You know me and my watch fetish. Well, there’s one rarified section of the watch industry where mere mortals dare not tread. While you and I can’t “go there,” MB&F certainly went, producing the Horological Machine #3, a dual read-out crazy clock with a large date wheel and an odd inverted power transmission system using bearings and disks.
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I got a scratch in my new baby and just discovered this excellent article on Paneristi describing how to polish a watch with Flitz and a little elbow grease.
Anyone owning a stainless steel Panerai is no stranger to everyday scratches. The polished cases especially seem prone to scuffs and marks on the bezel and case. While brushed cases can be ‘rebrushed’ the smooth surfaces take a bit more effort.
Since the occurrence of scratches is so frequent, I’d rather not pay a watchmaker to buff the case every few weeks and using a motor tool is a bit beyond my skill level. I wanted to find a practical way to polish out my polished watchcase myself and by hand. Practical meaning that it was fast, easy and effective. There are many polishes and pastes on the market, and rather than review the ones that didn’t work for me, I decided to review the ones that did. The following is a review of two polishes that work very well on stainless and are easy to use.
Head over to take a closer look at the process and BE CAREFUL. Too much polishing will cause swirls in the surface and then you’ll have to have it professionally polished.
I have nothing but respect for competent, innovative marketing tactics. But when marketers fail to their homework and are clumsy with an unconventional approach, I will be first in line to call the ugly baby ugly.
Stephen D Time tried a clumsy attempt at guerrilla marketing on Amazon.com. A shill entered into the discussion groups spouting the merits of Stephen D watches in a forum inhabited by a number of watch nerds, including yours truly. Rather than rant and flame, I tried to be open and look at the merits of the watch.
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Click to see it in more detail. This is the watch I’m writing about and it might be the most beautiful watch I’ve ever seen. To look at it up close is amazing – all of the complications are hidden, like a Mac. It actually couldn’t be set by hand. In fact, a master watchmaker had to set it if it wound down, which means this wasn’t a sports watch. The rock crystal is striking and that riot of gears was recreated, piece by piece, from only a few images and a description of the watch by an English collector. I’ve got some more images but I thought I’d put this one up as a treat to you guys. It was actually an honor to be in the same room with the old girl.
I just found a mention of my book in QP magazine. The magazine also has a nice piece about the M-A by Thomas Byczkowski who I’m going to hit up in a minute about his research.
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Yes Watch appeals to me on several levels. The complexity of all the things it does goes straight to the inner nerd. The utility of the things it does is a siren call to pragmatist. The simplicity of the design draws the aesthete. And for their 10th anniversary, they re-released their original concept. This is a sweet timepiece.
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I pulled the trigger, friends, and I think I found a nice match between form, function, and tradition. I bought the Jaeger LeCoultre Master Compressor Extreme World Chronograph – a review is forthcoming – and I think I found the right balance here. I was constantly going back to watches like Glashütte Original and even, dare I say it, Breguet but they just didn’t seem like watches I’d wear on a regular basis, unlike this monster. Even the Panerai I was eying would end up being relegated to the winder.
The Royal Oak from Audemars Piguet line, essentially a water resistant line of yachting watches, is famous for being the first steel luxury watch ever made. It’s a beautiful pieces, looks great on men and women, and is potentially affordable used. However, in order to follow Bell & Ross and Zenith into the depths of Crazytown they’ve decided to offer this “Survivor” model which looks like a robot took a dump on a turtle.
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While Bond used to love him some Rolex, it’s all Omega for James these days. This is the latest Quantum of Solace commercial pieced together for Omega to showcase the Seamaster 007 wears in the film.