And To Think...I Almost Missed This!

 

Courtesy of Archimede

Yes, I have absolutely been writing a lot about Archimede these past few weeks. It's like that some times, you find yourself falling down a rabbit hole before you realize it.

Why I have become somewhat obsessed with Archimede? Well, after running a few brands, and operating in supporting roles, it is nice to see a brand that does not spend so much time worrying about who / what they are perceived to be. Rather, Archimede seems to spend its time on making solid watches, at a fair price, that people will actually want to buy and wear. 

Courtesy of Archimede

The reason why you've never seen an Archimede brand ambassador? Simple, they are putting the money into their watches!

This is the 1950-4 . GR.SC.LHB, and yes, I'm kinda' crushing on it!

It it is a beautiful green dialed time machine. Hours and minutes, with seconds displayed via a sub dial at 6 o'clock. Everything you need, nothing you don't.

It can be had direct from Archimede for 

€1,020.00
Price incl. 19% VAT plus shipping costs
Price excl. VAT €857.14

Free of shipping costs within Germany

Delivery time approx. 1-2 weeks

Product information "1950-4 . GR.SC.LHB"

Movement	Swiss-made hand-wound movement SW 261-1M Swiss automatic movement SW 261
ICKLER Case	The high-quality case manufactured by ICKLER in Pforzheim. Brushed and polished, domed sapphire crystal, water-resistant to 3 ATM, onion crown, screw-down case back with mineral crystal. Dimensions: Diameter 40mm, thickness 9,8 mm, lug-to-lug length 44 mm
Dial	Domed, green with luminous numbers and indexes, small second at 6
Hands	Vintage, luminous hands, domed
Band	Light brown leather strap, Vintage look, width 20mm, (wrist size: 17 - 21,5cm) (optional: deployment clasp)

PIONEER Flieger One NightBlue

From Hanhart -

Courtesy of Hanhart

This one is limited to 150 pieces. It is a three-handed flieger, featuring a deep blue dial and black pvd case and crown. The case measures 42 mm in diameter, with a height of 12 mm.

Courtesy of Hanhart

The movement is the Sellita SW 200, which is automatic and boasts 38 hours of power reserve.

Hours, minutes, and seconds. Nothing superfluous, only what's needed.

The price is 1,290 Euro including VAT (if I have read the release correctly). That is, unless of course, you live in the US where the distributor is also the sole retail point (what's up with that?) where the price is listed at US $1,480... the US price is curiously higher, and that's not saying anything about the 19% VAT which (curious to relate) would not be assessed here in the lower 48. So I honestly don't know why the North American distributor/(curiously only) retail location in the US and Canada is pricing at the level that they are.

With that being said, it is a beautiful flieger that definitely stands out from the the same old pilot's watches out there.

Here are the pertinents -

MOVEMENT

• Automatic movement Sellita SW 200
• 28.800 A/h, 4 Hz, 26 jewels
• Power reserve of min. 38h

FUNCTIONS

• Three hands, centre hour, minute and second hands, stop-seconds

CASE

• Stainless steel, black PVD coating
• Diameter 42 mm, height 12 mm
• Large crown with historical h
• Fluted rotating bezel, continuously rotatable, with red marking
• Anti-reflective convex sapphire glass
• Engraving of the historical Hanhart “h” and the limitation number XXX/150
• Screwed-down and blasted stainless steel case back
• Water-resistant to 10 bar/10 ATM

DIAL

• NightBlue dial with historical logo
• Super-LumiNova® C1 GL coated numerals and hands
• Minute and Second hand bent at tip to prevent parallax errors

STRAP

• Ox leather with suede finish
• Royal blue with red cross stitching on the lugs
• Lug width 22 mm
• Pin-buckle with a black-color PVD coating and historical logo

The Augsburg Polar 42 and Aachen Polar 42

From Laco -

Courtesy of Laco

Laco announced the release of these two new white dialed fliegers yesterday.  Above is the Augsburg Polar 42.  It is equipped with either a Laco 25 or Laco 31 movement. I did try a quick dive (very quick, didn't even get my fingers damp) to try and ascertain just what exactly these movements were. So apologies in advance, but there we are.

Below is the Aachen Polar 42 -

Courtesy of Laco

Limited to 250 pieces of each version, these "Polar Pilots" are priced at:

€ 440,00

Edition 96

From Laco -

Courtesy of Laco

Limited to 96 pieces, and priced at 1.290 €

Here are the pertinents -

Case:
Stainless steel, black PVD plating, ø 42 mm,
lug width 20 mm, height 13,5 mm,
water resistant up to 30 ATM,
double curved sapphire crystal with antireflective coating inside, stainless steel PVD plated screw back with scorpion relief, unidirectional rotating ceramic bezel, indexes with luminous material Superluminova, protected and screwed crown with “96” relief

Movement:
Automatic movement Laco 200,
basic movement Sellita SW200-1 (Elaboré), 26 jewels, 3 hands, date, second hand stop

Hands:
Hour with luminous material Superluminova C1, minute with Superluminova cool gray,
second white with Superluminova cool gray

Strap:
Black, water resistant leather strap, stainless steel buckle with black PVD plating, width 20 mm

Dial:
Black matte, arabic figures and indexes with
luminous material Superluminova, white minute track

Weight:
Approx. 108 g

The 1800 S GG DAMASZENER

From Sinn -

Courtesy of Sinn

This is the latest from Sinn. As you will note, the dial is of Damascus steel. The case measures 43 mm in diameter, with a lug width of 22 mm.

Courtesy of Sinn

The movement is the SW300-1.

This is a limited release, 100 pieces only, so no dawdling ; )

Courtesy of Sinn

Here are the pertinents, straight from the source 

Movement
Mechanical Movement
SW300-1
Self-winding mechanism
25 bearing jewels
28,800 semi-oscillations per hour
Seconds stop function
Anti-magnetic as per DIN 8309

Functions
Hours, minutes, seconds
Date display

Case
Case with integrated dial made from Damascus steel, featuring Black Hard Coating on a TEGIMENT Technology basis
Case back made from Damascus steel, with Black Hard Coating on a TEGIMENTTechnology basis
Sapphire crystal glass, anti-reflective on both sides
Case back screw-fastened
Crown screwable
Meet the technical requirements for waterproofness, as set out in standard DIN 8310
Pressure-resistant up to 10 bar
Low pressure resistant

SINN Technologies
Black Hard Coating on a TEGIMENT 

Technology basis
Dimensions and Weight

Case diameter: 43 mm
Band lug width: 22 mm
Case thickness: 10.4 mm
Weight without strap: 78 gramme
Dial and Hands

Case with integrated dial made of Damascus steel
18-carat gold appliqués, meticulously attached by hand
Appliqués coated with luminescent colour
Hands in 18-carat gold
Hour and minute hand coated with luminescent colour

Warranty
Warranty period 2 years

The Klassik 200

From ARCHIMEDE -

Courtesy of ARCHIMEDE

Available with a blue dial (above) and a rather spiffy silver version (below) -

Courtesy of ARCHIMEDE

The case is (you guessed it) an Ickler make, of stainless steel and measuring 39 mm in diameter, 10.8 mm thick and 45 mm lug to lug.

Courtesy of ARCHIMEDE

The movement is the Sellita SW 200-1.

And for you lume fans out there, don't worry -

Courtesy of ARCHIMEDE

The good people at ARCHIMEDE have you covered!

Here are the pertinents -

Movement	Swiss-made automatic movement SW 200-1
ICKLER Case	The high-quality case manufactured by ICKLER in Pforzheim. Hardened, brushed, and polished finish, sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, water-resistant to 20 ATM, crown with A-logo, screw-down case back with mineral crystal. Dimensions: Diameter 39mm, thickness 10.8 mm, lug-to-lug length 45 mm
Dial	Silvered with applied luminous indices, date at 3
Hands	Silver, luminous hands
Band	Black leather strap (optional: deployment clasp) (wrist size: 17.8 - 21.7cm)

The 1950-3

 From Archimede -

    Courtesy of Archimede

Available in black (above) and blue (below). This is a wonderfully understated watch at an equally wonderfully understated price - Price excl. VAT €621.84 for the self-winding model. It can also be had in a hand-winding movement for an additional €50.42 excl. VAT.

    Courtesy of Archimede

No logos, nothing superfluous.  Just hours and minutes, and the company name writ small at the bottom of the dial.

The lume used is provides the look of another age, and provides a nice touch.  But this is clearly a modern watch built for modern wrists - 40 mm of stainless steel, with a case that is made by the people that many other brands contract for their watch cases.

I love it!

Here are the pertinents -

Movement 

Swiss-made automatic movement
SW 200-1, also available in hand-
winding version

ICKLER Case 

The high-quality case manufactured by ICKLER in Pforzheim.
Brushed and polished, domed sapphire crystal, water-resistant to 3 ATM, onion crown, screw-down case back with mineral crystal.
Dimensions: Diameter 40mm, thickness 9,8 mm, lug-to-lug length 44 mm

Dial 

Domed, blue or black with luminous numbers and indexes

Hands 

Vintage, luminous hands, domed

Band 

Dark brown, black or tan leather strap, Vintage look, width 20mm, (wrist size: 17 - 21,5cm) (optional: deployment clasp)

The R500

 From Sinn -

Courtesy of Sinn

And it is DOPE AS HELL!

(That means I like it)

Courtesy of Sinn

A truly cool limited series of 300 pieces.  The case is of titanium, and yes, that is a "bullhead" orientation for the crown and pushers!

Here are the pertinents, straight from the source -

Description

A historical model returns: with the Model R500 limited to 300 pieces, we’re presenting a racing stopwatch with this extraordinary design in our range for the first time in many years. What sets this watch apart visually is the position of the crown at 12 o’clock and the push-pieces at 11 and 1 o’clock. Thanks to this arrangement, the Model R500 represents an analogy to the traditional stopwatch and motorsport. The tachymeter scale on the interior bezel is used to measure speeds. With the power reserve indicator at 12 o’clock, you can always see whether the timepiece is ready to go. The displays for hour, minute and subsidiary second and the stop functions for 12 hours, 30 minutes and 60 seconds are mounted in the centre for high-precision time measurement.

The unusual positions of the crown and push-pieces - also known as the “bullhead chronograph” due to the appearance of a bull’s head - requires an extremely demanding case construction. The dial slopes downwards from top to bottom and is thus angled towards the wearer, who can conveniently adjust the crown and push-pieces at the wrist.

The satinised case itself is made of high-strength titanium (Grade 5), which underlines the technical and contemporary interpretation of the watch and ensures a comfortable fit.

The R500 is equipped with a black cowhide strap with red seam integrated into the case. The recessed strap embossing pays homage to the hole pattern design so common in motorsport.

Technical Data

Mechanical Movement

• Valjoux 7750
• Self-winding mechanism
• 25 bearing jewels
• 28,800 semi-oscillations per hour
• Seconds stop function
• Anti-magnetic as per DIN 8309

 

Case

• Case made of high-strength titanium, satinised
• Sapphire crystal glass in front, anti-reflective on both sides
• Case back screw-fastened
• Meets the technical requirements for waterproofness, as set out in standard DIN 8310
• Waterproof and pressure-resistant up to 20 bar
• Low pressure resistant

Functions

• Hours, minutes, subsidiary seconds
• Chronograph
• Date display
• Interior tachymeter scale up to 500 km/h
• Power reserve indicator

 

Dimensions and Weight

• Case diameter: 42 mm
• Band lug width: 24 mm
• Case thickness: 16 mm at 12 o'clock and 13 mm at 6 o'clock

 

Dial and Hands

• Matte black dial
• Indices coated with luminescent colour
• Hour and minute hand coated with luminescent colour

 

Warranty

• 2 years

The München Chronograph

From Laco -

Courtesy of Laco

München Chrono 

Limited up to 200 Stück

Case:

Stainless steel, dark sandblasted, ø 42,3 mm, height 14,7 mm, lug width 20 mm,
water resistant up to 10 ATM, double curved sapphire crystal, closed case-back with engravings, lateral engraving, crown like navigators watch

Movement:

Automatic movement with chronograph Laco 50, basic movement ETA Valjoux 7750, 25 jewels, day / date, second, minute an hour counter

Hands:

Hour, minute and centre second with luminous material Superluminova C3, small hands grey

Dial:

Black mat, arabic figures and indexes with luminous material Superluminova C3, totalizers and day / date grey

Strap:

Brown smooth calf leather strap with light stitching, slightely padded, 2 rivets per band side,
20 mm width, stainless steel buckle

 

The Transit NightBlue

From Defakto -

Courtesy of Defakto

Available with a PVD case (above), and a stainless steel version (below) -

Courtesy of Defakto

The case measures 40 mm in diameter and is of stainless steel.  The movement is ETA's 2824-2.  The price is nice and sane at: 
945,00 EUR (incl. VAT)
794,12 EUR (excl. VAT)

Here are the pertinents -

Three-piece 40 mm stainless steel watchcase (316L):

brushed
or
sandblasted, Pvd-coated

Height including sphered saphire crystal dome 9.8mm

40 mm x 44 mm x 9,8 mm, 58 g

Automatic movement ETA 2824-2, made in Switzerland

Engraved see-through case back, stainless steel (316L), brushed, Saphire crystal

Matt nightblue dial, convex, fluorescent

Matt black rounded hands, manually shaped

Hour/Minute hand fluorescent Superluminova BGW9

Second hand fluorescent Superluminova light red

Flowing, sweeping second hand

Ergonomic clasp with engraved Defakto logo

German-made cowhide strap

Water resistant to 5 atm

Made in Pforzheim, Germany

The Urban Day Date

From MeisterSinger -

Courtesy of MeisterSinger

This one sorta' speaks to me.  I am a MeisterSinger fan from "back in the day" (that's the early oughts), and while I do feel that at the moment there are a few too many SKUs trying to offer too much, this one is one strikes just that right note.  It is still true to the original idea of a one-handed timekeeper, but it subtly adds two nice (and subtly balanced) features - a day and date indicator.

Courtesy of MeisterSinger

The case is of stainless steel and measures 40 mm in diameter. The movement is Miyota's 8285 with a boasted power reserve of 42 hours.

Courtesy of MeisterSinger

But this one, gentle reader?  This one smacks me in the face in a very positive, happy way.  As silly as this seems coming from a 52 year-old man who used to make his living writing watch advertising copy targeted at 35-55 year old men fantasizing about punching out a Nazi on Omaha Beach...
this one makes me smile.

What is it?  It's not any one thing, but several.  A nice large dial, big bold numbers, and a slightly unusual color play with a blue/grey dial, white numbers and indices alternating every so often with red ones, and red and white day and date indicators that honestly look as if they are smiling at you.

And one other "small" consideration?  I am also a social worker. It is highly unlikely that I am going to be plumping for the latest Czapek or De Bethune in the foreseeable.  It is a much more realistic purchase than what you might be reading about in the other outlets this week ; )

Courtesy of MeisterSinger

So to be clear, I am not trying to make any value judgements about your watch choices. I suspect you tune into this space because you might be looking for a different point of view. And simply put, life is too short not to be happy, and when I look at this particular version of MeisterSinger's Urban Day Date?  I am happy!

Enjoy your watches!

The 206 St Ar

From Sinn -

Courtesy of Sinn

Hours, minutes, seconds, day, date and chronograph.  But this one goes a little bit further.  Water resistant to 300 meters, rotating bezel, and perhaps the coolest bit?  Ar-Dehumidifying Technology!
For more about that, check the factoids here -
https://www.sinn.de/en/Ar-Dehumidifying_Technology.htm

Courtesy of Sinn

Here are the pertinents, straight from Sinn -

• Case made of stainless steel, polished / satinized
• Electroplated black dial
• Tested based on European diving equipment standards and certified by DNV GL
• Pressure-resistant to 300 m diving depth (30 bar), certified by DNV GL
• Ar-Dehumidifying Technology enhances functional reliability and freedom from fogging
• Captive diver's bezel with minute ratcheting
• Sapphire crystal glass in front
• Transparent back made of sapphire crystal glass 
• Low pressure resistant

• Mechanical Movement
• • The information on the mechanical movement corresponds to the current production situation in Frankfurt am Main. Due to technical changes, it may happen in individual cases that stock items of our sales partners deviate from this information. (further Information)
  • Valjoux 7750
  • Self-winding mechanism
  • 25 bearing jewels
  • 28,800 semi-oscillations per hour
  • Seconds stop function
  • Anti-magnetic as per DIN 8309

• Case
• • Case made of stainless steel, polished / satinized
  • Sapphire crystal glass in front, anti-reflective on both sides
  • Transparent case back made of sapphire crystal glass, anti-reflective on the interior
  • Case back screw-fastened
  • Crown screwable
  • Meet the technical requirements for waterproofness, as set out in standard DIN 8310
  • Pressure-resistant up to 300 m diving depth (= 30 bar), certified by DNV GL
  • According to the technical demands for the diving norm DIN 8306
  • Tested based on European diving equipment standards EN 250 / EN14143 and certified by DNV GL
  • Low pressure resistant

• Functions
• • Hours, minutes, subsidiary seconds
  • Date display
  • Day of the week display
  • Chronograph
  • Diver’s bezel with minute ratcheting and luminous key mark

• SINN Technologies
• • Ar-Dehumidifying Technology enhances functional reliability and freedom from fogging
  • Push-pieces with D3-System
  • Captive bezel

• Dimensions and Weight
• • Case diameter: 43 mm
  • Band lug width: 22 mm
  • Case thickness: 17 mm
  • Weight without strap: 95 gramme

• Dial and Hands
• • Electroplated black dial
  • Indices coated with luminescent colour 
  • Hour, minute and second hand coated with luminescent colour

• Warranty
• • 3 years

Seven Days with the Sternglas Zeitmesser

UPDATE -
(February 20th, 6:52 AM Eastern Time).
This is a formal announcement that I have been retained by Sternglas Zeitmesser to assist them in the North American market (effective Tuesday, February 20th) and as such, I will no longer be able to write about them here on Tempus Fugit or in other outlets as it would create a conflict of interest and not be in the best interest of honest watch coverage and reporting.  This happened very quickly (over less than 24 hours), but I felt it important to update this review as quickly as possible to ensure full disclosure.  


NOTE - This review was actually completed a few weeks ago.  A few additional photos were taken today - Sunday, February 18th.

Courtesy of Zeitmesser

A week has come and gone, and another review is officially in the books.  But this one was a bit different than I expected it would be.

I had heard about Sternglas Zeitmesser a few months back, and I was curious.  While more expensive, mechanical watches are usually the focus of most watch reviews, I wanted to get a sense of just what 199 Euros would get you.  Ordinarily, lower price means lower quality, and you can see where the money wasn't spent in terms of manufacturing.  Not so with Sternglas!

The most important thing to get out of the way is that this is, indeed, a quartz watch.  But I am coming to believe more and more that having multiple mechanical watches can, in fact, be more of a headache than it is sometimes worth.  I have about 5 mechanical watches in dire need of service that I just have not got around to dealing with owing to the time and expense.  I suspect that if I was once again a "one watch" guy, then I would feel a bit more pressure to get the service done.  But the other thing that I am finding?  A lot of brands (both small and mighty) are making some very appealing quartz watches that look good, wear well, and don't fall apart the day after the warranty expires.

Now the first thing that strikes you is the design of the watch itself.  It is Bauhaus to the core, the dial layout is clear and the date window is particularly well executed.  Easy to read, and the date window does not obscure any part of the indices, although the 3 o'clock marker is somewhat shorter than it's corresponding indices, it is actually very well balanced and very pleasant to look at.

The movement is from the folks at Ronda - the 714.  And now we get back to the auto/mechanical vs. quartz debate.  In Glasgow there are Celtic and Rangers, Edinburgh has Hearts (my club) and Hibernian.  And the watch world has NO Quartz and WHY NOT Quartz?  And as I said earlier, I am finding myself more and more in the WHY NOT Quartz camp.  Now in fairness to the NO Quartz faction, I agree that perhaps one of the most annoying parts of any quartz watch is the rather obnoxious tick-tick sound and the jump of the second hand.  Sometimes, it is rather inelegant.  But you will notice the second hand of the Sternglas Zeitmesser solves that problem... it doesn't have one!  And in terms of a design choice, I have to be honest it adds a certain something to the overall experience.  Hours and minutes pass, but you do not find yourself obsessing over the passing of 60 seconds.

The watch case (and in this version, "Milanaise" bracelet), are of stainless steel.  And the diameter is one that is going to appeal to a larger and growing group of people at 38 mm.  

And once again we see, 38 mm is plenty big.  The thin bezel adds depth and gives the impression of something a tad bit bigger.  At 38, it is a watch that can be worn pretty much every day.

And let's talk about the "every day" aspect of the Sternglas watches.  The straps and bracelet come STANDARD with quick change spring bars so that you could switch from one to the other in the blink of an eye, without a tool of any kind -

And the benefit of this is (at least to me) very obvious - you can have three different looks for not a lot of money.  You can purchase additional straps, directly from Sternglas Zeitmesser for 29 Euros each.

Courtesy of Sternglas Zeitmesser

Courtesy of Sternglas Zeitmesser

The overall finish of the watch was beyond reproach, and priced at 199 Euros, you can actually tell where the money went.  

 
Or less gently stated - this watch kicks the shit out of the stuff that Daniel Wellington is pushing.  I hate to be blunt, but if Sternglas Zeitmesser ever decided to push into the North American market, they would give the folks from Sweden a very real run for their money.

The watch has been a true joy to wear.  The fit and feel are smooth, balanced and just that little bit of heft to know that your wearing a watch, not a gold plated piece of brass with an eponymous name.

The bracelet was, at first a little challenging - and I would STRONGLY encourage everyone to be careful putting it on as it does require a wee bit of digital dexterity.  But on the upside, the bracelet allows for the ULTIMATE in micro adjustment.

And all of the little details are there, and that gives an even warmer and fuzzier feeling ; )

To sum up, for 199 Euros this is a watch I would buy and wear proudly without hesitation.  And Sternglas, if you're ever looking for North American representation, I am available ; )

Here are the pertinents, straight from the source -

A Bauhaus-style fine watch with high quality sapphire crystal. A reserved & filigree clock without annoying bells and whistles. Clear lines, shapes and colors. Our STERNGLAS timepiece is clear, minimalist and minimalist.

• Diameter 38 mm
• RONDA caliber 714 movement
• Domed sapphire crystal
• 5 bar (50 m) Waterproof
• 4-fold screwed stainless steel bottom
• 24 months warranty
• Pointer color dark blue
• Dial color white
• Bracelet color Milanaise