We here at WWR are fans of seeing watch startups kicking off here in the ‘States, and I have personally had an enjoyable time getting to know the guys behind Smith & Bradley, as well as the watches they are creating downstate from me. Just a little bit ago, we brought you a breakdown of what was going on with their upgraded Atlantis, which already had quite a few options to choose from. Now, you have the ability to create your own Smith & Bradley custom Atlantis (originally reviewed here).
There are a number of ways to set yourself apart as a brand. You can have a signature, unique style, you can have an iconic model, you can create intricate complication… Projects Watches does things a little differently, partnering with various designers to create visually interesting styles at a mass market price point. One of their latest offerings is the Projects Watches Outside Watch, a quartz watch that distinguishes the hour and minute hand, not by length, but by width
When it comes to watches from Bulova, we tend to see them as being nicely designed pieces, mostly quartz driven and affordable. In other words, a good watch, but not necessarily something that you take notice of. Of course, if that’s the thinking, then you are ignoring things like their crazy-accurate chonograph (ABTW LINK). These days, you would also be ignoring the new direction they attempting to take things in, which is underscored by the Joseph Bulova Collection First Edition 24-Karat Gold watch.
The concept of a skeleton watches intrigues me, but the execution (at least for affordable ones) usually leaves underwhelmed. I love the way that the mechanical movements are exposed, but they end up visually very busy, and they tend to be overly ornate. When Tissot offered to loan me the Tissot Chemin des Tourelles Squelette for a review, I jumped at the opportunity. Here was a watch that looked modern and readable, while still showing off the mechanical movement that makes a skeleton interesting. Unbeknownst to me, Patrick also decided to review this watch, albeit for A Blog To Watch. He didn’t get it hands on, but his impression was that the watch lacked some of the showmanship that you see on really high end skeleton watches, but still had a design that was readable while showing off the important parts.
If you are recalling our last Void review (on the V03M) then you might be wondering the brand would be calling a watch lineup petite. Well, in comparison to the 36mm case that the V03M had, this new watch lineup is actually quite petite, while still keeping some bolder lines on the case. So, let’s jump in and see what makes the new Void V03P Petite.
Christopher Ward gets a fair bit of love here at WWR, mainly because they produce high quality, attractive watches at affordable price points. Now in their 10th year, the company is updating their line of dive watches, the Christopher Ward Trident Collection. The new collection offers four choices of movements, along with a number of other improvements and two case sizes.
We first brought you word of the new brand Boxer Watches back in 2012, when we did a hands-on review of the Zeus (LINK; verify it was a review). A few years on, and they are back with their second model. As with the Zeus, they have gone with a skeletonized movement, this time in a squared-off case. Let’s have a look at the Boxer Watches Black Ice.
I first saw the Cobra de Calibre brand when the creator, John Lee, introduced his cushion cased first watch on Kickstarter. At the time, I really liked the style, but I had recently purchased something else, and didn’t have the cash. Then he brought out his bronze twin crown, which I liked a lot, but passed on because of another purchase. Now, he has a third watch on Kickstarter, the Cobra de Calibre Chronograph el Grande, and I will let you guess what is going through my head.
We see a lot of dive watches here at WWR. We even have a special category for divers, making your search on our site easier. Plus, I am a diver myself, so we enjoy writing up attractive and sensible dive watches. And that is where this retro inspired new diver comes in. The MachesterWatchWorks Tatoskok automatic is the third shot at the crowdfunding market, and I think they hit a good mix of design, features and value.
Titanium seems to be a popular material for watches these days. At least, that is, for watches that have been crossing my desk. As we saw with the Tempest Commodore, titanium helps cut down the weight of a watch while still offering strength and durability. Today, we’ll take a look at another one that leverages those attributes, the Shinola Black Blizzard.
