Waltham Crescent Watch

The last few years has seen Waltham, a traditional name in American watch making, come back. The real story behind the resurgence is unknown to me. I don't know if it is brand originals, or new owners who are furthering the legacy of the name. Either way, their new men's and women's watches have been impressing me. Nice bold designs with a classic touch that makes them more enjoyable avant garde. It really starts with their distinctive case with its highly flared lugs and complex (almost Cartier-like) case. What I do know is that the former American brand is all Swiss now - so I think it is a Waltham corporal resurrection with a new brain.

For 2010, a new men's model for them is this Waltham Crescent. It has a sporty look to it, but is a luxury timepiece. The 43mm wide case is available in 18k white, rose, or yellow gold, with a high-end La Joux-Perret Calibre 3513 automatic movement with a 22k white gold rotor. The movement is even COSC Chronometer certified and has the time, big date, and a power reserve indicator feature. The crystal is AR coated sapphire, and also like Cartier watches, there is a blue gem as a crown cabochon.

I quite like the black dial with white gold case combo, but there is also a white dial available. It seems odd that a traditional railroad watch has now turned into a luxury half retro, half sporty brand. The sport part of the design is all in the dial, with its large, almost dive watch style, hands and hour indicators. In all, a nice cohesive look but they made the hands pretty stubby (why do they do that!?)

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.