No, literally, I am not qualified to own the Bremont MBI Pilot Watch. It is not that I can’t afford it, or did not order it before it was sold out, it is due to the fact that I have never been ejected from a jet using a Martin Baker ejection seat. Of course, I am not all that sure I want to be qualified to own the watch, with that as the bar for entry. Luckily, there are two other versions of the watch (minus the “Martin-Baker Red” barrel) that I could own, should I want to lay down the cash.
Romain Jerome does things… differently. Their latest watch is a commemoration of a grand geologic event, that happened to ground air traffic in Northern Europe for 6 days. The Eyjafjallajökull (Icelandic for “Island mountain glacier”) volcano erupted in April 2010, creating some spectacular images, but also producing an ash cloud that disrupted air travel in Europe. The watch is part of the DNA series, meaning that it contains a part of the namesake, in this case volcanic stone. This iteration, with an Evo designation, is the third in the line, with a black PVD stainless steel case.
There is a term for cyclist that applies to those of us who ride that are obsessed with getting a bike as light as it can get. They are called weight weenies. Well, for you weight weenies out there, meet your watch. Zenith is releasing a limited run of their El Primero Chronograph that tips the scales at a mere 15.9 grams. That is a bit over 1/2 an ounce, or to put it in another context, about 3 seedless grapes.
Victorinox, yes the Victorinox that makes the ubiquitous Swiss Army Knife, has been in the watch business for a while. While a number of their watch offerings have been attractive, I rarely see something from them that makes me want to buy one. Well, I think they found their sweet spot, at least when it comes to what I like in a sports watch. A limited edition, Swiss automatic chronograph dive watch, and a serious dive watch at that.
To title this article, I had the shorten the name a bit, because it is quite a mouthful. The full name of the watch is the DB29 Maxichrono Tourbillon, and there is a lot going on with this timepiece. From the name alone, we know that the watch has two complications, a chronograph and a tourbillon. Then looking at those lovely blued hands and the sexy curved dial, we see no subdials, so all the time keeping and chrono functions are built off a single axis.
Do you want an accurate watch? Is a certified automatic too inaccurate and a quartz too, well, uninteresting? How about an atomic clock. Not a quartz watch that uses the atomic clock broadcasts, but an honest to goodness atomic clock that you can wear on your wrist? Well Bathys has the Kickstarter project for you, the World’s 1st Atomic Wristwatch.
Today, we’re welcoming another CT Scuderia model back to our pages, the Master Time. In our review of the Salt Flat Racer, I noted that the case, with it’s crown layout, evoked a stopwatch. The Master Time, by contrast, brings that association to the forefront, with the pushers flanking the crown up top, as well as a “lanyard loop” on the step of the crown. In some ways, it also puts me in mind of those early “trench” watches that were pocket watches with lugs soldered on so they could be put on a strap. Obviously, CT Scuderia has a much more polished offering for us than something with a strap hacked on to it.
We have covered a number of new releases from Arnold & Son in the last month, five to be exact. Well, here is number six, and it is another beautiful and technically interesting watch. Part of their instrument line, the CBT utilizes an in-house movement to incorporate both a chronograph and true beat second hand, a world’s first according to the company. As to be expected from a boutique such as this, the detailing on the watch is lovely, with the blued hands leaping out against the light grey and silver colors.
The last time we took a look at a watch from Refined Hardware (here), I really grew to like their machine, or industrial, aesthetic. They’ve continued to build on that strength, and have released some additional models that are definitely cut from the same cloth. With the Robber Baron line, they’ve changed things around a bit, and have, well, refined things a bit more, making for a compact piece.
25 years ago, man first walked on the moon. And an Omega was there. And Omega wants you to know that. That year, they released the Speedmaster Mark II, featuring the same movement that was in the watch worn by the astronauts. And now it is time for an update and reissue. The new Speedmaster Mark II retains the overall look of the original, but also provides nice modern updates.
