It's Actually Easy Being Green

Thanks to Laco's two new models -

Courtesy of Laco

Above is the AUGSBURG GRÜN 42.

And here are the details -

Made in Germany

MOVEMENT:

Automatic movement Laco 2S
Basic movement Miyota 82S0
Hacking second

CASE:

Stainless steel case, sapphire crystal

DIAL:

Green, numbers and figures with Superluminova C1

HANDS:

Hands with silver polished frame, filled with luminous material Superluminova C1

STRAP:

Grey leather strap with green stitching
Please note: the used vintage leather makes every watch strap unique. Being a product of nature, it can present itself with color and structure variations.

BOX:

Grey gift watch box with zipper

DIAMETER:

42,0 mm

HEIGHT:

11,7 mm

LUG WIDTH:

20,0 mm

LUG TO LUG:

50,0 mm

WATERPROOF:

Up to 5 ATM

WEIGHT:

85 g (incl. strap)

And to keep it company, another green fleiger, the AACHEN GRÜN 42 -

Courtesy of Laco

Made in Germany

MOVEMENT:

Automatic movement Laco 2S
Basic movement Miyota 82S0
Hacking second

CASE:

Stainless steel case, sapphire crystal

DIAL:

Green, numbers and figures with Superluminova C1

HANDS:

Hands with silver polished frame, filled with luminous material Superluminova C1

STRAP:

Grey leather strap with green stitching
Please note: the used vintage leather makes every watch strap unique. Being a product of nature, it can present itself with color and structure variations.

BOX:

Grey gift watch box with zipper

DIAMETER:

42,0 mm

HEIGHT:

11,7 mm

LUG WIDTH:

20,0 mm

LUG TO LUG:

50,0 mm

WATERPROOF:

Up to 5 ATM

WEIGHT:

85 g (incl. strap)

The BR03 Diver RC

Available in five new flavors from Bell & Ross -

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

Two of these new iterations are of ceramic. One with a black dial (above).

• MOVEMENT

  Calibre BR-CAL.302-1. Automatic mechanical. 54-hour power reserve.

• FUNCTIONS

  Hours, minutes, seconds and date.

• CASE

  42 mm wide. Matt black ceramic. Unidirectional rotating bezel with 60-minute scale in black ceramic. Minute track up to 15 minutes.

• DIAL

  Black. Skeletonised metal applique hands and indices filled with white Super-LumiNova®. "Baignoire-style" applique index filled with white Super-LumiNova®. Skeletonised hour and minute hands filled with white Super-LumiNova®. Arrow-shaped hour hands.

• CRYSTAL

  Sapphire with anti-reflective coating.

• WATER-RESISTANCE

  300 metres.

• STRAP

  Woven black rubber and ultra-resilient black synthetic fabric.

• BUCKLE

  Pin. Steel with black PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) finish.

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

The other ceramic model comes with what Bell & Ross describes as a full lume dial (above).

• MOVEMENT

  Calibre BR-CAL.302-1. Automatic mechanical. 54-hour power reserve.

• FUNCTIONS

  Hours, minutes, seconds and date.

• CASE

  42 mm wide. Matt black ceramic. Unidirectional rotating bezel with 60-minute scale in black ceramic. Minute track up to 15 minutes.

• DIAL

  Coated in pale blue Super-LumiNova® (blue glow). "Baignoire-style" applique index filled with white Super-LumiNova® (green glow). Skeletonised hour and minute hands filled with white Super-LumiNova® (green glow). Arrow-shaped hour hands.

• CRYSTAL

  Sapphire with anti-reflective coating.

• WATER-RESISTANCE

  300 metres.

• STRAP

  Woven black rubber and ultra-resilient black synthetic fabric.

• BUCKLE

  Pin. Steel with black PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) finish.

In addition to the ceramic models, there are a further three new pieces in stainless steel -

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

One with a black dial and strap (above).

• MOVEMENT

  Calibre BR-CAL.302-1. Automatic mechanical. 54-hour power reserve.

• FUNCTIONS

  Hours, minutes, seconds and date.

• CASE

  42 mm wide. Satin-finished and polished steel. Unidirectional rotating steel bezel with 60-minute scale in black ceramic. Minute track up to 15 minutes.

• DIAL

  Black. Skeletonised metal applique hands and indices filled with white Super-LumiNova®. "Baignoire-style" applique index filled with white Super-LumiNova®. Skeletonised hour and minute hands filled with white Super-LumiNova®. Arrow-shaped hour hands.

• CRYSTAL

  Sapphire with anti-reflective coating.

• WATER-RESISTANCE

  300 metres.

• STRAP

  Woven black rubber and ultra-resilient black synthetic fabric.

• BUCKLE

  Pin. Satin-finished and polished steel.

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

One with a blue dial and strap (above).

• MOVEMENT

  Calibre BR-CAL.302-1. Automatic mechanical. 54-hour power reserve.

• FUNCTIONS

  Hours, minutes, seconds and date.

• CASE

  42 mm wide. Satin-finished and polished steel. Unidirectional rotating steel bezel with 60-minute scale in blue ceramic. Minute track up to 15 minutes.

• DIAL

  Blue sunray. Skeletonised metal applique hands and indices filled with white Super-LumiNova®. "Baignoire-style" applique index filled with white Super-LumiNova®. Skeletonised hour and minute hands filled with white Super-LumiNova®. Arrow-shaped hour hands.

• CRYSTAL

  Sapphire with anti-reflective coating.

• WATER-RESISTANCE

  300 metres.

• STRAP

  Woven blue rubber and ultra-resistant synthetic black fabric.

• BUCKLE

  Pin. Satin-finished and polished steel.

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

And a third with a white dial and black strap (above).

• MOVEMENT

  Calibre BR-CAL.302-1. Automatic mechanical. 54-hour power reserve.

• FUNCTIONS

  Hours, minutes, seconds and date.

• CASE

  42 mm wide. Satin-finished and polished steel. Unidirectional rotating steel bezel with 60-minute scale in black ceramic. Minute track up to 15 minutes.

• DIAL

  White. Skeletonised metal applique hands and indices filled with white Super-LumiNova®. "Baignoire-style" applique index filled with white Super-LumiNova®. Skeletonised hour and minute hands filled with white Super-LumiNova®. Arrow-shaped hour hands.

• CRYSTAL

  Sapphire with anti-reflective coating.

• WATER-RESISTANCE

  300 metres.

• STRAP

  Woven black rubber and ultra-resilient black synthetic fabric.

• BUCKLE

  Pin. Satin-finished and polished steel.

The Big Comeback - Lip

Over the past 8 years or so, I have been fortunate enough to witness something pretty special - the reformation of one of the most iconic brands in France. 

Now theologians might question my use of the word reformation to describe the very positive things happening at Lip. But I would beg to differ. One definition of reformation is -

The act or process of changing a religious, political, or societal institution for the better.

Lip is one of those rare entities that goes beyond a simple product category. Like Peugeot, Airbus, L'Oréal, and Michelin (to name just a few), it is interwoven not just in the French psyche, but is known around the world.

The Lip affair was a seismic event not just in watchmaking, and not just in France. It galvanized a group of seemingly different people who had one thing in common - they needed to come together and act, or they were going to lose their jobs. In 1973, Lip was about a heartbeat away from oblivion. Massive layoffs were looming, and if not for the drastic action of the workers, Lip would be a footnote today. 

 

Spoiler Alert - Lip survived and after more than a few ups and downs, including the indignity of being moved away from its historical home of Besançon, it has been gradually moved back to France's watch epicenter, and this is all thanks to the Berards, particular Pierre-Alain Berard in particular -

This past March, I made my third visit to Besançon and to Lip HQ. And what motivated this trip? 

This is the Lip T18 Original. As mentioned in previous stories here, the T18 is something that marks a brand new chapter in the evolution of Lip. It is the first step towards movement manufacturing returning to Besançon, and it seems fitting that the man who worked to bring Lip home is leading the way to moving Lip back more fully into the world of mechanical watch making.

So now that I have whetted your appetites, I encourage you to tune in to our next episode where we will go deeper into the T18, the city of Besançon, and Lip's role in its evolution.

The BR 05 Artline Steel & Gold

From Bell & Ross -

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

This is a pre-order item, with shipping anticipated for July.

Here are the pertinents -

• MOVEMENT

  Calibre BR-CAL.321-1. Automatic mechanical. 54-hour power reserve.

• FUNCTIONS

  Hours, minutes, seconds and date.

• CASE

  40 mm wide. Satin-finished and polished steel and 18 ct rose gold with striated bezel. Screw-down crown. Crown guard. Sapphire case-back with 360° oscillating weight.

• DIAL

  Brown sunray. Applique indices filled with white Super-LumiNova® (green glow). Skeletonised hour and minute hands filled with white Super-LumiNova® (green glow).

• CRYSTAL

  Sapphire with anti-reflective coating.

• WATER-RESISTANCE

  100 metres.

• STRAP

  Two-colour satin-finished and polished steel and 18 ct rose gold with striated links.

• BUCKLE

  Folding. Satin-finished and polished steel.

The luna sole

From ochs und junior -

Courtesy of och und junior

This is the latest offering in the ochs und junior ochs line. It provides hours, minutes, seconds, date, and moon phase. It also provides the moon’s position relative to the earth and sun.

It is being offered in two versions. 

anthracite -

Courtesy of ochs und junior

And  rhodium -

                                                    Courtesy of ochs und junior

Price:
CHF 6000 – Export price
CHF 6486 – incl. 8.1% Swiss VAT

Here are the pertinents -

Dimensions Diameter 40mm; height (incl. crystal) 9mm. Weight 40g (without large titanium buckle and leather strap), 52g (with large titanium buckle and leather strap). Water Resistance 100m in titanium. Case 2-part case in grade 5 titanium designed by Ludwig Oechslin. Base Movement ETA 2892-A2 with 42 hours of power reserve. Manufacturer: ETA SA / Grenchen / Switzerland. Crown Screw-down crown in grade 5 titanium designed by Ludwig Oechslin.   Buckle Designed by Ludwig Oechslin for 22mm watch straps with no loops. Visible machining marks. Grade 5 titanium. Watch strap Ecopell leather strap in Olifant. Crystal Sapphire crystal. Swiss Made The ochs und junior luna sole is manufactured in Switzerland. Each watch is hand-assembled and regulated at the ochs und junior workshop in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Warranty Two years. Design Ludwig Oechslin, non-customizable. 

Two New Unomat Editions

From MeisterSinger -

Courtesy of Meister Singer

The first model reminds us that being black and blue is not always a bad thing ; )

It is referred to as the Edition Unomat International in the press materials. The case is of stainless steel and sports a DLC finish.

Courtesy of Meister Singer

The second offering is referred to as the Edition Unomat NL. The NL is referencing the Netherlands which explains the orange livery of this version. It also differs from its international cousin with a destro (that's left handed) crown position. I don't think it's political ; )

Each version is limited to 50 pieces each.

Here are the pertinents, straight from MeisterSinger -

Model	Edition Unomat International (ED-UN902BLUBL) Edition Unomat NL (ED-NL24)
Movement	Sellita SW 400, Automatic, power reserve 38 h, Date
Case	Stainless Steel (DLC), screwed steel case back, screwed crown, crown protection, shielded against magnetic radiation, water resistance 30 bar
Diameter	43 mm
Dial	Black with arctic blue, Black with orange
Strap	Rubber, Artic blue or orange
Speciality	Limited to 50 pieces each, magnetic field protection, outstanding luminosity
Origin	German brand, Swiss Made
Recommended retail price*	2.690€

Whodinkie now?

Word has slowly filtered out that another long-term Hodinkee loyalist has left the fold heading for... 

Shamelessly borrowed from the world-wide infoweb

Okay, technically Westlake. And hey, it might be a remote work situation ; )

If the Linkedin announcement is to be believed, the (according to Hodinkee's masthead) current Managing Editor - Danny Milton is now (also?) the Vice President of Content at Teddy Baldassarre...

Yes, I suppose that was sarcasm. Sorry. But gentle reader, this is not the first time that a high-profile Hodinkee departure has not exactly been acknowledged by the shot-callers at H central. His last article appears to be over a month ago (May 10). And I think this is where many of us wonder at what point will the talent drain stop? 

I have said more than once that insofar as editorial policies, I do not understand what makes Hodinkee tick. But beyond that, the bigger question is that with so much money that came in (unrealized profits from pre-owned watches notwithstanding), what is preventing Hodinkee from righting the ship and getting back on track to where they once were? And despite what people may think, I would actually welcome a revitalized, improved Hodinkee that reclaimed its stature as the standard in online watch media.

So with the next candidate for the hot seat on the Good Ship H yet to be revealed, we will wait and we will see.

And congratulations to Mr. Milton on his new appointment. Should you find yourself on the lakeshore near my hometown, I strongly recommend a visit to Mama Santas -

Shamelessly borrowed from the World-Wide infoweb

The pizza is well worth the trip ; )

The Bamford x RÆBURN Snoopy B80 Limited-Edition

This is the latest Snoopy / Bamford collaboration which partners with RÆBURN -

Courtesy of Bamford London

It comes with an olive green strap (above) but 2 additional color options can be purchased separately -

Courtesy of Bamford London

Courtesy of Bamford London

The  straps are crafted from reclaimed parachute materials.

Courtesy of Bamford London

The "Doghouse"presentation box is made of FSC certified recycled wood.

The watch case is of titanium (black PVD) and measures 39 mm in diameter.

The movement is the Sellita SW300-1, offering hours, minutes, and seconds.

The The Bamford x RÆBURN Snoopy B80 Limited-Edition is limited to 100 pieces and priced at £1350.