The Kisai Link has gone from a stand-alone bracelet to a device integrated directly on watches from ToykoFlash.
Grovemade is a cool little company in Oregon that makes wood accessories for your Apple (and other) computers and iPhones. They make stands, cases, and skins, all designed to give your modern electronics a more earthy look. Now, they are branching into wearables, not with a skin or a strap for the iWatch, but with a fairly unique looking analog Grovemade Watch collection.
You would have thought that by this point in the year, I would not really have anything left from BaselWorld to talk about. Surprisingly enough, I do. While I had not heard of Armand Nicolet prior to them reaching out in the run-up to the show. While the brand itself went under (in terms of watches carrying its name), more or less, in the quartz crisis, they still kept working, collaborating with other brands to produce their movements. Back in 2000, they started back up producing their own watches. That brings us to today, and our discussion of one of their latest watches, the Armand Nicolet L15.
If there is one watch style that is more popular than others, at least amongst enthusiasts, it would seem that the dive watch would be a top contender, if not king of the mountain. This is based on my extensive research of thinking back over what I have seen newer brands creating, so take the assertion with a grain of salt. Let’s take a look to see what makes the Pellikaan Diving Dutchman-1 stand out.
When it comes to stylish and affordable watches, Christopher Ward is generally one of the names at the top of most people’s lists. Given how “new” the brand feels, it is almost a surprise to realize that they have been creating these watches for ten years now. On the occasion of that anniversary, they went back to their very first watch, and released some new colors of their current-version Christopher Ward Malvern.
Tool watch, dress watch, dress watch tool watch; what to wear, what to wear? H2O Watch has an idea that maybe you don’t need to decide any more, you can get a nice tool watch that is elegant enough to wear as a dress watch, and does not have the price tag of a Panerai attached. The H2O Watch Hydra is currently open for pre-order, letting you pick from case finish/material, dial color, bezel design, and even crown to create a watch that fits your style, from the boardroom to the beach.
Crowd funding a project can be hit or miss. There are a lot of watch projects out there, and it is tough (even for us folks who look at a lot of projects) to predict which ones will make it, and which ones won’t. I know of a few watches that I thought were sure fire hits that never made it, and others that I thought were just average that blew up (no names in the latter), and then even more that either deserve their success or obscurity. Lionstone has tried to launch a couple of times, and never quite hit the mark, in spite of what I think is a pretty intersting campaign. They are at it for one final go, with the Lionstone SuperSlim and Ceramic Watches, currently on Indiegogo.
The Megalodon was a prehistoric shark, the biggest and (presumably) baddest shark to live on Earth. Not too long ago, I saw an article which asked if any of these cold still be alive in the deep ocean (no), but one is definitely back. The Benarus Megalodon dive watch is now available for pre-order, and it is still the beast it has always been.
Project Watches is a company that is constantly looking for new ways to use elements of design and art in the way a watch tells time. There are times I think they are a little obtuse, and there are times that the designs work, and there times where the inspiration is a little obtuse, but the design still works. This is the case with the Projects Watches Suprematism. I will get into the basis for the design in a moment, but for me, the design works.
Fresh of the heels of their first crowdfunded success, ManchesterWatchWorks is back at it again, with a modern looking diver recharged by the sun (really any light). These quartz driven, photovoltaic recharged watches are not new, companies have been making them for decades, but the ManchesterWatchWorks Armada is the first crowd funded dive watch I have seen with this technology, and it looks to be an attractive package.