WWR #32: Orient Star WZ0201EL collaboration with SOMES

The leather strap craze is on full speed.  And about 70% of the new watches purchased by any random buyer are replaced with a thick leather strap.  I think the Nato strap craze has just ended.  And it's very fitting that Orient Star from Japan, a higher end brand from Orient Watch Co. has an offering that will make every leather lover drool and every in-house purist scramble for his/her credit card.

My 32nd weekly watch recommendation is the Orient Star WZ0201EL with collaboration from SOMES.

What initially attaracted me to this watch is the cushioned case that is similar to vintage japan watches of the 60s and 70s but with Orient Star giving it an elegant twist.  Below is a picture of a French Market Seiko, the 7006-7020 that rather looks similar to this Orient Star.

The 43mm case seems to have a longitudinal base then resedes to a cobra like cushion which will definitely give you mysterious 2nd look of how the design actually is.  The placement of the power reserve is perfectly balanced with the Orient Star logo on the bottom.

                       

The movement in this watch is the 40M50 21 Jewel in house movement made in Japan.  It has a power reserve of 40 hours and accuracy of about +25/-15 sec/day.



The other great thing about this watch is the thick sporty bridle type leather from Somes.  The stitches aren't what you normally see on stock ones.  And is quite relatively unique for Orient Star and with a price of around US$ 500, a definitely good deal.

A wrist shot I found over the net.

And some links where there are for sale.

Link 1
Link 2
Link 3

It's clear that this is another all occasion watch.  From casual to formal, without hitting the pool of course as this is good at 50m WR only, this watch will fit purely well for a man with great taste and appreciation of value.

WWR #31: Hamilton Khaki Field Automatic 44mm

30 Weekly Watch Recom posts ago, Hamilton made it to my first recommendation because it had to be.  A mid level watch brand that brings you the Swiss satisfaction covered with an American utilitarian look.  The watch that I am going to recommend for this week is the upsized version of the most iconic Hamilton watches out there. 

Now if you remember the time when Rolex upsized there iconic Submariner with the Deep Sea - Sea Dweller, the big boys celebrated but the purists shunned the bigger brother.  But on my side, we don't have all the same wrist sizes, and don't have all the same tastes, that would be weird to think if it did.  And now that the modern day standards of men's watch sizes is from 40 - 44mm, and anything below or outside that is somewhat unacceptabley puny or too wall clocky designed just for the cocky.  So Hamilton, did exactly that and co-released an upsized 40mm Khaki Field to a 44mm model.

Here are pictures of the iconic 40mm Khaki and the 44m one.  Any differences? Just minimal.

 

The obvious difference aside from the size is the background color and finish of the dial and the red handed second hand on the 40mm.  The hour and minute hands still incorporate the same style but with a bolder and edgier look. The bracelets seem to have a difference on the middle links but I'm sure most would replace them with thick military/aviation style leather straps.So with these minimal differences, it basically boils down to size.  What size fits you most.  Its like jeans of the same model and cut but on a different waistline.  I have a puny wrist of just about 6.25 inches but seems 44mm watches fit right in with no problem.  So basically its what you prefer.  And of course, the greates advice prior buying is to actually wear one.  Try it on for size, and actual hands on is the biggest deciding factor in getting which and what model.

The 44mm still has the same movement, the ever reliable 2824 ETA automatic movement with handwinding capability and date complication.  The 40mm retails around $500 and the 44mm about $700.  Minimal price differences too right?  Either way, no once can get wrong.  The 44m model has some modern style looking color combination on pvd on its range but I'm more of a classic iconic styled taste person, and want my watches that never goes out of style. 



Here's a nice video from watchtanaka that displays the beauty of this classic.

WWR #30: Grand Seiko Hi Beat SBGH001

In the world of mechanical watches, there has been the long term battle for accuracy that for the longest time, a pure mechanical watch would already have an acceptance of such.  That is compare to electronic quartz and atomic timekeeping.  And aside from complications such as tourbillions, there has been once key aspect which has been talked about often as its relation to its accuracy.  Which is, the level of frequency if the watch.

The normal frequency of a watch is 5-6 bps (beats per second) or 18,000-21,000 bph.  It has been proven way back when pocket watches were the norm, 5-6bps was enough to achieve a level of accuracy that would make railroad schedules synch avoiding catastrophic crashes and would in majority pass COSC standards when professiionally adjusted.  So why the need a Hi-beat?  

Well, same goes with a lot of watches where there are features that we simply do not practically need. Its because in the expensive and interesting  world of watch collecting, we don't necessarily buy because we need it, we buy because we appreciate it.  We appreciate the hard work of the people who have worked behind it from conceptualization to design to production and the whole package.  Whatever that oddly new feature is, or call it complication, its worthwhile most of the time if its not that easy to do and it doesn't sound practically stupid. 

Enter  the Grand Seiko Hi-Beat.

The Grand Seiko hi Beat might look like an ordinary 3 hander but under the hood, to be able to offer the smoothest second sweep from a 100% mechanical watch, you must have the most advanced materials, robust engineering, and flawless design to make it work.  I mean if the mechanical gears run twice that it normally should, then that part must be twice as durable that the normal.

 

Though a hi beat movement has been around the longest time and some are still working as of this day, its a testament that this is not as delicate as it seems to be nor is it more high maintenance that the usual lady in a big city.

 Justifying the price of this beautiful piece should not be about accuracy, but all the components encased into this watch that make it twice that watch it is. And by standards it self, who has a higher standard than Grand Seiko?  Price of this piece starts around $6K.  A definite WWR grail from SOT.    

Here are the technical laydown on this grail from the official website.

Drive system	Mechanical Automatic (Hand winding capability)
Caliber No.	9S85
Case	Stainless steel
Case back	See-through screw case back with sapphire crystal
Glass	High definition dual-curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
Bracelet	Solid stainless steel
Buckle	Stainless steel with three-fold clasp with push button release
Accuracy	+5 ~ -3 seconds/ day
Water resistance	10 bar
Magnetic resistance	4800 A/m (60 gauss)
Weight	151g
Case thickness	13.0 mm
Case diameter	40.0mm
Jewels	37

WWR #29: Longines Legend Diver with Date

Not many people know this but Longines is brand with a rich history dating back to the 19th century up to the current era.  And one of their famous stories is their pioneering pilot watch that emerged from the 1930s under the first man to fly over the atlantic ocean, Charles Lindbergh.  Then fast forward to the next few decades, embracing the quartz revolution. Well we know that story.  And up to what we see now, Longines is a brand donned by power tennis legends and an Indian Beauty.

But during the 1960s,  Longines was part of the Diving watch frenzy.  And like JLC, Hamilton, IWC, UG and Vulcain,  the brand developed a Super Compressor Dive watch.  It was called the Longines Legend diver as seen on the picture below.

Stunning watch isn't it?  Well since the past few years has been the time where we've seem numerous remakes and tributes is just about anything that happened about half a century ago, Longines, re-released the new version of this legendary diver.  Now what struck me with this watch is that compared to other tributes from the 60s, this model resembles so much from the original one that if you'd see a mint condtion 60s Legend Diver.

The new one is upgraded with a Sapphire Crystal with AR coating, screw in crowns, new movement with 28,800 bph.  Now this tribute watch has two versions, with and without date.  The one I am recommending is the with date.  Though the ultimate remake would be the no date but I just can't live without a date complication.  And it's the best distinguishing mark compared to the old one.

Here is the new legend diver after 50 years.

the no date

                                



the with date

So why this Longines compared from other super compressor dive watches around? The price is just below $2,000 USD, great tribute watch, from a trusted brand, and most of all, if the Omega that I featured last week could be a contender for the one watch to fit all, then this would be one of it's greatest challenger.  The Longines would look great under a dress or wet suit.  Young or old. Contemporary or an artist. 

Well the design might not be blendable to everyone's taste but I'm sure those with good ones will consider it.  My initial reaction to the legend diver was that of the hour hand.  I first thought it was too short, but then again, weren't hour hounds supposed to be, to be recognizable and big compare to the minute hand.  And if you were the 50s designer of the original one, there was no other way, and the design they ended up is perfect to which I would conclude.  Some designs need to grow on us.  We are not all masters of our taste.  That's what for me a good design is.  A design that not just acts as a pusher but actually teaches us and makes our way to the roots of our tastes and molds and corrects it.  And the simple dial, and inner rotating bezel, crown design, and the most common looking case, sets this to be an immortal classic, that is not that popular to the point of being unique. 

Longines usually has no defined image to their watches except for the Lindbergh hour watch which is a totally different interesting story in itself, and so with this Legend diver, I hope they carry on to this type of image with their sport/dive watch categories and forget the urge to follow the trend but rather be the trail blazer.   

WWR #28 - Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 2503.33

Omega has got to be the 2nd most popular watch brand out there after Rolex.  Without a doubt.  Well its like the 2nd choice from buying a Rollie.  Omega also has the most extensive successful marketing strategies versus any watch brand.  From James Bond, to the Olympics, to Gorgeous George, to Couching flying Zhang, to Nicole, and list goes on and on.  And not only that, their biggest marketing success came from the success of their most popular Moonwatch the Speedmaster.

But I am not recommending for this week the Speedmaster as this is a must have grail in watch addict's bucket list.  So I am recommending a more simple yet elegant and likewise a master in another element of the human world.  The Seamaster Aqua Terra 2503.33.

What struck me about this particular Omega? Being the first to appear on my WWR list?  Well just look at it.  Simply elegant, pure, calm and downright capable.  Imagine this, a pre-loved mint Mercedes Benz 300SL, in all of its glory speeding up to the hill with glittering beach view on the side, ramping its 6-cylinder engine as it conquers the slope and roars like a king while doing it, then goes downhill during the day's sunset and heads down to the sandy shores speeding gracefully looking for a perfect spot to lay back and have a sunset picnic.  Scenic isnt it?  Well thats how I view this watch.  Elegant white dial, perfect blue hands, accurate and durable movement, well crafted case, and before I miss it, resists water worth 150m of pressure.  I would like to think that if you can only have one watch and that the Rolex Submariner might be too common to or too replicated for your liking, that this watch will fit the bill.  At any occassion, any environment, and in any gentleman's personality, no one I mean not a single soul can go wrong by wearing the 2503.33. You object Sir?  Why not the Explorer? - No date.  Why not the daytona? - too busy and too pricey.  Or why not the PO Seamaster? - Well its macho rugged and not as versatile and humble as this.



The only thing too bad about this recommendation is that, the watch is no longer available, Omega is not producing one any more, well it makes the hunt more interesting.  Sure there are new Aqua Terras out there that George is courting you but this specific one is just magnificent.  I always have a fond for classic and iconic styled watches that even in a million years would still look good and won't get caught by any fashion and trend police.

What I also look for in watches is the style that could match up any shoe you'd like to fit it with.  Brushed stainless steel, plush premium leather, silicon rubber, ballistic nylon, name it bro, this one is up to game.  Just google a pic of the 2503.33 and you'll see what I mean.



There is also a black dialed version of this baby, but the blue hands is just a large margin win.

Here are the technical info on the watch

Crystal - Domed Scratch Resistan Sapphire
Size - 39.2mm
Movement - Omega 2500, self winding chronometer, Co-axial Escapement with rhodium plated finish, PR 48 hours.
Water Reistance - 150m / 500ft
Transparent Caseback
Date function.

As a management professional, i can say this is a true KISS watch.  They kept it smart and simple.


 

WWR #27: Ball Trainmaster One Hundred Twenty

When I was at my local tailor shop the other day to have my suit done, I was flipping the pages of this fashion magazine and admiring the sweet models and nice suits in its prints.  While quickly turning the pages for boring features, an small glimpse of something familiar caught my eye at the least focus area of my natural lenses.  It was a watch.  Gold case, brown leather strap, grayish dial, well don't see that quite often I said.

I thought it was from the usual big Swiss brands that offer fine haute horlogerie and nothing less.  But I was surprised that it was from the hardcore (well that's my personal perception of the brand) Ball as the matter of fact. Those tough anti magnetic water resistant gas power lighted watches has come up with an elegant dress watch to celebrate 120 years of the brand.  And, hence its name the Ball Trainmaster One Hundred Twenty.  I love the name.  Simple and meaningful.

Here is the gorgeous watch.

 The case is rose gold at a perfect dress size of 39.5mm. An anti-reflective sapphire crystal protects the grey sunburst dial that is nicely complemented with gold markers that have gas powered lights that will illuminate and eliminate all non luminous dress watches.  Its powered by an ETA 2892 movement that gives you the standard automatic movement with date function and over course hacking and handwinding capabilities.

With the gas lights on...

Well I really can't say anything about this watch but pure absolute drooling praise.  I mean the reason dress watches aren't so popular as dive watches or chronographs, is for the fact that they are so refined looking and doesn't offer anything more but elegance and formality.  While for this, at $6000, you can still get that elegant classy look plus a 120 year heritage of a tough watch brand that simply gives you legibility at night when most evening affairs are done.  And its not from the usual suspects.  Its not mainstream.  For me its one of the most underrated brands that exist today.  And this watch is their cream of the crop.  Get this while you still can.

Get a Ball for your next ball.

WWR #26: Tissot PR516 Automatic Chronograph

I was never fan of the Tissot brand especially their T-Touch series of watches.  Though Tissot carries with it a lot of history way back, it never came to my subjective taste of owning one with the styles they offer, from sport to dress to divers, something's always a bit off.

But it has now changed now with their vintage inspired lines in the sports category.  And particular that took my eye's attention is the PRS 516 Automatic Chronograph.  There are different variations as to color combinations, all of them classic beauties, but I'd like the white dial version.  It matches well with the black tachymeter bezel.  And of course its an automatic with the legendary Valjoux 7750 movement in it.  This series has some quartz models too. Everybody is reviving vintages nowadays and Tissot's execution wasn't too far or too weird.  It revived the old model back but still differentiates it numerously from the past which is the right way to do it.

	The rotor which is designed in a vintage style sports steering wheel is quite a treat at the back.