Chad the Watch Guy

Glashutte has a soft spot in my heart, when it comes to quality, low production, do as they say timepieces. This year at Basel their big drop was the circa 70′s throwback! Check some in hand picks and I will post some others. NICE!

Had the pleasure of meeting the guys that run the site and blog Watchonista in Basel this year! Interesting perspective on the watch industry and how it ticks. Nice to see the Swiss, blogging the Swiss watch industry. Who better to keep tabs on the game, and how it’s run. CTWG

Sure, you can hit a shot or two outside the Rolex Hall in Basel, but the real stuff is done by the pros. Here are the new introductions from the big guys. Check the Daytona the sleeper beauty of the show. The gold fleck dial on the ladies new models is outstanding also. If you really enjoy complications and didn’t have the scratch for the Yachtmaster II, your dreams have come true. ENJOY. CTWG

Yachtmaster II in Steel And Gold! Affordable complications!

This Dial is the star of the ladies line!

This will be a new classic for the line!

My personal favorite for the Rolex introductions, outstanding dial and feel.

Hey, I just got back! Here is the star of the Basel show as usual and should be a staple in the Rolex line for years to come. The larger Orange hand Explorer II is a hit needless to say, but people really did dig it. Other shots and Rolex newbies to come!! CTWG

(Click to Enjoy)

So, the timing of your watch is off? Why is a professional overhaul so very expensive, I’ll just have Clickies Clocks service it for half price, right? Check the pic above and see one small jewel in the watch. This Cap Jewel ( known by many names) can wear with time leaving an indenture on the jewel piece. This in turn can cause a position error in the Dial up and Dial down position of the timing test. A good watchmaker may miss this, a great one will replace it during the overhaul of the timepiece. Lesson: It pays to have the best work on your watch. CTWG

Swatch group has announced an agreement with liquid Metal Technologies for an exclusive use of their alloy! What you never heard of liquid metal? Ohh. Sorry, it’s as if Steel and Titanium made a baby and it was a super metal, check the stats.
“Liquidmetal®: seamless bonding, remarkable hardness

“The Liquidmetal® alloy is an amorphous metal – a metallic material with a disordered, non-crystalline atomic structure. Its fusion temperature is half that of conventional titanium alloys but when it is cooled, its hardness is three times as great as that of stainless steel. Its amorphous structure allows it to bond seamlessly with the ceramic bezel.

A bulk metallic glass like Liquidmetal® can, by virtue of its low critical cooling rate, be formed into a structure with a thickness of more than a tenth of a millimetre. Zirconium is an important constituent part both of the Liquidmetal® alloy and of the ceramic material which is made of zirconium dioxide (Zr02).

The final, perfectly smooth bezel is particularly resistant to scratching and corrosion because of the hardness of the two components. ”

Got it! Cool, stuff. The industry is pushing the envelope on a number of cool metal structures. Stay tuned! CTWG

The good folks at Mont Blanc have struggled in the American Market, but maybe this is about to end?  People acknowledged the Villaret pieces and some collectors embrassed them, overall they were not in the price range for most serious collectors. Now with the launch of the Nicholas Rieussec movement (In-House) from M.B. there seems to be some serious watch construction here! The Rieussec is a single button chronograph that takes your watch jones to a new level. Launched in conjunction of the Breeders Cup it plays homage to a box posted Chronograph in years gone by used to time horses at the race. Check the picks, nice size 40′s with similiar bracelet construction to old models, still the dial and exhibition are on point to make this a winner by a nose. The movement looks outstanding and I will have to dive in to check timing and functionality. It appears to have what it takes, hats off for the beauty M.B.    CTWG

So you have just purchased the new 8500 series from Omega Watch Co. and you love the look and the feel of the Aqua Terra sporting the new Proprietary movement. Well, excellent, I love the watch and new movement series also! The question of the day is, why is the vibrations per hour lower on the new series being 25,200 A/h to the standard automatic watches at 28,800 A/h? I found this odd and decided to ask a watch making expert Chris Travelstead. “Chris said it is true that often times more vibrations per hour will produce better accuracy, but the proper handling of vibrations is of the utmost importance. If your balance is too fast for your escapement you can run into problems.” So, that what has been done with the new Co-Axial and the 8500 blend, it works in perfect harmony, enjoy!

Thinking of a nice watch to drop a hint for the Holidays, but don’t want to break the bank? Hamilton GMT model Khaki Air Racer is the ticket! Retails $1075.00 and has many bells and whistles needed for the watch jones. The hours for the second time zone are inside the center of the dial and the cities can be turned and rotated to adjust timezones. Really, really good buy!

So you just purchased the new Green Submariner and you thought the warranty card would have LV on it, the old Lunetta Verde. Well, it just has a V folks so don’t worry. It is all Verde! Still, the description has the L. Who cares? Watch nerds that’s who!