Introducing Dino Zei Watches

For fans of the first iteration of Anonimo, Dino Zei's name is inextricably woven into the company history.

Courtesy of Dino Zei

I had the opportunity to meet him at an Anonimo event in BaselWorld back in 2012 and I treasure that encounter.

It was a year later that I had a chat with the former CEO of Anonimo (David Cypers) and the idea of launching a Dino Zei brand was "bandied" about, but apparently nothing ever came together.

Alessandro Calamai made the decision to revive the real idea of what Anonimo was all about, not just Italian design, but Italian manufacturing.  He negotiated for the right to license Dino Zei's name, and to some extent, the band was put back together with Dr. Antonio Ambuchi and Federico Massacesi.  And the Dino Zei brand was born.

Courtesy of Dino Zei

If I am 100% honest, I love the idea, but I am not completely feeling some of the dial elements of some of the versions.  The logo is good, but I (personally) find it a wee bit distracting, giving it more of a fashion watch feel than the original Anonimos.  But in fairness, life moves forward, doesn't it?  

In many ways, my life in watches has run in fairly parallel lines to Anonimo's.  I was working at Tourneau in San Francisco when they were in their infancy in the US.  I managed to sell several of them, aided (believe it or not) because a lot of people came in looking for a Panerai, and I would tell them "why would you want that, when you can have the real Italian military watch?"  Let's just say I was good at my job ; )

What ultimately became of Anonimo 1.0 was regrettable.  And the proof of its popularity?  One extremely hard core group of followers out there, who are still clamoring for the "real" Anonimo.

So Anonimo 1.0 is dead, and perhaps the time is ripe to bring the Dino Zei collection to watch lovers.  And there are some wonderful elements to this new collection.  This one particularly caught my attention -

Courtesy of Dino Zei

This is the Ariete, and I'm kinda' crushing on it.  Here are the pertinents -

Material	CNC manufactured stainless steel; bronze
Movement	Automatic Swiss Made
Functions	H/M/S, Date
Technology	Three pieces case, helium valve.100ATM
Dimension	Diameter 44,10 Thickness 14,90 Strap 22,00
Limited Edition	99 pieces/model

The Crazy Lace Agate

From Lundis Bleus -

Courtesy of Lundis Bleus

The quiet revolution taking place in La Chaux-de-Fonds continues!
The dynamic duo of Johan Storni and Bastien Vuilliomenet have once again dreamt up a wonderfully whimsical new design.

This is the Crazy Lace Agate.  It has the same dimensions as the other members of the Lundis Bleus stable - 

Design specifications	The basin-shaped case band design is extended by the radius of the box type crystal on the top and the radius of the case back at the bottom. The lugs, which are a part of the case back and therefore visibly separated from the case band, enhance the basin-shaped design by giving a subtle visual effect made of curves.The logo on the case back is emphasized by the inner crystal, giving a stained glass feel to it.
Case band	Round shape. Ø40mm. Stainless steel EN1.4404 (316L). Water-resistant to 3 bar. Material indication «316L» and individual number are made by deep acid etching between the lugs. Stainless steel casing ring. The assembled watch has a total thickness on 11mm.
Crown and tube	Crown in stainless steel EN 1.4435 (316L) with 7 notches, all polished (except the microblasted notches). Ergonomic shape that prevents the crown of scratching the wrist and is still very easy to use.
Case back	In stainless steel EN.1.4404. Top surfaces of the lugs have a satin finish and the area around the logo is microblasted, the rest is all polished. «Lundis Bleus» is done by stamping. The logo is made by cutting and then is soldered. The case back is assembled to the case band by 4 screws in stainless steel.
Top crystal	Domed box type shape in sapphire. Ø37.65mm for a total thickness of 4mm to the apex. Both sides are hard, colorless, and have multi-layered anti-reflective coating. Press-fitted on a non-visible I-ring.
Bottom crystal	Flat shape in transparent sapphire. Press-fitted from the inside of the case back on a non-visible I-ring and held in place by a stainless steel ring.

The difference is the dial.  The dial itself is made from Crazy Lace Agate.  

Dial	Dial in "crazy lace" agate, polished. The abstract and somewhat "crazy" patterns of this stone will invite your mind to travel to unknown places. Crazy lace agate is a natural material. Therefore, noticeable differences in the structure, shades and reflection/effects of each specimen is unavoidable.

For those of you in the market, be advised that this is not a watch that is just banged out from a massive assembly line.  No two dials are going to be the same, and owing to this there is a bit of a turn-around time from order to delivery.  But I suspect it will well be worth the wait!

The retail is CHF 4,600

Summer Repeat - Nuking the PR Fridge with Omega

Thinking about some of the current knuckle head partnerships recently announced, I am convinced that it really doesn't matter how good or how bad an ambassador idea might be.  With the World Cup going on in France right now, there's a group of women from all around the globe showing what it means to be an ambassador.  And I hope some big brand has the sack to make Megan Rapinoe their ambassador.  She is confident, intelligent, fearless - and she can seriously play!  She has the courage of her convictions to take a stand for the rights of ALL people.  And she seems to have the number of the current occupant of the White House.  Regardless of your political views, the current score in the war of words following tonights game is Rapinoe 2, Haters 0.

But knowing the chicken-shit, look for the safest alternative, don't upset people who will never be your customer approach usually taken by the the shot callers in Switzerland - sorry if this hurts your feelings, but I stand by this comment... it will sadly probably never happen.

So we'll continue to look for the path of least resistance, and continue to toss smelly fish to the barking seals that are the influencers and media flacks with their hands out for favors and freebies.

So in the spirit of pissing in the establishment's oatmeal, I wanted to re-heat this one.

Nuking the Fridge with Omega

So it has come to this... 

Omega, in their infinite wisdom, have decided that the next new dynamic brand ambassadors need only the benefit of a fortunate birth certificate -

Courtesy of Omega

In a marketing and PR move utterly bereft of imagination and creative thought, Omega decided it made perfect sense to deputize the offspring of Ms. Crawford and her Tequila baron husband Randy Gerber as their new brand ambassadors.  

While they had a perfect opportunity to reach out to audiences that they might not have ever reached if they had collaborated further with Neil deGrasse Tyson and worked to make him a brand ambassador, the brain trust in Bienne thought it made much more sense to trot out two (admittedly striking) young people.  Now granted, their main claim to fame is doing well in the DNA Olympics, but I can't blame the kids for the decisions that Omega makes.  

I would also take great pains to point out that Ms. Crawford has gone above and beyond in her role as brand ambassador with her efforts on behalf of Orbis.  Credit where credit is due.

Having said that, this is one of the goofiest grasps at PR that I have heard of for some time.   

Perhaps the most comical element were some of the comments from Omega's CEO regarding the thought process behind this choice:

“Kaia and Presley represent the next generation of watch wearers. They are good looking, motivated, inspirational and full of energy. It’s incredible to have such a passionate family tradition within our brand and I’m so excited to begin working with these two young people,” said Raynald Aeschlimann, President & CEO of OMEGA.


Granted, they are good looking.  But please explain to me just how they are motivated and what it is that motivates them?  And just how is it that are they inspirational other than making the less attractive teens out there wish that they had clearer complexions and straighter teeth?  Because what this announcement really sounds like is that these young people are beautiful, and therefore you should want to wear one of our watches as it will make you beautiful too!

Mr. Aeschlimann, I think you are a bit unaware as to what inspirational youth really looks like, so I thought I would take this opportunity to introduce you to one:

Shamelessly borrowed

Malala Yousafzai -
When it would have been easy to shut up, she stood up, got shot in the head for her trouble, and went on to become an even greater hero (and Nobel Prize winner).

And I know, that was an easy one.  But the truth  is that there are thousands of young people all around the world who are doing far more with their time, are truly inspirational, and are actually making a real difference.  Granted, their parents aren't Cindy Crawford and Randy Gerber.

In fairness, Omega does a lot of good in terms of their charity work, and I am one of the few people writing about watches who has really covered it.  But Omega, please don't trot out a press release that is this disingenuous.  You are better than this. 

Which brings us to a previous post which seems pertinent to this topic.  This originally ran last August.

 

Why You Should Not Care Who Wears Your Watch

So this is, perhaps, a cold cup of coffee on a Monday morning.  But like removing a band aid, sometimes you just have to grip it and rip it.

My in-box has been bursting with "seen on the red carpet", and the latest Omega brand ambassador who won a medal, or an astronaut visiting the hospitality tent - and it begs the question -
who the f*&ck cares?

Shameless borrowed from the world-wide info web 

When I was a young man of a certain age, I was obsessed with the Rolex GMT Master - because Thomas Magnum wore one on Magnum PI.  Whether or not this was an intentional product placement or not, it made a big impact.  And it was effective because it was not overt.  And it bears mentioning that Magnum PI was a fictional character ; )

It has been proven by some tiny little brands that hundreds of thousands of dollars do not need to be dispatched to the pockets of famous athletes and entertainers to ensure the longevity of their brand or the desirability of their watches.

Who is the celebrity ambassador for Patek Philippe?  Panerai?  Vacheron Constantin?

Exactly.

And what of other big-boy brands?  Audemars Piguet had Lebron James as a paid ambassador at one point, but clearly nothing lasts forever as he was photographed wearing a Rolex recently.

Hublot was partnered with Manchester United, then they weren't, now they are again - at a cost of mere millions.

And Omega took pains to inform me this morning that a famous fashion designer visited their hospitality tent - needless to say, I wasn't invited - and neither were you for that matter, so why should you care?

The list goes on and on.  And if anyone was honestly looking at the balance sheet for a real understanding on the return of investment gained out of these partnerships, there might be some very uncomfortable questions to be answered.

Which then brings it back to you, gentle reader.  Panerai might have gotten a jump-start from Sylvester Stallone wandering into their boutique way back when, but what is now driving it is the desire people have for their watches.  The same for Patek and others who aren't chugging the PR Kool-Aid.

Shamelessly borrowed from the world-wide info web

So before you get all worked-up to go and plop down your American Express Unobtainium card to "Be Like Mike" and buy a watch based on a celebrity partnership, just ask yourself:
Are you excited about the watch, or about the person who is paid to wear the watch?  And more importantly, as a consumer is it your responsibility to help fund the vainglorious marketing foibles of a PR office completely devoid of creative ideas?

If You Blinked...

Then you missed it!

Courtesy of Ming

This was the latest offering from Ming.  Limited to 10 pieces it went quickly.  This is the  MING 18.01 Abyss Concept

Although it is a nifty bit of kit, the asking price of CHF 6,500 seemed a bit dear to me given the provenance and the use of an ETA 2824.  I find this more amusing when one noted Ming devotee "poo-poo'd" other brands using that movement as being "less than" owing to the use of the 2824, but I guess that only applies to other people's watches.  Clearly there are Ming fans out there, and apparently at least ten of them willing to pony up for this one.

As I said, it is a nice looking watch and an interesting departure for Ming, and I am glad that they had a successful outing with this one.

Here are the pertinents -

• Functions: hours, minutes, continuous seconds
• Case, dial and hands:
• Stainless steel 316L with solid caseback
• 40mm diameter, 13.8mm thick, 46mm lug to lug
• 3.5mm thick sapphire crystal with antireflective coatings on both sides
• Rigid case without spacer rings
• Water resistance of at least 1,250m/ 125 ATM/ 4,100ft
• Screw down crown with triple gaskets and red safety indicator
• Three-part composite dial with Super-LumiNova X1 coated sapphire
• Beadblasted hands filled with Super-Luminova X1
• Unidirectional rotating bezel with 60 clicks
• Ceramic bezel insert filled with Super-LumiNova X1
• Straps and bracelet
• All new 5-link quick release bracelet with double deployant clasp
• 1x grey textured calf with alcantara lining
• 1x racing blue textured calf with alcantara lining
• 1x black textured calf with blue edges and alcantara lining
• 1x blue smooth calf with light blue edges and alcantara lining
• 1x black smooth calf with grey stitching and alcantara lining
• All straps are 20x18mm, handmade by Jean Rousseau Paris and curved quick release with fitted buckles
• Lugs accomodate both curved and straight bar straps
• Movement
• Top grade ETA2824-2 automatic movement
• 38 hour power reserve
• 28,800 bph (4Hz)
• 25 jewels
• Central seconds with hacking function
• Movement adjusted to five position with a 250 hour test program
• 2-year limited mechanical warranty
• Made in Switzerland
• Limited to 10 pieces
• Delivery package includes the bracelet, five Jean Rousseau straps, a handmade leather travel roll by Studio Koji Sato and a watertight Pelican case.

The Black Bay Steel and Gold

The Black Bay, it is safe to say, is the basket that Tudor has placed most of their eggs in.  And because we are talking about a fairly large brand that is still struggling somewhat to truly create its identity, that is not necessarily such a bad idea.  I say that in no way to disparage or speak ill of Tudor  but now several years on, Tudor has had some hits and some misses.

As a former brand manager, I have learned the painful lesson that just because I like something, it does not necessarily mean that everyone else will.  I personally love the Advisor (alarm watches are not for everyone), I like the North Flag (but it does not seem to have really found its footing), and I think that the Black Bay GMT is the SHIT THAT KILLED ELVIS, although one design element that I would modify would be to add an "inverted" cyclops date window.  This would make the date window more legible, but also add a certain "what's-it" to the Tudor design.  Tudor, if you're reading this, you can have that idea for free ; )

Having said all of that, I will say that the steel and gold Black Bay is an appealing option -

Courtesy of Tudor

It offers a truly different take on a collection that is starting to suffer from a certain sense of "sameness".  While I realize it might not speak to everyone, I sorta' dig it.  This one debuted in 

Here are the pertinents, straight from Tudor -

• CASE

  41 mm steel case with polished and satin finish
• MOVEMENT

  Manufacture Calibre MT5612 (COSC)
  
  Self-winding mechanical movement with bidirectional rotor system
• POWER RESERVE

  Power reserve of approximately 70 hours
• WINDING CROWN

  Yellow gold screw-down winding crown, with the TUDOR rose engraved and lacquered in black, with black anodised aluminium winding crown tube
• WATERPROOFNESS

  Waterproof to 200 m (660 ft)

• BEZEL

  Unidirectional rotating bezel in yellow gold with 60-minute graduated matt black anodised aluminium disc, gold markings
• DIAL

  Champagne-colour, domed
• CRYSTAL

  Domed sapphire crystal
• BRACELET

  Steel and yellow gold bracelet with folding clasp and safety catch

Two Exciting New Models from Sartory Billard

Now before we dive into these two new models, I have to make sure that it is clearly disclosed that I do have a business relationship with Sartory Billard in terms of marketing, sales and communication in North America.  Having said that, I do feel that these two new models are intriguing, interesting and offer something special at a great price.  BUT - once again - I do work with Sartory Billard, so I want to make sure that readers are aware of this relationship.

Now part of what is both great and frustrating about working behind the scenes with some brands in a consulting role is that you often have a jump on your colleagues in the Fourth and Fifth Estates to be able to break news.  I believe that there is such a thing as ethics, and owing to this I have waited to give other outlets first crack at the bat to share these two new models from Sartory Billard.  But as I am also a fan, as well as a consultant, I wanted to share some of my own opinions about the new SB04 models from Sartory Billard.

Courtesy of Sartory Billard

This is the SB04 Blue Polished Titanium

Automatic Swiss movement, 26 jewels, 4Hz.
40 mm (without crown) 316L stainless steel case
11 mm thick
Sapphire crystal
The dial is made of polished titanium.

Courtesy of Sartory Billard

And this is the SB04 Meteorite.

The specs are essentially the same, but in this instance the dial is of meteorite.

My understanding is that with both of these models, the hands are made by hand by Sartory Billard.

I have reached out to confirm pricing, and will update this post when I have it for both models.

The Regulator Classic

From Chronoswiss -

Courtesy of Chronoswiss

Here are the pertinents -

CASEe

Reference	CH-8773-GRBK
Case material	Stainless steel
Case back	Screw-down case back with satin finish and sapphire crystal
Diameter in mm	41
Height in mm	12.7
Finish	Partly polished, partly with vertical satin finish, onion crown
Bezel	Polished screw-down bezel with full thread and side knurling with curved, double coated anti-reflective sapphire crystal

Caliber/Movement

Caliber	Caliber C. 295, automatic
Frequency	4 Hz (28.800 A/h)
Power reserve in hours	42
Number of jewels	27

Dial Dial material	Galvanic grey with matte finish; black scales with circular-graining; interior of hour and second display black with guilloche details
Display/s	Off-centre hours at 12:00, central minutes, small seconds at 6:00
Design of hands	Rhodium-plated and lacquered; with Super-LumiNova inlays
Shape of hand	"Trigono"ap & buckle

Strap & Buckle Strap material	Stainless steel
Type of buckle	Folding clasp

Characteristics Water resistance	10 bar( 100m )
Special	High end stainless steel bracelet in new design