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Top 10 Watches Of Baselworld 2015 ABTW Editors' Lists

Baselworld 2015 came and went seemingly faster than previous Baselworld watch trade shows. Maybe that is because team aBlogtoWatch met with so many brands, hour after hour, for a solid week. By our records, we formally met with about 85 watch brands in the hopes of capturing as wide a scope of what is new in the watch world as possible. That includes meetings with the big boy luxury watch makers such as Rolex, Patek Philippe, Omega, TAG Heuer, Breitling, and many more that represent most of the world’s high-end watch makers, as well as meetings with more mainstream producers of timepieces such as Bulova, Citizen, Seiko, Casio, and Victorinox Swiss Army. More so, we took the time to learn what smaller independent watch makers were doing to innovate and add variety to the world of not only mechanical timepieces, but also some interesting new electronic and smartwatches.

Top 10 Watches Of Baselworld 2015 ABTW Editors' Lists

Team aBlogtoWatch at Baselworld 2015; from left to right: David Bredan, James Stacey, Ariel Adams – with Mark Carson catching up with us just a bit later

Yes, smartwatches. With TAG Heuer’s loud “Biverian” announcement that they will soon release a smartwatch produced in partnership with Google Android Wear and Intel, the watch world was buzzing with plans for how they should adapt to the upcoming Apple Watch or merely offer their own take on dealing with the high-end “connected watch” market. Surprisingly, talk of the Apple Watch (whose April 2015 release date was announced just one week before Baselworld 2015) was not a common topic of conversation during our meetings with watch brands. The aBlogtoWatch team anticipated a lot more questions and discussions regarding what will likely be a highly disruptive product. While some brands certainly had feet in the world of connected electronic watches, comparisons or alternatives to the Apple Watch seemed slim.

Top 10 Watches Of Baselworld 2015 ABTW Editors' Lists

My guess is that brands did not feel they actually had anything to compete with Apple’s product and simply preferred not to bring it up too much. Other than TAG Heuer’s smartwatch announcement, the new brand Vector soft-launched a new smartwatch concept, Bulgari announced a magnesium Diagono with an NFC chip built in that connects with an electronic locker app, Frederique Constant was extremely bullish on their MMT platform-based Horological Smartwatch, and several year old Kairos finally showed off some close-to-being-complete watches that combine mechanical movements with digital screens.

Top 10 Watches Of Baselworld 2015 ABTW Editors' Lists
It is true that Zenith’s new Defy case feels a bit like that of the Hublot Big Bang. It isn’t a bad thing or an accident. Biver has long since found out that most new or younger watch lovers prefer something more bold, more edgy, more masculine, and certainly more visible than most vintage timepieces. For that reason, Zenith gold watch 1960 Replica is smart to combine exciting technology with a spirited design. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a watch brand debut a new movement or technical concept into a timepiece that looks like a boring dress watch. Are those conservative watch buyers the first ones to jump on something new? Heavens no. Another interesting conversation piece about the Defy Lab is how much of a showcase it is of Biver’s policy of “sharing” among the brands. The Zenith Defy Lab might be assembled at Zenith, but the case is made at (and developed by) Hublot, and the movement is produced (and developed) at TAG Heuer.The first 10 pieces of the Zenith Defy Lab watch will come in a 44mm wide case produced from something else which is exotic known as “Aeronith.” Hublot invented it at part of their materials science division that came up with things such as red ceramic and magic gold. Aeronith (or “the Swiss cheese of aluminum” as you might call it) is actually produced at Hublot’s facility in Nyon. Aeronith is apparently similar to aluminum alloys used in the naval world because it is both strong and corrosion-resistant. Aluminum is rarely used in watches because it is relatively fragile – but in special forms can prove to be a useful material. In person, Aeronith certainly feels impressively light, and in a lot of ways has the visual appearance of concrete (in a cool way).

For the most part, smartwatches are still not a major part of the traditional watch industry, but major groups like Swatch, Fossil, and Timex are clear that smartwatches are part of their short-term future strategies. In a sense, it was refreshing to see mostly traditional products with some lovely innovation and some eye-popping wild novelties destined for the privileged few. Let’s compare for a moment to SIHH 2015 which I determined was about catering to the most high-end demographic of watch buyers with more exclusive, diamond-decorated products that offered little in terms of novel R&D or new models.

Top 10 Watches Of Baselworld 2015 ABTW Editors' Lists

Baselworld is much more about all price brackets, and for the most part, I think it is safe to say that “good value” was something a lot of brands had in mind for their 2015 releases. That means lower priced models not only for the major groups, but also from the high-end independents where lower prices might mean $50,000 versus $100,000. The message to us was that the market was not only interested in lower-priced models, but expensive timepieces that deliver excellent value.

From a visual trend perspective, we were surprised at just how popular the color blue was. Literally all the major groups had impressive new blue-colored watches. That means brand new models in blue, but also a lot of existing models with new blue versions. I don’t know what it was about blue, but many of them were beautiful enough that we didn’t need to ask “why.” I think it is also safe to say that a lot of companies are adding smaller-sized watches to their collections, but at the same time, not abandoning larger-sized watches.

Top 10 Watches Of Baselworld 2015 ABTW Editors' Lists

It would be incorrect to say that there is a trend toward smaller timepieces, but rather, a trend toward rounding out brand collections to include smaller and larger watches. 40-44mm wide seems to be a common size this year with timepieces under 40mm wide being relatively uncommon, and brand new watches over 45mm wide only existing in the “novelty sport watch category.” Nevertheless,we saw an enormous amount of bold sport watches. Macho timepieces are certainly in, whether it is from a big brand like Omega or from smaller companies who are entirely dedicated to bold sport watches. For me, the message is that more and more companies are understanding the fun, fashionable nature of aggressively designed sport watches for men – and the popularity thereof.

Top 10 Watches Of Baselworld 2015 ABTW Editors' Lists

The aBlogtoWatch team had a difficult time (as always) selecting our list of the top 10 watches of Baselworld 2015. The watches on the list are by no means the only good watches from the show, but represent our relatively democratic agreement of what we feel comfortable recommending to a large pool of people. If you are into ultra-extravagant complicated timepieces, brands like Breguet, HYT and Jacob & Co. certainly have something for you. If you like more demure dress watches, then Bulgari, Frederique Constant, and Zenith watches san francisco Replica all have things you’ll be into. So without further ado, and in no particular order, here is aBlogtoWatch’s list of the top 10 watches for Baselworld 2015.

Top 10 Watches Of Baselworld 2015 ABTW Editors' Lists

Rolex Day-Date 40

Guessing what Rolex is going to come out with each year is a difficult task that most people get wrong, but oddly, I guessed that a new Day-Date model was on its way – and for 2015, there indeed is a new Rolex President (another name for the Day-Date). Rolex has discontinued the Day-Date II 41mm watch in favor of this brand new Day-Date 40 which is more than just a “facelifted” product. This is a totally new Day-Date watch, with updates concerning the case, bracelet, dial, and movement. The operative term here is “refinement.” The Rolex Day-Date 40 isn’t about changing the Day-Date, it is about making what has been successful better. The new caliber 3255 movement is more accurate and reliable, the bracelet links have new ceramic inserts for durability and comfort, the dial has more detailed hour markers and decoration, and the case has been carefully refined to really optimize the experience. Rolex has upped the ante with the Day-Date 40, making what they do even better – although, at the same time, it is a product without any real competition in the market. Exclusively in gold or platinum, the prices for the 2015 Rolex-Day Date 40 range from 33,200 CHF in Everose gold to 59,600 CHF in platinum.

Top 10 Watches Of Baselworld 2015 ABTW Editors' Lists

Ulysse Nardin Anchor Tourbillon

Classic looks and a lot of cool technology are what we like about the enamel-dialed Ulysse Nardin Anchor Tourbillon watch, that includes Ulysse Nardin’s new shock absorbing system in the tourbillon-based in-house made movement. Using a lot of silicon, the movement includes not only a tourbillon, but a constant force system as part of the regulator which has been designed with durability in mind. Wearing the Ulysse Nardin Anchor Tourbillon watch is a pleasant experience, offering a handsome classic design with a super legible dial, exposed tourbillon, and clever power reserve indicator display. In 18k white or rose gold, the Ulysse Nardin Anchor Tourbillon is priced from $84,000.

Top 10 Watches Of Baselworld 2015 ABTW Editors' Lists

Omega Seamaster Ploprof 1200M Co-Axial Master Chronometer

In 2007, Omega delighted enthusiasts by reintroducing the iconic Seamaster Ploprof from the 1970s. In 2015, Omega updated the Seamaster Proplof 1200M with some new tech, material updates, and more reasons to love this cult dive watch that enthusiast adore. The large and heavy Omega Seamaster Ploprof is now a lot lighter, being rendered entirely in titanium – which also includes the supplied mesh-metal bracelet. The watch now uses a ceramic bezel and has a cleaner looking dial without the date. Inside the Seamaster Ploprof 12000M watch for 2015 is Omega’s new 8900 family of in-house movements that is more or less an 8500 movement with the addition of anti-magentic parts and Omega’s new METAS certification – “Co-Axial Master Chronometer.” The new Omega Seamaster Ploprof 1200M Co-Axial Master Chronometer versions aren’t half bad either, but these continue to be pricey timepieces, starting at $12,500.

Top 10 Watches Of Baselworld 2015 ABTW Editors' Lists

Zenith Pilot Type 20 Extra Special Bronze

Zenith really got its entry-level priced pilot watch right this time. Last year’s Zenith Pilot Type 20 Extra Special watch was a great looking time-only version of the Type 20, but Zenith baffled consumers by including a Swiss Sellita automatic movement versus something produced in-house. For 2015, Zenith nails it with the new Zenith Pilot Type 20 Extra Special Bronze. The new 45mm-wide bronze metal case with the titanium caseback is excellent looking and wraps the vintage look in a case which feels both refined and a bit steampunk. Inside the Zenith Pilot type 20 Extra Special Bronze is an in-house made Zenith Elite caliber 679 automatic movement which the collection had served in the first place. Available later in 2015, the Zenith Pilot Type 20 Extra Special Bronze will be priced at $7,600.

Top 10 Watches Of Baselworld 2015 ABTW Editors' Lists

Tudor Pelagos Blue

We probably would not have included the Tudor Pelagos with the new blue dial on our top 10 watches of Baselworld 2015 list just for the new color scheme, even though they did it so well. However, in addition to the new blue dial and matching ceramic bezel, the Tudor Pelagos gets a brand new in-house made Tudor movement, known as the MT5612. With 70 hours of power reserve and a silicon hairspring, the new in-house movement not only offers a more integrated brand experience, but a modest price increase over the outgoing Tudor Pelagos that included a Swiss ETA automatic movement. Price for the Tudor Pelagos Blue is 4,200 Swiss francs.

Top 10 Watches Of Baselworld 2015 ABTW Editors' Lists

Breguet Tradition Chronograph Independent 7077

When Breguet puts their mind to something, the result is typically very impressive. The brand isn’t too open about their internal research and development, but they are among the few producers of classically-inspired watches that nevertheless utilize interesting and often new mechanical technology. If you are familiar with the basic concept of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Duometre, you will more or less understand the idea behind having two separate drive trains to power the part of the watch that indicates the time and the part of the watch that offers complications. The Breguet Tradition Chronograph Independent starts with a single mainspring system that powers a separate gear train and escapement for the time and for the chronograph. Each of the balance wheels spin at a different rate with a 5Hz balance for the chronograph and a 3Hz balance for the time. It all looks beautiful and is a treat to wear on the wrist for those who love watches because they love mechanical movements. Price for the Breguet Tradition Chronograph Independent 7077 is $78,900 in 18k rose gold and $79,700 in 18k while gold.

Top 10 Watches Of Baselworld 2015 ABTW Editors' Lists

TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer 01

It wasn’t until I put the first Carrera watch to come as a result of Jean-Claude Biver’s leadership of TAG Heuer on my wrist, that I could appreciate what he was trying to do with this new model – one that basically just looked like a skeletonized Carrera watch in early press pictures. This watch is going to be controversial among TAG Heuer lovers and it isn’t for everyone, but I think it is a positive move for the brand in its efforts to re-enliven itself as the demographic TAG Heuer. The brand once so popular with younger demographics had lost much of its entry-level appeal, being mostly interesting to more mature watch lovers with a soft place in their heart for the old days of Heuer and people like Steve McQueen. If TAG Heuer is going to be relevant to the younger demographic, it needs to appeal to their tastes with items that are more affordable. So what does that mean for this 45mm-wide steel and titanium Carrera watch with a dressed-up version of the in-house made caliber 1887 movement – that TAG Heuer is calling the caliber Heuer 01? It means TAG Heuer CEO Jean-Claude Biver is borrowing from his own success at watch brand Hublot (also an LVMH group company) and offering something with the same type of aesthetic look as the modern Big Bang, but much more affordable and at TAG Heuer. It’s brilliant, will likely piss off a lot of TAG Heuer traditionalists, and will ultimately be a sales success. Price for the TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 01 is 4,900 Swiss Francs.

Top 10 Watches Of Baselworld 2015 ABTW Editors' Lists

Glashutte Original Senator Observer

Where did all the Glashutte Original Senator sport watches go, such as their Navigator pilot watches and their Sport Evolution models? The Swatch Group’s German watch maker has been focusing on very classic or retro timepieces over the last several years, even though they have really stepped it up in terms of complexity and visual quality. Still, Glashutte Original enthusiasts have been eagerly anticipating a return of Glashutte Original sport watches and the Senator Observer is… well, sort of that. We will call it a transitional model that is certainly sporty, but still with the conservative feel of the brand. The Glashutte Original Senator Observer comes in a 44mm-wide steel case with a black dial and lovely 18k white gold hands and super legible, lume-painted dial. Inside the watch is the caliber 100-14 automatic movement with a big date indicator, subsidiary seconds dial, and power reserve indicator. Best of all, it comes on a sporty bracelet, in addition to the black leather strap. This is a watch that can be dressed up or down and I think will appeal to a lot of people. Retail price for the Glashutte Original Senator Observer with leather strap is 9,900 Euros and 11,100 Euros on the bracelet.

Top 10 Watches Of Baselworld 2015 ABTW Editors' Lists

Victorinox Swiss Army Airboss Mechanical Black Edition

The new Airboss Mechanical Black Edition watch collection from Victorinox Swiss Army takes the popular Airboss family of higher-end timepieces from the brand, and gives them an all-black case and red ring applied to the sapphire crystal. This three-hand model is handsome, legible, and, best of all, affordable. One thing we can typically say about Victorinox Swiss Army watches is that they offer a lot of value when measured against competitors. More so, even though the Victorinox Swiss Army Airboss Mechanical Black Edition has a degree of modern looks and a strong masculine feel, this is nevertheless a watch with enough timeless design to keep it relevant on your wrist for years to come. Price for the Victorinox Swiss Army Airboss Mechanical Black Edition is $995.

Top 10 Watches Of Baselworld 2015 ABTW Editors' Lists

Sarpaneva Northern Lights

Stepan Sarpaneva produces much of his own timepieces personally in his workshop in Helsinki. An artist and machinist, he is best known for his distinctive “moon face” moonphase indicator display on many of his watches that is actually inspired by his own face. Quirky and original, timepieces like Sarpaneva’s strike a major chord with those who like good watches produced in exclusive batches by passionate artists. For 2015, Sarpaneva teams up with Black Badger to create the Sarpaneva Northern Lights which takes one of his most successful designs and adds three different Black Badger lume dials in either purple, blue, or green. Black Badger produces not lume paint, but actual luminant composite materials that could be absolute game changers for the watch industry. Limited to just eight watches each, the Sarpaneva Northern Lights watches aren’t just amazingly cool, they are likely the start of a major new material trend. Price for the Sarpaneva Northern Lights limited edition watches is 14,500 Euros each.

Keep up with our pre-, post-, and live Baselworld 2015 coverage here.

Categories
Best Zenith Other Brands

Cheapest All You Need to Know About the Tudor MT5813 Chronograph Movement Japanese Movement Replica


Zenith El Primero Synopsis Watch Review Wrist Time Reviews

The Zenith El Primero arguably is one of the world’s finest and most interesting mechanical chronograph movements, a caliber that is as refined as it is reliable. Over the decades, it has been modified in countless ways – from complicated calendars to tourbillons, many complications have found their way into the El Primero. The movement itself has been used by famed brands and industry giants, like Rolex, TAG Heuer and many others. The Zenith El Primero Synopsis is a new-for-2014 line of watches that is built around this movement, albeit in a watch that may as well go down in history under the name of Zenith El Primero Paradox – so let us find out why that is, exactly.

For the year 2014, Zenith watches brand ambassador Replica had two quite surprising – and equally controversial – announcements up its sleeve. First, it announced that it will start using non-in-house made movements (Sellita SW-300 to be specific) in its Elite line of watches and, second, it debuted the El Primero Synopsis collection, a more high-end, time-only selection that was built around the famed chronograph movement El Primero… without its chronograph function. Many were inclined to shout “Blasphemy!” at the brand, but, as usual, things do start to make a bit more sense as they unfold.

Zenith El Primero Synopsis Watch Review Wrist Time Reviews

First, allow us to have a few words about the Sellita-based Elite, to help better understand how the Synopsis fits into the picture. As per (now ex-)Zenith CEO Jean-Frederic Dufour’s claims, by 2014, Zenith 3100 watch Replica has reached the very limits of its output capacity at around 50,000 movements, which was coupled with a steady single-figure growth year over year. “Single-figure” may not sound like much, but even at 5-7% growth, that deceptively small number necessitates the expansion of annual output by at least a few thousand movements. That consequently requires more people, more machinery, more space, more supply of raw materials – which in turn, makes the company act like a Jenga tower: growing constantly to a size greater than ever before, but also not as secure and steady as it had been.

Zenith El Primero Synopsis Watch Review Wrist Time Reviews

The ever increasing demand from different parts of the global market tends to trick companies into thinking that they are obliged to meet at least most of that extra demand. In this case, I presume Zenith (and its holding company LVMH) found that Sellita-supplied movements mean a relatively safe way of doing that, as it necessitates no stratospheric investments within the brand, and can be cut off relatively easily if the demand drops and/or if the expansion slows. Furthermore, Zenith hopes that this move will bring new customers to the brand thanks to a new and lower entry price point. Last but not least, the considerable margin on several-thousand dollar watches equipped with sourced movements may also have been a factor, making the expansion not just safe, but also profitable.

Zenith El Primero Synopsis Watch Review Wrist Time Reviews
I’ve not talked about how 108,000 bph sounds yet. You can certainly hear it. The various pieces of the Aeronith-cased Defy Lab I had evaluated sounded just a little bit different. That tells me that as more watches have higher-frequency movements, more attention will need to be paid to case materials because of how sound waves leak out. Even minor differences in the cases (given the structure of foamy aluminum) changed the sound profiles from the 15Hz movements. It is a pleasant sound, but fast paced given its manic rapidity. The watch is also comfortable on the wrist – and looking at the dial with its ever-vibrating Zenith Oscillator offers a fun animation to watch when you want something to distract your eyes.Upcoming models of the Zenith Defy Lab will maintain the same 44mm wide, 14.5mm thick case (water resistant to 50m), but I don’t think they will be in Aeronith. They will also cost much less than these more exclusive pieces. The watch community will be impressed with the relatively reasonable price, which I believe will be around 10,000 Swiss Francs. It is a cost that no longer requires watch lovers to consider between a new timepiece and a new car. The watch also allows watch addicts to have new conversations about accuracy and the performance of watch movements as being something worth caring about. For years mechanical watch lovers more or less convinced themselves that thinking about accuracy was sort of silly because your standard cheap quartz watch will most always best even an expensive mechanical watch when it comes to accuracy.

With the Synopsis, however, we are looking at an offering that is much more in line with what we would expect to see from a blue-blooded manufacture like Zenith. The meaning of the word Synopsis is “a brief summary or general survey of something,” and that something, in this case, is the famed El Primero movement. It has been said a million times before, but let us say it again: debuted in 1969, many consider the El Primero to be the first automatic chronograph wristwatch caliber. Zenith started working on its development in 1962, and therefore it took them seven years to develop this high-beat (36,000 beats per hour) monster of a movement – and this was at a time when no computer aided design (CAD) programs were available.

Zenith El Primero Synopsis Watch Review Wrist Time Reviews

Beyond the lack of CAD programs, there are dozens of other reasons why it took Zenith watches vancouver Replica seven years to come up with the El Primero – the same amount of time it took Patek to develop the Grandmaster Chime… The major challenges included lack of space – the automatic winding and all its wheels and support bridges, as well as the chronograph with its wheels, cams, and bridges, as well as the base movement with the date indication were to be crammed into a seemingly impossibly small space. This was topped with Zenith’s stubbornness to get the hugely challenging 5Hz speed out of the movement to make it the most accurate chronograph wristwatch ever made. Last but not least, the movement was designed from the ground up to be a fully integrated, inseparable whole.

Zenith El Primero Synopsis Watch Review Wrist Time Reviews

And with that, we have arrived to the “Paradox” nature of the Synopsis. First of all, it is this inseparable whole that has actually been separated for the Synopsis, ridding the El Primero from some of its chronograph parts, slimming down the original 6.60 millimeter thick movement (seen to the left above) to the Synopsis’ 5.58 millimeters (seen to the right). This seemingly negligible loss in thickness also indicates that not much was to be taken away: the El Primero really is a fully integrated movement, not allowing engineers to take a 2-3 millimeter thick module out and just run with it.

Zenith El Primero Synopsis Watch Review Wrist Time Reviews

Zenith El Primero Synopsis Watch Review Wrist Time Reviews

Second, this move shines light on Zenith’s rather conservative approach to the El Primero: it took them over 40 years to create the first watch that utilized the caliber’s capability of measuring 1/10th of a second (that happened with the Striking 10th in 2010, hands-on article here), and even more time to try and use the base of the movement in a collection offering the 5Hz speed and reliability, without the chronograph function (that was the Espada, in 2012).

With that, we should correct a common misbelief, and point out that the Zenith watches sale Replica El Primero Synopsis is not the first El Primero without a chronograph function – it was the Espada from two years ago which first pulled off this feat. Where the Synopsis stands out however, is that it offers a much more refined movement, which finally hacks (the Espada did not), and incorporates silicon parts in its construction.

Furthermore, the Zenith El Primero Synopsis offers a splendid look into the movement: one of its key design features is the large opening on the dial between the 8 and 12 o’clock positions. Under the uniquely shaped bridges, the fourth wheel, the escape wheel, pallet fork, and balance wheel are visible. The escape wheel and pallet fork shine in an iridescent hue of purple and blue, due to the fact that for this movement, they were crafted from silicon.

Zenith El Primero Synopsis Watch Review Wrist Time Reviews

Zenith El Primero Synopsis Watch Review Wrist Time Reviews

The Zenith El Primero Synopsis is an interesting offering in that, while it rids the El Primero of one of its key features, it also manages to refine the caliber in some interesting ways. A senior watchmaker of Zenith told me that the El Primero never previously offered a hacking function, simply due to the lack of space in the movement. Also, as per my understanding, most El Primero chronograph movements do not have silicon parts (there are but a handful of exceptions), while all Zenith El Primero Synopsis pieces come as standard with this upgrade.

The use of silicon components in the escapement is especially important when it comes to the El Primero. As I learned, one of the greatest challenges concerning the 5 Hz rate of the watch is linked to lubrication: this 25% increase from 4 to 5 Hertz means an exponentially greater wear on lubricants. In fact, Zenith had to develop new coating processes and lubricants in the 1960s to use for the original movement. Today, the use of silicon parts greatly eliminates this issue, as they require little to no lubrication, are lighter, more durable, and also require less frequent servicing. Last but not least, the silicon parts allow for a wider angle of lift in the escapement, making for higher amplitude and hence better timekeeping performance.

Zenith El Primero Synopsis Watch Review Wrist Time Reviews

Categories
Best Zenith Other Brands

Cheapest All You Need to Know About the Tudor MT5813 Chronograph Movement Japanese Movement Replica


BEST FROM: aBlogtoWatch & Friends September 12, 2014 ABTW Round-Ups

It’s been a long time coming, but it is finally here. Well, almost – it will actually go on sale only next year. Just days ago, Apple finally lifted the veil off its new smart watch, which is simply called the Apple Watch. Now, and even before it was unveiled, many are calling it the game changer, believing that it will have a profound and massive impact on the wearable technology industry. They are probably right; the watch is well made, looks relatively stylish, and has some good functionality. But what does it mean for the rest of the watch industry? Well, our Editor-in-Chief and founder Ariel weighs in with his thoughts.

Apart from the Apple Watch, we also check out another “smart” watch, albeit a more traditional one, in the form of Casio’s MRG-G1000. Find out why it is called the ultimate G-Shock in our hands-on article. Other new watches we checked out recently include Zenith’s very vintage-looking Pilot Montre d’Aeronef Type 20 GMT 1903, Cartier’s new Calibre Diver, and a personal favorite of mine, the Audemars Piguet “Jumbo” Ref. 15202. We also take a look at three interesting watches from independent brands Sarpaneva, Speake-Marin, and Habring2. Finally, we end off by looking at how American watch buyers’ tastes and buying habits have changed over the past two decades

1. Casio G-Shock MR-G Comes To America With Titanium Case & GPS, Is $3,000

BEST FROM: aBlogtoWatch & Friends September 12, 2014 ABTW Round-Ups

If Switzerland is home to the most complicated mechanical watches, Japan could arguably be said to be home to the most complicated digital or quartz watches. The new G-Shock MRG-G1000 from Casio is possibly the ultimate G-Shock. Like all G-Shocks, it is extremely shock resistant, hardy and tough, featuring Tough Solar power regeneration and also Tough Movement. What’s more, it features a GPS atomic function, which means that it can detect your location via GPS and then sync the time accordingly – not unlike the new Seiko Astron. If you appreciate high-end quartz watches, few come with as many features and gizmos as the new MRG-G1000.

Source: aBlogtoWatch

2. Zenith watches south africa Replica Pilot Montre d’Aeronef Type 20 GMT 1903 Watch Hands-On

BEST FROM: aBlogtoWatch & Friends September 12, 2014 ABTW Round-Ups

I have always been fascinated by Zenith’s Pilot Type 20 watches. What started as a limited edition 57.5mm watch in 2012 slowly grew into something of a sub-collection within Zenith’s Pilot collection of watches. And one of the new Pilot Type 20 watches this year that is based on that original limited edition watch from two years ago is the Pilot Montre d’Aeronef Type 20 GMT 1903 – a mouthful, I know. This watch, which commemorates the Wright Brothers’ first flight, is more reasonably sized at 48mm, but what is unique about it is its aged look. From the specially selected bund strap down to the aged lume, this watch looks as if it was really from 1903.

Source: aBlogtoWatch

3. 10 Interesting Facts About Marc Newson’s Watch Design Work At Ikepod

BEST FROM: aBlogtoWatch & Friends September 12, 2014 ABTW Round-Ups

If you need any more proof that Apple is serious about wearables, the company has just hired another luminary from the fashion and luxury business, Marc Newson. Of course, Newson’s work is not just limited exclusively to fashion – he has designed furniture as well – but he is arguably (at least among horological circles like ours) most famous for his work on the watch brand Ikepod. Needless to say, it is very likely that the design of future Apple wearables will be heavily influenced by Newson. Here are 10 interesting facts about Newson’s design work at Ikepod.

Source: aBlogtoWatch

4. Cartier Calibre Diver Watch Review

BEST FROM: aBlogtoWatch & Friends September 12, 2014 ABTW Round-Ups

Cartier has been making some really impressively complicated watches lately, but one of its stars this year is actually a relatively simple watch that tells only the time and date. I’m talking about the Cartier Calibre Diver watch. Despite its simple looks, it is actually an ISO 6425-certified dive watch. I’m not going to go into specifics, but it takes a lot more than just a diver’s bezel and 300 meter of water resistance to be ISO 6425 certified. And apart from being durable, Cartier also wanted its dive watch to be slim and classy enough for owners to take it from the beach to boardroom. All in all, I hope you can appreciate the strict criteria that the Calibre Diver watch has to meet.

Source: aBlogtoWatch

5. Your Feedback Is Requested In Regard To The Future Of Watch Media

BEST FROM: aBlogtoWatch & Friends September 12, 2014 ABTW Round-Ups

As Ariel puts it, managing a media business like ours that thrives on providing content to well-educated readers can be tricky. One of the tricky aspects is balancing growth while maintaining editorial integrity. And to do that we are seeking your opinion. Please, if you love reading our articles and care for the future of this site, I urge you to spend a few minutes to read what Ariel has to say and leave some comments below in the article. All opinions are welcomed.

Source: aBlogtoWatch

6. How Screwed Is The Watch Industry Thanks To The Apple Watch?

BEST FROM: aBlogtoWatch & Friends September 12, 2014 ABTW Round-Ups

Just a few days ago, Apple announced its smart watch. Called simply the Apple Watch, it is capable of displaying notifications from your iPhone and it also has some built-in functions such as a fitness and health tracker and a heart rate monitor. Prior to the launch, many have been hyping and raving about the watch, with some people even claiming that it will herald the end of the Swiss watch industry. But now that we know more, just how “screwed” is the rest of the watch industry? Ariel shares his thoughts.

Source: aBlogtoWatch

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I want to also mention that it is a huge deal that Zenith watches el primero chronomaster Replica even went so far as to make a claim about accuracy performance in their press release. I’ve read over a thousand wristwatch press releases and aside from Seiko (who routinely under-reports their wristwatches’ accuracy performance – for reasons again outside the scope of the conversation), Zenith is among a very small number of brands who actually make a specific claim about accuracy performance in their documentation. For Zenith and LVMH it is about increasing transparency according to Jean-Claude Biver (who is the head of watchmaking at the group).By Zenith indicating the average accuracy (performance varies under different wearing conditions) of the Defy Lab’s movement, they more or less put other brands at notice that if they want to boast about a watch “designed for high accuracy,” they actually need go the distance and make a specific claim about accuracy. This is a good time to discuss mechanisms like a tourbillon and how watch makers typically deal with such features. While a tourbillon was originally designed to increase the accuracy of a mechanical watch or clock movement, it doesn’t actually do that in many real world wristwatch applications. Thus, watch brands often rode a thin line by not actually commenting on a watch’s performance, while trying to bolster the story about what the mechanism was originally designed for. I have to applaud Jean-Claude Biver along with Zenith’s management and communication teams for going the distance and not only promoting an accurate watch, but actually telling people the type of performance that they can expect.

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For all-around watch nerdiness, both are compelling timepieces but clearly different. Both also share a fondness for silicon – which Zenith is backing in a big way these days. Silicon is what makes movements like the ZO 342 even possible. Replacing metal with silicon is how these parts are able to move quickly and reliably. Unlike metal, silicon isn’t affected by temperature or magnetism, and because it has much lower friction, it doesn’t require lubrication. More so, the ability to cut very small, very precise parts allows for mechanisms not previously available when metal was more or less the only material option. These manufacturing options combined with computer modeling software have allowed for a new generation of mechanical watch movements such as the ZO 342 that combine traditional concepts of how a small machine tells the time, with a lot of modern know-how.

HourTime Show Watch Podcast Episode 172: A Diver But Not For Diving HourTime Show

Watch buyers without deep pockets get our tips as we recap on the aBlogtoWatch article, “7 Ways To Survive As a Watch Lover On A Budget.” John and I have each used all of those tips ourselves. We also talk about DeBethune’s first diver’s watch, the 300 meter water resistant DB28 Grand Sport. Last, we ponder who buys (and why) highly limited edition, hand-engraved, and complicated interesting oddities like the Zenith watches official site Replica Academy Christoph Colomb Hurricane II.

Listen to the HourTime Show Watch Podcast Episode 172 here.

Direct MP3 download here.

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Zenith Academy Christophe Colomb Tribute To Felix Baumgartner Watch Watch Releases
The three small lines on the minute sub-dial, pointing to 3, 6 and 9, have undoubtedly piqued your interest. This was a feature found not only on the A273 but on a variety of vintage Zeniths, and while it might look flamboyant, it had an extremely utilitarian nature. I’m told (I wasn’t alive at the time to offer my own testimony) that these marked the intervals at which long-distance phone calls increased in price. Thus, the chronograph complication could help its owner in the rather mundane task of reducing his phone costs.The blued hands and champagne dial complement one another, each making the other more vibrant and visible. Typically, we would use a single color for a complication, like all chronograph hands being blue and all others being silver, but in keeping with the A273, we opted for the three sub-dial hands and the seconds hand to be blued while the hour and minute hands are silver. It’s not the most logical layout, but it has a very pleasing chromatic symmetry to it. Breaking with tradition, however, is the shape of the hands. The original A273 used sportier stick hands for hours and minutes, but we felt that the leaf-shaped hands better suited the dressy character that we were aiming for with the Timeless Chronomaster Heritage Chronometer. Conversely, we added a short counterbalance to the sub-dial hands because, being blue, they matched the similarly-shaped blued seconds hand, contributing a degree of consistency.

We love and respect Zenith for the El Primero, the rock solid, high-frequency automatic chronograph caliber – accepted by many as the first of its kind. Over the years, we have seen some very interesting modifications of that movement as well as some other intriguing concepts from the Le Locle based manufacturer. However, the Zenith Academy Christophe Colomb with its unique gyroscopic system is arguably the most impressive and technically challenging movement the now LVMH-owned company has produced since it debuted the El Primero in 1965. Today, Zenith has announced a new version of this gimbal-equipped movement, the Zenith Academy Christophe Colomb Tribute To Felix Baumgartner.

The brand also likes to call it a “tribute to the first 21st century extreme explorer,” and while that may be a bit of a stretch, Felix Baumgartner’s attempt to break the sound barrier with his own body in a free fall from the edge of space in 2012 – while wearing a Zenith Stratos (hands-on here) strapped to his spacesuit – deservedly put him in the spotlight around the world. Zenith was among the few sponsors of this daring adventure, and along with a number of different Stratos models, now pays tribute to Felix’s achievements through a limited edition of the Academy Christophe Colomb.

Zenith Academy Christophe Colomb Tribute To Felix Baumgartner Watch Watch Releases

What made the Academy Christophe Colomb so unique upon its debut back in 2010 was, of course, its “self regulating gyroscopic module” – which was a first in wristwatches. What Zenith did there was create a gimbal-like system that would hold the entire escapement in a horizontal position at all times, regardless the position of the watch itself. This allowed for superior timekeeping performance as the balance wheel and the hairspring were constantly in a horizontal position – allowing for near-perfect regulation. This unique design necessitated a rather extraordinary looking sapphire bulb that extended from the pane of the caseback and the front.

Zenith Academy Christophe Colomb Tribute To Felix Baumgartner Watch Watch Releases

This layout, the gimbal-system, the sapphire bulb and the hefty, 45 millimeter diameter remained the trademark design elements of the several limited editions of the Academy Christophe Colomb – the Tribute to Felix Baumgartner follows the Christophe Colomb Hurricane (hands-on here) and the 3-watch set Hurricane Revolución (debuted here), a version of which depicted Ernesto “Che” Guevara engraved in the center of the case back.

The Zenith Academy Christophe Colomb Tribute To Felix Baumgartner version will be limited to just 10 pieces and will depict Felix standing on the edge of the capsule of his balloon, right before he makes the jump. A large portion of the dial is in is in turquoise, representing the Earth in a more abstract way, while the upper section of the base of the dial shows the Milky Way in aventurine, as though it were viewed from the stratosphere. Time is displayed on the subdial at the top of the dial, which has a thin white line added to it between the 0 and 4 minutes positions, as a tribute to Felix’s jump that lasted 4 minutes and 20 seconds. Running seconds are displayed at the 9 o’clock position, serving as an horology-themed – and rather odd-looking – geographic element; while remaining power reserve is indicated at 3 o’clock.

Zenith Academy Christophe Colomb Tribute To Felix Baumgartner Watch Watch Releases

The case back will feature an 18k gold power reserve bridge that illustrates the Austrian base jumper, his capsule, and the Earth. These three elements are surrounded by statistics data of his fall, including its height and the fastest speed that he achieved – 28,969 meters and 1,357 km/h, respectively. The watch will be cased in DLC coated platinum, a highly unusual combination that we have very scarcely seen before in high-end watchmaking.

And while the Academy Christophe Colomb – with its unique dial layout and gyroscopic carriage containing 171 components – is indeed a very impressive achievement in fine watchmaking, with the Zenith Academy Christophe Colomb Tribute To Felix Baumgartner, along with the aforementioned versions of this collection and some other, rather confusing releases of the brand (including the Rolling Stones and Russel Westbrook limited editions), Zenith does appear to be moving away from some of the more subdued classic designs that made them popular again with enthusiasts. Price for the Zenith Academy Christophe Colomb Tribute To Felix Baumgartner is $275,000zenith-watches.com

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Zenith has always held a special place for me. From a fairly young age, not long after high school, the brand occupied an elite status in my mind. More specifically, it was and remains in my top two favorite brands of all-time, the other being Grand Seiko. In my mind, they offered two intriguing sides to the same high-frequency coin. Where Grand Seiko possessed a certain austerity to it, a degree of refinement I found in few, if any other places, Zenith watches how good Replica was quite the opposite. Zenith might be a Swiss brand, but it always seems to have an American-grade boldness to it, a panache matched by none, at least none with Zenith’s horological pedigree. And thus, my two favorite watch brands were chosen: a restrained and sophisticated dress watch and a wild, avant-garde sports watch. Why can’t one watch just be both?Zenith, to their credit, almost had an answer to my question already: the criminally overlooked A273, a classic chronograph that had a measure of civility to it. Yet the A273 itself had committed an offense: it was offered during the same basic time frame as the legendary tri-color El Primero. Because of this coexistence, it was doomed to be overshadowed by its more prolific brother, which continues to be available today. Unlike the El Primero, the A273 was powered by a beautiful, yet far less revolutionary, hand wound movement. There it remained, largely unnoticed even among Zenith collectors, awaiting the time it too would receive the El Primero.

Limited Edition Zenith watches zurich Replica El Primero Rolling Stones Watch Watch Releases

Zenith watches has collaborated with the legendary rock band The Rolling Stones for a new limited watch called the Zenith El Primero Chronomaster 1969 Tribute to the Rolling Stones. It was just a few days ago that we spent some time with Zenith as they exhibited in Las Vegas, and it was then that we learned a major partnership was coming up really soon.

Limited Edition Zenith watches malaysia Replica El Primero Rolling Stones Watch Watch Releases

While we could sense they were very excited about it, they remained extremely secretive about it until this very moment: today it became official that the brand will start a unique collaboration with the absolutely remarkable rock band The Rolling Stones. We will note that deep inside we had hoped they would not repeat the rather upsetting fiasco of the limited edition in part dedicated to Che Guevara… and to our most pleasant surprise they went for this much more positively exciting collaboration. The first piece dedicated to this partnership is the Zenith El Primero Chronomaster 1969 Tribute To The Rolling Stones.

Limited Edition Zenith El Primero Rolling Stones Watch Watch Releases

The legendary El Primero chronograph movement inside has seen countless different variations and we have several articles about what is widely accepted to be the first wristwatch movement with a chronograph function and automatic winding. This time around, it is housed in the 42 millimeter wide retro-inspired case and is partially revealed by the “open-heart” dial.

Speaking of the latter, while it sports the trademark El Primero colors from 1969 with the silver base color and grey and blue sub-dials, Zenith watches automatic Replica decorated it with what has to be one of the most famous and widely recognized logos in the history of popular music: the unique “Tongue and Lip Design” logo of The Rolling Stones, created by John Pasche in 1971.

Limited Edition Zenith El Primero Rolling Stones Watch Watch Releases

Located in the sub-dial at the 6 o’clock position, this distinct design element is what sets the 250-piece limited edition of the El Primero Chronomaster 1969 apart from its non-limited counterparts. And while it may not be noticeable from across the room, true fans of “The Stones” will certainly love this unusual mixture of modern and retro design elements, stirred up with the addition of one of the world’s most instantly recognizable symbols of rock and roll.

Limited Edition Zenith watches catalogue Replica El Primero Rolling Stones Watch Watch Releases

While Zenith remains unclear about how this partnership will continue, or what other models may be dedicated to “The Stones” and the timeless rock and roll lifestyle they represent, we can totally imagine the band wearing one of these tribute pieces on stage. The price for one of the 250 pieces of the Zenith El Primero Chronomaster 1969 Tribute to The Rolling Stones is $9,800. zenith-watches.com

For all-around watch nerdiness, both are compelling timepieces but clearly different. Both also share a fondness for silicon – which Zenith watches 1990 Replica is backing in a big way these days. Silicon is what makes movements like the ZO 342 even possible. Replacing metal with silicon is how these parts are able to move quickly and reliably. Unlike metal, silicon isn’t affected by temperature or magnetism, and because it has much lower friction, it doesn’t require lubrication. More so, the ability to cut very small, very precise parts allows for mechanisms not previously available when metal was more or less the only material option. These manufacturing options combined with computer modeling software have allowed for a new generation of mechanical watch movements such as the ZO 342 that combine traditional concepts of how a small machine tells the time, with a lot of modern know-how.

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The Great Team ABTW Holiday 2014 Fantasy Secret Santa Anti-Gift-Guide Watch Gifting Experiment ABTW Editors' Lists

Looking for a last-minute gift guide to help you choose a watch for a friend or loved one? Then keep on walkin’, ’cause this ain’t that. There are watches and “gifts” in this article, but this isn’t a “gift guide” where we just show you some watch stars from this year, and tell you what we think you should buy. We feel that’s not actually entirely realistic and rarely helpful in real life. Instead, we decided it might be fun to do a “Fantasy” Secret Santa this year, with all our team members, and do a real-life, real-watches (meaning relatively accessible), real people (with fantasy money), watch “gifting” exchange, and see what happens. Our hope is to provide anecdotal insight into the thought process, some wisdom about watches (and gifting), and perhaps some entertainment.

We’ve all been there. We want to share with a loved one the same joy we experience for a watch we love. We want that person to feel that good about something that we also love and then share that feeling with them as a positive bond. It’s the feeling we want to give, more than the “thing” itself. That seems to drive most sincere gift-giving in general. The challenge here, then, is to choose something that has a decent shot at achieving watch bonding bliss.

We thought we’d conduct an experiment. Watches are subtle and evoke an emotional response; choosing a watch to wear is a very personal experience. So, choosing one for someone else naturally introduces new levels of complexity and potential pitfalls. In the end, is it just a 50/50 hit-or-miss coin-toss-crap-shoot, or even if you know them well, can you really be sure that you are giving them something they will truly enjoy?

Let’s find out!

I put every aBlogtoWatch team member’s name into a big fluffy Santa hat (okay, a randomizer I found online), and randomly drew names to pair each team member with another for whom they would anonymously choose a watch from 2014. I then informed each person who they were “shopping” for, and gave them a deadline to choose a “gift” and write about why they chose that watch for that person. I then informed each recipient what their watch was, and gave them a deadline to write about their “gift.” And hilarity ensued.

At the time of publication, no one knows the identity of their Secret Santa, nor the reasons behind their Santa’s choice. I’m on-the-fence about whether bribery is an option, but in most cases, I’ll be taking these Secret Santa identities with me to my grave. Will it prove to be a team-building experience? Or will it drive us further apart than our home lands have already flung us?

So here it is, in no particular order, the unvarnished truth. Many choices were perfect hits. In other instances, it would seem that great watches are not gifted, they are re-gifted.

1. Zenith El Primero: Original 1969

The Great Team ABTW Holiday 2014 Fantasy Secret Santa Anti-Gift-Guide Watch Gifting Experiment ABTW Editors' Lists

Secret Santa Says:

I chose the Zenith El Primero Original 1969. While the natural choice for James would be a vintage watch, we are sticking to more recent fare so I think the El Primero Original 1969 is just right. If, like me, you check analogshift.com daily, you’ll know that James likes steel sport watches (often chronographs) with notable movements, timeless appeal and a splash of color (who doesn’t?).

The Zenith watches amazon Replica El Primero Original 1969 offers all that and more. Rocking a legendary Zenith El Primero 400 automatic chronograph movement that runs at a silky smooth 36,000 vph, the Original 1969 has the chops to back up its serious yet sporting look. As an additional nod to James’ vintage tastes, I’ve opted for the Original 1969 version that features both a 38 mm case and the classic Zenith tri-color dial. It may not be vintage, but I think it’s the next best thing.

James Lamdin Says:

It seems my reputation as ABTW’s resident “vintage guy” is well known amongst my colleagues! Although I readily enjoy the opportunities to play with interesting new timepieces, the bulk of timepieces in my personal collection are from the past. Fortunately for me, there are some great modern watches on the market that not only take their design cues from historical models, but are truly reissues of the originals – as evidenced by the sublime Zenith watches chrono24 Replica El Primero Original 1969 presented to me this year by my Secret Santa.

Originally launched in – you guessed it – 1969, the first El Primero (reference A386) was one of the world’s first automatic chronographs, and arguably the most advanced. Featuring a hi-beat movement with 36,000 vph and a stunning tri-color layout on the subsidiary registers, the world’s first El Primero has gone on to become a truly collectible timepiece, and is the historical foundation for an entire line of modern chronographs for Zenith.

In my opinion, this modern version is every bit as excellent as the true original of nearly five decades ago, and features the same case dimensions and dial design of the ’69 model. Zenith is, in my opinion, one of the most misunderstood modern manufactures, and offers a superlative product for a relatively meager sum. A386s can be pretty hard to come by (believe me, I’ve looked), and the Original 1969 is a truly fantastic alternative I’d be proud to own and wear. Thanks, Secret Santa!

The Great Team ABTW Holiday 2014 Fantasy Secret Santa Anti-Gift-Guide Watch Gifting Experiment ABTW Editors' Lists

This is a photo of the version released this year as a tribute to the Rolling Stones we announced here.


2. Omega Seamaster 300 Co-Axial

The Great Team ABTW Holiday 2014 Fantasy Secret Santa Anti-Gift-Guide Watch Gifting Experiment ABTW Editors' Lists

Secret Santa Says:

I chose the Omega Seamaster 300 for Kenny because his analog tastes mirror my own; we value history, form-follows-function design, and our possessions are a true reflection of our tastes. As a man who prefers three pedals to two, and mechanical movements with analog displays to quart digital, I felt that Kenny would appreciate the heritage-inspired design of the Seamaster 300, a properly modernized version of the storied professional diver from Omega. In addition to its killer vintage looks, the Seamaster 300 features a number of contemporary design elements, including the ceramic outer bezel and the brilliant Co-Axial movement – features I believe would appeal to Kenny’s equal interest in modern technical gadgetry and horology.

Kenny Yeo Says:

I was pleasantly surprised that the Omega Seamster 300 Co-Axial was chosen for me because it is my favorite watch that Omega released this year. The vintage-inspired design is just fantastic, and then there is a cool Master Co-Axial movement which is highly anti-magnetic and uses silicon components to improve timekeeping and reliability. And of course there is the beautifully crafted bracelet which has a micro-adjustment feature. All in all, I think the Seamaster Co-Axial is really great watch and I’m really happy to receive it as a gift.


3. A. Lange & Sohne Richard Lange Perpetual Calendar “Terraluna”

The Great Team ABTW Holiday 2014 Fantasy Secret Santa Anti-Gift-Guide Watch Gifting Experiment ABTW Editors' Lists

Secret Santa Says:

I chose the A.Lange & Sohne Richard Lange Perpetual Calendar for David because I think it is the coolest release from the German powerhouse this year. Not only does it look great, it also has some really nifty features, such as being able to use the back of the watch to tell which part of the world is receiving light. I think these are qualities he would appreciate in a watch.

David Bredan Says:

The Lange Terraluna is a wonderful pick that I have liked for many reasons: to put it simply, it possibly is the most complicated watch ever made by one of the greatest brands in high-end watchmaking. Chances are I’d wear it “inside out” with the movement and that terrific moon phase facing up.

The Great Team ABTW Holiday 2014 Fantasy Secret Santa Anti-Gift-Guide Watch Gifting Experiment ABTW Editors' Lists


4. 1987 Rolex Day Date, Blue Tiffany Dial

The Great Team ABTW Holiday 2014 Fantasy Secret Santa Anti-Gift-Guide Watch Gifting Experiment ABTW Editors' Lists

Ed. note: Yes, the rules are that the watch be from this year, but this particular Secret Santa is expecting a baby any second now, so I gave him a pass because he’s temporarily half out of his mind and just a liiiittle scary right now ? Love ya, man. It’s all good. Everything’s going to be fine. Good choice.

Secret Santa Says:

Why I chose this watch:

Victor is a father of two, and all that hard work definitely deserves a solid gold Rolex Day Date!

I chose this specific watch (shown) from a more recent auction as it looks great on a NATO strap (which I think Victor prefers) and the Tiffany dial is a neat anomaly in Rolex history.

It’s got substance and style, without being showy or vulgar.

Victor Marks Says:

Respect the classics, man. The Rolex Day-Date is the height of Rolex, and the Tiffany & Co. dial is the height of all Day-Dates. On a NATO instead of solid gold bracelet, it changes from ostentatious to whispering, “I’m wearing the best and don’t give a damn.” I had never before considered myself a gold-watch-person, but seeing this combination, I would happily wear this daily. As a go-go-80s guy, this is awesome. Awesome to the max.


5. Romain Jerome Batman-DNA Watch

The Great Team ABTW Holiday 2014 Fantasy Secret Santa Anti-Gift-Guide Watch Gifting Experiment ABTW Editors' Lists

Secret Santa Says:

Why I chose this Romain Jerome Batman-DNA for Patrick Kansa: because underneath the veneer of the family-man-tech-geek-watch-nerd in fact lies the superhero that defends his hometown of Gotham (i.e., Chicago)… Seriously, this is a man, coming from a tech background, who likes his complications rendered impeccably, but who likes to fly under the radar. As Batman is known for his radar manipulation, what better to match his rubber underwear? And really, this watch touches the boy in all of us while still proving adult, elegant, and horologically insane. Now, if he’s a really good boy in 2015 (i.e., gets his pieces in on time) he’ll get one of these: Memorigin Batman Tourbillon Watch.

What Patrick Kansa Says:

When I got word of what my gift selection was, I frankly was not all that surprised – in some ways, I am pretty predictable. If you have a look at my author bio, you will see right in there that I am an avowed Bat-fan. So, when word came in that it would be the Romain Jerome Batman DNA watch as my selection, I took it in gleeful stride.

To be sure, it would have been a much cooler watch had there been some actual “DNA” from a Batmobile in the mix, but it seems that was not in the cards. As far as Batsymbol watches go, this one is pretty sweet. The dial itself calls to mind the “broken skyline” that was used in movie promotions, and the look of the watch when the luminant is going is plain cool (though, again, the fanboy in me wonders if a yellow tinted lume would not have been more appropriate).

That all said, should one of these somehow actually land on my wrist (and I am fairly certain that will not be happening), it would be truly appreciated. At least, until it got locked away in a safe awaiting the time to start paying for college tuition for the kids! As this is all make-believe, though, I will say this – the person who made this selection was spot-on.


6. Bulova Accutron II Spaceview Watch

The Great Team ABTW Holiday 2014 Fantasy Secret Santa Anti-Gift-Guide Watch Gifting Experiment ABTW Editors' Lists

Secret Santa Says:

When I was first informed I would be choosing a watch for Mark, this is the only watch that came to mind. I chose this watch for Mark Carson because there is something about it I felt would invoke fond nostalgia for whatever he was doing in the ’70s, as the original is so iconic (not saying I am old enough to remember this, this is anonymous, right?). I personally love the updated look and cool geek-out factor this watch presents and when I see it, it does remind me of the look of his own watches he makes.

Mark Carson Says:

My first thought was “What have the elves put into Santa’s pipe?” Why would St. Nick have selected a quartz watch for me of all people? Then I had to step back and consider the wisdom of the gift.

After all, I have enough mechanical watches (of my own design), so really how often do I dare get caught wearing someone else’s mechanical watch? But quartz is another matter. We all have some, and sometimes they are still the watch of choice. For example, until recently, my “go to the movies watch” was a back-lit quartz piece. If you need a grab and go watch, quartz is hard to beat. And some features (timers, alarms, compass, temperature, etc.) can only be found on quartz watches (or mechanical ones starting at well above my pay grade). So there will always be a place for some quartz watches in my watch box.

The Great Team ABTW Holiday 2014 Fantasy Secret Santa Anti-Gift-Guide Watch Gifting Experiment ABTW Editors' Lists

Back when I was a young man in the early 70s, the watch brands commonly known were Timex and Bulova. I had also heard of Omega and Longines, but that was about it. And Bulova was considered a Cadillac, to Timex being the Chevy of the watch world. I recall seeing the tuning fork Accutron on TV. Bulova had done a good job of creating a buzz (pun intended) around the Accutron. It was high tech, accurate, and very cool. Not your father’s watch! I wanted one, simple as that.

After a while, I finally went to a jewelry store to buy one, but the salesman told me that there was this even newer, more accurate watch which used a quartz crystal. I wondered why anyone would put a rock (OK, mineral) in a watch and how that would do anything useful. The tuning fork, I could sort of understand. I ended up with the quartz watch, taking it on faith that this was even newer tech. But I always considered the original Accutron a lost love.

Fast forward too many decades, and I can now have my cake and eat it too. The new Bulova Accutron II Spaceview has the same visual appeal as the original Spaceview but with a Precisionist movement you can be proud to wear. With a sweeping seconds hand, uber-accuracy, and the retro high-tech look of the 70s, what’s not to love?

I’m with Ariel, when he reviewed the Accutron II in that my favorite reference would be the one with the gold toned face and brown leather strap. Full retro, yet a classic combination. And the case shape reminds me of the rotor of a Mazda rotary engine – which was also high tech engineering around the same time as the original Accutron.

The best gifts are those you don’t expect, but are pleasantly surprised and pleased to receive. So, thanks Santa, you know me better than I know myself sometimes.


7. ​Panerai Luminor Marina 8 Days Titanio (PAM00564)

The Great Team ABTW Holiday 2014 Fantasy Secret Santa Anti-Gift-Guide Watch Gifting Experiment ABTW Editors' Lists

Secret Santa Says:

I chose the Panerai Luminor Marina 8 Days Titanio watch for Zen, as it is a really cool, stylish, and versatile watch. Since Zen is our copy editor, I felt that a watch with a bold dial sporting really clear luminescent indices is a must when it comes to beating late night deadlines. In addition, copy editing can be quite time-consuming, and thus, the 8 day power reserve ensures winding only once a week.

Zen Love Says:

I got the Panerai Luminor Marina 8 Days Titanio (PAM 00564) from my Secret Santa, and it is uncannily close to a bull’s eye for me. In fact, it was only in the past couple days that I had identified a very similar Panerai Luminor Marina as one I wanted to go try on. He knows when I’m sleeping, awake, and is monitoring my online searches? Anyway, nicely done, Secret Santa!

While not a budget option for most people, a Panerai is, perhaps, a safe choice as a guy’s gift, because they are masculine, classic, and seem to match (or enhance!) a wide range of personalities, lifestyles, and styles of dress. While as a gift choice, it does not seem to say anything about me personally, that versatility is famously part of Panerai’s character and charm. There are many small differences among Panerai models, but I particularly like the Luminor cases, crown guards, and their 300 meter water resistance. The PAM 00564 may further be a safe choice, because titanium renders what is a large and chunky (44mm wide) case lighter and more wearable. Thank you, Secret Santa, for judging me to have been good this year!

Left-handed? Check out the Hands-On we did on the Panerai Luminor Submersible Left-Handed Titanio PAM569 here.


Biver’s vision for relevancy by watch makers in the future includes the bold but practical notion that watch makers need to use their skills to produce parts for other companies such as those that produce medical equipment or robotics. If the silicon part-making arm of a watch maker only needs 30% of the capacity of its output, then it is only possible to do business if the other 70% of that output is used to sell products others can buy. Biver feels there are loads of applications watch brands could thrive in being successful at serving, which could help them earn income allowing them the luxury to keep making mechanical watches on the side. I’ve not heard better ideas for how to maintain the complicated and arguably too-large-for-the-current-market industrial core of the Swiss watch industry.Going back to the Defy Lab we have a movement which is not a chronograph. If you want a speedy Zenith chronograph, then allow me to recommend the also recently released Zenith Defy El Primero 21. Both the Defy Lab and Defy El Primero 21 share a case design and are clearly in the same family. The Defy Lab is a 15Hz time-only watch, whereas the Defy El Primero 21 is a time and chronograph watch with a 5Hz oscillator for the time and a secondary 50Hz oscillator for the chronograph.

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The second, more impressive feature, however, is its unusually high frequency. It beats 10 times per second, or 36,000 BPH, 25% faster than an ordinary modern watch, but an astonishing 100% faster than many watches at the time it was released. It quickly developed a strong reputation for accuracy and precision. In fact, the El Primero in this watch is, if the name didn’t give it away, a certified chronometer, and it thus carries with it a greater guarantee of accuracy than even most other El Primeros. Because it’s one of very few chronographs that beats 10 times per second, it can also measure events in 0.1 second increments, supposing that your reaction time is up to the challenge.One reason that our Timeless Chronomaster Heritage has been able to avoid the obesity that’s befallen many of its counterparts is because the El Primero is what is commonly called an integrated chronograph. In general, there are two kinds of chronographs, integrated ones, like you see here, and modular chronographs, which are also very common. Modular chronographs take an ordinary, non-chronograph movement and add a chronograph module to it. This makes it relatively easy for a company to produce chronographs because it doesn’t require the creation of an all-new movement from scratch, but it generally results in thicker than necessary movements.

Zenith El Primero Stratos Spindrift Racing Watch Hands-On Hands-On

For a while now, Zenith has been a sponsor of the Spindrift Racing team – a group involved in catamaran sailboat racing. Here is one of their latest El Primero watches to celebrate that partnership, and it is actually pretty cool. Boat racing is a popular activity that luxury watch brands like to attach themselves to because a disproportionately large number of wealthy people follow the sport. That is probably because people follow sports they can relate to, and mostly those people who own or sail boats are going to be interested in sailboat racing. As such, I’ve tried to understand where Spindrift Racing competes and in what types of events… and I am pretty lost, given my unfamiliarity with what seems like obscure European port cities. At least I know something about watches.

The newest set of Sprindrift Racing watches are an interesting lot, and consist of two Zenith watches price philippines Replica El Primero Stratos Sprindrift Racing timepieces. Each offers a unique combination of the Stratos-style case and the open-dial associated with some other Zenith watches. This is the all-black ref. 75.2060.4061/21.R573 “phantom model” in a DLC-coated steel case. The other version of the Zenith El Primero Stratos Spindrift Racing is the ref. 86.2060.4061/21.R573 which has a two-tone titanium and 18k rose gold case.

Zenith El Primero Stratos Spindrift Racing Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Zenith El Primero Stratos Spindrift Racing Watch Hands-On Hands-On

For an all-black watch, the legibility is pretty good on this timepiece because of the various shades of black and gray on the dial, as well as the different textures and finishing. That means that Zenith was able to pull off a phantom look, without a timepiece that is difficult to read. Of course, there is some color in the open part of the dial where you can see elements of the in-house made Zenith El Primero movement.

Jean-Claude Biver – the person who heads the watch division at LVMH – joked that you could probably rename the Zenith watches in singapore Replica brand to “El Primero” given how important the in-house produced El Primero movements are to the brand’s overall persona and marketing strategy. While there have been a few 2014 models released with Swiss Sellita movements rather than in-house made El Primero or Elite movements, what I hear is that such practices will stop. Being a producer of their own movement is really important to Zenith, and they will maximize that element of their brand as much as possible.

Zenith El Primero Stratos Spindrift Racing Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Zenith El Primero Stratos Spindrift Racing Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Zenith El Primero Stratos Spindrift Racing Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Speaking of movements, the Zenith watches greece Replica El Primero Stratos Sprindrift Racing watch contains the manufacture El Primero caliber 4061 automatic chronograph movement. What makes an El Primero an El Primero is its 5Hz (36,000 bph) operating frequency. This is above most other mechanical watches that operate at 4Hz (or less). The chronograph has a column-wheel transmission, while the movement has about 50 hours of power reserve.

In the interest of performance, the 4061 has a lever and escapement in silicon. These elements can be viewed through the open window on the dial of the watch whose shape is meant to look like three stacked circles. In addition to seeing the regulator, the window has has a three-pronged running seconds hand. The rest of the dial has more traditional subdials for the chronograph hour and minute counters.

Zenith El Primero Stratos Spindrift Racing Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Zenith El Primero Stratos Spindrift Racing Watch Hands-On Hands-On

This open window on the dial is rather unlike most of the other Stratos watches, though it can be found on some other Zenith watches finance Replica models. The rest of the case is pure (black) Stratos with the rotating diver’s-style bezel and 100 meters of water resistance. If you are interested in sport watches with some skeletonization of the dial, then this version of the Zenith El Primero Stratos is going to hard to pass by.

At 45mm wide on the wrist, the Stratos has never been a small watch, but it does wear handsomely. I would normally say that I prefer watches of this ilk on a bracelet, but that isn’t actually true here. I personally don’t like the bracelet that Zenith supplies with many of their Stratos models. It looks nice enough but pulls hair and does not offer enough micro adjustment. Thus, that leaves the Stratos to live comfortably on a range of straps such as this black rubber and fabric strap that works well with the overall aesthetic.

Zenith El Primero Stratos Spindrift Racing Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Zenith El Primero Stratos Spindrift Racing Watch Hands-On Hands-On

Zenith El Primero movements are rarely a poor choice and it is nice to see that Zenith watches images Replica offers a healthy variety of them. It is easy to suggest that all well-rounded watch collections include at least one El-Primero based timepieces. For the Stratos Spindrift model in this black DLC-coated case the theme is modern and sporty. You even have a carbon fiber dial. Zenith has experimented in the past with an all carbon fiber case in the El Primero Lightweight Limited Edition Skeletonized watch.

Overall, this is a rather cool and unique Zenith model even if you don’t at all care about the brand’s relationship with Spindrift Racing or sailing. Prices for the Zenith El Primero Stratos Spindrift Racing watch in DLC steel is $9,100 and in titanium and 18k rose gold it is $22,600. zenithwatches.com

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Zenith El Primero Sport Watch Watch Releases

It’s open season for Baselworld 2015 releases and Zenith watches melbourne Replica has joined the chorus with a new chronograph simply called the Zenith El Primero Sport. Sporting (sorry) a recognizable Zenith design language and a large steel case, the Zenith El Primero Sport looks like a no-nonsense automatic chronograph from one of oldest names in the game.

To create a sportier version of the Zenith watches qatar Replica El Primero chronograph, Zenith opted for a 45mm steel case similar in size to that of the El Primero Lightweight. Knowing they had the movement on lock, Zenith outfitted the Zenith El Primero Sport with a screw down crown and pushers (ensuring 200m water resistance) and an upsized and luminous set of hands and markers.

Zenith El Primero Sport Watch Watch Releases

Buyers will have the choice of a slate grey (above) or light silver (bottom) dial and both feature a bright red seconds hand and matching “36,000 VPH” text. Being an El Primero, the Zenith El Primero Sport rocks Zenith’s 5Hz El Primero 400 B automatic integrated column wheel movement. With a maximum measure of 12 hours and a resolution of 1/10th of a second, the 400 B is no slouch, and it finds a natural fit in a watch like the Zenith El Primero Sport.

Beyond the choice of dial color, Zenith 2400 watch Replica has also optioned three different mounts for the Zenith El Primero Sport, including a brown alligator strap, a metal bracelet with a triple folding clasp, and a rubber strap. I really like the look of the slate dial on the rubber strap (below), it gives the Zenith El Primero Sport a bit of a motorsport vibe that works really well with the red seconds hand.

Zenith El Primero Sport Watch Watch Releases

The dial is pure El Primero but when compared against many of it’s siblings, the hands and markers appear to have been enlarged. Legibility looks to be excellent and, just as to be expected on an El Primero, there is a tachymetre scale along the outer edge of the dial.

A quick scan of the current Zenith El Primero helps to explain the choice of a 45mm case. While there are many options at 42mm, the 45mm sizing has been mostly reserved for for more expensive pieces like Stratos Flyback Rainbow or the Chronomaster Bullitt. If you prefer your watches on the larger side, it’s hard to argue a solid chronograph that adds uncommon (to Zenith) features like screw-down crowns and 200m water resistance.

Zenith El Primero Sport Watch Watch Releases

The Zenith watches in pakistan Replica El Primero Sport will be priced from $11,000 USD on a strap and $11,600 USD on the steel bracelet, making it a more accessible entry point than that offered by most of Zenith’s other 45mm alternatives. If Zenith can find customers who want 45mm watches (not a tough task), then the Zenith El Primero Sport should  prove to be very appealing. zenith-watches.com

Keep up with our pre-, post-, and live Baselworld 2015 coverage here.

When is it a good idea to go “all metal” and invest in a truly classic timepiece? I would say when you are looking for hand-finished decoration and other aesthetic elements which define a particularly classic look. If you want something more contemporary, then you go with something like the Defy Lab, or many of the timepieces that Jean-Claude Biver has helped usher in at the various LVMH brands including Hublot, TAG Heuer, and Zenith.Current Zenith CEO Julien Tornare will have his hands full trying to juggle a brand that is both the maker of classic legends such as the El Primero, and emerging novelties which build on older technology such as the Defy El Primero 21 and the Defy Lab. These watches present traditional watch lovers with a tantalizing view of what can be available if you just let in what is new out there. Nevertheless, there will always be purists who want their watches as “old style” as can be. For everyone else, there are products like the Defy Lab. Personally, I see no reason why a well-rounded watch collection can’t have examples from both sides.Much of the caliber ZO 342 is silicon, including the large monolithic regulation component. This large silicon part is a regulation system that is called the “Zenith Oscillator,” which is buzzing with cheerful enthusiasm behind the entirety of the main dial. It’s a thrilling and visceral view, unlike pretty much anything in the watch industry today.

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Integrated chronographs, conversely, are designed from the ground up to be chronographs and chronograph components share space with non-complication parts inside the watch. An interesting side effect of integrated design is that it generally produces much more visually intriguing movements because, unlike their modular counterparts, these components are not hidden on the other side of the watch. Thus, the owner may enjoy views like the one you see here, peering directly into the chronograph itself.It’s hard to imagine that the Timeless Chronomaster Heritage Chronometer is our 11th limited edition so far, and perhaps even more mind-blowing is that it’s the first Swiss watch we’ve ever designed. It’s unfortunate, then, that only 25 will ever be produced, the smallest Timeless LE run yet. Imagining that the new watch will be gone very soon, a watch that we spent countless hours designing over the course of dozens of renders, is an interestingly difficult experience. I certainly hope that we get the opportunity to design more limited editions with Zenith in the future, but for now, the Timeless Chronomaster Heritage Chronometer will stand on its own, our first chronograph, our first Swiss watch and our first Zenith.Each of the 25 Timeless Chronomaster Heritage Chronometers costs $7,500 and there’s still some available for reservation. If you happen to be local, consider stopping in and seeing it in person. Otherwise, please e-mail us or call us at 214-494-4241 to make sure to get yours before it’s too late.
Zenith Elite 6150 Watch With New Zenith In-House Movement Inside Watch Releases

Say hi to Zenith’s latest creation, the Zenith watches reputation Replica El Primero… Wait, that’s not right… Welcome to the Zenith Elite 6150, the manufacture’s updated dress watch line that features a new in-house movement. While it’d be easy to say that Zenith and its El Primero are absolutely inseparable, the company has actually been offering the Elite line of dress watches, coming with a more simple feature set and a dressier look than most El Primero-equipped Zenith watches.

The Zenith Elite has, of course, never been able to replace the El Primero, but then again, that is not the goal here – it is a restrained extension to Zenith’s portfolio of watches, something that provides what you would expect from a true manufacture – at a relatively more affordable price level, matched to arguably more timeless aesthetics.

Zenith Elite 6150 Watch With New Zenith In-House Movement Inside Watch Releases

The diameter is, of course, not the only metric we pay attention to. We greatly prefer thin watches at Timeless, to the point that we often find ourselves using manual wind movements over automatics. Of course, there’s no way we’d skip using the El Primero, so that wasn’t a viable option, yet it is a testament to the engineering of a movement from 1969 that the watch only had to be 13.75mm thick. That’s hardly an ultra-thin, but in an era when even ordinary three hand watches are frequently 14mm or more, it remains impressive.The El Primero movement is, by far, the biggest change to the A273 source material. The A273, wonderful as it was, was powered by a more common, from a technical standpoint, manually wound movement. The El Primero, conversely, is not just a good movement, it’s a true legend. It is easily among the two best known chronograph movements in the world, the other being the highly respected, although less prestigious, 7750. There are many reasons that the El Primero has stood the test of time where so few other movements have. The first is the feature by which it derives its name, specifically that it’s the first automatic chronograph.

The Zenith watches chicago Replica Elite line started out as just that, and has been around with more or less quiet updates – especially when compared to the many smaller and greater new iterations the El Primero base caliber has been subjected to. One of the more interesting pieces of news related to the Zenith Elite came in 2014, when Zenith announced that they would be offering Zenith Elite collection timepieces now equipped with sourced Sellita calibers – a bit of a shocker from Zenith, who has been a long standing member in the close group of true and dedicated manufactures.

At that time, the point was to lower the barrier of entry to the brand – and since the manufacture has reached the limits of its output capacities at around 50,000 calibers per year, it would allow them to step up in volume and further down a bit in price. Another highly notable event in Zenith’s history from last year was that the company’s CEO, Jean-Frédérique Dufour left the company to lead Rolex – and it was difficult to tell whether the new director of Zenith, Aldo Magada – former chief executive of Gucci Group Watches – would carry on following this route or not.

Zenith Elite 6150 Watch With New Zenith watches ebay uk Replica In-House Movement Inside Watch Releases

Apparently, we are being given an answer to that question right now, as the Zenith Elite 6150, Zenith claims, is “bringing back to the forefront its famous Elite base calibre presented in 1994.” What made the modern Zenith what it is today was unquestionably its return to its roots and more traditional side, as Dufour steered the company back that way after the much more modern – and on many occasions, quite extreme – direction that its former CEO, Theirry Nataf had set. This development also brings up another logical question: how did Zenith come up with a new in-house movement in such a short time (basically less than a year from the time of its change of heart)? The answer in this case, Zenith says, is that they have worked on the original Zenith Elite caliber – which has likely accounted for substantial savings both in time, as well as financial investment in its development.

How will other watch makers respond? Will it become expected for watch makers to make claims about the accuracy of their watches? I am not sure that there will be an industry-wide move to mention actual numbers, but if there is a watch that comes out with a story about accuracy and some special technical elements, you can be damn sure we will point out if they omit actual performance numbers. I think what is more important is that a watch like this, with such a big emphasis on silicon, that isn’t stupid high in price, will force the industry to adopt next-generation watch movements with haste.Only a few companies in Switzerland are able to produce silicon parts. The tools needed for this task are very expensive, which includes the labor needed to operate and program them. Most watch brands that use silicon parts don’t make the components themselves. Is now a time to start given clear levels of increased need? Note again that investments by watch makers into silicon technology in traditional watchmaking has been going on for well over a decade. Though, little of this technology has trickled down into what we might call “affordable” timepieces. Jean-Claude Biver said watch makers will not produce their own silicon parts until they can also make parts for other companies in different industries.

Zenith Elite 6150 Watch With New Zenith In-House Movement Inside Watch Releases

The new movement now offers a most welcome 100-hour power reserve and a more generous diameter. The Zenith Elite 6150 adds an extra barrel to the original’s singe-barrel construction, upping the power reserve from 55 to the aforementioned 100+ hour limit. Beyond adding some extra oomph to the caliber, Zenith has also concentrated on keeping it thin: this accumulation of 195 components is just 3.92 millimeters thick, allowing the brand to keep using the movement in elegant dress watches. The movement runs at 4 Hertz or 28,000 vibrations per hour, one step down from the El Primero’s famous 5Hz/36,000 vph frequency. The functions of the 6150 include the indication of hours, minutes and central seconds – moving the seconds indication from the previous manufacture caliber’s 9 o’clock position to this central location where it helps maintain the symmetry of the dial. At this point, we do not know whether the final version will have a sapphire crystal or solid metal case back, but we’ll add this information as soon as it is made available.

The movement is of course more or less fully exposed, and certainly cool looking with an emphasis on the Zenith watches price Replica five-pointed star shaped logo in the movement design itself. The movement has a full 60 hours of power reserve and again operates at 15Hz (108,000 bph). Power reserve is actually 72 hours, but at 60 hours the stable 0.3 – 0.5 seconds per day accuracy drops to 1 second per day. Amplitude is extremely slim with a movement arc of just plus or minus six degrees. The movement is on the thicker side at 8.13mm, but is also only produced out of 148 parts. The ZO 342 is of course an automatic (C?tes de Genève stripes decorate the rotor), and indicates just the time with minutes, hours, and seconds.Theoretically speaking, all-silicon watch movements (we aren’t there yet) should be able to decrease the cost, while upgrading the performance of your standard mechanical watch. Though for now (and for a while), silicon will continue to be a more or less exotic material in the mechanical watch world that brands will ask customers to pay a bit of a premium for. So long as the products that contain such movements look like the Zenith Defy Lab, or other ultra-modern mechanical timepieces, I think customers will be willing.

Zenith Elite 6150 Watch With New Zenith watches review Replica In-House Movement Inside Watch Releases
The watch we’re looking at today does have an El Primero, but it’s not the A273. It’s the new Timeless Chronomaster Heritage Chronometer limited edition. It’s closely inspired by that A273, of course, but it is not a reissue or a new version. Instead, it takes a leap forward, and not only in terms of the movement as we’ve made subtle updates throughout the watch. Let’s take a close look at the Timeless Chronomaster Heritage Chronometer and learn more about both its predecessor and the limited edition.The aesthetic heart of any watch is its dial. Almost everything that defines a model as a unique, distinctive piece can be found there. For this watch we wanted to use a dial that was extremely understated and clean, yet never boring. That meant removing almost everything that was superfluous. I find that the need for simplicity is greatest in chronographs, and other watches with intrinsically busy dials. This watch, therefore, would have no date and it would have no “El Primero” or “36,000 VPH” writing on it. It had to be reduced to the essence of what a chronograph must have while nonetheless balancing some of those traits that defined its ancestor.

Let’s step back a bit and discuss why this fast operating, silicon material technology is all a big deal. The name of the game here isn’t just to be exclusive with something different, but more importantly – about wristwatch performance. In the words of Jean-Claude Biver, “I imagine this is what Abraham-Louis Breguet would be excited about if he were alive today!” While we’ve seen an enormous level of variety in timepiece design over the years, there is very little new in terms of actual performance increases. That means that most mechanical watches produced are similarly accurate. Of course, there are major differences in terms of how well regulated a movement is, or how well it is constructed, but at the end of the day you can only tweak a standard mechanical watch movement to be so accurate.

There are notable changes on the outside as well: the new caliber makes its debut in the Zenith Elite 6150 – apparently baring the same name as the caliber inside – which is now 42 millimeters wide, “a new benchmark size for the brand,” as Zenith puts it. That slightly larger case size is matched with a thickness of just 10 millimeters, rendering the watch highly wearable and relatively elegant, despite the larger diameter. At the time of this release, the previous Zenith Elite models with the Sellita movements no longer appear to be displayed on the brand’s website, which implies that the Zenith Elite 6150 means an old-new chapter in the dress watch collection’s life.

Zenith has always held a special place for me. From a fairly young age, not long after high school, the brand occupied an elite status in my mind. More specifically, it was and remains in my top two favorite brands of all-time, the other being Grand Seiko. In my mind, they offered two intriguing sides to the same high-frequency coin. Where Grand Seiko possessed a certain austerity to it, a degree of refinement I found in few, if any other places, Zenith was quite the opposite. Zenith might be a Swiss brand, but it always seems to have an American-grade boldness to it, a panache matched by none, at least none with Zenith’s horological pedigree. And thus, my two favorite watch brands were chosen: a restrained and sophisticated dress watch and a wild, avant-garde sports watch. Why can’t one watch just be both?Zenith, to their credit, almost had an answer to my question already: the criminally overlooked A273, a classic chronograph that had a measure of civility to it. Yet the A273 itself had committed an offense: it was offered during the same basic time frame as the legendary tri-color El Primero. Because of this coexistence, it was doomed to be overshadowed by its more prolific brother, which continues to be available today. Unlike the El Primero, the A273 was powered by a beautiful, yet far less revolutionary, hand wound movement. There it remained, largely unnoticed even among Zenith collectors, awaiting the time it too would receive the El Primero.
Zenith Elite 6150 Watch With New Zenith In-House Movement Inside Watch Releases

While the reasoning behind the Sellita-driven Elite models was understandable and rather logical – considering the intentions of opening up the brand for a newer customer base with a relatively smaller budget – Zenith watches chrono24 Replica has clearly decided to “reaffirm the brand’s determination to honor its status as a Manufacture.” That is what they say, and that is what they do with the Zenith Elite 6150. The overall design is rather conservative – which is nothing new when it comes to the Zenith Elite series – while the movement appears to feature just enough modifications to render it a considerable contender in the higher end dress watch segment. And while the pieces with the sourced Sellita movements may appear to be somewhat less desirable, as they obviously lack the in-house flair that has been offered before and after their short career, one wonders how that limited production period will affect the mid-to-long term collectibility of those pieces. We will continue to update as pricing becomes available. zenith-watches.com

Keep up with our pre-, post-, and live Baselworld 2015 coverage here.