In Case You Missed It - the BR V2-94 AERONAVALE in BRONZE

From Bell & Ross -

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

By and large, when it comes to bronze watches I have mixed emotions. All too often brands foolishly opt to use it for a dive watch, the execution is clumsy, and within a few months it is a large block of greenish smudge that looks as if it has been polished with a hot Hershey bar.

But bronze can be elegant, and my favorite in a runaway is the BR V2-94 Aeronvale in bronze.

A less bulky profile than a diver, it provides a far better format for bronze.  To be clear, the BR V2-94 will age and gain a patina that will share not just the story of the watch, but the individual who wore it. And this is just the time machine to record that history.

Here are the pertinents -

Movement: calibre BR-CAL.301. Automatic mechanical.

Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds at 3 o'clock and date. Chronograph: 30-minute timer at 9 o'clock, central chronograph seconds.

Case: 41 mm in diameter. CuAI7Si2 bronze. Bezel with anodized blue aluminum ring and 60-minute scale. Screw-down crown and push-buttons. Steel and sapphire case back.

Dial: blue sunray. Gilded and polished numerals and indices. Satin-polished and gilded skeleton Super-LumiNova®-filled hour and minute hands.

Crystal: box-type sapphire crystal sapphire with anti-reflective coating.

Water-resistance: 100 metres.

Strap: blue calfskin.

Buckle: Folding. Satin-polished bronze.

Something New from Isotope Watches - the Isotope GMT 0º

This is the latest offering from the folks at Isotope. It is currently on a pre-order status. There will be six (6) versions of  the Isotope GMT 0º in total, two (2) of which will be limited editions.

Let's start out with the stars of the show, the two limited editions -

Courtesy of Isotope

This time machine will be limited to 49 pieces.

Courtesy of Isotope

Like it's ruby-red sibling, this one is also limited to 49 pieces total.

And if that wasn't enough, Isotope will be offering several non-limited versions, including:

Courtesy of Isotope

White

Courtesy of Isotope

Blue

Courtesy of Isotope

Olive Green (non-limited)

Courtesy of Isotope

And not-so-basic black.

The dial in and of itself is a departure from traditional GMT/dual time zone watches that typically depend on an independent hand to indicate the different timezone.  

Courtesy of Isotope

The GMT indicator is positioned in a small window under the 12 o'clock position.  The date is indicated by a traveling red dot.

Courtesy of Isotope

My understanding is that the list price will be $973.59 USD, with attractive discounts for those who opt to pre-order.

Here are the pertinents -

Technical Specifications

• Brushed case, 316L stainless steel/Black Diamond-like Carbon
• Case diameter 41.5mm x 39.5mm (44.7mm with lugs)
• Height 14.2mm
• Exhibition screwed case back with the world’s major cities time-zone
• Anti-reflective domed crystal sapphire
• Single Screw-down crown at 3 o’clock
• Hands applied with Super-LumiNova®
• 24mm strap tapered to 22mm 
• Matching Buckle
• Water-resistance 200m / 20 atm / 656 ft

Swiss made customised Swisstech S24-45 (3 years warranty):

• Automatic, self-winding
• Power reserve 40 hours
• 28 Jewels, 28800A/h
• Accuracy -12/+12 s/day
• Customised finishing, date and rotor

In the Box:

• Your numbered GMT 0º
• A specific Cordura strap with a high-end buckle
  
• Extra leather strap
• Exclusive Isotope tool
  
• Limited Warranty Card (36 Months)
  
• Note: Limited Edition Boxes might have different content.

The Transfer Window Opens - At Parmigiani

Watch Town is a funny place. Parmigiani has bid its current CEO, Davide Traxler, arrivederci and in a shrewd move did so while the majority of Watch Town's members of the press have been preoccupied with LVMH's dog and pony show. So before he barely had a chance to sling his hook and take it on the arches, his replacement had, in fact, already been installed. So in the same breath, congratulations to Guido Terreni, until very (VERY) recently a very senior executive in Bulgari's watch division.

News broke in pretty much every branch of the press, except... the watch press, that Mr. Traxler would be pursuing "other professional opportunities" and curious to relate? His replacement had already been vetted, approved by the board of directors and appointed.   

Watch Gods, you do move in mysterious ways...

Now it is also interesting to relate that more than one press outlet portrayed Parmigiani as "struggling". And that is a hard one to quantify as Parmigiani is an independent company owned by what is, essentially, a family trust. What remains unsaid is whether Parmigiani is:

A.  In better shape than when Traxler took on his role as CEO.

B. In worse shape than when Traxler took on his role as CEO.

C. No better, and no worse than when Traxler took on his role as CEO.

But as that other great commentator on the watch business, Darryl Dawkins once opined -

“When everything is said and done there is nothing left to do or say.” 

So we wish Davide Traxler the best of success moving forward, and wish Mr. Terreni Godspeed in his new role.

Who Moved My Gruyère?

So for those of you not familiar with Who Moved My Cheese? Allow me to fill in the gaps in your late 90s corporate education.  

Courtesy of Spencer Johnson via Wikipedia

The story involves two mice, and two "mini" humans. Spoiler alert, they traverse the halls of a corporate HQ searching for "Cheese Stations" where they can find... cheese. And yes, the halls are a metaphor not only for a maze that lab rats would run through, but also the "maze" that is navigating corporate life.  In the story the mice figure out pretty quickly that the cheese supply at a given station is about to be exhausted, so they take it on the arches and seek out new sources for cheese. The two "mini" humans keep eating the cheese until it is pretty much exhausted, and then begin blaming each other for their fate. Eventually one of the "minis" slings his hook and strikes out in search of as yet untapped cheese stations, leaving the "stuck in his ways" colleague behind.

Spoiler alert part deux - the intrepid "mini" human struggles, but eventually discovers more cheese and in the process unfurls a thesis on change and adaptability that would make a Harvard Business School professor proud.  And I thought today, after reading the latest "falsely rosy" outlook from the FH on the truly stinky export figures, I thought we could air out Who Moved My Cheese for the big dogs in Watch Town.  To wit, I present:

Who Moved My Gruyère?

Change Happens

They Keep Moving The Gruyère.

So maybe Watch Town should respond with a different approach than the same one they always try. And this is true at every level:

1. Brands - stop putting all of your eggs in the same basket in terms of retail and marketing. Take the time to actually do some research. Also, take the time to develop relationships with media outlets beyond paying three or four of them and ignoring the rest. Beyond marketing - play fair with your retail partners. Stop selling directly to the grey market, and stop dumping loyal, independent retailers who actually pay their bills in favor of large chains.

2.  Media - take a moment and try to remember what got you into covering watches in the first place. Content is what is (apart from click farms) going to drive traffic and engage readers. 

Anticipate Change

Brands - If you dump your loyal retail partners and the "volunteer" media that so loyal supported you for free, be prepared for the reality when your budgets shrink to the point where you have to cut your advertising. 

Media - If you paint yourself into the pay-to-play corner that is payola, be prepared for fewer and fewer brands to have "cheese" for you.

Monitor Change

A read of the latest FH is actually sorta' comical when it really should be a grave bellwether. Change has been churning in Watch Town for the past 5 years, but it is also clear that Watch Town. has not always had their eyes on the prize. Referring to the latest export numbers as a less marked decline is about as accurate as being "a little bit pregnant.

Adapt To Change Quickly

Unfortunately, not everyone's idea of quick is the same, and sometimes a brand can go back to the well one too many times. A quick example - maybe dropping boatloads of cash on an American football player is perhaps not the most "transmittable" idea for an international clientele to get their heads around. This was maybe not the most realistic or well thought out approach to help your retail partners (even the ones in North America "reach their star" - wherever the hell their star may be. In fairness to Zenith, this is straight out of the LVMH playbook. But it is myopic. It looks good to a handful of people, but it fails to take into account that Zenith has been and will continue to be a brand that is unlikely to ever have the mass appeal in North America of TAG Heuer or even Hublot. And in all honesty, without Biver pushing, the celebrity partner game is a tough sled.

Change

Move With the Gruyère!

Courtesy of Wikipedia

Enjoy Change!

Let's be honest - what other options do you have? Yes, Italian sports cars dressed up as company cars and performance bonuses based on, essentially doing nothing are great! But when you brand is losing money hand over fist, year upon year? Look for a vintage Yugo and live within your limits.

Be Ready To Change Quickly And Enjoy It Again

They Keep Moving The Gruyère. Just ask Aaron Rodgers...

Sorry, too soon?

Editor's note - Henki is actually a pretty big fan of Aaron Rodgers and takes pains to point out that he is one of the few big time quarterbacks to emerge from a JUCO (Junior College) to not only play Division 1 (at California) but move on to a very successful pro career. Henki's point is simply this - CURRENT pro athletes are always a tough sell, but those who have played and are still relevant after their playing, driving, skiing, running days are over?  Well that's something else again.  Sabrina MacIntosh - Senior Editor

The Classic Fusion Takashi Murakami All Black

From Hublot -

Courtesy of Hublot

For those of you (like me) who might not be as up to date on the current art scene as you'd like to be, per Wikipedia -

Courtesy of Hublot

Takashi Murakami (村上 隆, Murakami Takashi, born February 1, 1962) is a Japanese contemporary artist. He works in fine arts media (such as painting and sculpture) as well as commercial media (such as fashion, merchandise, and animation) and is known for blurring the line between high and low arts. He coined the term "superflat", which describes both the aesthetic characteristics of the Japanese artistic tradition and the nature of postwar Japanese culture and society, and is also used for Murakami's artistic style and other Japanese artists he has influenced.

Courtesy of Hublot

And now for the pertinents -

CASE
REFERENCE
507.CX.9000.RX.TAK21
DIAMETER
45 mm
CASE
Satin-finished and polished black Ceramic
BEZEL
Satin-finished and Polished Black Ceramic with 6 H-shaped Titanium Screws
WATER RESISTANCE
50m or 5 ATM
CRYSTAL
Sapphire with Anti-reflective Treatment
DIAL
Black Lacquered Dial, Rotating Decor with 12 Black-plated petals Set with 456 Black Diamonds

MOVEMENT
MOVEMENT
HUB1214 UNICO Manufacture Self-winding Movement
POWER RESERVE
72 Hours

STRAP & CLASP
STRAP
Black Lined Rubber Straps
CLASP
Black-plated Stainless Steel Deployant Buckle Clasp

Moonphase Monday - the ochs und junior moon phase

In oj blue -

Courtesy of ochs und junior

A moon phase with incredibly accuracy, the ochs und junior moon phase eschews the two extremes of this complication: either incredibly complex, or mindlessly dumb with a snap on module.  This one utilizes something completely different -  original thinking.

An ETA 2824-2 undergoes a colossal overhaul... just kidding ; ). A grand total of 5 additional parts make up the complication which operate in harmony with the ETA 2824-2 -

Courtesy of Ochs Und Junior

Per ochs und junior, the secret sauce contains a -

5-part epicyclic gear system designed by Ludwig Oechslin. The calculation is precise for 3,478.27 years before it is off by one day. 

Suffice it to say, keep it wound and you should be good to go.

The case can be had in either titanium or silver, and in (I believe) 3 sizes - 36, 39 and 42 mm in diameter.

Here are the pertinents on the moon phase oj blue, straight from the source -

42mm case | Grade 5 titanium | “oj blue” dial, date disk, and moon disk | White Super-LumiNova markers and sun at 12 o’clock | White Super-LumiNova hour and minute hands | Second hand in dial color for instant visibility of the time | White Super-LumiNova full moon | Dark side of the moon in gray | Orange Super-LumiNova date dot | Choice of strap

Down With the King

Now I would not claim to be the hippest cat out there. Tik Tok and its allure is still elusive to me. I depend on Instagram and like, everyone else born before the 80s, Facebook for a sense of what might might be cooking in the watch world's collective subconscious. And I've noticed a rather curious trend. Grand Seiko is still a very much the darling of the media arm of Watch Town, and fair enough. But what I've seen bubbling up lately is... well you can't really call it a cult as that would require membership, organization (and occasionally a saffron robe and bargain Nikes). No, this is very much a watch sub culture that exists in an organic state, feeding off passion, not hyperbole.

Now having said that, there is one non-Grand Seiko that is a bit more upmarket. At an MSRP of $3,300 it is decidedly a bit more aspirational than the Seiko 5 Sports or the Presage. And proof positive that the right design and concept will capture hearts and minds regardless of what Seiko clique you identify with.

Courtesy of Seiko

This is the King Seiko SJE083. And as mentioned, it has caught the eye of both my well-heeled colleagues in the Fourth and Fifth Estate, as well as the guys and gals who passionately collect the Grand Seiko's more affordable cousins.

Courtesy of Seiko

This is one is limited to 3,000 pieces.

And here are the pertinents -

MOVEMENT
Caliber Number
6L35
Automatic with manual winding capacity
Accuracy
+15 to -10 seconds per day
Power Reserve
Approx. 45 hours

26 jewels
Date display
Stop seconds hand function

CASE
Stainless steel (super hard coating)

Screw Down Case

Thickness: 
11.4 ㎜
Diameter: 
38.1 ㎜
Length: 
44.7 ㎜ 
Water Resistance:
5 bar
Crystal:
Box shaped sapphire crystal
Crystal Coating
Anti-reflective coating on inner surface

STRAP:
Crocodile leather

The Brigadier Flyback Chronograph

From Patria -

Courtesy of Patria

This is, admittedly, a quick pop of news and I hope to have something longer and more detailed for you shortly. Ray Grenon has once again found a really cool brand and is bringing it to the US. I have to admit, that I had not heard much about Patria before, so I went to the one man in Switzerland who knows pretty much everything about everything as it pertains to watches, and he informed me that it was a very, very historic brand with fresh life breathed into it. 

Courtesy of Patria

Ray Grenon has a sharp eye for cool things, and it seems fitting that he is the one who brought this over to the US.

As I said, just a quick dip, but hope to be reporting back with much more shortly!

Inauguration Day

It's Inauguration Day in the US. And while it's been (honestly) a pretty freaky few weeks, we hold our collective breath and hope for a return to calm. And like many, I have had to remind myself that the US is an imperfect place, founded on ideals that are only as strong as the character of the people who live here. And I am many things, among them a hopeless romantic who hopes that we will always hear the voices of our better angels. 

Going way back, a Vulcain Cricket has been intertwined with the President of the US. The first being President Truman when a Vulcain Cricket was presented to him by the White House Press Photographer's Association. 

Even during the intervening years, a Vulcain Cricket found it's way onto the wrists of US Presidents albeit with the help of another romantic - Keijo Paajanen.

And the romantic in me hopes for 2 things -

1.  Vulcain will pick-up where Keijo left off (he passed away suddenly at the too-young age of 54), and do more than simply stick a watch in the "inter-office" mail. Presenting a Vulcain Cricket to the President of the United States is a BIG DEAL.  Bring back some of that magic, don't just phone it in.

2.  Include Keijo Paajanen and his father in the official history of Vulcain. They contributed to the history of Vulcain even when, in truth, there was no Vulcain. Leaving the Paajanens out of the "official" story is wrong.  They must be included, in particular Keijo, if for no other reason that they picked up the torch of Vulcain and carried it forward. Never seeking financial assistance from Vulcain once the company was brought back to life. 

Heroes and Villains - Citizen, Ollech & Wajs, Grenons, and Some Amazing Vets!

I was struck again today by something we don't really get to see too often in Watch Town - selflessness.

You may recall this past spring, just as COVID-19 looked certain to put the lights out in New York City for good. A group of former military medics mobilized and all converged on the city, taking temporary positions to provide desperately needed assistance to help stem the ever rising tide. I wanted to dust this off and re-share it for anyone who missed it the first time, because while in the US we are having a monumental identity crisis as to who we are as a country - a number of those Standard Issue Heroes are HEADING BACK to New York City to take up the fight again, and try to get us safely through this pandemic. 

Good Luck and Godspeed.

Weaponizing Empathy

Or - A funny thing happened on the way to New York City

COVID-19 has, in the words of an old university chum of mine who is now a professor of theology and Sunday School teacher, "Kicked the snot out of us."  It continues to be a challenging situation.

I will ask you to go back with me to April 11th.  It was a Saturday, and I was cooking dinner when my Facebook Messenger pinged. It was my friend Daniel Wentzel.  At first I thought that maybe my watch repair was finished - Daniel is a highly skilled watchmaker here in Massachusetts and more than once he has taken pity on my mechanical babies and repaired them.  But this message did not involve any of my watches, it was actually a request for help. Because in addition to being a very talented watchmaker, Daniel is also a proud US Army veteran who, just so happened to have served as a medic.  And as it happened, Daniel was in New York City with a flood of other military vets who also had medical training. They had all converged on the city and surrounding area to help support the various hospitals and pop-up centers that were struggling to keep up with the flood of patients coming in.  And believe it or don't, but there was one key thing that was needed by this massive group of volunteers -

Wrist Watches.

Now in normal situations (that means back in December and January here in the US), a nurse or EMT wears a watch with a second function OR they had a nice big wall clock with a LARGE, RED second hand so that they can take accurate vital signs.  Curious to relate?  A smart watch is not going to be reliable as you frequently need to move your wrist to "wake up" the watch face.  A cell phone will also do you no good as it requires another set of hands to hold it.  And as many of these facilities were hastily assembled? Let's just say that there was a dearth of wall clocks.  Long story short?  Plenty of people to take pulses and blood pressure, very few of them had a watch that would do something so basic as indicate seconds elapsed!

Daniel's message was short and to the point: "We need basic quartz wristwatches with a central second.  People will need to be able to disinfect them between shifts.  And if possible, we need them by Tuesday.  Could you reach out to your contacts for help?"

Ironically, a simple $15 watch that could be had (again, pre-lock down) on virtually any street in New York City would do the trick. That was before the lockdown.  Oh, one other thing?  This was the Saturday night before Easter!  Oh, one other small detail -

They needed about 200 watches!

I told Daniel that I would do what I could.  I reached out to Gary Girdvainis, the publisher of iW and About Time magazines and the two of us reached out to all of our contacts in the watch world.  And what happened next was pretty amazing.

On Easter, which is a pretty big deal in Europe as they tend to stay closed from Friday to Tuesday, I received a response from Yasmina Pedrini of Frederique Constant / Alpina in Switzerland. She wished Wendy and me a happy Easter, and she said that they would love to help, but with shipping times, etc. it was not going to be as quick as was needed.  But that she would reach out to her colleagues in the US.  Monday morning an email came in to Gary at iW from Ellen Seckler of Citizen Watches in North America (Citizen is the parent company of Frederique Constant), asking what they could do to help.  Without putting too fine a point on it, mountains were moved.  Somehow, watches were tracked down, retrieved from a secure location, and delivered most riki-tik! 
For those of you unfamiliar with this expression, per the Urban Dictionary: riki-tik

Derived from a story in "The Jungle Book" by Rudyard Kipling. The story featured a mongoose named Rikki Tikki who exhibited great speed. To do something "riki-tik" or "most riki-tik" is to do it very quickly. The phrase has common usage in the US armed forces. by SpenserPS May 27, 2009)

How the people at Citizen made this happened is still pretty remarkable, but within a very short time span, 175 Citizen watches arrived in New York City!

Courtesy of Citizen

Courtesy of Citizen

But Watch Town was not done!  The owner of Ollech & Wajs had been working with folks in a few different countries to help them produce face masks for medical staff. He is based in Belgium, but his mother was born in the US, and he wanted to help. While Ollech & Wajs was a watch brand, they make mechanical watches, not quartz.  So an order was made to a "third party retailer" and a good amount of another brand's watches were purchased and delivered.  

And then there was Ray Grenon, of Grenon's of Newport in Rhode Island. Ray made it personal by donating a large number of his personal quartz collection.  On the Monday morning after Easter, he replaced all of the batteries in his watches and shipped them all down to NYC.

Curious to relate?  There really wasn't anything in this for the folks who donated. These were volunteers they were giving watches to, not an official charity.  There will be no tax credit statement, no mention in the monthly newsletter, no champagne thank you at the annual gala.  They all stepped up and helped without expecting a thank you.

But I wanted to personally thank them all, Gary, Ray, Ollech & Wajs, Yasmina, Ellen, Citizen, and most of all?  I wanted to thank Daniel and his incredibly dedicated band of brothers and sisters who stepped up to help us all be safer.  There are no words sufficient.  

But Daniel wanted to be sure that this story got told, so I am going to turn this part over to him -

May 21, 2020

Daniel Wentzel on his way to the hot zone

So my journey to the field hospitals of New York City began way back in 2009. I had just returned from deployment to Iraq as a Combat Medic in the US Army. I suffered injuries to my hips having had to have them both replaced over the next ensuing years. Prior to my deployment to Iraq, I was a Paramedic Supervisor in Elizabethtown PA providing pre-hospital EMS, among many other management related duties. When I had my Hip joints replaced I could no longer pass the physical requirements needed to perform as a pre-hospital EMS. 

I decided that I would change careers and become a watchmaker, I enjoy working with my hands and true watchmaking requires critical thinking and problem solving. I then attended the York Time Institute for 2 yrs and graduated with a Diploma in Watch/ Clock Repair and Restoration. I was hired directly our of school in a high end Jewelry store in Massachusetts, I worked there for almost 3 years. It was hard for me to adjust to the environment with my old employer, I didn’t fit in with their culture, like most vets I am not a yes man. I decided to start my own watch repair/watch making home based business in January of 2019 working on my own endeavors. 

Then came COVID-19, my clients dried up and I really had to sit down and figure out what I really wanted to do. I decided that I needed to give back to society again, my whole adult life has been about heling others, this is what made me truly happy deep down. I soon put out the feelers for jobs in the healthcare field where my experience and expertise could be best utilized. I was not having much success, lots of applications with little feedback. I then received a post on social media calling for prior service Medical Corp veterans to volunteer to staff a field hospital in NYC for treating COVID-19 patients. I applied Monday and got accepted the next day and was on a flight to NYC to be a medical provider at the Ryan Larkin Field Hospital-New York Presbyterian Hospital. I spent the next month providing care to patients stricken by COVID-19. 

Medic in action

When I arrived in NYC I saw a need for wrist watches, most of the younger generation uses cell phones and smart watches for timing, they are not easily accessed in the controlled environments that were required in the “Bubble” COVID ward. I reached out to my friend James Henderson, who moved mountains to get the project moving; within a week's time he had already arranged several wristwatches to be set to NYC. I cannot thank him enough for all his hard work and to all the people who made the wristwatch mission happen. It is heart-warming know that there are people who can do something to help others and then follow through above and beyond what is asked of them.

In Action

Again, I would like to thank everyone involved, James Henderson, Gary Girdvainis of iW and About Time Magazine, Ray Grenon of Grenon's of Newport, Charles at Ollech & Wajs and Ellen from Citizen watches; you made our jobs much safer, productive and directly affected the outcome of our patients in a positive way due to your generosity.

Sincerely, 

Daniel Wentzel

The S.A.R. Flieger-Chronograph

From Mühle-Glashütte -

Courtesy of Mühle-Glashütte

Here are the pertinents -

CASE
Stainless steel.
Unidirectional rotating bezel.
Non-reflective
sapphire glass.
Back with
transparent window.
Screw-down crown.

DIMENSIONS
Ø 45,0 mm.
Height 16,2 mm.

WATER RESISTANCE
Waterproof up to 10 bar.

MOVEMENT
Automatic.
MU 9413.
Glashütte
three-quarter plate.
Woodpecker
neck regulation.
Stop-seconds.
Date quick correction.

STRAP
22 mm.
Rubber strap with folding clasp.

The Other Delft Watch Brand

Enjoy this first and last post on Delft Watch Works.  I have been led to understand by the owner/manager of DWW that you can read all them at "larger, more popular" outlets.

Delft Watch Works -

Courtesy of Delft Watch Works

I am a bit biased, as one of the founders is friend and alumnus of The HYPE 19, Michiel Holthinrichs. Michiel, and his co-founder Twan Briels wanted to offer something that took the design sensibilities that a watch much more expensive might offer, but to bring it to the customer at a far more attainable price.

Courtesy of Delft Watch Works

In a city famous for beautiful design, this watch delivers. It is the perfect answer for people wanting something beautiful, but a bit more within reach.

I am reaching out to see if I can get some more images and a bit more background on the brand so far, and what's coming.

The model you saw at the top of the story is the Oostpoort  Royal Blue.  And should you be of a mind, here are the pertinents -

Price:  

€749,00

CASE

Material:
316L stainless steel

Finish:
Polished with brushed parts

Diameter:
40 mm

Water Resistance:
5 ATM

Thickness:
12.4mm (including crystal)

Crystal:
Sapphire, double-domed with anti-reflective coating

MOVEMENT

Movement:

11.5′” STP 1-11 top-grade (Swiss)

Width:

25.6mm

Thickness including rotor:

4.6mm

Power reserve:

44 hours

Characteristics:
28.800 Hz / 26 rubies

Dr. Martin Luther King Wore...

Today is Martin Luther King Day in the US and a national holiday. I was born in 1968 - the year Dr. King was killed. And although I was a "novelty" that year, I have been told by many folks who were around then that 2020 / 2021 are not too dissimilar from 68. Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised black gloved fists then, athletes take a knee today. And for the record, Brent Musburger is a bit of a jackass now, but he really put the "tool" into tool watch with his commentary covering the Olympics for the Chicago American back in 68. As far as anyone knows he still stands by it, so proof positive that stupid lasts a lifetime. And for anyone fearful that this is going to get political, I assure you it is not. My admiration for Dr. King and Messrs. Smith and Carlos is their unflagging belief in human rights - which I'd like to think we can all get behind, no matter how we vote.

Over the last week I have been inundated with requests to "feature" every watch under the sun that Joe Biden may have worn - usually with a link to purchase (clearly some folks still haven't gotten the memo about advertising, etc.). And fair enough, we will have some presidential coverages of... well, you'll just have to tune in.  

But today is a day to remember someone who was the face of a movement that was long overdue then, and continues to be relevant and needed today. And as is often the case, it does seem fitting that Dr. King wore a Rolex -

And because I think it was written with more eloquence than I seem capable of today, I would direct you to the story written by Paul Altieri 2 years ago -

Fit For a King: Rolex and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

And if nothing else, no matter how you may be feeling about things right now - take a moment and remember what that other great commentator on watches, Sting said about putting our differences aside -

"We can all sink or we all float. Cause we're all in the same big boat"

Moonphase Monday - The Slimline Moonphase Manufacture

From Frederique Constant -

Courtesy of Frederique Constant

The case measures 42 mm in diameter and is of stainless steel. The movement is Frederique Constant's FC-705, which is automatic and boasts 42 hours of power reserve.

But as the title suggests, Mondays are for moonphase features and the Slimline Moonphase has one that I particularly appreciate. Big and easy to read at 6 o'clock, with a date indicator incorporated.

Here are the penitents -

MOVEMENT: 

FC-705 AUTOMATIC MOVEMENT. 26 JEWELS, 28'800 ALT/H AND 42 POWER RESERVE, WITH HOURS, MINUTES, MOONPHASE, DATE BY HAND.

CASE: 

STAINLESS STEEL CASE, DIAMETER OF 42MM WITH CONVEX SAPPHIRE AND 2-O-RINGS CROWN, HEIGHT 11.3MM. WATER-RESISTANT TO 3 ATM.

DIAL: 

SILVER, CURVED, APPLIED SILVERED INDEXES.

STRAP: 

ALLIGATOR STRAP.

Until next time - don't let the moon phase you!

Seeing Red - the New Full Metal (did we mention, it's red?)

From G-Shock -

Courtesy of G-Shock

This is the latest iteration of the Full Metal collection from G-Shock and is currently on a pre-order status. Officially, this one is known as the GMWB5000RD-4.

Courtesy of G-Shock

I love this design for it's ease of use. Download the G-Shock app to your smart phone, sync your G-Shock up, and you're good to go. Thanks to Bluetooth connectivity, you will no longer have the challenges of constantly re-setting your watch owing to timezone changes, daylight savings, etc.

Courtesy of G-Shock

This wrist-bound time machine will set you back $600 US, and it can be pre-ordered now, and is estimated to ship 3 days from now on the 20th.

Here are the pertinents -

Features

• Multiband 6

• 
  Bluetooth Connectivity

• 
  Solar Powered

Specifications

• Approx. battery life 2 years oc CR2016
• Module 3229
• Size of case / total weight 49.6 X 43.2 X 12.9 mm / 73g
• Shock resistant
• Electro-luminescent backlight Afterglow
• Flash alert
• Flashes with buzzer that sounds for alarms, hourly time signals
• 1/100-second stopwatch
• Measuring capacity