Ball is a brand that first caught my eye a few years back for its use of tritium tubes in a variety of ways across their catalog. They are not just a one trick pony, though. In the last year or so, they have introduced quite a bit of technical innovations to their watches and movements. One of the latest ones that will be coming down the pike is the Ball Engineer II Magneto S Watch.
Last month, we brought you word of a new addition to the Tissot Visodate line – more precisely, a new bracelet to the lineup. From afar (and the one image that was available), I found myself rather liking the watch. Since then, we were able to spend some time with a sample, so today we are able to bring you a true review of the Tissot Visodate Milanais.
The Szanto 4000 series chronograph, specifically the bronze 4002, is the third of the Szanto military themed watches loaned to me for hands-on reviews. Like the two previous watches, the 1100 series and the 2250 series, Szanto is trying to recreate a vintage look with modern proportions and materials, at a value price.
It is no secret that, once I discovered the Icelandic company Michelsen, I was quickly enamored of the products they…
In an interesting (OK, maybe not that interesting) coincidence, I happened to be wearing my Zelos Helmsman when I received an update from company on the Zelos Chroma, their second watch project, which was going live that afternoon on Kickstarter. The Zelos Chroma is being billed as a minimalist automatic, which may actually sell the project a little short.
When it comes to mechanical time keeping, the oscillator is truly what allows the measurement of time. Take, for instance, a grandfather clock – it is the frequency of that pendulum swinging back and forth, at a constant rate, that allows the internal gearing to tell us the time. While things are on a much smaller scale, the same sort of principle applies to watches, be they mechanical or quartz watches. The humble oscillator has some really rather interesting developments recently, and that is what we will talk about in today’s edition of Historical Horology.
Welcome back to our weekly installment, Watching the Web, where we have a quick look at some interesting watches and articles that have popped up over the last week (or so), as well as taking a second look at what some of our more popular articles this week were. Today, I will point you toward an open letter from Ariel at ABTW to the watch industry, and a review of a very cool bullhead pilot’s watch.
Were you aware that we run contests here at WWR? And we actually give away watches? Well, we love to hear back from our winners, and Seth, the winner of the James McCabe Lurgan was nice enough to shoot us a note saying that the watch is beautiful, and even better, he sent over a wrist shot.
What are the key features you would like in a basic dive watch, beyond the requirements for lume, pressure and a bezel? Sapphire crystal? A reliable automatic movement? A little flair? The Borealis Sea Diver is their entry level diver which offers a lot of value at a price point below $250, plus a clean, modern design.
OK, we have already established that cars and watches go together hand in hand, but even more than cars, aviation pairs with watches in a big way. My favorite type of aviation watch is an instrument style, and I want to highlight a new company’s second crowdfunded cockpit instrument watch. The Rhynofit Rubicon is styled after the artificial horizon used to give an indication of level flight in the absence of other cues, say at night or in the fog. As a visual style, I think this inspiration works well as something that is instantly recognizable, but not distracting to the actual reading of the watch.
