Coming To The Surface

It looks as if the first posts and pictures have made it from the Basel watch show. Rolex watch fanatics can get a picture up quicker than anybody! A new Sea Dweller Deep Sea has surfaced, and what looks like a white gold Submariner blue on blue. I will be there Monday to check the new goods out, look forward to sending info your way soon. CTWG

Add comment April 2nd, 2008

The Dark Side Of The Swiss Army

Limited edition is not typically associated with Victorinox (Swiss Army), but this could be the best beater watch you ever owned. $1395.00 and only 900 pieces!! Can’t beat this beater. Here is the run down.

* Swiss-made self-winding mechanical movement (Mecaline 2896 11 1/2″), 42-hour power reserve
* 43mm case with see-through scres-in sapphire crystal exhibition caseback
* Water resistant to 500 meter (50 ATM)
* Scratch-resistant, anti-reflection sapphire crystal
* Luminous hands and hour markers
* Screw-down crown
* Big date calendar
* Military time
* Helium valve
* Unidrectional rotating bezel with electrolumniscent material
* Anthracite dial
* Titanium case and bracelet with off-black PVD treatment, double-locking deployant clasp with diver extension
* Special Collector’s Box Packaging
* Numbered Certificate of Authenticity
* 900 timepieces issued worldwide
* This fine Limited Edition timepiece is covered by a 5 year warranty
* Available December 2007

1 comment October 24th, 2007

Never Doubt The Master

See enlarged version
See restored version.

Okay, so a guy on vacation looses a gifted G.M.T. Master while swimming in Half Moon Bay, Antigua. The lost watch takes up residence on the ocean floor for two years thrashing to and fro. Along swims a Frenchman, who finds the watch on his dive. In a fine demonstration of upstanding character, he returns it to Rolex London. Rolex London consults the Rolex service records and discovers the original buyer was the swimmer’s brother. They contact the brother. In another display of upstanding character, the big brother has the watch re-conditioned and re-gifts it back to his brother with a little sage advice, “Don’t lose it this time.” Check out the before/after pics folks; the G.M.T. doesn’t even have the triple lock–and the movement is perfect. CTWG

1 comment March 29th, 2007

Strap Happy

What makes a watch strap $50, $100, $150 more than another watch strap. The craft of leather strapmaking is limited to a few fine leather shops. I believe Hermes takes the prize for the finest straps produced in the watch industry. Check out the real art of strap making. CTWG

Add comment March 28th, 2007

You Have Made A Tourbillion Mistake

Sport watches do not need to prove themselves–as is the case–with the watchmaking feat of the Bell & Ross Tourbillon. As I mentioned on the comments of Wristwatchreview.com, this is the “Jump the Shark” move of the sport watch industry. Your customer-base buys black, PVD, big, square watches! Why would you put a high complication in that piece? Do you put a Hermes saddle on a Donkey, of course not, and you don’t need a tourbillion for a sport model watch–it serves no function. CTWG

10 comments March 23rd, 2007

I Got My Cyclos From CTWG

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Click the picture to the right to enjoy one of the most original watches produced to date: Watch specs below, remember the module, it is the KEY to this fine timepiece. 15% discount is provided for purchases made thru: CTWG Dark/Light Special Use promo code: CTWG

Movement: Mechanical with automatic winding, ETA caliber 2892-A2, luxury finish (perlage, with blued screws), modified with a planetary gearing module for controlling the length of the hour hand, certified COSC chronometer, logo engraved into the rotor (Geneva stripes)…. Functions: Hours, by means of continual radial displacement of the hour hand on a dual-phase scale (day and night), minutes, center seconds hand, date at 6 o’clock. … Dials: Black or silvered finish in all versions, colour differentiation of the dual-phase hour scale (Pascal’s spiral), with a raised outer ring for minute and second graduations, Superluminova luminescent numerals and hands (except Transparent Edition). … Case: Diameter 39,0 mm, height 12,8 mm, stainless steel (sporty models), 18K yellow or red gold (elegant models), water resistant to 50m, sapphire crystal front and back. … Buckle: 18K Buckle with plated deployment (Hybrid) is standard thru 2004 and early 2005 production; thereafter, 18K solid Deployment system is standard issue in 2005 production. … Band: Calfskin black with duotone or grey stitching; Alligator in black or brown; PARITY model straps are white alligator with anthracite lizard infills. Parity model straps are anthracite Alligator or white Alligator with anthracite lizard infills. … All terms, conditions and product specifications are subject to change.

1 comment March 14th, 2007

It Takes Guts!

photo credit: 5mal5

What makes that Mechanical watch run? You hear people rattle on about different watches they own, but do they really know what makes these little machines tick? Let me break it down for ya! You have an energy source, gear train that lets that power flow–regulating tools and a display. That is the nutshell version! Your power source is your mainspring, it is wound by an oscillator or by hand, hence automatic or manual wind –and you thought latin wouldn’t come in handy! Your mainspring feeds the gear train (a series of wheels) which leads to the escapement (heart beat of the watch see: Striking balance). This whole cycle takes place so that power from that mainspring is sent in a captured manor and lessened. The hands on the display are attached to a series of pinions and posts set into the gear train that poke up. The wheels rotate at different intervals because of their size, making a hour wheel, second wheel etc. Viola, time is made. CTWG

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Add comment February 23rd, 2007

Striking Balance

O.K. you're reading the manual to your new automatic wrist watch and you come across 28,800 pulsations per hour. Huh!? What!?! Why? Let CTWG break it down. The 28,800 are the oscillations made by the balance in the watch. The little pallet jewel (the red teeth you see snapping forward and back) is the source of energy, literally, from rotating energy to oscillation energy. This becomes a controlled way to let down power! Count up all of these small but powerful strikes (1.5 million p.s.i.) and there are your vibrations per hour. Typically faster is better, lighter is better. 18,000 was the old standard speed and 28,800 is the modern fast speed. Many other speeds are used but there it is! CTWG

2 comments December 28th, 2006

Two Great Tastes…

...that taste great together. There's always been a big push in the watch industry to reach, car guys? If you dig watches, you may already be familiar with the linkage between timepieces and high-end automobiles. The two have long competed for the disposable income of their wealthy enthusiasts. Panerai just took over the Ferrari rights in branded watch dials that the Girard Perregaux people have had for years, a label that put G.P. back on the watch map years ago. Chopard has produced the Mille Miglia watch in homage to the Italian race car event. Omega has the Schumacher, Tag Heuer the Formula one, Porsche Design's entire company is based on the performance car name and famous designer. The Car/Watch list goes on and on and on! Why? I gotta think it is a lifestyle choice, a roll-big-or-go-home gene so deeply seated in the male DNA that it will never be lessened. So, I say, "Let's not fight it, let's embrace it!" Roll the window down in your high-end driving machine and motor with your aptly adorned wrist in plain view for all to enjoy, employ your best Chevy Chase look-over and be proud. Vroom, Vroom. CTWG

Add comment November 17th, 2006

Chronograph Racing

Enlarge image.

Breitling, Hamilton-Büren, Heuer and Dubois-Depraz and even Seiko all raced for the original automatic chronograph movement in the late 1960’s. I feel the best movement to be produced in this mini “Longitude” playout was the El Primero (The First). The El Primero best known for it’s Daytona fame, to modern watch lovers, originated as a work of genius by the good folks at Zenith. All of the Companies made a Chrono within months of each other, but the Primero still has that air about it. Check out history of the automatic Chronograph, it is the most important watch history in our era. CTWG

Add comment November 13th, 2006