automatic

Piaget Polo FortyFive Skeletonized Watches

Here are some interesting skeletonized versions of Piaget's new Polo 45 (FortyFive) collection timepieces. I spotted these watches at Piaget, though I don't believe there has been any press about them. Piaget may be waiting to announce them, but here they are. There is a chronograph and three-hand version, and they are pretty much the same Piaget Polo 45 you are now familiar with, but with stylized, skeletonized dials.

Under the dials is the in-house made Piaget movement with perlage polish. The the dials retain all the necessary markers and numerals, but are otherwise skeletonzied. A liberal amount of red is used adding to the sporty feel of the watch. Many people feel that the Piaget Polo FortyFive watch collection was a mistake to begin with. Being overpriced and under-styled. Others really liked it though - and for those people I think these skeletonized models will be a hit.

Piaget uses a large red circle over the date window, which is a nice touch. I don't think these watches have the typical Piaget polish that we are used to, but that isn't really what the Polo FortyFive collection is all about. While the hour markers do a good job of popping out on the dial, the hands need a lot of improvement to be legible enough. I understand that these skeletonized Polo FortyFive watches are going to be commercially available but in limited amounts. Look for them sometime this year at a price that is likely a slight premium over the standard Piaget Polo FortyFive automatic or chronograph models.

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

Gallery: Piaget Polo 45 Skeletonized Watch

Tags: 2010, 45, automatic, Chronograph, fortyfive, Polo, skeleton, skeletonized, watch

Rado Sintra Skeleton Automatic Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

One of the last things that I ever thought I would see was a skeletonized dial Rado. The ultra minimalist brand that uses ceramic just doesn't "go that way." At least until now. The new Sintra Skeleton Automatic watch does skeletonization in a "Rado" way. Using a Sintra ceramic case and bracelet, the movement is a specially colored ETA automatic with mostly black bridges and some gold-tones segments. The movement is also COSC Chronometer certified.

Applied on the sapphire crystal are gold-toned hour markers so that you can read the time. The watch is an interesting look for Rado, and I like the two tone approach - giving the watch mostly black and gold tones. A dash of red color is included thanks to the synthetic ruby stones in the movement. On the back of the watch you can see a customized automatic rotor that is done in the shape of Rado's anchor logo.

Not too sure about the price, but the Sintra Skeleton Automatic watch will be limited to just 111 pieces. Look for it soon.

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

Tags: automatic, Rado, Sintra, skeleton, watch

Perrelet Titanium Collection 3-Hand Watch For 2010

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

There are going to be a lot of new Perrelet timepieces this year at Basel. Based on the incredible success of the ultra cool Perrelet Turbine watches, Perrelet is expanding its more basic Titanium collection of watches with some visual cues to remind of the powerful Turbine models. Here is the new Titanium Collection 3-Hand automatic. It has a Swiss automatic movement in it (other versions with additional complications will have Perrelet made modules, or even in-house movements soon). Check out some images here of the Turbine watch to see what I mean by them having visual similarities.

Perrelet goes a great job at designing cases that are masculine and modern, but still hearken back to classic design elements. While this is a serious men's watch, look at the lugs and the shape of the hands to see some traditional design elements. Elements on the dial are meant to be reminiscent of the rotating turbine vanes on the Turbine watch, and the date disc is partially skeletonized. Even though there are some designer looks on the face of the watch, it is still very functional. The case is in titanium and 43.5mm wide - attached to a rubber Perrelet strap with a folding titanium deployment clasp. Not sure about price yet, but look for this and other new Perrelet watches soon.

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

Tags: 2010, 3 hand, 3Hand, automatic, collection, Perrelet, Titanium, watch

Rado r5.5 Automatic Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

This is the next Rado watch that was designed by Jasper Morrison. He has been giving Rado new types of modernist minimalist designs recently and they have really helped the brand stay in character but also relevant in today's market. I have a special place in my heart for Rado given their work to advance ceramic watches being of the first to offer them en masse.

While many Rado watches arrive with Swiss quartz movements, this new model will feature a Swiss ETA automatic 2829A2 movement that is decorated and visible through the caseback window. Like most Rado watches, the r5.5 Automatic will be constructed mostly of ceramic (in black) and also have some black PVD coated steel and titanium (the caseback) as part of the watch's construction.

I find the dial in the TV screen shaped case to be very easy to read. it is like a Rado interpretation of a diver watch. Really easy to read and spot hour markers done in SuperLuminova luminant that contrast well with the black face. The hands are equally easy to spot making for a bold, yet uncomplicated look. Jasper did a nice job with this one. Unlike most ceramic watches that are shiny in finish, the r5.5 Automatic will have a matte finish that continues onto the bracelet (that is titanium and ceramic). Don't forget that ceramic has a really good ability to resist scratches and wear. Look for the watch soon and likely to cost several thousand dollars.

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

Gallery: Rado r5.5 Automatic Watch

Tags: 2010, automatic, basel, ceramic, r5.5, Rado, watch

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Memovox Watch For 2010

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

The Jaeger-LeCoultre legend from 1956 is back. 2010 sees the release of a brand new Master Memovox automatic alarm watch. Traditional styling abounds, sure to appeal to purists and fans of the brand's traditional offerings. While the styling and functions are retro-chic, the construction of the watch and reliability are all modern. Inside the watch is a in-house made Jaeger-LeCoultre Caliber 956 automatic mechanical movement with the time, date, and the alarm function. The alarm is set via the upper crown using the internal rotating disc which has a single hand that points to the time. Precise to within a few minutes. The alarm is actually impressively loud with a comfortable sounding noise sure to get your attention but not annoy you. To this day certain alarm sounds give me unpleasant thoughts about waking up too early for high school. Which is why these days I only wake up to the sounds of elephants trumpeting before an aggressive territorial charge. It's like waking up in nature.

The dial is so "Master Compressor" you'll feel right at home if you are a fan of the line. It has been copied a 100 times by others, but no one does it quite like Jaeger-LeCoultre. The watch comes in a respectable 40mm wide case in either steel or 18k pink gold. 30 meters of water resistance and a sapphire crystal. Check the images below for a glimpse of the nicely engraved caseback that surely wasn't part of the 1956 classic. Available soon. Price is $9,600 in steel and $20,350 in pink gold.

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

Gallery: Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Memovox

Tags: 2010, alarm, automatic, jaeger-lecoultre, master memovox, MasterMemovox, watch

Zenith Elite 681 Watch Shows Bland New Brand Identity

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Have you ever noticed that a lot of vintage watches look alike. There are like two decades in the 20th century where 90% of the watch looked the same. Just different brands and minor differences. The last decade proved that each watch brand could be unique with lots of interesting and distinctive designs. Sadly, with a new push toward "traditional" styles comes that traditional problem of boring look-alike watches. Not that such designs are inherently boring, but that enough brands have them, so the overall theme makes you want to yawn.

Zenith has had a couple of tough years, and there was a lot of promise with their new CEO Jean-Frederic Dufour. We knew that Zenith was going "back to its roots," but why does it have to be like this? One of their "exciting" new releases is the Elite 681 Ultra-Thin watch. It looks almost identical to other watch brand's retro-esque ultra thin watches. Sure, the 40mm wide gold watch that is about 3.8mm thick and has an automatic movement is decent looking, but just decent looking. Feels like your typical "grandpa watch special" and too much like other brands who are releasing doppelganger watches, and do the style better. So Zenith, you are telling me that your new identity is to be like Vacheron Constantin? Nice watch, yawn-worthy design. Another squatter on the already too full retro bandwagon. I was just sort of expecting more from them. We will see what else Zenith has in store for us soon.

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

Tags: 2010, 681, automatic, elite, watch, zenith

Davidoff Gent Automatic Chronograph GMT Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Davidoff quietly announces another handsome and subtle timepiece that probably deserves more credit that it will get. The oval shaped steel case is a nice aspect of the design and is 46mm wide and water resistant to 50 meters. There is a AR coated sapphire crystal over the dial and another sapphire crystal over the movement on the rear of the watch showing a view to the Davidoff personalized automatic rotor.

Style features, while not seemingly original are pleasant. From the partially skeletonized lugs to the interesting engravings and textures on the dial and chapter ring. To me, much of the design seems to be borrowed from one place or another, but the mosaic of elements is satisfying nonetheless. The brown alligator strap goes well with the steel and gray tones of the dial, and there is that almost necessary splash of red on the dial. The movement is a Swiss automatic Valjoux 7750 with a Soprod 753024h module that provides the GMT complication. Good that there is a 24 hour dial on the chapter ring. It is a relatively nice watch, especially for fans of the brand. Otherwise I see the watch having a bit of a hard time standing out from all the rest.

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

Tags: 24 hours, 24Hours, automatic, chronograph, Davidoff, gents, gmt, second time zone, SecondTimeZone, watch

Piaget Altiplano Automatic Ultra-Thin Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Piaget continues to offer classically minimalist thin watches in its Altiplano range of timepieces. New for this year is a record setting homage to a prior Piaget watch from half a century ago. The new Altiplano Automatic Ultra-Thin watch comes equipped with the brand new Piaget Caliber 1208P automatic. The in-house made movement is an automatic with a mico-rotor (in 22k gold) and is the world's thinnest automatic mechanical movement at just 2.35mm thick.

The watch that contains the movement is very svelte as well. The Altiplano Automatic Ultra-Thin comes in a 43mm wide 18k white or pink gold case that is just 5.25mm thick. Incredibly thin for a full-features automatic movement. The dial is simple and easy to read in the spirit of Piaget's history - but now with an eccentric subsidiary seconds dial. Still, even though it is modeled after a classic from 1960, the watch hands feel too short. The larger sized Piaget logo feels quite modern though. The watch will be released soon at SIHH 2010.

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

Tags: 1208p, 2010, altiplano, automatic, piaget, sihh, ultra-thin, watch

A. Lange & Sohne Lange 1 Daymatic Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

For 2010 comes this Lange 1 Daymatic watch from everyone's favorite German luxury watch brand A. Lange & Sohne. The Lange 1 Daymatic is the first ever automatic watch in the Lange 1 line - a collection of watches that is much responsible or Lange's current market position as it allowed the revitalized brand to be noticed back in the 1990s. A. Lange & Sohne very rarely makes automatic movements. Instead preferring to produce beautifully decorated in-house movement that are traditional in style, and don't have views of the movement blocked by an automatic rotor (and the caseback is sapphire for a view).

You can't deny that automatic movements are more popular and more convenient. So it is high time that A. Lange & Sohne decided to make one for the Lange 1 line. Adding an automatic winding movement helps alleviate the need or usefulness of a power reserve indicator. As such, Lange decided to replace the power reserve indicator found on all manually wound Lange 1 dials with a retrograde day of the week indicator. At the same time Lange designers inverted the display of the dials on the Lange 1's face, further freshening things up a bit. This means that the Daymatic has the watch face on the right of the dial, while the original Lange 1 has the dial on the left side of the face. Aside from the time and day of the week, the dial has a patented outsize date indicator and a subsidiary seconds dial.

Movement is the in-house made A. Lange & Sohne L021.1 automatic made up of 426 parts with a 50 hour power reserve. Decoration is on par with brand expectation. I haven't seen the automatic rotor decoration, but I will next month when the watch is officially unveiled at SIHH 2010 in Geneva. The Lange 1 Daymatic will arrive in a 39.5mm wide case, made out of either 18k yellow gold, pink gold, or platinum - with a matching alligator strap of course. dial is specially toned silver and beautifully finished. Expect price to be in the $50,000 and up range.

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

Tags: 2010, A Lange Sohne, ALangeSohne, automatic, Daymatic, Lange 1, Lange1, SIHH, watch

Bulova Accutron Kirkwood Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

It used to be that for the most part, even though Accutron was owned by Bulova, it was a separate watch brand. Under Japanese ownership by Citizen, you are seeing "Bulova Accutron" on watch dials now - which is a bit confusing in my opinion. Can't they just choose one name? In Japan, they seem to have a custom of branding, and then sub-branding. This is exhibited on many of their products, but to Americans, the redundant nomenclature is a bit confusing. Aside from that we are presented with a handsome watch that won't break the bank. This is the new Kirkwood dive style watch (not to be confused with "Kirkland," which would make it a Costco watch!).

The watch continues the new trend of porthole open dials for Bulova. You can see this at 12 o'clock, where you see a decorated view of the Swiss automatic Sellita SW 200 movement (same at ETA 2824-2). The case is in steel (with rose gold ion plating treatment) and is 44mm wide. There is also a normal steel version available with a blue, black or silver colored dial (as opposed to the pictured brown). It has a handsomely made rotating diver's bezel and 100 meters of water resistance. I like the large lume filled applied hour markers and the wave patterned dial.

The strap is not rubber, but fancy plastic (polyurethane). I'd have to check that out to see what it feels like. Lugs on the case look really long as well. In addition to the strap, there is a metal bracelet option available. Watch case crystal is sapphire. Not too sure about price - should be in the $1,000 - $1,300 range, and the full line should be available for the holiday season.

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

Tags: accutron, automatic, bulova, dive, kirkwood, watch

Ulysse Nardin Classico Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Seemingly following in the footsteps of Vacheron Constantin, Ulysse Nardin steps away from aggressive modern style watches with this throwback timepiece aptly named the Classico. Forget the cheesy, super market pasta sauce sounding name and you get three versions of a pretty decent watch. The 40mm wide case is done in either 18k rose or white gold, and is water resistant to 50 meters. Dial colors include silvered, black, or blue. Design is right out of your grandfather's heyday. If it suited his type well, how wrong can you go?

The watch has a good movement too. An in-house made UN caliber 815 automatic movement that has been COSC certified, with a solid 22k automatic rotor visible through the sapphire caseback window . Good thing it has a date as well. Some of these throw-back models are too minimalistic for my taste. I prefer a date on watches personally. Here the petite window is nicely framed in gold. The sunburst polish on the dial is a nice retro touch as well (also the lug design). Pleasing as well is the fact that the hands and luminant covered, and there are lume dots over the hour markers. The alligator straps are brown for the pictured version, while the black and blue dialed versions are matched to black and blue straps respectively. Should be available soon.

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

Tags: automatic, classico, gold, ulysse nardin, UlysseNardin, un 815, Un815, watch, watch of the day, WatchOfTheDay

Dior Christal 42mm Automatic Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Dior has slowly but increasingly been sneaking out watch releases over the past few years. High style, without as many ephemeral qualities as you might think. Meaning the watches could easily be classics decades from now. Love them or leave them you have to admit they are interesting. Here are two new styles for the Christal watch line. Called the Christal 42mm Automatic (not very creative for a name), the watches are designed with what feels like a combo between modern sporty dive style watch and art deco.

The case is 42mm wide in steel. There are black sapphires on the bracelet in pyramid shapes, with two different style bracelets available. The dial is black lacquer with a continuation of the pyramid theme in the center. The version with diamonds has a "weave" patten done in the middle with diamonds. I like the design of the case and bracelet much better than the dial, as the latter feels cluttered. It has all the hours in Arabic numerals, and then markers in between them. It just feels confusing at the very least.

Inside the watch is a Swiss ETA 2824-2 automatic movement. It is visible though the sapphire crystal caseback window, with a black lacquer topped rotor. The diamond version has 1.47 carats, and a total of 190 stones tastefully applied. Available soon.

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

Gallery: Dior Christal 42mm Automatic watch

Tags: 42mm, automatic, CD115510M001, CD115511M001, christal, dior, watch

Bathys Benthic Automatic Men's Watch For Summer

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Summer is more than here, it is in middle season territory and hopefully you've been able to enjoy yourself despite economic issues that have have put a damper in your summer recreational budget. Part of summer time fun is summer time gear. What better item to define this ideal (especially these days) than a value priced luxury watch born from the surf-rich shores of Hawaii. Enter one of my favorite sporty timepieces this year - the Bathys Benthic line. A watch available in various styles, pictured is the Benthic Automatic (a quartz version is also available) with a mother of pearl or solid color dial. Note that the watch is currently available with a rubber strap. The pictured metal bracelet is coming soon I hear - but I wanted to show you how pretty it will look.

The steel case (also available in black PVD) is just over 44mm wide with a rotating diver's bezel. The dial is mother of pearl, black, or orange. You'll appreciate the large sized numerals and hour indicators that are treated well with luminant. The hands are easy to read and in different shapes to assist with legibility. The automatic version has a Swiss ETA 2892 movement inside, and is possibly the best priced watch on the market with this high grade movement inside. With 200 meters of water resistance, this watch is truly a diver's buddy, a surfer's friend, or a night club companion. It comes in a rugged Pelican travel case and is well priced at just under $1,700 (likely a smidgen more with the metal bracelet when it arrives). The quartz version of the watch is less.

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

Tags: automatic, Bathys, benthic, hawaii, mother of pearl, MotherOfPearl, watch

Montblanc Star Eternal Set Lady's Watches

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

This set of three watches from Montblanc represents a unique collection each with emphasis on using diamonds in different aesthetic manners - showcasing three of the ways that diamonds are frequently used on women's watches to make them (and the wearer) more beautiful. The collection is the Star Eternal Lady line of watches and includes an automatic three hand model, an automatic with a moon phase indication complication, and a quartz movement based model.

What each model shares in common is the highly decorated 18k white gold case set with diamonds all over the case including 42 on the bezel, as well as a mother of pearl dial. The Star Lady Diamonds Automatic model features a clustered dial look. In addition to the 'galaxy' of diamonds, there is a special array of diamonds that shapes the iconic Montblanc emblem. Next, the Star Eternal Lady Moonphase Diamonds automatic features a more traditional use of diamonds used for hour indicators as well and for rings around the various dials. The third model, being the Star Eternal Lady Diamonds with the quartz movement represents use of diamonds to create organic patterns on the bezel - a particularly common use of diamonds, but difficult to pull-off well. In total, the three watches have over 1,500 Wesselton diamonds total which amount to over 10 carats. The watches come together in a box set.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: automatic, eternal, lady, monthblanc, moonphase, star, timepiece, watch, womens

Perrelet Automatic Tourbillon Titanium Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

I think Perrelet got it smack dab n the middle between formal and sport watches with this Automatic Tourbillon watch in titanium (and 18k rose gold). A few years ago it would have been absurd to mix gold and titanium, and today looking at this watch, the harmony seems almost natural.

With what could be described as a very Jaquet Droz inspired dial layout, the face of this watch has an off-center dial with a large, nicely made tourbillon serving as the small seconds. No nonsense gold colored hour markers are both aggressive and classy, while the splash of carbon fiber tells you that this is a less sensitive watch. Inside the 42mm wide case with its sandwiched titanium and smooth gold bezel and back, an automatic Perrelet caliber P161 runs with a massive 110 hours of power reserve. Really nice to have that type of power life as well as automatic winding. Lastly, it is certified as a chronometer, something less than average for a tourbillon based timepiece.

While the watch looks effortlessly marketable, it is in a limited edition of just 20 pieces. This does sort of make sense since the market for ultra-expensive complex sport watches is still niche to say the least. A rubber strap, double anti reflective coating on the sapphire crystal and 50 meters of water resistance make this an all too tempting investment to get dirty. For more information you can contact Perrelet USA at (954) 575-7980.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: automatic, gold, limited edition, LimitedEdition, Perrelet, timepiece, titanium, tourbillon, watch