master

Longines Master Collection Retrograde Moon Phases Watch

Watch dials that make use of a number of retrograde hands that display a lot of information are hard to pull off. They simply end up making dials look cluttered and really hard to read. So when a brand designs a watch with a dial that has a few retrograde hands, and it looks good - then there is reason to take notice. I first noticed the good looks of the Longines Master Collection Retrograde Moon Phases at Baselworld 2011 where it was being debuted. It immediately "spoke" to me, and I think others will like it as well.

Longines will offer the watch in a 41mm wide or 44mm wide steel case with a black or silvered dial. The dial is engraved with a decorative pattern. Inside the watch is a Swiss automatic movement that has four retrograde hands. These are for GMT time, the date, day, and seconds. The watch also has the time, moon phase indicator, and a day/night indicator. Really a lot going on, but it isn't intimidating to look at. The watch is available on a black or brown alligator strap with a price of 3,500 Swiss Francs.

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

Tags: collection, longines, master, retrograde, watch, watches

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Geographic Watch For 2011

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Geographic Watch For 2011

While not totally new, the 2011 Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Geographic is a refresh of the popular world time watch from the popular Swiss watch maker. With slicker face that feels more refined in its presentation, the watch still offers a valuable features set. Aside from the time, the watch offers the date, power reserve indication for the movement, and has a full featured world time. The world time function even has allowances for cities that rely on daylight saving times. The second time zone that is associated with the city selector at the bottom of the dial is shown on a subsidiary time dial that is in a 12 hour format. Next to the dial is a small 24 hour indictor that functions as an AM/PM indicator so that you know whether it is day or night in that other city.

Operating the functions is rather effortless, with Jaeger-LeCoultre almost perfecting the experience of having a straight forward world timer. Inside the watch is a JLC in-house made Calibre 939 automatic movement. The steel or 18k pink gold case remains modest in size at 39mm wide - though JLC does offer larger, more sporty models with similar functions. The watch comes on black or brown alligator strap. The Master Geographic has a lovely, timeless appeal that suits the regular traveler well - and is even nicer for 2011.

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

Gallery: Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Geographic watch for 2011

Tags: 2011, geographic, jaeger-lecoultre, master, sihh, 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

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Tourbillon Wild, Art Deco Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Each year luxury Swiss watch brand Jaeger-LeCoultre releases a few so called "jewelry watches." These rare creations for both men and woman are experiments in (often) excess, and design. This is where to look if you prefer your watches diamond covered, but also where you'll find some beautiful artistic creations. For 2010 one of the haute jewelry watch from Jaeger-LeCoutlre is the Master Tourbillon Wild. In an 18k rose (also in white) gold case, the piece is really quite stunning. Decorated with diamonds on the bezel and the lower edges of the case and bezel, it fees like a building outlined with lights. The art deco style motif on the dial feels like an abstract cityscape to me. The buildings emanating from the tourbillon in the center. More diamonds decorate the ring around the tourbillon aperture, in addition to other places on the dial. Inside the piece is a in-house made Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 978 automatic tourbillon movement. Likely sized for ladies, this is a rare and beautiful creation.

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

Tags: 2010, art deco, jaeger-lecoultre, jewelry watches, ladies watch, master, tourbillon, watches

Jaeger LeCoultre Master Memovox Watch For 2010

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Another classic reborn - Jaeger-LeCoultre is due to release a brand new retro styled version of its famed Memovox alarm watch. In the 1950s the original Memovox was popular for being and alarm watch with an automatic mechanical movement. The new Master Memovox will also have an automatic movement - the newer Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 956. It has a power reserve of 45 hours, ceramic ball bearings for the automatic rotor that needs no lubrication, and the time, date, and alarm of course.

The watch itself will come in 18k rose gold or steel in a 40mm wide case. Styling is classic of course - maybe too much so. It doesn't feel "different" enough in the current lineup in my opinion. The alarm function is easy to operate using the a separate crown that rotates an inner ring. The alarm most likely needs to be pulled out for the alarm function to be turned on. I would feel very excited about the watch is the geniuses at Jaeger-LeCoultre were able to give the alarm a snooze function. Until then, you'll have to keep a butler around for that need. "Just five more minutes Alfred!" The new Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Memovox watch will be officially announced in 2010 at SIHH.

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

Tags: 2010, alarm, Jaeger-LeCoultre, master, memovox, watch, watch of the day, WatchOfTheDay