Two Broke Watch Snobs
The Best GADA Watches After 10 Years of Hands-On Testing
Our hands-on GADA watch picks: durable, comfortable daily watches we’ve tested in real life (commutes, travel days, and weekend work) with specs and tradeoffs.
4,136 articles · 23 videos found · page 9 of 139
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Our hands-on GADA watch picks: durable, comfortable daily watches we’ve tested in real life (commutes, travel days, and weekend work) with specs and tradeoffs.
Fratello
Pink is a fun color, regardless of how we feel about whether or not it’s purely feminine. Recently, I had the chance to spend some time with the pink Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Automatique ref. 5007 12B44R NAFA. Here are some thoughts. When I first encountered the new 38mm Blancpain Fifty Fathoms with the pink mother-of-pearl […] Visit Hands-On With Blancpain’s Pink Fifty Fathoms “For Women” to read the full article.
Fratello
In the case of Pragma, being called a goody two-shoes is a plus. Typically, the moniker describes someone who is prudish and self-righteous. A goody two-shoes is an ambitious overachiever striving to be perfect; remember that one teacher’s pet in your class in high school who nobody liked? Behaving excessively virtuously can be off-putting in […] Visit Hands-On With The New Pragma P1 – Perseverance In Solar Stainless Steel And Tantalum With A New Azurite-Blue Dial to read the full article.
Fratello
ISOfrane straps have a special place in diving history. As a 1960s creation, the original model became a fixture for divers due to its flexibility, durability, and comfort. Today, modern versions of the straps are used both for their original purpose and as everyday accompaniments. Until now, though, only one design was available. Today, we […] Visit Hands-On: The New ISOfrane VS 1969 Straps to read the full article.
WatchAdvice
We’ve got our hands on the new TAG Heuer Connected E5 to see how it works, and just what the benefits of owning a smart fitness watch are. What We Love The ergonomics and ease of wear The ability to customise the interface and displays Range of pre-set workouts and routines built in What We Don’t The 40mm is probably on the smaller side for some The battery life means you do need to charge it every day The interface is a little fiddly until you get used to where all the functions are Overall Score: 8 / 10 Value for Money: 7/10 Wearability: 8/10 Design: 9/10 Build Quality: 8/10 This is a slightly different review – TAG Heuer kindly lent us a new 40mm Connected E5, and given this is not your standard mechanical watch, we needed to get it out and about to test it. I love my fitness and gym, so it was the perfect watch to get on my wrist and put it through its paces while I hit the gym and went through their daily routine. I did lend this to Sam, and seems he was exhausted after 1m:15s run, but at least he burned 4 Calories! As this is a smart watch and somewhat different to the usual mechanical pieces on our wrists, I thought this was the best approach as it’s very hard to talk about the movement in a smart watch, however, the benefits of this watch is due to its functionality and practicality for people who want to keep on top of their health and fitness, those who have goals to achieve within their chosen field of sport and exercise. With this in mind, I really ...
Fratello
We have seen a massive increase in interesting small Japanese brands in recent years. Great examples are Kurono Tokyo, Hajime Asaoka, Kikuchi Nakagawa, and Minase. One of the newest microbrands is Kiwame Tokyo, which presented its inaugural Kurotsuki and Usuki models not too long ago. The watches stood out because of their beautiful dials. For […] Visit Hands-On With The Refined Kiwame Tokyo Iwao Ginkai And Sumi to read the full article.
Fratello
I don’t mind admitting that I can get a bit cynical and jaded when discussing watches. There’s just so much coming out and, frankly, not everything is equally inspired or well executed. So when I get the chance to go hands-on with something like this, it can feel like a breath of fresh air. This […] Visit Hands-On With The A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange Jumping Seconds to read the full article.
Fratello
Parmigiani Fleurier is a remarkable player in today’s horological landscape. The brand’s design aesthetic is unique, with the clever use of color being particularly admirable, and the technological innovations are nothing short of impressive. These aspects have made Parmigiani Fleurier both easy to love and easy to reject. Let’s be honest; it’s certainly not a […] Visit Hands-On With The Stunning Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Minute Rattrapante Arctic Rose to read the full article.
Hodinkee
A rare hands-on look at Smith's newest release.
Fratello
Oris introduced an update to the ProPilot Date last month. I wrote the introduction article based on the press materials, and now I am back, having had hands-on experience with the new models. So, the big question of the day is: does the refresh make the ProPilot better? Let’s get into it! We’ll cover everything […] Visit Hands-On With The Second-Generation Oris ProPilot Date to read the full article.
Fratello
A little over a year ago, Echo/Neutra floored me with its Rivanera. The brand’s modern take on the classic dress watch quickly became one of my highlights of 2024. In fact, it impressed me so much that I added one to my collection. Now, a little over 12 months later, the Italian brand surprises us […] Visit Hands-On With The Charming Echo/Neutra Rivanera Piccolo to read the full article.
Fratello
Last year, Serica introduced its new 6190 M.S.L. (Mean Sea Level) collection. With the black, white, or gray dials and non-numerical hand-applied indexes, the watches are dressier alternatives to their sportier field-watch predecessors. Today, the Parisian brand adds another playful yet elegant dial variant to that dressier lineup. Let’s take a look at the new […] Visit A Hands-On Introduction To The Playful And Elegant Serica 6190 TXD to read the full article.
Fratello
Not too long ago, I wrote an article highlighting the Favre Leuba collection. The immediate standouts for me were the Deep Raider divers. The Deep Raider Renaissance is a great modern evolution of the classic Deep Blue from the 1960s. However, it was the Deep Raider Revival that stood out even more to me, as […] Visit Going Hands-On With The Favre Leuba Deep Raider Collection to read the full article.
Fratello
On Halloween, Dave Sergeant and I visited the WatchPro Salon in London at the Freemasons’ Hall. We enjoyed taking a peek at the various watches on display, but we had our favorites, of course. One watch that stood out to me was the Ollech & Wajs OW C-1000 Y, a piece I hadn’t seen before. […] Visit Hands-On: The Ollech & Wajs OW C-1000 Y to read the full article.
Fratello
It’s only been a couple of weeks since Thomas covered the AVI-8 CVRT 3775A Automatic. Now, the young brand specializing in military-themed aviation watches is releasing its next series of timepieces. With the new Flyboy Eagle Squadron Automatic Bronze 85th Limited Edition, AVI-8 pays tribute to the brave American pilots who volunteered to fly alongside […] Visit Hands-On With The AVI-8 Flyboy Eagle Squadron Automatic Bronze 85th Limited Edition to read the full article.
Fratello
With its latest release, Awake has returned to the silver screen for inspiration. The new Sơn Mài The Deadly Watch takes its cues from a film by one of my favorite directors. Quentin Tarantino’s 2003 movie Kill Bill arrives in wrist form, complete with the legendary colors worn by the star character, Beatrix Kiddo, played by […] Visit Hands-On: The New Awake Sơn Mài The Deadly Watch to read the full article.
Fratello
We’ve all heard that good things come to those who wait. In my case, I had to wait two years before the Benrus Ultra-Deep landed on my desk. That was purely the result of the never-ending stream of new releases that, unfortunately, made me forget about the brand’s retro dive watch. But when the Ultra-Deep […] Visit Hands-On With The Suprisingly Fresh And Invigorating Benrus Ultra-Deep to read the full article.
Fratello
When it comes to modern production techniques, 3D printing is not a common choice in the watch industry just yet. With the new GMT1, the startup brand Mozen demonstrates that 3D printing enables the creation of creative case designs that do not break the bank. On top of that, the new Mozen GMT1 uses an […] Visit A Hands-On Introduction To The New Mozen GMT1 to read the full article.
Fratello
Dress watches are on the rise, especially among members of Gen Z. They like to mix the more formal style and smaller size with their oversized and informal wardrobes. But that, of course, isn’t at all the way dress watches are intended to be worn. That’s why Raymond Weil and seconde/seconde/ have developed a limited […] Visit Hands-On With The Raymond Weil Toccata Heritage × Seconde/Seconde/ Limited Edition to read the full article.
Fratello
Just last week, I visited the Panerai boutique on New Bond Street in London, and there was a bit of a renaissance. The store was busy, and certain models were sold out. However, the staff members were friendly and happy to pull out prototype versions of popular references. Panerai is on a roll right now, […] Visit Hands-On: The Panerai Luminor Marina Bronzo PAM01678 to read the full article.
Fratello
Today, we’ll go hands-on with the limited-edition Glashütte Original PanoMaticCalendar Platinum. It’s a lesson in how a watch’s appearance can change drastically with a different dial and color scheme. As the name suggests, the watch is also crafted from one of my favorite stealthy precious metals. It’s hard not to enjoy Glashütte Original’s watches. After […] Visit Hands-On With The Glashütte Original PanoMaticCalendar Platinum to read the full article.
Fratello
In 2020, Wempe presented the Iron Walker family of watches. The retailer’s in-house brand, Wempe Glashütte, manufactures these watches to expand Wempe’s offerings in the popular class of steel watches featuring a sporty design with an integrated bracelet. The Iron Walker family comprises slightly sporty (Automatic and GMT), sportier (Chronograph), and fully sporty (Diver) watches. […] Visit Hands-On With Wempe’s Iron Walker Diver Bronze to read the full article.
Fratello
There’s something quietly satisfying about wearing a GMT watch when you travel. It adds a bit of ceremony to the start of a trip, even if you are only hopping across Europe. I took the Alcadus Voyager Worldtimer GMT on holiday with me to Rhodes simply because I liked the look of it and wanted […] Visit Hands-On: A Week In Rhodes With The Alcadus Voyager Worldtimer GMT to read the full article.
Monochrome
For those of us over 20 years old who can read an analogue watch (you might be shocked at how many Generation Alpha kids can’t), we all know what the central hour, minute and seconds hands do. A small seconds sub-dial won’t trip us up, either. Different complications bring different hands, however, and some can […]
Fratello
Today, we’ll go hands-on with the latest Brellum release. The Pandial Power Reserve Black Titanium LE Chronometer builds upon this month’s earlier introduction of a similar model in steel. Considering that this is the brand’s most feature-laden watch, it’s worth taking a closer look. With such small production runs, Brellum maintains an aggressive release schedule. […] Visit Hands-On: The New Brellum Pandial Power Reserve Black Titanium LE Chronometer to read the full article.
Fratello
Kuoe (pronounced like “quo”) is not a brand that we have featured in a dedicated article before here on Fratello. However, it has been on our radar for some time. My Fratello colleague Gerard has been interested in the Japanese brand for some time and featured its Old Smith 90-002 in a list of his […] Visit Hands-On With The Kuoe Royal Smith 90-012 Chronographs to read the full article.
Fratello
As much as I would have loved to call the Louis Vuitton Escale Malachite a hard-rocking watch, I can’t. That’s because malachite has a Mohs hardness between 3.5 and 4.0, and that’s considered soft. So, there you have it: the Escale Malachite is a soft-rocking watch, but that’s okay. The exclusive character of this watch, […] Visit Hands-On With The Louis Vuitton Escale Malachite: A Soft-Rock Watch With A Touch Of Platinum to read the full article.
Fratello
Take a good look at the steel Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Classic Monoface Small Seconds in the pictures. What do you see? Exactly - a watch you didn’t think was a novelty. But it is. This medium-sized Reverso has all the trademarks of a traditional Reverso, along with a couple of updated tweaks. We go hands-on to […] Visit Hands-On With The Steel Midsize Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Classic Monoface Small Seconds - A Surprisingly Unsurprising Novelty to read the full article.
Fratello
When most brands introduce a new watch, they make the bracelet look more like an afterthought than an integrated part of the design. It’s often a derivative of or a variation on the classic Oyster or Jubilee bracelet, which isn’t a sign of much imagination. Serica has never given in to that strategy. The brand […] Visit A Hands-On Introduction To Serica’s Sophisticated And Functional Expedition Bracelet to read the full article.
Fratello
Admittedly, I don’t try many microbrand watches. I have nothing against them, but I haven’t found many here in the UK. This all changed when I attended the World Time UK event in late September with my buddies Dave (of Fratello fame), Lawrence, and Parm. I saw some nice things, but one of the standout […] Visit Hands-On With The New Clemence Photic MKII Divers to read the full article.
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