chronometer

Porsche Design P'6612 Dashboard Le Mans 1970 Limited Edition

With 16 overall wins, nobody has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans more times than Porsche. The journey started in 1970 when Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood led a 1-2-3 finish for the German team behind the wheel of the iconic Porsche 917 K. Forty years later, Porsche Design has released a special-edition chronograph to commemorate the occasion in the grandest of style.

Bearing a dial styled after the 917 K's dashboard instruments and offset by the number 23 that adorned the triumphant 917 K and which followed Herrmann throughout his career, the Porsche Design P'6612 Dashboard Le Mans 1970 Limited Edition features an automatic chronograph movement and a tachometer scale around the bezel can be used to calculate overall speed, etched into the brushed and polished titanium case and affixed with a perforated calfskin strap with red topstitching reminiscent of the 917's steering wheel. Only 917 examples will be made, each accompanied by a scale model of the 917 K and a booklet signed by Herrmann and Attwood.

Gallery: Porsche Design P'6612 Dashboard Le Mans 1970 Limited Edition

Tags: 24 heurs du mans, 24 hours of le mans, chronometer, hans herrmann, le mans, porsche, porsche 917, porsche 917 k, Porsche Design, Porsche Design P6612, Porsche Design P6612 Dashboard, Porsche Design P6612 Dashboard Le Mans 1970 Limited Edition, richard attwood, watch

Certina DS Master Quartz Chronometer Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

At first glance this new watch from Certina is cool and modern, with a sincere nod to futuristic watches born in the late 1970s and early 1980s. But rather than just a fashionable throwback design to that era, the new Certina DS Master has some interesting qualities from a technical perspective. For one thing, it is among the very few watches in the world that comes with a thermo-compensated quartz movement that has been COSC Chronometer certified. This special type of quartz movement is made by ETA (ref. 251.233) in Switzerland, and is much more accurate than standard quartz movements. Plus, the requirements to get a quartz movement Chronometer certified are much harder than for a mechanical movement. As such, the DS Master watch is going to be accurate to within 5-10 seconds a year! That is compared to about 15 seconds a month for standard quartz movements.

The movement also has a chronograph complication, but uses hands placed in the center of the dial that use the main dial for the chronograph minutes and seconds. Subdials are used for the main time seconds and the chronograph hours. There is also a date indicator on a matching black disc. Certina is proud to say that the dial has 7 hands on it. The main hour and minute hands are skeletonized so has not to obscure the info below them.

Certina will offer the DS Master in two styles - an all-black PVD steel version, or a two-tone with polished steel and PVD black coated steel. Oddly, Certina isn't telling us the size of the cool hybrid cushion and round shaped case. The strap is black rubber with nice looking horizontal slits in it. Overall the style of the watch is lovely and masculine. Perfect for watch lovers or people who enjoy nice watches, but don't quite know how to appreciate this piece. Price will be on the higher side for Certina - costing about $1,100 - $1,250 when it comes out soon.

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

Tags: 2010, Certina, Chronometer, DS, Master

Zenith Vintage 55 Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

As predicted, here is yet another "vintage" watch model from a popular Swiss luxury watch brand (that is coincidentally French owned). Zenith underwent new direction recently and this may be one of the first models to stem from that change. There are high hopes for the brand that was for the last few years making interesting, but unbuyable watches that lacked soul or clear purpose.

This new model is certainly a change, but I don't think it is for the better. the Zenith Vintage 55 watch has all the right things in the right places but nevertheless feels uninspired. There are better options with a very similar design from brands such as Chopard, Union Glashutte, Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, and others. The Vintage 55 simply lacks the character that people are looking for when buying a new watch meant to evoke feelings of some amorphous "retro past." At least it is somewhat trendy with a now "in" vintage look and brown dial.

The watch is in a 40mm wide 18k rose gold case with matching hands and hour markers. A tasteful subsidiary seconds dial and dauphine hands meld logically with the arrow hour markers that have one of the watch's only unique features - center "cuts" in the indexes. A single Arabic numeral is used for 12 o'clock to orient the dial. Likely the most enticing aspect of the Vintage 55 watch is the Zenith caliber 689 automatic (with 22k gold rotor) in-house made movement that is very thin at just 4mm thick and is COSC chronometer certified. Unless the price for the Zenith Vintage 55 watch is particularly inviting, I just don't see what makes the watch differ from the competition unless you are a "Zenith only" person. As one more possible incentive (or realization on Zenith's behalf), the watch will be as a limited edition of 100 pieces.

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

Tags: 55, brown, chronometer, limited edition, LimitedEdition, rose gold, RoseGold, Vintage, watch, Zenith

Chopard Grand Prix de Monaco Historique Time Attack MF Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Cost cutting is "in" for watch makers as profits are down, and making new and complex mechanical movements is a practice that is frowned upon. So watch makers get creative, and this is typically good news for consumers. Take for example this interesting new watch that I like from Chopard. Model is the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique Time Attack MF. The watch is the first digital LCD screen I have ever seen on a racing watch from the brand - it is also one of the few or only watches in this line to have a Swiss quartz movement. I like how they combine "historic" and LCD panels. Styling is simple yet very satisfying. The 42.5mm wide steel case has has a nicely rendered style and the dial is extremely easy to read and live with. The negative color LCD screen makes operating a series of functions such as a chronograph, alarms, second timezone, calendar, and countdown timer easy. The screen looks to be of a high quality so it won't look like you are wearing some odd Frankenstein replica watch. Actually the movement is likely to be a thermo-compensated quartz, because it is certified as a COSC Chronometer - which has special requirements for quartz watches in terms of accuracy and giving them such certification.

I love the retro styling of the watch as well. The portholes in the leather strap as well as the thinner lugs and tachymeter style on the bezel all have a 1970s feel to them. Some people are no doubt going to complain that you shouldn't have to pay Chopard prices for a quartz watch - but the brand is worth something, and their ability to design a nice watch is worth more. Plus, like I said above, the price of this watch is likely to be less than mechanical watches due to the type of movement. Overall I like that watch. It may not be the perfect Chopard racing watch for all people, but it will be the perfect one for enough people.

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

Tags: Chopard, chronometer, grand prix, GrandPrix, historique, mf, monaco, quartz, time attack, TimeAttack, watch, watch of the day, WatchOfTheDay

Glashutte Original Senator Chronometer Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Here is a traditionally nice timepiece with some less than obvious technical qualities that make it nicer than you'd suspect at first glance. At first you can appreciate the classic marine chronometer dial design that you can find these days on most every Ulysse Nardin Maxi Marine Dive watch. Glashutte Original has adopted the design nicely with a large subsidiary seconds dial and power reserve indicator up top. Aside from these basic functions, the watch also has a big date complication, as well as a small day/night indicator (small hole displaying light or dark, located in the bottom section of the power reserve indicator. The watch also contains a special second zero reset function that sets the seconds to zero when you are adjusting the time of the watch.

In addition to those useful features, this Senator Chronometer is apparently Glashutte Original's first COSC certified Chronometer timepiece. Movement is in-house made and beautifully decorated as is the case with all high-end watches that come from the region in Saxony. The Germanic style movement looks similar to those of competitor company A. Lange & Sohne. The Glashutte Original Senator Chronometer is in 18k rose gold (not sure on case size yet). While the watches are not strictly a limited edition, they will have limited availability until the end of the year, being located in only select stores around the world. It is hard not to like the classic looks of the watch that wed tradition with function so nicely. Very close to the modern ideal of what a luxury German made watch should be about.

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

Tags: chronometer, germany, glashutte original, GlashutteOriginal, senator, watch

Ulysse Nardin Maxi Marine Chronometer Savarona

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

How do you do justice to one of the world's most beautiful yachts, the Savarona? The Ulysse Nardin Maxi Marine Chronometer Savarona is a pretty sweet homage. The watch has the Savarona name on the dial and, what is even cooler is that is an engraving of the ship on the watch's rotor. The watch has a 43mm 18K rose gold case with front and back sapphire crystals. The movement is the automatic UN caliber 26 and is COSC-certified as a chronometer. It is a limited edition of 99 pieces in gold and 150 in stainless steel. The yacht is now owned by the government of Turkey and the watch is only available to the Turkish market.

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Tags: chronometer, savarona, timepiece, ulysse nardin, UlysseNardin, watch, wristwatch, yacht