Did you know that in a store deep in the streets of Hong Kong is a omega Oysterdate watch with a pot leaf dial? Whether or not it is aftermarket or authentic, it does exist. John and I are almost officially omega fans at this point and we discuss our current feelings about the brand. Omega gets some love as we discuss the Seamaster Aqua Terra 15,000 Gauss with its highly anti-magnetic movement. We then switch gears to discuss Casios pretty darn awesome G-Shock GW9400 Rangeman, and the muse of Ko [...]
At Baselworld 2017 we saw the release of the limited edition Maurice LaCroix Aikon Bronze watch. The Aikon line was debuted in 2016 and Maurice LaCroix is wasting little time in getting in on the trend of using bronze. Its refreshing to see the use of bronze in something other than a dive watch (or sports watch) and Maurice LaCroix is making a safe bet in the production of 388 limited edition pieces of the watch. The watch is all about attainable sophistication and the romantic appeal of the evo [...]
Last year Hublot released their first watch with a colored sapphire crystal. The crystal itself was tinted red on the very cool Hublot King Power F1 Monza watch. It was shared with me that more tinted crystals watches would come. Hublot is thus far sticking with red, but more colors will come soon no doubt. Here for you is the Hublot Big Bang Red Magic collection for 2011 that sport red tinted sapphire crystals, as well as the Hublot Big Bang All Black Green watches for 2011. I thought it was [...]
In the latest episode of the Spending Time Podcast (here on Android) Ariel Adams, Zach Pi?a, and myself sit down and discuss a topic inspired by my recent article on the history of the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean. Of course, that dive watch made it to modern icon status (at least in my opinion) but we had a pretty interesting talk not just thinking of others but deciding on exactly what makes a modern icon.So what counts as a modern icon? Its still open to some interpretation but I think a watc [...]
Regulator-style watches are a delicacy of timepiece face design that have nothing to do with mere design fancy. My experience talking about regulator timepieces with fellow collectors is that many people simply do not know why the dial has the minutes, seconds, and hours separated on their own dials. There is a traditional reason for that, and Ill get back to regulator watches in a second. First, let me introduce the Chronoswiss Regulator Classic, which is one of a slew of regulator-style timepi [...]
Ask anyone interested in quality mechanical watches and they will tell you that Jaeger-LeCoultre makes a fine timepiece. Through its rich history, the brand has succeeded in almost universally having watch fans get excited about their movements and quality.Jaeger-LeCoultre has achieved the difficult task of setting a high bar for itself mechanically. The next step after that was to capture the hearts of as much of the watch lover market as possible. That was the more difficult part. JLC gained a [...]
The Longines Conquest Classic Chronograph is everything its name implies?it to be: a tri-compax chronograph with traditional design elements,?made as part of the brands?Conquest collection and hence styled to represent what Longines likes to call sporting elegance. We went on to spend some wrist-time with it, as it was the timepiece handed out to the winning jockey of this years stop in the Triple Crown race of thoroughbred horses. In 2014, Longines continued their long support of professional e [...]
Italian/Swiss watchmaker Panerai recently announced it had earned a favorable decision in a? major intellectual property case against Chinese manufacturer Awsky regarding the sale of counterfeit Panerai timepieces. The court decision, handed down by Guangdong Shenzhen Luohu District Peoples Court in China on October 12, 2019, and finalized April 13, 2020, has demanded an immediate halt to all sales of infringing timepieces along with a sizeable financial compensation to Panerai. Awsky has been o [...]
The BR 01 (BR01) watch collection is probably the most iconic timepiece of the Bell Ross brand, and one of the most influential timepieces of last decade. Exactly where did it come from and why is it so popular? Bell Ross as a brand is highly inspired by the German brand Sinn. In fact, one of the founders of Bell Ross worked at Sinn, and early Bell Ross watches were actually Sinn watches that were dual branded.Sinn is sort of the anti-Swiss watch in theme. The brand offers high-quality tool [...]
For 2015, Hublot has introduced a new bracelet option for the Big Bang UNICO watch collection. Since 2005, the Hublot Big Bang collection has been almost synonymous with being paired with a strap often a rubber strap. In fact, one could make the argument that Hublot was a major player in the luxurification of rubber when it comes to watch strap materials. Whereas rubber was traditionally a more utilitarian material associated with sports such as diving, brands like Hublot helped thrust it into [...]
Back in 2014, we saw the Parmigiani Bugatti Aerolithe watch,?and it was an eminently wearable (and relatively affordable) watch born from the partnership between the watch manufacturer and the automaker. Heres a more typically super-exclusive watch that youd see come out of such a partnership, if youre not familiar. It was a great-looking flyback chronograph aimed at the watch collector looking for a sporty, versatile piece from a high-end, boutique brand. Now, with the release of the Parmigiani [...]
When Bell Ross released the pro version of the iconic square BR01 case a few years ago it was pretty wow. It was perhaps at an apex of the large aviator watchs popularity, and Bell Ross was interested in creating as diverse a range of BR01 models as it could dream up. That included limited edition versions in various colors, and thematic items like this futuristic looking warriors watch in titanium with a carbon fiber dial. So is the BR01-94 Pro Titanium Carbon Fiber still cool or a reminder o [...]
Omega watch lovers are given an almost tedious amount of good options when it comes to what watch to want next. The Omega love is high here, but lets be honest, when it comes to wanting a new Speedmaster or Seamaster choosing the right model for you is just under being as complicated as determining a new neighborhood to move to. There are a complex set of considerations, pluses, minuses, and should I hold out for X thoughts that go through your head. Well, to make things better/more frustrating, [...]
The Montblanc 1858 Split Second Chronograph limited-edition watch that premiered at SIHH 2019 finally hits the market today. Production of this handsome new watch will be limited to just 100 pieces. When I started out in watchmaking, I had a soft spot for Montblanc. That had faded until Minerva-inspired timepieces started creeping onto the market. Any reference, either aesthetically or mechanically, to that esteemed manufacture gets my heart racing. And in light of this pieces strict limitation, [...]
When the Perrelet Turbine watch collection first came out more than 6 years ago, it was a hit. While there have been new models out each year, one of the most interesting new ones is this Perrelet Turbine Skeleton (originally debuted on aBlogotWatch here). The novel spinning dial themed on jet engine turbines and Perrelets own double automatic rotor movements hit a sweet spot with collectors looking for novel sport-style watches. I also believe credit is due to Perrelet for helping to develop a [...]
On day one of Baselworld 2017, one of the most interesting new watches I saw was the Bell Ross BR X2 Micro-Rotor Automatic. With a new case, movement, and provocative design, this circa $65,000 limited-edition watch is a lovely testament to why we like wearing bold designs with conspicuous mechanical movements. Bell Ross president Carlos Rosillo was wearing it at Baselworlds Bell Ross stand, enthusiastically showing it off Mr. Rosillo gets more excited about his new products than almost any [...]
Just a few more days to enter for a chance to win a trip with Maurice Lacroix and to the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Texas on June 6-7th, 2014. This quick mid-month giveaway is eligible for US residents only. Enter here by May 15th for a chance to come along. [...]
It is a common belief that God is omnipresent, but as the physical identity of God is still a mystery, we humans connect with the Almighty by practicing different religions in different parts of the world. And every religion offers a representation of God which can be used as an object of worship and symbolism. Why am I rambling on about a topic like religion, and how exactly does it relate to horology? I would like to introduce to you the Blancpain Villeret Metiers DArt Ganesh watch.The Blancpa [...]
Porsche Design started a retro-refresh like most other brands last year as they get close to a major brand anniversary next year. On the one hand I could just dismiss what they are doing with the retro-revival as just playing along with follow the leader, but that isnt totally the case for Porsche Design. First of all Porsche Design isnt at all abandoning their more contemporary, future thinking line of watches. Second, Porsche Design will be offering re-releases of classic designs not to re-liv [...]
Acquisitions are rarely a surprise in this day and age, and especially in this industry, but wed be lying if we said we werent at least a bit surprised to learn that the majority stake of Glycine Watch S.A. has just been sold to the Invicta Watch Group. As pioneers in world-timing aviation watches, Glycine brings over a century of quirky, independent?watchmaking to the Invicta name, which itself was also a longstanding family-operated Swiss brand until later purchased in 1991 by a United States- [...]