We here at WWR like to focus on a wide variety of watches, and we certainly enjoy when we get to showcase something that is built in our neck of the woods. One brand we have not focused on as much, for whatever reason, is Ohio-based Lum Tec. They just recently announced their new-for-2016 models, and there was one in particular that caught my eye – the Lum Tec Combat B33 GMT.
Moto Koure MK I offers an automatic and mecha quartz.
Smartwatches including basic fitness tracking (ie, steps taken) abilities these days are not much of a surprise. Then again, I would argue that many people simple do not have a need (or would truly make use of) a smartwatch. To that end, something like the just-announced Fitbit Blaze – a fitness tracker with some additional connected smarts – may be a better fit for some.
OK, it may be a few months before Marty McFly gets Doc Brown’s DeLorian up to 88 miles per hour, but Polish watchmakers G. Gerlach have gone decidedly retro with this red LED watch now available from the site. The G. Gerlach Kosmonaut is an stylish update to those 7-segment LED watches, and specifically to the watch worn by the first and only Polish Kosmonaut, General Miroslaw Hermaszewski.
Sometimes, a brand will want to branch out into new designs – this happens quite a bit, across many industries. If there is some concern that the new direction might dilute or otherwise confuse what had already been built, a new brand will be created, allowing some other avenues to be explored. Of course, all the expertise and history travel along from the sister brand, which makes what we have with the Belmoto Timepieces an interesting proposition.
There are certainly no shortage of watches popping up on crowd-funding sites these days. There are so many there days that we have actually dialed back our coverage. A lot of that is due to an abundance of very (VERY) similar watches coming out with little differentiation past a dial color and logo. Then you have something like the Automat Oro Dato that is rather unlike what has come before it, and then it merits some discussion here on these pages.
After dive watches, I would hazard a guess that pilot watches are the next most popular style – in general – of watches. And if they aren’t, they have to be in the top 5, just based on the sheer number of models that I have seen released. A lot of these tend to come from the more established brands, or those with a particular history with aviation watches. What I have not noticed near as much are pilot-style watches coming from independent brands, especially those using Kickstarter to get the ball rolling. As you might guess, that’s where we find the MEW Depth Pilot.
Do you have a medical professional in your life? How about someone aspiring to be a medical professional? While the practice of checking one’s pulse manually has fallen by the wayside with modern medical devices, it can’t hurt to have a very hand backup device, or just own something that pays homage to that tradition. The Christopher Ward C9 Pulsometer Limited Edition Chronometer makes it easy to measure a heartbeat. And it is a pretty nice looking watch to boot.
Patrick and I have both had a chance to check out Borealis dive watches in the past, and we both have been left with the impression that the brand is producing great value dive watches. This trend look to be continuing with the Borealis Seafarer II, now on pre-order from the brand and scheduled for delivery in May/June 2016.
Lew and Huey is a brand that I look to when I want to talk about the potential success of the crowd funded marketplace. The brand began on Kickstarter, with multiple watches launched on that platform, all well received. I put the brand in the category of “friend of the site,” and they are always happy to send us information on upcoming watches and then lend us review copies when they are available. I first wrote up the Phantom in April, and now I have a chance to take a two of the three options out for a test drive.
