A. Lange & Söhne isn’t known for being lazy when it comes to complications and the execution of its watches. It isn’t one of the most revered watchmakers from Germany without reason. We all know that ALS is capable of manufacturing some of the most complex, desirable watches, which include some superb chronographs. Among the […]
Editor’s note: There’s a lot to be said for collecting vintage watches. In an industry built on anachronistic foundations, going straight to the source of these cultural and historical artefacts makes a great deal of sense. And that is even before you consider the pulse-quickening elements of minutiae that you can get lost in when it comes to hunting down the vintage reference that your heart desires. But there is one downside to vintage watches. They aren’t always as robust as they once were, and you’d hate to be the person who put a scratch on a watch that’d survived decades in otherwise pristine condition. And that doesn’t seem quite right when it comes to watches that were designed with vigorous action in mind. Whether it’s a dive watch or tool watch, you want to wear them in the rugged pursuits they were intended for. This is where the beauty of the inspired reissue lies. A design that offers a nod to the past, in a package that is more than able to handle anything you can throw at it. You can have your cake and eat it too, and that’s why the Seiko SPB153 is my favourite Seiko of…
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Ok, here’s a fact: The Rolex Daytona owes a debt to the Zenith El Primero. A modified version of the El Primero movement powered the Daytona for 12 years, and marked the first automatic Daytona models. This all happened when I was merely 12 years old, in 1988. And now, Zenith is taking that debt back with a black ceramic bezel twist that dawns a new era and a new name, in the Zenith Chronomaster Sport. There’s some pretty nifty mechanical trickery going on with the new 10th of a second caliber, too, but we will get to this once the initial impression wears off, and is – in my opinion – thoroughly justified. The Zenith El Primero is famous for two reasons. One, as a watch that deserves to be called iconic even amongst the most towering icons, and that holds various important claims in the pantheon of 20th Century watchmaking, including, but not limited to the first fully integrated, Swiss made, self-winding automatic chronograph, hence the name, El Primero. The second is the El Primero’s fame as a movement alone. Even 19 years after its release in 1969, the movement was so reliable, robust and well regarded that…
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We all dread the nightmare scenario of water damage in a watch. Water and watches is like Superman and kryptonite, too much exposure will wreck the timepiece. As soon as components are exposed to moisture, the process of oxidation and rust will begin and, as the days pass, render some of them irredeemable. Rolex makes some of the most robust and desirable watches in the world, but the increasingly luxurious nature of these products make some owners fearful of testing the professional capabilities of their tool watch. In a video released by Nicholas Hacko, a.k.a Master Watchmaker on YouTube, the Aussie watchmaker films the entire process of the restoration of a water exposed and highly rusted 1996 Rolex GMT Master II two-tone. And it’s clear people are curious to know what such a restoration entails – over the past two months the video has received over 1.7 million views! As you can see, this classic 1996 Rolex GMT Master II watch incurred serious water damage. The parts have developed significant rust on the rotor and even more so on the components below. While restorations can be pricey when they’re as extensive as this, we can all be thankful that it…
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The Rolex GMT Master II range is incredibly sought after. Known for their jet-setting origins, they spruced up the wrists of golden age pilots who appreciated having that extra timezone information to hand. Today, the undeniable appeal for this functional luxury asset remains. Rolex have previously injected a good bit of colour into the 24 hour bi-directional bezels of the GMT line with blue and red (Pepsi), brown and yellow or brown and black (root beer), red and black (coke), and the highly debated all blue (blueberry). But the most modern of the colour duos is found in the blue and black bezels – now limited to the Rolex GMT Master II 126710BLNR “Bat Girl”. The original reference, on a satin and polished oyster bracelet, was dubbed the “Batman” due to its bezel echoing the aesthetics of the superhero detective’s wardrobe. When discontinued, the watch was not entirely removed from the Rolex catalogue. It was instead upgraded to the new caliber 3285, with a more efficient Chronergy escapement that delivers an extended 70 hours of power reserve, and paired with a more formal appearing jubilee bracelet. Collectors didn’t exactly stretch their imaginations when they dubbed the new Rolex GMT Master…
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Seiko didn’t exactly have a slow 2020, but they might just have saved one of the best for last. Or did they drop the ball in the final yard? In their final release of last year, we saw the all new King Seiko KSK SJE083, a reissue of a watch from 1965 that is highly collectible – the King Seiko ref. 44-9990. The 1960s is a decade of the Japanese watchmaker’s history that isn’t as widely known as it should be, and that is one of the things that makes this release compelling. Because while you almost certainly know the present day behemoth that Grand Seiko is, you might not have heard of King Seiko before. King Seiko was established in 1961, the year after Grand Seiko, to create competition within Seiko as they pursued mechanical watchmaking perfection. That’s right, King Seiko and Grand Seiko competed against each other within the organisation, as well as on the world stage at various chronometry competitions. After the advent of the first quartz watch, however, (also a Seiko achievement), both King Seiko and Grand Seiko were put on hold as the firm focused its attention on the new technology they had pioneered. This…
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Why does this seem like a natural combination, while all my logical senses tell me it’s wrong in so many ways? The Rolex Sea-Dweller ref. 126603 is methodically over-engineered in every functional capacity and yet, if we compare it to the similarly butch Omega Ploprof, it feels like the polar opposite, somehow managing to still exude an elegant, raffish air. With this Rolesor yellow gold version, make that an air of caddish insouciance, as it flaunts its capabilities as a tool watch by bringing the gold. To be honest, as a two-tone watch Rolex does the best job in the business imbuing the models (Rolesor? Not a proprietary alloy, it simply means two-tone) with an added zest of colour. It somehow feels completely natural, and more of a celebratory colour for their tool watch prowess. It may look like a watch designed for pure business attire and party flexing, but the Sea-Dweller is still very much a tool watch ready for action. While personally I do feel that 43mm is on the large side – its mere presence puts me one the edge of nervousness – I love the juxtaposition of badass tool with the polished silky smooth centre links…
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Editor’s note: Today, Omega did what they had been hinting at for months: they launched eight new Speedmaster references across four models, all with the new Master Chronometer Calibre 3861. The four references include regular versions with Hesalite and Sapphire and precious metal versions in Omega’s proprietary Canopus gold and Sedna gold, all with options on bracelets and leather or fabric straps. The most significant updates for all eight references are the new caliber housed within, and the brand new bracelet design. The new movement looks like an evolution rather than revolution. The power reserve is improved from 48 to 50 hours, hacking seconds is now possible, and it’s generally more robust all round. The bracelet now features five links per row instead of three, and each row is slightly smaller, which is sure to make the bracelet even more comfortable. But to get a better idea of what’s changed, let’s have one last loving look back at the now superseded (and more affordable) generation of Omega Speedmaster. More to come on the new collection shortly. The Omega Speedmaster isn’t just another watch. It is an important part of the horological canon and, more importantly, the watch that went to…
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Everyone will remember the toilet paper shortage of 2020, as panic buying took hold of people around the world, but watch collectors will remember another shortage. The apparent global scarcity of Casio G-Shock GA2100-1A ‘CasiOak’ models from retailers’ displays, with a frenzy of buying that led to the humble G-Shock selling way above its retail price on the secondary market. If you told me in 2019 that a standard production G-Shock was going to effectively have a wait list, I wouldn’t have believed you. But then again, I wouldn’t have believed much of what was going to happen in 2020. But why is it so popular? It’s a mix of form, function and the watch that it reminds us all of. And by that I mean it looks good thanks to being less visually chunky compared to other G-Shock references — it is comfortable on the wrist thanks to it’s 11.3mm case profile and it serves up the eternally popular octagonal bezel. What’s not to love? Casio G-Shock GA2100-1A ‘CasiOak’ price and availability: The Casio G-Shock GA2100-1A ‘CasiOak’ is $260AU, and is currently available. However, due to it’s popularity, it might be worth calling ahead to your local authorised dealer to…
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The Rolex Sky-Dweller is an underrated watch. Hell, you can still sometimes find precious metal examples of this hefty-cased wristwatch in Rolex boutiques. Try doing that with a Daytona. But unlike many other Rolex pieces, the Sky-Dweller is a complicated companion despite its relatively simple design. In fact, while you might not immediately suspect it, this is the single most complicated Rolex according to its movement. Featuring the pretty remarkable Rolex in-house caliber 9001 (which holds more than a dozen patents in its design), the Sky-Dweller offers the time, date, second time zone, and month on its display, which also makes it an annual calendar. How does it display the month? Above all of the stick indices around the dial is a small aperture that you might miss if you weren’t looking at it, which displays the month in red. There are 12 hours in a day, but also 12 months in a year, so Rolex decided to make the hour markers slightly more useful than they are normally. The ring you see at the 6 o’clock position displays the second time zone, with the red arrow you can see just below the Rolex crown at 12 o’clock. But how…
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