […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Rolex Land-Dweller 127336 Vs. Patek Philippe Cubitus 7128/1G to read the full article.

Fratello Favorites: The Best Watches And Wonders 2025 Releases - Gerard’s Picks From Grand Seiko, Tudor, And Rolex Fratello
Grand Seiko Tudor Apr 14, 2025

Fratello Favorites: The Best Watches And Wonders 2025 Releases - Gerard’s Picks From Grand Seiko, Tudor, And Rolex

With more than 55,000 visitors, Watches and Wonders 2025 saw the fair’s greatest attendance to date. In his closing press release, President Cyrille Vigneron proudly named it a must-attend professional event and a platform for watchmaking maisons to express their creativity. I agree, although, after 26 touch-and-try sessions, one discovers a pattern revealing that brand […] Visit Fratello Favorites: The Best Watches And Wonders 2025 Releases - Gerard’s Picks From Grand Seiko, Tudor, And Rolex to read the full article.

Sunday Morning Showdown: Rolex 1908 Yellow Gold Vs. Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds Pink Gold Fratello
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Apr 13, 2025

Sunday Morning Showdown: Rolex 1908 Yellow Gold Vs. Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds Pink Gold

It’s time for our first Sunday Morning Showdown after the craziness of Watches and Wonders 2025. As you can guess, we will create new matchups based on the watches introduced in Geneva. These provide us with plenty of picks for the upcoming weeks. In this first post-Watches and Wonders matchup, Mike and Jorg go head […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Rolex 1908 Yellow Gold Vs. Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds Pink Gold to read the full article.

Is The Cartier Santos Medium An Unexpected Rolex Oyster Perpetual Killer? Fratello
Cartier Santos Medium Apr 7, 2025

Is The Cartier Santos Medium An Unexpected Rolex Oyster Perpetual Killer?

The Cartier Santos medium represents, to me, some of the best the brand has to offer. Recently, I spent some quality time with the Santos. Here are my thoughts. Cartier is a watch brand that represents many things to many people. Like Rolex, it has developed a little baggage simply because it has been so […] Visit Is The Cartier Santos Medium An Unexpected Rolex Oyster Perpetual Killer? to read the full article.

Fratello’s Top 5 Less Obvious Rolex GMT-Master Models Fratello
Vacheron Constantin Mar 28, 2025

Fratello’s Top 5 Less Obvious Rolex GMT-Master Models

Another Friday, another list! In the lead-up to Watches and Wonders 2025, we have been highlighting brands that have an anniversary to celebrate. Last week, we focused on Vacheron Constantin, and in the weeks before, we put the spotlight on Zenith. Brands like Breguet, Blancpain, and Audemars Piguet have anniversaries this year too, but they […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 Less Obvious Rolex GMT-Master Models to read the full article.

Sunday Morning Showdown: Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Tech BOC IV Vs. Rolex Sea-Dweller Ref. 126600 Fratello
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Tech BOC Mar 16, 2025

Sunday Morning Showdown: Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Tech BOC IV Vs. Rolex Sea-Dweller Ref. 126600

Another Sunday, another showdown! This week, we’ll dive headfirst into the world of luxury dive watches, and two examples with legendary lineage will go head to head. The first is the latest iteration of the Rolex Sea-Dweller, a watch that finds its roots in the late 1960s as the professional brother of the Submariner. The […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Tech BOC IV Vs. Rolex Sea-Dweller Ref. 126600 to read the full article.

Fratello Favorites: The Best Vintage Watches Under €5K - RJ’s Picks From Heuer, Breitling, Omega, and Rolex Fratello
Breitling Omega Mar 10, 2025

Fratello Favorites: The Best Vintage Watches Under €5K - RJ’s Picks From Heuer, Breitling, Omega, and Rolex

Our managing editor, Nacho, asked us to choose our favorite vintage watches under €5K. First, we need to define what “vintage” means. There is no clear universal definition in the watch industry, but the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie once used 20 years or older as a guideline. To some purists, a vintage needs to […] Visit Fratello Favorites: The Best Vintage Watches Under €5K - RJ’s Picks From Heuer, Breitling, Omega, and Rolex to read the full article.

Fratello Favorites: The Best Vintage Watches Under €5K - Jorg’s Picks From Omega, Rolex, And Cartier Fratello
Cartier Welcome Mar 3, 2025

Fratello Favorites: The Best Vintage Watches Under €5K - Jorg’s Picks From Omega, Rolex, And Cartier

Welcome to another installment of Fratello Favorites! If you’ve been following Fratello recently, you’ll know that this time, we are sharing our favorite vintage watches under €5K. After Thomas kicked the series off and Daan presented his picks just before last weekend, I am third in line to present mine. Selecting them was fun but […] Visit Fratello Favorites: The Best Vintage Watches Under €5K - Jorg’s Picks From Omega, Rolex, And Cartier to read the full article.

Fratello Favorites: The Best Vintage Watches Under €5K - Thomas’s Picks From Omega, Rolex, And Grand Seiko Fratello
Grand Seiko Welcome Feb 24, 2025

Fratello Favorites: The Best Vintage Watches Under €5K - Thomas’s Picks From Omega, Rolex, And Grand Seiko

Welcome to another series of Fratello Favorites! Our writers get another chance to share their favorite watches within a certain segment. This time, we are tackling vintage watches under €5K. I am the lucky first to outline what I think are the best vintage watches in the price range and why. Over the coming weeks, […] Visit Fratello Favorites: The Best Vintage Watches Under €5K - Thomas’s Picks From Omega, Rolex, And Grand Seiko to read the full article.

Modern Brands That Should Offer Quartz - Rolex, Omega, Ming, And More Fratello
Omega Ming Feb 13, 2025

Modern Brands That Should Offer Quartz - Rolex, Omega, Ming, And More

Quartz movements were once seen as the ticking death knell of the mechanical watch industry. Many collectors scoff at these electronic pieces and will not consider them. However, there are pockets of enthusiasts who enjoy finely crafted quartz movements in equally well-made cases. Perhaps the largest knock on quartz is that its movements lack the […] Visit Modern Brands That Should Offer Quartz - Rolex, Omega, Ming, And More to read the full article.

Rolex Shuts Down Watch Brand Carl F. Bucherer, And That’s Hardly A Surprise Fratello
Tudor shield Feb 12, 2025

Rolex Shuts Down Watch Brand Carl F. Bucherer, And That’s Hardly A Surprise

Two years ago, when Rolex acquired Bucherer, a multi-brand retail store with over 100 locations, it also included the jeweler’s watch brand Carl F. Bucherer. So, as of 2023, the Rolex crown was protected by the Tudor shield and a second brand with a history that dates back to 1888. You would think that a […] Visit Rolex Shuts Down Watch Brand Carl F. Bucherer, And That’s Hardly A Surprise to read the full article.

Explained: The Rolex Parachrom Hairspring SJX Watches
Patek Philippe turning Dec 20, 2024

Explained: The Rolex Parachrom Hairspring

Over the last decade, metal alloy hairsprings seem to fallen out of favour across watchmaking, with even conservative, haute horlogerie brands like Breguet and Patek Philippe turning to silicon balance springs. Not to mention large-scale makers of sporty watches like Omega and Tudor, which already transitioned to silicon balance springs. Rolex, however, stands out. The Geneva marque continues to employ a hairspring fabricated of its proprietary blue alloy – the Parachrom hairspring. The Parachrom hairspring inside the cal. 4131 of the Cosmograph Daytona The advantages of alloy The use of blue Parachrom is rooted in the simple fact that the right metal alloy boasts performance that is at least on par with its silicon counterpart – while offering some distinct advantages missing in silicon. Alloy hairsprings are traditionally made of Nivarox (and its family of related alloys), a special alloy that neither oxidises nor change its dimensions with variations in temperature. Invented in 1933 and almost a century old, Nivarox is a mix of nickel and iron, making it a ferromagnetic alloy, thus susceptible to influence from magnetic fields.  The cal. 3255 of the Day-Date 40 is equipped with a Parachrom hairspring. Image – Rolex In order to make its hairsprings more resistant to magnetism and to bypass the Swatch-imposed monopoly on Nivarox hairsprings (Nivarox-FAR being one of the key companies of Swatch Group), Rolex set out to develop its own hairspring alloy in the early 2...

Mythbusting: 3 Persistent Patek Philippe and Rolex Myths Debunked Quill & Pad
Patek Philippe Dec 17, 2024

Mythbusting: 3 Persistent Patek Philippe and Rolex Myths Debunked

The rise of the internet, and the consequent evolution of the watch-watching community, has inevitably amplified the phenomenon whereby certain objects have come to exert an extraordinary hold over the collective imagination. Here, Colin Alexander Smith debunks three watch myths circulating widely and freely online and in print concerning former French president Nicolas Sarkozy's Rolex and Patek Philippe, the Khanjar Rolex Sea-Dwellers, and what in fact Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay were wearing on their wrists as they summited Mount Everest.