Watches Blog Wrist Watch Reviews

????I feel lucky that I live very close to The Hague. The city where Christiaan Huygens lived in the 17th century. He was a Dutch mathematician, astronomer and physicist; born in The Hague on April the 14th 1629. Besides his other impressive (mostly astronomical work),????he also worked on the construction of accurate clocks, suitable for naval navigation. In 1658 he published a book on this topic called Horologium. In fact his invention on Christmas 1656, the pendulum clock (patented 1657), was a breakthrough in timekeeping. Devices known as escapements regulate the rate of a watch or clock, and the anchor escapement represented a major step in the development of accurate watches. You can r [...]

All aboard for another voyage on the S.S. Wrist Game or Crying Shame. This week, we examine a watch that feels a bit polarizing to me: the Rolex Yacht-Master II. Before we leave for seaMarco Polo Marco Polo Ah, just kidding. Last week, I brought you back to the days of Studio 54 with the Piaget Polo. Folks, this equestrian-intended watch bracelet engaged in quite the horse race and it went down to the wire. Sadly, the Polo lost by a nose in a 51% Crying Shame result. Something tells me that todays Rolex Yacht-Master II will finish far more decisively. Lets see which direction.The Rolex Yacht-Master IIThe Rolex Yacht-Master II left the boatyard way back in 2007 and has motored on under its ow [...]

What to do if you like the Rolex Submariner and GMT-Master models but you wouldnt want to be caught dead with a Rolex? You look for alternatives ofcourse Besides the usual alternatives like the Omega Seamaster Professional or even the cheaper MarcelloC rip-offs, what about spending some extra bucks (or whatever currency you have) and buy something more exclusive?As an alternative to the Submariner or Sea-Dweller diving watch, take a look at this Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Besides their rather classic looking watches, Blancpain also features this sporty diver in their collection. This large (45mm) watch is waterresistant to depths of 300 meters, features an inhouse mechanical self-winding moveme [...]

Yesterday I received a velcro strap, made by Carl over at gasgasbones.com. This strap looks really great on my vintage Speedmaster and gives the watch its authentic astronaut look Today I wore the watch on the velcro strap while co-driving a classic Austin Healey 3000 from 1963. Both the driver and myself were wearing Speedmaster caliber 321s.This strap is the V1 model from his website, with the NASA product number label and custom made length to fit my wrist perfectly. [...]

..for the ones who are able to read German, go here. Article by Elmar, from oysterinfo.de.???? [...]

Just recently, someone over at the Dutch Rolex Forum mentioned the Rolex Bubble Back Club. A site dedicated to these (small) vintage beauties for collectors and enthusiasts who are a bit tired of the ever ongoing vintage sports Rolex discussions. Or just for the collector who wants to try something different for a change ??The owner of the site also has Rolex watches for sale. Bubble Backs and other Rolexes. Click here to go to the Bubble Back Club website. [...]

In 2021, Omega updated the iconic Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch with the caliber 3861 movement. A very good reason to update our Speedmaster Buyers Guide as well!This guide dates all the way back to 2014, and since then, a lot happened. Not only did we have our own way with Omega and the two Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday watches (in 2017 and 2018), Omega also introduced a number of interesting Speedmaster watches to the collection. What about the Speedmaster Calibre 321 from 2020, or the new Moonwatch Master Chronometer models in gold? Time for us to update this Speedmaster Buyers Guide.In this Speedmaster Buyers Guide, we give you an overview of the most important references of the Speedm [...]

The Rolex GMT-Master (II) finally stepped out of the shadow of its diving brother, the Submariner. With the introduction of the ceramic Pepsi and Batman (on Jubilee) recently, the hype is real. Long waiting lists and market prices far over retail result in disappointed customers, but that doesnt seem to slow down the demand. On the contrary.I can imagine why the Rolex GMT-Master II is so much in demand. It is a great daily companion, with the added value of an extra timezone. I had my share of GMT-Master watches, including a few vintage 1675s and a GMT-Master II 16710. When I was ready to purchase a GMT-Master II Ceramic or Batman in 2017, I was confronted with the above-mentioned demand for [...]

After exactly one month of silence, I am back ?? Holiday, and especially moving, took (and takes) more time than I expected. My cableprovider still has problems to connect me to the internet in my new home, but luckily I have some unsecured wifi networks in the area.I dont know if you watched Wimbledon 2007, but I was surprised that Roger Federer was wearing a Rolex Daytona when he received his Wimbledon-cup. Ofcourse, the Maurice LaCroix sponsorship is over since 2006, but the love was purely a contract it seems ?? By the way, he signed his sponsorship contract with Maurice LaCroix in 2004 for 5 years.. so it ended prematurely for whatever reason.Then, on the 6th of July, a number of watche [...]

A bit cryptic perhaps, but thats what Audemars Piguet does???? The company has taken action against all the plastic fashion copies of their watches. The plastic imitations (mostly Rolex, to be honest I havent seen an AP copy yet) are very populair here in Europe. Besides the violation of their copyright on design, I wouldnt bother too much about these cheap see-through plastic copies. It doesnt reflect the real thing and it also doesnt try to be the real thing. A different view than the imitations made in the Asian regions, which can be sold as an authentic watch (including box and papers!).I wouldnt spend too much money on lawyers and investigators if I were AP ??Click here for the full sto [...]

In 2021, Omega updated the iconic Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch with the caliber 3861 movement. A very good reason to update our Speedmaster Buyers Guide as well!This guide dates all the way back to 2014, and since then, a lot happened. Not only did we have our own way with Omega and the two Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday watches (in 2017 and 2018), Omega also introduced a number of interesting Speedmaster watches to the collection. What about the Speedmaster Calibre 321 from 2020, or the new Moonwatch Master Chronometer models in gold? Time for us to update this Speedmaster Buyers Guide.In this Speedmaster Buyers Guide, we give you an overview of the most important references of the Speedm [...]

Probably one of the most sought-after Breitling models is the Navitimer ref.806. However, not everyone (or every owner) knows how to use all the information on the dial in combination with the slide rule. Bill Sohne, a well known collector whos active on the internet for years now, and Chuck Maddox (the ??ober Chronograph-meister) put the original manual online of the vintage Breitling 806 Navitimer APOA.It describes perfectly how to perform calculation with this watch, using the slide rule. Click here for the online manual.Scan of the manual below by Bill Sohne and published by Chuck Maddox.???? [...]

Although most novelties are already covered on the TimeZone Basel 2007 Forum, tomorrow????I will post an overview of what I think are the nicest new time pieces. And then, on to the SIHH 2007 starting tomorrow in Geneva.Universal Geneve with microrotor, 43mm model. The large watches arent over yet ?? [...]

Some guys over at the Sinn Forum @ WatchUseek.com took part in the Sinn factory tour in Frankfurt on the 23rd of February 2007. Sinn has a big share of fans over at WatchUseek and the watch internet portals in general. Personally, I am not a????fan of most of their designs because????Sinn is focussing a bit too much on pure functionality of a watch (in my opinion). Anway, I always look at their watches with great interest (I owned a Sinn 142St.S for a while) and have a lot of respect for the brands innovative creations.Cick here to see a small pictorial on the Sinn factory visitRon Engels, moderator of the Pilot Watch forum over at WatchUseek bought a Sinn 757. Mr. Lothar Schmidt, owner and [...]

Prince Bernhard (1911-2004), member of the Dutch Royal Family, was an avid Rolex wearer. Dutch magazine Quote published an article in their March edition about the auction of this particular Rolex Date. Christie?s in Amsterdam will auction this Rolex Date on the 3rd of April 2007. Maarten van Gijn, Public Relations Marketing of Christie?s, mailed me the picture below and stated that I could use it for this blog. I am curious why the Royal Family is auctioning this watch, in my opinion it should be on one of the wrists of his grand childeren. Anyway, according to Quote Magazine, it will fetch around 3000 Euro. [...]

Now that I think of it, it has been almost 8 years since I have this watch. And finally, completed A few weeks back I noticed this reference 1039 bracelet for sale, which belongs to this type of Speedmaster. According to most sources that is, you are never sure with those vintage Omega watches. My watch left the Omega factory in 1968 (October 22nd to be exact) on a journey to Norway. The reference 1039 was used on this model in 1968 according to information by Omega. However, I have also seen them on earlier models as well. 1968 is also the year that the reference 1171 bracelet got introduced for its successor, the Speedmaster Pro with caliber 861 movement. Earlier models of the Speedmaster, [...]

A timepiece that has been produced in your year of birth, seems to be an all-time favourite wish for many watch collectors. Ill have to admit that I once almost pulled the trigger on a Speedmaster Professional from my year of birth (1977). However, after a phone call to the seller in France to discuss last details, it seemed that this watch was not made in 1977. One of the inscriptions on the inside of the case back clearly stated that this watch was produced in 1978. Bummer.I can have more luck with a Rolex from my year of birth, however, the prices of these vintage beauties are becoming annoying. Just a few days ago, I noticed that friend of the show Henrik over at SubGMT has a Rolex Subma [...]

After having worked for the Cantonales Technikum institute and at Rado Watches, Ryser Kentfield moved to the USA to start his Swiss Timepieces store in 1990. He tried his own brand at the JCK Show in Las Vegas, but as he says in an interview with Keith W. Strandberg (Europastar) its very difficult because people want a known brand name. Ryser Kentfield now tries to get retailers world wide, to sell his watches and to get a bit of attention for his brand name. He makes and sells 700 watches a year, but predicts it will be somewhere between 1000 and 2000 pieces in 2007. His watches start at 1100 USD and use an ETA 2824-2 self-winding movement. His website, https://www.ryserwatches.com, feature [...]

John Holbrook recently bought this Rolex Submariner ref.1680 (approx. 1972), with red printing on the dial. As you can see on the photo below, the watch is quite worn. The bezel is incomplete (mind the missing luminous dot) and the bracelet is stretched. The watch case is still sharp edged, which means that this watch hasnt been polished much before. Especially on older Rolexes, the sharp edges are gone most of the time. This is mainly due to polishing of the case by a non Rolex service center. A lot of watchmakers who are asked to buff the watch to get rid of all scratches, polish a bit too fanatical. The movement in this watch is caliber 1570, seems to be in good condition and is still run [...]

In 2021, Omega updated the iconic Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch with the caliber 3861 movement. A very good reason to update our Speedmaster Buyers Guide as well!This guide dates all the way back to 2014, and since then, a lot happened. Not only did we have our own way with Omega and the two Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday watches (in 2017 and 2018), Omega also introduced a number of interesting Speedmaster watches to the collection. What about the Speedmaster Calibre 321 from 2020, or the new Moonwatch Master Chronometer models in gold? Time for us to update this Speedmaster Buyers Guide.In this Speedmaster Buyers Guide, we give you an overview of the most important references of the Speedm [...]