An interview with David Freemont McCready from DFreemontWatches.com and Chat Rickicki from Chad the Watch Guy. I’m having some trouble getting the Mevio link up, but I’ll put it up shortly.

Join us LIVE tomorrow at 10:30am New York time when we talk to David Freemont McCready of DFreemont Watches, one of my favorite US boutique producers. Mr. McCready has quite a history in the watch trade and his watches are reasonably priced and have great stories behind them.  

You can call in to talk to us LIVE at (646) 915-8752 and listen in right here:

Looking for a replacement band for the #2222.80 three handed diving watch. Anyone have one lying about in their junk drawer?

Man, Bell&Ross is going strong this year. I love the Military Ceramic BR 01 style beast now called the BR 03-92 with military band and I’m kind of liking the new series in chrono and three-hand form. I guess people were tired of having a big square thing on their wrists and wanted something more delicate.

This is quite the amazing timepiece. The Sol Invictus puts a modern spin on the perpetual motion machine, using micromotors, solar cells, and a chain system to create an incredibly complicated (and incredibly cool looking) timepiece. The is the first watch to combine a chain & fusée with drums and vertical tourbillon in a watch, and the result is stunning.

Designed by Jean-François Ruchonnet, who was working with Marc Alfieri to put a vertical display movement into the center. The designer then put solar cells at both ends of the timepiece, and concealed micro-motors and batteries under the cells. The end result is an steampunk-esque combination of gears and drums, proudly displayed via the front crystal as well as a see through back. Each one is hand made by swiss gnomes after the customer orders it, and for good reason. Retail on this timepiece will set you back $563,624.56 US. Now THAT’S a big boy watch.

[via Hodinkee]

Now this is how it’s done. Hodinkee has a pic of the new Tudor Monte Carlo, a two-register chrono with a little bit of style.

Leaked today is a modern day equivalent of the Tudor Monte Carlo, and it is an absolute knockout! In this words of an esteemed (nameless) colleague and authority, “the Tudor historic lines steals the show!”. We tend to agree, when you look at the nice but completely expected and almost required refreshes of the Rolex Submariners and Explorer.

This new Monte Carlo is absolutely perfect, and it does the original a great service by imitating but not copying the looks that made it so famous. Sized at 42mm (perfect), this chronograph even has a rotating bezel and comes on a NATO strap!!

They definitely mean business with the NATO strap and at about $4,000 you’re talking prices anyone can consider.

Like the dude who never gets rid of the comb-over even after most of the hair on his head is gone, we present the 2010 Rolex line. The Explorer is 39mm! The Submariner is made of Ceramicgasmicite! Seriously, Rolex. This is Basel. Pretend like you actually care.

I had never heard of Zixen before today [Warning: Loud crazy Flash animation ahead] but they’re doing some wonderful divers with a amazing vintage look. I like this $2400 chrono with an ETA 2894 caliber and square case.


The Trimix is another favorite because it looks like some weird mash-up between a Seiko my dad used to wear and something Hunter S. Thompson would buy. I’m really curious as to what the build quality is like on these old timers. Sadly there’s no pricing on this one.

PMWF has a post by someone selling an amazing set of watchmaking tools including bezel lifters and a full staking kit. This is some serious hardware and I’ve got my eye on it. Check it out.

Here’s an obvious case of conspicuous consumption. Check out the Celsius X VI II Micro-Mechanical Remontage Papillon Tourbillon mobile phone. Retail on this bad boy is going to set you back about $275,000. For a phone.

Created by French design house Celsius X VI II, this particular phone has 547 hand finished mechanical components, which makes it more of an art piece then a utilitarian gadget. When you open the phone, it activates the mechanical movement inside, which apparently winds the mechanism. It’s still a little unclear exactly what else this thing does (other then make phone calls) but there should be more details available next week when it’s unveiled at Basalworld. Regardless of what the final functionality is, it looks extremely cool. Is it worth $275,000? I leave that up to you.

[Via Watchismo]