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.
[click to continue…]
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.
[click to continue…]
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.
[click to continue…]
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.
[click to continue…]
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.
[click to continue…]
While there is certainly no shortage of dive watches on the market today there has been a gradual trend towards larger, thicker, and heavier divers that boast completely unnecessary water resistance depths. Few owners, if any, will take their watch below 200m let alone the 3000m or more that many high end Swiss brands are designing their watches to withstand. The appeal of the depth race is one that completely evades me, possibly because of my pedestrian sized wrist.
[click to continue…]
Armida is back with their fifth new model to the market since launching the A1 this past July. The new model is predictably named the A5 and brings some modern military styling to Armida’s considerable line of divers. This past August we reviewed the A1 and came away thoroughly impressed by its design, robust build and outstanding lume.
The A5′s overall look will be very familiar to Kobold fans as the watch looks quite similar to Kobold’s Seal diver. The A5 measures 42 mm at the case and 44 mm across the bezel and comes in at a lofty 17 mm in thickness. This will be yet another Armida for those who prefer a heavier/thicker watch. The A5′s stainless steel case is water resistant to 1000 m and fitted with a helium escape valve and straight 22 mm lugs. The sapphire crystal is a 3.5 mm thick and has an internal anti-reflective treatment. Timekeeping is managed by the ubiquitous ETA 2824-2, which is the same movement used in the Kobold Seal, at least for the time being.
[click to continue…]
Canadian brand Momentum has officially announced their new 300m dive watch, the Innerspace. Already known to many of you who frequent the big watch forums, the Innerspace is a compressor-style diver boasting an ETA 2836-2 automatic movement, a display case-back, and an internal bi-directional rotating bezel, all housed in a 44mm stainless steel case. The Innerspace uses a black dial with bright orange markings (we love the orange 15 minute scale) and white indices. Case thickness is slated at 14mm and buyers will be able to choose from a 22mm bracelet or a rubber strap. Pricing is slated for $895 – $995 which seems a little high given its similarity to the Halios Laguna which retails for less and boasts 500m WR. Click through for additional photos and let us know in the comments if you would like to see a full review of the Momentum Innerspace.
[click to continue…]
According to Greek mythology, Prometheus was a Titan that ruled with others in the Golden Age. Famous for stealing fire from Zeus and giving it back to the mortals, Prometheus was sentenced to an eternal punishment and daily torture. None of this really applies to the world of Indie watch brands except that Prometheus is also the name of a watch manufacturer. The boutique dive watch market has exploded in the past few years to bring you countless and varied options for your next automatic dive watch. Among the fray is Prometheus watches and they recently created a new 1000m dive watch called the Manta Ray. The Manta Ray is a large and industrial looking dive watch that suits the brand’s name as it seems to have been built to suit a Titan’s wrist.
[click to continue…]
Okay, “new” may be wishful thinking as these models started showing up at authorized dealers as early as August. Nevertheless, we wanted to wait until we saw the newly refreshed Planet Ocean line up live in person before rendering any sort of an opinion. A couple of days ago I got the opportunity to see these new models at an Omega authorized dealer and I frankly, I was blown away. Omega has managed a large but careful step forward with one of their most loved series. This article will only refer to the “mens” models as the dealer I visited did not have stock of the ladies sizes.
[click to continue…]
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.
