The Naval Aviation UTC

From MAT Watches - 

Courtesy of MAT Watches

MAT is a bit of an unknown, and certainly under appreciated quantity here in North America.  MAT stands for Mer - Air - Terre, if my extremely limited French can be counted on - Sea - Air - Land.

Based in Paris, MAT's focus is on nimble production allowing the flexibility to move quickly on ideas.

The Naval Aviation UTC comes with 2 additional straps -

Courtesy of MAT

A blue canvas strap (above), and a black rubber strap (below)

Courtesy of MAT

The price is fair, not ridiculously (and falsely) low - $2,496.00 incl. VAT. (2080 tax excl.)

Here are the pertinents -

STRAPS

Delivered with 3 interchangeable straps: 1 fawn vegetal tanning leather strap, 1 navy blue canvas and 1 black rubber band.

MECANISM

Caliber: ETA 2893-2 – Swiss Made
Frequency: 28800/h
Ruby: 21r
Power reserve: 42h
Winding: Automatic, H+M+S+Date+UTC24h

CASE

Waterproofness: 200 metres
Material: Stainless steel 316L
Dial: black with hands and markers in Super Luminova BGW9
Glass: Antireflective sapphire crystal, 3.8mm of thickness
Caseback: Stainless steel 316L
Crown: Screw in
Diameter: 44mm
Thickness: 15.5mm

Revisiting the Gavox Aurora

So it's been a little more than 3 years since I first saw it, and just less than 3 years since I bought my own.

The Gavox Aurora is something of an outlier in the watch world.  On the one hand, it is without a doubt the most complex pilot's watch you can buy for south of $5,000 US.  On the other hand, it is a quartz watch and for some purists out there, that is an unforgivable sin.

A single watch that provides two time zones, a chronograph, a timer, date (month and date) and moonphase.  It's a lot going on made possible by a singular movement developed in partnership with Soprod.  But unlike a G-Shock or several of the other quartz options out there, the Aurora actually requires you to engage with it a bit.  You can just glance down and it's there.  No, you have to earn it by cycling through the functions.  And honestly?  For me this is, in many ways, what puts it right up there with anything else out there regardless of the price point.  The Aurora is still available, and for those making the trip to DC for District Time next weekend, you'll be able to check it out for yourself.  

And in case you missed it, here was my original review -

When you write a watch blog, even one that caters to a small readership such as Tempus Fugit, you get to test drive a lot of watches. And when you stop worrying about satisfying advertisers and stroking egos, you get to be honest.  This past spring I got to review the Gavox Aurora and to say that it made an impression on me would be a great understatement.

As I have said more than once, I am not a person driven by gadgets or the latest technical whimsy. I suspect whatever thirst for knowledge of the horological minutia of micro mechanics I might have once had got beaten out of me during my time at DOXA listening to armchair blowhards wax on about their superior knowledge (yes, that is sarcasm) of the fine points of the ETA 2824-2, or other sublime topics.

So the question is, what made such an impression on me?  Simple Complexity.  Yes, the Gavox Aurora has some pretty cool and sophisticated functionality, but all of the functions can be controlled even by a brain as "un nimble" as my own. 

But the other thing I really liked about about the Aurora was that it didn't just roll on its back like a faithful puppy waiting for you to rub its tummy.  No, if you wanted to check out or use the functions, you actually had to engage your brain, and the watch, by way of the crown/central pusher.  It makes the entire experience a bit more personalized, a WHOLE LOT MORE interactive.  It makes a complicated watch fun, without being an exercise in "haute behavior".  

So yes, this watch made a big impression on me, and hence I found myself in New York, cash in hand, to pick up my own and visit with Mr. Happe.

To a large extent, a watch is a watch is a watch.  And maybe it is just where I am emotionally, spiritually and intellectually in this world of watch fanatics of which I am a  member, but I want more than the latest innovation.  I want something that registers on a human, an emotional scale.

Something that provides a warm and fuzzy feeling.  And that is what the Aurora provides me.

When you find that special watch, well it is a love affair of sorts that you indulge in form the beginning of the day, until the sun sets.

So as the kitchen calls and I go to rattle a few pans to make dinner, remember that watches should be fun, as well as functional. The two are not mutually exclusive! So now I've got mine, and I am a happy guy!

I hope you find yours, whatever it is, or whoever makes it.

That's all for now - enjoy your watches!

The Shit That Killed Elvis 3 / 12

Okay, this one was not a watch I expected to like, let alone want.  You know that rugged, good looking guy who spends his days making millions in arbitrage and his weekends undertaking deeds of daring-do and death defiance?  I ain't that guy.  I am beginning to think more and more that the reason why I can't get an appointment at the Breitling booth is not journalism based, but because I am probably considered too much of a namby-pamby to be among their watches ; )

Well, this one impressed me so much I saved my soda bottles for their deposits and purchased one of my own.  It is one of those watches that are hard to logically explain - it is quartz!  Everyone knows that quartz is dumb, right? 

This is a watch that defies logic on every level and anyone who spends even a small amount of time with it will want one of their own.  I reviewed Michael Happe's personal watch and I now know what it is like to be seduced by a drug dealer - "the first one is free kid, tell all your friends"!

This was my original review -

http://www.tempusfugit.watch/2016/04/practical-useful-and-shit-that-killed.html

And this was the follow-up piece after I had bought my own -


http://www.tempusfugit.watch/2016/10/the-gavox-aurora-why-i-bought-it.html

Hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph, second time zone, timer, moonphase, day, date and month. 

Here are the pertinents -

Technical Specifications :

• Measurements  Ø 43 x 50.5 x 12 mm
• Measure between lugs 22mm
• Autonomy between 4 to 7 years depending on mode usage
• Analog watch with 4 hands (1 for the mode, 3 for the information).
• Day and night visibility thanks to luminous hands and markings. Swiss Superluminova DGW9.
• UTC time reference, and local time by increments of 15 minutes.
• Countdown from up to 31 hours, with visual alarm.
• Mission chronograph to 31 hours, with split and flyback features.
• Perpetual calendar with simultaneous indication of date, day, month and leap year.
• Moon phase.
• Surgical 316L stainless steel, highly impervious to salt and sweat.
• Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with inner anti-reflection coating.
• Water-resistance to pressure of 10 ATM (333 ft).

The Gavox Aurora - Why I Bought it

When you write a watch blog, even one that caters to a small readership such as Tempus Fugit, you get to test drive a lot of watches. And when you stop worrying about satisfying advertisers and stroking egos, you get to be honest.  This past spring I got to review the Gavox Aurora and to say that it made an impression on me would be a great understatement.

As I have said more than once, I am not a person driven by gadgets or the latest technical whimsy. I suspect whatever thirst for knowledge of the horological minutia of micro mechanics I might have once had got beaten out of me during my time at DOXA listening to armchair blowhards wax on about their superior knowledge (yes, that is sarcasm) of the fine points of the ETA 2824-2, or other sublime topics.

So the question is, what made such an impression on me?  Simple Complexity.  Yes, the Gavox Aurora has some pretty cool and sophisticated functionality, but all of the functions can be controlled even by a brain as "un nimble" as my own. 

But the other thing I really liked about about the Aurora was that it didn't just roll on its back like a faithful puppy waiting for you to rub its tummy.  No, if you wanted to check out or use the functions, you actually had to engage your brain, and the watch, by way of the crown/central pusher.  It makes the entire experience a bit more personalized, a WHOLE LOT MORE interactive.  It makes a complicated watch fun, without being an exercise in "haute behavior".  

So yes, this watch made a big impression on me, and hence I found myself in New York, cash in hand, to pick up my own and visit with Mr. Happe.

To a large extent, a watch is a watch is a watch.  And maybe it is just where I am emotionally, spiritually and intellectually in this world of watch fanatics of which I am a  member, but I want more than the latest innovation.  I want something that registers on a human, an emotional scale.

Something that provides a warm and fuzzy feeling.  And that is what the Aurora provides me.

When you find that special watch, well it is a love affair of sorts that you indulge in form the beginning of the day, until the sun sets.

So as the kitchen calls and I go to rattle a few pans to make dinner, remember that watches should be fun, as well as functional. The two are not mutually exclusive! So now I've got mine, and I am a happy guy!

I hope you find yours, whatever it is, or whoever makes it.

That's all for now - enjoy your watches!

The Harrier Carbon Series UTC

Fom Techné  -

Courtesy of Techne

This is one of two new models designed for the use of working professionals in air traffic control.  

The Harrier Carbon Series UTC measures 41 mm in diameter.  The case is crafted of carbon reinforced BPA-free nylon.  The movement is  Ronda's 515.24H with a UTC feature.

Here are the pertinents -

Pilot watch with luminous indexes and skeletonized hands. Precision Swiss engineered quartz movement with snap date, independent time zone and hack feature.

Amagnetic carbon-reinforced case. Matte black dial, white minute track, indexes with Super- Luminova, white hands with Super-Luminova.

Strap made with cowhide strap.

• Diameter 41.0 mm
• Thickness 11.1 mm
• Strap width 20.0 mm
• Calibre Ronda 515.24H
• Time base quartz
• Smallest time fraction displayed 1 Hz
• Jewel count one
• Autonomy (in days) 1,350
• Working temperature range -5 C° < +50 C°
• Accuracy (in minutes per year) 4
• Water-resistance 10 bar
• Anti-shock 
• Anti-magnetism 1,600 A/m

And best of all is the price - $280 US.

Practical, Useful, and the SHIT THAT KILLED ELVIS!

This is an overdue review of the Gavox Aurora.

To give you some background on how this review spooled out, it was Monday night at BaselWorld and Michael Happe, fellow writer Martin Green and I were hanging out at the bar at the Ramada looking at Michael's newest dive watch.  We then got to speaking about the Aurora.  
But this was not my first face to face encounter with the Aurora.  Wendy and I had seen it up close and personal in Brussels back in November of 2014.  It was still in the development / not quite yet ready for prime time phase.

Flash forward a year and a few months and here we were looking at the Aurora in real time!  Michael asked me to check it out and give some feedback, and I started out with good intentions to simply check it out and lend some feedback.  But that was before I started wearing it.

The Aurora was not what you would call a "straight forward" proposition, although the idea/s behind it were.  At the time we sat down to lunch on the day after Thanksgiving in Brussels back in 2014, Michael explained to me all that he had gone through in getting the movement and the functions just the way he wanted with Soprod.  Because this movement, as such, did not really exist anywhere other than the imagination of Michael Happe.  It is quartz, but the number of refinements required made this well beyond your every day quartz movement.

Essentially, we are talking about a watch that provides time, day, date, UTC/second time zone, timer, chronograph, perpetual calendar and because, well it made it extra cool - a moon phase indication.

The Aurora can be had in three different finishes - Gold PVD -

Courtesy of Gavox

Black PVD -

Courtesy of Gavox

And in stainless steel -

Courtesy of Gavox

And it is a very, very good looking watch!  The case measures 43 mm wide,  50.5 mm lug to lug and 12 mm thick.  The watch has been unbelievably comfortable and it has truly been a pleasure to wear these past weeks.

The watch is substantial, but rational.  The lugs just reaching the edge of my wrist.   Like all of the Gavox watches I have seen, the quality of the finish is beyond reproach.  Every edge smooth and neat and incredibly pleasant to the touch.

I was lent the gold version.  This was an interesting style choice for Gavox, as the codes are often of a military inspired nature.  It was, in hindsight, a great decision as the gold tone provides a fantastic frame to the dial and hands.

The case back is solid stainless steel, no PVD treatment which makes sense as that portion of the watch is what sits on your wrist.

The strap is black, stitched and padded and finished off with a Gavox buckle.

And the Gavox logo also graces the crown.

Okay, so that takes care of the look and feel - but really what this watch screamed to me was how functional, useful and (although it took me a wee bit of time to get my small brain wrapped around the set-up) it is incredibly simple and FUN to wear and use!

But what Michael Happe went through to get all of the functionality of the Aurora into one watch was in the end, time very well spent.

Hours, and minutes are pretty straight forward and easily understood.  But if you notice the register and hand down at 6 o'clock, you will soon realize that this is not a retrograde second hand ; )  This is, in fact, the nerve center of the watch itself.  By pushing the crown in, you move from function to function.  So with Home selected, you will see the time in the normal way - small hand for the hour, big hand for the minutes.

Push the crown in and it then moves you to a moving seconds counter at 9 o'clock -

When you move again to UTC that is then your second time zone -

Timer provides a measured (once you set it up) time period -

And the minute hand will actually run counter-clockwise. Once the timer has completed its countdown all of the hands will return to 12 o'clock. In the chronograph mode the Aurora works pretty much whatever every other chronograph does. But this also offers a split and fly back feature.

For the perpetual calendar aspect - i.e. day, date, month? Simply push the crown again to get to the date function -

It is a wee bit hard to make out owing to the light in this picture, but the outer most chapter ring indicates the month (as you can see January printed in a lighter color. The minute hand now points to April.

The hour hand points to the day of the week - Thursday

And the actual day of the month is indicated in the scale at 9 o'clock.  You will also notice a bright white dot just north of the number 15 on the same scale. This is where the moon phase indication lives.  You can notice the subtle shades of the various stages of the moon's progress across the night sky -

And one other interesting feature is the "return to Home" function.  Whatever function you are in, simply press the crown down for 3 to 4 seconds and the function returns to Home.

And that is that ; )

So how do I sum up a watch that overwhelmed me in so many ways?  Not easy, to be sure.  I think in order for you, the reader, to have some perspective on why I am so emphatically impressed by the Aurora is to understand that I am perhaps the last person in the world who would be too interested in a technical watch.  During interviews and BaselWorld appointments my eyes tend to glaze over as soon as the conversation turns "techie".  Moreover, you could certainly get just about all of this functionality out of a G Shock or a connected or smart watch.  But this is special.  This movement was painfully fretted over by Soprod, and Micheal Happe was not willing to accept merely "good enough".  And this wonderful watch is the result.

So truthfully, if you have the funds and the inclination, you will be very, very happy with this purchase.

Here are the pertinents -

Gavox Aurora 446.3 rose gold

Technical specifications:

• Measurements  Ø 43 x 50.5 x 12 mm
• Measure between lugs 22mm
• Autonomy between 4 to 7 years depending on mode usage
• Analog watch with 4 hands (1 for the mode, 3 for the information).
• Day and night visibility thanks to luminous hands and markings. Swiss Superluminova DGW9.
• UTC time reference, and local time by increments of 15 minutes.
• Countdown from up to 31 hours, with visual alarm.
• Mission chronograph to 31 hours, with split and flyback features.
• Perpetual calendar with simultaneous indication of date, day, month and leap year.
• Moon phase.
• Surgical 316L stainless steel, highly impervious to salt and sweat.
• Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with inner anti-reflection coating.
• Water-resistance to pressure of 10 ATM (333 ft).
• Serial number.