The New Addition To The Speedmaster Family The Speedmaster Omega Co-Axial Chronograph
Besides a new Limited Edition Speedmaster Professional to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 1971 Apollo 15 mission (restricted to 1971 pieces), Omega unveiled their latest addition to the Speedmaster family. The Speedmaster Omega Co-Axial Chronograph. You’ve read it correctly, it says Speedmaster OMEGA Co-axial Chronograph. The emphasis is clearly on their new chronograph in-house caliber 9300 and caliber 9301 movements with co-axial escapement, or as they say in Switzerland ‘L’echappement Co-Axial’.The difference between the caliber 9300 and 9301 are in the finish of the movement, where the 9301 should be seen as the movement with a luxury finish like a 18ct red ...
Speedmaster Lunar Dust 311.93.44.51.99.01
Speedmaster Lunar DustIt’s Speedy Tuesday! What else would you’ve expected us to write about than the new Speedmaster Lunar Dust? The brother (or fratello?) of the Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon that was introduced last year during BaselWorld came a bit as a surprise, but what a pleasant surprise it is!First of all we’d like to stress that this Speedmaster Co-Axial Caliber 9300 Lunar Dust (reference 311.93.44.51.99.01) model won’t be on the market before end of this year. Both the newly introduced Speedmaster Lunar Dust watch and the new Speedmaster Professional X-33 are not on the Baselworld 2014 novelties page of the Omega website yet, as they were probably just ...
Tudor Submariner 7924
Last Tuesday, a day before Baselworld 2014 started, we were invited by Tudor to join them for a diner and the introduction of the new Heritage Black Bay timepiece in blue. During the diner, Tudor pulled out some amazing watches from their archives in Geneva, including this 1958 Tudor Oyster Prince Submariner ‘Big Crown’ reference 7924.The nick name ‘Big Crown’ was given to this watch by Tudor collectors, just like the Submariner 6538 from 1958. The very same watch that James Bond was wearing in Dr No. Tudor used a number of same parts as the Submariner in those days, except for the ‘Auto-Prince’ caliber 390 movement. The crown and Oyster bracelet carry ...
P1lot One Watch Ready And Delivered
Two weeks ago we published an article on the P1lot One watch: a pilot’s watch for a Dutch on-line watch community that was designed, developed and produced by a couple of members of that community. Last Sunday was the official release of the watch, hosted at Teuge Airport in The Netherlands, the perfect location for such an event.The watch was produced in a limited quantity of just 52 pieces and almost all (50) members of the Dutch horlogeforum.nl website who ordered the P1lot One watch were present that day.Almost all P1lot One watches (43mm x 12mm, grade 5 Ti case) have been delivered to the forum members who came down to Teuge airport. The P1lot One watches were packed in a beautifu...
The Chairman Mao Waving Watch
Visit any major city in the world or, for that matter, any famous attraction and you'll likely be surrounded by myriad junk shops loaded with trinkets containing the name of whatever monument is nearby. If we use the Eiffel tower as an example, you'll begin to run the gauntlet of questionable sellers of Eiffel-themed keepsakes before you even come close to crossing the river. If you're looking for fiber-optic Tower earrings or an Eiffel back scratcher, they probably have a solution for you. However, when traveling the globe, if you're looking for tourism-themed watches, you'll typically find loads of copycat Swatch-like pieces with customized dials depicting something from whatever memory-ma...
A closer look at the Angelus 2016 novelties
Last year we reported about the launching of Angelus. The brand as we know it in the vintage market is the equivalent of extremely high quality with in-house movements and historically significant pieces. Some if you might remember the #TBT I did a few months back on my vintage Angelus 215 L.E. and I'm happy to say that more vintage heat from Angelus is in the pipeline. This time however, I'd like to talk to you about their 2016 novelties. Bert and I paid them a visit and had a look at their collection.Direction of AngelusSince the re-launch of the brand last years there has been a lot of criticism coming from all sorts of?directions?that Angelus did not stay true to its?roots. People were d...
The Zelos DMT the Third Watch from the Diver's Watches Facebook Group
In January, we featured a look at some watches produced in collaboration with the large (and growing) Diver's Watches Facebook Group. The group is now comprised of nearly 32,000 members who have strong appetites for aquatic watches and its founder, Andreas Gregoriades, is continuously looking for more projects to offer up to the group. Well, since the first Aquadive sold out quickly and the soon-to-be-delivered Gruppo Gamma sold faster than a blowout flat screen TV on Black Friday, he's decided to come back with another watch for the big group. By the looks of it, this new watch is a real winner introducing the Zelos DMT (Diver Medic Technician).The Third Collaboration WatchAndreas, with his...
Breaking News: Man Sets Diving Depth Record in Vostok Amphibia
As someone who enjoys adventure, I've always felt that setting a record of some sort for an act of derring-do should be on my bucket list. Sure, I've wrestled crocodiles, run ultra marathons, drank the water in Mexico and have eaten a Dutch Frikandel at a Shell Station outside of Zeeland, but these things strike me as a relative walk in the park. No, I wanted to do something that could truly land me on the pages of credible journals such as the National Enquirer and Huffington Post. It's why, after watching Deep Blue Sea one evening (LL Cool J should have won a BAFTA), I decided to set upon breaking the recently set 2014 record for scuba depth of nearly 1000 feet (300-odd meters).?? Now, I h...
Seiko SNJ025 Solar Arnie: A Surprise at Baselworld 2019
In a surprise move, the Seiko SNJ025 Solar Arnie debuted at Baselworld 2019.Hunting through the massive pile of releases from Seiko at Baselworld 2019 was like any other year.? There were some real frontrunner gems that made a lot of news, such as the SLA033 Re-Edition of the Captain Willard, the litany of incredible new Grand Seiko Spring Drive Dress Watches, or the new Prospex LX Divers, but we like finding the hidden, barely discussed gems.? And, funny enough, some of these gems are updates on immensely popular watches.? We wrote an article on the new Sumo a couple days back and you responded with record traffic on our site.? We're not sure how Seiko chooses to push what it does in the br...
MEISTERSINGER
MeisterSinger has become synonymous with single-hand watches and a relaxed perception of time.Since 2001, a unique type of mechanical wristwatch has been produced in the city of Munster, Germany unique because it has just one needle-thin hand that shows the time precisely to the nearest five minutes. In this regard the company draw on the technical and cultural tradition of early horology.For more information please visit meistersinger.com MeisterSingers concept is founded on tradition and the brand want to provide an alternative to wristwatches that show time racing by. Inspired by historical single-hand clocks the brand create timepieces that show their wearers only the bare essentials, al...
Wrist Game or Crying Shame: Doxa SUB 300 Professional
Hey there Fools of April, it’s time for Wrist Game or Crying Shame - the weekly scientific study that measures whether you show non-clinical interest in a given time control unit. This week, we’ll turn our attention to a vintage Doxa SUB 300 Professional. But first…Last week, we showed you the lovely 1990s Breitling Navitimer Montbrillant and a full 70% of you decided that this retro chronograph was worthy of a Wrist Game vote. I approve that message and my vote was cast accordingly. This week, we move away from a retro-styled watch to a retro watch that’s served as inspiration for plenty of re-editions. The watch is the legendary Doxa SUB 300 Professional. We’v...
Franck Dubarry Crazy Wheel Is An Eye-Catcher
Over the last few years I been fortunate to write several books about horology. This is a subject that absolutely fascinates me because of the microengineering involved.The last book I produced was entitled “Independent Watchmakers” and the contribution they have made to the industry. Within the last 15 years, watch design has progressed exponentially. In fact, companies like Cabestan, De Bethune, Louis Moinet, MB&F, and Urwerk were the catalyst for me launching my own blog. They also inspired a whole new wave of other microbrands like Franck Dubarry to create their own Avant-Garde designs.For the “Independent Watchmakers” book, I wanted to ensure there was a dive...
TOP 8 April Fools' Prank Watches
The Seiko Senbei with a dial made of Japanese rice crackers, Bremont with Shark Recognition Technology, or Timex showing 25 hours a day. Keep reading and have fun. Top 8 April Fools’ Watches.We have seen a lot in recent years. Anything you can think of, ranging from fake news and funny mockups to crazy prototypes that made the story so real that even non-believers got hooked. Some of them are actually so good, we would like to see them in production.It is interesting to see how far brands can go.Not only in terms of ideas, but also in terms of production. Special promotions featuring landing pages filled with pictures, detailed long reads, even videos full of interviews and visual effe...
Minase: Japanese Luxury Watches With A Difference
Minase is a Japanese luxury watch company based in Yuzawa, some 450 kilometers from Tokyo, Japan. All the watches are hand-made by skilled craftsmen and watchmakers.Minase's philosophy is to make beautiful and qualitative timepieces that embody values, traditions and typical crafts of Japan. There are three things that make Minase stand-out completely: the unique design of its timepieces, the technical prowess achieved with the case in case construction, and the brilliant Sallaz polishing technique.Four collectionsMinase watches are all paying tribute to the origin of the company: Kyowa, Minase's parent company which is a renowned Japanese tool manufacturer specializing in the watch industry...
#TBT The Mystery Dial 1969 Zodiac Astrographic Watch
I?bet you also have a bunch of watches you have always liked but were hesitant to pull the trigger on when the opportunity came. The Zodiac Astrographic is that watch for me. ?It was quirky enough to lure me back in for a second and third look every time I saw it pop up on listings here and there. The so-called “mysterious dial with floating discs was no revolutionary invention, but unusual enough to be clearly distinguished from other standard three-hander watches. If you add a boldly-shaped case and high-beat movement, you have quite a story to tell. I guess it was only the $500C$1,000 price tag holding me back. Is it worth the money? I will try to answer that thanks to our friends f...
Meet The New RADO Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic Watch
Rado and ceramics go hand-in-hand. First in square watches only, but since 2006 Rado is also able to manufacture round watches in ceramics. Rado’s latest is the new Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic watches. We show you the new 43mm Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic collection.Rado shook the world of watch enthusiasts with its Captain Cook watches in steel and bronze, released over the past few years. Inspired by the famous Captain Cook watch from the 1960s. It is something that we all thought Rado forgot about, but they did not. Never underestimate those clever Swiss watchmakers. With the new Captain Cook High-Tech Ceramic collection, it seems that old meets new. Based on that same classic ...
Independent Insights: MICROMILSPEC Haaland "Goldenboy", Sartory Billard, Feynman Timekeepers, And Studio Underd0g Play The April Fool
I don’t know about you, but this week has been a good one. First of all, the weather has been glorious here in England. Long may it continue. I have plans this Easter weekend to get out into the countryside and go mushroom hunting. The elusive, and tasty, morel mushroom is coming into its incredibly short season which is pretty exciting (for me, at least!). This week has also been pretty good because I’ve found a few new projects that I think might be of interest to the Fratelli. So without further ado, welcome to another Independent Insights!MICROMILSPEC x Haaland GoldenboyOne for the football fans here. I am a long-suffering football fan. My team, Tottenham Hotspur, is the perf...
Ferdinand Berthoud Introduces The New Limited Edition Regulateur Squelette With A Brand New Movement
Ferdinand Berthoud has revealed its latest novelty for this year, and what a watch it is. The new Regulateur Squelette FS RS is a stunning addition to the brand’s collection, offering a new movement, two case options, and a whole heap to classy coolness.In 2015, The Chopard Group launched Chronometrie Ferdinand Berthoud, along with its first watches. The watches were inspired by the newly formed brand’s namesake, Ferdinand Berthoud, who was one of the fathers of the marine chronometer in the 1700s. The brand’s watches come in two case options: round or the more signature octagonal. To date, customers have not had a choice of which case shape the model was offered in. For th...
The Disruptive Power Of The Omega Swatch MoonSwatch
Watches And Wonders is an event centered around some of the watch world’s finest and most exclusive brands. , Patek, Lange, everyone is invited to the party - and it’s a suit-and-tie affair (for those brave enough). Something I did not expect when touching down in Geneva this past Tuesday was that the very next day during breakfast a white paper bag adorned with a red Swatch logo would be waiting for me. The bag looked familiar. I had seen it in the hands of some of the lucky few, greeted by jealous stares as they exited the Swatch boutique in Rotterdam shortly after its 9:39 AM opening. Inside was the new Omega Swatch Speedmaster MoonSwatch. Undeniably, it’s the watch laun...
Hands-On: Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Perpetual Calendar In Steel
Sure, I saw the pictures, but who can trust pictures these days? I mean, some renderings you get from brands truly border on fakery. Reality sometimes has no place in those overly polished and touched-up depictions. You get no real sense of the hue of the colors used, the finishing, the shape, the proportions, and so on. And though the watches from JLC usually don't disappoint and the numbers and words in the press kit made sense, I only had the pre-produced photographs to go by visually. So I was a tad skeptical - that's just how I approach things in my watch life, I guess - before going hands-on with the steel Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Perpetual Calendar.What I wrote previously about the st...