Great roundup by CNET of some Basel flava.

Photos: Wristwatch windup | CNET News.com

The Purist Ninjas rock out with some R.W. Smith hotness. Look at the work on that baby.

Having taken several forms since its creation, Roger decided to use the co-axial’s original form and adapt it to suit the Series 2′s concept. This version uses two escape wheels fixed to an arbor (co-axial), with a standard pinion, as opposed to the later “extra flat” version that is found in later Daniels watches and as adopted by Omega. This “extra flat” version uses an extra wheel in the going train that engages a multi-purpose pinion/impulse wheel which sits co-axially on an arbor with the other escape wheel. The proportions of the original co-axial form have been modified by Smith to suit his requirements and the movement tailored as such. That coupled with its lower oscillating frequency (2.5 Hz) should produce a very stable rate.

R.W. Smith Series 2

Like the Formula 1 cars Volvo regularly races, this watch has very little to do with the entire Tag Heuer line. However, it is very cool. It has 1/10, 1/100, and 1/1000 of a second registers and is completely mechanicl. Power reserve and an unmentional price tag round out the impressive package.

Tag Heuer Monaco Calibre 360 LS Concept Watch at BaselWorld 2006

FratelloWatches.com found a very cool Laco 46mm Diver with an ETA movement. The crown is at 12 o’clock for comfort.

Laco Navy watches [FratelloWatches]

I’m going to be posting a review of the Tauchmeister, which is in the same vein, but here is more info on the Aeromatic, a notorious eBay brand. Also, check out our review here.

Aeromatic1912 and Tauchmeister1937 do obviously have the same source.

It´s not a German watch in terms of german knowledge, german watchmaking tradition, skills and chraftsmanship.
Most (if not all) of these watches are of chinese origin. They pretend to be luxury watches or “fine watches” and “exclusive watches” but they are not. But to admit that – they are affordable.

They maybe are assembled in Germany and therefore (due to a lack of a legal term) “Made in Germany”.

The consensus here in Germany/ on german watch fora (like watchbizz.de) is that Tauchmeister/Aeromatic is an “Ebay brand” made for online selling. So somebody out of the Frankfurt/Main – area came up with an idea, a name, a “history” and a homepage.

I wouldn’t buy them because I dislike that they “make” themselves a very famous exclusive German brand, which is a fairy tale. Imho a mechanical Seiko would be the better choice.

Aeromatic 1912 anyone know about this watch? [WatchUSeek]
Watch Page [Werners]

It is rare to find a U.S. watchmaker who cares as much about his products as David McReady of D.Freemont watches. In a market full of cheap quartz and high profits, McCready is what is known in the business as a “nice guy” and a “shrewd businessman.”

The latest piece in his collection, the D.Freemont Sapphire Power Reserve Diver, caught my eye immediately. Strangely enough, it’s not a beefy diver nor does it look like it belongs on the dashboard of a semi. Instead, it is a staid, clever piece using a high-quality 2892 ETA movement and two excellent complications rouded out by a strong aesthetic that harkens from another, simpler era.

Read more…

David McCready got into the watch business by accident. His father, a renowned engineer who built some of the first microwave systems, was an inveterate collector of arcane electronics. One day, when McCready was a boy, the son of a jeweler accidentally rang the wrong doorbell. McCready answered and the man peeked in and was amazed at the equipment that filled the McCready’s house. The jeweler’s son followed in McCready’s father’s footsteps and became and expert in electronics. McCready followed in the jeweler’s footsteps — at the age of 13 McCready took up the loupe and watch knife. The rest, as they say, is history.

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Something old, something new. Something borrowed, something made of high tech materials. Patek is currently using some amazing materials in their movements. Sure, it’s not “fancy” but it will definitely save on repairs down the line.

It was about one year ago that Patek Philippe introduced their new calibre with a high tech silicon escape wheel. The idea behind the new escape wheel was to eliminate the need for oiling the pallet stones, a long standing scourge of the lever escapement. This year Patek has attacked another area of the watch escapement with yet another development from their Advanced Research department. The hair-spring, or “spiral” in French, has presented its own set of challenges from the beginning.

Patek Philippe Spiromax [TimeZone]

WatchRapper Ron posts about a Japanese watch shopping trip. Very informative.

On the same street as the Journe boutique is the Omega boutique, which I must admit was something of a let-down. A good selection of models, although perhaps not as impressive as I was hoping for, but after my experience with the Journe staff, going back to regular watch retail was a bit jarring. They had on show a platinum rattrapante chrono, which was impressive, a number of Museum Collection models (which I have never seen) as well as the new Broad Arrow GMT, which I have to say was incredibly thick with a very loud dial.

Watch Shopping in Tokyo [WatchRap General Watch Discussion Board]

Diesel is apparently making great strides in the watch category, with a few new and very interesting designs including some “Swiss Made” watches. I haven’t really gotten into them, but this new crop looks very nice.

Diesel’s 2006 Collection [WristFashion]

FYI, New Yorkers.

Longines, Rado, Hamilton, CK, Tissot, Swatch and other famous Swiss watch brands will be featured in a gigantic sample sale to take place Thursday through Saturday May 11 through 13 at the Metropolitan Pavilion.
Customer will enjoy 50% to 70% off retail prices on literally thousands of name brand Swiss watches during this sample sale at the Metropolitan Pavilion – 123 West 18th at Avenue of the Americas in the 4th floor Gallery.

Hours are:
Thursday, May 11 from 1pm to 7pm
Friday, May 12 from 9am to 7pm
Saturday, May 13 from 9am to 5pm

Watchmakers will be on premise for battery changes and strap alterations. Only cash and Visa/Mastercard/AmEx accepted for all transactions.

WatchReport.com posts a review of his favorite Casio to date, the PAW1200 with multi-band atomic timekeeping, compass, barometer, altitude alarm, and world time. Great stuff.

What makes the Casio Pathfinder PAW1200 series special is the fact that it brings so many features together into one watch. I’ll get into plenty of detail on each individual feature shortly, but most notably, the PAW1200 series is the first to bring together the triple-sensor functionality of the Pathfinder line (compass, barometer, and thermometer), atomic time calibration, and solar power.

Review of the Multi-band Casio Pathfinder PAW1200 [WatchReport]

Not going to comment on the goldenness of this, but one of our sponsors is selling this chrono for $99. Free shipping, as well.

Yes, it’ for real! Get this dynamic Seiko men’s alarm chronograph at a price too good to miss! Outstanding men’s watch is sleek, racy and just right for today’s man. Handsome gold plated finish is on durable stainless steel. Attractive, polished gold plated case is presented on the highly stylized link bracelet in brushed and polished gold plate. Stationary, satin finished bezel frames the gold colored dial with three subdials, LumiBrite hands and markers. Alarm, small-seconds and 30-minute registers. A window at the 3 o’clock hour reveals the automatic date calendar. Hurry quantities are limited!

Product Page [WorldofWatches]

I’m not amazed by this – Seiko has had this sort of thing since I was in diapers – but leave it to a Swiss company to make this a big fat deal. Essentially, it’s a digital watch with a microgenerator and a unqiue Ventura style that the kids seem to love.

The MGS version will look exactly like the Sigma watch except the Lithium battery would be replaced by a micro-generator powered by the movements of the user’s wrist and the case would use an even more hardened material called Titanox. The generator will be located on the top of the case and will be visible through a sapphire crystal glass for posterity purposes.

World’s First Automatic Digital Watch

In the April 2006 issue of GQ, featuring Victoria’s Secret model Adriana Lima on the cover, The Style Guy (aka Glenn O’Brien) tackles, again, the question of which watch to wear with a more formal suit.

Question: At Christmas I received a stylish watch as a gift. Right after I tried it on, my sister informed me that it was a casual watch: not to be worn with suits, etc. What exactly differentiates a suit watch from a casual watch?

Answer: This is perhaps one of the most ignored distinctions out there: the dress watch versus the sports watch. A dress watch is supposed to be small and discreet, whereas a sports watch is supposed to be visible at 300 meters and glow in the dark. But today most people choose their watches not on discretion or appropriate utility but just the opposite. Why were a little gold thing easily hidden by one’s shirt cuff when you can wear a diamond-studded watch bigger than an Oreo cookie, calling everyone’s attention to you apparently limitless disposable income? So the question is, fundamentally, are you a gentleman or a playa or some attempted hybrid of the two? I think the sports-watch trend started with extended wear of the Rolex Submariner. Men aiming for a dashing image wore their diver’s watches to the office, sending out the message “I may lease industrial washing machines Monday through Friday, but on weekends I stalk the Great Barrier Reef.” In their dreams, of course–but isn’t that what most sartorial imagery is about?

Let the bloodshed discussion begin…