The Primatic

From MeisterSinger -

Courtesy of MeisterSinger

A rare twist for MeisterSinger, the world's most well-known single handed watch - a "second" hand...

Courtesy of MeisterSinger

The single hand watch that we've all come to know and love, features a power reserve indicator just above the 6 O'clock indication.

Courtesy of MeisterSinger

Here are the pertinents -

Model	Primatic 365
Movement	Sellita SW270, Automatic, power reserve 38 h, power reserve indication
Case	Stainless steel, 6 screws exhibition back, 5 bar, sapphire glass
Diameter	41,5 mm
Dial	Sunburst Bordeaux with Gold (PR365911G), Sunburst Steelblue with Gold (PR365917G)
Strap	Cowhide leather strap with croco print, Cognac and Brown
Speciality	Historical dial design
Origin	German brand, Swiss Made
RRP*	2.490€
Availability	Q4 2024

 

* Manufacturer’s recommended retail price incl. 19% statutory sales tax.

 

The M36 Armistice Day Limited Edition

From Vertex -

Courtesy of Vertex

This dial variation, if I have read the press release correctly, will be limited to 9 pieces total, with all proceeds going to the Royal British Legion.

Here are the pertinents -

Technical specifications

Case:
36mm Solid Bronze alloy case
Screw in lug bars
Water resistant to 100m

Crystal:
Box crystal double domed and anti reflective

Dial:
Molded X1 Super-LumiNova dial

Movement:
Sellita SW260-1 top execution movement with Nivarox anti-magnetic hairspring

Crown:
Screw in crown

Warranty:

5 year warranty

Strap:
Leather 

Packaging:
Custom tactical case with Vertex M36 Velcro patch

Swiss made.

PRICE:
RRP: £2,350 inc VAT

Here are the pertinents -

The C-1000 FAGN

Editor's Note - James Henderson is the North American Representative for Ollech & Wajs.

From Ollech & Wajs -

Courtesy of Ollech & Wajs

This is the latest offering from Ollech & Wajs Zurich, a special watch for a special unit. In 2023 Ollech & Wajs developed a bespoke C-1000 for the National Gendarmerie Air Force.

And now they are releasing a slightly modified version for the general public.

Courtesy of Ollech & Wajs

Membership has its privileges! To be in the know about everything O&W and to get your name on the list for one of the first deliveries, as the North American Representative I encourage you to become a member of the Ollech & Wajs Club - Ollech & Wajs Club

Courtesy of Ollech & Wajs

Based on the O&W C1000, the C-1000 FAGN is of stainless steel and measures 39.5 mm × 15.8 mm and is of stainless steel. Water resistance rated to 1000 meters. The movement is Soprod's Newton Precision P092.

Price 1,856 CHF

The BWD x Franck Muller ‘Crazy Love’ Snoopy Limited-Edition

I have long been a big Snoopy fan, and apparently I am not the only one ; )

Courtesy of Bamford Watch Department

This is the latest offering from Bamford Watch Department - a BWD x Franck Muller Snoopy (and Woodstock) mash-up!

Courtesy of Bamford Watch Department

Limited to 50 pieces world-wide, it is priced at £28,800.

Courtesy of Bamford Watch Department

Here are the pertinents -

Specifications 

Reference 7880 CH PNTS NR 

Functions 

Disordered Jumping Hours, Minutes 

Movement 

MVD 2800-CHR Bidirectional automatic movement 42 hours power reserve

201 components 

Diameter: Ø 26,2 mm. 

Thickness: 5,2 mm 

Balance wheel frequency set to 28,800 vibrations per hour 

Côtes de Genève on the bridges, rotor plate and additional plate 

Decoration Perlage on the mainplate 

Beveling on the additional-plate springs and rotor plate 

Diamond polishing on the sinks and bridge bevels 

Sunray brushing on the bridges, rotor segment, bearing cage and barrel cover 

Snailing on the ratchets 

Circular satin brushing on the wheels 

Satin brushing on the additional-plate springs Instructions 

Dual-Position Crown: 

1. Winding. 2. Setting the time 

Case 

Water resistant up to 30 meters Cintrée Curvex case 

Black PVD treatment on the case 

Hand brushed 

Sapphire crystal 

Stamped Clous de Paris spiral 

Strap Hand sewn suede strap 

Buckle Brushed titanium buckle Black PVD coating

Welcome Back MINILIP!

I am not able to be "neutral" about Lip. They are not as fancy as Audemars Piguet. They are not the official time keeper of the Olympics. And you will not (typically) get one ripped of your wrist at gunpoint unlike a certain brand bearing a crown on the dial...

With that said, I have made three trips to Besançon, France to learn as much as I can about the brand, and meet with the people there. And I am now a true devotee! 

For many years Lip was simply a brand. It made watches, some relating to a rich and fascinating history. But for the most part, up until a few years ago, before they moved back to their original home in Besançon, they were going through the motions.

Courtesy of Lip

I've said it here before, and I'll say it again - the Berards, most specifically Pierre-Alain, have not only rescued Lip. They are beginning to move it even further forward than it was during its heyday. You can market just about anything in terms of watches. But it takes a special person to look to the past, and resurrect things with not only a nostalgic look back, but to do so with a true understanding of what the public wants. 

The MINILIP was designed with a "younger demographic" in mind. It was meant to help children understand the time not only as hours, minutes, and seconds, but also to take into account AM and PM. With this new interpretation through quarter and half hours into the mix and you've got quite a time machine!

Courtesy of Lip

It is not a large watch, but a fun-sized 29 mm.

Courtesy of Lip

Best of all, it is very reasonably priced at €199.00!

Courtesy of Lip

And it is also available in a stainless case with white inner dial (above).

Having spent this past weekend in New York at the two big shows and seeing more than my fill of divers, pilot's watches, and other "tough guy time machines", this renewed offering from Lip is just what I needed to remind me about why I enjoy writing about watches!

Un grand merci, Lip!

You can read all of the pertinents here -

https://lip.fr/en/minilip/207-lip-minilip-671971

The AQUASPHERE FreeFall Blue

From Hanhart -

Courtesy of Hanhart

This is the latest from Hanhart, and no - it's not a flieger ; )

Courtesy of Hanhart

The AQUASPHERE FreeFall Blue is a true dive watch, with a water resistance of Up to 30 bar/30 ATM according to DIN 8310, and a helium release valve.

The case is of stainless steel and measures 42 mm in diameter. The movement is the Sellita SW200.

It is priced at 1.168,07 €. If you are in the "lower 48" that means you are buying it from Watch Buys. Make no mistake, they are not just the distributor, they are the only game in town as they don't exactly "distribute" to other retail stores. So if you want one, you're going to have to deal with them ; )

It's A Bit Special...

The ochs und junior settimana junior -

Courtesy of ochs und junior

Sometimes you get a second chance! Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you one of my all-time favorite watches, the settimana junior from ochs und junior.

Courtesy of ochs und junior

Now those of you somewhat new to ochs und junior are acquainted with the settimana. what you might not realize is that the settimana is the second iteration of the original settimana, which was a "children's watch" designed for his daughter Flori. It made telling the time and understanding the days of the week a much easier proposition owing to the big bright numbers and the moving dot that indicated the seven days of the week. It also came with a really groovy comic from Sjoerd van Rooijen.

Courtesy of ochs und junior

Well, it's been a minute, but the joyful watch is back with a new name - the settimana junior.

And 15 years later? It's back!

Courtesy of ochs und junior

It ships with a copy of the original comic, and a really snazzy orange strap!

Priced at fairly accessible CHF 2400.00 — Export price
CHF 2594.40 — Incl. 8.1% VAT

Here are the pertinents -

Concept & Design

Ludwig Oechslin

Dimensions

Available in Ø 36; 10,8 mm thickness

Weight

55 Gram

Water Resistance

50m (5bar)

Case

Made from two parts designed by Ludwig Oechslin, available in grade 5 Titanium. Visible machining and milling traces

Base Movement 

ETA 2824-2 top grade, ETA SA, Grenchen Switzerland

Crown

Screw-down crown made of titanium, designed by Ludwig Oechslin

Buckle

22mm width in titanium designed by Ludwig Oechslin

Straps

Orange Ecopell leather strap handmade by Sabina Brägger

Glass

Sapphire crystal

Night visibility

Swiss Super-LumiNova®, applied by Monyco SA,
La Chaux-de-Fonds

Swiss Made

The settimana is made in Switzerland and assembled and hand regulated by ochs und junior in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

Warranty

The entire watch is covered by a 2-year guarantee.
 
settimana junior comic booklet

Sjoerd van Rooijen, first edition 2009, second and third
edition 2012 / 2024

The BR-X5 Blue Lum

From Bell & Ross -

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

There is even less reason to be afraid of the dark! This is the latest from Bell & Ross's BR-X5 stable - the Blue Lum.

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

The case measures 41 mm across with a thickness of 12.80 mm. The case is a bit of the ordinary, comprising several elements, per Bell & Ross:

Container in Grade 2 microblasted titanium with DLC (diamond-like carbon) finish. Upper and lower inserts in blue luminescent quartz fibre composite. Fixed bezel in Grade 2 microblasted titanium with bezel insert in luminescent composite.

The movement is the Calibre BR-CAL.323. Manufacture. Automatic mechanical. Approximate power reserve of 70 hours. Functions include hours, minutes, seconds, date, and power reserve.

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

It is limited to 500 pieces, and will be available only by pre-order. 

Here are the pertinents -

• MOVEMENT

  Calibre BR-CAL.323. Manufacture. Automatic mechanical. Approximate power reserve of 70 hours.

• FUNCTIONS

  Hours, minutes and seconds. Date window at 3 o'clock and power reserve indicator at 9 o'clock.

• CASE

  41 mm wide. 12.80 mm thick. Container in Grade 2 microblasted titanium with DLC (diamond-like carbon) finish. Upper and lower inserts in blue luminescent quartz fibre composite. Fixed bezel in Grade 2 microblasted titanium with bezel insert in luminescent composite. Screw-down crown and crown guard in Grade 2 titanium. Case-back in Grade 2 microblasted titanium with smoked grey sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating. Case-back with oscillating weight.

• DIAL

  Matt black. Block applique indices in blue Super-LumiNova® filled with black lacquer. Skeletonised hour and minute hands coated in blue Super-LumiNova® (blue glow) and filled with black lacquer. Black flange with 60-minute scale and blue transfer.

• CRYSTAL

  Sapphire with anti-reflective coating.

• WATER-RESISTANCE

  100 metres.

• STRAP

  Openworked black rubber.

• BUCKLE

  Folding. Steel with DLC (diamond-like carbon) finish.

The Edition Notre Dame

From MeisterSinger -

Courtesy of MeisterSinger

This is the latest offering from the folks in Münster.

Courtesy of MeisterSinger

The Edition Notre Dame is special for many reasons, not the least of which is its hourly chime mechanism.

Courtesy of MeisterSinger

Limited to 70 pieces, it is priced at 4.599€

Here are the pertinents -

Model	Edition Notre Dame (ED-BHO-NOTRE DAME)
Movement	MS Bell, Basis Sellita SW 200, Automatic, power reserve 38 h, hourly chime
Case	Stainless steel, 4 screws exhibition back, water resistant up to 5 bar, sapphire glass
Diameter	43 mm
Dial	Ivory with Sunburst Blue
Strap	Cow hide with egg dyeing, Cognac
Speciality	Hourly chime: „Sonnerie au Passage“, limited to 70 pieces
Origin	German watch brand; Swiss Made
Retail price*	4.599€
Availability	Exclusively available at Ocarat in Paris or MeisterSinger

*Manufacturer’s recommended retail price incl. 19% statutory sales tax.

The BR-X5 Iridescent

From Bell & Ross -

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

This is the latest addition to the BR-X5 stable, the iridescent dial makes a very wonderful statement.

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

But it is after dark that the true beauty of the BR-X5 shines through.

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

This wrist bound horological bijoux is available only through Bell & Ross boutiques (both online and brick and mortar).

Here are the pertinents -

• MOVEMENT

  Calibre BR-CAL.323. Manufacture. Automatic mechanical movement. Approximate power reserve of 70 hours.

• FUNCTIONS

  Hours, minutes and seconds. Date window at 3 o'clock and power reserve indicator at 9 o'clock.

• CASE

  41 mm wide. 12.80 mm thick. Satin-finished and polished steel. Screw-down crown. Crown guard. Sapphire case-back with oscillating weight.

• DIAL

  Iridescent green to purple. Polished, rhodium-plated indices filled with white Super-LumiNova®. Polished, rhodium-plated skeletonised hour and minute hands filled with white Super-LumiNova®. Semi-matt white sweep seconds.

• CRYSTAL

  Sapphire with anti-reflective coating.

• WATER-RESISTANCE

  100 metres.

• STRAP

  Satin-finished and polished steel or white rubber.

• BUCKLE

  Folding. Satin-finished and polished steel.