Gustafsson & Sj?gren Damascus Vile Watch & Oden Knife Set

This is the set that should have been for a while now. Swedish watch maker Gustafsson & Sj?gren (GoS) will soon release this limited edition watch and knife set. Johan Gustafsson is actually a bladesmith who specializes in creating beautiful Damascus steel. His work has been transformed into watch cases and dial in the GoS brand, but now you can get one of their watches and knives together in a beautiful set.Artisan type work with this aesthetic is either something you love or hate. You can't deny the incredible level of detail and work that goes into creating the complex patterns of this type of folded and then blacksmithed metal. What I really like is that between the knife and watch you get a range of different Damascus steel styles and patterns. The set really does include a large range of GoS's capabilities. Plus, given the nature of Damascus steel, no two pieces of metal look exactly the same.The watch has a rather funny name and is called the GoS Vile. Yea, don't ask why - must be a Swedish thing. I don't think they are going for the English meaning of vile. The knife on the other hand is the Oden. So this is the Vile & Oden watch and knife limited edition set. Actually, according to Nordic mythology Vile and Oden where gods and brothers. The Vile watch (heehee) is 42mm wide in steel. The dial, crown, and lug screws are in Damascus steel. Inside the watch is a Swiss ETA Unitas 6498-1 manually wound movement. While different in style, the GoS Lapland Sky watch that I reviewed here has more pertinent details on what the watch itself is like. Different for the Vile is the dial design, the case style, and the reindeer strap stitching decor. I really think all watches should have Damascus steel crowns - they are beautiful and feel so good when polished up.While not much of a knife collector (though I love a good knife), I know a lot my readers are. I learned this a few years ago and I think it makes sense that if you are into watches, chances are you also like knives, guns, planes, cars, gadgets, etc... The Oden knife is a standard folding-blade style piece completely done in Damascus steel. You can see that the blade and handle parts are all done using different styles of Damascus steel. I think it is really neat looking. Damascus steel belt sheath maybe? We will see.GoS will produce just 5 sets of the Vile & Oden watches. Each will come in a special Swedish box made by Sture Nyberg. Price per a set will be about $20,000 each.Tech specs from GoS:Watch - GoS VileCase: Stainless steel 42mmx10mmLug width: 22mmGlass: Flat sapphire glass with anti reflection treatmentMovement: Swiss manual ETA 6498Movement refinement: Refinished and improved by the Swiss company Soprod.Dial: Hand-forged damascus steelIndex ring/rehaut: Hand-shaped and polished grade 5 titaniumHands: Polished silver finishCrown: 8mm in fine-grained Damascus stainless steelCase finishing: All high-gloss polished with Gustafsson & Sj?gren logo on case side.Strap: Handcrafted in black reindeer leather with traditional Sami tin-thread decorationsKnife - GoS OdenBlade size: 150 mm, 4.49 inchesStyle:Mosaic Damascus folderBlade thickness: 3 mm, 0.12 inchesTotal size: 250 mm, 9.75 inchesBlade: Flower Damascus and explosionBolsters: Flower DamascusHandle: Nordic fossilized coralLiners: File-worked grade 5 titaniumPresentation Box Watch and Knife setIndividually crafted box in svepask technique of birch wood colored with natural pigments mized in linseed oil covered with high grade natural wax and polished to a deep finish

Perrelet Turbine Poker & 007 Limited Edition Watches

These two limited edition Perrelet watches go together right? Sure they do, gambling and 007? I am going to be careful and not mention James Bond. Perrelet doesn't mention James Bond and I don't think they licensed the right to use that IP franchise. Though apparently "007" was OK to use. The imagery they use however when discussing the Turbine 007 watch on the new Turbine micro-site is strongly evocative of the James Bond theme - without outright saying so. The official name by the way of this watch is the Perrelet Turbine 007 License To Play watch.Then there is the Perrelet Turbine Poker... which if you have a "license to play," you can. This piece actual comes in three distinct models. The difference of each? The cards displayed under the turbine.? Version 1 (Ref. A4018/1) has random cards and a pair of sevens. Version 2 (Ref. A4018/2) has a pair of sevens and two royal flushes. Version 3 (ref. A4018/3) has a pair of sevens, three kings, three jacks, and a few other random cards. Don't ask why they are arranged that way (I don't know).Unlike the Perrelet Turbine XL America limited edition, these two models use the original Turbine case that is 44mm wide (and does not have the side claws). The Turbine 007 (ref. A8008/1) is done in a steel DLC black coated case with gold-toned elements throughout. The center of the turbine is actual 18k rose gold. License to Play what exactly? I think the watch is cool, but I don't see the 007 theme in there that much. Perrelet will produce 888 of these.You can see more information and videos here at Perrelet's Turbine website. The Turbine Poker has a similarly toned 44mm steel case with a DLC coating. Both models feature Perrelet's P-181 double rotor automatic movements. These are fun watches, and certainly novelties. Not for everyone, but the right wrists know how to make these timepieces feel at home. Prices are about $6,000 each.

Gerald Genta Gefica Safari Watch

I continue to lament the loss of watch industry design and figure-head Gerald Genta who died this year. People tend to remember him most for his classic contributions to the industry - which include 1970s' designs for the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, Vacheron Constantin Overseas, IWC Ingenieur, and Patek Philippe Nautilus. Granted these were all amazing and endearing designs - though they were however obvious siblings of one another. My colleague at Fratello Watches discusses those here a bit. Personally, I am a bit more interested in his later work. All that is summed up and epitomized in the Gefica Bi-Retro.The modern interpretation of the Gefica concept is a watch I dearly want to add to my collection (and I rarely say things like that about watches that are no longer being made). As time goes on the leadership Genta took in terms of design risk and innovation is clear. For example, right now bronze watches are all hot and in. The Gefica was mostly in bronze when most people laughed at use of the metal. The case was (is) 47mm wide and almost 20mm thick - even in the early 2000s when people thought this was a crazy size. It showed the world that a true modern watch incorporated both an innovative layout of telling the time as well as case design. It relied heavily on titanium, and it has a serious personality all to its own.On top of that the design is emotional. Rumor has it that Genta was inspired during a safari in Africa before designing the watch. The Gefica Bi-Retro often has "Safari" in the name and combines a series of design features that have an almost tribal look to them. It is like modern art meets ritualistic drum circle - who else can pull that off?For years I have admired the Gefica almost as an icon. The design was so vivid to me I almost didn't want to disgrace it by wearing it. While the case was designed from the ground up to be ergonomic, you rarely see people wearing these. It really takes a strong personality to match wits with this watch. The classic Gefica from the 1980s was impressive for its design, but this 2000's era Gefica Bi-Retro is a landmark.A few years ago I first encountered a Gerald Genta Gefica Bi-Retro at a watch event and got to put the watch on my wrist for the first time- it was amazing. I was stunned at the quality and level of detail. A watch design like this is really not easy to manufacture. Not only is the dial very complex with many colors and levels, but the case is literally made out of two materials. Most of the case is finely cut bronze, and all the little "balls" around it are applied individually and in titanium.Genta chose bronze because of its patina developing properties. This is a metal that you want to look aged. It goes with the design of the watch and is part of its character. This piece has the charm of aged jeans. Designing a dial to go with this was not likely an easy task. The amazing thing is that the dial of the Gefica doesn't look like the case at all, but still seems to go with it. Here Genta called upon his love for art deco and clean lines. 1920s futuristic and rugged outback never did go together so well (or at all). Over the years the dial of the watch was available in a range of colors (with matching alligator strap). The fold-over titanium clasp is also a nicely architected thing of beauty.Going along with his love of retrograde hands and jumping hour complications, the Gefica Bi-Retro has both. The name itself basically is short for "bi-retrograde." The hour is told digitally through a window close to 12 o'clock, while the minutes are expressed on an arched scale with a hand that moves across it and then jumps back to the first position. Seconds are displayed via a traditional hand that goes around the entire dial. A second retrograde has is used on the lower half of the dial to indicate the date. I love those hands that look like bubbly magnifying lenses (the large opening in the hand is also done to prevent obstruction when reading the hour) . In my opinion the Gefica Bi-Retro dial design is an incredible item of beauty and genius.When you turn over the Gefica you see an amazing looking movement, and it looks unlike anything else you'll see. Most brands try to visually separate the automatic rotor from the rest of the movement. Not here. Both the movement parts and automatic rotor are applied with micro-perlage polishing. It looks incredible as well as unique. The movement is called the Calibre GG 1004 automatic. It is a base Girard-Perregaux automatic with a special retrograde module built by Gerald Genta.  A great combo if you ask me.You can look online for additional pictures of the Gerald Genta Gefica Bi-Retro watch. A few years ago the Gerald Genta watch brand died before the man himself did. It was engulfed by owner group Bulgari. So no more of these Gefica watches will ever be made. The good news is that Bulgari has continued the Gefica Bi-Retro using Bulgari branding. The case is the same but they changed the dial. I personally like the Gerald Genta version a bit better, but the Bulgari model will suffice as well. Price for the Gefica Bi-Retro retailed for about $18,000. Fair, but still really pricey. The good news is that prices on the pre-owned market are a bit more reasonable. Like this one for example available on James List that is just under $7,000. For me, this is a piece that WILL be in my collection sooner or later.

Giveaway: Seiko Sportura Kinetic Diver Watch Giveaway

 I am excited to offer a fantastic new Seiko watch as the giveaway item this month on This piece has a number of desirable features and a great modern style to it. As part of the Seiko Sportura collection, this is known as the Kinetic Diver ref. SKA511P1 (aka SKA511). This model in steel is 44mm wide and a black colored bezel and steel metal bracelet. It is accompanied by sibling variants the Seiko SKA509P1 as well as the SKA511P2.The Sportura Kinetic Diver is water resistant to 200 meters and has an AR coated sapphire crystal. I've had the pleasure of handling these and they are just great. One very important feature that you should known about is the special ratcheting diver's extension clasp. This offers the ability to micro-adjust the bracelet on the fly for loosening or tightening it up - a great feature! Inside the watch is the Seiko Kinetic Quartz caliber 5M62 (rotor in the watch automatically recharges the battery inside). Retail price is $595 and you can enter for a change to win one below.To Enter You Must: 1. Comment on this post below ( not Facebook or elsewhere you might see this article) before the giveaway is over with your valid e-mail address where required. In the body of your comment mention whether you would prefer a Seiko Kinetic watch powered by movement or a Seiko Solar watch powered by light.2. Be a pal. If possible, Facebook friend/fan all or any of the following:Friend me on Facebook Like on FacebookLike Seiko Watches on FacebookWant articles automatically sent to you via e-mail? Sign up here:3. Wait until the giveaway is over on October 31st, 2011 for the winner to be chosen at random.A couple of basic rules. You can only enter once. You must comment with a valid e-mail address where you can be reached. Your comment must be confirmed and approved. You must complete the objectives to be considered. You are responsible for providing your contact shipping information if you are chosen. Shipping restrictions to non US entrants may apply based on sponsor's policies. Giveaway watch selection based on sponsor's inventory and watch availability. All comments made after the end of the giveaway period will not be considered. For the full terms and conditions, please click here.Good luck, and thanks to Seiko the sponsor of this Sportura Kinetic Diver watch giveaway !

Max Busser of MB&F Interview

The other side of the Antikythera displays some information that is much more esoteric by today's account. There is a Metonic calendar scale (235 months being 19 years total), a Callipic cycle (4 x 235 months), a Saros dial (223 month cycle) and a Exeligmos dial (3 x 223 months). Last, there is an interesting indicator which displays the cycles of the pan-Hellenic games each four years. This is an Olympic games indicator.It would have taken years to fully compute and study each of these scales and cycles to indicate them properly. Not only that, but the sheer precision needed to construct the device requires technology that most of us don't give credit to the ancients for having. The existence of the Antikythera mechanism really calls into question what we know about the ancient world, and makes you wonder just how much knowledge was lost.When he learned about the Antikythera Buttet really wanted to remake it. As of that time no one fully understood it enough to produce a replica. At the event a prototype of the Hublot Calibre 2033-CH01 movement was displayed. While it does not visually replicate the original Antikythera in miniature exactly, it does offer the same indicators computed in more or less the same way. Buttet also ads the time and a tourbillon into the mix. To commercially release one would be just too expensive for the consumer according the Hublot.The movement has 495 parts making it very complicated. Buttet acknowledges that it was a challenge to understand the original and get his reproduction to work properly. You can see the full tech specs below for more details on the movement. Hublot has successfully helped to restore knowledge of the first calculator known to exist. Though the mystery of the Antikythera does not end. Perhaps someday we will have a better understanding of why it was made, for whom, and by who. Until then we can look forward to Hublot unveiling the full watch at Baselworld 2012. I hear that it will come in a very cool (and futuristic looking) case. Mark your Greco/Egyptian calendars now.Tech Specs from HublotHublot Antikythera Calibre 2033-CH01Movement functions???????? Hours, minutes Seconds via the tourbillon cageFlying tourbillon without ball bearingManual windingView of dial

 

 

Hublot Antikythera Calibre 2033-CH01 Watch Is A Re-Imagined Greek Masterpiece

One of the things I really appreciate about Hublot is that they don't do everything directly to sell watches. A lot of their events and projects are for charity or to further development in the horological world. Yes of course there is a branding element to each of these projects and it gets people write about the brand that might not otherwise cover a wrist watch story, but in the end it makes for a very dynamic Hublot.I recently joined Hublot for the official unveiling of the Antikythera movement that Mathias Buttet worked on making for the last several years. In French they call it the Anticythère, and the movement reference is the Calibre 2033-CH01. Lets start with some history, both recent and ancient.Before being at Hublot Mathias Buttet ran BNB Concept. When the economic crisis hit and BNB Concept went out of business, Hublot (a large customer of theirs) bought up much of their resources and hired Mathias. While still at BNB he was working on the replication (not exact in terms of shape, but in terms of function) of something that was known as the Antikythera. The project was never completed and when Jean-Claude Biver hired him, he made promises to Mathias that he could still pursue certain pet projects such as this. Mathias was happy to inform me recently (as he has a few times actually) that Jean-Claude has kept his promises.Not long ago Mathias was finally able to complete the Antikythera, miniaturizing the concept of the original into a wrist watch. And only Buttet's version actually tells the time and has a tourbillon. The man just LOVES tourbillons. It also runs by itself whereas the original needed to be hand-cranked. Hublot announced that no Antikythera movements will ever be sold. They anticipate making 3-4 of them and selling them (via auction) for charity. The sale of which I believe will benefit the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris (a really cool museum that focuses on the history of machines).So it took a long time and isn't going to make Hublot any money. Why do all this then? According to Jean-Claude Biver he (and Hublot) are a supporter of the arts, advancing technology, and using their talents to assist where possible. In fact, study of the Antikythera is one place where their talents are particularly useful.The device itself has a modern history starting in about 1900 when it was discovered in a sunken ship off the coast of an island called Antikythera. That is where the name of the device came from. In the ship were a series of ancient Greek treasures, and well as the mechanical device. It was badly rusted from being underwater for so long. Estimates are that the ship sank between 80-60 BC. The device is carbon dated to being older than that.For a long time what the Antikythera machine was, who made it, and how it worked were unclear. Much of that is still unclear. As there are no other machines like it, historians still don't fully understand who it was built by - though it is clear to have been made by the ancient Greek people. The device was made in bronze, and other machines of clock-work origin have also been referenced to in texts from the same era - though none quite like, or as complicated as the Antikythera. Plus, no other ones were ever actually discovered to my understanding. After being studied and now a bit more understood, the Antikythera machine is referred to as the oldest calculator in human history. We've had math nerds in existence for that long it seems (probably longer).Until x-ray technology was good enough, we had no way of seeing into the corroded machine that has spent 2000 years under water. Parts of it were completely destroyed but from the fragments we have been able to understand at least what the Antikythera machine was designed to do. It was really about coordinating events with various celestial phases, as well as predicting events like eclipses. The Greeks obsessively tried to understand and predict cycles of the moving bodies in the sky, and machines like this helped synthesize that work.A crank handle on the side of the Antikythera operated the machine - which was a series of gears placed into what might have been a wooden box. The original machine sits in a museum in Greece, but a replica of a working piece has been made (that I too a few pictures of). Both sides of the machine showed information like a double-sided watch. It relied upon calendar systems used at the time which we only have partial understandings of. The device has markings on it which were believed to be a form of instruction manual for how to use it.On one side of the Antikythera was a sort of Earth-centric solar system. It has the Earth in the center with the moon going around it (which also spun between a light and dark side to show the phases). The is also a sun indicator that actually pointed to zodiac markers, which in the modern version has been incorporated with a month indicator. The scales also show a constellation chart, as well as another scale for the Egyptian calendar (which was 365 days long). Indicators around the dials showed what might be ways of determining what stars would be visible in the sky.

Tiret Gotham Watch Hands

These Tiret Gotham timepieces are some rare watches. The brand itself is a unique entity placed to serve rich rappers and alike. Not only those people but you get the idea. In a sense is a competitor to Jacob & Co., but they don't like to see it that way. Tiret is based in New York City and this watch is called the Gotham - imagine that.I first covered the Gotham watch collection back over here. Clearly I needed to include a host of Batman references when discussing a watch with the name "Gotham." The design of the watches is also pretty wild. The large square case is full of details and interesting segments. If you like complex case designs, you'll be at home here. One of the more interesting elements are the individual columns on the side of the case. These are in metal or ceramic I believe and stand in front of a sapphire viewing window of the movement. There are also unique screws and of course the system which connects the strap to the case.Tiret told me that there are two sizes for the Gotham watch. I tried them both on. I think one is either 42-43mm wide and the other larger one is 45mm wide or more. I don't recall the exact figures. I preferred the larger case of course - imagine that. It is a tall watch as you can tell, with a steeply protruding look that will not get old fast. Despite the size the way the design wraps around your wrist is impressive. It is a very comfortable watch on your wrist provided you don't smack it into things (or people).Version of the Gotham include a GMT, Chronograph, and Power Reserve model. Perhaps others. If you like you can of course get diamonds on the bezel. Tiret is first and foremost a jewelry watch brand. On their other pieces which feature stones more I can attest to the fact that they use pretty good quality diamonds. This is something to look out for if you are getting a watch with precious stones. Not all diamonds are created equally!The movements these watches use aren't particularly rare, but work horses. Tiret makes them a bit more fancy with custom automatic rotors. The chronograph uses a Swiss ETA Valjoux 7750, while the others use various 28xx series automatics. You can see the movement through the rear of the case where another Tiret "T" is there to meet you. Can you try to count all the "Ts" on the case? There are plenty of them.Whether or not you like the look of it, detailing on the case is really good. The dials are complex and wildly designed. I actually like how they look, but Tiret pieces do suffer in the legibility department. Skeletonization of the hands in most cases is a bad idea - and Tiret loves skeletonized hands. Sometimes they blend in with the dial so much you can't even see the hands. At least they aren't too short. Just a sacrifice of wearing a watch such as this - which I would still actually do. Just not on days when I want a highly legible watch.The straps come in black or white, and are done in a nice rubber. You'll notice that on most versions matching rubber is applied on the bezel. Are you a white or black Tiret Gotham kind of guy? I could pull off both. Timepieces such as this are like the exact opposite of an Omega. These are not tool watches. These are showy watches that are expressive and character rich. They are unapologetically loud and meant to call attention and either impress or annoy your friends.I don't even know where to buy Tiret watches aside from contacting them directly. Though they are nice honest people that prove positive to communicate with. I really can't say this about many brands of this type. Most of these Gotham watches are highly limited in production. They are among the few Tiret watches that appeal to me, but in an odd way I really like these watches. Though I can't fault you if the concept seems repugnant. For me the wearing comfort and case design really make these interesting and fun - a rare exotic species in a world of timepieces that too often play it safe. I think these are in the $10,000 $20,000 range if I recall correctly.

Breitling Transocean Watch Hands

While I am not the type of guy who is that interested in vintage style watches, there are a lot of excellent exceptions such as the newer Breitling Transocean. When Breitling shared this piece with me I immediately liked it. Sure it is a retro-type piece, but ti is not a watch that is overtly "retro." I would rather suggest it is a traditionally styled watch - something that has a more timeless quality than looking as though it is stuck in a past era.Last year Breitling introduced the chronograph version of the Transocean called that Transocean Chronograph. This piece does feel a bit more retro than the newer three-hand model. A lot of that has to do with the design of the pushers, style of tachymetre scale on the dial, as well as the chronograph subdials. Both the Transocean Chronograph and more simple Transocean are great looking watches and you don't need to think of yourself as being at all retro when wearing them.The watches come in 43mm wide steel or 18k red gold cases that are water resistant to 100 meters. Breitling's typical high level of polish and case finishing are of course present. The high-quality manner in which Breitling presents their watches is really one of their major selling points. With aggressively sized lugs the watch wears large but still has a tasteful look on the wrist. Typical for Breitling, the Transocean models are offered with a number of dial colors. Each looks good in my regard be it light or dark in tone. The applied hour markers and long strips of white lume through the hands ensure that legibility is high - that and the AR coated sapphire crystal (that is domed like older acrylic crystals).Lots of little things keep the watches looking classy. In addition to the high-level of fit and finish, the dials have nice applied date windows that those cool cross-hairs that always make dials look somehow better. Overall the Transocean is just a very well proportioned watch that is easy to read and easy on the eyes. Breitling also is able to have this watch pull of a mesh metal bracelet (which is hard to do). Though most people I imagine will opt for the padded leather strap.Last year's Transocean Chronograph came with Breitling's in-house Calibre 01 automatic movement. The three-hand Transocean from this year has their Calibre 10 automatic movement which I believe is a base ETA 2892. Prices for the Transocean watches range from about $5,000 - $8,000 and make for a very satisfying wearing experience.

Harry Winston Ocean Sport Collection Watches

Harry Winston will soon launch this new collection of watches called the Ocean Sport. While I don't think the name sounds particularly high-end (though the Ocean is a long standing Harry Winston watch), they are interesting are relatively simple and satisfying sport versions of the iconic Harry Winston Ocean watch fare.The Ocean Sport will have a few versions, and pieces for both men and women. Style wise they feel very much influenced by some Roger Dubuis pieces from the last few years. Does anyone else see that? What connects each of the Ocean Sport watches is an aesthetic theme as well as a Zalium case. Zalium is a special zirconium alloy unique to Harry Winston watches. Connected to the watches are either black or white HW branded rubber straps.The men's models come with light or dark cases and in chronograph or three-hand models. These are called the Harry Winston Ocean Sport Chronograph or Ocean Sport Automatic watches. They are 44mm wide in satin finished Zalium cases. According to Harry Winston certain sections of the case are DLC coated. With sapphire crystals over the dial the cases are 200 meters water resistant. They look to have diver style bezels, but the bezels don't appear to be the types that rotate.The three-hand automatic is going to be the easier to read, but the dial isn't as interesting as the Chronograph. With its dark tones, different styles of chronograph subdials and increased complexity, the Chronograph however might be a more interesting watch. The chronograph pushers look enjoyable to use. The dark tones on the exposed movement are said to be black ruthenium.Aside from the two men's versions there are two women's versions. For the ladies there is a Ocean Sport Ladies Chronograph in a polished Zalium case that is 38mm wide. It has diamonds on it as well as a different style of dial and case. There really are a lot of differences between the men's and women's models. Inside the Ladies Chronograph is an automatic movement. There is also a smaller 36mm wide two-hand Ocean Sport Quartz model. This one has just the time and minutes with a Swiss quartz movement on the inside. This version has the most elegant dial, and again includes diamonds on the dial.The collection is fun but also a bit conservative. I think that Harry Winston will do well this them though the overall presentation could have been refined just a little bit to offer more timeless designs.

Bulova Accutron Sir Richard Branson Limited Edition Watch

Earlier in the year we learned that Bulova (owned by Citizen in Japan) has appointed Sir Richard Branson as a new brand ambassador. That seemed a bit strange to me. Not that Bulova wouldn't want Branson brandishing their watches, but rather that Branson - being mega-rich, and owner of the large Virgin group - would have zero need to establish the connection. I still don't know the details of the relationship (blackmail I am thinking), but Branson is going to be the Bulova poster child for a while.Clearly the "Virgin knight" doesn't need the cash. He has indicated that money made from his relationship with Bulova will go straight to his Virgin Unite charity, and some of the proceeds from the sale of the watches will also go to the charity. To honor their relationship there is a new limited edition watch.Bulova's marketing campaign with Branson seems to focus on his business success. "Men like Branson wear Bulova" is apparently the message they wish to convey. The phrase duo "Swiss Made (referring to the watch), and Self Made (referring to the man)" is clever and ought to get a lot of attention. Citizen has a rather astute marketing agency so this level of marketing quality is expected. The irony of course is that Bulova might technically be Swiss made, but it isn't a Swiss brand.While I anticipate there to be a range of Bulova Branson watches coming, the first is a rather sober limited edition traveler's watch. It is called the Bulova Accutron Sir Richard Branson Limited Edition watch and comes in a 46mm wide titanium case. Bulova isn't being very clear on what movement it has exactly, but it is a Swiss automatic with a GMT hand. Likely a 2893 if I had a guess. Bulova further COSC Chronometer certifies its. The watch also has an inner rotating bezel with a city indicator that can be used to tell the time all over the world in collaboration with the GMT hand (if the GMT has is set to synchronize with your local time). This makes for a rather decent traveler's watch (but it is hardly unique).The watch dial is fine. Nothing spectacular, but attractive with its blue hands and longitude and latitude lines engraved into the dial. Notice the Accutron Spaceview style lugs used on the case. One change I would make is nixing the crescent moon style end to the GMT hand. Not only do I not like these hands, but they are typically used for static indicator that jump (like a periphery date indicator). In this case it is being used for a constantly moving hand which in meant to precisely point to one spot - not frame something. This feels like a rather large design oversight in my opinion.Bulova is announcing the watch rather early in my opinion. According to them the limited edition of 500 pieces Richard Branson watch will be available in about a year from now in the Fall of 2012. Price will be $3,500. Try wearing on on your next Virgin Atlantic flight and see if anyone notices it.See Bulova watches on eBay here.See Bulova watches on Amazon here.    

Hublot La Cle Du Temps Watch Hands

Does the key of time hold the key to time? Depends on how you look at it. A few years ago Mathias Buttet created a weird watch movement capable of speeding up and slowing down time, and then automatically return the dial to the normal time. Poetically the movement had a lot of value, though practically it had next to none. What it did however do was offer a unique design opportunity to see how one might create a timepiece around this concept. This is the third try.The first watch to use this complex vertical tourbillon based movement was a company called Horus that made a boat style watch out of it called the Ultramarinum. I believe Horus is now defunct. Then Mathias decided to use the movement in one of his own watches for the BNB Confrerie Horlogerie in a watch called the La Clef (with an "f") du Temps. I actually got to play with this incredible odd watch hands-on for myself. Mathias explained to me that it was designed using the look of the movie character Predator's head. Fair enough. BNB is not defunct. Mr. Buttet with his risk taking and creativity is now at Hublot running the movement making and designing arm. With Mr. Biver's guidance and the Hublot DNA, I think that Mathias finally found his groove.Early this year I wrote about this watch that now has the name of the Hublot Confrerie La Cle du Temps - and now I offer you a hands-on experience of an almost ready for production model of the watch. Priced at over $300,000 this isn't a watch that is made to make money. It is make as a concept, a passion play of design and movement making designed to stimulate the imagination and offer Hublot a creative outlet. With pieces such as this coming from Hublot on a regular basis, they are more or less the premiere brand right now that is releasing experimental futuristic designs and movements. Chalk up to a Biver + Buttet power relationship.On the wrist the watch actually looks a bit smaller than its massive visual stature might suggest. A lot of it is in black rubber and black metal to emphasis the luminous green elements on the dial. If I didn't know better I would say this that watch looked like one of the coolest movie props around. It just has a distinct Hollywood vibe to it.?This is also the watch Mathias himself has been wearing on his own wrist the last few times I have seen him. The dial has been meticulously designed by Mr. Buttet to be more legible than before, but also much more futuristic. Facing toward you on your wrist is a massive gaping maw of what is a vertical tourbillon staring at you. To operate the watch you have just two large crowns - one on each side of the case. It doesn't even need to the tell the time to look cool.Buttet seemed to realize that the function to speed up and slow down time was more or less a gimmick. The watch doesn't focus too much on this element. In fact, that function might not be there and you probably wouldn't notice. I see it as more of a "my watch should entertain me when I am bored feature." The information you see more is the time and power reserve for the five days of energy the La Cle du Temps movement stores. Everything about the watch is about experimental design.I did mention that it was comfortable to wear - which is true. I would love to walk around a watch-hungry city in Asia and see what people think. Most of the time I would endeavor to discuss the little details in a watch such as the materials it was made out of and its dimensions. In this instance I am not even going to bother. Why? It is totally immaterial to one's decision to buy it. "Shame it is 50mm wide versus 48mm wide, that really would have pushed my decision to purchase over the ledge." Really not what is at issue here. The sad thing is that this watch isn't likely to get you laid as much as it should. You are more likely to get a Star Trek convention fan aroused with this on your wrist than you are that hottie in a one-piece mini dress at the club who can only see a few pieces of the watch glow in the dark in front of her. Ten minutes into your conversation on what this watch does, she has slipped into a thought trance on what all future conversations with you are going to be like.At least you'll know that it is cool. Isn't that enough for you? Hublot will make just 50 pieces of the La Cle Du Temps for the world to digest. If I don't see Mathias wearing one of these on a regular basis I will be just a bit disappointed. His next invention should be a watch that works on speeding up and slowing down the tempo in people talking to you. Wouldn't you like conversations with your parents to happens four times faster?

Citizen Eco-Drive Satellite Wave Watch Hands-On

Much to the chagrin of Casio and Seiko, one of the most talked about and anticipated Japanese watches of 2011 was this limited edition Eco-Drive Satellite watch from Citizen. Upped to being a limited edition of 990 pieces, this rather pricey timepiece dazzles with design and technology. The future is all about the East while the West seems to be obsessed with the past.I first discussed this Citizen Eco-Drive Satellite Wave watch here after seeing its debut. With the watch now released I got some hands-on time with one of the production pieces (thanks to Arizona Fine Time, a Citizen dealer). The final watch is rather impressive and very true to the concept version. It was unclear whether or not Citizen was going to actually make too many of these, but due to demand they decided a limited edition run was due. Having said that, I hear murmurs that Citizen will be not only using this special technology in future watches, but the Eco-Drive Satellite Wave will be followed-up with other versions that have different color tones (possibly next year).So what is this Eco-Drive satellite tech all about? I discussed it more thoroughly in the link above. Basically Citizen has developed a system for having the watch manually connect with GPS satellites to sync the exact time no matter where you are in the world. Previously watches of this theme were only able to connect with the radio signals of atomic clocks. But you needed to be in the vicinity of said atomic clocks - and those don't at all cover the entire world. The idea here is that you will be able to have the precise time, in a movement that is charged by the light, no matter where you are (on this planet).The idea sounds great but according to some it hasn't quite lived up to the hype. This is due to one critical drawback - that being that the watch will not automatically sync with the satellites. To sync with them you need to manually tell the watch you are ready to receive signals (and you probably need to be outdoors). My guess is that this is due battery power issues and that it doesn't have the power to constantly check for signals. I am sure that this is being looked into and hopefully will be improved in future renditions of the Eco-Drive Satellite movement concept. In this watch is Citizen's H990 caliber quartz movement.A lot of people are disappointed by the lack of automatic time synchronization in the Eco-Drive Satellite Wave watch. I understand that. The idea that the watch, like your mobile phone would always ensure it is showing the right time, no matter where you are is an easy thing to lust for. It is coming, but we are just not there yet. The issue almost always boils down to power consumption. If you are OK with manually telling the watch to sync the time, then you should be OK with this piece.At 48mm wide the case is mega-sized with a mega personality. The case itself is beautiful. As I understand it Citizen has developed some special way of doing a ceramic coating over steel. Whatever it is, the shiny gray case material is fantastic looking, especially with all those green inserts. Over the dial is a very dome crystal that reflect a lot of light. I would have liked for Citizen to bathe it in AR coating (especially at this price). One major complaint about the dial is the lack of luminant. For a sport looking watch it is really a shame to have no backlight or lume coated parts on the dial.Attached to the case is that green and black strap that needs to be cut to size. I tend to not like these, but once properly sized they world out. Citizen will charge you $80 bucks for a new one I hear. The overall fit and finish of the case and watch is impressive. Everyone also seems to like the presentation box it comes with. With some drawbacks that might be serious or trivial based on your needs, the Citizen Eco-Drive Satellite Wave wave is still very impressive and cool. No doubt it signals upcoming technologies and still shows that the Japanese have the total edge when it comes to producing the tech elite of the watch world. Price for the limited edition Eco-Drive Satellite Wave watch is a steep $3,800.

Montblanc Watches Offically Available To Buy Online

I was just informed by Montblanc that pretty much all Montblanc products are not available online for sale. I don't think their eCommerce site just launched but is still relatively new. I mention this for a few reason. First, it makes it easier for all people to get Montblanc watches, pens, and other products irrespective of where they live. It also is another win for the effort to sell more high-end items online.When I first started doing this, it was for the most part considered totally taboo to sell luxury items online. Brands thought that it would cheapen their product and set up warnings online for people to never buy their watches or other goods via the internet. A few years later so much of that is changing, and it is being spearheaded by the major? brands such as I have predicted. The little guys who aren't on board yet will follow suit. It is only a matter of time before you can "officially" buy Rolex and Patek Philippe watches online as well.Montblanc joins fellow Richemont brand Cartier in offering much of their product range online. The pleasant looking eCommerce site is rather simple and easy to use. Gone is much of the annoying Flash animations and complex UI screens of the past. I am happy that they focused on ergonomics versus some convoluted theatrical eShop platform that might have been expected a few years ago. So check out their eShop if you are interested in Montblanc stuff, here is a direct link to viewing the Montblanc watch collection online.

Omega Tourbillon Watches

According to Omega they were the first wrist watch brand to place a tourbillon escapement based movement into a wrist watch. This was back in 1947. I am by no means going to discuss what a tourbillon is or its history in this article. Suffice it to say however that the ancient complication designed by Breguet back in his lifetime was originally meant to be in pocket watches.It was not until the mid 20th century that tourbillons found themselves in wrist watches. For Omega, it was a limited production piece that only had 12 movements ever placed in cases and sold. The 1947 movement was designed as a competition movement for the Swiss Observatory Chronometry competition. It was thought that applying a tourbillon to a modern movement would help further increase its accuracy and give it that edge to win the famous competition where brands would submit movements to see which was the most accurate.Omega won that year with its tourbillon based watch movement (which oddly enough had more in common with older pocket watch movements as opposed to more modern wrist watch movements). Like I said, a few (12) were actually put in cases and sold to customers. One of those pieces is shown here in this article. A simple looking watch, it just says “Omega Tourbillon” on the dial and rest should be up to the wearer to understand. The movement itself is nothing fancy in appearance. It is a very industrial looking movement – super accurate and with a tourbillon. It was called the Omega caliber 30I and the tourbillon made one revolution each seven and a half minutes. Seeing (and wearing) it in person was a thrill.Later in wrist watch history tourbillon-based wrist watch movements became the popular thing for the wealthy elite. Not so much because of what they offered performance-wise, but more because of their visual appearance and complicated nature. Omega was actually at the cusp of the neo-tourbillon watch crazy that seemed to start in the early 2000s, but actually started a bit earlier. Omega’s first modern tourbillon movement was released for sale in 1994. I had no idea it was that early.Since then Omega has steadily produced a handful of tourbillon watches each year. And by handful I mean it. If my recollection serves me right Omega’s tourbillon watch production is something like 10 watches per year. That is almost nothing compared to the brand’s larger production volume. So why do they do it? According to Omega they like to keep the tourbillon production workshop open to continue part of the brand’s history and offer something special. It is a passion department as sale of the tourbillon timepieces aren’t really a money maker for the brand. The watch makers who produce these timepieces have their own area at Omega and really just do their own thing in comparison to the other “volume production” areas of Omega.The Omega tourbillon watch released in 1994 (the Omega calibre 1170) was interesting for at least two reasons. First, it is a central tourbillon. This means that the tourbillon carriage is placed in the center of the dial. Second, the Central Tourbillon is an automatic. If I had to add a third special quality it would be that the hour and minute hands are applied via metallization to sapphire crystal discs (think something similar to Quinting – though I think Omega’s practice predates them). So the seconds via the tourbillon were at the center, and the minute and hour hands were applied on spinning sandwiched sapphire crystals.The Omega Central Tourbillon watches are all placed in DeVille cases (this far) and are in precious materials. From 1994 – 2010 Omega released about seven variations of the tourbillon movement. In 1997 the movement grew up a bit to become the Caliber 2600A. What really changed was the application of the automatic winding system that was now part of the movement itself. The watch designs were of course changed as well.In 2002 after a bit of a break Omega came out with the Calibre 2600B. This movement improved upon the 2600A by having it be COSC Chronometer rated. Later in 2004 the Calibre 2600 was skeletonized for the Caliber 2633A Omega Central Chronometer Skeleton Tourbillon watch. Moving forward in 2007 Omega’s technology of today met its tourbillons by including the Co-Axial Escapement as part of the tourbillon. That step really helped thematically integrate the Central Tourbillon with the rest of the brand’s in-house made movements. That was the Caliber 2635A and was placed in a watch with an amusing name called the Omega Central Chronometer Co-Axial Tourbillon Chocolate (because of the dial). Last, as I am sure you can guess, Omega once again added a skeletonized look to the most modern Omega Central Chronometer Co-Axial Tourbillon watch with the Caliber 2636A for the longest named watch (these names just keep getting words added to them), the Omega Central Chronometer Co-Axial Skeleton Tourbillon watch.And there is our brief history of Omega’s Central Tourbillon watch. So what is this piece all about? Of course the main idea was to create a symmetrically pleasing dial that featured a tourbillon mechanism. Doing that made it impossible to have centrally mounted hands. This meant that the hands would have to be mounted elsewhere – hence whey the sapphire place system is used. The plates sit around the tourbillon and are driven by a small ring-like gear around the bezel of the watch. This also seems to cause a complication in how you adjust the time. Pretty much everything about this watch is uniquely quirky.For one thing you actually turn the crown counter-clockwise versus clockwise to wind it (but don’t forget that it is an automatic). Nothing major, but still a quirk. To adjust the time there is another flat crown mounted on the caseback. You need to pull it out a bit then and use it to turn the two sapphire crystal discs that indicate the minutes and hours. Cool and weird at the same time in my opinion.Omega likes to play with the decorative elements on the watch. An especially nice area for art is the plate underneath the tourbillon. This plate is routinely machine guilloche engraved to offer a beautiful look that you need to seek out under the tourbillon while it is spinning. Speaking of which, machine guilloche engraving is what makes up most of my favorite Omega Central Tourbillon watch. A very discreet model with no brand name on the dial. All there is to remind you it is an Omega is the brand logo placed in as part of the tourbillon carriage.The model I am referring to is pictured in this article, but I am not sure which specific model number it is. The watch has an 18k rose gold case and totally hand-machine guilloche engraved dial done in a very traditional manner. The Central Tourbilon is very visible as are the blue hour markers and hands. In this case the contrast between the blue markers on the sapphire crystals and the dial is very high. This makes reading these solid dial models a pleasure.My main complaint on the skeletonized pieces is that the hour and minute hands are often very difficult to spot – making legibility less than optimal. Omega actually tried to remedy this as much as possible by using a complex metallization technique that applies a rounded metal markers on the sapphire crystal (as opposed to flatter ones), but it does not help enough. This is most an issue because on the skeletonized pieces the mostly gold hands blend in with the dark gray and gold movements too much. I have a feeling I know what Omega is going to work out next in their Central Tourbillon watch collection.Wearing these watches makes me feel very special. They are models that almost no one knows about from a brand that almost everyone knows about. I think of them as being “secret Omegas” for the educated brand lover. How much do they cost? I was told in the range of about $80,000 each. Look for more of these special Omega Central Tourbillon watches to come each few years and production to remain low and steady for only the most passionate brand collectors.

Orbita Avanti 3 Watch Winder Review

"Fancy." Was pretty much the word that came to mind after finally unwrapping the Avanti 3 from US-based watch winder maker Orbita. This isn't the first package from Orbita that I have had to wage sweet war with to open, so I know this is a trend. I have to say that if Orbita ever decided to get out of the watch winder business they would find immediate use in the "package stuff up so that no matter what, nothing will damage it" business. If the attention to detail they use when packaging their products up for delivery speaks anything about the attention to detail in their products - these products should seemingly last forever.About 30 minutes after climbing the unpackaging mountain you reach the summit and the Avanti 3 shows itself accompanied by something that is best described as that "new watch winder smell." I have reviewed a few Orbita watch winders (such as the Sparta 1 Mini, Tesla, and Futura), and am consistently impressed by most of their watch winders. The Avanti 3 is more than a watch winder. Here you are getting to furniture-like items (not to mention some actual furniture) that Orbita offers. The Avanti 3 is part of a family of Avanti watch winder cabinets that come in a range of sizes.The unit is made of beautiful exotic Macassar wood with carbon fiber on the front panels and on the inside. Orbita routinely chooses very attractive woods for its products, and the finishing is very impressive. The integration with the carbon fiber feels natural as opposed to contrived as you don't often find the two materials side-by-side like this. The basic design of the Avanti is highly scalable. While the Avanti 3 is the most basic unit, Orbita offers models up to the Avanti 48. The difference is the size, and the amount of watch winders in the unit.Design-wise the Avanti really holds it own in a room. Orbita's concept behind the look of it was to fit in most any room, but look good without having to blend into the background. It goes without saying that the dark wood and carbon fiber is masculine in style. One thing I find interesting about the design is that it feels appropriate as a housing for modest timepieces up to the most high-end ones available. The front of the Avanti opens up with two lockable glass doors. Orbita supplies two keys for the lock. The system works well, but the doors don't close with the tautness of a vault. They are secure though. While the front doors lock, its use as a security mechanism is of course limited by the Avanti itself. While the locked glass doors will deter a "casual thief," anyone can just pick up the Avanti 3 and haul it away. The cabinet weights 22 pounds, and it isn't even plugged in. Dimensionally the Avanti 3 is 13.5 inches tall, 15.25 inches wide, and 8.25 inches deep.Orbita prefers to use batteries for the system rather than a wall plug. I personally would have preferred both options, but Orbita makes a compelling case for the batteries. Like most Orbita battery powered units, the Avanit 3 runs off special lithium ion cells. Orbita even white labels them and sells them to you when you need replacement. According to Orbita the four batteries in the Avanti 3 are good for 5 years of power. While the batteries aren't drug store cheap, they aren't a big expense to get every five years. Problem is that they aren't drug store available either. While there is probably a store in your area that has compatible batteries, when they do run out you'll need to specially order them from Orbita or hunt around for them while your watches aren't being wound. I wonder if you can run the winder off of standard D cells? I will have to ask Orbita about that. The batteries are placed in the rear of the unit. While the back of the Avanti 3 isn't unattractive, it isn't meant to be displayed - so you'll need to put the Avanti 3 against a wall. I would just get two of them and place them back-to-back!The Avanti watch winder family isn't new, but Orbita recently upgraded them with their patented ROTORWIND watch winders. I have praised this system before and my love of it stands. In addition to only sipping power and being virtually silent, the ROTORWIND system is very efficient and safe on your watch. There is no programming necessary either as the motion swings in both directions. The system uses a slow stepping motor to spin the watch into an apex position, and then releases it. A weight on the back of the winder unit similar to that in an automatic movement falls due to gravity and oscillates back and forth. The Avanti 3 is programmed to "spin" once each 10 minutes. According to Orbita this provides enough power to keep a watch running, but wont wind it past the point it was when you placed it in the winder. This is good for ensuring optimal accuracy. The maintenance free and efficient ROTORWIND system make it one of the best types of watch winding mechanisms out there.Inside the cabinet are three watch winders (with a single on/off switch) and a few slide-out drawers. The Avanti 6 on the other hand does away with the draws to make room for 6 watch winders. The drawers can be used to hold other watches (that lay flat) or anything else that fits. There are three drawers - one above the winders and two below. The fit and finish on the inside is well-done and the carbon fiber looks striking here. According to Orbita, if you buy an Avanti 3 and later want it to have more winders, you can send it back to them and they will install another row of winders for you to make it an Avanti 6.Made in America, the Avanti 3 three is a well performing watch winder and attractive addition to a room where men can celebrate their hobbies. As watch collecting usually involves growing your collection, so does your need for winders. At a point you prefer units that wind multiple watches, and the better looking they are the more you want them. Price for the Avanti 3 is $2,995. That goes up to $4,995 for the Avanti 6, and way up to $54,000 for the Avanti 48.Thanks to Orbita for the review unit. Opinions are 100& independent.

Movado Bold Watches Hands-On

There are literally dozens of Movado Bold watches to choose from. The point of the collection is to modernize and hip-ify (just made that word up) the classic and iconic Movado Museum Face watch. Bold watches share a few things in common. First is color - as most of them are colorful. Second is design and material. Bold watches are designed to be less expensive Movado timepieces and so the case is made of a high-quality plastic (some also seem to be in aluminum). Movado calls it polymer or?? high-tech composite.Movado's major claim to fame was the adoption of the Museum Dial (in the 1970s when they bought the rights from Horwitt) watch and making it really popular. The artistic minimalist design is indeed very attractive, but a good example of form over function. Movado continues to play with the Museum Dial design, but since it became super mainstream in the 1990s through today, it is more a continuation of an existing good design than something fresh. So here comes the Bold, a watch that freshens up the often predictable look of the most of the Movado watches we are familiar with. There is an image of one in the article for comparison purposes.Even though the classic Museum Dial watches aren't my style, I would happily wear a Bold. I really love many of the designs and the (yes, I will say it) bold color schemes. There are two sizes for the Bold available at this time. They are 42mm wide and 36mm wide. The pieces wear large due to the expansive dial. I like how Movado was able to retain the stark look of the pieces while adding textures and other visual interest. There is even a chronograph version in the 42mm wide size.Available on black or while leather straps, there are also bracelets coming as well. You can see that the chronograph is set on one. The primary colors of the collection are black or white with some other tone as an accent. Though for 2011 Movado is getting more interesting by spicing up the Bold collection considerably. There is no point in discussing all the available models and colors as I think there are at least 30 different ones available. When looking at the watches and wearing then, the term "fun" keep coming to mind. These are lighthearted pieces with a designer look and fashion-forward feel. For men or women, the bold collection has something for everyone it pared to the original Movado went back to the first Museum Dial watch as the inspiration for the Bold collection - but this isn't the first time they did that. Many Museum Dials that you know of have dauphine style hands, but the original clock has these type of baton hands that fit the look of the face better. This is also the case with the "sun" at 12 o'clock. The original had a larger flat circle rather than the smaller shiny domed ones that popular most of the 1990s models.The 36mm wide models are just $295, while the most expensive models go up to $350. Not sure about the aluminum models. Crystal are K1 mineral crystal and inside the watches are Swiss quartz movements. As long as Movado stays under $500 for the Bold pieces I think they will do wonderfully with these 'likely to be highly popular' watches that mix classic looks and modern fashionability smoothly.Check out more Movado Bold watches here.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Repetition Minutes a Rideau Watch

One of the more interesting high-complication watches for Jaeger-LeCoultre this year was the Reverso Répétition Minutes ?? Rideau. The oddly named watch (if I see more than one accent mark my eyes start to glaze over) actually just translates into minute repeater via curtain. Being a Reverso the watch has two dials, one of which is covered with a sliding metal curtain. Using your finger, you push the curtain aside to reveal one of the two watch dials. The curtain also activates the minute repeater complication.What Jaeger-LeCoultre did in the the 'Reverso Curtain' is literally take two relatively thin movements and place them back to back. The images here show you each of them and how they fit together. There is one crown to control them both and they are manually wound. It sounds as though JLC considers them one movement and together they are called the Jaeger-LeCoultre Caliber 944. The movement is hand assembled and decorated, and it looks pretty darn nice at that.Both movements are presented via open face dials for you to view with the blued steel hour and minute hands generally seen in the Reverso range. The decor of the movements is done in a nice, traditional manner. JLC could have gone more modern with the design of the movements but I feel as though they kept it classic because this watch is part of the Reverso collection's 80th anniversary. This is also a good example of quasi art deco styling that you'll find in a lot of Jaeger-LeCoultre watches.The Reverso watch case is in 18k white gold and is 35mm wide by 55mm tall. The curtain takes up a lot of it and actually wraps around much of the case. When moved out of the way on the front it moves over to cover the opposite watch dial. The action is smooth and I think the mini metal curtain is pretty neat. The effect of "revealing" the dial is a nice, poetic touch. If you were to wear the watch with the curtain side faced up, it would add a sense of mystery as people only see the look of the Venetian style blind on the face of the watch. I should note that the curtain is spring loaded so that the minute repeater side is only visible when you actively push the curtain out of the way.The other side of the watch has a very nice series of engravings around the dial. They are almost art deco in appearance and start with clos du Paris pyramids on the movement plate itself. Further engravings surround the watch face and are quite interesting to see. I haven't seen anything quite like that before and find it attractive.While the JLC Reverso Repetition Minutes a Rideau doesn't really break a lot of ground technically, it is a fun and complex watch strategically suited to appeal to collectors and fans of the Reverso collection. I like the watch a lot and I think JLC did a good job. Not sure about price but the production run will be limited to 75 pieces.Tech specs from Jaeger-LeCoultre:Movement:- mechanical manually-wound movement, Jaeger-LeCoultre Caliber 944, crafted, assembled and decorated by hand- 21,600 vibrations per hour- 340 parts- 35-hour power reserve- 35 jewels- thickness: 5.89 millimeters, repeater module: 1.85 millimeters- 2 barrels- 1,000 hours chronometer testFunctions:- hours and minutes on both sides- minute repeaterDial:- open-worked front dial revealing the repeater mechanism with ruthenium coated bridges- open-worked back dial revealing the bridges of the movementCase:- 18-carat white gold- height: 55 millimeters- width: 35 millimeters- thickness: 12 millimeters- 270 parts- two sapphire crystals, hardness 9 out of 10- water-resistance to 3 barStrap:- alligator leather with 18-carat white gold pin buckleReference:- Q2353520, 75-piece limited edition

Hublot Cathedral Minute Repeater Tourbillon And Column Wheel Chronograph Watch

The horological highlight from Hublot this year was the long-named "Cathedral" Minute Repeater Tourbillon and Column Wheel Chronograph watch. In a King Power style case, this watch boasts a case formed out of carbon fiber and a very complex movement that has (Yup, you guessed it!) the time, a tourbillon, a minute repeater, and a chronograph.Presenting it was Hublot CEO Jean-Claude Biver on the first day of Baselworld 2011. In front of a group of us he activated the watch, put a microphone to it, and allowed us to hear the loud minute repeater. As I have stated before, when I mentioned this watch in my Baselworld top picks for 2011 article, the interesting side effect of having a carbon fiber case is that the minute repeater function isn't muffled by metal.Those who tend to play with modern minute repeaters on a regular basis know that, even with the most impressive models, the sound is highly underwhelming. A minute repeater is supposed to tell you the time via a code of chimes and is only useful if you can hear it. Most of the time, if you want to use one you need to be in a really quite room, tell everyone to hush, and place the watch next to your ear in order to hear the little dings.Is that how minute repeaters always were? No, not at all. It used to be that pocket watches had little openings for the sound to travel out through and be audible. When minute repeaters found their way into high-end wrist watches those gaps needed to be closed to protect the movements from dust and water. That was simply a demand of the client. Plus, because minute repeater watches are expensive, customers wanted the watches to be in precious metals. Often heavier than steel, materials such as gold and platinum absorb more sound making them even worse for the little gong and hammer complication. I find it interesting that F.P. Journe decided to make his super Sonnerie Souveraine watch out of steel, instead of gold or platinum, and still charge over $600,000 for it.So when Hublot created a minute repeater watch out of carbon fiber - a light material that allows more air to reverberate inside the case - it ended up with a rather nice sounding minute repeater watch compared to something in gold or platinum. It does make me wonder about a titanium minute repeater, though. Hublot just bought a company that makes carbon fiber and have been on a big carbon fiber kick for a while so I doubt that the strength of the minute repeater was really considered much in advance. So, as previously stated, it is a positive side effect of the case being in carbon fiber. For Hublot, this just another "fusion" piece combining traditional complications with high-tech material.In the watch, the minute repeater has two cathedral style gongs: Two gongs each with a different sound - one for hours, and one for minutes. The minute repeater is activated by sliding the left flank of the case up. This flank is a typical design element of the King Power and Big Bang watches making it is a sort of "hidden lever." In fact, also released this year by Hublot is an F1 Tourbillon Chronograph which, aside from having a different overall look, has a movement and dial that looks almost exactly the same as this watch. However, that model does not have a minute repeater in it. So, really, you just have to know which Hublot watches have minute repeaters and which do not.The chronograph is done in two subdials on the face - one for the minutes and one for the seconds. It is a monopusher with the push piece being integrated into the crown. The chronograph is even more unusual for not having a centrally mounted seconds hand. You can see the column wheel for the chronograph in the dial located under 12 o'clock. The skeletonization is impressive as the dial design places most of the mechanical elements on the front of the watch and through the caseback you do see a carbon fiber movement plate.At 48mm wide, in carbon fiber, this Hublot Minute Repeater Tourbillon Chronograph is indeed a cool timepiece. And, it doesn't wear like something that cost you a ton of money. Hublot was still able to give it a sporty feeling that they are known to imbue in most of their watches. With a watch like this you'd feel comfortable in jeans while running around doing errands. Can you say the same for a Patek Philippe minute repeater? If anything, Hublot has created a mold for more casual luxury watches because they strive so hard to make them modern feeling. No Hublot watch is ever a timepiece you are afraid to wear and in that I think Jean-Claude Biver has really succeed in making high-end timepieces a more regular facet of people's lives.TECHNICAL DETAILS from HublotReference: 704.QX.1137.GRCase: “King Power” - Diameter 48 mm in matte carbon fiberBezel: 6 H-shaped titanium screws, countersunk, polished & lockedCrystal: Sapphire with interior anti-reflective treatmentLateral inserts: Black composite resinCase-back: Matt carbon fiberCrown: Black PVD titaniumScrews: TitaniumDial: Matt black with satin-finished black nickel appliques and silvered, White and red powder transfersHands: Faceted, satin-finished and micro-blasted, black nickel, skeletonMovement: HUB 8100 Flying tourbillon without ball bearingDimensions: Diameter: 30 mm Thickness: 9.47 mm (Diameter of chime gongs: 32.60 mm)Functions: Hour, minute and seconds via the cage, Minute repeater, Cathedral chime gong, Single push-piece chronograph at 3 o'clock (60-sec. and 30-min. counter), Manual winding, 2-position stem Manual winding and time-settingNo. of Components: 404Jewels: 37Hairspring: Flat, for extreme position settingFrequency: 21,600 Vib/hour (3 Hz)Power Reserve: Approximately 120 hoursOscillator: Hublot Balance with adjustment inertia-blocksShock absorbers: Shock absorption for main plate and balance bridgeMain plate: Brass, beveled with drawn rims, and circular-grained recesses, Black ruthenium coatingBridges: Carbon fiber, brass, beveled with drawn rims & circular-grained recesses, Black nickel coatingGear train: Circular-grained & beveled wheels, coating: black ruthenium, rolled pinionsScrews: Polished and beveled heads, rounded and polished endsWristlet: Black alligator gummy, stitched onto black rubber innerClasp: Ceramic and black PVD deployant buckle

Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars Moon-Phase Calendar Watch

The Jules Audemars collection from Audemars Piguet has been getting a lot of attention over the last few years. For 2011 a few new models came out including this Moon-Phase Calendar version with a beautifully balanced dial. The Jules Audemars collection has always been about thin cases with elegant designs - formal watches that aren't stuffy or boring. The last few years of AP Jules Audemars watches really hit the nail on the head for many collectors, and so should this Moon-Phase Calendar version.For 2011 the watch comes only in 18k rose gold in a 39mm wide Jules Audemars style case. The round case has a sort of bulbous shape with a polished bezel and back, with brushed sides. Inside the Moon-Phase Calendar is the in-house made AP calibre 2324/2825 automatic movement. Functions include an annual calendar with the day and date on dials, and a moon phase indicator. The time has the hour and minutes (no seconds). The layout is beautiful - featuring perfect symmetry and proportioned shapes. The subdials and moon phase indicator are enhanced by being slightly recessed, as well as outlined with a thin polished gold ring. Again, very elegant. Being just 8.8mm thick (the case) and an automatic, this is a fine watch meant for daily wear.Attached to the watch is a brown crocodile strap which looks handsome with the rose gold. I find it interesting that over the last few years brown has been the model match to gold versus black. Then again, a while ago yellow gold was being matched to black, and rose gold often looks best with a shade of brown. Success with this version of the Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars Moon-Phase Calendar watch will likely hail in versions with different dial colors and in different shades of gold. I anticipate the price to be in the $20,000 range.

Paul Picot C-Type Yachtman 3 Watches

Paul Picot offers these new C-Type Yachtman watches for 2011. The naming schemas confuse me. The C-Type I know, but I am not sure whether these are C-Type and Yachtman watches, or C-Type Yachtman watches!? Screw it, I'm just going to use the Yachtman name for now. Yachtman 3 to be exact - which sounds like an awful movie name. The watches are still cool looking, though, and this year they make equal jabs at Rolex and IWC wanting to be something like a Submariner or Aquatimer.Regardless of what the Yachtman watches are trying to be, they can stand on their own. As you can see, there are two versions of the new Yachtmaster 3. The "Classic" three-hand automatic and the "Chronograph." Like the Aquatimer watches, Paul Picot says the bezel inserts are sapphire but that there will also be all steel bezel options.Size wise, the Yachtman 3 watches are decent at 43mm wide and the cases are steel. They are water-resistant to 200 meters and have AR coated sapphire crystals. The watch dials are textured, which is nice. They have little waves that are meant to remind of you being in the water (or drowning) and feeling secure that your watch will survive. The blue and yellow dials are fun and sporty but might be a bit too reminiscent of IWC Aquatimers. There are likely to be other color combos available as well.?? Overall, I am a big fan of the dials for their polished looks with easy to read hands and markers, and it is OK that they aren't super unique.For that Rolex Sub homage look, the Yachtman Classic is the way to go. I almost like it better than the Chronograph. Paul Picot makes their own interpretation of the Submariner dial and, to be honest, I think it is one of the nicest ones out there that combines the making brand's DNA with that Submariner look that they are trying to emulate. Inside the watch are Swiss ETA automatic movements. The Yachtman 3 Chronograph has a Valjoux 7750 while the Yachtman 3 Classic has an ETA 2892 - or similar, I don't know exactly which. Paul Picot obfuscates the matter by calling the movements their PP1600 and PP1700 - where do they come up with these names? Prices are $2,750 - $3,190 for the Yachtman, and $4,200 - $4,290 for the Yachtman Chronograph. Look for the new Paul Picot C-Type Yachtman 3 Classic and Chronograph watches soon.See Paul Picot watches on eBay here.

Watches + Video Games: Romain Jerome Teams Up With Taito

It is funny how things develop as time goes on. So many watch I write about are dedicated to something young men would have been into in the 1960s and 1970s. Racing, planes, space travel, etc... All things that play with mens' imaginations at a young age and when they are older still have the same effect, with that added sense of nostalgia they helps you spend cash. Now watch makers are starting to more and more direct their attention on things that had more of an effect on me, such as science fiction and video games.Romain Jerome has just penned a character licensing deal with Taito - publisher of the arcade shooter game Space Invaders that was popular in the early 1980s. RJ's Moon Invader line of watches has a small Space Invader character on the back of the watch. It seems now that RJ has the rights to use more of these sprites, and I anticipate an interesting future for the Moon Invader collection with more video game tie-ins. What will that look like? According to RJ there will be dedicated "Space Invader" watches - officially licensed by the source in Japan. Look out for them soon, and hopefully more video game character themed watches in the future. Here is me crossing my fingers for a Super Mario Bros. themed watch in the next 5 five years! Don't let me down Nintendo!

Want To Help Japan? Buy A Watch

In case you haven't heard, Japan isn't doing so well right now after being battered by the massive earthquake and ensuing disasters. Japan and the Japanese people are going to need a lot of help for the next few years, at least. They haven't had so much to recover from since the end of WWII - while most countries never have an event like this to recover from.You can do a lot to help, including buying watches from Japanese watch brands to help the country's economy. While they aren't the only Japanese watch brands, Seiko, Citizen, and Casio are all business that you'll want to support right now - and it helps that they make really good watches. If you aren't in the market for a new timepiece right now but still want to help , then there are a lot of good charities and organizations that you can donate to.Having traveled to Japan a few times, my thoughts and earnest hope for speedy recovery goes to the people I know there along with their friends, family, and coworkers.

Casio G-Shock Bluetooth Watch Revealed

A bit faster than I expected Casio has now finally debuted its first Bluetooth connected watch. The Casio G-Shock Bluetooth is designed for use with upcoming Bluetooth profile 4.0 mobile phones that are said to be coming soon (a few might already be around). As Bluetooth 4.0 is designated as a "low energy profile," this watch will retain a 2 year battery life on a single CR2032 battery. So what does it do? In a nutshell the Casio G-Shock Bluetooth with wireless sync with your phone's time, and help you manage incoming alerts as well as work with your phone's alarms.When Casio first introduced its plans to release a Bluetooth connected watch I wrote about it here with a lot of editorial. Not too much has changed in terms of function, but now we know exactly what the watch will look like and the precise features that it has. Style wise this is a pretty standard G-Shock.?? Glossy black with blue trim, being 53.2mm which and 18.2mm thick - not one of Casio's smaller pieces. Though at 65 grams it won't be heavy. The dial and layout of the info hasn't changed since the concept version of the watch.The watch dial contains the basic info most G-Shock users are accustomed to. The watch will of course have the time, calendar, alarms, stopwatch, and other host of digital features that Casio always offers. Though like I said, the time will sync via Bluetooth with the connected mobile device. This is ensure accuracy (as the phone is network updated) and to ensure that no matter where you travel, the watch time is correct. This should be an improvement over this function in Casio atomic time controlled watches that can be a bit finicky.How else will the watch interact with your phone? First of all Casio says that you'll get an alert on your watch of incoming calls and text messages. I am not sure if this means that called IDs and address book information will sync as well. By just tapping the watch itself you can silence the phone from ringing or vibrating. Also note that this G-Shock vibrates in addition to chiming so that you can have silent notifications on your wrist. That is a great feature. Last, if you lose your phone (within Bluetooth range) you will be able to press a button on the watch to make it ring so that you can find it.According to Casio the watch will also sync with your phone's alarm. I believe this function is similar to being able to silence incoming calls. Where by tapping a button on the watch you can silence incoming alerts and alarms. Casio keeps it simple but useful for its first Bluetooth watch. The affordability and durability of the G-Shock collection makes total sense for this product, and I think there will be a wide adoption among gadget, phone, and watch lovers alike. Expect this technology in more Casio watch soon - especially as more Bluetooth profile 4.0 watches come to market. Because really, if you are in a meeting so important that you need to covertly silence your phone, you don't always want to be wearing a G-Shock sport watch. My best guess on pricing is in the $150 - $200 range. According to Casio, they will release the watch as soon as phone companies start releasing Bluetooth profile 4.0 equipped phones. Technical details from Casio:Ref: GB-6900 Case:Shock-resistant Water Resistance: 20 Bar Size of Case: 53.2 ?— 50.0 ?— 18.3 mm Total Weight: Approx. 65 gCommunication Specifications - Data Transfer Rate: 1 Mbps - Signal Strength: 0 dBm (1mW) - Signal Range: 2—5 m (may differ depending on surrounding conditions) - Encryption Method: 128-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)Communication Functions - Time Correction: The watch can be synchronized with time information transmitted from a smart phone -  Incoming Call, E-mail and SMS Alert: The watch alerts users of incoming  calls and e-mail and SMS messages sent to a smart phone - Finder Function: Alarm and vibration functions of a smart phone can be activated using a watch buttonWatch Functions - Alarm: 5 independent daily alarms; hourly time signal; vibration function - Stopwatch: 1/100-second; measuring capacity: 23:59’59.99?; split time - Countdown Timer: Measuring unit: 1 second; input range: 1 minute to 24 hours - World Time: 100 cities (35 time zones, daylight saving on/off) and Coordinated Universal Time - Light: LED backlight (auto light switch and afterglow, Super Illuminator) - Other: Full auto-calendar, 12/24-hour format; sleep modePower Source: CR2032 Battery Life: Approx. 2 years (assuming the communication function is used for 12 hours per day)

Ralph Lauren Sporting Chronograph Black Ceramic Watch

Ralph?? Lauren watches have taken a lot of heat in the time since their announcement a few years ago. Yes, Ralph Lauren (RL) is a fashion brand, and yes they are pricey - but they have a lot of redeeming values. One of the things RL did right in their partnership with Richemont was not to BS the movements. They simply use movements (sometimes made specially for them), from established and respected movement makers such as Piaget, Jaeger-LeCoultre, and IWC. When asked what movement is contained one of their watches - they proudly tell you that they didn't make it, and who did.Still, it is taking some time for the brand to be taken seriously. The common complaint about them is that "it is best buy a watch from a?? company that makes watches." Especially at these prices. In response to all this, Ralph Lauren watches just keep trying to get better in terms of design and what they offer. Every guy's favorite new RL piece for 2011 is the Sporting Chronograph Black Ceramic. Coming in two sizes, the watch cases are in all matte black ceramic. RL isn't the first brand to do this, but the result is pretty nice for them. Plus, this comes after a limited edition piece they did last year that was a virtually identical looking watch that I think was in black vulcanized rubber over steel with an orange versus red chrono seconds hand.Ceramic is a bit lighter than steel, and is very (very) scratch and wear resistant. For me, this makes it a really tough to pass up material. Aside from the screws, I think most of the case and bracelet are ceramic. There is also supposed to be a black tinted sapphire crystal over the caseback - but the prototype I saw didn't have that.Run your fingers over the black ceramic and it feels good. Really a slick watch with a good look it given the classic sense of sporting equipment the case design of the watch has. One thing that does not impress me as much is the "RL" logo that is placed on the crown and bracelet clasp. It is done in a polished on matte style and in my opinion does not seem fitting with the watch or the positioning of the brand. The logo looks more appropriate for sun Ralph Lauren sunglasses, and is not in line with the held-back, more elegant Ralph Lauren logo on the dial.RL is offering the watch in a 39mm size and a 45mm wide. The 39mm size doesn't have the red seconds hand, but rather a white one. For most modern men, it feels too small. So call it a nice ladies piece. The 45mm wide version is pretty "pimp," but I would have likes the lugs to curve a bit more to wrap around wrists. The black and white dial is what you expect - classic looking with a hint of modern style and easy to read. Nothing revolutionary here. It is just "nice" without making your heart-throb.Inside the watch is an automatic Jaeger-LeCoultre chronograph movement that they call the RL750. It has a power reserve of 48 hours and lots of Cote de Geneve and perlage polishing on it. The price of the watch isn't crazy actually. Though the difference between the 39mm wide version and the 45mm wide version seems artificially high. In the 39mm ceramic case the Ralph Lauren Sporting Chronograph Black Ceramic is $5,500, and $6,400 in the 45mm wide case.

Cartier Calibre Bracelet Watch

The Cartier Calibre is not only Cartier's new flagship men's watch, but also their new flagship case to to use for high-complication men's watches. The Cartier Calibre model debuted last year, and came only on a strap. The Calibre was further not just a new piece for men, but a decently priced high-end timepiece with an in-house made Cartier automatic movement (the 1904-PS). Mid 2010 I asked Cartier if they offered a metal bracelet, as it seemed logical that they would. The answer at the time was "no," but as of recently the answer is "yes." Here finally, is the lovely Cartier Calibre watch on a metal bracelet.You can say a lot of things about Cartier, but one of those should always be that they put in a lot of effort into the refinement of their watches. The cases are always attractive looking (even if they aren't your style), and they have an impeccable reputation for quality. That is not however always true with their clasps. Because they don't often use locking clasps they can loosen over time and open without you wanting them to open. For this reason I was thrilled to see them use a push-button locking butterfly style deployment for this bracelet.In my opinion the bracelet is a perfect compliment to the design of the Calibre case. I wanted one of these watches before, but now I really want one. The bracelet fits flush with the case and is very nicely integrated into the design. The long links are highly curved, but not as long as the ones on the Cartier Roadster are. The connection between the parts is good, while the bracelet feels to be designed and constructed well. For ergonomics the links are curved to fit over your wrist better. The first major link tapers, while the rest of the bracelet is the same size. I like that they used visible screws to secure the links together. Visible screws have long since been a design element in Cartier men's items.In addition to the all steel bracelet, there will be a two-tone gold and steel bracelet, and more than likely an all gold bracelet coming soon (though an all gold bracelet isn't yet available). The more I look at it, the more I like the bracelet, as well as how it matches the watch. Cartier did a good job at making it feel familiar, but also unique. They pride themselves in making unique bracelets for their watches. Though that often means you can swap them for other bracelets.The center link of the bracelet is polished, while the outer links are brushed. If you look at the links toward the deployment, you'll see they are smaller. These are called half-links and are there to allow for more sizing options. While this is not the style of bracelet that will allow for ultra precise sizing, it should be adjustable enough for most people. Even though the Cartier Calibre is only 42m wide, it always feels as though it sits larger. The bracelet helps give it an even more grand appearance, and to me is a really welcome part of the collection. Pricing isn't too bad over the base model. While a Cartier Calibre in steel on a strap will run you about $6,500, that watch on a steel bracelet will run you $7,500. So the bracelet is priced at about $1,000. The two-tone steel and gold Cartier Calibre with a matching bracelet will run about $10,950. Look for them very soon.

YEMA Diving Chronograph Watch Winner

Thank you Ron for doing a video follow-up of the YEMA Diving Chronograph watch Ref. YMHF0202. He is the winner of the YEMA watch giveaway that was given away here in March. Here are some words from him:"I just received the Yema Diver Chronograph this evening and I  really enjoy this watch. It is very comfortable for being such a large  watch. The Chronograph and the Alarm function easily. I didn't have to  spend the evening figuring out the settings, it is very intuitive. The  alarm itself is very sonorous, not to jarring and is loud enough to wake  you. The bracelet is large and uniform in size. I own a Speedmaster  Professional and Rolex GMT and the bracelet is very comfortable for not  being tapered. Honestly I was looking for a black or tegimented watch  and I am pleased with how this watch looks. It is very easy to read in  full sun and the luminous hands and markers are clear at night. The  screw down crown and pushers are easy to manipulate. Overall this is a  great watch. Again thank you Ariel and Yema for the giveaway. It is very  appreciated and I will continue to read and listen to the Hour Time podcast and look forward to your next installment."Thanks again Ron who is enjoying his watch and good luck to everyone who enters future blog giveaways.

Richard Mille RM 033 Watch

Richard Mille joins the thin watch craze in 2011 with their 6.30mm thick "Extra Flat Automatic" RM 033 watch. For the complexity of a Richard Mille watch case 6.30mm thick is pretty darn good. The brand makes sure to maintain as much of the signature look as possible in the design of the case - and they also made it round. The hour numeral style is not new, but taken from the Richard Mille RM 017 Tourbillon (that actually was finally released this year).For the RM 033 (RM033), Richard Mille makes the hour numerals bolder, but kept the interesting ellipses shape in the center of the dial. This is about as formal and "elegant" as Richard Mille watch comes these days. I do quite like the dial, but wish the hands were a bit bigger or easier to see. To me, the shape of the hands seems to just go a bit oddly with almost art deco style Roman numerals. The rest of the dial is basically the top part of the movement. Around the numerals are lume dots, and there is more lume on the hands.I love the size (and width) of the case at 45.70mm. Like I keep saying, the best thin watches are wide watches. The case is light and done in titanium with typical Richard Mille "spline" screws. Like I said, it was an impressive task to retain the iconic Richard Mille case architecture while trying to flatten it. Even the sides of the case have that nice inset look I have come to appreciate the the finely cut titanium on Richard Mille timepieces. In addition to the shown titanium version, the RM 033 will also be available in 18k red gold or 18k white gold.The movement in the watch is all new. It is the RM033 automatic with a solid platinum micro-rotor. Having a micro-rotor is pretty much a necessity for all thin watches, and platinum is used for the weight, not just for weird bragging rights. While the watch doesn't have a dedicated power reserve indicator, the movement is skeletonized, which includes the mainspring barrel.?? If you take off the watch, you can see the spring in the barrel and get a gauge on how tightly wound it is. Richard Mille says the movement has a power reserve of 42 hours. The movement itself is just 2.60mm thick - which is quite impressive given all the styling that went into it. The movement is made primarily of titanium with some steel.While Richard Mille considers the watch to be a "formal piece," it still has a lot of the sportiness we have come to love from the uber-luxury brand. On the wrist the watch feels light and solid - like most of their pieces. While it comes on a rubber strap, people are regularly know to switch out the straps with custom jobs. Richard Mille himself is especially known for this. I wonder what other straps options would look good on this watch? Price for it is rather high... but that is to be expect from Mr. Mille. In titanium the RM 033 is $70,000, $85,000 in red gold, and $90,000 in white gold. So get one right away!TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS OF THE RICHARD MILLE EXTRA FLAT AUTOMATIC RM 033CALIBER RMXP1: Skeletonized automatic winding movement with hours, minutes and monoblock platinum rotorDiameter: 45.70 mm x 6.30 mm.MAIN FEATURES (MANY OF WHICH ARE MAJOR TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS)FREE SPRUNG BALANCE WITH VARIABLE INERTIAThis type of balance wheel represents the ultimate in innovation. It  guarantees greater reliability when subjected to shock and also during  movement assembly and disassembly. Hence better chronometric results  over time.The regulator index is eliminated and a more accurate and repeatable  adjustment is possible thanks to 4 adjustable small weights located  directly on the balance.MONOBLOCK MICRO ROTORAfter the rotor with variable geometry that contributed to the success  of Richard Mille’s automatic calibres, a new winding device is  introduced in the RM033. By using a platinum, decentrally positioned  micro rotor, the barrel can be efficiently wound and an extra flat  skeletonzied movement can be achieved.POWER RESERVE: 42 hoursBOTTOM PLATE, BRIDGES AND BALANCE COCK MADE OF TITANIUMThe baseplate and the skeletonized bridges were first subjected to  separate and extensive validation tests to insure optimal strength  requirements before manufacturing.

Zenith El Primero Stratos Flyback Watch

The first Zenith watch that had my heart was the Rainbow Flyback. Yes, it had a "pretty" name, but this killer chrono was made specially for the French Ministry of Defense, and was an amazing watch from the 1990s. By the way, what is it exactly about French military forces that makes them constantly new watches? Those guys are basically one big group of watch lovers.I've always wanted to see the return of the Rainbow. Zenith played with El Primero chronographs over the years that got close, but nothing really was a true follow-up. With the Stratos we now have an official Rainbow heir. There may be a specific "Rainbow" model on the horizon, but it will be wearing these clothes. So it then brings be great pleasure to present you with the new El Primero Stratos Flyback watch - a winner in my top 11 Basel 2011 watches list.There are two very similar versions of this watch, and I will cover them separately. There is the El Primero Stratos Flyback, and then there is the El Primero Stratos Flyback Striking 10th. These look very similar, and are in the same case. Though the Striking 10th version takes last's years El Primero Striking 10th watch and puts it in the Stratos case. For now we are going to focus on the Stratos Flyback - which you can easily tell by the red labeled "Stratos" on the dial. The other version instead says "1/10 of a second" in the same place.I will go ahead and say that if you forced me to choose just one watch to wear in 2011, it might be the Stratos. This watch is sexy as hell, has a timeless look, and is a perfect balance between sport and sophisticated. The detailing is also fantastic, and I love all the textures and clarity. This is the new Zenith at their finest. The watch begins with the in-house made Zenith El Primero caliber 405B automatic movement. It operates at 36,000 bph (5 hertz) with a power reserve of about 50 hours. It has a 12 hour column wheel chronograph with a flyback complication, the time, and the date. The layout is fantastic, and I love the new style of overlapping subdials. The automatic movement is visible through a sapphire display back.The Stratos case is 45.5mm wide and sits perfectly on the wrist. Polish on the steel case is amazing, and there is also a model coated with Alchron in black. Alchron is a special alloy coating that is very hard and corrosion resistant. Thankfully, even with the black cased version, the contrast polishing on the case is visible - no killed look via all matte surfaces. There is also a two-tone model in Alchron black and pink gold. There are a few straps available, such as leather (that looks like a high-tech fabric - this is a cool one), alligator, and a metal bracelet. Last, there will be a special limited edition model of 500 piece to celebrate Zenith's relationship with Johan Nilson - this will be as one of the Alchron models.As is common (and expected) in sport watches these days, the bezel insert is ceramic. Note how the rotating bezel slopes inwards a bit. The dial is extremely good looking and legible. Everything is the right size and the hands are easy to see on the dark dial. Hour markers are applied and covered in lume. There is also a polished inner flange ring with the a partial minute scale printed on it - such a tasteful touch. The sapphire crystal is AR coated on both sides for optimal dial clarity. It is a gorgeous thing and I simply do not get tired when looking at the dial. Zenith did a fantastic job with the design.The Zenith Stratos is going to be on a lot of people's wish list for years to come. This isn't a cheap watch, but the prices seems fair. They are: Stratos Flyback in Steel + alligator is at $6,700, Stratos Flyback in Steel + Metal bracelet is at $7,600, Stratos Flyback in Black Alchron is at $7,200 on alligator (not limited), Stratos Flyback Black Alchron Limited edition Johan Nilson (500 pieces) is $7,800, Stratos Flyback Black Alchron case + Rose gold at $13,800 on alligator, and the Stratos Flyback in mostly Rose Gold case + Black Alchron at $18,400 on alligator. You get an in-house made El Primero movement, a high-quality case, and a beautiful design that will still look good decades from now. Truly one of 2011's top models.