vanguard

Waltham Vanguard PP60 Pocket Watch With Piaget Movement

Waltham is an old American brand that recently reinvented themselves,and is now Swiss. Nice watches, though pricey, are certainly eye catching. I write about them once in a while because I like their timepieces, though I think that ironically they aren't even sold in the US. I am not sure who owns the brand these days, but I hear that they are mostly only sold in Asia. If business is good, then more power to them, but I still find it odd that the brand is absent (at least for the most part) stateside.

This is a special (and beautiful) pocket watch in celebration of the 160th anniversary of the brand. With a mix of styles and qualities that watch lovers admire, the Waltham Vanguard PP60 pocket watch is sure to be a icon for the brand in the years to come. It all starts with a Piaget caliber 158 manually wound 8 day movement. It has been modified and thoroughly skeletonized behind a dial that looks like open vertical blinds. This dial is actually an inner sapphire crystal will metal etchings on it. A small visual opening is located at the balance wheel. The bridges on the skeletonized movement have been decorated. Hands on the pocket watch are really cool in my opinion. Pomme style hand in blued steel, they feel actually modern even though they are classic in origin. There are small lume dots on the hands, and their large size helps add welcome character to the watch. Around the inner dial is a gold ring with lume applied hour and minute indicators. Further out is a mother-of-pearl mosaic with diamonds around the chapter ring, as well as another set of hour indicators in diamonds.

The watch case is in 18k yellow gold and serves to frame the work of art inside nicely. With a beautiful, almost art deco design, precious materials, and Piaget movement, the limited production Waltham Vanguard PP60 pocket watch collection might very well be a worthy point of attention for collectors.

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

Tags: pocket watch, PP60, Vanguard, Waltham

Industrial North Design Vanguard-Precision & Britannic Watches

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

"Keep calm and carry on" is the phrase written on the rear of the upcoming Britannic watch by Industrial North Design. The term is the famous slogan of the British Ministry of Information. Quintessential British machinists and designers have created two quintessential British watches with the Britannic and Vanguard-Precision. Each is limited to just 15 pieces, and will be hand-made in England. Some people know that England used to be what Switzerland is today for watch making. The country is still ripe with talent and mechanical know-how.

Seen here are pre-production prototypes, with final designs yet to be cemented. The cases and dials are in high-grade steel and precision-cut. Size is 46mm wide. While the movement's are Swiss automatics, the watches are purely British. As such, you'll find things like rare 10BA screws used in the watches to secure the case together. These are "British Association" screws that are no longer used and originated back when Britain was an empire.

The Vanguard-Precision watch has the phrase "come into the factories" engraved on its caseback. This along with the textile pattern dial is meant to remind one of the cloth mills in northern England. Dials are cut sterling silver, and the seconds hand is double-sided. The watches will each have hand-made calf leather straps that are a wide 26mm wide. Watches with great personality, and to me feel like what a English Panerai would be like. Keep an eye on Industrial North Design for the watches to be released soon.

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

Gallery: Industrial North Design watches

Tags: britannic, england, industrial design north, IndustrialDesignNorth, precision, vanguard, watch, watch of the day, WatchOfTheDay

Loopbag Vanguard Laptop Computer Backpack Review

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Men's Style

I used to wonder why my older laptop backpack was so large. All I had in it was a computer, some cables, and an accessory or two - I looked like a trail hiker walking around with it. I was recently presented with the Loopbag Vanguard laptop backpack and I realized I can finally carry around my computer essentials without looking silly - In fact the backpack looks pretty good. Aside from this backpack in several colors, Loopbag makes a range of bags, packs, and other portable computer essentials in a fun range of colors that will remind you of Timbuk2 and Crumpler.

The namesake of the backpack makes sense when looking at it head on as you see two zippered areas that form two loops. It makes for a hip, modern look, and one that is simple enough to have broad appeal. I get the impression that the backpack was designed based upon a functional concept as opposed to just a look, and the system is pretty clever. It gives you multiple access points so things inside are easier to find, which is good because you don't have to unload everything to get to things buried inside, as you can access the main compartment from the front or rear on both sides. Inside the back is a whole range of little pouches - mostly zippered - for any manner of small or large items. I enjoy frequently finding new areas to store little items on the Loopbag such as a small pouch for cash or keys located on one of the shoulder straps.

Gallery: Loopbag Vanguard Laptop backpack