Being an American, and a (safe to say) “watch guy”, I can’t help but to take notice of writings that I come across that discuss the history of watchmaking in America, or the upswell of new American brands that we’re seeing these days. Once upon a time, America was on top of the watchmaking heap – could they get there again?
Welcome back to our weekly installment, 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 some news on a new Seiko lineup hitting the States, and a quick survey of minute repeaters. 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.
25 years ago, man first walked on the moon. And an Omega was there. And Omega wants you to know that. That year, they released the Speedmaster Mark II, featuring the same movement that was in the watch worn by the astronauts. And now it is time for an update and reissue. The new Speedmaster Mark II retains the overall look of the original, but also provides nice modern updates.
We recently got word from our friends over at Hager about their newest watches in the pipeline, along with some pre-order discounts that are available. If you recall, we took a look at their crowd-funded project about a year ago – now, they’re back, and it’s with production on the watches they were creating for the project.
Benarus is a brand I became familiar with early on in my career here at WWR, and we’ve covered a number of their pieces. I was almost two years ago that I first took a look at their Sea Snake diver (parts one, two) and today, we’re going to revisit the watch, as they’ve recently released a new version of the piece. As the v1 is one of my personal watches, we’re also able to bring you some side-by-side photographs as well.
It's a new month, and that means it's time for a new giveaway. This month, we'll be putting the excellent Gavox Legacy up for grabs (you can see our review here). We're also trying a new method for entries this month – read on to get the details!
Ocean 7 was nice enough to ship out their LM-8 Professional Deep Diver watch for a review, and I was able to spend a few days with it. The first thing you notice when you take it out of the box is that this watch is substantial, which is to be expected for a watch rated to 2,000 meters. OK, it is more than substantial, it is heavy. And big. There is a possibility that I have held heavier wrist watches (I am sure there are some beasts out there that I have not seen as well), but if I have, it was not by much. The stainless bracelet that comes with the watch is also substantial, requiring the removal of three links to make it wearable for me. Thankfully, the bracelet uses screw in pins, not push pins, so removal is easily and safely done with a small screwdriver. I really appreciated this touch. Once on, the weight is not really that noticeable in every day wear, you know it is there, but it is not a big deal. Now, I wouldn’t take this out on the golf course, there I think the weight would mess up my swing (and it does not need to be messed up any more than it is), but it isn’t weighing down my arm down or causing any fatigue.
Frédéric Piguet has as their claim to fame (well, at least one of their claims) for having produced what was, at the time, the thinnest hand-wound chronograph movement in their Calibre 1180.
Welcome back to our weekly installment, 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’ll touch on the watch flood known as BaselWorld first thing. Then, we’ve got some history on a brand that has come on strong in the past year, as well as a wrist watch that actually has a functional hourglass in it. 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.
We’ve featured Dubey & Schaldenbrand on these pages before, bringing attention to their luxury timepieces (link to review). Well, their latest model takes things in a much different direction than we’ve seen from them previously, with a watch that practically looks like it’s made of diamond. Now, for those who know me (or have been reading here for some time), you know that I’m not normally a fan of flashy watches. Sure, I appreciate some polished surfaces and bevels that catch the light to liven up a piece, but I’ve never found myself drawn to a watch that featured gems (diamonds or otherwise) as a way of catching the light.