The watch industry, and the bulk of the design within its scope, is controlled by trends. We see adverts and celebrities sporting the latest in ceramic, vintage, over-sized, liquid-filled, tourbillon equipped, slim cased watches but that “next big thing” is often not so new. It is often then that when we see a new model we use other models or established trends to frame this newcomer and understand it in a more comfortable context. When I first saw the Schofield Signalman GMT PR I had to reach for a familiar concept, eventually thanks to its large crown, sparse dial design and polished finish, my brain settled on the Panerai form. The Panerai Luminor 321, for example, has a power reserve and a GMT hand, a sparse dial, high contrast design and plenty of polished metal on its case. It seemed reasonable to compare this British designed, German built, and Swiss powered timepiece with the well known and easily digestible Panerai, right? Upon receiving the review unit from Giles at Schofield and lifting the Signalman GMT PR from its case, I realized the inaccuracy of my assumption. The Signalman does not feel, or impress, like any Panerai I’ve ever experienced and I found myself wearing a watch which felt completely unfamiliar.
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by James Stacey on February 15, 2012
in Watch News
Finnish watch manufacturer Suunto has announced a new GPS ready multi-sport watch they call the Ambit. The Ambit will feature all of the tools we have come to expect from Suunto such as a compass, barometric altimeter, barometer, thermometer, weather tracking, and heart rate monitoring (relies on an optional heart rate belt), an alarm and dual time zones. In addition to this bevy of features, the main new skill set of the Ambit is its SiRFIV chip driven GPS ability. Suunto calls the Ambit “The GPS for Explorers” and, providing it delivers a usable and reliable experience, we can’t think of any reason we wouldn’t want one on-wrist for our next adventure.
The Ambit can manage waypoint navigation and can also render your location in conjunction with multiple coordinate systems. The Ambit can also blend data from its accelerometer and GPS connection to render highly accurate speed and pace measurement data. All of the data collected by the Ambit can be synced with Movescount.com where users can plan and share their next sporting achievement or training goal and even customize certain settings for their watch (via a USB cable).
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by James Stacey on February 13, 2012
in Watch News
Generally speaking, when I hear the term “bauhaus” used in conversation the speaker is employing the term to describe their newest Ikea purchase or as a synonym for minimalist and sleek design. Bauhaus is actually a German school of design which was founded in the 20’s and has seen its values and aesthetics woven into modern architecture, furniture, art, fonts and even clocks and watches. Bauhaus is Germany’s interpretation of the international style and promotes unity between the artist and the craftsman in an attempt to improve the aesthetic qualities of manufactured goods. Being comprised of many artists and designers and having a huge effect on typography, graphic art, and architecture, Bauhaus can be hard to define along any one passion or effect.
The Swiss designer Max Bill was trained in the Bauhaus tradition during the late 20′s in Dessau, Germany. Max Bill would go on to lead a long and creative life with many different design outlets including architecture, typography, graphics, sculpture, and timepieces. In the early fifties, Bill founded the Ulm School of Design in Germany and expanded on his Bauhaus roots while teaching in design theory.
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Archimede Watches is a small German brand which has been producing mechanical sport watches since 2003. Archmiede is part of the German company Ickler which also produces Limes Watches, Autran & Viala, and Defacto. In 1924, Karl Ickler founded this case manufacturing business in Pforzheim (Germany) and, after being relaunched by his sons in 1947, Ickler has been manufacturing cases ever since. This interesting company is still controlled by the Ickler family, now three generations older, with one Thomas Ickler currently managing operations.
Being a house brand for a case manufacturer is a good recipe for quality and individuality as it means Archimede watches are not fitted with catalog cases but rather custom designed options that can be made without relying on external manufacturers. Archimede has a loyal following in the watch enthusiast community thanks to many strong designs, competitive pricing, and a wide range of options.
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Benarus has announced availability of their newest TI47 models. The TI47 incorporates titanium construction and an expanded case size into the stylish good looks of the Benarus Moray (which we reviewed here). The TI47 is a lovely and simple design which has been built to be as tough as possible. This Benarus features a 4mm double domed sapphire crystal, 2000m water resistance and timekeeping is provided by the reliable Swiss ETA 2824-2. Assuming your wrist can handle the 47 mm case, the TI47 should have little trouble keeping pace.
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Helson watches is one of the relatively new group of small dive watch brands which has cropped up in the wake of expanding production capabilities in China that offer competent manufacturing and quality control processes to those willing to design a watch primarily made of catalog components (case, bracelet, etc). The dive watch collector base is ravenous and fairly large so there are many companies which have sprouted up in the last five years to offer nicely made and fully capable sport watches for a less-than-Swiss price. Helson offers a fairly wide range of divers but the model that most interested us was Shark Diver 42 which offered a tool style dive watch in a more wrist friendly 42 mm case, a range of dial colors and even a choice of automatic movements.
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Omega has announced the newest version in their series of James Bond branded watches. This Seamaster celebrates the 50th anniversary of of the 007 films. Based on the “Bond” style Seamaster 300 M platform, these anniversary editions feature either 41 or 36.25 mm stainless steel cases and ceramic bezels which have had the 50 minute marker dressed up in red.
The dial features a less-than-subtle 007 design repeated across its surface and a date window at three o’clock. This COSC certified model is powered by the Omega 2507 automatic Co-Axial movement with a special rotor featuring a design that looks like a bullet. As this is a Seamaster, the predictable 300m water resistance and a manual (crown operated) helium escape valve are still present.
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JeanRichard is one of the more overlooked of the Swiss luxury brands, seldom seeing the fan fare that Omega, Rolex or even Tag Heuer enjoy. The brand is the result of a JeanRichard family presence in watchmaking which, according to the brand’s website, dates back to 1681. Today, JeanRichard has a large collection of watches spanning three model ranges which are exclusively powered by their own in-house movements. At SIHH this year, JeanRichard announced a new model in their Diverscope line of cushion case dive watches, the Diverscope LPR.
This new Diverscope features the use of a conventional stainless steel case and a trick linear power reserve (hence the LPR) which changes the numeral at 12 o’clock from white to black as the power reserve empties. The case is 43 mm wide and 13.4 mm thick with a water resistance rating of 300 meters.
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Few companies have embraced the “vintage inspired” trend with more enthusiasm (and success) than Jaeger-LeCoultre. JLC has a wonderful horological history and many classic models on which they can draw inspiration for new designs or tributes to past models. With notable examples like the lovely Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Tribute to 1931 and the gorgeous Memovox Tribute to Deep Sea, JLC has a firm grasp on their strengths in both aesthetic watch design and technical innovations. The latest model to join their vintage brigade is the Deep Sea Vintage Chronograph (ref: 207857J) which builds on the success of 2011′s Memovox Tribute to Deep Sea by incorporating a two register chronograph into its vintage diver DNA.
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Seiko recently announced a new model in the SAR line of mid-range dress watches. The new SARX range is powered by the Seiko 6R15 automatic movement and comes with a domed sapphire crystal up front and a display case back. The 6R15 is Seiko’s answer to the ETA 2824 and offers the hacking and hand winding ability not seen in their 7Sxx models. Measuring 40 mm across and 13 mm thick, the SARX series should suit any wrist but its styling may prove to be polarizing.
Precursor SAR lines features reserved styling and subtle details while the new SARX features massive markers and roman numerals at twelve and six. These new SARX models are nice looking watches, but we wonder how much more elegant the design might have been if the markers were 50% smaller. Available with your choice of a white (SARX001), black (SARX003) or blue dial (SARX005), this new range from Seiko appears to be available only in Japan with a list price of 68250 JPy (~$890 at time of publication) but grey market dealers will ship worldwide and their pricing is closer to $680 USD. This new design adds a considerable amount of depth and texture to the dial but the over sized markers may prove to be too flashy for an otherwise conservative design. Additional models after the jump.
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The watch industry, and the bulk of the design within its scope, is controlled by trends. We see adverts and celebrities sporting the latest in ceramic, vintage, over-sized, liquid-filled, tourbillon equipped, slim cased watches but that “next big thing” is often not so new. It is often then that when we see a new model we use other models or established trends to frame this newcomer and understand it in a more comfortable context. When I first saw the Schofield Signalman GMT PR I had to reach for a familiar concept, eventually thanks to its large crown, sparse dial design and polished finish, my brain settled on the Panerai form. The Panerai Luminor 321, for example, has a power reserve and a GMT hand, a sparse dial, high contrast design and plenty of polished metal on its case. It seemed reasonable to compare this British designed, German built, and Swiss powered timepiece with the well known and easily digestible Panerai, right? Upon receiving the review unit from Giles at Schofield and lifting the Signalman GMT PR from its case, I realized the inaccuracy of my assumption. The Signalman does not feel, or impress, like any Panerai I’ve ever experienced and I found myself wearing a watch which felt completely unfamiliar.
