I recently had a chance to check out the line of Sinn Watches at a WatchBuys Road Show, and the first watch that caught my eye was the new T1B in titanium. Sitting next to it was the T2B, a smaller version of the watch, also in titanium. Depending on your size preference, the Sinn T1B and T2B are really attractive with the new blue dial, are very light, and have a hidden feature to make that bezel especially secure.
Mokume-gane is a traditional Japanese metalworking technique where different metals are fused together in order to create a billet with a layered look, which is then worked into whatever shape is needed. This 17th Century technique was developed for ornate Samurai swords that were decorative status symbols. Now, this layered look is being used as a watch case in the H2O Kalmar 2 Mokume Gane Watches, available for pre-order on their web site.
I was introduced to Magrette through a good friend, who found the brand before I started writing for WWR. Of course, Patrick has been a fan for a while, and I have also covered a few of their watches here. If you follow me on Instagram, you will see that I occasionally post wrist shots of my hand wound Moana Pacific Chronograph, which I love. So when I see new additions to the Magrette Moana Pacific Pro line, especially ones as pretty as the blue dial version above, I want to spread the word.
I have never owned a Steinhart, nor have I had the chance to check one out in person, but the general reputation of the brand is that they produce well made timepieces that are affordable. Based on what I am seeing with the Steinhart Ocean Titanium 500, you can add a host of premium features to the mix of quality and affordability. Clocking in at just over $550 (based on exchange rates and no VAT), this is a classic diver that will not break the bank.
Overbuilt dive watches are not very rare. Inexpensive dive watches, even ones with automatic movements are not super hard to come across. But an overbuilt diver for less than $250 (currently on sale), those are not all that common. But this is what we find with the Deep Blue Sun Diver 1K dive watch. Patrick has looked at a couple of Deep Blue watches previously, but all have been north of $500.
It was not all that long ago that a dive watch from the Netherlands seemed like a rarity. As it turns out, there is a new brand starting up that also wants to offer you a Dutch dive watch. While the previous one we wrote about was firmly in the realm of luxury watches, the Van Speyk Dutch Diver is definitely of the more affordable variety.
The Mako lineup from Orient has been a popular one for a long time, due to its diver styling (and capabilities, one assumes) combined with a very attractive pricepoint. It has been so popular that there have actually been three iterations so far – the original, the Ray, and the Mako XL. While I am not intimately familiar with those three prior models, it seems that this latest – the Orient Mako USA – takes bits and pieces from the earlier models and comes up with a sort of superteam of styling.
For all you fledgling watchmakers out there who want to get their project off the ground, you could save yourself a little work and study what Redux & Co. have done with their first watch offering. First off, make an attractive watch. Second, make it a good value. Third, engage the press and build up supporters ready to jump as soon as the gun goes off. In less than 24 hours on Kickstarter, the Redux & Co Courg titanium watch already has over 400 backers and is over triple their funding goal of $30,000.
It has been some time since we have had a Historical Horology post, so I would say we are long overdue. For whatever reason, I was just not running across a lot of interesting material about watches of the past. That is, until I came across a recent three-part series that dug into the watches that Cousteau and his Calypso team wore.
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.
