Design Your Own Chronograph!

The same folks who offer you the opportunity to create a custom time only watch are now offering a chronograph -

This new chronograph from Revolo uses a 42 mm stainless steel case with a 22 mm lug width.   

Courtesy of Revolo

The cases are also available in three different finishes including a rose gold or black pvd finish.  With the option of a display back, or solid stainless steel case back.

Courtesy of Revolo

And as with any Revolo watch, you are blessed with numerous options beyond the case.  You get to choose the hands, the dial, the crown, pretty much every aspect.  You even have the option of a Ronda quartz movement, or paying a bit more for a self-winding (Concepto) movement.

Courtesy of Revolo

As with their original launch, Revolo is offering the opportunity to get in on the ground floor via a Kickstarter campaign. 

Courtesy of Revolo

As a very, very satisfied Revolo customer, I personally am excited by this new offering from the folks in Holland.  And the Kickstarter pricing offers a very, very affordable opportunity to create your own chronograph.

The configurator works just as smoothly as the one used for the standard, time only models, and I used it to knock together this option for myself -

I will be consulting with my piggy bank later today ; )


How good are the rewards for this Kickstarter?  Pretty darn good!  Here is the list -

Courtesy of Revolo

For more information, check out the Revolo Kickstarter here -


REVOLO KICKSTARTER

The Helvetica Erik Spiekermann

From Mondaine -

Courtesy of Mondaine

This is a new take on the Helvetica collection.  This new series is available in three different styles.  The first is the Light Spiekermann (above).

Function	TimeDate
Movement	RONDA 715
Movement (type)	Quartz
Case size/diameter (mm)	38.00
Case material	Stainless Steel Brushed
Case back	Pressed Caseback
Crown	Regular Gasket
Crystal/Glass material	Sapphire Crystal
Water resistance (m/ft/atm)	30 / 100 / 3
Strap/Bracelets material	Stainless Steel
Width at lug (mm)	18.00

Courtesy of Mondaine

The Regular Spiekerman (above):

Function	TimeDate
Movement	RONDA 715
Movement (type)	Quartz
Case size/diameter (mm)	40.00
Case material	Stainless Steel Polished
Case back	Pressed Caseback
Crown	Regular Gasket
Crystal/Glass material	Sapphire
Water resistance (m/ft/atm)	30 / 100 / 3
Strap/Bracelets material	Stainless Steel
Width at lug (mm)	20.00

Courtesy of Mondaine

And the Bold Spiekermann (above):

Function	TimeDate
Movement	RONDA 515
Movement (type)	Quartz
Case size/diameter (mm)	43.00
Case material	Stainless Steel IP Black
Case back	Pressed Caseback
Crown	Regular Gasket
Crystal/Glass material	Sapphire
Water resistance (m/ft/atm)	30 / 100 / 3
Strap/Bracelets material	Genuine Leather
Width at lug (mm)	20.00

Perhaps You Can Buy Time

Many watch fans are familiar with Corum's Dollar Watch, but the folks behind the Bitcoin Watch wanted to offer something different:

Courtesy of Bitcoin Watch

The above model is the Gold version.  It is available either with a Ronda quartz movement, or with an Eterna movement (Calibre 39).  

Here are the pertinents:
Case: Stainless Steel
Diameter: 40mm
Height: 7.4mm
Case Color: Gold or Silver
Dials: Gold, Black, Blue or Silver
Crystal: Sapphire Crystal
Strap: 20mm / Leather Black - Straps are exchangeable
Movements: SWISS MADE RONDA Quartz Movement or SWISS MADE Eterna Caliber 39 Automatic Movement 29 Jewels
Water resistant: 3ATM
All of the other versions offer the same two movement variations -

Courtesy of Bitcoin Watch

The Gold Series V2 -

Courtesy of Bitcoin Watch

And a blue version, among others -

Courtesy of Bitcoin Watch

You can check out all of the Bitcoin Watch offerings on their Kickstarter page -

Bitcoin Watch Kickstarter

Something Cool

form Mondaine

Courtesy of Mondaine

These are the two new Mondaine Helvetica No1 Regular 2nd Time Zone watches.  Available with a silver/white dial (above), and a black dial (below).

Courtesy of Mondaine

This model measures 40 mm in diameter, and offers two time zones.

The movement is Ronda's quartz 6203.B BIG DUAL.

Courtesy of Mondaine

The US retail is $425.  The perfect watch to help you keep time on your summer travels.



 

Perhaps the Coolest Kickstarter Video...

EVER!!!

Courtesy of Fin Watches

To be very clear, I have not seen the watch up close.  I did get a sneak peek at the Kickstarter video last week, and have been waiting for the opportunity to share it here, because it is really, really great!

Courtesy of Fin Watches

The watch is a neat concept, stainless steel quartz with a "countdown" feature.  Essentially allowing you to factor in how much time you might have left to complete a certain task, or to enjoy a certain time period.  I would encourage you to watch the truly fun video first:

Fin Watch Kickstarter

Pretty swell, huh?

Okay, but let's get back to the watch:

Courtesy of Fin Watches

 The basics are:

41 mm, stainless steel case
Stainless, Gold, Rose Gold or Matte Black finish
Ronda Quartz movement
Dial equipped with pulsometer scale
Hours, minutes, seconds, countdown hand and marker.

Courtesy of Fin Wathces

It is a lovely idea, and something that speaks on a deep idea, but in a whimsical manner.

The Kickstarter  has 30 days to go, so if this speaks to you, you might want to move quickly to get the best rewards before they are all snapped up.




 

What if? 3thirty3

Dear readers,

as you know, I am a person who has a very difficult time keeping his opinions to himself.  I am a Northern Youth from a certain Northern Ohio town where if you ask a person what he is thinking - he will likely tell you!

As regular readers of this blog know, I worked for Tourneau in San Francisco under the legendary Javier Perrigo.  Following that I had a master class on, well, everything from Rick Marei at DOXA.

And since 2010 I've been writing this blog, working as a freelancer.  Advising and consulting. Getting paid.  But I wanted to do something more.  I wanted to try and find a way to take the strength that a watch or luxury brand might have and use just a portion of it for good - to try and solve an insolvable problem.  In 2013 that led to the Writing Wrongs Awards presented by the dynamic father and son team Carlo and Samuel Naldi of Edelberg.  This past year the Tempus Fugit Initiative sought to join together watch brands to unite to solve a common problem - and we did manage to raise quite a bit of money.

But singular actions do not always have the strength to see the long term problem solved.  Long term problems need long term solutions.  So allow me to introduce you to 3thirty3.

Courtesy of 3thirty3

A new brand I have launched with the idea of offering a quality watch, and donating 1/3 of the price (not the profit, but the total price) to charitable causes.  The watch you see above is the 3thirty3 Conservation Initiative.  1/3 of all sales will go to support the International Anti-Poaching Foundation.

Courtesy of 3thirty3

And the watch here is the 3thirty3 Water Initiative.  1/3 of all sales from this watch will go to benefit Drop in the Bucket to help provide safe, clean drinking water in areas that desperately need it.

The watches will be available in early January for sale, direct.  Here are some details:

40 mm stainless steel case, Swiss made, Ronda quartz movement, water resistant to 100 meters.

And one important thing, the straps for the watches are NOT leather!  These are just for the rendering purpose.  The straps will be made of sail cloth (top) with a Lorica underside.

Now, I realize that many of you do not want a new watch just now, but maybe you want to support the idea?  If so, a "Crowd Funding" campaign is underway to raise funds - and it also offers you the opportunity to pre-order one of these watches.

http://www.gofundme.com/gav5ds

Thanks for your consideration.

The Quill & the Summers

David Mason London's   DM1 series GMT Pilot Watches

Courtesy of David Mason

This is the DM1aGMT - also known as the Quill, so named for the second person to test pilot the Spitfire.

Courtesy of David Mason

And this is the DM1bGMT - the Summers.  Named for the first test pilot of the Spitfire.

Here are the specs -

True GMT Movement , Ronda 515 Swiss parts movement,

3 hands (Hours, Minutes & Seconds),

24 hour red GMT indicator hand,

Date at 4 o’clock

Stainless Steel Case

Case Diameter – 46mm

Case Height – 56mm from two furthest lug points

Case Thickness – 12 mm

Dial - Black with David Mason logo at 12 o’clock

24 hour inner bezel ring activated by separate crown

K1 Scratch resistant Mineral Glass

Super-luminous steel hands

Large super luminous numerals at 3, 6 and 9

Super luminous thick 5 minute markers

Screw down Stainless Steel Case Back, Engraved with DM Logo and individual limited edition serial numbers

Water resistance - 10 atm or 100m

Screw-in Crown at 3 o’clock

24 hour GMT Crown at 4 o’clock

Strap -  leather strap with nu-buck lining and thick white contrast stitching

Steel buckle with DM (David Mason) etched logo

Limited Edition of 100 individually numbered pieces worldwide

The Amsterdam

From Fromanteel -

This was just forwarded to me by a reader.

15 Days with the Bianci White Beach Ceramic - Final Report

And another 15 days have come and gone here in Santa Barbara, and it is time to sum up the past two weeks spent with the Bianci White Beach Ceramic chronograph.

So a few adjectives to describe this timekeeper - comfortable, accurate, legible - and eye catching.
Let's start with the comfort factor - for those of you who have had more than a few watches you will agree that not every watch is going to feel equally good on every wrist.  The Bianci White Beach was very, very comfortable right away.  As I've said earlier, I was not entirely sure how I would feel about ceramic, but it was very, very comfortable!  The bracelet is very well balanced and the utilization of a butterfly style clasp is the perfect pairing.

Accurate - I know, it is easy to say that of course a quartz watch will be accurate, but it can happen sometimes that quartz watches that are not "time only" can have a few hiccups - but not so with this ISA Swiss quartz watch.  Our Thanksgiving turkey turned out perfectly and the University of Oregon had perfect timing.

Legibility is something that you might question owing to the all white dial, sub dial and bracelet.  But in fact instead of a "white out" effect, the dial is clear and easy to read.

And last but not least - eye catching.  I was actually curious to see what it would be like to wear an all - white watch exclusively for a few weeks and this was actually a lot of fun!  The watch received quite a few compliments and several folks who wanted to know where to get one.

Last of all, and it is something that I am sometimes wary of, but it has to be said - this watch is a watch that a LOT of people can actually afford.  When I started this little "bloggy-wog" I wanted to cover all types of watches, and as this watch is also available for purchase directly from Bianci, it is a great option for a lot of folks out there.

Visit the folks at Bianci at:
www.bianciwatches.com

Bianci at the beach - sort of

As it is Friday and it is California this seemed like an appropriate theme. In the interest of full disclosure, we are a good 2 miles from the beach, but we are there in spirit today from the back patio.

So some more details about the Bianci I am wearing this week - like the last chronograph that "guest starred" tis one is a quartz watch, powered by an ISA movement.  It is very, very easy to operate and so far has performed flawlessly.

I suppose that the deck chair is also an appropriate backdrop to the Bianci owing to its comfort.  I will be completely honest here - I was not 100% sure how I would like the feel of a ceramic bracelet.  I am stating here clearly and definitively, this is a REALLY comfortable bracelet!  And I am further impressed by how well it is holding up - I have brushed against more than a few "obstacles" and no scratches!  Not even from my daily "desk-diving" - well done Bianci!

It will face two critical (at least at the Henki house) tests next week - Thanksgiving Dinner - yes I am suiting up and will get the bird ready, and then then the Ducks of Oregon will try to remain perfect.  I will, of course, keep you updated on both sets of results (sadly at least one of the aforementioned birds will not be having an undefeated season) - and of course those of the watch!

http://www.bianciwatches.com/

Bianci White Beach Ceramic Chronograph

Okay, so it is now day 2 of 15 with the Bianci White Beach Ceramic Chronograph.

A few quick facts -

As advertised - the watch is ceramic.  This is the first ceramic watch I have worn beyond a watch store counter, and I have to say that is a pretty cool effect!  The ceramic material is somewhat glossy, but not glaring.  It has a nice visual effect.

The watch itself is 43 mm (46 with the crown) and at least into the second day has proved to be comfortable and well balanced.  It is cloudy (foggy) and overcast here in Santa Barbara today, so this is a very nice counter point to an otherwise gloomy morning.

More this evening.

TechnoMarine Cruise Sport Snow

This just in from TechnoMarine - the Cruise Sport Snow - cue Bing Crosby...

Betsy over at TechnoMarine was kind enough to send me this release - and in fairness, her press release is more eloquently worded that I can manage so read on -

NEW for when the mercury drops below freezing, TechnoMarine introduces Cruise Sport Snow, the holiday season’s ultimate accessory. The newest member of the Cruise Sport family, this chic stainless steel watch goes anywhere, whether swishing down a mountain or cozying up by a fire.

Diamonds randomly set into the bezel give the appearance of flurries just landed; a non-diamond version has a silver and graphite hued bezel. Snowflakes engraved onto the dial—either mother-of-pearl or mirror—complete the winter wonderland effect. No need to wait for the first blizzard, TechnoMarine has the coolest snowflakes all winter long!

Cruise Sport Snow is the perfect gift this holiday season.

Cruise Sport Snow is 40mm, 3-hands, with a day/date indicator. The soft white silicone strap and clear case cover are easy to remove and swap with other colors.

With diamonds US$975; without diamonds US$345.

For further info please visit TechnoMarine -  www.technomarine.com

Fifteen Days with TechnoMarine

Okay - day one was really a great introduction to this fun watch!  Very quick first impressions - large but not too large.  A good weight/heft ratio.

Very legible - and what I really like are the blue contrasting sub dials and accents on the dial and inner bezel.

Very comfortable strap.

15 days with TechnoMarine

Just a quick note - a beautiful and fun TechnoMarine has arrived and will keep you updated over the next 15 days.