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
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
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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.
We are creeping ever closer to the big show, and I hope all have your trips planned. Baselworld is a perfect show for all watch enthusiasts buyer or not! (being open to the public). If you have a chance, being a pasionate watch collector, this would be a great holiday. A new Basel Village is to be opened this year 6:00p.m. to 2:00a.m. to rub elbows and throw a few back after a gruelling day of watch browsing. Hope to see ya there! CTWG
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
Yes, the grand-daddy of all watch shows, BaselWorld 2007 is nigh. For CTWG, it is a pilgrimage to the holy land, building after building of the world’s finest timepieces all laid out for eye-popping viewing. Let me know what interests you, and I will do my darndest to cover it with pictures etc. Maybe this year I will finally learn to pronounce Feldschlosschen? CTWG
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
Christie’s just broke their own single watch auction record with the sale of a Vintage Patek Philippe. The “Grogan” watch is a single button split second Chronograph in yellow gold that was custom built for a left hand user. The ticket folks, 1.9 million (U.S. dollars) and purchased by an European collector (they always are)! This circa 1925 watch hops to the top three bracket for amount paid for a high-end watch, and Grogan, we believe, represents the name of the original owner. CTWG
...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
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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
