When it comes to watches, there are generally two camps – those who are interested in where our modern watches originated from, and those who could care less. Now, the second camp, I am guessing we lost those people as soon as they saw the title of the post. Those of you left, well, welcome to the first camp. In today’s entry in the Historical Horology series, we will talk about who created the first chronograph.
Welcome back to our weekly installment, Watching the Web, where we have a quick look at some interesting watches and articles that have popped up over the last week, as well as taking a second look at what some of our more popular articles this week were. Today, we’ve got a crowd-funded watch horror story, and a watch packing a flashlight. After those, we’ll highlight (as usual) some of our more popular posts from the last week. Read on to see what we’ve got in store for you.
Everywhere you look, smart watches are cropping up. The incoming Android-powered watches (and the long-rumored iWatch) of course take the lion’s share of the attention. While those high-tech devices are attention-grabbers, for sure, to focus only on them ignores a whole other slice of the smart watch segment. Today, we’ll be taking a look at one of those, the MOTA SmartWatch G2.
I have long been a fan of the creations coming from Gustafsson and Sjögren (aka GoS) Watches, with the inclusion of damascus-process steel. They pair the amazing patterns they fold into the steel with treatments that introduce colors evocative of different scenes, to great effect. While many dress watches tend to go for a look that will not attract undue attention, the GoS Bifrost instead has a stunning dial that invites commentary.
While I’ve had a few languages represented by the watches that cross my desk, I’ve never had one with French on it come in for a closer look. When you add in the fact that watches with brown dials are far from common, then you know we are in for a rather rare treat in todays review of the G.Gagnebin & Cie Karaktero.
You’re in a desert, walking along in the sand, when all of a sudden you look down…
It has been a bit since I brought you word of some intriguing sales over at Touch…
My exposure to new watch brands frequently comes not from traditional watch industry sources, but rather from the world of design and gadgets, especially through other web sites that curate cool new items. When I saw the Matthew Humphries Design MHD02, it really resonated with me. The design is clean, bold, and readable with just a dash of color. I wish it were a tad bigger, but then I would be really tempted to buy one for myself.
What makes a watch cheap, and what makes it inexpensive? In both cases, the watch itself has to be sold at a low price point, but the former only has that going for it, while the latter offers something else, a deign, a point of interest, some reason to like the watch other than the price. The Twigs Woodwear Natural Time is an inexpensive watch, not necessarily a cheap one. At $50 or less, it hits a low price point, but it offers something back in the way of the materials of construction.
If you spend any amount of time looking at the dial of a Rolex, you’ll notice the wording that shows up. Look at another one from a different lineup, and you’ll see the same words appearing – certified chronometer. Far from being a bunch of marketing fluff, this is something Rolex rather prides themselves on, and made the decision from early on that all of their watches would carry this certification. As with all things, it had to start somewhere, and that’s what we’re talking about today – the first Rolex Certified Chonometer.
