I don’t see a lot of watches with tritium gas tubes for illumination, so I was pretty interested in checking out the two Chronologia Dive Watches, the R004 and R004 Chronograph. I was also a tad skeptical, since I do have an automatic preference for automatics, but I found that I really enjoyed wearing both of these watches (though the 3-hander is more my style).
I was introduced to Magrette through a good friend, who found the brand before I started writing for WWR. Of course, Patrick has been a fan for a while, and I have also covered a few of their watches here. If you follow me on Instagram, you will see that I occasionally post wrist shots of my hand wound Moana Pacific Chronograph, which I love. So when I see new additions to the Magrette Moana Pacific Pro line, especially ones as pretty as the blue dial version above, I want to spread the word.
WatchBuys is an on-line retailer of German Watches, where the watches they represent have a limited or non-existent retail presence. With limited ability to go into a store, it is tough to really get a feel for the quality and, frankly, beauty of these watches. Hence, a road show. The events are invitation only, but all you have to do in order to get an invitation is ask. There are no sales whatsoever at the WatchBuys road show events, it is all for watch lovers to check out these smaller brands. This past weekend they were in Los Angeles (Pasadena to be exact), and I checked out the wares.
So why do we wear watches? The obvious answer is that we want to know what time it is, but that begs the follow up question, why do you want to know what time it is. Maybe you have a date, a meeting, your parking meter is going to expire in an hour… But what if you just want to know the approximate time? Say, plus of minus 10 minutes. Like, when you are driving. It does not matter what time it is, you will get there when you get there. The Ferro Distinct Single Hand Watch, with it’s motoring look, is the perfect watch for those times in your lives.
I have never owned a Steinhart, nor have I had the chance to check one out in person, but the general reputation of the brand is that they produce well made timepieces that are affordable. Based on what I am seeing with the Steinhart Ocean Titanium 500, you can add a host of premium features to the mix of quality and affordability. Clocking in at just over $550 (based on exchange rates and no VAT), this is a classic diver that will not break the bank.
You have probably noticed that Patrick and I both like dive watches. Myself, I am a diver (though I am lucky to dive once a year); Patrick, I think he just likes the look. But we both like Hexa Watches, which are hand assembled right here in the U S of A. And right now, Hexa is running a contest where you could win a new Hexa Osprey, or you can just buy one with a $250 limited time discount.
When it comes to watch companies, most people like to focus on the country of origin, especially if they happen to be from that same country. America has had its ups and downs with regards to watch manufacturing, and there are a handful of companies doing what they can to make watches here. We also have brands from the past that have come back from the quartz crisis grave, and today’s review is from one of those brands. Ironically enough, both the Benrus Infantry and H6 are quartz-driven watches.
It is not an every day occurrence, but more and more I am seeing established (albeit small) brands use crowd funding for the launch of a new product. Tactico is the latest to jump on this trend. Patrick looked at the second offering from this boutique Spanish watch maker back in 2012, and now there is a campaign on Kickstarter to get a variation on their third watch out to a larger audience. The Tactico Geomaster GMT watch is an automatic pilots watch with an ETA movement being produced in limited numbers.
Torgoen is not a brand that is a stranger to our pages. Most of the watches that we have written about from the brand, however, have focused more on aviation-related styles – and that makes sense, as that is where the brand started out. What we have for you today, in the form of the Torgoen Scorpion, takes much more of a tactical watch feel.
Look up. It’s a bird, a plane. No, it’s a Luminox P-38 Lightning 9421 GMT watch. This large 44 mm brushed stainless steel bad boy is easy-to-spot on the wrist or, in my case, on the shelf of a local retailer.
