[Video] Watch Karma Why The Grand Seiko SBGX341 Was Meant For Me
In this video, Lex talks about his recently acquired Grand Seiko SBGX341 with a beautiful (yes) caliber 9F quartz movement. Just the other week, Lex already wrote about this watch in his love letter here.However, we also decided to share his story in a video that you can watch either above or here. The Grand Seiko SBGX341 has not been off his wrist since, he keeps showing it off in the Fratello office ever since he got it. Enjoy the video and also make sure to check out his other recent video about a watch that is not his, but one he surely enjoyed wearing. It is about the IWC Big Pilot's Watch Top Gun Edition Mojave Desert and you can find it here.Grand Seiko SBGX341 Watch KarmaLove at firs...
How Watches Work: What Is Graining?
Watches are one of those enjoyments in life that allow us to appreciate art on the go. That means both on the wrist and off of the wrist. It’s not just the dials that get all the recognition. When brands allow us to see the beautiful movements within, it can be a joy to behold. They use a variety of different finishes to captivate and draw us in. Today I want to talk about the finishing technique known as graining. What is graining you say? Let’s take a look.Now, I can make this a little bit easier for us right off of the bat. Graining is another term used for brushing, which can be found both on the external case surfaces and the internal movement surfaces. This type of finishin...
Why You Should (Not) Buy A Watch From Your Birth Year
I’m pretty sure many of us either thought about buying or actually bought a watch from our birth year. I know I have at least thought about it. But it never happened. When I was looking for one back in the late ’90s, I could have bought a 1968 Submariner 5513 Meters First, but I didn’t like it that much. Stupid? With current knowledge, absolutely. But they were different times back then, kids. I didn’t like it enough to wear it, and that was that. Recently, though, we had a talk here at HQ about why you should (not) buy a watch from your birth year. For instance, ask yourself: is that really the one you want? I will share some views and ideas with you. But I’m...
Hands-On With The Herms Arceau Le Temps Voyageur
I was immediately intrigued when Herms launched the Arceau Le Temps Voyageur at Watches and Wonders earlier this year. It doesn’t look exactly like any other dual-time watch out there, yet it still looks completely coherent and oh-so-elegant. But I wasn’t there in Geneva to get a feel for what the watch looks and feels like in person. That’s why I decided to request the watch for review so I could spend some time with it. And I’m so glad I did because this is a piece that you definitely need to experience in person. Are you ready for a trip around Herms’s imaginary world?I must admit, I wasn’t fully aware of the Arceau watch collection. Yes, I had seen t...
Why Generation Z Craves Affordable Vintage Watches
Your phone might tell you the exact time, but it won't tell who you are. A new watch can do that, but for a growing number of people in their early twenties, vintage or neo-vintage is the way to go. They feel that a carefully selected pre-owned watch fits them better, and in all kinds of ways. The thumb-and-screen generation, or Generation Z, craves affordable vintage watches because they fit their style and budget, for instance, but also because pre-owned watches fit into their ideas about sustainability. And on top of that, a vintage watch is safer to wear than a new one when they're out and about in town. The Vintage Youth is streetwise and stylish.When we speak of the vintage market here...
Event Report: The 2023 Longines Collector Event In London
The Longines Brand Heritage department made two high-risk decisions this year - hosting the prestigious yearly Longines Collectors Event in London rather than Switzerland and allowing much of the planning and content to be driven by the collectors and watch enthusiasts themselves. The first such Longines Collectors Event took place in 2017, at the brand’s home base in Saint-Imier. A few more followed, always with a nice group of collectors who also share their knowledge in an independent group called The Longines Farm. This year was a radical change, but did these brave steps pay off?Longines watches group shot ?Image: Dr Oliver HartmannThe 2023 Longines Collectors Event in LondonWell...
A Speedmaster Mark 4.5 Financed By The Spy Who Loved Me
We often receive great personal stories from our readers about their watches. Some of them stick with us for a long time, like this story submitted by Nick about his Speedmaster Mark 4.5 and its connection to the Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me. We published this article nearly 10 years ago, but in case you missed it, here’s the story again.An Omega Speedmaster Mark 4.5 (though not the one in this story)A stolen MoonwatchOur reader Nick fell in love with Omega’s Speedmaster after he watched the 1969 Moon landing as a teenager in France. When he turned 21, he received a ’71 Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch as a birthday gift from his dad. Nick then found a job in the ...
A Limited Edition Strap
NicoH, posted a picture of his new watch strap on TimeZone. Nothing special you think.Looks even a bit ‘old’, you might think. You are right. It is about 50 years old. This strap has been made out of leather from a Mercedes Benz 300 SLR dated 1956. It gets even better. The car belongs to Jean Todt, who is the executive director of Scuderia Ferrari, the Ferrari company’s Formula One constructor.His car needed a new leather interior and a strap maker could lay his hands on the original leather interior and decided to make some straps out of it. 40 straps have been made, individually numbered and ‘stamped’.Click here to read the full story, including more pictures....
Speedy Tuesday Omega Speedmaster 2915 For Sale
Omega Speedmaster 2915It is Speedy Tuesday today and I realized that we lacked putting the spot light on the very first Speedmaster model. This first Omega Speedmaster 2915, officially reference?CK2915, was designed by Claude Baillod when he was working in the team of Head of Creation Pierre Moinat.The high contrast dial was inspired by Italian race cars of that time, also explaining the very first advertisements of the Omega Speedmaster 2915, showing two sports car enthusiasts and their Speedmaster. As you can see, this Speedmaster is – of course – close family to the current Speedmaster models, but has some differences. The bezel is stainless steel instead of the black aluminum...
Linde Werdelin Oktopus Moon Tattoo Revealed
Linde Werdelin, friend of the show for many years now, is introducing a new member of the Oktopus-family. As you probably know by now, the Linde Werdelin has two pillars, the Spido and the Oktopus. This Oktopus Moon Tattoo is their most prestigious piece to date, as they claim in their press release. A few years ago, Linde Werdelin already showed us the art of a tattooed Oktopus watch and in 2010 they introduced us the Oktopus Moon as well (limited to 29 pieces).Although it is still possible to add-on Linde Werdelin’s The Reef instrument, we are guessing that no-one will actually do that to this timepiece that is, according to co-founder Morten Linde “the marriage between modern ...
Emmanuel Bouchet Complication One Live Photos
Besides the launch of new watch models, no less than four new watch brand launches could be found at this years SalonQP in London. For Fratellowatches Emmanuel Bouchet was the most intriguing with the?official launch of the brand and their first watch, the?Emmanuel Bouchet Complication One.Emmanuel Bouchet Complication OneFrenchman Emmanuel Bouchet, who held various positions at the most prestigious watch manufactures and who is well known for creating Harry Winston’s Opus 12, chose SalonQP to officially launch his own brand and first watch model, the Emmanuel Bouchet Complication One.A blend of architecture, technical sophistication, fine craftsmanship and an avant-garde vision on tim...
Hands-On Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 Carbotech PAM 616 Review
Not too long ago I did a review of this year’s Panerai Luminor Submersible Titanio (PAM 615?for the reference coders) and now I am back with this much talked about Panerai Luminor Submersible Carbotech (PAM 616). When they showed it to us in Geneva during the SIHH, I took note of a lot of ooohs and aaahs from colleagues around me that have a thing going on for Panerai watches. I am not a Paneristi, but I did understand what the fuzz was about.Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 Carbotech PAM 616 on the wristPAM 616 ReviewCarbotech CaseDuring the SIHH, I wrote the following about the Carbotech case material:“In order to produce the Carbotech case, Panerai had to bind the long thin sh...
Tudor Heritage Black Bay Blue, reference 79220B 52Mondayz, week #46
Two years after Tudor introduced their Heritage Black Bay model in 2012, they came with a variation. The Black Bay Blue. This watch I’ll wear for this 52Mondayz week #46 article.While the first model in 2012 had a burgundy rotating bezel, gilt hands, and gilt script, the Black Bay Blue got a dark blue bezel, white hands, and white writing on the dial. The latter being my favorite over the first model.Tudor Heritage Black Bay Blue, reference 79220BI can hardly believe that it’s already 5 years ago that Tudor became the talk of Baselworld with the introduction their Heritage Black Bay. The Black Bay meanwhile gained such a position in watch land that it seems if it has been there f...
Formex Swiss Watches: ELEMENT Ceramic Bezel Black
Introducing the most affordable high-end watch in the worldThe young and independent Swiss watch manufacturer, Formex Swiss Watches, is originally known for their patented case suspension system. They design, develop and build watches in-house and since last year, exclusively sell them online and directly to the final customer. With their newest model, the ELEMENT Ceramic Bezel Black, Formex introduces a bold Swiss timepiece made of high-tech materials and manufactured with cutting-edge technologies. Though high-end in quality, materials and features, the price tag is affordable and results in unprecedented value for money in this segment.Scratch-proof high-tech ceramic bezelThe deep black c...
Favre-Leuba Raider Bivouac 9000
In 2017, the second oldest Swiss watch brand, Favre-Leuba, celebrates its 280th anniversary with a ground-breaking watch. The Raider Bivouac 9000 is the first mechanical wristwatch capable of measuring altitudes of up to an incredible 9000 meters above sea level. The 48mm, titanium case houses an aneroid barometer, that allows the watch to indicate the elevation at a given point by reacting to the changing air pressure surrounding it.Drawing learning from its own past, when Favre-Leuba was renowned for pushing boundaries and challenging frontiers, the brand continues the vision of its forefathers with the new model while paying homage to the namesake from 1962. The iconic watch which is toda...
Oak and Oscar Humboldt New Territory For the Chicago Brand
Today, we're excited to announce the new Oak and Oscar Humboldt, the fourth release from the independent Chicago-based brand. Oak and Oscar, founded in 2015 by Chase Fancher, started with the Burnham, a limited edition three hand automatic with date, then followed it up with the automatic Sanford GMT, and earlier this year gave us the lovely manual wind Jackson Chronograph (still a few available at time of writing). As you'll see, the Humboldt brings us yet another type of functionality meant to appeal to modern day explorers like yours truly meaning, those who spend a lot of time bouncing around amongst the time zones.Oak and Oscar Humboldt – The NameFirst, though, how did the Oak and...
Speedmaster Alaska I Project Watch What Makes It So Special?
Last weekend this Speedmaster Alaska I Prototype fetched CHF193,750 (including the premium). But what is this watch exactly and what makes it so special? For this Speedy Tuesday feature, we try to break it down for you.Speedmaster Alaska 1 ProjectOmega was already the chronograph of choice for NASA, based on the procurement and test procedures it was qualified in 1965 for all manned space flights. So, on the wrist of the Apollo astronauts, there were already the Speedmaster 105.003, 105.12 and 145.012 references. But the story did not end there. Omega was constantly working on projects and sometimes send unsolicited packages to NASA to give a watch a try. These projects for NASA received a c...
Schofield Watch Company Debuts The Strange Lights Series
Nestled away in a sleepy corner of Sussex, England, Schofield Watch Company has been going about its business in a very individual fashion ever since 2011. What began as a passion project of founder Giles Ellis, has become a brand with one of the strongest and most identifiable design codes in British Watchmaking. Every product, meticulously designed and crafted, expresses the personality of the man behind its creation. Now, with his latest watch - the Schofield Strange Lights - Ellis is building on his existing design language in a way that should excite long-time and brand-new fans of Schofield…I remember the first time I learned of Giles Ellis and his mission. It was 2012. I was, by...
Hands-On: The Peren Nera Rogue Dive Watch
Today, we take a hands-on look at the Peren Nera Rogue dive watch. It’s the brand's latest dive watch offering and one that didn't fail to impress. Its design draws inspiration from the iconic Tornek-Rayville divers, which could never be a bad thing. And this beautifully sized, modern-spec diver comes in hot at a very reasonable price, with some surprising details waiting for those who take a closer look. So let's do just that and dive on into this charming piece, which, as I write this, is still available for pre-order. Will you want to get your hands on one? I know I do, so let's see what makes it so special.When it comes to microbrands in the watch world, there's a lot of fun to be ...
My Grail Watch: Longing For Nothing But The Watch I Can't Have
In this series, our editors will each share their personal grail watch. It’s the watch they want the most, their exit watch, or whatever you want to call it. For now, let's stick to grail watch. I will kick it off by sharing my own grail watch, my journey to “discovering” it, and the grail watches (I thought) I had.In the late 1990s, my grail watch was an Omega Constellation. Funnily enough, it wasn’t a pie-pan or any vintage model, but the standard model Omega introduced in 1995. There was no influencing, and there was no proper website about watches. Watch brands’ websites looked like they were made in Frontpage 1.0, and perhaps they were. There was just the a...