Archive for the ‘Mechanical’ Category

You Have Made A Tourbillion Mistake

Friday, March 23rd, 2007

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 watches“it serves no function. CTWG

I Got My Cyclos From CTWG

Wednesday, March 14th, 2007


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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.

It Takes Guts!

Friday, February 23rd, 2007


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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Striking Balance

Thursday, December 28th, 2006

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

Two Great Tastes…

Friday, November 17th, 2006

Ferrari

...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

Chronograph Racing

Monday, November 13th, 2006

El

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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

Kon Tiki 1000 Meter Diver

Thursday, October 5th, 2006

Kon

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Face view.

Here is a watch I saw in Basel at the Eterna/Porsche design section of the show. It is a 46MM Monster! Equipped with a ETA 2897, this big dog would be a shoe-in for multiple sales in the United States, right? NO! As of last spring, no United States distributor. I hope this watch makes it stateside soon either by raft or not. Eterna is another great company with poor American distributorship picks. With virtually no U.S. brand recognition anymore, what are we to do with companies like this? Oddly enough you can get Porsche Design in the states, just not Eterna. Huh? CTWG

For more information about Eterna watches call Chad the Watch Guy at
412-682-0226.

The Zinex Has Landed!

Tuesday, August 29th, 2006

Zinex

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I just received the NEW limited edition Zinex watch. I love it. A real monster at 47mm, it is put together quite well. The dark dial has a real industrial look and provides great contrast to the logo and markers. Super-lumi dial is beautifully understated to offset the size of the piece. The crown alone is 10.5mm “that’s big folks“ real big. There are no knocks on this piece, sapphire crystal, 250 grams of 316L stainless, the list goes on. As a watch introduction it is a solid, workhorse watch, ETA 2824 all the fixings, get one of the 100 made in this edition. Two crowns up! CTWG

Starting An Evolution

Sunday, August 20th, 2006

Glashutte

Three German Posts in a row–sorry Switzerland you’re next. I just could not resist the plump and juicy offering of the Glashutte Sport Evolution for this post. This big beauty is one of the newer offerings by Glashutte with everyone appeal. This watch “sports” the Caliber 39-31 with fifty plus jewels,(G.P. territory I tell ya) hold it next to a 7750 and call it a “girly man”. This chrono does not have a Date function, it stands true to the German design of simplicity. Silver and black dial offerings, with red accents and tachymeter bezel. The bracelet is pure and simple… the best, and I do mean the best,(Words don’t do it justice) Try one on today! Start an Evolution! Sport! CTWG

Love. German Style.

Thursday, August 10th, 2006

Tetra

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Tetra, Oh Tetra, I love it so! The Nomos brand of watches is a steal, I mean downright steal. Check the Square Tetra, it sports the Nomos Movement Alpha (a jazzed up Peseux 7100) with 17 jewels in manual wind format. The steel is a German standard 316L, Sapphire crystal and signature Cordavan strap. A sub-second dial sits at 6:00 with a choice between mid and full size. This is an outrageous value for approx. $1500.00 U.S. dollars. I can think of no other watch company with these qualities at such a price. Contact CTWG personally if you wish to score one of these gems! Auf Wiedersehen! CTWG