If you know me you know I love me some watches. I especially like Bell & Ross, the aviation-themed, pie-plate-sized watches that gave new meaning to “Wow, that’s a big watch.” Now, however, B&R has added a ring of beautiful jewels around the rim and made these things out of ceramic, officially tugging the brand out of the realm of “cool and utilitarian” into the world of “my Chihuahua ate my Hermes watch so no I need something big and flirty.”

Sure, B&R can’t ride this design forever but for them to put this bling into their line is a clear indication that these watches have just about ridden their wave. Here’s hoping they bring out something cooler than the Instrument series because I can honestly say that of all the brands B&R has been my favorite thus far.

What the heck?

Man! I joined the Orsa forum on 3′Ts back in Feb 07 but never posted (didn’t bookmark the site, my bad) and recently found it again…started posting…and got locked out! To make a long story short the stupid IP address that comes out of the company I work for all comes out the same so when a coworker signed into the forum they thought I had 2 accounts and locked us both out! Serious bummer! Now I can’t post about Orsa watches on their forum…..the moderators response was and I quote “our records show you joined in Nov. 07′ and not one post till’ today? Looks like you’ll live without us….enjoy the forums you call home” …believe that?! Sooo bummed! Does anyone know if Orsa has another forum?

Here is the full thread. Trust me, guys: I’ll never block ANY of you. Unless you curse.

Update - It was Orsa, which is a little more understandable.

Chad the Watch Guy is reporting that he’s seeing a max out in big watches at 42mm which means even rappers and oligarchs won’t go around wearing pie plates on their wrists for much longer. I can handle a 50mm+ sports watch, but 42mm is a bit big for a mechanical, non? Your thoughts?

I’m a mechanical man, but sometimes you need a sports watch to withstand the hard knocks associated with heavy activity like “drinking at a bar” and “sitting on the back porch with a beer.”

I’ve worn Pathfinders for years now - my first one was a large titanium model with that is basically a cousin to this one. Pathfinders are part of Casio’s outdoor line, designed for hiking and skiing. This model has a compass, barometer, thermometer, altimeter, and stopwatch built in along with a tide graph. It is water resistant to 200 meters.

Read more…

The proprietor of Gnomon Watches, a Singapore based on-line watch dealer, Anders Tan wasn’t happy just selling watches, so he took the next step and started making them. Dievas Watches got off to a slow start with the now discontinued Mesopelagic line, and the Endurance and Noble lines which are still in production. The designs were conventional, but they used tritium tube illumination and looked like fairly robust dive watches.

Then he released the Oceantimer series. This was a little more dramatic and distinctive, and was worth a second look. The Vintage series came out as an homage to a certain Italian military dive watch from the 1930s, but in a price range mere mortals can afford. Then the Divergraph series hit the street, and I just had to talk with this guy.

After getting bachelor’s degrees in Computer Engineering and Business in England, he went into the watch business. He’s very humble about his position in the market, giving credit to the watchmakers, distributors, and regular customers, and is grateful for their guidance and everything they’ve taught him. Anders was quick to acknowledge the contributions to his watch designs from his friends and customers.

When asked about the inspirations for his designs, Anders said, “I love watches. And appreciate all things watches. From Vintage to contemporary watches. I have my fair share of vintage and military watches that I managed to gather throughout the years. And a lot of my inspirations comes from there.” The military look, both contemporary in the Divergraph series, and classic in the Vintage series shines through in his newest lines. He went on to say, “And most of my designs so far has been focusing on simplicity and usability with a splash of colors.” And the use of orange and blue tritium tubes in the Divergraphs, and the hands on the Vintage Kampfschimmer is subtle and tasteful, achieving this goal.
(more…)

I gave my wife a Bulova and that thing wouldn’t last 5 minutes under water. Teddy Bacon’s gold Bulova lasted 55 years.

The last time Teddy Bacon saw his expensive gold watch it was sinking down into the harbour in Gibraltar.

That was in 1941, and the watch had slipped off his wrist when Lieutenant Bacon threw a line to shore from his ship, HMS Repulse.

After two divers failed to find his lost treasure, the young officer gave up on ever seeing it again.

…

The Bulova Automatic, wrapped in a brown paper bag, did not seem at all the worse for wear after decades on the ocean floor.

The timepiece had been discovered by workers dredging the harbour in 2007, who scooped it up with other debris in their machine.
teddy bacon’s lost watch

Still is working order: The Bulova watch

Because the deputy harbourmaster in 1941 had made a log with a description of the watch and its approximate location, staff knew who it belonged to.

$300,000 for a pre-rusted watch that only tells you if it is day or night with a dual tourbillion movement?

Any pursuit has its ultimate excesses, and this one currently holds that coveted title for horology. A 46mm watch in rusted steel, titanium, ceramic, and black carbon, fabricated from materials recovered from the wreck of the Titanic. To heck with precious stones and gems, ignore precious metals, even forget the exotic origin of the materials for this watch, this is the ultimately perverse use of the watchmakers usual sorcery. On one end of the scale, there is the plethora of ETA 2824-2 and Seiko 7S26 and 7S36 watches with 100m or more water resistance, capable of accuracy that approaches the limits of what a spring powered mechanism is capable of, at the other are tourbillions with brilliant complications and sophisticated, but still practical movements. And with the same technical competence uncoupled from sanity, you find this as the outcome.

Wow. I like it. Too bad the limited edition of 2012 has sold out already.

Christopher Ward Watches is starting to pull out of the crowd with some distinctive and handsome designs. From the start, their business model has been to put out a first rate watch on a razor thin profit margin. Their earlier watches were definitely tasteful, but a little on the conservative side.

With the C6 Kingfisher Diver automatic, Christopher is putting a more distinctive style forward. 42mm, with an ETA 2824-2 movement, seems fairly mundane until you look at it. I’m liking it a lot. And with a 300m water resistance and a robust warranty and returns policy, it sounds like he has a lot of confidence in his watches.

Flashier than my usual tastes, but I could learn to live with it.

No matter how many watches a body might have, if you’re the watch wearing type, you have a favorite, the one watch that is the fallback not matter the circumstance. This is mine.

I was looking for a watch for all seasons, and this one was the best fit. I wanted an analog, with an alarm, luminous marking, and at least 100m water resistance. It had to be suitable for my professional environments, which can be diverse and a little surreal to many folks in corporate America. Yes, it is quartz, but the only mechanical watch that makes the grade on these requirements is the Panerai 98, and I had not heard of them at the time I bought this one, could not afford them then, can’t really afford them now, and is rather too big for me (although the ease of reading that dial as the eyes age…) The chronograph and titanium were secondary considerations, but I’ve come to appreciate the titanium for the light weight and relatively slim profile it allows. The titanium and sapphire crystal have proven extremely durable despite my cavalier attitude about what activities I engage in while wearing it.

There is an option for a black or white face, and I went with the black. The dial is a little over 35mm, with the crowns and buttons not quite 40mm, 43mm lug to lug and 10mm thick. The dial markings are clearly inspired by 1940s military styles, with the triangle for 12, and the arabic numerals. The chronograph functions are conventional for an analog watch. The alarm is set with the screw-down stem at the first click out, and turned on by pulling the stem on the left side of the face out. The alarm is not as loud as some watches, but I would say louder than most, and adequate for me. I’ve had this watch for years, sent it back for a battery change once (with fast and reasonably priced service from St. Moritz), and expect to get many more years out of it.

Aesthetically, it is a little harsh and austere for dress social occasions, but that simplicity fits my needs, and carries an understated presence that works in my professional environments. On the other hand, it blends well with jeans and a polo shirt. As much as I enjoy other watches, this one is the single best, all-round watch for me.

Nubo reviews the massive Marathon CSAR chrono, a beautiful tool watch that looks like a tank. 7750 Valjoux and lots of extraneous markings and screw down push buttons FTW.