The TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer-02T introduced in 2016 was exceptional as the cheapest Swiss-made tourbillon chronograph watch ever made at just under 15,000 Swiss francs. It was part of Jean-Claude Biver’s new concept for the brand, concentrating on “entry-level” watches priced between €1,500 and €5,000. This year, 2018, TAG Heuer presents the Tête de Vipère…
The Laco Augsburg 42 is an automatic pilot’s watch at €340 inclusive of VAT, available on line directly from the brand. Laco have been operating since 1924 or 1925, and its name derives from co-founder Frieda Lacher, who set up business as Lacher & Co. with her partner, or business partner, Ludwig Hummel. They separated…
Classical, or modern? If you are looking for a perpetual calendar by Glashütte Original you now have the choice. The Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar Limited Edition has at its heart the same engineering of the traditional watch with white enamel dial launched in 2017, but in the new version, the dial has been completely restyled.…
Stührling is a brand that was founded in Brooklyn, New York, in 1999, by Chaim Fischer. Their first product was a tourbillon wristwatch made in China. That is the hallmark of the brand: they use Chinese movements and Chinese assembly to ensure low cost. The Stührling Depthmaster 883 is a diving watch with a 42mm case…
When you look at a watch like the Ingersoll Linden Radiolite Automatic, you can’t help thinking of the Zenith Pilot Type 20 and other similar early aviation-style watches. At just €470, the Ingersoll version is far more accessible in terms of price, and it can be ordered online. But it has to deal with issues…
The Seamaster Bullhead Co-axial Chronograph Is undoubtedly one of the most unusual watches made by Omega. Originally introduced in 1969, in 2013 three re-editions were released, each comprising 669 pieces. Large steel case The stainless steel case is 43 mm across and 43mm from top to bottom, and it’s very thick, 14.85 mm, with a…
I’m writing about the Oris Divers Sixty-Five because I think it’s one of the most attractive sports diving watches out there. At around €2,000 it’s not the cheapest option, but its looks set it apart from the competition. Rotating bezel for timing events The Oris Divers Sixty-Five was first introduced in 2015, with this blue…
It’s one of the world’s iconic shape watches, dating back to 1969. Now TAG Heuer have launched a new edition of the Monaco Chronograph, co-branded Gulf, with the colours and logo of this oil brand. The race for the first automatic chronograph Back in 1969, there were three contenders for the title of first automatic…
This is definitely the year of world timer watches. Most world timer watches have a fairly standardised appearance, with the city ring at the outside of the dial, and a 24-hour ring just inside. A few brands have taken a different approach, such as Montblanc with its recent 1858 Geosphere. The Globetrotter by Arnold &…
I am writing about the Tourby Marine Arabic 43, even though it is not a new watch, because of its similarity to the IWC Portugieser Hand-Wound Eight Days Edition 150 Years released this year. The Tourby watch is not an imitation: this piece, along with the IWC watch, share the same marine inspiration, dating back…
The Raider Bivouac 9000 by Favre-Leuba is a practical watch designed for mountaineers, incorporating an altimeter which shows air pressure and your altitude from 0 to 9,000m. It is a large watch in titanium, 48 mm in diameter and 18.7 mm in thickness. It incorporates an aneroid chamber whose movements power the altimeter function. Clear…
The IWC Portugieser Hand-Wound Eight Days Edition “150 Years” is a beautiful, minimalist watch. I particularly like the way the date window is camouflaged, almost part of the circuit of hour numerals. It’s satisfyingly large at 43.2 mm diameter and relatively slim at 12.2 mm thickness. The white lacquer dial highlights the blued hands and…
As part of the celebrations for the brand’s 150th anniversary, IWC have done something rather unusual. They have given the classic pilots watch a big date display. Pilots watch purists probably won’t like this. A pilot’s watch should have just hour and minute hands, a central second-hand, Arabic numerals and virtually nothing else on the…
The Searock Automatic by Roamer is one of the many classic men’s watches with a vaguely Rolex look, made by putting an ETA 2824-2 movement into a stainless steel case. Quite large at 42 mm across, the case has a graceful shape with polished and satin finish, and it has a nice 3-link bracelet in…
The DS Action Diver Automatic by Certina is something of a rarity in the world of diving watches. I think that it is the only watch with ISO 6425 on the dial. The brand says that the DS Action Diver Automatic “fulfils all the requirements of the ISO 6425 standard – and is waterproof up…
The C5 Malvern 595 by Christopher Ward is a really lovely watch. The 595 in its name refers to the thickness, which is just 5.95 mm. The Malvern case is 39 mm in diameter, with sleep sloping lugs and polished finish. The opaline dial comes in two variants, white or grey, with sloping hands and…
The Model 222-RR by RGM is a classic American railroad watch with the slewed dial arrangement – useful when you are driving or working on a computer – that has also been used by Longines for some of their aviation-inspired watches. The case, dial and strap are modern, though following vintage inspiration, but the movement…
RGM is a brand based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and it perpetuates the history of American watchmaking. Their latest watch is the 350-TZBD, which has a classic dial, with big date at the centre and second time zone at 6 o’clock. It’s a watch that was designed for travellers. All indications adjusted from the crown The…
The Royal Oak RD#2 Perpetual Calendar Ultra Thin by Audemars Piguet is the thinnest self-winding perpetual calendar in the world at just 6.3 mm thickness. It is 41 mm in diameter, with case and bracelet in platinum. The surprising thing about the RD#2 is that, like the Royal Oak Concept RD#1, it is not yet…
Audemars Piguet have done something absolutely incredible with the Royal Oak Offshore Tourbillon Chronograph. You look at it, and at first sight, you don’t really understand what’s going on. You seem to be looking into a well, a deep opening, with the movement apparently suspended from the openworked wedge-like brackets that dominate the front of…