Posts Tagged ‘Chronograph’
One Characterful Pilot: Breitling 812 GMT Chronograph
If I’m aggressively, incriminatingly honest, the Navitimer tends to bore me slightly. Even the AOPA dials. I much prefer something like a Co-Pilot, Chronomat, early Premier, Unitime, or this. Breitling’s history is rich enough that they need not rely on the Navitimer’s past as heavily as they have historically. When most people think shouty, colourful…
Read MoreIWC Pilot’s Chronograph 150 Years LE
For all intents and purposes, IWC owns the modern pilot’s chronograph. Their original fliegerchronograph design changed little in the last in the last few decades. Ever the Germanic-Swiss manufacture, they took their time and got it right the first time. That painstaking attention has served them well in recent decades. IWC recently celebrated their 150th…
Read MoreKAF-Issued Heuer 73663 Autavia
When you think military-issued pieces, you probably think milsub for the Royal Navy, MN Tudors, or the dirty dozen. You probably do not imagine Heuers for the Kenyan Air Force. And yet, funky-vintage-cool does not come much more funky-vintage-cool than this KAF-issued 73663. The Autavia was, as I’m sure you know, a contraction of automotive-aviation.…
Read MoreVacheron Constantin 4072
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: one of the great weaknesses of my generation (Y and over) is the un-appreciation of subtlety. For the most part, we like flash. Rolex knows this. I believe deep in my core that the Stella dial OPs released last year were aimed squarely at my demographic.…
Read MoreAn Impossibly Beautiful Vetta Cronografo Ermetico Impermeable
Not many designs from 1940 feel at home today. Certainly, few have aged as gracefully as the humble multi-scale chronograph. This is particularly true of this Italian Valjoux-based clamshell. Vetta was the Italian-branded partner of Wyler’s European arm. Small alterations were made to the Wyler designs, such as the flair of colorful details this example…
Read MoreRolex 3525 ‘Barilotto’ in Pink Gold & Steel with Champagne Dial
Impossibly conspicuous wristwatches and impossibly tasteful wristwatches are often mutually exclusive categories. An RM-030 with its declutchable rotor mechanism is very conspicuous and very innovative. But it most certainly is not tasteful. In fact, I’ve heard various RMs described as ‘Invacta for the 1%’. I may or may not agree. Likewise, the recent Girard Perregaux…
Read MoreBreguet 3230 in Rose Gold
This is perhaps reductive, but I tend to view any Lemania 2310-based watch as a movement wearing a watch. Let me elaborate. Usually, I evaluate a watch at its ability to accomplish its given purpose. I then assess how well a manufacture’s design of movement suits that task. But where the Lemania 2310 is concerned,…
Read MoreTropical Heuer 1163 GMT ‘Red Needle’
The 1163 GMT is one of the Heuer’s diamonds in the rough. Though the myriad vaguely-racing-oriented chronographs they’ve produced can easily be confused, this GMT stand out. It may not have been a commercial success for Heuer, but, like the early Daytonas, that has only made it more desirable to collectors today. Pieces like this…
Read MoreGenesis of Modern Zenith: the A386
Very little stirs the ‘purchase now’ instinct in me like the A386 El Primero these days. The monumentally innovative reference appeals to all my senses. Its design is attractive, the contrasted big-eye subs uniquely lovely. The automatic cal 3019 is as gorgeous as it was groundbreaking. It’s also a complete sleeper to the general population.…
Read More1 of 50 Early Franck Muller Steel Chronograph
This classic chronograph was among the first pieces released by Franck Muller after stepping out in 1991 to create his own house. Mr. Muller grew up in Switzerland and went to become a watchmaker at just fifteen. After working at an auction house, he became one of the world’s preeminent watch restorers. He oversaw Patek…
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