Seasoned Watch Report readers will know OCEAN7 very well. Over the past few years WR has reviewed a half dozen watches produced by the Florida-based brand and we have always been impressed by the quality, design and value that OCEAN7 presents with with each model. Today’s review focuses on a new version of OCEAN7’s dress diver, the LM-5. This new model incorporates a practical and watch-nerd-approved GMT complication into the already lovely design of the LM-5 diver. With a laundry list of features, a rock-solid Swiss movement and a versatile wrist-friendly design, the OCEAN7 LM-5 GMT appears to cover the most important bases for a dress diver and still manage to set its self apart from the base LM-5 in more ways than simply having a fourth hand.
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Late last week, we showed you two new divers from Tudor and while they arguably stole the show from big-brother Rolex, that doesn’t mean Rolex didn’t come out and play at all. The big announcement from Rolex this year is the new Sky-Dweller which offers some fantastic technology but unfortunately wraps it up in a dial design that seems to have left Basel attendees rather cold. This new 42mm model comes in the three variations seen below and offers a technological first for Rolex, a watch with both an annual calendar and dual timezones. I will do my best to explain these, but please see the included video as the visual is quite helpful. The annual calendar complication means the Sky-Dweller can account for how many days are in each month so, with the exception of leap years, the Sky-Dweller won’t need to have its date advanced for months with less than 31 days. Further more, the month itself is cleverly shown on the dial via an aperture at each hour marker (see photos, eight o’clock is a different color so the Sky-Dweller is indicating it’s August), very cool.
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The Swiss aren’t the only ones launching new watches right now, Japanese super brand Seiko has announced a new GPS enabled watch called The Astron. Seiko devotees will note that the Astron is the same name given by Seiko to the first quartz watch ever made, circa 1969. The new Astron is definitely a technological flagship for Seiko as it features both GPS and solar charging. The Astron’s 7×52 quartz caliber will connect to no less than four GPS satellites and will both sync the time AND correct the timezone for your current location. Seiko says the Astron knows all 39 of the world’s timezones and can, at the press of a button, sync the time (takes ~6 seconds) and the current timezone based on location data from the Astron’s GPS connection (this takes ~30 seconds). There is no delicate way to put this, the Astron looks freaking amazing – see for yourself:
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Just in time for the 40th anniversary of the 1655 Explorer II, Rolex has announced the new model which features a series of changes over the outgoing Explorer II. The new series (ref: 216570) is available with a black or white dial, features an all orange GMT hand, and houses the new 3187 Rolex calibre in a larger 42mm case (last gen was 39mm). Rolex has made this new chronometer movement entirely in house and and it features some of their cutting edge technology including Paraflex shock absorbers and a non-magnetic Parachrom hairspring for excellent timekeeping and durability.
This movement allows the GMT hand to be independently set apart from standard timekeeping and is read using the 24hr fixed bezel. The all orange GMT hand is noteworthy as it follows the style of the original Explorer II from 1971. The new 42mm case is made from 904L stainless steel which is standard on Rolex sport models and is matched with a sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating and a cyclops for date magnification.
Water resistance is unchanged at 100m but Rolex has updated this new model with its signature chapter ring that repeats “rolex” around the circumference of the dial, this is really the only change we aren’t wild about as it is quite flashy for what once was a tool watch. The outgoing generation was due for an update and Rolex had teased the possibility of an all orange GMT hand on a future explorer at Basel 2010. We haven’t seen a price listed yet but it is expected to be a little higher than the $6325 USD that the outgoing model was listed at.
This year at CES, Casio brought along a promising prototype watch. Featuring Casio’s BLE (bluetooth low energy) technology this watch will be able to have bluetooth functionality without the dismal battery life we have seen in models from Sony Ericsson and LG. The watch is powered on a single watch-style coin battery and would connect to a smartphone allowing a host of features and 2-way communication. Expect call and email alerts, phone locating ability, global time sync, and expanded functionality from application support based within the phone’s OS.
While the watch shown here is still a prototype, its exciting to think of a Casio MR-G or Oceanus with these features. Presumably, your phone would need to be BLE compliant, which might require a new phone all together. This is massively exciting technology as the premise is taken directly out of science fiction and it could facilitate an entirely new feature set into a controller we are all very familiar with.
As a side note, we would like to congratulate Casio for winning the CES 2011 Design and Engineering Award for the recently upgraded Pathfinder PAW5000. Please check out our review of the PAW5000.
Thanks to emerging technology, the digital watch is seeing a resurgence of popularity. So what does it take to stand out among the giants like Timex and Casio? Phosphor Watches has been making E Ink based watches for some time, and they recently released the World Time. The World Time features a curved E Ink display that is form-fitted to your wrist. The extreme contrast of the e-ink paired with the ability to track any timezone makes for a potent package for the digital connoisseur.
Here are the specs:
- Curved E-Ink display.
- 35×9.3mm thick (5mm at edge).
- Twin timezone display.
- 5 user-selectable display modes.
- 50m WR.
- MSRP of $150-$195.
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Casio G-Shocks play many roles: fashion icons, hardcore tool watches, respectable divers, etc. Today, we look at something of a new phase for the G-Shock line in the form of a “multi role fighter.” The Casio G-Shock GW-2000 sports aviation styling while retaining the GMT features of many of its older siblings. The GW-2000 combines the radio controlled technology which Casio is now famous for with a refreshed style more reminiscent of the MR-G series.
Let's take a look at the details:
- Mineral glass crystal.
- 47mm at the widest point (wears more like 43mm).
- 15m thick.
- Radio controlled atomic calibrated module.
- Solar powered.
- Stopwatch with a resolution of 1/20th of a second.
- 24-hour countdown timer.
- Alarm.
- Multiple timezones.
- Perpetual calendar (with day and date).
- Water-resistant to 200 meters (about 650 feet).
- Neobright luminous paint.
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When I realized that most of my collection had shifted toward divers and sports watches, I started to keep an eye out for something a little more elegant — something that might be slightly more at home with dress shirt than a 15mm high piece of military equipment or a plastic digital G-Shock. The problem was that I refuse to sacrifice functionality for looks. I love handsome watches, but they have to work as well as they look, or I'm not interested.
The Seiko SBQJ015 is an excellent balance. It's a handsome watch with just the right amount of bling for me (meaning very little), and it has an incredibly impressive list of features:
- Titanium case and bracelet tempered with a process Seiko calls Diashield which essentially makes the titanium much harder than stainless steel. (I've worn mine in all kinds of situations, and it doesn't have a single scratch.)
- Sapphire crystal.
- Perpetual calendar.
- GMT hand.
- Independently adjustable hour hand which allows you adjust the time when traveling between time zones without having to stop the watch or change the minutes.
- Equipped with Sieko's famous 8F56 movement which is accurate to within ±20 seconds per year. That's about as much variance as you can expect to see per month in an average non-atomic quartz watch.
- 10-year battery.
- Water-resistent to 100 meters, or about 330 feet.
- A perfect 40mm in diameter (for my narrow wrist, anyway) excluding the crown, and about 44mm total.
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A few months ago, we reviewed the Benarus Moray and came away impressed by the style, build, and price. Today we bring you a different type of watch from the same family: the new Benarus Worldiver GMT Auto. The Worldiver is a military style GMT dive watch aimed directly at some of the industry heavy hitters. How does it stack up? Let's start with the specs:
- 45mm Stainless case.
- 500m/1,650ft water resistance.
- Sapphire crystal.
- 22mm lugs.
- ETA 2893-2 GMT movement.
- 15mm thick.
- Choice of blue on black dial, or orange on grey.
- Includes many straps, and an option for a mesh bracelet.
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As watch reviewers, we are always on the look out for watches that appeal to a wide crowd rather than just "watch nerds." OCEAN7 Watch Company has been making watches that fit both descriptions for sometime, so when they offered to send a review sample of the new G-1 GMT, it was tough to guess where it would land. What we found was that the G-1 GMT clearly offers something for everyone.
Let's start with the specs:
- 42x13mm Stainless steel case (brushed/polished or PVD).
- ETA 2893-2 GMT movement.
- Swiss BG W9 blue luminous paint (model specific).
- Sapphire crystal.
- 300m/1,000ft water resistance.
- Steel bracelet with screwed links.
- 22mm lugs.
- A choice of 5 colored bezel inserts.
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