hours

Longines Twenty-Four Hours Vintage Re-Issue Watch

I hear that vintage Longines watches are hot now on the auction market. Collectors seem to like their good quality to price ratio. That will change though as the sharks start to swarm. Despite the appeal of the actual vintage market, I just don't get why this watch was made. Not that there is inherently anything wrong with the Longines Twenty-Four hour watch, but I yawn when I look at it.

The original watch that it was based on was a specially commissioned watch Longines made for Swissair pilots from about 1953-1956, This little fact is engraved on the inside of the pop-open caseback (that is what that little button under the crown is for). That latter element is neat, but is not unique to this Longines watch. Just like the original, the dial is vintage in appearance with an hour hand that moves around the dial once each 24 hours. There are plenty of other watches that do this, and many of them for less money, with a more interesting look.

The steel case is large at 47.5mm wide, and the watch contains a modified ETA Valgranges A07-171 automatic movement. Like I said, not that there is anything wrong with the watch, but I don't know how Longines is making it for aside from a handful of collectors. It isn't particularly interesting look, not does it fill a functional use that other watches don't. So I will just keep scratching my head and wishing Longines my best.

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

Tags: 2011, 24, hours, Longines, twenty-four, vintage, watch

Raymond Weil Don Giovanni Jump Hour Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

The case, in 18kt rose gold, or stainless steel, measures 38mm x 50mm x 13mm. It has an AR-coated sapphire crystal and is water resistant to 30 meters. The movement is the automatic RW caliber 1400 (base ETA 2892) with 21 jewels, beating at 28,800 bph and with a power reserve of 42 hours. It features a jumping hour complication.

Popular Swiss watch maker Raymond Weil releases a new jumping hour watch that will likely be reasonably priced given the type of complication it features. Jumping hour watches comes in different styles and are often difficult to pull off from a design standpoint. The challenge comes in keeping enough of the watch dial sufficiently occupied, while at the same time allowing the display of the time to look natural. The hardest part of any jumping hour watch in my opinion surrounds the placement and style of the digital hour window. It is necessary to ensure that it is properly "framed" (meaning it is not just a hole cut in the dial), as well as done in the right size and positioned in a comfortable manner. This is all limited by the fact that there must be a disc underneath the dial with all 12 numbers on it.

This Don Giovanni Jump Hour Watch works pretty well. In a nice curved rectangular case, the dial is filled with round shapes and a tapered hour window that has a hint of a frame on it. As is common to jumping hour watches, the seconds are placed in a subsidiary dial. The case is offered here in 18k rose gold or stainless steel and is 38mm by 50mm in size and 13mm thick (due to the curvature of the case). Powering the movement is the automatic RW Caliber 1400, which is a modified version of the ETA 2892. An item to notice in jumping hour watches is whether the hours truly "jump." On many such watches, the hour indicator is between two different hours at the end and beginning of each hour. The best quality jumping hour complications have what are known as "instant" jumps. I am not totally sure how this watch functions in regards to that. Something to ask of course. You can also see that the watch is available with a leather strap or a highly polished metal bracelet. The Raymond Weil Don Giovanni Jump Hour should be available now.

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

Tags: don giovanni, DonGiovanni, hours, jump hour, JumpHour, jumping, raymond weil, RaymondWeil, watch