Poor DeWitt. They haven't been having a good last couple of years. For a while they were making some of the most interesting and beautiful luxury watches from an indy Swiss watch maker. Now they are struggling to hold on. One of their main allures was the release of very complex watches. Plus I always liked their "castle rimmed" bezels (as I liked to call them). So for this year one of their new models departs from that, and is sort of a bore if you ask me. DeWitt, without the "DeWitt," is barely... DeWitt. While the watch looks like a down market version of their typically stately looking watches, it isn't. The watch is 43mm wide in all 18k rose gold and a complex to make guilloche engraved dial. Despite the standard columns on the side of the case and the intricately made dial, I am just not wowed. A bit problem is the lack of soul. It doesn't really have a theme in my opinion. DeWitt comments that it is part of their brand evolution - which if that is true, doesn't feel like a good thing. It is true that they need less expensive watches to stay around, but I am just not sure their core clientele is going to like this watch.

By the way, the hands are way too short. What is up with that DeWitt?Inside the watch is their caliber DWT8AU automatic movement - not sure who makes that, but it isn't them most likely. The watch will be part of a limited edition of 500 pieces. I don't mean to pan the watch so badly, but in a year from now no one will even remember it. Even though it is not unattractive per se, it just has a forgettable and hard to love style. Again, it lacks soul. Maybe they will have something more exciting to show off at Basel.

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

One of the most interesting watch movements around is made by Swiss Quinting. It is a quartz movement that is barely visible. Look at the watch and you just won't get how it works. The dials are totally transparent and you can see right through them as the hands of the watch seem to float in space. Quinting makes the movements and the watches. The movements are quartz based and actually fitted inside the watch around the dial in the case. It uses a series of motors that move sapphire crystals that the hands are attached to. Complex models like the Chronograph use many, totally parallel sapphire discs to achieve the functionality. The design is flawless and the engineering is very clever.

I got to handle the watches at the Geneva Time Exhibition in January. They had their diverse line up of models in various case sizes and tones. Some of them are richly decorated in diamonds and are in gold. The watches typically aren't too little, but rather come in healthy sizes (for men and women). You really get an appreciation for how difficult it was to make the watches when you wear them. Seeing your wrist through the watch without any gears or pieces really goes to the heart of the "Mysterious" part of the name. Their new watch for 2010 uses an interesting set of two discs that have "spokes" on them. These turn in opposite directions and help regulate each other in terms of the watch accuracy. What it means for you is a cool looking dial that is constantly moving. Quinting also makes movements for other brands that want to showcase their technology. For example they produced a watch for Dior that I discussed here. Prices for these watch is pretty expensive for a quartz movement, but they have the craftsmanship of a nicer mechanical watch. I'd say the prices for non jewelery versions are typically in the $5,000 - $10,000 range.

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

Last year's awesome watch from German A. Lange & Sohne was the Lange Zeitwerk. A mechanical digital watch with jumping indicators for the minutes and hours. Style was totally retro cool, and the mechanics needed to make it work are much more difficult than you can fathom. One thing many people wanted the watch to have was luminous markers. But this was thought impossible given that they could not be charged by the light being hidden under the dial. Well the creative thinkers at Lange found a solution, and they have implemented it here in the new Lange Zeitwerk Luminous watch.

Basically they made the dial out of a tinted (smoked) sapphire crystal. The numerals all have luminant applied to them. The sapphire part of the dial is made so that it is not totally transparent, but light can enter easily to charge the luminant. When the indicators are displayed in the digital windows, they should be able to charge enough, provided that the watch has been exposed to enough light. Thus you have a lume version of the Lange Zeitwerk - clever.

Aside from that the watch retains the features that we love about standard Zeitwerk. It comes in a 42mm wide case in platinum and is part of a limited edition of just 100 pieces. Movement is the highly complex manually wound in-house made A. Lange & Sohne Caliber L043.1, with its double constant force escapements. Functions include the hours and minutes digitally, with a subsidiary seconds dial and a power reserve indicator. A beautiful watch with a great appeal somewhere between luxury gadget and traditional fine timepiece. Price is $91,200, and the watch is in platinum as mentioned.

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

Valentine's day cometh, and watch brands are harassing men by releasing images of their upcoming "shopping in the name of love" day items. I mean, aren't men stressed out enough given the pressure of the fabricated romance day? A little bitterness here? Maybe. In white ceramic with red inserts and a red alligator and rubber strap, this Hublot Big Bang Red Ladies watch watch more than fits with cupid's ideal intent. The bright red dial with easy to read "military" style hands are part of the Big Bang style. Diamonds on the bezel and a "let's get it on tonight" look make this a vitality rich romance piece rather than the same old dull diamond earrings that get worn for a week before going in a drawer. I believe the movement here may be quartz, but don't let that fool you into thinking it is inexpensive. Several more days gentleman until your big "red" day.

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

US based Orbita keeps giving you new ways to wind your watches. After many months of development the new Lifestyle watch winder cabinets will be coming soon. The idea is a cabinet that have modules in it that can be customized to your needs. You can insert up to six winder for automatic watches, or mix and match a bit with modules of three or six patented Orbita ROTORWIND modules. Then you can have a drawer options for accessories. The Lifestyle cabinets come in a few sizes. Each is made with a lovely Brazilian Rosewood veneer, and lined with carbon fiber panels. The interior drawers are lined with suede, and the doors of the cabinet are lockable for security. The larger units have the ability to be enhanced with biometric (finger print) scanners for added security. Also, you can insert Orbita Sempre manually wound watch winders (that have a little claw that goes over watch crowns) in the large Lifestyle units. Overall the new Lifestyle series from Orbita should further enhance your ability to add convenient winding for your mechanical watches no matter what your lifestyle is, or space requirements are. Look for them soon from Orbita.

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

Does the style of this watch kick ass or what? I've always been a fan of Roger Dubuis designs, and their relatively recent acquisition by the Richemont Group has helped them drastically improve quality. No more rushed-to-market watches. This is the newest version of their Double Tourbillon watch that was originally released back in 2005. The RD01 movement is manually wound and has two flying tourbillons that average each other out for a better accuracy rate. The dial displays the time with retrograde minutes, and the back of the watch has a power reserve indicator. There are few watches that can make a tourbillon look more sexy than this.

Roger Dubuis chose the name of the Excalibur case well. Large and in-your-face in terms of styling, the watch literally seems to yell "look at me." Depending on your style or mood, this is exactly what you want, or not what you want at all. The bezel has a neat serrated look to it and the crown is actually located underneath a large crown cap. Polish and finish are all really nice, and the dial details are fun to to see. Roger Dubuis is among a few people that do two different polishes on their hands. The sword style hands are polished on one side, and brushed on the other side of the middle fold. You'll love the resulting look. You can even still see Dubuis' iconic art deco style Roman numeral hour markers on the dial that are given a unique placement. The watch comes in 18k white or rose gold. Price is high, of course. It is one of those watches you love or hate, but if you love it, you really want one.

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

Another new Audemars Piguet watch for 2010. I honestly never though this would be made, but it makes sense given all the other skeletonized watches that Audemars Piguet has been coming out with. Here is your standard well loved Royal Oak watch in either steel or 18k rose gold, with a fully skeletonized movement. Above and in the image gallery you can get a good view of Audemars Piguet's handiwork skeletonizing one of their in-house made automatic movements. Looks like the movement surface is rhodium plated for the gray look, which looks nice against both the steel and gold. Through the rear of the watch you can see the nicely engraved 22k gold automatic rotor.

I believe that the Royal Oak Skeleton will become a niche model that will appeal to current owners of the brand who want a more visual appreciation of the movement in watch they know and love. I enjoyed wearing it and noticed a welcome attention to detail and function. Audemars Piguet maintains legibility in the watch by including a chapter ring with applied hour markers (with lume) and minute indicators. It is a very simple and satisfying piece for fans of the brand and skeletonized movements. Price is $30,100 in steel with steel bracelet, and $45,500 in rose gold on the brown crocodile strap.

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

Based on the success of last year's Perrelet's Diamond Flower Double Rotor watches for women, Perrelet comes back with more dressy versions of the decidedly sporty luxury watch (last year's had a rubber strap and was in steel). The new versions (three of a few) come with lots of diamonds (various amounts on each) as well as trendy looks. Each has a crocodile strap is either in a white gold or rose gold case that is 38mm wide. Diamonds really make these watches glitzy. The white version has over 1000 diamonds on the case and dial for a total of 10.48 carats!

The pink version has diamonds mixed with lots of rubies, while the brown version has a "chocolate" mother-of-pearl dial, with more diamonds. The lotus flower floral design on the dial is actually connected to the automatic rotor that is part of the P-181 Swiss automatic movement. As such, the "diamond flower" moves around the dial when moving around the watch. There are a good large size, but still feminine in dimension and have a great fun and beautiful design. Not sure about price, but they are going to be much more than the previous Diamond Flower watch model. One exciting version not seen yet is in ceramic, might have both black and white ceramic on the same watch. Look for these sometime in the Spring.

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

Another fashion designer chooses a real watch maker to produce a special timepiece for them. This is a better option than them branding something cheaper with their name on it. It is a win-win situation for both sides. This watch is meant to celebrate the 100th year of everyone's favorite "too many syllables" Italian designer. To me, Ermenegildo Zegna is a name that looks awesome written down, but the second you try to pronounce it, things go down hill. The Girard-Perregaux name isn't shared on the dial with Zegna, but the style of the watch should tip off most fans of the Swiss brand involved.

Placed in a 40mm wide 18k pink gold case the watch contains the in-house made Girard-Perregaux Caliber 3300-0042 automatic movement. It has an annual calendar and an eccentric display of dials on the watch face. A disc underneath a crescent shaped window reveals the month, while a dial is used for the date while another dial indicators the seconds for the time. In modern Girard-Perregaux fashion, each of the small indicators is in a soothing blue with a different shape hand to help them stand out. In fact I really like Girard-Perregaux's use of this blue mixed with gold. It is a very regal look in my opinion. Fans of the Zegna fashion brand will clearly enjoy this timepiece, but I think most Girard Perregaux fans will flock to other more complex timepieces in this watch collection range. When I look at the dial I am now seeing an odd side skewed smiley face with the month indicator as the mouth and the subdials as eyes. Does anyone else see that?

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