Watches - another OCD problem
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Just picked this up on the weekend at the Panerai boutique. SE - PAM 716 Mare Nostrum
Will need to get around posting some pics of the watch box. Panerai is second to none with their presentations.
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^ You have good taste!
The watch box has to way 10 pounds, and in typical fashion comes with an additional strap. But this SE also comes with a submarine which if you're a collector are difficult to find.
The Mare Nostrums and PP Nautlius are the holy Grail for me, really nice Watch you got yourself there.
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It triggers my OCD that it specifies kph when units are independent in a tachymeter (you could be measuring anything per hour), but it is a beautiful take on a chronograph regardless.
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I spotted a Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver Bronze in their boutique a couple of days ago, and since people here are fans of the metal, figured I'd post it.
And here's a photo from Instagram showing what it'll look like with a spot of patina.
Monochrome have just posted a review, and they mentioned it's got a soft iron inner case to protect the movement from magnetism. The product page on the Bell & Ross site doesn't mention this, so I don't know if it's a mistake.
Incidentally, or coincidentally, Fratello have an article on how to patinate a bronze watch, featuring a Pinion Axis.
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See? Normally they get the screws uniformly aligned on those square B&R cases, at least that I've seen.
My travel schedule has had me investigating GMTs, and the winner is the Tudor Black Bay variant. It really seems to be a good value and I like its looks, particularly the more subdued (in color and finish) bezel versus a GMT II. The large crown is also appealing in a watch that would get adjusted more frequently.
For now, however, I've opted to dip my toe in the water with a more modest variant. I want the rotating bezel so I can track triple time zones (e.g., home, current, and next destination), jumping hour hand, and a modicum of ruggedness. I found a cheap quartz variant that has the above and a lumed bezel. I'll post impressions in the less intimidating thread when it arrives.
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@mclaincausey there's always the Rolex Sky-Dweller. Hodinkee have an extended review.
Good luck in finding one, though. They're one of the models that Rolex doles out in very small numbers, meaning they're likely to end up on the grey market at twice RRP.
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I'd likely go Explorer before that if sacrificing a movable bezel is in play, but much prefer the design of GMT Master II, and even more the design (and price) of the Tudor. And I don't even like Pepsi!
Side-note, since you mentioned it, though I realize they aren't the only to do it, all Rolex's inventory fuckery and false scarcity is a turn-off.
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Ever since Doug turned me on to it, I've been hung up on the inaccurately and excessively named Oris Big Crown Propilot Worldtimer. I think the second time zone display is more legible than, say, the Sky-Dweller, or even a typical GMT. The setting mechanism is more elegant, and I like the clean looks of it. It is a large watch, however.
And it's not subject to Rolex-style supply chain extortion…
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I get that, but it would have been historically incorrect to have put a tachymeter on the bezel of the SE Mare Nostrum. In 1993 the Mare Nostrum was introduced for public sale. Panerai did make some alterations to the design. A 42mm case made the watch much more wearable than the 52mm case of the original prototype. The two layer dial of the prototype was replaced by a normal (one layer) dial and the smooth bezel was now engraved with a km/h scale and later with a tachymeter.
It triggers my OCD that it specifies kph when units are independent in a tachymeter (you could be measuring anything per hour), but it is a beautiful take on a chronograph regardless.
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Did you pick it up? Looks great!
I spotted a Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver Bronze in their boutique a couple of days ago, and since people here are fans of the metal, figured I'd post it.
And here's a photo from Instagram showing what it'll look like with a spot of patina.
Monochrome have just posted a review, and they mentioned it's got a soft iron inner case to protect the movement from magnetism. The product page on the Bell & Ross site doesn't mention this, so I don't know if it's a mistake.
Incidentally, or coincidentally, Fratello have an article on how to patinate a bronze watch, featuring a Pinion Axis.
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Ah nice that helps
I do like that it allows the seconds hand to sweep back around rather than having the scale start right away. I mean how many times am I measuring on the order of 600 units an hour on a watch? 55 is more practical, though I suppose you could do the math with or without a tach bezel.
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It's a pretty watch for sure and I like Oris. I was looking at their GMTs and some other maker (Hamilton I think) because I like their aesthetics and pricing, but in the end I do prefer the single dial. I use 24 hour time on my phone and think it's a practical system in general, so that design appeals to me. But perhaps it's easier to read the subdials–as a chronograph wearer it throws me, but I bet I'd get used to it.
On that note, Glycine makes a line that are GMT and use 24 hour hands for that and the primary hour hand. It gets a bit noisy but conceptually I like how clean it is. Very easy to read.
EDIT: "Big Crown" may refer to the bezel being a mechanism to change the hour hand. That's pretty nifty, I think I posted a Terra Cielo Mare here that sets time that way.
Ever since Doug turned me on to it, I've been hung up on the inaccurately and excessively named Oris Big Crown Propilot Worldtimer. I think the second time zone display is more legible than, say, the Sky-Dweller, or even a typical GMT. The setting mechanism is more elegant, and I like the clean looks of it. It is a large watch, however.
And it's not subject to Rolex-style supply chain extortion…
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@mclaincausey there are a bunch of world timers with varying designs, so if you're looking at options…
Jaeger LeCoultre Geophysic Universal Time. I've seen one of these, but found the dial a bit complicated and hard to read. Hodinkee have a feature.
The IWC Pilot's Watch Timezoner Chronograph is one of the cleverest designs. The timezone is set by rotating the bezel. However, it's quite a big beast of a watch, being 46 mm in diameter, and 16 mm thick! Hodinkee have a hands on, and the size comes up.
Incidentally, some specs say that the watch has an inner soft iron case, which would protect it from magnetism. That's useful if you spend your life around computers.
Lastly the Montblanc 1858 Geosphere, shown here in bronze. Hodinkee has a hands on. I'm not sure how it works.
That said, the Tudor GMT is a cool watch, and offers a lot for the money. They are apparently not too easy to get hold of, I don't know if it's Rolex keeping a tight lid on supply, or just a lot of demand driven by the GMT Master.
If you want a more monochrome GMT, Omega and LUC Chopard have options.
@QuantumMechanic I didn't pick up the diver, because I'm currently broke.
If I got a Bell & Ross, it'd probably be a Laughing Skull, though I'd be tempted to wait for the inevitable bronze version.
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Thanks!
I could get the Tudor right now below list, though not with the bracelet I'd prefer. I generally prefer (and can afford) more straightforward complications than some of the far-out world timers, and I like the notion of a rugged watch, especially a diver, given some of the case seal issues I've had with my Speedy. I'd prefer to never remove the watch when traveling, and a diver design supports that. The Tudor should have good antimagnetic performance as well, though my time around computers is more Ultralight laptop than server farm.
