TokyoFlash Japan Kisai Vortex 04These guys have me confused right now. On the one hand, the TokyoFlash Japan Kisai Vortex LCD watch is probably the nicest looking and most refined watch I have seen from them. On the other hand, what time it? It is a sharp looking watch with their own twist on the actual telling time part of a watch’s function.
We’ve hit a new month on the calendar, and that means one thing here at WWR – it’s time for us to start up a brand new giveaway. For the October giveaway, you’ve got a chance to win an Earnshaw Longcase Skeleton.
Lately, we have highlighted a number of automotive inspired watches here at WWR. Some have been tied to specific cars, like the Jaguar and Ferrari upcycled chronos from Christopher Ward, while others, like the new watches from REC, are tied to brands. Autodromo, a fairly new brand based in New York, is harkening back to a bygone era of vintage motoring with their watches and accessories. The watch I like the best, the Autodromo Stradale, has the look of a vintage speedometer, complete with the raised chapter ring reminiscent of cars from to 50s through 70s.
I have written about it here before, and I will say again, that I own an Anstead Oceanis. The original Anstead Oceanis, as sold on Kickstarter. It was my first really big (relatively) purchase on that site, my first crowd funded watch, and one of the reasons why I am currently on staff here at WWR; it stirred enough passion in me to offer to write a review, which led to more writing, which led to this gig. Now Tom Anstead, the man behind the watch, has relaunched it in a way, selling the Oceanis direct through his web site. But this version, still under the same name, and still “the first of the naval combat series,” is really an improvement and refinement over the original Oceanis, a watch I still enjoy and wear.
I do not know about you, but for me, Longines is a brand that has not occupied a lot of space in my watch-related focus. To be sure, I am well aware of the brand, and run across their print ads with some regularity. Today, you might be familiar with their sponsorship in horse racing, or perhaps their aviation history. Let’s take a peek a bit further back, however. Today’s edition of Historical Horology will go back to the start of the Longines brand.
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, we’ve got a discussion on buying used watches, and a quick overview on watch movements. After those, we’ll highlight (as usual) some of our more popular posts from the last week. Read on to see what we’ve got in store for you.
While the overall watch case design movement may be staying with the mid-40mm case, I have seen quite a few designs of late that are less than 40mm across, designed for me (or at least unisex) and are round. The Melbourne Watch Company Parkville automatic is just the most recent of these. Skipping the crowdfunded phase that started the brand’s previous efforts, the Parkville is being offered as a pre-order on their website, an encouraging sign that this young watchmaking firm has a strong enough following to sell direct.
I was introduced to this site based on a watch I purchased through Kickstarter, and started writing reviews on watches on that site, and then branched out a bit, finally becoming official and covering anything watch related then comes my way. But I still have a soft spot for Kickstarter, and consider it part of my beat. When Zelos was designing their first watch, which they were offering on the site, they reached out to us and offered us an early peek at the project page. Frankly, it hit just the right number of buttons for me, so I jumped in an bought a Zelos Helmsman, in bronze, serial number 01/50, and was actually the first backer on the project.
Cobra de Calibre is a small brand out of Canada that is back with a second watch project on Kickstarter. I really like the style of the watch, though my timing in making other purchases always seems to put these projects at the wrong time for me. I covered their first watch when I was still just a friend of the site in February of this year, and they are selling a slightly refined version as their model 2 on their web site. This project, the Cobra de Calibre 3 Twin Crown carries forward a lot of the brand’s established identity, but takes it in a new direction with a bronze case, and a DLC coated bronze case.
We need help. I’ve been maintaining WWR out of pocket for years and have tried to steer away from heavy…
