Value Proposition – Tissot Heritage Petite Seconde (Review)

Vintage-inspired watches are all the rage these days with military and dive watches usually grabbing the spotlight. Tissot has been around since the early 1850s and knows a thing or two about vintage watches. The brand’s Heritage collection is full of throwbacks, celebrating milestones in both engineering and design. For instance, the Visodate line looks […]

5 years ago

Hands-on – Seiko Prospex Automatic Field Compass SRPD31K1

There aren’t many compass watches around. Given the fact that we spend most of our time on land, it’s kind of weird that watches with abyssal water-resistance are far more common than compass watches… Seiko, however, has always had compass watches in its collection and this genre is something of a hallmark of the Prospex […]

5 years ago

Value Proposition – Accessible Brand Ophion Launches the OPH 786 Velos with Superb Dials and Cases by Voutilainen

Ophion is a rather young brand that launched in 2015, with a watch that already had quite some arguments. Accessible, well-designed and powered by a nice movement, we were pleasantly surprised. Then came a second model, the OPH 786, and from that point onward, we knew that something special was happening at Ophion. Great CNC guilloché dials, classic looks, superb decoration of the movement… And with a highly competitive price. Today, Ophion up the game again with the new OPH 786 Vélos, which features a newly-designed case made by Voutilainen (just that) and new dial options… but still a reasonable price.

5 years ago

Value Proposition – Laco Cuxhaven And Bremerhaven (Review)

Laco is a brand that sometimes flies under the radar (notably in America), overshadowed by German counterparts like Sinn, Junghans and MeisterSinger. It should definitely not be overlooked as it offers compelling, military-inspired watches at attainable prices. The brand is also older than two of the three mentioned above and is perhaps best known as […]

5 years ago

Value Proposition – Amsterdam-Based Brand Bodor Launches on Kickstarter

The microbrand business is stronger than ever, with dozens of projects launching every month. Some offer classic watches, some play on originality, some want to offer the best value for the money – today’s proposition enters the latter category. Amsterdam-based brand Bodor indeed aims to enter the entry-level watch market through Kickstarter, with a stylish new watch and an original choice of movement supplier. Will this be the golden formula?

5 years ago

Buying Guide – Tight Budget? Here are 5 Newly-Launched Mechanical Watches under 1,000 Euros

Despite what the masses think, there’s no need to fetch an incredible budget to enjoy the “tic-tac” of a mechanical watch on the wrist. In fact, the past years have been great for watch lovers, even those with a tight budget. The rise of crowd-funded projects (most of them not worthy of being mentioned though) and the effort of some brands to offer entry-level pieces allow young generations or enthusiasts with a lower budget entering the world of mechanical watches. For our latest buying guide, we’ve gathered 5 cool, well-made and original mechanical watches priced below EUR 1,000. More money, more pleasure? Not sure!

5 years ago

Buying Guide – Tight Budget? Here are 5 Newly Launched Mechanical Watches under 1,000 Euros

Despite what the masses think, there’s no need to fetch an incredible budget to enjoy the “tic-tac” of a mechanical watch on the wrist. In fact, the past years have been great for watch lovers, even those with a tight budget. The rise of crowd-funded projects (most of them not worthy of being mentioned though) and the effort of some brands to offer entry-level pieces allow young generations or enthusiasts with a lower budget entering the world of mechanical watches. For our latest buying guide, we’ve gathered 5 cool, well-made and original mechanical watches priced below EUR 1,000. More money, more pleasure? Not sure!

5 years ago

Value Proposition – Vario Empire Automatic (Hands-On)

Earlier this summer, we looked at Singapore-based microbrand Vario and its second watch collection, the Empire Automatic (the Retro Eclipse was first). It was successfully funded via Indiegogo and company founder Ivan Chua stated that it hit the production goal in just five minutes. This automatic series is the follow-up to a hand-wound variant that […]

5 years ago

Review – anOrdain Model 2 – Vitreous Enamel Dial and Sporty Attire, from Scotland

It’s rare to see bold or hand-made elements in microbrand offerings, especially in the “under EUR 1,500” category. Hand-crafted guilloche dials, in-house calibres and advanced complications are generally reserved for luxury brands with steep prices. Grand Feu enamel dials are a part of that list, but Scottish newcomer anOrdain managed to produce them for its inaugural watch, the affordable anOrdain Model 1. It was a rough road to travel, and some of the highest-end brands continue to outsource enamel dials to companies like Donzé Cadrans in Switzerland, but after three years of research and experimentation, anOrdain accomplished what many others couldn’t – in-house vitreous enamel dials. After a well-received debut, the now sold-out Model 1 has a successor, the anOrdain Model 2.

5 years ago