AskMen - IWC Portofino Hand-Wound Eight-Days

Jan
30

Already mentioned a few posts earlier (about the SIHH), the IWC Portofino Hand-Wound Eight Days timepiece with hand made Santoni strap is something to look forward too. Although I am a bit skeptic about the quality / durability of their in-house movements,italian leather bags supplier, IWC knows how to design a watch. It seems that almost every model in their catalog is very likable, also by non-watch aficionados. Now, if they can crank up the quality of the caliber 50000 movements a bit (I’ve seen too much  7 days power reserve models with troubles in the last few years), I might be interested in getting one myself as well at some point.

The IWC Portofino Hand-Wound Eight Days is surely a timepiece that I would like to try once it hits the stores. The clean dial, gold applied hour markers and hands in combination with the sleek looking lugs and small crown makes this a watch that re-defined the Portofino series. From an entry level IWC line-up to a serious competitor of the brand’s own Portuguese models.

Click here to read my article on the IWC Portofino Hand-Wound Eight Days ref.5101

The ideal Bottega Veneta Knot Clutch has both crocodile and intrecciato metal

I used to associate black and blue with bruises, but going forward I will always think of this stunning Bottega Veneta Knot clutch instead. Leave it to Bottega to know exactly what I adore and design it in a way that has me going gaga. We have discussed their Knot clutch ad nauseum and my two favorite renditions have been their crocodile version and their intrecciato metal version. But now I have both in one place and that feels like Christmas came early.

With the perfect touch of sophistication, the Bottega Veneta Crocodile and Intrecciato Metal Box Clutch integrates textures and colors in a completely fashion-forward combination.


The navy crocodile skin is spotlighted on most of the bag while the corners have the super industrial chic intrecciatio metal design. This gives a pairing that is both unexpected and completely welcomed. I always look for something different, especially when it comes to classic shapes and styles,fashion handbags outlet, and this clutch is the definition of just that. If you are looking to kick up your evening wear style, don’t count this clutch out. Priced at $7,130 through Net-A-Porter.

Review of the Citizen BL5250-02L_140

Review of the Citizen BL5250-02L

Front Throughout the watch collecting
world, one often hears of the "grail watch." These
are generally watches that an enthusiast has been lusting after for
some time and plans to one-day own, but due to cost, rarity, or both, immediate ownership is not possible. Most watch collectors
have not only a grail watch, but a list of grails. For me, these
include such pieces as the Ernst Benz Great Circle Chronoscope, any
titanium Panerai Luminor, Fortis Marine Master Chrono, Breitling
SuperOcean Chrono, etc. It's a long list.

Occasionally, I come across a
watch that is not in the normal grail price range, but has many of the
features or styling that draws me to some of my grail watches. A good
example of this is the Citizen BL5250-02L: a handsome titanium
chronograph with military and aviation styling not generally found in its price range. I have been interested in a BL5250 (the 02L
designates a leather strap, where as the 53L is the titanium bracelet)
for a couple of years, but only recently found myself ready to give one a try.
I will admit — I had very high hopes for this watch, and it has not let
me down. Here are the specs:

42.5 x 13mm all titanium case. Mineral crystal. Lug width of 20mm. Blue dial. Solar Eco-Drive movement. 270 day power reserve. 1/20 second chronograph (max 60 minute). Perpetual calendar. Dive style countdown bezel. 24 hr register. Alarm. 200m water resistant.

Although in general I was very happy with the BL5250, there are some issues to point out.

The watch can be cycled through features by turning the crown
when it's in the "0" position (setting the time and date use the
traditional "1" and "2" pull-out positions). By turning the crown, one can click
through the "time," "CHR," "L-TM," and "ALM" settings (the 6 o'clock
register points to the active function). So, to activate the
chronograph, one must advance the crown clockwise one click, then push
the 2 o'clock pusher to start the chronograph. The 2 o'clock register will
show the elapsed minutes, and the large second hand reflects the chronograph
seconds. I found this somewhat inconvenient as the chronograph should activate when the 2 o'clock pusher is pressed; switching to the chronograph feature should be automatic as the pushers won't commonly be used for anything else. Having to go through two steps
forced me to leave the BL5250 in the "CHR" mode all the time,
forfeiting normal seconds.

The next issue involves the "L-TM" and "ALM"
modes. Both require the watch to move the hour and minute hands to set
points. The L-TM mode will show a second time zone (theoretically
handy for travelers) and the ALM mode shows the current time
setting for the alarm. The BL5250 takes a very long time to change from the
current time to either of these values since the hands move slowly, cannot jump between AM and PM, and will only advance in a counter-clockwise fashion. When testing this, I simply removed the watch from my wrist and went to get something to drink. This is more then just a minor annoyance; it has deterred me from
using the ALM and L-TM features for anything except testing.

The alarm on the BL5250 is not especially loud. I didn't expect something that could wake me up or that I could hear at a concert, but it is not loud enough to be all that useful. The volume was very similar to the beeps from a Timex Ironman as the features are
changed.

Lastly, the BL5250-02L comes in a standard circular Citizen
zippered box and is fitted to a medium brown faux leather strap with
contrasting Breitling-style stitching. This strap is thin and rigid, and
wearing it encouraged me to switch to a black Hirsch Liberty strap. If
you have the option, spend the money on the 53L version of this watch
that comes with the titanium bracelet.

All of these deficiencies considered, there is still a lot to like about this watch. The case is fantastic, very light, rides low, and has a nice medium mirror
polish that compliments the high polish of the unidirectional bezel. The pushers are
soft and have just enough resistance to let you know they've activated. The style of the watch is highly legible and displays its aviation heritage with pride. The blue luminous paint glows brightly and has good life — not as long as a dive watch, but enough for a movie or long night drive. The dial is very unique with its
blue printed matrix or "waffle" pattern that generally comes across as black
except in more direct and harsh light. When the true
color of the dial is visible, it tends to look like the subtle coloring
of the anti-reflective coating applied to watch crystals on many sports
watches. I have been wearing the watch on a black leather strap for
some time, and can say that for all intents and purposes, the dial of this watch might as well be black.

The registers are a glossy purple-black with an inlaid
circular pattern radiating from the centers. The mirror-like dive bezel
is unidirectional and has a "perl" at the 60 point for luminosity. The
chapter ring features a tachymeter for measuring speed over a known
distance using the timing of the chronograph.

The design and build of this watch are typical Citizen quality and leave little to be
desired. The BL5250-02L is very comfortable due to a nicely shaped case
and the light titanium fabrication. I wore the watch daily for over a
months and never grew bored of it as the chronograph was always ready (as long as
the watch is left in CHR mode), and the Eco-Drive movement
keeps very accurate time, needs no winding or battery changes, and features a very nice
perpetual calendar. It would be nice to see an atomic version of this
watch that forgoes the alarm and the bizarre second time zone feature
for a traditional chronograph and GMT hand.

If you're specifically looking for a watch with an alarm or GMT feature, the BL5250 will likely let you down. On the other hand, if you are
hunting for a well-made, relatively cheap aviation style chronograph, look
no further. The BL5250 can be found for between $240 and $269 (leather or bracelet, respectively),factory direct purses, and for that money it represents great value in a
reliable, handsome, and well made watch.

Threequarter

Back

Wrist

Side

Back

Strapbuckle

By James Stacey

In for Review – Seiko 5 Sports SNZF45_12

In for Review – Seiko 5 Sports SNZF45

As much as we love luxury watches with bespoke movements and astronomical price tags we also have a definitive soft spot for entry level timepieces that are both thrifty and fun to wear. This is the Seiko SNZF45 and it is generally called the “baby monster” as it was styled after the extremely popular Seiko SKX781 and 779 divers that have been carrying the “Monster” nickname for years. The Seiko Black and Orange Monster models are considered to be some of the best entry level divers available on the market and are generally a gateway drug for new collectors.

This Seiko 5 Sports model was given its infant nickname because it is not a true dive watch, boasting just 100m of water resistance and a crown which does not screw down. What this white-dialed Seiko lacks in marine-readiness it makes up for in price as this Japanese automatic can be had for less than $150 brand new and still features a stainless steel bracelet, Seiko’s 7S36B automatic movement,replica watch rolex replica, and about as much lume as Seiko can cram into a single watch. Very few brands with Seiko’s history and experience are making automatic watches at this price point. You can expect our review in the coming weeks and until then we will be giving this bargain Seiko a closer look to see if this deal is simply too good to be true.

Review of the Oceanus 5 Motor (OCW600TDA-1AV)_350

Review of the Oceanus 5 Motor (OCW600TDA-1AV)

Oceanus 5 Motor

View the Oceanus 5 Motor photo gallery.

Oceanus seems to represent Casio’s desire to creep upmarket in the US. In Japan, you can actually drop over $1,000 on a high-end Casio G-Shock, but to most Americans, the brand Casio usually means geeky at best, and cheap at worst. Frequent readers of Watch Report know better, however. In my opinion, Casio makes some of the most technologically advanced, rugged, and interesting digital watches available. But since Casio doesn’t have time to wait for Watch Report to enlighten the entire American watch-buying public, they have repackaged their ingenuity into a shiny new brand: Oceanus.

I do think Oceanus watches are deserving of a brand all their own. With features that go beyond even my favorite US G-Shocks (titanium construction, handsome, low-profile cases, sapphire crystals), they deserve a chance to make their own way in the market.

The Oceanus 5 Motor is a further refinement of the Oceanus line. It boasts most of the features of the Oceanus Chronograph, but without the LCD in the 3 o’clock position. Why was Casio motivated to completely remove the LCD and figure out how to cram five individual motors into a single case? The point of the Oceanus 5 Motor is that it’s a geeky watch that doesn’t look like a geeky watch, so the fewer LCDs and LEDs, the better.

The downside of removing the LCD is that the watch gets slightly more complicated. The unit I received didn’t come with an instruction manual, and after about 10 minutes of playing with buttons and watching the seven hands (seven!) spin and reel, I headed online to hunt down a PDF version of the booklet. Fortunately, with a little guidance, I found the 5 Motor fairly easy to use, however if you’re the type who refuses to read manuals,swiss replica rolex watch, you probably won’t get the most out of this watch.

Features of the Oceanus 5 Motor include:

Atomic timekeeping. The Oceanus watches will pick up time calibration signals transmitted in the US (Fort Collins, CO) and Japan. It will try to calibrate up to six times per day at predefined times during the wee hours of the morning, and the watch can also be placed in calibration mode manually. If you’re in an area where you can’t receive a time calibration signal, Oceanus watches can also be set manually. Solar powered. All Oceanus watches have solar cells which recharge batteries capable of keeping them running for up to four months when fully charged. The Oceanus 5 Motor has a low power indicator to let you know when you haven’t been spending enough time in the sun. World time. The subdial between the 2 and 3 o’clock positions is a 24-hour dial with both hour and minute hands to display the time in 27 cities (29 different time zones). 30 different time zone options expressed as either city abbreviations or GMT offsets are printed around the perimeter of the dial, and switching between them is as easy as pushing the lower right-hand button (the chronograph’s second hand moves to the currently selected city). Since the world time feature uses a subdial, when the watch is in world time mode, you can actually see the time in both your home time zone, and in the secondary time zone simultaneously. Time transfer function. The time transfer function allows you to swap time zones between your home time zone and the watch’s secondary time zone. For instance, if your home time zone is LAX and your secondary time zone is Tokyo, and you travel to Tokyo,rolex replica watch, you can easily reverse your home and secondary time zones so that your home time zone is Tokyo, and your secondary time zone is LAX. When you head home,rolex explorer II replica, just invert them again. (I first discovered this feature with the Seiko Sportura SNJ005 and later with the Tissot T-Navigator 3000.) Chronograph. The Oceanus 5 Motor has a stopwatch with a resolution of 1/20th of a second, capable of measuring elapsed times up to 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 59.95 seconds. The stopwatch’s second hand is the third primary hand (which is usually the second hand on analog watches without chronographs), and the subdial at the six o’clock position which normally measures seconds in timekeeping mode measures fractions of a second in chronograph mode (only for the first 60 seconds). Daily alarm. When in alarm mode, the world time subdial allows you to set a single daily alarm. Automatic calendar (through the year 2099). 24-hour subdial at the 9 o’clock position. Tachometer. Titanium case and bracelet (also available with a black leather strap) . Synthetic sapphire crystal. A sapphire crystal (virtually scratch-proof) is not something you see everyday on a Casio, but on an Oceanus, it’s standard. Water resistant up to 100 meters, or about 330 feet.

On top of being a functional, sturdy, and a nice looking timepiece, the Oceanus 5 Motor is exceedingly comfortable. I’ve been wearing it for several days now, and it has a way of making you forget it’s there. The titanium case and bracelet keep it lightweight, and the contour of the case keeps it perched properly on top of my narrow wrist. Speaking of titanium, I’ve had trouble in the past getting titanium atomic watches to calibrate, possibly because it’s more difficult for the signal to penetrate titanium than plastic, however the Oceanus 5 Motor has no difficulty receiving a signal from San Francisco. (Disclaimer: I can only vouch for signal reception in San Francisco — as with all atomic watches, your mileage may very depending on where you live.)

Although I’ve been very happy with the Oceanus 5 Motor, there are a couple of minor issues. First, it doesn’t have any type of lighting system other than luminescent paint on the hands and hour markers. Although I’ve found that the luminosity does last all night (this was easy to test because between kids, earthquakes, and general city cacophony, I’m awakened at all hours of the night), I wouldn’t mind seeing the 5 Motor outfitted with the same LED illumination system as the Oceanus Chronograph. The 5 motor is also not the easiest watch to get the hang of. I’m a watch geek, so I picked it up pretty quickly, but for some, there will be a fairly steep learning curve. Fortunately, there’s a little cheat sheet etched in the back of the case next to the pushers in the form of ALM (alarm), WT (world time), ADJ (adjust),replica rolex watch for sale, and CHR (chronograph) to remind you which buttons do what, so you can always refresh your memory while standing in line at the DMV.

The Oceanus 5 Motor retails for $580 MSRP, and can be purchased at several retail outlets, and here and there online.

Additional resources:

View the Oceanus 5 Motor photo gallery. The Oceanus website. The Oceanus 5 Motor instruction manual (PDF).

By Christian Cantrell

A buyers guide for $2000 watches

Feb,rolex explorer II replica
17

Today,rolex replica best, my Wednesday Watch article over at MotoringExposure has been published. After writing an article about $1000 watches, I thought it was time to stretch it up to $2000.-

Since $2000 opens a lot of horological doors,quality replica watch, I narrowed the list of possible doors down by using the following restrictions (based on my own thoughts):

1. It should be a well-known/respected brand
2. A mechanical movement (Swiss/German origin)
3. No plastic parts on the outside (excludes Swatch)
4. Stainless steel case and a leather strap
5. Sapphire crystal
6. NEW! (= excluding vintage) However, we don?��Ǩ�Ѣt care for list prices. Do you?

I selected three watches and the Nomos Club pictured above is one of them. Curious about the other two? Click here to read the article at MotoringExposure.

RGM Pennsylvania Tourbillon Watch Hands-On

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RGM Tourbillon 3 RGM Pennsylvania Tourbillon Watch Hands On

The boys in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania have done us Americans proud. However,replica watch rolex replica, I found it ironic that I needed to see this American-made watch in Switzerland. This is the RGM Pennsylvania Tourbillon MM 2 watch. Almost all of it is made in American, including the case and much of the movement. Certain parts, like the balance spring, really make no sense to try to manufacture yourself. Designed after classic American pocket watches, the Pennsylvania Tourbillon is a handsome timepiece for discerning collectors and you don't have to be American to like it.

I previously wrote about the RGM Pennsylvania Tourbillon MM 2 watch here. There you will learn more about RGM, the technical specs, and other facts that I don't feel like repeating here. This is about my hands-on experience with the first-ever American made tourbillon watch. A while back, the US made a lot of watches. We bested Switzerland and brands like IWC were actually created when the US decided to outsource its watch-making to Switzerland - no joke.

RGM Tourbillon 2 RGM Pennsylvania Tourbillon Watch Hands On

RGM Tourbillon 8 RGM Pennsylvania Tourbillon Watch Hands On

RGM Tourbillon 6 RGM Pennsylvania Tourbillon Watch Hands On

Since those golden days, and the quartz crisis/revolution,replica rolex watch, the US has all but stopped making watches in any mass amount. While there are a number of small US watch brands, few do anything with movements. RGM, based in one of the watch hotspots of the US, made their first movement (the caliber 801) a few years ago. They have since followed up with the Pennsylvania Tourbillon. The movement is manually wound with a slow beat, large diameter tourbillon opposite an off-centered watch dial. The face of the watch is all about appreciating the movement - with its German silver engraved dial and exposed mechanics. A traditional movement throughout, it has a unique American flavor and design.

Finishing is impressive, and I like the high polish and design of the case. There is a small sapphire window in the side of the case for another view of the movement. The case is 43mm wide and comes in steel, gold, or platinum. While traditional, the movement and case do not feel boring. This is certainly a cool looking piece with a lot of inherent value and an air of quality. It isn't cheap either.

RGM Tourbillon 5 RGM Pennsylvania Tourbillon Watch Hands On

RGM Tourbillon 4 RGM Pennsylvania Tourbillon Watch Hands On

RGM Tourbillon 7 RGM Pennsylvania Tourbillon Watch Hands On

RGM Tourbillon 1 RGM Pennsylvania Tourbillon Watch Hands On

The price for the watch in steel is $75,000. Steep, sure, but this watch is hand-made and they don't make very many. The price goes up to $125,replica rolex submariner,000 for the platinum case. RGM explained to me that most of their clients are Americans who feel a strong connection to the American brand and enjoy the craftsmanship. Of course, not everyone who buys one of these is American. RGM further explained to me that their business is going to be more focused on watches like this moving forward. Meaning more in-house made, classic designs that focus on beauty and artisanal work.

Overall, while pricey, the watch is well done. I love the style of it and it really does feels good on the wrist. The design is unique enough to be recognizable and I think RGM has a bright future ahead of them with pieces like this. Nice work all around. Next up, an automatic tourbillon. I hope.



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Jorg Gray Watches Gets First Brand Ambassador With

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JorgGrayTagliani Jorg Gray Watches Gets First Brand Ambassador With IndyCar Driver

Watch brand Jorg Gray has just signed their first brand ambassador. It is a big step for a brand to get to the point where they start signing ambassadors. The lucky guy is IndyCar Grand Prix race car driver Alex Tagliani. He will be we wearing Jorg Gray watches during his races. He is here seen wearing a Jorg Gray JG910-13 watch. Jorg Gray started with a tried and true area and several IndyCar drivers have such deals. I think this will work out nicely for them.

JG9100 13 Jorg Gray Watches Gets First Brand Ambassador With IndyCar Driver



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Richard Mille RM030 Watch

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RM030 front1 Richard Mille RM030 Watch

The new complication here in the Richard Mille RM 030 is quizzical to me. The idea is that the automatic rotor detaches from winding the mainspring is full. The mainspring has a total power reserve of 50 hours,rolex explorer replica, when it gets down to 40 hours, the rotor reattaches thanks to a type of clutch. Why? To theoretically assist with keeping the movement as safe as can be. Leave it to the people who make watches for use in tennis matches to consider the happiness of little machines. The irony makes me smile. I do love the clean face that still feels highly functional. I'd sport it.

Read my full article on the Richard Mille RM 030 watch at Haute Living here.

RM030 back Richard Mille RM030 Watch



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15300ST on a custom strap

Mar
12

I really like the Audemars Piguet stainless steel bracelet on the Royal Oak models, although it tapers a bit too much to my taste. However,replica watch wholesale,swiss rolex replica, I can hardly imagine someone would want to replace this incredibly genius piece of art with a leather strap. VikenB over at the Audemars Piguet forum did. This customized strap makes it a ‘different’ watch, although I clearly prefer the classic all-stainless steel look of the Royal Oak.


Photograph by VikenB.