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Frederique Constant Slimline Monolithic Manufacture

One of the most noticeable trends in technical watchmaking since the end of the Second World War has been the evolution of watches with higher and higher frequency oscillators. A pendulum clock might have a pendulum that beats once per second. A watch has a balance, which can swing back and forth much more rapidly – a modern watch movement usually runs at 28,800 beats per hour, or eight beats per second. Some movements (the Zenith El Primero, for instance) can beat even faster, at 36,000 beats per hour. The new Frederique Constant Slimline Monolithic Manufacture, from Frederique Constant, has a new type of oscillator, which runs at 40Hz – that’s a staggering 288,000 beats per hour. The watch was introduced in March, and even in the aftermath of Watches & Wonders, it’s still one of the most technically interesting watches of the year.
Any watch or clock is, at its most basic, an oscillator (the pendulum, a balance wheel) with a driving system (a mainspring in a watch, a falling weight in a pendulum clock) and a mechanism that both counts the oscillations, and drives the oscillator. This is the escapement.
Above, you can see the mainspring barrel on the left. The barrel rotates under the impetus of the mainspring inside it, and the teeth on the barrel gear to the pinion of the center wheel. The gear train ends, on the right, at the escape wheel and lever. (The balance wheel isn’t shown, for clarity.) As the balance swings back and forth, it unlocks the lever once per swing, letting the gear train advance. The gearing is set up so that the center wheel turns once per hour, and drives the hour and minute hands.
So why would you like to have an oscillator that beats faster than 36,000 vph? The answer is that such an oscillator should be more stable – that is, less apt to drift from its expected frequency. If a balance wheel were to always beat at exactly its expected frequency, you would have a perfect watch, but in reality, a number of factors can cause the frequency of a balance to vary, making the watch sometimes too slow, and sometimes too fast. Frequency varies when the oscillator is affected by outside forces, which can be aging lubricant in the watch itself, or changes in temperature, or the presence of magnetic fields, or physical shocks and changes in the position of the watch. The reason quartz watches are generally so much more accurate than mechanical watches is that a quartz oscillator beats at a much higher frequency – the tuning-fork-shaped quartz crystal hums at 32,768 beats per second.
The Frederique Constant Slimline Monolithic Manufacture, on the other hand, uses a miniaturized version of the flexible one-piece oscillator design we first saw from Zenith, first in the Defy Lab, and then in the Defy Inventor. Rather than the usual combination of balance, balance spring, and lever, the monolithic oscillator in the Monolithic Manufacture uses a one-piece (hence, “monolithic”) silicon oscillator, which has integrated into it flexible central blades that allow it to oscillate, and an integrated lever. The oscillator has two weights mounted on it, which can be used to regulate the rate of the oscillator, just as rim weights on a balance can be used for the same purpose.

The connection between the Monolithic Manufacture and the Defy Inventor is of course, not a coincidence. Both were developed by a company called Flexous, under the direction of CEO Nima Tolou; Flexous was founded in 2012 and is a branch of surprisingly punctuated tech incubator YES!Delft.
The oscillator itself is a circular disk of silicon, and the blades, lever mechanism, and escape wheel are all silicon as well. Above, the escape wheel is at 12:00 (and is driven by the gear train, from the mainspring barrel) and on either side, you can see the teeth of the lever mechanism. The weights for adjusting rate are the two bars to the left and right, with grooves etched into the silicon to provide increments for the watchmaker. When running, the oscillator vibrates too fast for the naked eye to see individual vibrations, and the seconds hand advances 80 times per second, appearing to glide smoothly around the dial.
Conventional watchmaker’s electronic timing machines don’t work on an escapement that runs this fast, so the rate of the oscillator is adjusted with the help of a laser-controlled high-speed camera, capable of firing up to 250,000 times per second.
While a standard balance in a mechanical watch usually swings through an arc of around 300º, the Monolithic Oscillator vibrates in a much smaller arc – just 6º, which is par for the course for very high-frequency oscillators.
Aside from the greater rate stability offered by a high-frequency oscillator, the Monolithic Oscillator offers the same general advantages as other silicon components – the most significant, of course, is that, unlike standard escapement components, it’s completely unaffected by magnetism. The Monolithic Oscillator seems to be a solution, too, to the most divisive quality of the Defy Lab’s oscillator, which is its sheer size. The size isn’t so much a problem if you’re looking for visual drama but it does limit the degree to which the technology can find its way into a larger range of watches. If the Defy Lab was a proof-of-concept, the Monolithic Oscillator is a demonstration that flexible silicon oscillators need not be a niche product – at least, there are no insurmountable technical barriers. The Monolithic Oscillator even manages to deliver a very respectable 80-hour power reserve.
The greatest difference between the Monolithic Oscillator and the Zenith Oscillator is size. The Zenith Oscillator took up the entire diameter of the case, more or less; the Monolithic Oscillator, on the other hand, was developed in order to make the basic flexible oscillator technology fit into the space normally occupied by the conventional escapement, balance, and balance spring. Doing so helps keep the watches at a friendly size for daily wear, as the Monolithic Oscillator uses much less space – the Monolithic Manufacture is a very wearable 40mm in diameter, vs. 44mm for the slightly larger Zenith.

Another advantage to the one-piece silicon oscillator is a reduction in parts count. The oscillator has just three components – the oscillator itself, and the two adjustable weights. These replace, in a conventional watch, the balance, balance staff, balance spring, collet (which attaches the inner coil of the balance spring to the balance), balance stud (the fixing point of the outer coil), the four jewels in the antishock system, two antishock springs, and the lever, lever pivot and lever jewels … as well as, come to think of it, the two jewels for the lever pivots as well. You also don’t have to worry about oil deteriorating on the balance pivots or on the escape wheel teeth, which is a ubiquitous cause of long-term rate variation in a standard Swiss lever watch.
The fact that the oscillator has been significantly downsized also means more conventional aesthetics, which depending on your tastes may be a feature or a bug. The Zenith is a large, extroverted showcase for high-tech component manufacturing and it’s an extremely distracting watch to wear. I mean that in a good way – the high-speed vibration of the oscillator is mesmerizing to watch, albeit unsettling in its velocity. The Monolithic Oscillator, on the other hand, vibrates so quickly that it looks almost as if it’s standing still, and the reduced size means less visual impact as well. What you get back, though, is a watch capable of presenting its high-tech heart in a traditional package.
The watch is a limited edition in two different case materials. Steel models with a blue or white dial are $4,795, with 810 of each slated for production; the gold model is $15,995, in an edition of 81 watches. Pricing for the steel models, especially, reflects Frederique Constant’s longtime basic approach to watchmaking, which is to provide classic design at a relatively affordable price (while at the same time offering as much technically distinctive watchmaking as possible).
It’ll be interesting to see how customers react to this watch – it’s obviously an attempt to bring flexible silicon component technology more into the mainstream, perhaps more than would be possible with the Defy Lab. The latter is an intentionally tech-forward watch intended to put the new oscillator front and center. The Monolithic Manufacture, on the other hand, wants to offer the same advantages but in a more conventional package (and therefore one which, FC hopes, may have a broader appeal).
I remember in the early 2000s, when silicon components began to find their way more and more into conventional watches, how much hand-wringing there was amongst us grouchy traditionalists. The thought of, say, a Patek, with a silicon balance spring, raised my hackles in a big way, as it seemed completely inconsistent with the traditional craft, traditional materials approach to mechanical horology that I’ve always cherished. Nowadays, though, silicon has long since become an established part of watch technology, with silicon balance springs, levers, and escape wheels almost ubiquitous.

There’s no denying that in a lot of respects, silicon components offer advantages over conventional ones. In a conventional movement, the setting of jewels into the movement, adjustment of the pallet stones on the lever, poising (dynamic and static) of the balance, forming and pinning the balance spring, and so on, are all intrinsic elements of traditional watchmaking craft. Anything that threatens to replace them outright kind of gives me the willies. What I like about the approach to the material in the Monolithic Manufacture (and in the Defy Lab) is that they take advantage of properties silicon has that can’t be duplicated in conventional materials, to create something you can’t make using standard brass, steel, rubies, and oil.
Although there have been any number of experimental, concept, semi-experimental, and limited-edition watches with silicon components, the material’s aesthetic possibilities remain relatively unexplored. Here I run into some mixed feelings about the Monolithic Manufacture from a design standpoint. I generally don’t care for openings in the dial of a watch – there aren’t too many tourbillons, for instance, with open dials that no matter how good, I wouldn’t like even better if they just closed that dial up. However, the rationale for having an open dial on the Monolithic Manufacture is the same as for an open-dial tourbillon – if you want your watch to be a conversation piece, it’s nice to not have to take it off and peer through a display back to get the conversation started. I’d be curious to see how the oscillator, with its slick peacock-blue sheen, looks in a less conventionally turned-out timepiece. I like guilloché and pomme hands and Roman numerals as much as the next person, but the oscillator’s so high tech you kind of get the same feeling you’d get if a UFO landed at the Louvre.

The Frederique Constant Slimline Monolithic Manufacture is, if not immediately seductive, still a fascinating step in the evolution of silicon components. It would seem to have solved most if not all of the problems potentially raised by monobloc silicon oscillating systems, offering a great power reserve, and a smoothly gliding hour hand reminiscent of Spring Drive, or even a classic tuning fork Accutron. This should be an ideal system for a sports watch – low mass, high shock resistance, inherently antimagnetic, good rate stability – and it will be interesting to see if, after the production run of the Monolithic Manufacture is sold out, Frederique Constant sticks with it and deploys it more widely in its other collections.

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Glashütte Original PanoMatic Lunar Red Gold Watch Green Dial

Glashütte Original PanoMatic Lunar Red Gold Watch Green Dial
German luxury watch brand Glashütte Original presents a new version of its popular PanoMaticLunar watch. This new automatic watch comes dressed in a 40 mm circular case and fitted with a traditional leather strap. Its unusual asymmetric dial boasts an intricate off-centre hour and minute hands, the prominent small second display, the characteristic Panorama Date display at 4 o’clock and its cleverly rendered moon phase indicator. The colour gradient on the hand-crafted dial is particularly eye catching: starting from an intense dark green in the centre, the colour changes gradually to black at the edges. The see-through sapphire crystal case back offers a clear view of the exquisitely finished manufactory 90-02 automatic calibre with its off-centre rotor. This movement incorporates Glashütte Original’s signature duplex swan-neck fine adjustment along with numerous other elements of authentic Glashütte watchmaking.
The red gold case and crown are polished to perfection and offer a warm contrast to the rich, deep green of the dial; the glossy alligator leather strap in green is the lush, opulent finishing touch to a harmonious presentation.
Model name: PanoMaticLunar
Movement
Calibre 90-02 automatic with finely finished movement
Frequency: 28,800 A/h, corresponds to 4 Hz
Dimensions: Ø 32.6 mm, height 7 mm
Balance: screw balance with 18 weighted screws
Running time: 42 hours (+/- 5 %)
Balance spring: anachron
Shock protection: Incabloc
Jewels: 47 jewel bearings
Additional details: Automatic movement, hour and minute (off-centre), small second (off-centre), second stop, Panorama Date, moon phase, exquisitely finished movement, Glashütte stripe finish, balance bridge engraved by hand, bevelled edges, polished steel parts, polished/ blued screws, skeletonized rotor with 21-ct gold oscillation weight (off-centre), duplex swan-neck fine adjustment

Functions
Hour and minute off centre, small second off-centre, moon phase and Panorama Date

Case
Red gold case
Diameter: 40 mm, height: 12.7 mm
Glass: Sapphire crystal, anti reflective both sides
Bottom: Sapphire crystal

Dial
Varnished green/black with dégradé effect, appliques
Hands: Lance shape, gold with Super-LumiNova

Straps
Louisiana Alligator leather strap green

Reference number
1-90-02-23-35-01 (red gold pin buckle)
1-90-02-23-35-30 (red gold fold fastener)
1-90-02-23-35-50 (red gold short fold fastener)

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Longines Spirit Automatic

The pilot’s watch is one of those pieces of gear which has always conjured up sentimental and historical imagery of a bygone era. The era of flyboys, fighter pilots, and bomber jackets; the smell of leather, the rattle of gears, the look of the instrument panels, and the roar of piston engines. Things don’t look and feel that way anymore, which is why it is quite nice when a modern pilot-style watch can stir up those sentiments. Such is the case with the Longines Spirit Automatic, a simple, legible, and well-sized watch with a few little nuances that are best appreciated in the metal.

This watch was announced earlier this year, and in typical fashion, I was not sure about it from the press photos. It looked straightforward enough – large Arabic numerals, black dial, steel case, leather strap – but I would be lying if I said it did anything for me at the time, on the basis of just photos. When I finally had it in the hand, I saw a watch that I think represents tremendous value for the price, which is always a welcome combination.
The first thing that I noticed when I saw this piece was the dial and the multi-faceted aspects which make up the design. At first blush, this is a standard black dial. In some lights, it has a gloss effect. In reality, the dial is really quite matte, and in direct sunlight, the matte dial effect is accentuated, appearing almost grey from some angles. The flat effect of the matte dial is a big draw for this watch, at least to me. It adds to the vintage-leaning design and is honestly just more enjoyable to look at than a standard black dial would be.
This watch also features large, bold, applied white Arabic numerals, in a typeface that brings to mind the dial design of the Dirty Dozen watches, in some ways, but in other ways, is also sufficiently modern. Getting into the typographical weeds a bit, the flat four jumps out to me as the most vintage looking number of the bunch. There is also a subtle serif on the seven and five which are quite reminiscent of an older style of watch design. Moving outward, the minute track also sports a slew of interesting, vintage-inspired numerals. Again, you have the appearance of a flat four, but also a very cool open six. The minute track is one of those aspects of the watch that could easily be missed at first blush, but to my mind, it ties the whole dial design together.

Staying on the topic of typefaces, the date window on this watch features a font choice which is consistent with the other design elements of the watch. Sometimes, this is where a watch loses its focus, where the choice of numerals inside the date window breaks from the overall consistency of the design. Here, it bolsters the overall vintage effect of the watch. Moreover, the text on the matching black background allows the dial to – at least in some way – maintain a level of symmetry. It is, of course, not symmetrical since the number three is missing, but I forgive this because I honestly think a watch like this works better with a date complication. If I had one gripe about the date window, it would be that the numerals appear to have something of a faux-patina look to them, whereas white would have been more consistent.
Generally speaking, in the modern context, pilot’s watches have been on the larger side – i.e. 42mm and up. In recent years, and for many brands, that approach has softened a bit. In fact, I think specifically of the IWC Mark XVIII, or even the newer Spitfire Automatic, which are both in the 39-40mm range. As I was handling this watch, I felt that it shared a lot of similarities with those watches. They seem cut from the same cloth, sporting a size that is entirely of today and not rooted in any particular vintage example (though there are other obvious vintage features). The Longines Spirit gives off a bit more of a modern vibe than those other watches as well, and I think that has to do with the applied numerals. Whereas the matte dial is a decidedly vintage aesthetic, the applied numerals are almost the opposite.
The dial is split up into effectively two parts, separated by a metallic ring. Inside that ring is where we find the Arabic numerals, Longines logo, the handset, and date window. We also have – just above six o’clock – a set of five applied stars and the word chronometer, but more on that later. Overlaid on the metallic ring are white, diamond-shaped markers which are aligned with the Arabics. They are small, but they provide added contrast against the matte black dial surface and are filled with lume – a small but nice additional detail.

Moving to the second portion of the dial, on the other side of the metallic ring, we find the aforementioned minute track with minutes marked off in five-minute intervals, with long hash marks delineating the remaining minutes. There is a series of tiny hash marks between each minute hash mark as well. All of these dial features are housed inside of the 40mm case, which is mostly brushed, with a stepped polished bezel. The case has that retro tool watch look and nice curvature, which fits with the dial design quite well.
The hour and minute hands are long, narrow arrows with a sandblasted finish. The seconds hand is actually one of the most captivating aspects of this watch’s design. The outer end of the seconds hand is painted a bright red, which has an almost lacquered appearance to it. This hand reaches the outermost section of the minute track, but it is the diamond toward the end of the seconds hand that I want to mention. This diamond is the same size as the applied diamond-shaped markers referenced earlier. As the hand sweeps across the dial, the seconds hand diamond appears in the same position overtop the metallic ring as the applied markers. This is a small detail, but evidence of a watch with a design which can reveal unsuspected thoughtfulness over time.
For a watch that is 40mm in diameter, the signed crown is quite large. It is shaped in a pseudo-onion style, which in some angles is more obvious than others. I will admit, I did not notice the size of the crown relative to the size of the watch at first. But as I wore the piece a bit more, that aspect came to become more and more obvious, to the point where I almost could not un-see it. The way it tapers down, there are times when looking at it, that I was not sure if I had screwed the crown down all the way. I would not necessarily call this a deal-breaker, but just something worth noting. While it adds to the vintage ideal that this watch seems to be going for, to my mind, a more conventional crown design at a smaller size would not have taken away from the overall look of this piece.
I really like that Longines utilized a closed caseback with this watch because it works with its overall tool watch air. The caseback design features a globe engraving with the brand’s logo, as well as the wordmark below. There is also a set of six screws present around the caseback plate which appear to keep it securely affixed to the watch. One of the biggest value features of the watch is behind the caseback – beating away inside the Longines Spirit is the Longines caliber L888.4, an ETA-based design (ETA A31.L11, in turn based on the 2892-A2) featuring 64 hours of power reserve and a silicon balance spring. But what makes things more interesting is the fact that the movement has been COSC certified. For a watch priced just above $2,000, that is a pretty solid deal.

The luminescence on this watch is quite good, and of course, that is aided by the thick, applied white numerals (filled with Super-LumiNova). Generally, with pilot, or pilot-adjacent watches, the lume is either nothing to write home about, or only certain markers are given the lume treatment. Here, every numeral, every marker, and every hand are treated with lume, so you can get equal enjoyment out of the dial in both bright or lowlight environments.
I really enjoyed the 40mm sizing of this watch on the wrist. The lugs are quite long, so it does drape the entire surface area of the wrist, but not in any sort of meaningful way that would render the watch unwearable. The watch manages to give off the gravitas of a larger pilot’s watch while maintaining an eminently classic case size. Case thickness was not an issue either, and I think this watch could be worn in a whole host of situations. Aside from the leather strap option I was able to handle, this watch also comes on a steel bracelet.

The sapphire crystal features what the brand says are “several layers of anti-reflective coating on both sides.” My experience with AR coating is that, while it cuts down on reflections, it also creates an almost purple sheen on the watch when it interacts with the light. That is certainly the case here. Aside from the crown and date window, this was the only other area of the design that somewhat got in the way of my overall enjoyment of the watch. Maybe a few layers less than several would do the trick.
The Longines Spirit 40mm is a smartly executed vintage-inspired watch that is not an homage to any older model in particular. As such, it isn’t tied to any existing design. The end result is a watch that is able to give off a ton of modern flair while not taking away from the flight jacket aesthetic or old school charm. Even though the early days of flight are behind us – the romantic, wistful, and sense stirring aspects of that time but a memory – pieces like this are able to serve as vessels of a time gone by, and that’s precisely what watches should do.

The Longines Spirit 40mm Ref. L3.810.4.53.0 is a 100-meter water resistant watch. The Spirit is 40mm in diameter, featuring a screw-down crown and closed caseback. Leather strap with signed buckle. Automatic caliber L888.4 movement with a frequency of 25,200 vibrations per hour, and a power reserve of 64 hours. Matte black dial with applied markers and Super-LumiNova on hands and markers.
Earlier this week, we brought you the three-hand version of Longines’ new Spirit pilot’s watch and mentioned that the new line also included a chronograph version. Well, here it is. Carrying largely identical styling to that of its siblings, the Longines Spirit Automatic Chronometer Chronograph sticks to the same format while providing a column-wheel-equipped movement wrapped in a 42mm steel case.
As with the other models in this new collection, the styling for the for Spirit Chronograph is inoffensive and derivative of many other pilot’s watches in the market (again, think Breitling and Bremont). With a date display squeezed in at 4:30 and the appearance of both “Chronometer” and the Spirit line’s unified use of a five star design on the dial, the chronograph packs a lot into its dial layout. For those wondering, the star logo has been used by Longines in the past and, according to the brand, it signifies “an improvement of the quality and reliability of the brand’s movements.” Much like with Uber, five stars is the top rating.
Speaking of the movement, Longines has fitted their L688.4 automatic chronograph movement. Based on the ETA A08.L11, this movement offers a 12-hour chronograph with a column-wheel and a silicon hairspring. Ticking at 4 Hz with COSC certification and 64 hours of power reserve, the L688.4 is a strong value for the segment and a solid alternative to the more garden variety 7750s.

Available with a blue, black, or silver dial, the Spirit Chrono has red accents for the chronograph measure, 100-meters water resistance, and both the main crown and the date corrector crown (at 10) are of a screw-down type. Buyers get the choice of either a leather strap or a steel bracelet for the same price, and the Spirit Chronograph’s case has 22mm lugs.

For around $500 more than the lovely BigEye chronograph, the Spirit offers a more modern design and a current-gen movement that should appeal to a lot of buyers. With an MSRP of $3,100, while I am not at all a fan of the date window, the Longines Spirit 42mm Chronometer Chronograph is a nicely sized and sporty chronograph with a well-spec’d movement and a handsome design (especially with the silver dial).

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Replica Urwerk Watches

Few luxury watch brands capture the look and feel of science fiction as well as Urwerk. Even among the rarified and fantastical ranks of haute horlogerie, Replica Urwerk Watches has built a product line over the last several years that would feel more at home on the bridge of a Romulan Warbird than it would with anything else coming out of Switzerland. When the brand announced earlier this year that it would be discontinuing its signature wandering hours UR-210 collection, it left a gap in the lineup that enthusiasts were eager to see filled. Now, after several months of uncertainty, Urwerk has returned to the wandering hours concept with the revamped UR-220, known internally during development as the “Falcon Project.” While outwardly similar to the previous UR-210, nearly every element of the watch has been redesigned, from a slimmer, more ergonomic case to a movement reworked from the ground up. As a result, the Urwerk UR-220 “Falcon Project” continues one of the brand’s signature looks, while reinventing the design for a new decade.
For its first iteration, the Urwerk UR-220 is housed in a 43.8mm by 53.6mm lugless oblong case made of carbon thin ply composite. This multilayered material (in total, the case features 81 layers of ultra-thin carbon material) leads to a dark, striated look reminiscent of Damascus steel, with an even circular striping pattern. While the distinctive multi-sided shape of the bezel and sapphire crystal, as well as the 12 o’clock crown, is carried over from the UR-210, the UR-220 looks from initial images to have a slimmer and more rounded profile than its predecessor. While this is still a relatively thick watch at 14.8mm, this is still a full 3mm thinner than the UR-210. One of the UR-220’s party pieces is located on the caseback, where a small sapphire display window highlights the “oil change” counter. This is a rotary display tracking the number of months since the last service and a reminder of the recommended 39-month service interval. It’s an interesting way to remind owners of the importance of servicing and will likely make for a good conversation piece. What might become a less desirable conversation piece is the UR-220’s water resistance, as this complex case is only rated to 30 meters.
Like its predecessor, the real centerpiece of the Replica Urwerk Watches UR-220 is the skeletonized dial with its instantly recognizable “satellite” wandering hours display. While the general layout is carried over from the UR-210, initial images show the execution for the new line is narrower, more angular, and visually meaner, with each of the rotating hours markers along with the retrograde minutes hand dominated by new serrated edges. The typefaces used for numerals and dial text have also been substantially changed, with the UR-220 opting for a militaristic, angular stenciled look. Other than the typeface change, however, the retrograde minutes scale along the bottom third of the dial also receives a touch of ribbed surfacing detail. While this scale can be confusing at first glance, the combination of the large central pointer hand framing the current hour marker and indicating the current minute becomes intuitive quickly. At 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock, the UR-220 also features twin power reserve indicators, with the 10 o’clock model covering the entire 48-hour reserve capacity of the movement and the 2 o’clock indicator focusing on the final 24 hours of reserve.
Despite more than a passing visual similarity to the UR-210’s movement, the in-house UR-7.20 hand-wound movement inside the UR-220 has been substantially changed from its predecessor. Beyond removing the automatic winding system found in the UR-210, the UR-7.20 also beefs up the power reserve capacity to 48 hours while maintaining a single mainspring barrel. Power reserve has traditionally been an Achilles heel for Urwerk due to the sheer mass of the wandering hours and retrograde minutes hands requiring extra torque to move, and while 48 hours at a 28,800 bph beat rate is not groundbreaking by any means this is a major step forward.
In keeping with the slimmer, more detailed, and more aggressive aesthetic of the UR-220 lineup, Replica Urwerk Watches pairs this new model with its first-ever rubber strap. There’s a wealth of visual detail here, from the angular scaled layers flowing into the integrated case to the woven sailcloth pattern of the main surface. Urwerk claims this strap has been treated with a Vulcarboné curing process for softness, and the strap features Velcro fastening for fast securing and removal.

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Longines New Legend Diver Watches In Blue And Brown

While vintage-inspired reissue models form the backbone of many brands across the modern watch industry, perhaps no company has embraced its back catalog as thoroughly and extensively as Longines. The Longines Heritage series is a meeting place for vintage designs of nearly every stripe from early pilot chronographs to classic naval deck watches. The super compressor style Longines Legend Diver has been the face of this eclectic series since its introduction in 2007, with a wide variety of sizes and variants over the years. Longines adds even more variety to the Legend Diver line for 2021, adding splashes of color to the classic 42mm model in deep degradè blue and brown. The new blue dial and brown dial Longines Legend Diver models give this classic design a new personality, influencing its character in dramatically different ways.
The 42mm stainless steel case of the Longines Legend Diver is instantly recognizable, with long tapering lugs, a narrow polished external bezel, and of course the twin oversized screw-down crowns topped with a distinctive crosshatch pattern. This super compressor design is markedly different from what usually comes to mind with dive watches, cutting a more elegant and refined profile with ‘50s inspired lines. Like previous iterations, the lugs of these new Legend Diver models are famously long, leading to a larger than expected presence on most wrists, but this illusion of greater scale works with the concept in interesting ways. The original Longines Super Compressor model in 1959 was a massive watch for its time at 42mm, so these longer lugs help to preserve that original sense of presence on the wrist with today’s sizing sensibilities. The Legend Diver’s signature screw-down caseback with its engraved spear-wielding diver returns here, enabling the Legend Diver to reach a robust 300 meters of water resistance.
Where these new Longines Legend Diver models diverge from their predecessors is with dial finishing. The base design remains intact, with its broad internal rotating dive bezel, distinctive spearhead hour hand, and mix of aggressive stencil numerals and printed indices. With the use of color, however, this familiar look takes on two striking new personalities. The deep blue degradè dial variant captures the feel of the ocean depths, sinking gradually from rich ocean blue at the center to deep midnight at the edge in initial images. This cooler color palette gives this midcentury design a more modern, ornamental feel, injecting the utilitarian layout with a splash of marine luxury. The brown dial model is perhaps the more handsome of the pair, capturing a warm spectrum of shades from worn leather to tobacco, chocolate, and black coffee. This warmer palette handsomely complements the khaki lume in initial images, while emulating the feel of a patinated tropical dial.
Longines powers the new blue and brown dial Legend Diver models with the ETA-based Caliber L888.5 automatic movement. The Caliber L888.5 is something of a staple in Longines’ arsenal, with a silicon balance spring and the brand’s unorthodox beat rate of 25,200 bph. Power reserve stands at a solid 64 hours.
In an unorthodox move, Longines pairs both these new Legend Diver models with leather straps. For the blue dial variant, this is a structured navy blue leather strap with a contrasting cream topstitch and a textured pattern reminiscent of woven fabric. The brown dial model opts instead for a weathered leather strap in saddle tan, adding a rugged aged feel to the tropical-esque colorway.
By emphasizing both the tropical aged and oceanic facets of the watch’s personality, these new blue and brown dial Longines Legend Diver models offer a fresh and handsome perspective on this iconic super compressor design. The new blue dial and brown dial Longines Legend Diver models are available now through authorized dealers at an MSRP of 2,260 CHF each. For more details, please visit the brand’s website.

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Glashütte Original SeaQ Date Watch

Although stainless steel dive watches have remained industry staples since at least the early ‘60s, the popularity of two-tone steel and gold divers has proven far more cyclic. The unique blend of flash and function that two-tone brings has come back into vogue over the past several years, and Glashütte Original has already brought the look to its larger, uniquely Germanic SeaQ Panorama Date line. For 2021, the brand expands its steel and gold stable to include the smaller base model SeaQ diver, pairing the look with a deep sunburst-blue dial colorway. The new two-tone Glashütte Original SeaQ offers an intriguingly luxe take on the brand’s intricately detailed diver form, with a nuanced approach to its use of gold elements.
Measuring in at 39.5mm, the case of the new two-tone Glashütte Original SeaQ should feel compact and appropriately vintage-inflected on the wrist. The overall case design is simple and skin diver-esque, with a hefty unguarded screw-down pillbox crown and short, squared-off lugs. As with previous models in the SeaQ line, this one sets itself apart from the pack in the delicacy of its execution. The flowing narrow polished chamfer running the length of the case, the gentle downward curve of the lugs, and the interplay between vertically and radially brushed surfaces are all exemplary in initial images, elevating this elemental form with technique rather than out-and-out pageantry. Naturally, the use of yellow gold for the crown and the rotating dive bezel does add a touch of pageantry itself. That said, where many two-tone designs are overwhelmed with the use of gold, the amount of gold on display here is surprisingly subtle and light, especially when viewing the watch from above. The midnight blue ceramic bezel insert is carried over from the stainless steel model but takes on a new dimension in initial images when complemented by a gold surround for a more dynamic look. Like the standard stainless steel model, this new version of the SeaQ sports a solid caseback with a dive-ready 200 meters of water resistance.
The Glashütte Original SeaQ line traces its stylistic roots back to 1969 and the brand’s first-ever dive watch, the Spezimatic Typ RP TS 200. At the time, the brand’s home city of Glashütte was part of Soviet-aligned East Germany, and the resulting Eastern Bloc aesthetic influences helped to forge the dial of the original Spezimatic as something unique, but not wholly alien to that era’s diver design trends in Switzerland. Of course, both the company and the city of Glashütte are far different today than in 1969, but the new SeaQ still carries some of that quirky East German DNA in its dial. The split between applied baton indices and bold Arabic numerals, the graphic outer minutes scale, and the trademark sword hours and arrow minutes handset all add up to create something clearly distinct from the classic diver formula, but eminently functional, legible, and handsome. Like the case, however, where this dial really shines in images is in the fine nuances of its execution. The deep oceanic blue sunburst dial surface is gently domed, creating a sense of visual depth as well as a touch of old-school visual distortion. The yellow gold used for the case is carried through here as well for the hands and indices, creating a warm, rich interplay with the cool gradients of the sunburst dial. In keeping with the brand’s pinpoint attention to detail, the date window is smoothly integrated at 3 o’clock with a dial-matching date wheel and a size that nicely blends it with the surrounding applied numerals at a glance.
Glashütte Original powers the new two-tone SeaQ with its in-house 39-11 automatic movement. Although hidden behind a solid caseback, the 39-11 is heavily decorated, with bright Glashütte striping across the bridges, a striped skeleton rotor with an integrated Glashütte Original emblem in yellow gold, and polished chamfers throughout. In classical German style, the 39-11 features a delicate and ornate swan-neck fine adjustment system atop the balance cock as well. Performance for the 39-11 is solidly middle of the road, with a power reserve of 40 hours at a 28,800 bph beat rate.
While many two-tone diver designs opt for a matching bracelet in steel and gold, the new Glashütte Original SeaQ keeps its gold use subtle and balanced by avoiding bracelets altogether. Instead, this new SeaQ can be purchased with either a classic black tropic-style rubber strap to emphasize the line’s ‘60s diver look or a fabric strap in dial matching navy blue.
By sidestepping the bold, ostentatious cues often associated with two-tone designs in the past, the new two-tone Glashütte Original SeaQ offers a fresh and modern take on this trend that integrates handsomely into its core diver look. The new two-tone Glashütte Original SeaQ

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Tudor Heritage Black Bay Black Chronograph 79360N

To mark 50 years of its chronographs, Tudor Heritage Black Bay Black Chronograph 79360N is relaunching its Black Bay Chrono model in steel with a reworked case and two dial options with contrasting sub-counters in the purest tradition of the sports chronograph.

Since the launch in 1970 of the Oysterdate model, its first chronograph, TUDOR has always produced watches that are closely tied to the world of motor sport. Since 1954, TUDOR has likewise been constantly improving its professional divers’ watches. The Black Bay Chrono model combines these traditions in a sports chronograph for purists, with contrasting sub-counters and a high-performance automatic Manufacture Calibre, with column wheel and vertical clutch.
Remaining faithful to the Black Bay aesthetic, the Black Bay Chrono model has made the famous “Snowflake” hands – a brand signature for divers’ watches since 1969 – its own, in a version honed to ensure optimum readability on its domed dial.
Available in two versions, matt black or opaline, the dial includes two hollowed sub-counters in contrasting colours, matt black and white opaline respectively, for optimum readability.
Inspired by the first generation of TUDOR chronographs, there is a 45-minute counter and a date aperture positioned at 6 o’clock. The recognisable characteristics of the Black Bay are preserved in a steel case with a 41-millimetre diameter refined by the ingenious cut of the lower part of the sapphire crystal and a repositioned movement.
Typical of the scrupulous attention to detail that is characteristic of the brand, the design of the stainless steel pushers has been inspired by the very first generation of TUDOR chronographs. A fixed bezel in stainless steel with a tachymetric scale insert in black anodised aluminium completes the distinguished appearance of this sporty new chronograph.
The fabric strap is one of the hallmarks of TUDOR, which, in 2010, became one of the first watchmaking brands to offer it with its products. Woven in France on 19th century Jacquard looms by the Julien Faure company in the St-Etienne region, its manufacturing quality and comfort on the wrist are unique. In 2020, TUDOR and Julien Faure, a 150-year old family company, celebrated ten years of partnership that began with the Heritage Chrono – the first model to be equipped with a fabric strap created by the craftsmen – that was launched at Baselworld 2010.

The Black Bay Chrono model features a black strap with a motif chosen by TUDOR and woven by the craftsmen. The model is also available mounted on a stainless steel bracelet inspired by the folding riveted bracelets made by TUDOR in the 1950s and 1960s. These were famous for having rivet heads for attaching the links, shown on the side of the bracelet.
The links also had a distinct stepped construction. These two aesthetic details appear on today’s model, which still integrates modern manufacturing methods with solid links. Finally, entirely in keeping with the spirit of “1970s racing”, the Black Bay Chrono is offering another choice of bracelet: a bund in aged black leather with ecru topstitching and folding clasp.
The Manufacture Chronograph Calibre MT5813, which powers the Black Bay Chrono model, displays hour, minute, second, chronograph and date functions. It has the finish typical of TUDOR Manufacture Calibres. Its rotor in tungsten monobloc is openwork and satin-brushed with sand-blasted details, and its bridges and mainplate have alternate sand-blasted, polished surfaces and laser decorations.
Boasting a 70-hour power reserve and a silicon balance spring, the Manufacture MT5813 chronograph Calibre is certified by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC), with its performance exceeding the standards set by this independent institute. In fact, where COSC allows an average variation in the daily running of a watch of between -4 and +6 seconds in relation to absolute time in a single movement, TUDOR insists on -2 +4 seconds’ variation in its running when it is completely assembled.

A high-performance movement, it was crafted in the purest watchmaking tradition, with a column wheel mechanism and vertical clutch. In keeping with the TUDOR philosophy of quality, it presents extraordinary robustness and reliability, guaranteed by the array of extreme tests applied to all TUDOR products.

Derived from the chronograph manufacture calibre Breitling 01, with a high-precision regulating organ developed by TUDOR and exclusive finishes, this movement is the result of a lasting collaboration between the two brands, which have chosen to pool their expertise in the design and production of certain mechanical movements.
Like other models in the Black Bay range, the Black Bay Chrono has adopted TUDOR’s characteristic angular hands known as “Snowflake” that first appeared in the brand’s 1969 catalogue. The result of a subtle blend of traditional aesthetics and contemporary watchmaking, the Black Bay line is far from simply being an identical rerelease of a classic.

Resolutely anchored in the present, it brings together almost seven decades of TUDOR divers’ watches. Whilst it is neo-vintage in conception, its manufacturing techniques and its robustness, reliability, durability and precision as well as the quality of its finish are above modern industry standards.
TUDOR is offering a five-year guarantee on all its products sold after January 1st 2020. This guarantee does not require the watch to be registeredor any maintenance checksand is transferable. All TUDOR products bought between July 1st 2018 and December 31st 2019 will therefore benefit from an 18-month extension to their guarantee, that is to say, a total of three and a half years. TUDOR also recommends that its watches should be serviced approximately every 10 years depending on the model and the extent of its use on a day-to-day basis.
2021 sees fresh versions of the popular Tudor Black Bay Chrono watches arrive with color-palette styles that are sure to make watch hobbyists and those who appreciate vintage sports watches happy. The Tudor Black Bay Chrono collection debuted in 2017 (on aBlogtoWatch here), and then in 2019 Tudor updated the Black Bay Chrono with a slightly refreshed design when releasing the Tudor Black Bay Chronograph S&G (steel and gold), which you can see on aBlogtoWatch here. The 2021 Black Bay Chrono reference M79360N watches offer a few bracelet/strap attachment options, along with the classic “panda” or “reserve panda” set of black and white dials.
Swiss Tudor offers watch hobbyists one of the best ways to enjoy the visual and visceral experience of a vintage sports watch, but in a package that thoroughly modern and not toward the top of the price spectrum. With that said, the field of players competing in these areas continues to develop each for months, as the vintage sports watch trend (even among new watch designs) is still in the middle of playing itself out. Where Tudor will often beat the competition is in offering superlative finishes, case construction, and sheer popularity.

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replica rolex datejust 36

There are very few luxury watches out there as historic, recognizable, and coveted as the Rolex Datejust. The brand’s flagship dress watch, the Datejust has been around since 1945 when it made its debut as the first automatic chronometer to display a date window. Since then, Rolex has continuously evolved the watch with improvements in design and mechanics, will still maintaining the Datejust’s signature unmistakable look.

The men’s Datejust watch was only offered in one size–36mm–for decades. In fact, it took over 60 years after the Datejust’s introduction for Rolex to offer another size of the men’s Datejust. In 2009, Rolex unveiled the much larger Datejust II to answer the trend for larger watches. Then in a surprising move, in 2016 Rolex replaced the Datejust II with the Datejust 41 with an identical case size. So today we ask ourselves, what’s the best Rolex Datejust? Is it the Datejust 36, the Datejust II, or the Datejust 41? Let’s find out what each of these Rolex Datejust models offers.
1945 marked the 40th anniversary of the Rolex company so to celebrate, Hans Wilsdorf and his team set out to present the world with a brand new watch model. Plus, this was a way for Rolex to showcase all the innovations it had developed over the last few decades. For instance, there was the waterproof Oyster case introduced in 1926 and the Perpetual movement (aka an automatic caliber) from 1931. But Rolex did not stop there. To create the commemorative 40th-anniversary watch, Rolex added a date complication to the automatic movement. Furthermore, the company also designed a brand new bracelet with a five-link configuration aptly dubbed the Jubilee bracelet.
Bringing all these developments together, Rolex presented the first Oyster Perpetual Datejust model in 1945 as the first self-winding wrist chronometer to indicate the date in a window on the dial. It was fashioned from 18k yellow gold and along with the new Jubilee bracelet, the watch also included a fluted bezel framing the dial. The water-resistant Oyster case measured 36mm in diameter and included the characteristic screw-down winding crown.

Those of you who are familiar with Datejust watches will note a few key traits missing from the very first Datejust. First, the name “Datejust” does not appear on the dial. Second, there is no Cyclops magnifications lens on top of the date window–a now-ubiquitous feature of almost all Rolex watches with date windows. Rolex filed a patent for the Cyclops Date window magnifier in 1952, which served to magnify the date by 2.5 times for easier reading. And the company began rolling out this new invention to its watches that same decade. In fact, when the Rolex Day-Date made its debut in 1956, it included the Cyclops lens protruding from its crystal above the date.

Although the first Datejust was only available in 18k yellow gold and fitted with the Jubilee bracelet, the collection eventually became Rolex’s most versatile model lineup produced in a bevy of styles, materials, and as we’ll see below, sizes.
As we mentioned, the Rolex Datejust 36 is the most traditional men’s Datejust watch. As its name implies, the Datejust 36 includes a 36mm Oyster case. This is a great size for a range of wrists. Large enough to make an impact yet restrained enough to be appropriate for any occasion, the Datejust 36 is still the most popular size in the men’s Datejust range.
A big draw of the Datejust 36 collection is the vast choice available in the secondary market. Since this is a watch that’s been around for more than seven decades (!) there are plenty of models to choose from. Whether you prefer a vintage Datejust, a birthyear Datejust, or a contemporary Datejust, there are some great pre-owned ones on offer. Plus, the Datejust 36 has the largest selection of metal options, bezel styles, and dial designs. From full stainless steel Datejust 36 models with domed bezels to two-tone gold and steel Datejust 36 models with fluted bezel, the choices are vast. what’s more, Rolex also introduced Turn-O-Graph Datejust models, complete with rotating bezels. Furthermore, the Datejust 36 is available on sportier Oyster bracelets or dressier Jubilee bracelets. And in the secondary market, it’s common to find men’s Datejust models on leather straps too.
Like most Rolex watches, the Datejust has undergone incremental modifications over the years while still retaining the fundamental design codes. At Baselworld 2018, Rolex introduced the newest generation of the Datejust 36 with a redesigned case sporting reshaped lugs and a new movement, Caliber 3235. Not that we ever doubted the relevance of the Datejust 36, but these new models signals just how committed Rolex is to the evolution of the men’s 36mm Datejust watch.
Over the years, men’s watches have increased dramatically in size. There are some massive men’s luxury watches out there that certainly adhere to the mantra, “go big or go home”. While Rolex does offer larger sports models such as the 44mm Deepsea, 43mm Sea-Dweller, and the 42mm Explorer II, for their dressier Datejust II, Rolex stuck to a more wearable 41mm.
When Rolex presented the Datejust II at Baselworld 2009, the larger men’s Datejust was met with great enthusiasm. The Datejust II’s 41mm Oyster case, broad lugs, and a wider Oyster bracelet meant that men who wanted to wear a larger Rolex dress watch now had a go-to model. The watch’s bigger dimensions and bulkier build brought about a masculine, modern, and sporty approach to the classic Datejust. Naturally, as part of the Datejust collection, certain design traits remained the same such as the Cyclops lens placed on the sapphire crystal directly above the date window at 3 o’clock. Similarly, like all Datejust models, the Datejust II models are water-resistant to 100 meters and are fitted with Twinlock screw-down winding crowns.
Over the years, Rolex offered different versions of the Datejust II such as the full steel Datejust II, the steel Datejust II with an 18k white gold fluted bezel, and a two-tone steel and yellow gold Datejust II. However, the Datejust II was only ever offered on an Oyster bracelet and not a Jubilee bracelet, which is intriguing given that the Jubilee and the Datejust are a classic pairing. Perhaps Rolex sought to emphasize the sportier nature of the Datejust II by making it exclusively available on the three-link Oyster bracelet. Despite initial success, the Datejust II collection was short-lived, eventually coming to an end in 2016.
In 2016, Rolex shelved the Datejust II and replaced it with the Datejust 41. While on paper the Datejust 41 retains the same 41mm case diameter, the case does have a different look to it. The Datejust 41 is slimmer, has leaner lugs, and a thinner bezel than the Datejust II. As a result, the Datejust 41 is a more refined approach to a larger Datejust watch than the sportier Datejust II.

In terms of choice, the Datejust 41 is available in a slew of materials. There’s, of course, the steel Datejust 41, the two-tone yellow gold and steel Datejust 41, as well as the two-tone Everose gold (Rolex’s proprietary pink gold alloy) and steel Datejust 41. Rolex also brought back the choice between the Oyster bracelet or the Jubilee bracelet within the Datejust 41 collection.
The biggest change to the Datejust 41 over the Datejust II is the automatic movement powering the watch. Rolex equips the Datejust 41 with the new generation Cal. 3235 with an increased power reserve of 70 hours compared to the 48-hour power reserve of the preceding Datejust II. As the newest version of the larger Datejust for men, it can be assumed that the Datejust 41 will continue to be a part of Rolex’s catalog for the foreseeable future.
Now that you have all the basic information, what’s the best Rolex Datejust for you? First, you have to decide if you prefer the 36mm or 41mm size. If you prefer the 41mm size, then it’s a matter of choosing between the Datejust II or the Datejust 41. Some prefer the bolder look of the Datejust II, while others appreciate the slimmer proportions of the Datejust 41. Which one suits your taste better? Also, if a higher power reserve is important to you or if you want the choice of a Jubilee bracelet or Everose gold on a larger Datejust, then the Datejust 41 is the way to go. Essentially, the classic design of the Datejust is evergreen–it is simply timeless as illustrated by its seven-decade history. So, deciding between the three main Datejust collections, 36, II, or 41, is a matter of choosing what size fits your wrist best. Once you’ve settled on the collection, then you can decide between the abundance of material, bezel, and dial options.

Browse our selection of pre-owned men’s Datejust watches and once you see the one that calls out to you, you’ll know that that’s the best Rolex Datejust watch for you!

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Rolex Day-Date Watches

The Rolex Day date watch was first made in the year 1956, and since then, it has been an iconic peace in the watchmaking industry and stands out to be a mega-hit even in the modern generation. This watch is available in two different types, one of which is 18-carat gold and the other is platinum. This is what happened to be the very first watch in the history of watchmaking to display the date and the day of the week in full on the dial. That is how it has got its name which happens to be Rolex Day date.

There are multiple different models under this collection, all of which have different looks but are primarily similar in features. This particular watch comes with the President bracelet, which was created specifically for this watch and became world-famous henceforth. The bracelet, which is also known as the Rolex Day date band is explicitly trendy and classy and typically adds to the charm of the watch wearer. Owning this watch is a sign of great prestige even in modern times, exactly as it used to be e back in those days. It is commonly believed that this is a watch for influential people and for people who can leave their own mark in the sands of time.

Some of the best watches from the Rolex Day-date collection.
1.] Rolex Day-Date 40 Oyster,40mm, white gold – The what functions with perpetual, self-winding, mechanical movements and offers a power reserves of approximately 70 hours. It comes with an olive green color dial and the president bracelet, which happens to be semi-circular in form with three-piece links. This particular watch is exceptionally classy and stylish in appearance and can suit different age groups and people from different backgrounds, and comes with the typical Rolex Day-Date band.

The dial of the watch comes with the sunray finish, which happens to be a very dominant method of polishing in the watchmaking industry. This method is generally used to achieve perfect metallic colored dials, which usually come in shades of silver, grey, rhodium, among others. The watch also offers the very famous fluted bezel by Rolex, which in this case has a specific purpose for making the watch completely waterproof. The fluted bezel is always made of gold as a mark of luxury, and specifically, in this case, it is made up of white gold, which happens to be known for its lustre and nobility.

2.] Rolex Day-Date 36, Oyster, 36 mm, yellow gold – This unique watch is considered to be waterproof up to 100 meters and comes with a self-winding, mechanical, perpetual movement, and has power reserve for approximately 70 hours. The watch also comes with a typical Rolex Day-Date band. This president bracelet is semi-circular in form and comes in three-piece links. The dial of this watch comes in Champagne color and is studded with Diamonds to add a touch of extra glam and class to the watch.

The dial of the watch also offers a sunray finish which is very typical of Rolex watches and is usually used to achieve pure metallic colors on the dials. The dial comes with a distinctive Rolex fluted bezel which is specifically used to make the watch absolutely waterproof. This fluted bezel has been a signature Rolex feature for generations and still continues to be the same in most of its models. The watch is made up of gold which is usually known for its last year and nobility. Gold is also fused with steel in most of the Rolex models to ensure strength and perfect reliability.

3.] Rolex Day-Date 40, Oyster,40mm, platinum – This particular watch is known to be waterproof up to 100 meters and comes with self-winding, perpetual, mechanical movement, and approximately has a power reserve for about 70 hours. Like most other Rolex watches, this watch also comes with the typical Rolex Day-Date band, which is super stylish and classy. The beautiful president bracelets come in the semi-circular form and offer three-piece links.

The watch comes with a super stunning ice-blue color dial along with a typical Rolex sunray finish which happens to be a dominant method of the Rolex watchmaking process. This method is mainly applied to achieve a pure metallic color finish on the watches. Like most other Rolex watches, this also comes with a fluted Basil, which is typically used to make the watch completely waterproof. This fluted bezel happens to be a signature feature of Rolex and is present in all the watches of this collection. Like most other Rolex watches, this watch is also made out of a combination of white gold and steel, which stands for nobility and prestige. This watch happens to be one of the most stunning looking watches in the entire day-date collection.

4.] Rolex Day-Date 40, Oyster, 40 mm, yellow gold – This watch comes with a 40mm dial which is known to be waterproof up to 100 meters. The watch offers a typical Rolex self-winding, mechanical, perpetual movement and has a power reserve for approximately 70 hours. The watch also comes with a typical president bracelet which is semi-circular in form and comes in three-piece links. The dial of this particular golden color watch has a classy white color dial, and the overall appearance of the watch is extremely stunning and trendy.

The watch comes with a typical Rolex fluted bezel which is made in gold as gold stands for last year and nobility. Like most other watches, this watch is also made combined of gold and steel and promises strength and reliability.

5.] Rolex Day-Date 36, Oyster, 36 mm, Everose gold – Like most other watches from the day date collection, this watch is also waterproof up to 100 meters and offers self-winding, mechanical, perpetual movement, and has a power reserve of about 70 hours. It comes with a typical Rolex Day-date band, but the most striking feature about this particular watch is its incredible brown ombre dial which is studded with diamonds.

Like most other Rolex watches, this brown dial watch offers a fluted bezel which is solely responsible for making the watch absolutely waterproof. The watch is made of a combination of gold and steel and there’s certainly a symbol of prestige and luxury for generations to come.

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Rolex GMT-Master II 126710

Some think of Rolex GMT-Master II 126710 as the ‘demon’ to be vanquished, that their conquest of the horology world is like a fog that clouds our vision from our true potential. As if getting rid of Rolex would solve all of horology’s problems. I mean, they only do the same design every year, right? This particular view is one I have come across in discussion forums before and, to be honest, it’s quite depressing. People look at the coronet and think of it as nothing but a status symbol for folks who have no interest in “real horology”, that no true enthusiast would go near one of these things with a ten-foot barge pole. And yet, in a way, we always end up back at Rolex. Even the devout pro-any-other-brand-except-Rolex horology ‘geek’ will probably end up with one at some point, just to see what it’s like, and then end up loving it forever.
You see, Rolex watches have been almost explicitly designed for this purpose. They are designed to be aesthetically pleasing through proportional balance, and the brand maintains its aura of luxury, a luxury that is hard to come by. We’ve all made jokes at Rolex’ expense when it comes to their infamous waiting list, thinking about how much better we are for not sitting around waiting to get the chance to pay retail. Yet, this is precisely how classical luxury should work. If you want a Rolls Royce or a Bentley made to your specification you have to put your name on a list and eventually, someone at the factory will look at the order form with your name on it. It can take over a year for Rolls Royce to make a bespoke designed Phantom due to the complexity and the craftsmanship involved. This level of prestige, having to wait until the product is delivered to you, works for Rolex as well. Granted, it’s a different sort of wait. Rolex is probably not bespoke building a Submariner, but to the consumer, it’s the finished product that matters.
Interestingly, both Rolls Royce and Rolex GMT-Master II 126710 occupy their own individual positions in their respective markets, that’s down to how they’re marketed. Despite being owned by BMW and sharing parts with them, a Rolls Royce is still something extra-special and is advertised as such. It may not be as futuristic or wholesome as a Mercedes Maybach, for example, but there’s nothing else quite like a Rolls Royce, despite the few pitfalls it may have, the brand is at the point where its name and logo market themselves. It’s also become a term of endearment, a product that is the absolute zenith of design and fabrication is usually deemed the ‘Rolls Royce’ even by folks who have never sat in a Rolls Royce.
Despite Rolex having the highest production figures of the Swiss watch industry, it still has a level of class that’s hard to beat, and that’s down to the way the brand presents itself. Everybody knows what a Rolex is, no matter where you are in the world. Because everybody knows what it is, everybody knows it’s something special, made of high-quality materials and designed to last indefinitely. As with Rolls Royce, people know what a Rolex stands for immediately, even if they’ve never tried one for themselves. Believe it or not, that’s an incredibly hard thing to do and maintain, Rolex has been doing it practically since the Rolex name was conceived in 1908. That’s a long time to build up a brand reputation, and it’s undoubtedly paid off.
Earlier this year, Rolex unveiled the successor to it’s massively popular GMT-Master 2 reference 116710BLNR. That watch had been rumoured to be departing the Rolex lineup for at least two years, but during Baselworld 2019 it became real as its replacement was unveiled. The 126710BLNR, as you see here, built on the groundwork done by 2018’s 126710BLRO, nicknamed the ‘Pepsi’. It shares the same movement as the BLRO, the calibre 3285, and it shares the Jubilee bracelet as well. So, is the new ‘Batman’ worth the hype and the wait? I’ve had one on my wrist for a long-term review since May to find out.
The watch measures in at 40mm across but it wears like a 42mm or 43mm watch. The reason for this is down to the way the watch is designed. The markers and hands are large on the dial, and the ceramic bezel is wide, creating the illusion that the watch is larger than it really is. This means that if like me, you have large wrists that comfortably handle 45mm+ diameter watches, you won’t be disappointed by the Rolex. That said, if you have smaller wrists, you’ll find it accommodates them with just as much ease. The combination of brushing and polishing, along with the colour injected around the dial, makes the watch very attractive indeed from every angle. When I took the photos of the watch I noticed just how photogenic it is; there’s no wrong angle to take a picture from, which is uncommon.
Despite what people might imagine from the new BLNR, it’s mass is within a couple of grams of the old one. It measured in on our VSS (Very Scientific (Kitchen) Scales) at 143 grams. Even with the 116710BLNR’s chunky Oyster bracelet, the Jubilee still holds enough weight to be substantial without being overbearing. You can feel the quality of the work that’s gone into it. There are no sharp edges or corners on the Jubilee bracelet. The sleek taper of the bracelet, narrowing towards the clasp, and the combination of brushed and polished links makes it seem all the more luxurious. The way it shimmers and sparkles under light is something to behold as well. In a way, the Jubilee bracelet accentuates the watch even more so than the Oyster bracelet did. If you are concerned that the Jubilee is not as good as the Oyster, then you have nothing to fear.
The folding clasp features a security lock with the Rolex coronet on it, as well as brushed outers and a polished centre. If you remember old Rolex bracelets and clasps, specifically from the early noughties era, then you can probably remember how hollow and mediocre the stamped bracelets and clasps felt. This is nothing like that. The clasp is just as high-quality as the rest of the watch with solid milled components and a high polish inside. There’s also a small folding extension which provides the owner with an extra link. Rolex recommends the Jubilee bracelet should be worn flush to the wrist to prevent stretching over time, but if it gets warm and your wrist expands, then the extra link provides comfort.
From my experience, due to its daily use, the clasp area will probably receive the most scratches. As you can see in my photos, the polished centre on the clasp has attracted a few battle scars from a dip in a swimming pool back in summer. Some folks recommend a piece of clear sticky tape to protect it. I think it’s a little late now anyway. Also, on the inner arms of the folding clasp and around the areas where they make contact, you will naturally find scratches over time. There isn’t really a way to avoid this, except for not wearing it at all which defeats the purpose of it entirely in my opinion.
The dial of the watch is exceptionally legible, as it needs to be. Remember, this is still designed to be used by pilots today (it’s in the part of the catalogue that Rolex calls ‘Professional Watches’), just as it was in the 50s when the first GMT-Master was released. That means you have nice, big and clear hands and markers constructed of white gold and filled with Chromalight, Rolex’ proprietary luminescence. You can tell it’s Chromalight because Rolex watches using SuperLumiNova glow green whereas this one gives off a blue hue.

To aid in readibility of the GMT function, the GMT hand on the BLNR is painted blue and given a large arrow tip. Working in conjunction with the bi-directional bezel, you can use this GMT hand to calculate the time in up to three different time zones. Here’s how to do it:
Pictured above is the watch in its standard mode. It’s currently displaying one time zone (Greenwich Mean Time) in two different ways: 12 hour, as shown by the hours and minutes hands, and 24 hour, displayed by the blue arrow-tipped GMT hand. The time in the photo is 1:53 PM, or 13:53. Remember, the GMT hand performs one rotation in 24 hours and is aligned with the bezel, in its current position, it’s pointing to 1300 hours on the bezel (each round dot on the bezel represents the odd hour, as there isn’t space for numerals).
To set the GMT function, unscrew the crown and pull it out to position 2. This allows you to set the hour hand independently of the minutes and the GMT hand, note that the watch is still running to maintain accuracy. In the photo above, the hours have been set to the time in Los Angeles, USA, which is 8 hours behind GMT. Using the ‘Mercedes’ style hour hand, we can now see that the local time in L.A is 5:54 AM. But, if we use the 24-hour GMT hand, we can see that it’s 13:54 at home. So, as long as you know how many hours ahead or behind your second timezone is, you can always see the time in two timezones. Remember, the GMT hand is only replacing the hour hand, the minutes and seconds are still accurate unless you are in a timezone which is out by 30 minutes (such as New Delhi, India).
Sadly, your trip to sunny California has been disturbed by a call from the office back in Blighty. They’ve asked you to give a call to the office in Santiago, Chile, but you’re not sure if they’ll be open yet. You know that Santiago is 3 hours behind GMT, but you don’t want to go through the faff of unwinding the crown and resetting the hands. Luckily, you don’t have to, as this is where the bi-directional rotating bezel comes into play.

To check the time in Santiago, turn the bezel three clicks in a clockwise direction, as we have done in the photo. Now, we use the GMT, which has not moved, once again. Using the position of the GMT hand and the bezel, we can determine that the time in Santiago is 09:55, so the office will be open. As long as you can remember the home time while doing this, you can know three timezones simultaneously using the Rolex GMT-Master II 126710.
This time-zone hopping example hasn’t quite finished yet. The office in Santiago has said that it’s waiting for a confirmation letter to come from the Dubai branch, but they’re having trouble getting through to check and have asked you to make a call. You know that Dubai is 4 hours ahead of GMT. Once again, we’ll use the bi-directional 24-hour bezel on the GMT-Master 2 to check the time in Dubai.
To check the time in a time-zone that’s ahead of the home time, turn the bezel anticlockwise. As Dubai is 4 hours ahead, the bezel needs to be turned anticlockwise by 4 clicks. Using the position of the 24-hour hand relative to the bezel, we can see the time in Dubai 17:57, and the Dubai branch has likely shut. When you’re finished checking the time in Dubai, you can return the bezel to the standard position to display both home and local time simultaneously.

In all honesty, you’ll probably need to use the world clock app on your phone to check how many hours out the other timezones are, but I’d still use the GMT-Master 2’s party piece just for the sake of it. It might well be the most intelligently designed function ever fitted to a watch, and you can see why it would be particularly handy to Pan-Am staff, or any crew on board a plane.
Despite being type rated for the skies, the GMT-Master 2 is still water-resistant to 100m and features the Triplock crown, denoted by the three dots under the coronet on the crown. So, you can even go for a swim with the GMT-Master 2, making it not only the ultimate travelling companion but also the ultimate holiday companion too. Inside the watch is the calibre 3285, Rolex’ latest generation of the GMT movement. Previous watches, including the 116710BLNR, used the 3186 calibre which had a blue Parachrom hairspring from the mid-noughties onwards. Rolex says the Parachrom hairspring is more resistant to temperature changes and shocks than normal hairsprings and is antimagnetic as well.

The new 3285 calibre also has the blue Parachrom hairspring inside it. But, it also has a few new specs to add to its list. For starters, the power reserve is 70 hours on the new BLNR, where it was 48 hours on the old one. The new 3285 powered BLNR also uses Rolex’ new Chronergy escapement which has a double escape wheel and is used to provide better power efficiency than a standard Swiss lever escapement like in the old 3186 powered BLNR. This partly helps the watch achieve the Rolex target for precision of +/-2 seconds per day. There are also new shock absorbers as well in the new 3285 calibre, nicknamed Paraflex. “But, how much of this am I likely to see as an owner of this watch?” Apart from the power reserve, you are unlikely to notice the difference between the two. Therein lies perhaps the only chink in the GMT-Master 2 126710BLNR’s armour, it was released at the same time that the old one was discontinued. So, if you got the old one in the run-up to Baselworld, you may feel like you’ve missed out a little, but that feeling probably won’t last long as you enjoy the 116710BLNR. If you have one of those and you don’t have an enormous cash reserve to spend, then there isn’t much reason to go for the new 126710BLNR. To pay a fair price for it, you’d need to go onto another waiting list. Given that it currently sits somewhere between 12 and 18 months, Rolex may introduce something you like even more between now and then.
That said, if you don’t have the old 116710BLNR and you’re interested in picking up the new one, I can guarantee you that you won’t be disappointed. When I said this Rolex GMT-Master II 126710 is photogenic, I meant it, and you don’t need lots of professional gear and lots of knowledge to make it looks outstanding in photographs. The wrist shots that you have seen in this article were taken on a Samsung Galaxy S10+ while the rest on my standard Canon DSLR.