I get a few watch emails a day and it’s a lot like “exploring posts” on Instagram: one watch after another screaming for attention. The one email that caught my eye recently was a startup that puts a Japanese mechanical movement in a polished, classic cushion case, protected with a sapphire crystal.
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).
As I have mentioned previously , there is just something about a steel-encased three-hander that makes for a very flexible watch. There are, of course, no shortage of options, and I have recently run across one from a brand that we have not had on our pages in some time – Momentum. With the Momentum Logic, there also exists the possibility for you pick up a his-and-hers combo, were you so inclined.
There is just something appealing about a good sport watch. Sure, there are plenty of other styles to choose from – classic or otherwise – but a sport watch has that great capability to work for a variety of situations. While a dive watch may not look right with a suit, and a dress watch looks odd on the trail, a sport watch can manage to bridge that gap quite nicely. Throw in some ceramic surfaces and the Germanic attention to detail, and you have the new Junghans Spektrum Automatic.
When is a dive watch not a “dive watch?” Well, when it pays homage to the submarine service, as the G. Gelach ORP Orzel 85A watch does, now available from this Polish watch maker. The watch commemorates the ORP Orzel, a modern (by WWII standards) submarine from the Polish Navy that escaped from the Baltic Sea at the onset of WWII and found service in the British Royal Navy until her sinking in 1940 (her short history on Wikipedia is worth a read).
When a new, or at least fairly novel, watch product shows up in the market (and by market these days, it is increasingly on crowd funded sites), I like to take a look at it. We are being more selective in what we cover in the crowd funded market, but the Evarii Modular Watch, currently seeking funding on Kickstarter, is worth a look (actually a second look, since Patrick gave a sneak peek in February); it is also a sister brand to one we have covered a bit in the past, Egard. Evarii sent me components to mix and match two different watches, so I had a chance to play around with the concept.
We first brought you word of the Manchester Watch Works Vergennes and Westminster watches not all that long ago (link). Of the two trench watch-inspired pieces, I found myself drawn the most to the white-dialed one. As fortune would have it, there was one of those available for us to go hands-on with, even though the Kickstarter project (link) is still running. Without further ado, let’s get into our review of the Manchester Watch Works Vergennes.
When it comes to American (or at least American-designed) watches, Xetum is one of the first brands that I recall coming across. They designed the watches in California, and then had them built in Switzerland. So, you had that Swiss reliability and accuracy, with a sort of American influence on the design. Xetum is now owned by the same folks that own Torgoen, but the designs have not been meddled with. Today, we are going hands-on with a new iteration of the Xetum Stinson.
Dual time complications are handy in the modern world, where we may be traveling, have loved ones in a different time zone, or need to work with colleagues across the country or even further afield. One way to track two time zones is with a GMT hand, but most of those are 24 hour hands, which requires a bit of mental arithmetic. Another way to do it is with dual dials, but those are tough to get aesthetically right. The Helgray Hornet takes a third way, with an internally rotating bezel that provides a second chapter ring.
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.
