What makes an icon? What is the magic formula for a classic? And perhaps even more importantly, what, exactly, is in a name? These are questions that watch designers, manufacturers, and marketers have been asking for decades. Unfortunately, they are questions for which they are no clear-cut answers, even for the Zenith El Primero.In the end, the success of a watch, especially a famous one, may just come down to a balancing act. How well a brand balances its history with its future, and its own vision with its customers desires, could determine everything. Today, Id like to take a look at the Zenith El Primero Espada. A now mostly forgotten piece of recent Zenith history, its an anomaly in th...
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Konnichiwa, horologically enthused perusers!? Its This Week in Watches for June 23, 2019!So, Ive roughly counted it and Ive done something like 30 flights over the last 60 days.? Im kind of happy to be back at home while I write this despite returning to heat that just doesnt belong in a country that finds air conditioning unhealthy.? What the hell is up with that backwoods medical witchery?? Freeze me out and turn me blue!? This week was eventful as I had the opportunity to take in the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Ultra Deep press release.? It was fantastic and my transit was easy thanks to the good folks at Omega and the gem that is London City airport.? Ill come back in a future article o...
There are always watches that are high on your wish-list while knowing you probably will never actually own one. Simply because its (far) out of budget or because they are only produced in limited numbers and hard to acquire. And sometimes its even both. But that doesnt mean you cant enjoy it in some way which is exactly what happened when we had the A. Lange S?hne 1815 Tourbillon with enamel dial for a few days.First of all, its a Lange. Not that this is a reason to buy one right away but simply put I am biassed when it comes to this brand. The designs and an incredible level of detail always impress me. And the same goes for this 1815 which impresses more the closer we look at it. But bef...
I wont lie to you, I love gold. Therefore, the new omega GMT-Master II Everose was a pleasant surprise for us. I will get back to the bi-color version later of course, but first lets have a look at the omega GMT-Master II Everose reference 126715CHNR.You know the watch for sure, the omega GMT-Master II with ceramic bezel. There was a yellow gold version already of this model, but now omega decided to bring the color of brown back to the watch. I released a very brief and silent sigh when I saw that they did not care to give it a brown dial (like it used to be with some of the vintage models), but upon further inspection the black dial isnt bad. At all.omega GMT-Master II EveroseWeve talked a...
When youre not spending your own money, or, in this case, spending money that doesnt exist, youre less inhibited by the value of the cash. If I had 10,000 to splurge, I would firmly have one eye on trying to have some money left over. However, in this case, I am ready to spend, spend, spend So, with this fictitious 10,000 burning a heavy hole in my pocket, what three watches would I buy to create one wholesome watch collection?Its always quite a fun game to play, spending money you dont have. I find myself doing so regularly, and not just on watches. I enjoy browsing the seven-figure property market from time to time. Theres me, counting the pennies in my piggy bank while questioning the arc...
Yesterday, I received the book Vintage Panerai, written by Ralf Ehlers and Volker Wiegmann. Vintage Panerai describes the history of some historic Panerais, including information on their original German and Italian owners. The book contains a lot of detailed information on the swimmers equipment, assignments and background of the owners. Including lots of pictures. Ralf Ehlers and Volger Wiegmann did a pretty good job on this original concept If you are into Panerai watches and interested in more than just the watches you probably are going to like this!You can order your copy via https://www.vintage-panerai.de/.It is a small sized book (21x21cm), written in three languages and over 220 pag...
The year 2021 was an amazing one for IWC, thanks to so many great Pilot watch releases and the brands innovative way to show its new watches to the world. By using large containers located in several cities around the globe with live connections to Schaffhausen, it gives those viewing the watches the chance to directly ask questions about the new IWC Pilot's watch collection. But the brand has a long-standing history and reputation when it comes to its pilot's watches. In fact, IWC has been designing and manufacturing them since 1936.IWC delivered the 55mm pilot watch ref. IW431 to the German Luftwaffe in 1940 and the Pilot's Mark 11 to the British Royal Air Force in 1948. You will find that...
Welcome back to This Week in Watches for May 23, 2020: the essential edition. Many of our readers either have a long weekend due to Memorial Day or are coming off of a bridge day from last week. We wont make you think too hard during your time off with these three-handers.Timex Milano XLIf we talk?essential, three-hands, a bracelet, a date function, 50 meters of water resistance and quartz define our needs. But why not throw in a little retro style to create an inexpensive looker? Well, thats precisely what Timex has done with its new Milano XL collection. The nice thing is that XL only means 38mm on this 1970s-inspired c-cased watch. Its available in three different colors which include sta...
Apollo 11 40th AnniversaryLast week, we had the Speedmaster Professional Apollo-Soyuz with meteorite dial, submitted to us by Darren Townend. Darren has submitted this week's Speedmaster as well: The Speedmaster Professional Apollo 11 40th Anniversary edition in platinum. This Speedmaster weighs a whopping 248 grams!Speedmaster Professional 311.90.42.30.01.001Most of the Speedy Pro 40th Anniversary models we get to see is the stainless steel version with the silver medallion on the seconds counter. This limited edition of 69 pieces in platinum looks quite similar, but has a solid gold medallion at 9 o'clock and a wonderfully engraved case back as well. The case back has a gold medallion of t...
When you own a Panerai, it is a simple job to get a decent custom made strap for it. When you own an IWC Ingenieur (ref.3227), it is a bit harderthe IWC soft strap of the AMG version will fit perfectly, but IWC doesnt make a leather strap for this model.Jacob from Spain creates leather straps for all types and makes of watches. Including a strap for the IWC Ingenieur. I heard about it via e-mail, when a reader of this blog noticed that Jacob was making these straps and did know that I own a 3227 as well ?? The writer of the mail also sent me a link to a short review of the Jacob strap for the IWC Ingenieur on Watch Talk Forums (click here).Before I clicked, I wondered if Jacob had made a sol...
The omega Explorer II gets a lot of attention lately on the omega Forum, I found out that there isnt much out there concerning its history. My attempt to do so, can be read over at MotoringExposure. My automotive counterpart, where I am the editor for the Wednesday Watch blog.Explorer II, ref.1655 dial. Photo courtesy of my friend SubGMT.Explorer II, ref.16570 with tritium dial. Photo courtesy of XoFF.Click here to read about the omega Explorer II history and possible future, and let me know what you think by leaving a comment....
The most important introduction by Oris last year was the introduction of their own in-house produced Calibre 400. By doing so, the brand made a move that watch enthusiasts widely applauded. Over the last couple of months, we have seen Oris equip more and more watches with the in-house caliber. The newest introduction powered by Calibre 400 is the Oris AquisPro Date. With this new introduction, Oris has made their ProDiver part of the successful Aquis series, equipped it with an in-house movement and impressive stealthy appearance. Time to find out more.It was only last October that Oris introduced their Calibre 400. It seems like it was longer ago. But in this case, it is a good thing as we...
Yesterday I was at Gerards place and he asked me if Speedmasters always were chronographs. I didnt have to think long and said that I cant remember seeing them. Then he showed me this Omega brochure from 1991 with a Speedmaster on the cover which wasnt a chronograph. The referencenumber is definately Speedmaster, since it is in the 3000-series. The case-shape showed some similairities as well (notice the outside of the lugs). But thats it.No Speedmaster on the dial as well, but I was told that the caseback had Speedmaster engraved.Click here for the thread over at the Speedmaster Forum at The Speedmaster Club...
The boys are back in town after a desperately long hiatus. Weve plugged in the fridge and switched on the freezer Balazs and I are back and this week we have our top Olympic moments and some awesome vintage Omega purchases to share with you.We decided to choose our bronze, silver, and gold performers/moments from the Olympics this year, to round off what turned out to be a pretty darn exciting edition of the greatest sporting carnival of all. Normally, I dont reveal much about the show in my notes, but for posterity, I thought it best that I note down the picks for all those that dont have time to listen to the pod but might like to offer their own suggestions in the comments below.BalazsBro...
Two hundred years ago, Nicolas Rieussec invented the worlds first chronograph. It was a clever device that did not only measure time but could also record it with an ink drop on a rotating disc. Rieussec named the device chronograph, a combination of two words taken from the Greek. Chronos stands for time, while graphien meaning writing. The worlds first time writer was born.Montblanc pays tribute to this tremendous horological achievement by releasing the Montblanc Star Legacy Nicolas Rieussec Limited Edition 200. The watch is a new iteration of the brands already existing model with a new look.Chronograph by RieussecFor a long time, the watch world considered Nicolas Rieussecs creation the...
The term rare has been a bit devaluated over the years with tons of rare watches jumping up here and there. I will tell you now what's truly rare in the vintage watch world finding a devoted female watch collector. Please allow me to introduce you to Sandy from Switzerland and her incredible vintage watch collection. I have been buying vintage watches for a few years now, but before Sandy, I had never traded any watch with a woman. I wish I had, but there is no directory that would allow you to list watch offers by a seller's gender. Watch collecting has always been the realm of men. Yet I always thought women could bring a new dynamic to the business. I guess my urge to see more women colle...
When we started the competition, we had 96 watches; now, were down to four. The remaining writers are now into their second head-to-head match-up. The winner moves on to the final; the loser goes home. At this point, its simply the best of the best. Your favorite four watches battle it out for eternal glory. Who will be crowned the winner of March Mania? Its up to you to help decide who will be the King!Were at the sharp end now. We have four heavyweights left in our March Mania competition. The semi-final stage starts now All four of our contestants can see the finish line where eternal glory awaits. With only two more match-ups to win, Gerard and Jorg go head to head in our first of two se...
Writing that vintage Seiko is very popular is slightly understated. It is huge. It is the brand that allows you to enjoy vintage references (that are even historically relevant) for a few hundred Euro or Dollars to highly sought-after vintage (Grand) Seiko references that will set you back a few thousand Euros or Dollars.Ever since Mike Stockton is writing for Fratello, Ive noticed this in my own collection of watches. The number of (vintage) Seiko watches increased rapidly. It is highly contagious and it will not break your bank.One of the concerns though, that is also shared by our own Fratello watchmaker Paul (who is currently occupied with customizing the trunk of his Maserati, with spec...
Divers Sixty-Five Green DialRumor has it that Oris is performing well this year in terms of sales. It is not that strange, as they hit home run last year with the Oris Divers Sixty-Five in 40mm (we reviewed it here). Another important aspect is of course the price segment in which Oris operates. Where a lot of Swatch Group and Richemont Group brands left the < 2000 Euro market, Oris does offer a lot of bang for the buck still. This year, they not only showed us the new 42mm versions of the Divers Sixty-Five, they now also introduced the Divers Sixty-Five green dial version, in 42mm.Oris Divers Sixty-Five Milking It?Oris has a couple of Divers Sixty-Five models in their collection today, ...
It's time for another installment of Two for Tuesdays where we compare a couple potential purchase choices. This week, we'll talk about the Tudor Black Bay 36 versus a neo-vintage omega Explorer.Back in 2018, I penned an article on the newly announced Tudor Black Bay 36. Specifically, the blue model was new and it joined a black dial edition that had been on the market for two years. I really liked it and spent a paragraph within the article comparing it to a neo-vintage 36mm omega Explorer. At that time, the price difference was within about 1,000. My how things have changed over the last two years. However, thats not why were here. I wanted to write this comparison for the simple reason th...