Watches - another OCD problem
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@JDelage is after a bronze watch, and Oris have just announced the Carl Brashear Chronograph.
It's a limited edition of 2000, and Hodinkee are reporting that it'll cost $4,950.
The downside that I can see is that the Tudor Black Bay Chronograph is the same price, has a similar look, and has a modified version of Breitling's chronograph movement. It's steel, not bronze, though I wouldn't be surprised if a version in that metal comes along. Hodinkee have a review, if you want more information.
(I'm hoping they drop that movement into the Heritage Chrono soon.)
Lastly there's the (deep breath) Zenith Heritage Pilot Extra Special Chronograph, which has the El Primero 5 Hz movement.
It's around $7K, which is a bit more than the Oris and Tudor, but cheaper than the other El Primero watches in Zenith's collection. There's a review on aBlogToWatch.
Zenith also offer the Pilot Type 20 Extra Special, which is a non-chronograph piece, but I think that it's a similar price to the chronograph.
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I have my bronze watch - I bought a 2nd hand Evant Tropic Diver. (The Oris is nice but I like their non chrono bronze Carl Brashear better.)
I'm now toying with the idea of (1) a 116610LV sub' (which would be a stretch for me but it's been a grail for 20+ years) and (2) a dedicated sub-$1,500 diver (which I should take to the "other" thread.)
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I note that the screws are not timed. Big no-no.
[/quote]Actually getting screws to line up is really, really difficult. There's a piece at Salon QP that explains it, but basically it'd be a really difficult engineering task to achieve.
Hodinkee have a piece introducing the Ressence Type 2 e-Crown Concept today. The big news here is that the watch's time can be set from an app.
This is only a concept, but a production version is coming. Let's hope that they don't only support the app on the iPhone when it arrives.
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Yes it's hard but it can be done and it makes a huge difference on pricy watches. I always notice how the screws are well timed on Royal Oaks.
The Royal Oak cheats! Time and Tide point out that the screwheads on the bezel are actually threaded nuts in hexagonal holes.
The screws are then inserted and tightened from the rear, where the heads aren't aligned.
My suspicion is that the screws aren't aligned on watches because the sizes and tolerances are a lot smaller. Given the cost of a high-end Patek, I'm sure that an owner could justify an extra few hundred or thousand dollars for a watchmaker to put the time in if it was easy.
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It's SIHH, one of the two big watch fairs, next week, and we're starting to see launches. Monochrome Watches have announced the Baume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic, which is their first model to use their proprietary movement.
I like the specs on this: It's chronometer (COSC) rated, has a five day power reserve, is antimagnetic to 1500 Gauss, and has service intervals in excess of five years. The price is a pretty reasonable CHF 2450,
about $2500$2790 according to Hodinkee. -
Cheating is OK. Still, a small part of me died today…
My first "expensive" watch was a B&M Capeland Chrono I bought in '98 when I got my first job after business school. I loved the design (different from the current Capeland models), and I still think it was inspired. With this said, once I had it serviced and was told that the lubricant had turned to gunk. I had to have the face and the hands replaced. Not cheap. I sold it immediately afterwards, for good money if I may add.
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IWC are celebrating their 150th anniversary this year, and have brought out a range of limited editions to commemorate the event.
My favourite has to be the Tribute to Pallweber, particularly the stainless steel with blue dial model on the left. It's a mechanical digital watch, much like the oh-so-sexy Lange Zeitwerk, but about a tenth of the price. Hodinkee and aBlogToWatch got their hands on it late last year.
There's also a Big Pilot's watch with a big date that I like. It's a bit smaller than Heritage 48 that I was admiring last year, but I think that it uses the same base movement.
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@Graeme I saw the Big Pilot this Morning half sleeping and tought i´d like it but the Center Date kills it for me all the way.
The limited edition Portuguese loses the centre date.
As does the Pilot's Heritage 48.
I think that they're both pretty similar to the new, limited edition.
I agree about Lange, though the baby Saxonia Thin is a relative bargain. They've just done a new version, with a blue dial that gives me unchristian thoughts. Costs a chunk more than the base model, though.
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Montblanc have announced a new chronograph, with one of those gorgeous Minerva movements in it. It's 40mm, so slightly smaller than the bronze one that we've drooled over in the past. I like the green dial and strap too.
They're also bringing out a gloriously impractical pocket watch with a stone dial, Minerva movement, and a compass at the back. I want one.
