Timepiece Archives - Page 11 sur 19

13Nov 2016 by Martin Green 3 Comments

A Historic Offer: Rpaige Skyscraper Watch

News

When Rpaige Watch Co. launched its "Crash of '29" model on Kickstarter, a lot of mouths fell open. Yes, the “12 Size” vintage American pocket watch movement was a delight by itself, but wrapped in that uniquely designed case by Mark Carson propelled it into a higher stratosphere. Unfortunately for many the price-tag of $3.500,- was just a bridge too far. Hear, hear, said Rpaige, and he joined once again his forces with Mark Carson, for a more affordable variety of the "Crash of '29", the Skyscraper Art Deco Watch. What you get is the same iconic case, yet with a slightly different dial. That case is nothing less than a piece of functional Art Deco design, with its trapezoidal design and the crown on top. The case is large, 46.7 mm…

10Nov 2016 by Martin Green 3 Comments

New Gavox In The Works

News

It is not often that we discuss a watch here at Watchisthis?! based on renders. But when there is a rule, there is usually also an exception. This time this exception is named Gavox. As some might know, Gavox is a micro brand based in Belgium. What makes this brand special is that they have a unique way of looking at watches. In the latest issue of Watchisthis?! Magazine, we reviewed the Avidiver. This watch is a cleverly executed combination of a diver and an aviation watch in one. The same can be said of the new watch, which remains nameless. Not many details are known yet about this watch, but it will feature an automatic movement with a power reserve complication which will be displayed prominently on the dial.…

07Nov 2016 by Martin Green 2 Comments

FreakishWATCH!: Get Your Freak On!

News

Clever design meets elegant execution. Unlike its name might indicate, the FreakishWATCH is elegant and sophisticated, and far from a freak. In fact, it is one of those watches that makes you wonder what they were thinking when they made up the name. Fortunately, are names easily forgotten (especially when they are not engraved in the case or printed on the dial) and the design stays. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1220569765/freakishwatch The design is for sure the strong suit of this watch. The way it displays time is somewhat reminiscent of the MOTION I wrote about earlier. A disc covers most of the dial and shows only the hour that it is. The minutes are shown by a regular hand. It works quite nicely and looks great. When it is the full hour, the…

06Nov 2016 by Martin Green No Comments

FEMÛR TRIQ: The Digital Triangle

News

Digital watches still have a special appeal to them. Ever since they were introduced in the 1970's, they were here to stay. But the digital watches of today have very little in common with the digital watches of yesteryear. That is why the Triq by Femur is so interesting. The Triq is a triangle shaped watch; that seems to have two identical sides. However, one side has a heat reactive surface, and the other side shows the time. A simple tap with the finger gets the job done, and the time is displayed in bright, big dots. It reminds of the old digital watches, yet with a refreshing and modern twist. Those watches you also had to activate to see the time, to prevent excess battery drain, although back then…

31Oct 2016 by Mathieu Bruetschy No Comments

Humbert-Droz, The Archetype of French know-how

News

When shopping for a watch, many of us will praise the Swiss products, but if you want to be different, you might want to go the French way! Taking advantage of this opportunity, the French manufacture Reparalux created its own brand: Humbert-Droz. Reparalux was established by Marcel Humbert-Droz in Besançon, the heart of French watchmaking, 60 years ago. The core business of the company lies in repairing and assembling watches for prestigious watchmakers.  Today, three generations work in the business, and they have created their first watch, the HD1. The latest has been totally created in Besançon, by great-grandson Julien, graduated from Métiers d’Arts and manager of the workshop since 2013. With a diameter of 41mm, bold numerals, large hands and an oversized crown protection, it is a substantial watch.…

27Oct 2016 by Martin Green No Comments

Brands And Awards: Do They Help Sales?

Opinion

It is a question that I have asked over the past few years to many different CEO's: Your brand recently won award X, how important is this? The answers that I got were different but usually contained the same message: they were humbled by the honor, and it did help them to distinguish themselves in a crowded marketplace. Of course, not all awards are created equal. Some are limited to the watch industry, often organized by a magazine or a blog. It's giving the winning watch exposure to a crowd that already knew of its existence. That does not mean that they are of less importance. They often confirm the excellence of the watch, either when the title is awarded by an expert panel or the public. That can renew…

24Oct 2016 by Martin Green 1 Comment

Affordable at Auction: Jaeger-LeCoultre ref. E109

Affordable at Auction

Now, this doesn't sound promising, but even at an auction titled: Rare Watches including Nautilus 40 Part II, and held by Christie's in Geneva, you can find an affordable watch. Between many rare Rolex, Speedmaster's and even a Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon, there was one watch that stood out by its looks and estimate. It was a Jaeger-LeCoultre reference E109. This particular E109 was made in 1947, so relatively quick after WWII. With its military-styled dial featuring luminous Arabic numerals, railroad track, and large six-eater, topped off with sword hands, it is not that difficult to imagine this watch on the wrist of an officer during WWII. In fact, there is even a direct military reference to this watch, since the back of the case is engraved with "II…

23Oct 2016 by Martin Green 2 Comments

Todd & Marlon Launches Dean Martin Exclusive Edition

News

It is rare for a micro brand to have a celebrity ambassador. It is especially rare when this ambassador is not an up and coming Instagrammer with just a high number of followers, but actually a superstar like Dean Martin. Yet New York-based watch brand Todd & Marlon, did just that and got the King of Cool as brand ambassador, or should we say inspiration? Dean Martin was a league of his own. Not only was he an extremely talented entertainer, but he was also very versatile. Most will remember him as part of the Ratpack with Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr., but next, to that, he was also a singer, stand-up comedian, and of course the host of The Dean Martin Show. Creating a fitting tribute to a…

19Oct 2016 by Jonathan Kopp No Comments

Elliot Brown Presents The Tyneham Watch

News

British brand Elliott Brown is now presenting their first automatic watch under the name of Tyneham. Like every Elliot Brown’s watch this one is the result of 1000’s of hours spent obsessing over the smallest details; refining, improving, inventing, and testing. When Ian Elliot and Alex Brown created the brand they had one clear mission : to create robust and highly durable timepieces for gentlemen. While before they only had quartz watches, now they come with a new piece which has as its heart a Miyota 9130 automatic. This movement allows the timepiece to have a power reserve of 40-hour that you can check thanks the indicator at 01 o’clock. The classic 41mm case is made from solid marine grade brushed stainless steel with a scratch resistant, ultra tough hardened…

18Oct 2016 by Martin Green 1 Comment

Retrospect Review: Don Kylne Chaplin

News

Sometimes it is good to let things sink in a bit and then look over them again. We already reported on the Chaplin when it was launched, about a year ago. In that past year not only many people received their Chaplin, but also a lot of new brands and models were launched. Did the Don Kylne Chaplin hold its ground? The cushion shaped case still remains attractive. With all the new micro brands out there I am still surprised how few of them actually utilize this beautiful case shape. The relatively small lugs add a nice vintage detail to the watch, as do the screws. The best part is that they not only look good, but they are actually fully functional. My favorite part of the watch…

Étiquette : Timepiece