An amazingly detailed post on how to buy a Seiko 6309 diver, one of the iconic Japanese divers of the last century. The 6309 has an automatic movement and is built like a tank with the crown at 4 o’clock. I have my father’s, which I redid completely after he left it sitting in a drawer for about 20 years. It’s a striking piece and, along with the Orange Monster, is a great newbie collector’s watch.
HOW TO BUY A SEIKO 6309 DIVER (Belongs in FAQ) [Seiko and Citizen Forum]
Help us help you this year. Fill out our 1st Annual WWR reader’s survey and register to win a black Nooka ZOT watch courtesy of Nooka.com. Deadline for entries is Midnight, January 31, 2006.
All email addresses will be destroyed after the contest is over. Please tell us what you think about WWR and tell us a bit about yourself so we can expand and improve our coverage next year.
Survey Site
Nice review of the Digiteur MSA, Chronoswiss’ “digital” watch.
Chronoswiss’s new Digiteur MSA was introduced at Baselworld 2005. MSA stands for “montre sans aiguilles” (watch without hands) and this watch is, indeed, a watch without hands. A mechanical digital watch, in other words.
The hour is displayed in a beveled square window at the top of the face. Beneath that is a semicircular window that displays the minutes, and below that the seconds count off in a third window.
It takes a bit of getting used to, but once you do, it’s a very easy-to-read display. The three windows set into the plain silver face make for an elegant and sophisticated wristwatch that is still functional.
Chronoswiss Digiteur [Stylophiles Online]
TimeZone has some great shots of the new 5960P Calendar with leap year indicator and all sorts of goodies. I hate the hands, though. Does anyone else feel the same way?
Full release after the jump.
NEW Patek chrono/calendar/auto caliber, ref. 5960P! [TimeZone]
Read more…
These internecine struggles happen in every industry, and the watchmaking world is no exception. Apparently this group will
Based in Avenches, the purpose of this alliance is not marketing, but to “perpetuate manual know-how and creative work” according to Mr. Dufour.
The alliance will be inspired in particular by the philosophy of the guild and the exchange of knowledge. Each founding member will keep his independence. To finance its objectives, they will sell particular models of each one of its member products specially for Time Aeon.
They will also feature Charlize Theron in a very poor movie alongside an addled Frances McDormand.
New Independent Watch Association Formed – Time Aeon [TimeZone]
Ming at 
WatchRap has some striking shots of a Gerald Genta jump hour. I like Genta, as a whole, but sometimes they get ugly. This one has all the parts in the right place.
Gerald Genta Retrograde Jump Hour! [WatchRap]
Here very cute little homemade Panny – some paper, some Xacto knives, and a $20 quartz crap piece. Excellent work.
See what happens when I get bored? [BigWatchForum]
KrazyDad reviews a super cool wooden clock kit made of pressboard, dowels, and not much else. Very George Washington Carver.
Here are the components spread out. Most of the parts are laser cut plywood. There are also some dowels, screws, nylon washers and string. The kit comes with a detailed and helpful 43 page instruction manual, that is *much* better than the terse instructions that come with IKEA furniture. Jeff is very careful to navigate you through most of the potential “gotchas” that will occur during the construction process. I started working on the clock about 2 and a half weeks ago, working mostly on weekends. All in all, I’ve probably spent about 20 hours on it thus far.
The Ascent – A Wooden Clock Kit [KrazyDad]
Help us help you this year. Fill out our 1st Annual WWR reader’s survey and register to win a black Nooka ZOT watch courtesy of Nooka.com. Deadline for entries is Midnight, January 31, 2006.
All email addresses will be destroyed after the contest is over. Please tell us what you think about WWR and tell us a bit about yourself so we can expand and improve our coverage next year.
Survey Site
I had strayed from the quartz digital path in the last few years thanks to my obsession with mechanicals, but I’ve always thought I’d like to return to the fold. Last week I received two Casio watches, a Pathfinder and a G-Shock, and I am happy to say that I’m pleasantly surprised.
Now I know you all like your ETAs and Big Bangs, but a watch like the G-Shock G7500-1V is pretty sassy little number that can help road warriors stay awake on the red-eye and might survive a nasty turn at the baggage claim.
Read more…
One of our readers asked us to do some research into Oceanus. From what I can tell, it’s essentially a solar-powered Casio-alike with some nice styling. Opinions? Pros? Cons? I spoke too soon. I just realized that I’ll probably be reviewing some of these in the near future. They’re actually a Casio offshoot and if the G-Shock and Pathfinder I’m reviewing right now are any indication, they’re pretty damn good.
Product Page [Oceanus]
Product Page [Oceanus]
Not sure why this happened, but they dumped Jack Bauer’s Kobold for an MTM Special Ops, allowing MTM to raise the price on their hefty quartz and making clunky quartz watches an object of desire for millions of newbie watch buyers. Oh, terrible day.
Jack Bauer in 24 Day 5 Wears MTM Special Ops Watch [WristDreams]
Product Page [SpecialOps Watch]
I’m thinking this Omega ain’t that hot, but it’s a nice concept. It’s basically a retread of a 1915 piece using caliber 2200 inside a rose gold case.
This Omega Museum watch is an absolute stunner. A limited [1915 pieces] reedition of the 1915 Omega Petrograd watch, featuring the omega caliber 2200 and in Red gold on a leather strap with reference number of 5703.30.0 it is part of Omega’s museum line of classic re-issues.
Omega Museum Watch [OmegaBlogger]
Looks like the Chinese tourbillon juggernaut is slowly marching across the horizon and this one, by the Samson Watch Company – not affiliated with the Delilah Haircutting Shears Company – is no exception. Apparently this thing actually isn’t that bad and keeps good time. But when everyone owns a tourbillon, how can tourbillon makers jack up the price?
Do you really get what you pay for? A report. [TimeZone]
From TheSportingLife.net – A timeless timepiece is a rare thing; manufactuers, like the people who design the clothes we wear and the food we eat, are subject to the temptestuous winds of change. Swiss watch-maker Mondaine has arisen to stand boldly against the onslaught of ever-changing fasion trends with their Railways Classic, a sleek, minimalistic timepiece that server its purpose with the timeless beauty of other classics like aviator sunglasses and the little black dress.
The face is enclosed in a sturdy stainless steel construction and the slim black leather band draws attention to the beauty and simplicity of the piece. Though not pictured, you can also pick up a flavor with a date adjacent to three o’clock. The only qualm is that on the time-and-date watches, you’ll have to reset the date to the first each month, because of the design mechanism that rotates the individual wheels. A minor price to pay for a classy, classic watch that will have a place in your wardrobe until the end of time.
Mondaine: The World’s Best Watch Is Useless If You Can’t Read The Time
