Welcome back to our regular weekend feature, Watching the Web. In this series, we take a look back at interesting articles from across the wider web of watch sites, as well as highlighting some of the most read articles from our own sites. From our friends in the world of watch writing, we have a smart watch that looks quite like the non-smart watches that preceded it, a bracelet review, and an editorial on watch guys. From our own pages, we have our recent editorial on watch reviews for hire, a reader review, and two hands-on reviews.
First up, we have Casio’s entry into the world of smartwatches, the Casio WSD-F10. This new Casio is a pretty slick implementation. As you might expect from the brand’s G-Shock lineup, they tried to build some toughness in. What you might not expect was the borrowing of ideas from the ProTrek lineup – this new Android Wear-powered watch is actually an ABC (altimeter-barometer-compass) watch. That’s right – this is an outdoors oriented watch that also happens to have some additional brains under the hood. What really sold me on the idea of this watch was the screen, particularly the “dials” that look a lot like the segmented displays of Casios of the past. Pretty slick, and just icing on the cake. You can check out what aBlogtoWatch had to say about the watch right here.
Next up, we have The Time Bum’s review of the Strapcode MiLTAT Super Engineer Type II Bracelet. I have reviewed many straps, but I have yet to review an aftermarket bracelet. As he goes through in his review, sometimes you can really complete the look of the watch this way. Sure, you’ll need to be comfortable with the lack of end links snugged up to the case sides, but if you are already used to it with a strap, it shouldn’t be a difficult transition.
Finally, we have an editorial on watch guys. Or, more precisely, about why one guy wishes he wasn’t a watch guy – which you can find over at Wound for Life. In it, Shane Griffin walks through how he went from being an Air Force officer perfectly content with his Luminox, to what he is today where he is actively searching out watches in a crowd. Very much a “first world problem”, as he points out, but I’m sure at least some part of this will resonate with most of you.
Turning to our own pages, it really was no surprise (at least, to me) that our most popular article of the week was John’s writeup on paid reviews (of watches) showing up that are not clearly labeled. We came across this in a rather unexpected way via a third party, but the evidence is fairly, well, evident. Rest assured, we here at WWR have a very clear separation between the editorial and money sides of things (the person who handles the advertising does that, and only that), and as John makes clear in his article , those sorts of journalistic ethics are what you should expect – nay, demand – from your trusted sources, no matter the industry. The problem of pay-for-play is not new, and unfortunately is unlikely to go away any time soon.
Next up, we have a reader-submitted review of the MKII PMWF Graywater GMT. Now, I like MKII and a GMT complication, and have been known to surf through the Poor Man Watch Forums. This was a reader review I was really happy to see come in, and the photography that accompanied it is spot-on. Have a gander through the writeup , and then think about what you might want to submit. If you have an idea, drop us a line to start the ball rolling. Just be prepared to write at least 500 words, and provide photos that are at least 1000px wide.
In our own reviews, John’s look at the Butler J80 grabbed some attention, and for good reason. For starters, John has a particular take on things that comes through in his writing voice, and I think that resonates with a lot of you. Second, Butler is making some really great quartz-powered watches (you can see my thoughts on one here). This time around, we have a chronograph complication in the mix, and the whole implementation is done in a “by pilots, for pilots” sort of a way.
Last, but certainly not least, we have Victor’s review of the CJR Airspeed Regulator. Regulators are a curious design, one very much stuck in the past. Given the unique nature of the layout, these have commonly been restricted to the luxury brands. With the CJR Airspeed, we see the regulator design hitting the affordable end of the spectrum, with some tweaks to the design for good measure. 
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 reader (check those out here
). The book is also now on Wattpad. You can even check out a snippet of the book.
Want to be more than just a visitor to our little corner of the internet? How about pledging some 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 latest post 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.
It is a brand new month, with a brand new watch give-away, the Alvieri Firenze, so there is still plenty of time to get your name in for the give-away. As per usual, there is a two-part entry process, so follow the directions and enter for a chance at this crowd funded dress watch If you want to know more about it, check out Patrick’s review.
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. And 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.
