The Grey NATO: Episode 120: July Q And A
Diving on U-Boats, caring for NATOs, and when to let a watch go.
Introducing – The MB&F X L’Epée X Massena LAB T-Rex Bronze
First teased as a unique piece for Only Watch 2019, T-Rex was the result of yet another fruitful collaboration between watchmaker MB&F and clockmaker L’Epée. A clock with dinosaur legs… Yes, this was another example of Max Büsser’s wildly imaginative pieces. Today, there’s an even bolder, even wilder version coming, imagined together with watch expert William Massena, with […]
INTRODUCING: MB&F x L'Epée x Massena LAB
How can a table clock be desirable? My thought process is well on the way to becoming coherent, meaning Sellable To The Wife. She has a background as a buyer in the oil business, so I can’t tell her that the need for a USD$27,000 non-wearable time piece is driven by desire. The title of my presentation (with PowerPoint?): How to justify the purchase of a USD$27,000 table clock with a T-Rex theme. Well, actually, just the skeletonised legs and one eye, but beautifully made … It will be made more difficult by her not knowing what Max Büsser and Friends signifies in my world of horology. Even my 26 years of sales training might not suffice, but I’m doing the pitch anyway. Some of us are stuck in small closets masquerading as home offices, and some of us are back in The Real Office. Let’s be honest, the time of day is there at the corner of the screen, but what if there was a hand-finished piece of art on the desk feeding your creative senses and invoking the history of Earth while at the same time telling the time? This is it. William Massena, the scion of Timezone…
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The best JDM Seiko and Grand Seiko watches and how you can get them, even if you don't live in Japan
Within the thriving community of Seiko and Grand Seiko enthusiasts, some of the most highly prized watches are released only in the Japanese Domestic Market and the magic acronym you’ll hear more than any other in this community is indeed ‘JDM’. These JDM pieces might not be the most expensive, or limited in production numbers, but for anyone living outside of Japan they are highly prized for being tricky to get in other countries around the world. So how to get JDM watches out of Japan? It certainly isn’t impossible to add a JDM reference to your collection. You just need to know the best ways to go about it. We spoke with James Davison (@seikoman35), an Australian Seiko and Grand Seiko collector and dealer who shared a few tips to getting the watch that you want without too much hassle or paying too much. He is one of the co-creators of Two Vintage Seikos (@two_vintage_seikos), an innovative Instagram-based auction page that almost exclusively sells Seiko and Grand Seiko references that James sources directly from Japan. When I asked how best to get a JDM reference from one of the manufacturers, he offered two solutions. 1. Know a guy As…
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Introducing – Norqain Independence 20, With Kenissi Manufacture Movement (Live Pics & Price)
Norqain is a young watch brand, and even though it launched only 2 years ago, it is already well-established and has built a comprehensive collection of sports/adventure watches. Well-executed and nicely designed models are proposed, all powered by mechanical movements (until now supplied by Sellita). Today, the brand moves one step further in its quest […]
Introducing: The Norqain Independence 20 Limited Edition, The First Norqain Watch With Kenissi Caliber NN20/1
Norqain’s newest watch is the first to feature a movement from Tudor manufacturer Kenissi.
Introducing – Bamford London Launches New Heritage Pepsi, Night Owl and Mirage GMT Models
Mostly known as a customizer of watches, who’s been “officialized” by the watchmaking division of LVMH, to create unique TAG, Zenith and Bvlgari piece, Georges Bamford also recently launched his own watch brand, with specifically designed and built models. Among them is a cool-looking GMT watch, which has been already introduced in multiple editions – […]
A MONTH ON THE WRIST: Is the shockingly light G-Shock GMW-B5000TCM in titanium worth the price premium?
In what could be seen as an appeal to Swiss watch collectors – or perhaps just those who prefer lighter watches – G-Shock decided to take their full-metal GMW-B5000 line to the next level. G-Shock has now introduced titanium into their lineup of square-faced design watches inspired by their historic G-Shock DW-5000C. I’ve owned mine for a month, and have plenty to say about it. Firstly, the case, band, bezel, and caseback of this model are all made of very lightweight titanium, weighing in at 110g in total (with their previous steel models weighing 167g). Producing the Full Metal line in titanium was no easy feat for G-Shock. According to Miho Nishimura of Casio’s Watch Development Department, this was not simply a matter of pouring new material into an existing mould and process. The titanium models required an entirely new mould, as well as its own dedicated assembly line, due to titanium being an unforgiving and difficult material to manufacture. G-Shock, in their pursuit of ultimate robustness, has also upgraded the crystal from mineral glass (used in the stainless steel versions) to a sapphire crystal and treated the titanium with a diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating that protects the watch from…
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The Modifier's Series – Bamford Watch Department, the big dog in the modding space
When browsing through high-contrast, black-coated, neon-highlighted luxury watches, it shouldn’t be too long before the name Bamford crosses your path. The origin story of the Bamford Watch Department starts with a Daytona. Taking advantage of his father’s corporation, JCB — which specialises in manufacturing equipment for construction, agriculture, waste handling, and demolition — George Bamford wanted nothing more than for his Rolex Daytona to stand out a little more. After consulting with JCB’s engineering department, George had his Daytona murdered-out in the Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) coating, which has become one of his signatures, adorning customised Rolex, Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe watches around the world. With tensions growing between watch manufacturers and Bamford’s business, given the jumble of legal grey-areas involved in customising brand-name goods, Bamford Watch Department stepped back from tinkering with Rolex and other lofty brands in 2017 – a cautious but clever move considering the Rolex lawsuit with customiser La Californienne in 2019. Instead, Bamford-enthusiast and watch industry legend Jean-Claude Biver teamed up with the workshop to produce modded pieces exclusively from LVMH brands such as TAG Heuer, Bvlgari and Zenith. These are some highlights of the journey so far. TAG Heuer Monaco Heritage By far the most fun…
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Hands-On: Three Seiko 55th Anniversary Dive Watches
Three cheers for 55 years!