Well, it’s better late than never, right? For this week’s cross-post with Everyday Carry, we actually have a two-fer for you. First up, as you can see above, is a carry that many of us would be familiar with, and a chrono you may not be familiar with.
We first brought you word of the Manchester Watch Works Vergennes and Westminster watches not all that long ago (link). Of the two trench watch-inspired pieces, I found myself drawn the most to the white-dialed one. As fortune would have it, there was one of those available for us to go hands-on with, even though the Kickstarter project (link) is still running. Without further ado, let’s get into our review of the Manchester Watch Works Vergennes.
So why do we wear watches? The obvious answer is that we want to know what time it is, but that begs the follow up question, why do you want to know what time it is. Maybe you have a date, a meeting, your parking meter is going to expire in an hour… But what if you just want to know the approximate time? Say, plus of minus 10 minutes. Like, when you are driving. It does not matter what time it is, you will get there when you get there. The Ferro Distinct Single Hand Watch, with it’s motoring look, is the perfect watch for those times in your lives.
When it comes to American (or at least American-designed) watches, Xetum is one of the first brands that I recall coming across. They designed the watches in California, and then had them built in Switzerland. So, you had that Swiss reliability and accuracy, with a sort of American influence on the design. Xetum is now owned by the same folks that own Torgoen, but the designs have not been meddled with. Today, we are going hands-on with a new iteration of the Xetum Stinson.
So, I’m ready to book my flight into space and all I need is a watch and $100k. I know what you’re thinking. I need the Omega Speedmaster, a Breitling Navitimer or even a Russian Poljot. (I also need the cash, but let’s focus on watches.) Well, Luminox wants you to buy their SXC PC Carbon GMT. Luminox and XCOR Space Expeditions teamed up to create a family of “Space” watches. Luminox wants to sell you the watch; XCOR wants to sell you a ride into space.
We like Xetum watches here at WWR, and, as a matter of fact, we have another review on their watches…
Yes, that’s right – we have gone “hands off” with our review of the Mr Jones Chatterbox. Well, sure, we have spent time with it, so we have truly gone hands on. But the watch itself, you see, does not have any hands. Then again, since you read our earlier writeup you already knew that. Maybe a better appellation would be hands free. Not that there is any tech involved here, bluetooth or otherwise, just a simple automatic movement with some rather clever art. Ok, that is about enough of my rambling around, let’s get on with the review of the Mr Jones Chatterbox.
This week’s edition of Historical Horology is something a bit out of left field, as it focuses around art and an artist. When it comes to watches (or clocks) in art, you probably think about the Picasso melting clocks. Well, far less bizarre, but no less awesome, is this art (above) by Gerald Murphy.
Welcome back to another edition of our Saturday feature, Watching the Web. In it, we take a spin around to other web sites and find recent articles that have piqued our interest. We also use this as a chance to highlight the articles from our site that managed to grab the most views over the last week or so. First, from the wider world of watches, we have a pair of pocket watch articles, a new smart watch from Timex, and a photo essay on Bremont. From our own site, the reviews of the ManchesterWatchWorks Westminster and Vergennes watches was once again popular, as were our articles on Benrus and Hexa.
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.
