That’s right – January has slipped into the past, so now it’s time for the first February edition of Watching the Web for 2016. That said, most of these items I ran across are still from January, so think of it as a sort of time travel. First up, we have an editorial on who the successor to Phillipe Dufour may be, a rather thorough guide to types of watch straps, and an article on a watch-collecting couple. From our own pages, we have the latest GMT from Lum-Tec, a prototype review of the Caliper View, and an “I told you so” on the Cobra de Calibre Crossfire.
Philippe Dufour & Romain Gauthier
First up, from the crew over at Quill & Pad, we have this editorial (not sure what else to call it) on who the next successor to Phillipe Dufour may be. I found this article rather interesting, as it proposes someone may people may not think of – Romain Gauthier. Why might he be overlooked? Well, he’s not a watchmaker in the traditional sense, and therefore does not fit the Dufour-shaped mold some might want to fill. Anyways, read on to see what GaryG had to say.
Next up, we have a thorough round up of the different types of watch straps that are out there, from the folks over at Primer Magazine. While this sort of knowledge is definitely not necessary (a watch strap, is, after all, an accessory for an accessory), it can be helpful, especially if you are trying to locate a very specific look for your watch. In that sense, it is of the utmost importance to know the terminology. For everyone else, it’s an eye-opening look into all the different styles of straps there can be.
Finally, we have this article, from WatchPatina, about a couple that have become watch collectors, together. I found this interesting as it often seems that watch obsessives only take up one-half of a partnership, with the other half more or less tolerating the hobby. True, this can double your expenses when it comes to collecting, but I think it’s great to have this sort of unified approach to a pasttime.
Now, let’s turn our attention to our own pages. For the second week in a row, our article on the new Lum-Tec Combat B33 GMT proved very popular. Not surprising as it’s a tidy style, and of course the lume should be pretty amazing on this affordable GMT watch.
Next up, we have Ken’s review of the Caliper View. Getting to spend time with prototypes is a rare, but fun thing, for us reviewers, and is a great way for us to give you our take on a watch that is currently in funding or pre-order stages. If you are on the fence, Ken’s thoughts should help you make up your mind.
And ensuring that all of our regular writers (sorry, John) are represented in the roundup, Matt’s piece on the Cobra de Calibre Crossfire tiptoes into the top 3. Sure, his article is a bit of a “told you so”, but it’s also a great opportunity for people to pick up the watch. I’ve not seen any Cobra de Calibre pieces in person, but I trust Matt’s judgement on this. If you were thinking about picking up a Crossfire, now seems like a good time to do so.
Did you know that John Biggs’ book, Marie Antionette’s Watch, is free to read with Kindle Unlimited, or you can buy a paperback from Amazon. Oh, and even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can always read via their free apps or their cloud read (check those out here
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Want to help us make a better site for you? Then consider pledging your support for us over on Patreon. There are some compelling funding levels (including site redesigns and removing ads, and getting a copy of the Marie Antoinette book), but really, we just want to ensure we keep this lean ship running and the lights on. You can check out John’s post (and video) about it right here. This is a fun thing we get to do on the side, and we want to keep bringing you the content that you have come to rely on from us, and work to make it even better.
As John notes in a follow-up post, we’ve had some donations come in, and for that we are supremely thankful. Unfortunately, things are not hitting the levels we had hoped, and there is a chance our doors may need to close come May. If you want to keep seeing affordable watches reviewed and featured, please consider helping us out! If you do, you will be in the running for a secondary giveaway we announced earlier this week
We are in to a new month, so that means it is also time for a new monthly giveaway. This month, our contest is sponsored by Manchester Watch Works, and they are giving you a chance to win your choice of a Vergennes or Westminster Trench Watch. Head over to the contest page and follow the instructions for the two-part entry process.
We also want to put the call out for wrist shots of our reader’s favorite (or at least favorite of the moment) watches. Put together an email of your wrist shot and tell us a little about the watch and why you love it. If you happened to be introduced to it through our site (or won it through a give-away), even better. Just make sure the image is a JPEG and at least 800 pixels wide.
With that, I will wrap up this edition of Watching the Web. As always, if there’s something you think we should be covering, feel free to drop us a line. If you bring something up that we end up writing about, we’ll be sure to tip our hats (electronically, if not literally) in your general direction.
