When it comes to Louis Vuitton watches, we can clearly see two categories. On one side is the so-called core collection, luxury watches composed of traditional complications and styles, such as the Tambour Street Diver. The other side of the spectrum is a collection of high-end watches showcasing impressive expertise, created and manufactured according to haute horlogerie standars, thanks to the talent of the in-house atelier, La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton. Specialized in animated watches with jacquemarts and traditional complications such as tourbillons and repeaters, the latest creation to come out of this Geneva-based manufacture is a pair of coloured sapphire openworked tourbillons finished according to the Geneva seal; the Louis Vuitton Tambour Moon Tourbillon Volant in green and yellow sapphire cases.
The name Tambour is inevitable when it comes to Louis Vuitton watches. This drum-shaped case, with the 12 letters of the brand engraved on the flanks and short attached lugs to respect the cylindrical shape has become the signature design of almost the entire collection. Created in 2002, it has evolved over the years, giving birth to new interpretations, such as Tambour Moon. First released in 2017, it re-invented the concept by inverting the curves of the case, moving from convex, domed flanks to concave, recessed sides to give a refined, more subtle style to the watch – a shape that evoked that of a crescent moon. Only available with the finest movements of the brand, all of them made by LFT, the Tambour Moon Tourbillon Volant has once been the first sapphire-cased watch to bear Geneva Seal. And now, they come crafted from single blocks of synthetic sapphire in fluorescent green or yellow.
Bright, translucent and polarizing. But also rather impressive in terms of execution. The new yellow and green LV Tambour Moon Tourbillon Volant are relying on the classic shape of the collection, now crafted from a single block of tinted sapphire. Obtained by heating aluminium oxide at temperatures of around 2000° Celsius, synthetic sapphire combines the advantages of its transparency with its great resistance, with a hardness only surpassed by diamonds. These new editions, with striking colours that appear almost fluorescent, are made from a single cylinder of mass-tinted sapphire in order to get a consistent colour on all parts (case middle, caseback and LV bridge), over the entire production of 20 pieces per colourway. Each component is cut from this sapphire crystal bar using diamond tools, and then polished to reveal its transparency. In total, a complete case required 420 hours of work.
These Tambour Moon Tourbillon Volant in green or yellow sapphire are housed in cases measuring 42.5mm in diameter, with a reasonable height of 9.9m. It is complemented by horns and a crown made of titanium with black sand-blasted PVD treatment. As always with the Tambour shape, the diameter of the watch isn’t true to the compactness of the case, which wears short on the wrist. The 12 letters forming the Louis Vuitton logo are engraved on the outer side of the concave case middle of the Tambour Moon, just like the 12 hour markers on the inner flange – both lacquered to stand out from the sapphire case. Water-resistance is ensured by the use of a transparent gasket positioned between the case middle and the screwed caseback.
The tinted sapphire cases of these new Tambour Moon are a perfect vessel to showcase the openworked, in-house movement inside. Light and fully opened, this hand-wound movement is produced by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton and finished according to the Geneva seal – a certificate of origin, precision and quality, ensuring that the watch is made and hand-finished in the Canton of Geneva, then tested for resistance and precision. The Calibre LV90 has an 80-hour power reserve and a flying tourbillon with a finely decorated carriage designed like LV’s Monogram Flower motif. The movement is finished in a modern way, with a series of matt black circles.
Worn on a black or green alligator strap, the new sapphire Louis Vuitton Tambour Moon Tourbillon Volant watches are each limited to 20 pieces.
Louis Vuitton Tambour Opera Automata
Last year was a busy one for the folks at Louis Vuitton. There was the new Spin Time Air Quantum, a limited edition Tambour chronograph, a very LV smartwatch, and a new watch prize. Never a brand to rest on its haute-horology laurels, the good folks at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton are going even bigger and bolder this year with the new LV Tambour Opera Automata.
Building off of the mechanical innovation and high-end craftsmanship of 2021’s bonkers and beautiful Tambour Carpe Diem the Opera Automata turns from the land of the dead to the world of Chinese Opera for inspiration. The Carpe Diem, which won the “Audacity Prize” at GPHG in 2021, is a highly complicated, engraved piece with an hourglass for a power reserve and a reminder to seize the day.
Slightly less morbid, this year’s watch is inspired by Bian Lian, the traditional dramatic art of “face-changing” seen most often in Sichuan Opera. Performers rapidly switch colorful masks, seemingly by magic, and until fairly recently the techniques were a carefully guarded secret. This year instead of a skull we have a Bian Lian mask changing expression (one of five automations) and a dragon wrapped around the mask, moving its head to reveal the jumping hour in the middle of the mask’s forehead, and its tail serves as a retrograde minute hand. The power reserve is no longer an hourglass but a bottle gourd, or Calabash, believed to ward off evil spirits. The time is only displayed by activating the automation via the dragon on the case. Similar to the Carpe Diem one of the eyes of the mask is a nod to Louis Vuitton’s flower emblem, and a four petal flower replaces the number four, an unlucky number in Chinese culture.
All this is made possible by the manual wind caliber LV 525, the same movement found in the Carpe Diem, which has 426 components. The 46.88mm Tambour case is 18k pink gold and the dial is engraved and enameled with pink gold and ruby. LV Tambour Opera Automata called in the big uns with Anita Porchet on enamel and Dick Steenman on engraving. According to the press release it took 76 hours for the engraving and 60 hours for the enameling – and having seen just a fraction of what it takes to engrave, paint, fire, and polish the smallest parts of the dial I believe them (and think they may actually be rounding down to make us feel better). There’s 100h of power reserve which is impressive but also functional since it is a manual wind watch with a beautiful if not super-specific power reserve indicator. While not a limited edition, orders for the Carpe Diem were capped at 30, so we can expect something similar here. If you have the 520,000 Euro asking price handy you better act fast.
Inow know enough to know that one really has to see a watch like this in person to appreciate it. From the pictures and the video one can be wowed by the movement and the automation it makes happen, but to really appreciate the watch you have to see how alive it actually is. Like the Carpe Diem before this is not a watch meant to appeal to a broad audience, or even impress the more conservative fans of haute horology automatons, but for those who have had enough of flowers and peacocks, this watch still offers delight, but with a twist.
I am far from an expert in Sichuan Opera or mask changing but I do think there is something of a parallel between that art and watchmaking. There is a shared magic, where technique is hidden away, passed down between generations and information has only now become more open and available to those who seek it. But also, sometimes it is nice to just sit back and enjoy the spectacle – would this watch be any less beautiful to look at without a drop of watch knowledge? I would say no.
Louis Vuitton has been waging an uphill battle to be seen as a serious watchmaker, and in this watch, all the parts are there. And while I can applaud them for skill and innovation (of which there is plenty, outside and inside the LV Tambour Opera Automata watch) I am most impressed that it has not sacrificed gumption in an attempt to earn respect. I feel like it took the idea of “Audacity” and refined it – threading the needle between shocking to shock and dialing back to please a greater audience.
Louis Vuitton Tambour Street Diver Watch
For 2021, Louis Vuitton introduces a third generation to its line of LV Tambour Diver watches with the Louis Vuitton Tambour Street Diver collection. Today, I go hands-on with the black and yellow Tambour Street Diver Neon Black reference QA122 (debuted on aBlogtoWatch here). It’s a pretty great-looking watch that continues a legacy of some of the most lovely and quirky dive watches, from one of the world’s most popular luxury brands.
Even though LVMH (which Louis Vuitton is part of) owns a variety of watchmakers, including Hublot, BVLGARI, Zenith, and TAG Heuer, Louis Vuitton also makes watches and has been since 2002. Many of these watches are in the under-$10,000 range, but once in a while, Louis Vuitton creates some really spectacular stuff that can be priced into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Closer to earth is the new LV Tambour Street Diver collection, which isn’t cheap but comes with a lot of style and refinement (you know, a lot like other Louis Vuitton gear).
The Louis Vuitton Tambour Diver began life back in 2005 when Louis Vuitton first released that excellent product (such as the reference Q1031 model that I have owned and admired for a number of years). Louis Vuitton later came out with a second-generation Tambour Diver (such as the reference Q113A) that made a number of changes to the case and dial. My favorite part of that second-generation Diver was how the subsidiary seconds hand was designed to look like a diving flag. Now, the third generation Tambour Diver is here, and it is more intended for on-land use given its name, the “Tambour Street Diver.” The collection launches with three models for men containing automatic movements, and a smaller white-colored model for women that contains a quartz movement.
The iconic Tambour case (modeled after the look of a musical drum) has not visually varied much from generation to generation, but across the various Diver generations, Louis Vuitton has made a number of changes. In fact, only the first generation Tambour Diver was a true diver’s watch with 300 meters of water resistance. Today — and ever since the second-generation product — the Tambour Diver case is water-resistant to 100 meters. All that seems to have changed are the crowns and caseback design. While 100 meters is more than adequate for most swimming and even some diving activity, I do wish the product was water-resistant to a full 300 meters.
The 2021 LV Tambour Street Diver has a very similar dial layout as the original Diver, albeit without the date window. We see a return to the second case crown, which is used to rotate the internal diver’s timing bezel. This remains one of my favorite watches with an internal rotating bezel. The internal bezel crown is coated in black rubber with a small yellow diver motif on it, and, according to Louis Vuitton, it is colored black so as to visually differentiate it from the crown for the time. The two crowns look like miniature versions of the Tambour case – which is charming, and the design of the crowns is new for this generation Tambour Diver product. The case is still the same 44mm-wide size in steel, which, for this LV Tambour Street Diver Neon Black, is mostly in matte PVD-coated black. Elements like the lug structure and buckle (along with the primary crown) are in polished steel, making for a nice two-tone look. I really like the neon yellow-colored Louis Vuitton lettering around the periphery of the case, which is a theme that began with the original Tambour Diver.
The LV Tambour Street Diver now features a display caseback with a semi-smoked sapphire crystal that makes the movement view a bit more “moody.” The movement inside the watch is a Swiss Made ETA 2895 automatic, which has been used for all the mechanical Tambour watches on account of its having a subsidiary seconds dial. The movement operates at 4Hz with about two days of power reserve. As I said before, the Tambour Street Diver opts for a more symmetrical dial layout and thus removes the presence of the date window that on previous-generation models was located at 3 o’clock.
The dial of the Tambour Street Diver is very youthful and trendy but also fun and legible. It has a classicism to it given the focus on readability without extra decorative design elements. The first-generation model was the same but had touches like the use of dark mother-of-pearl for the subsidiary seconds dial material. The Tambour Street Diver borrows a look from the middle-generation Tambour with a diagonal line cutting through it — only in black-on-black colors. This was originally inspired by the iconic red and white diver’s flag, but for the Street Diver, is just a small visually interesting element that adds character to the face when you look closely enough at it.
The hour and minute hands are polished, with the minute hand having a broad “yellow V” arrow end to it. Another Louis Vuitton “V” is located in the design of the 60-minute marker on the internal rotating bezel. The polish of the hands doesn’t really hurt legibility at all, and it does help them match the polished steel parts of the case a bit better. The dial is painted with a fair amount of Super-LumiNova luminant material and over the dial is a flat, AR-coated sapphire crystal.
Attached to the case is a custom black rubber strap that has a neon yellow “Louis” on one end and “Vuitton” on the other. A reverse color strap is also available (yellow rubber with black text) On the wrist, the Tambour Street Diver is extremely comfortable — something which has remained true throughout the entire Tambour watch collection. Also new are the quick-release straps, which make it easy to vary up the fashionability of the Tambour Street diver Neon Black with ease. Of course, you’ll have to do it with straps acquired from Louis Vuitton directly.
TAG Heuer 2000 Exclusive Chronograph Quartz
The Tag Heuer Exclusive 2000 quartz Chronograph is from the early 80 th before TAG was involved. Im searching a replacement movement, the watch has a problem with the E-block.
The original Movement is an Eta 555.232.
In a couple of posts I read that the movement was replaced by a Eta 955.112, I guess this was for the non Chronograph model. Maybe somebody can help me and let me know which Movement i can use and is still available Pretty sure what you actually have is a Calibre 185 movement, which is a combination of an ESA 555.232 base quartz module (i.e. time only) with a mechanical dubois-depraz chronograph module. The ETA equivalent to your base module is ETA 955.232
Description Here for sale we have a Tag Heuer Exclusive 2000 quartz Chronograph Why not check out are other listings for more great bargains. We are VAT registered. A VAT receipt will be despatched with item Please Note. UK BIDDERS ONLY PLEASE. WE WILL NOT POST OUTSIDE THE UK. Payment PayPal Only. Thank you Shipping Item will be posted with city link 48 hour recorded. Please note that we will not despatch any items untill a cleared payment has been recieved thank you. Shipping price is for city link zone 1, if you are outside zone 1 please message me for a quote. Please follow the link for City Link’s pricing zones Tag Heuer Exclusive 2000 quartz Chronograph Terms of sale We guarantee that our items will be as described in our auctions. If you find that they are not, or if something described as in working order is found to be faulty on receipt, we will refund the full price paid including initial postage, provided you notify us within 2 working days of receipt and return the item to us at your expense within 14 working days of sale (Saturday is a working day for us but Sunday is not). Please read our auction descriptions carefully for any specific variation to these general terms.
Hublot Big Bang Unico King Gold Rainbow
One of our shared goals here is to help bring watch enthusiasts closer to a diverse range of watches. Why? Simply because I am yet to meet a fellow watch-lover who’d be lessened by a broader, more vibrant appreciation of timepieces. Forming that bond through a detailed and honest analysis is sometimes an easy thing to do; and other times, it’s nigh-on impossible. From a quick glance at theHublot Big Bang Unico Rainbow King Gold, I trust you can tell which end of the spectrum we are experiencing today.
First things first. If you dislike or deeply disapprove of bejeweled watches, the Hublot Big Bang Unico Rainbow King Gold will not change your mind — in truth, chances are that it will just fuel your displeasure in them. Strangely, both Ariel and I have a very open-minded approach when it comes to bedazzled watches, so when discussing such a timepiece, we need not convince ourselves about its raison d’être. The Unico Rainbow King Gold is a tough one to crack even for us, and I’ll share why in a moment.
Rainbow-themed ultra-high-end watches are all the rage these days. Just look at that neat image assembled by Bloomberg to get a vague idea of where things stand these days. Rolex has been making the Rolex Daytona Rainbow for ages, but it was not until 2018’s Rainbow Daytona, and its immediately tripled resale value, that really urged brands to take note — and develop an appetite for this long-ignored market segment. Notably, rainbows also make for one of the safest ways of making an eye-catching and ultra-luxurious watch — as was discovered by Rolex back then and is being rediscovered by others, today.
In typical Hublot fashion, though, the Nyon-based manufacture went all out on the rainbow theme and applied it to the bezel, the flange ring (!), and the indices, as well as the entire top section of the lug structure. What I think about truly outlandish, jewelry-style luxury watches I have shared in this hands-on with the infamous Richard Mille Bonbon collection — if you are here, reading this for whatever reason, I suggest you take a look at that train of thought, as well.
A core component of Hublot Big Bang Unico Rainbow King Gold is the fusion of materials. As recently as just a few months ago, I was checking the specs of an Hublot model (don’t recall which one) and I was still surprised by the inclusion of a random modern material in some obscure spot on the exterior. They have made 18k-gold scratch resistant (I tested it here), made all kinds of crazy translucent cases, paired rubber straps with luxurious 18k gold cases (the norm today, definitely not the norm when they begun), and the list of Hublot’s more or less logical combinations of materials just goes on and on. This one though? It’s a gold watch with some colorful stones in it. This definitely counts as a “fusion of materials” for conservative brands like Rolex, surely, but a walk in the park by Hublot standards.
I am a fan of a lot that Hublot has done under the leadership of Jean-Claude Biver — with their marketing and ultra-high-end exercises, as well as some of the relatively more attainable models. The Hublot that I like, however, wants to be, looks to be, and is made to be a Hublot, not something else. For this reason, I don’t quite like the whiff of “me-too” that lingers around this baguette-rainbow madness or the Spirit of Big Bang, for that matter.
That’s my only gripe with this new piece; but that does not answer what we should make of the Hublot Big Bang Unico Rainbow King Gold Watch, so here’s why I like it — and why I propose this watch as something that should be celebrated.
As I slide this weird Big Bang around my wrist with its color-transitioned, purple-green-blue-red strap, the gazillions of facets on the gazillions of colorful stones create a laughable lightshow even under the dullest, normally terribly unflattering spotlights in the ceiling. It is so ridiculously over-the-top that there is no way anyone in their right mind would ever want to make a case for this as a serious piece of watchmaking.
It’s a serious watch that put on a masquerade — like a serious actor that puts on a clown’s make-up and clothes to cheer people up. The Hublot Big Bang Unico Rainbow King Gold Watch is a joke, it’s a laugh. It’s as though the watch (and with it, all of Hublot) were looking at you with its curious Swiss face, asking, “Do you want colors? How about lots of colors?” BANG! “We hope you’re happy now!” I look at this watch and this is what I can hear in my head — I’ll seek assistance, don’t worry — but not with a negative or aggressive tone, but rather an over-the-top-playful tone.
I mean, placing brilliant-cut stones next to baguette-cut stones is a real challenge to pull off right. It’s like wearing polka dots with stripes. It can be done, but it’s very, very hard, and there’s a very, very high chance that you’ll look ridiculous when you try to mimic those who can do it. Although the photos exaggerate the effect when compared to how this watch appeared to my eyes in reality, even when holding it in one’s hand, there is a strong and immediately apparent dissonance between the sizing and overall effect of these two stones.
Hublot has a small, but capable gem-setting department in its manufacture near Geneva, and they have done some truly impressive things before. On this occasion, I have some issues with their work, but said reservations are just of a stylistic kind, not qualitative. Just so you know the level of complexity they can handle, the Hublot Big Bang Unico Rainbow King Gold features 176 colored stones on its case, 48 on its bezel, and 212 on its dial. Altogether, there are 436 stones, rubies, pink sapphires, amethysts, blue sapphires, blue topazes, tsavorites, yellow sapphires and orange sapphires, and that’s Jacob & Co. territory.
All those stones make for a lot of eye candy also — and also a lot of ways for things to go wrong. The bezel, with its baguette-cut sapphires, looks proportionate to the case and the watch as a whole, and that’s great. The lugs and the dial components, however, look exceedingly weird, as though these small stones originally belonged to a Michael Kors fashion watch, not a six-figure-priced piece — even though the quality of the settings and the cuts do, of course, belong to the luxury segment. All that noted, criticizing this watch for the disproportionate stones and resulting overall look is like a makeup artist walking up to a clown and criticizing the nuances of his makeup. It’s clearly missing the point, and that’s something I don’t want to do. So, here’s what I will say in closing, instead.
Would I wear the Hublot Big Bang Unico Rainbow King Gold Watch? Hell yeah, I would. It’s a gold watch with tons of baguette-cut sapphires (they are my weakness, my kryptonite) and brilliant-cut colorful stones on them. I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t a sucker for these things. If given the choice, would I take this over a base Lange 1? No. Have I lost my mind? Therefore, I think no, I haven’t. But if I could wear this for weeks or months, I totally would, because I know this unafraid, likeable, laughable watch would cheer me up. And I think it would cheer most of my fellow watch-lovers up, too. Even though we will never have a chance to prove this, I very much believe that, if given the chance to wear this exact watch for a week or so, nine out of 10 watch enthusiasts would grow really rather fond of it. They, too, would still take the Lange 1 — but they wouldn’t be as repulsed by this rainbow-themed watch, as they may be now.
Replica Breitling Avenger Chronograph GMT 45
When I think of Breitling, I usually think of the Avenger series or the Superocean, and even though these days the trend has been towards smaller watches, I think this Breitling Avenger Chronograph 45 is so iconic and a great watch regardless of the size. Now it’s true that I used to own a Breitling Avenger Seawolf and yes I did end up selling that watch. Why you ask? Because of the size. That’s really a long story for another day, but basically, I had always wanted one and by the time I got one, I really wasn’t into big watches like that anymore. Still, I don’t regret owning it for the time I had it and even though this Avenger chrono is still a large watch, it is not as thick as the Seawolf and there are a few other differences as well, that would make it more daily-able-at least for me.
This watch comes to me from Saltzman’s Watches of Newport, who graciously loaned this watch to me for review. They are of course an Authorized Dealer and if you are interested in this watch or others that they carry, just shoot them a phone call or email, tell them you saw this review and what watch you are interested in. All their info will be in the specifications below.
The Breitling Avenger Chronograph 45 has that famous rider tab bezel Breitling is known for, in this case, a beautiful matte blue dial with a white gold wing logo, and overall there is no mistaking this watch for any other. I mentioned in the video how the Avenger lineup doesn’t change that much over time, if you saw one of these models from 10 years ago, while there are some differences, you can easily tell they are the same model. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that is a good thing. Breitling is a brand that is not copied often, unlike Rolex, Bell and Ross, Omega, Audemars Piquet, and many others. Hell Maurice Lacroix, a bigger named brand in their own right kinda ripped off AP with their latest models, but look around at all the different brands, all the different micro brands and you really will not see watches that look like Breitling.
Now people can argue why that is, but one thing is for sure when you wear a Breitling, you aren’t really going to have to worry about people mistaking it for anything else. When I was talking to Saltzman’s and setting up reviewing some watches for them, they gave me a few options for the initial review. I took one look at this blue dial model and knew I wanted to review this one. I hope to review a few different brands that they carry moving forward, but I wanted to start with a brand I love and a model I was somewhat familiar with.
Yes, I have talked about this many times, but before I knew what a watch enthusiast or a WIS was, I was enamored with Breitling from a young age. Whether it was a billboard or a watch magazine, or even just an ad in a non-watch magazine, Breitling always captured my inner watch nerd more than any other brand. I have no issue stating that in the last 30 years my tastes have absolutely changed and big massive watches just are not my thing anymore, but I still love most of what the brand puts out, even though I may not want to wear it myself.
The 45mm case on this Breitling Avenger Chronograph 45 is brushed on the top and the sides, very different from my Seawolf which had a lot of high polish going on, and while this is still very thick at almost 17mm in height, it doesn’t wear like a brick on my wrist, it wears flatter and does wrap around my wrist a little better than I thought it would. Of course with it being the Avenger, you have that familiar knurled screw-down crown and being a chronograph, large easy-to-use pushers, that are not just functional, but beautiful as well.
That rider tab bezel is fully polished on the sides, with a combo of brushed and polished on top, and is just always a joy to turn, but yes, this being a stainless steel bezel, and a lot of mirror polishing going, it is going to get scratched. Nothing you can do about it, same with a Doxa as an example. And this is an expensive watch at $5,500, no doubt about it, but watches are meant to be worn, and I have seen versions of this watch really well worn and used, and I still think they look good even with all the scratches, but that’s just me. A massive lume pip sits at the top of the bezel, ready to be seen in the dark.
The blue dial of this Breitling Avenger Chronograph 45 is actually pretty clean for what it is, and I love the yellow accents against that muted blue dial. As I stated earlier, that wing logo is actually white gold, not just some chrome-finished steel, and even though it’s not something you can touch or really feel, there is just something about it being made of a precious metal that I appreciate. The indices are applied, big thick rectangles with strips of lume sandwiched between them, and a pretty traditional setup for a 7750 Chronograph (which is what this movement is based on) and the date located at the 3. Nothing revolutionary here of course, but a good-looking dial.
Above the dial though, is the cambered sapphire crystal, and it’s a beautiful crystal and the blue AR coating does look good but my problem with Breitling and a few others are the outer AR coating. Breitling uses both inner and outer AR coatings and they just aren’t as scratch-resistant as the sapphire itself. It can be removed by someone who is qualified (not many are surprisingly) and it can be reapplied by Breitling or a Breitling service center, but it is one thing I wish that Breitling would make optional and not standard.
When it comes to the case back, this may be one of the few times that I wish I could see the movement. While the Breitling 13 is a COSC-certified movement, it probably isn’t overlay decorated, most likely just a custom signed rotor, but this very plain engraved case back is not what I was expecting, especially on a watch that costs almost $6,000. Maybe I am being picky, but I was hoping for at least a stamped wing logo on the back.
The Breitling Avenger Chronograph 45 comes on a choice of a few straps. This sample was sent to me on a blue canvas with a yellow leather backing, and it is a very nice strap in my opinion. I love both the way it looks and feels and that yellow leather is just eye-catching. This version of the strap has a tang buckle but you can get a push-button deployant buckle as well as a Breitling bracelet and of course, the price goes up with each upgrade that you do. With a weight of 157 grams, you would think a strap would not balance the watch out at all, but it really does, and I think it felt very comfortable on my 7 1/2 inch wrist. Yes, this is a 55mm lug to lug, and yes it is a heavy piece, but somehow it does work on my wrist, though I still don’t know if I would want to rock this daily, after a few days of wearing it, who knows, maybe I could get used to it again.
Unfotunbaly I was not able to wear this piece like I normally would and I did test the lume, but not as I would normally, which would be wearing it in many different dark situations, one of them being to bed. The lume is bright though and it will easily last quite a few hours, about 5 or so, if not more, and this piece just looks really good in the dark.
I am glad I had a chance to review this piece and even though it is not the latest model from Breitling, I still think these are great-looking pieces and can easily understand why someone would want this in their collection. My tastes probably would lean more towards a Superocean these days, I love the look of the new ones and the 42mm model is one I could see me wearing daily, if not even being one that stays on the wrist a lot more than others, but there is something about this big and bold Breitling Avenger Chronograph 45, especially in this blue. There are other colors available and if you want to see more, please check out Saltzman’s, as they carry a lot of Breitling models, amongst other brands, and even if you are not interested in purchasing this piece, give their website a look, it would be appreciated.
As for this model, Breitling will always have a special place in my heart, no matter the model, and even though l love some more than others, the Avenger series is a staple in the Breitling lineup for a reason and I don’t see it going anywhere anytime soon.
Richard Mille RM 07-04
Richard Mille has expanded its line-up by introducing the new Richard Mille RM 07-04 ultra-lightweight sports watch. What makes the latest collection truly special is that it’s the brand’s first-ever multi-faceted sports watch dedicated to women. Richard Mille has a long history of working with renowned athletes and sporting personalities, with its long-standing collaboration with Spanish tennis superstar Rafael Nadal being the most famous of them all. But the watch brand is known for supporting different sports, especially motorsports, and crafting highly technical watches that can withstand the demanding conditions linked to those sports. However, this is the first time Richard Mille has made a sports watch specifically for women and dedicated it to six of its female sporting ambassadors, which include racecar driver Aurora Straus, Florida-based golfer Nelly Korda, and Ukrainian high jumper Yuliya Levchenko.
The new Richard Mille RM 07-04 Automatic Sport features the brand’s familiar tonneau-shaped case with curved edges that measures 30.50mm x 44.95mm x 10.35mm. Constructed out of quartz TPT or carbon TPT depending on the version, the entire watch weighs just 36 grams, including its Velcro strap. The collection includes 6 different variants for the six athletes, rendered in different radiant colors. The Richard Mille RM 07-04 watch is powered by the new CRMA8 caliber. The sturdy in-house skeletonized automatic winding movement is made of grade 5 titanium and offers 50 hours of power reserve.
The baseplate and bridges are in black PVD-coated titanium, and the movement is resistant to 5,000g of acceleration. The skeletonized dial also features a clutter-free design with just hours, minutes, and a function selector on offer. “Rather than limit ourselves to a minimalist aesthetic, we chose a skeletonised movement with visible complexity,” explained the creative and development director at Richard Mille Cécile Guenat. As far as the pricing goes, it can be yours for $300 apiece.
Jacob and Co Casino Roulette Tourbillon
Within the realm of mega-expensive statement watches, no conversation is complete without mentioning Jacob & Co. and the fanciful pieces that make up its modern catalog. While many of the brand’s watches are flat-out ridiculous in concept, they are also undeniably impressive, and wheth-r we are talking about music boxes, planetariums, or miniaturized car engines crafted from sapphire, Jacob & Co. watches often embrace a level of fun and whimsy that is seldom seen in high-end watchmaking. The latest release from the brand just ahead of Watches & Wonders Geneva 2023 is the Jacob & Co. Casino Tourbillon, which takes the fully functional roulette wheel complication that characterizes its popular Astronomia Casino watch, and combines it with a flying tourbillon to create a gambling-themed timepiece aimed squarely at high-rollers and the top 1% who enjoy spending their time at the tables in Las Vegas or Monte Carlo.Crafted from 18k rose gold with a high-polished finish, the case of the new Jacob & Co. Casino Tourbillon measures 44mm in diameter by 16.3mm-thick. Just as you would expect, a heavily domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment protects the dial side of the watch; however, there is no winding crown protruding from the side of the case, with the only thing disrupting its round profile being the pusher located at 8 o’clock, which is used operate the roulette wheel game complication. Instead, positioned on the caseback, directly above the small circular window that offers a view of the roulette-themed flying tourbillon, are two fold-out tabs, with one used for winding the watch and the other dedicated to adjusting its hands. While this timepiece is hardly designed for aquatic use (as confirmed by its black alligator leather strap with matching 18k rose gold deployant buckle), the Jacob & Co. Casino Tourbillon still offers 30 meters of water resistance to protect against daily incidental contact.
The time is displayed by a pair of skeletonized hands with luminous inlays and red finished tips, while the dial itself is made from a single sheet of black onyx with applied 18k rose gold kite-shaped hour markers. The dial and hands sit elevated from the spinning roulette wheel section that surrounds it, and this difference in height creates a natural space for the white ceramic ball to move freely when the roulette wheel game complication is activated. Additionally, the black curved flange that occupies the outermost periphery of the display features eight diamond-shaped deflectors, which are intended to further add variation to the roulette ball’s movement. Pressing the pusher on the side of the case at 8 o’clock sets the wheel in motion, causing the white ceramic ball to bounce around until it settles into one of the 37 pockets that are filled with black, red, or green lacquer.
Powering the Jacob & Co. Casino Tourbillon is the brand’s manufacture Cal. JCAM51 manual-wind movement. While its signature roulette wheel complication and base caliber design are carried over from existing watches, the Jacob & Co. JCAM51 itself is a new movement and offers a novel combination of features. Running at a frequency of 21,600vph (3 Hz) with a power reserve of approximately 72 hours, the JCAM51 is a 24-jewel caliber that consists of 268 components. In addition to having its winding and time-setting carried out through fold-out tabs located on its caseback and having a fully-functional mechanical spinning roulette wheel game complication, the Jacob & Co. JCAM51 also features a one-minute flying tourbillon that has red, black, and green lacquer inlays on its carriage, which mirror the appearance of the spinning roulette wheel on the opposite side of the watch.
Production of the Jacob & Co. Casino Tourbillon will be limited to 101 examples, and the new watch will be accompanied by an official retail price of $330 USD. Although this is undeniably expensive and could just as easily buy you a supercar or even a house in many parts of this country, it’s also worth noting that the new Casino Tourbillon costs less than half the price of the Jacob & Co. Astronomia Casino, while simultaneously offering a superior roulette playing experience due to its simplified display and unobstructed view of the spinning roulette wheel. While a solid gold Jacob & Co. watch with a fully functional roulette wheel game isn’t really for the budget-conscious buyer, the difference in price is more than a quarter of a million dollars, and this delta is even significant to the mega-wealthy collectors — even if it just means having some extra money to throw down at the tables next time they visit the casinos.
Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph 43 AB01381B1G1
For 2022, Breitling has redesigned its iconic Navitimer Chronograph watch, which for decades has been a staple of high-end tool timepieces originally designed for commercial airline pilots in the early 1950s. The Navitimer has seen countless iterations over the years and is one of the world’s most recognized luxury sports watches. It has not, however, experienced a recent makeover under Breitling’s current stewardship by Georges Kern. The updated Breitling Navitimer for 2022 is known officially as the Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph watches and comes in three case sizes with a variety of different dial options, many of which have never been offered in a Navitimer watch before. The aBlogtoWatch team was able to go hands-on with all of the new Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph watches and below is our take on this modern version of a timeless classic.
For me, the Navitimer has always been a staple of tool watches because of its focus on computational utility. Its core design element is a slide-rule bezel that once allowed pilots to make various necessary calculations such as time to their destination or fuel consumption rate. The rotating slide-rule bezel mixed with the chronograph offered a small universe of capabilities. Only the smartest and most competent pilots would be seen wearing such a wrist instrument, and the legacy of the learned aviation professional lives on in this decidedly Breitling brand watch. With a design DNA that was perfected long ago, according to many timepiece enthusiasts, what was Breitling able to do with a modern Navitimer that hasn’t been done before?
It is important to mention some useful context at play when Breitling designed the new Navitimer. First of all, it was the brand’s goal to make the Navitimer look and feel as pleasant as possible while fitting into contemporary trends in luxury timepieces. That means the watches also need variety and be able to appeal to multiple audience sizes and color preferences. While the slide rule feature is truly iconic, few Navitimer customers are known to actually use this piece of functionality, which means the feature needs to be there but Breitling doesn’t really talk about it much. In fact, Breitling has a series of prototype Navitimer watches with more water resistance (hard to accomplish with the bezel functioning as it does). None of those ever made it to market because the resulting watch cases don’t really look “Navitimer enough.” So, Breitling’s goal with the redesigned Navitimer is mainly two-fold: to create a commercially successful luxury watch that fits into Breitling’s “relaxed luxury lifestyle” brand personality, and to offer a product that looks and feels like the classic Navitimer enthusiasts love. Note that to make the dial a bit cleaner, this generation of Navitimer Chronograph watch dials do not have a tachymeter scale, and I don’t think a single person will really miss it.
It was also important that Breitling get to feature its extremely competent in-house caliber B01 automatic chronograph movement but also to make the Navitimer case thinner. Older Navitimer watches are thinner, but they are also manually wound (versus automatic). The 2022 Navitimer watches are about 1.5mm thinner than previous-generation models, and they also feature an exhibition caseback. The case thinness (they are all about 13.6-14mm-thick, depending on the version) is thanks to a redesign of the slide-rule bezel system, which is now flat instead of sloped, as was the case on previous models. The dial doesn’t appear flat, however, thanks to the recessed subdials. Many people will not notice, at first glance, the different architecture of the Navitimer dial, but it is very apparent once you start to inspect it or compare it to other recent Navitimer Chronograph watches.
Breitling decided to go very commercial with the dials in terms of colors and finishing. That’s a business decision that probably makes sense, but purists will probably still be more attracted to some of the more historic-looking recent Navitimer watches that have more of a “tool watch” look. The various metallic colors and copious reflective surfaces test well with luxury seekers but make the new Navitimer B01 Chronograph watches quite “blingy” when compared with the classic models. Adding to that look are new colors, including two different greens (one is a fun mint), two blues, and a variety of grays, whites, and black tones mixed together. There are even 18k red-gold case options in addition to the main steel-cased versions to offer an even more high-end feel. The dials are very nice, but I prefer a more matte style to watches with this level of dial detail, and for the snazzier shiny look, I am still very much taken by Breitling’s Chronomat 42 masterpieces.For me, the most jarring aspect of the new Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph watches case design is the polishing. While not always true, most recent Navitimer watches have had all-polished cases — really nice polished cases. For 2022, Breitling goes a different route by maintaining the core Navitimer case style but offering both polished and brushed surface finishing over the case and the available bracelet. This adds a lot of visual interest to the case and bracelet, but the dual-finishing of the 2022 Navitimer watches do make them stand out from the rest of the modern versions of the watch and will probably help them stand out to customers who have previous-generation Navitimer models.
On the dial, we see a return to the AOPA Breitling “wings” logo, which has been used on some retro-remake models but no standard collection pieces, until now. Breitling CEO Georges Kern presided over the Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph watches launch event and explained something very interesting about the brand’s logos. The problem is that none of the current logos work with all of the watches. Some logos appear better on the modern watches but not the classic ones. Some of the watches have just a Breitling “B,” and others have mere graphic logos. It is great that Breitling has so much history to pull from to make this possible, but it is also interesting that the brand’s current logos don’t actually work well on all watches. Breitling isn’t the only watch brand now to play with different logo designs on contemporary watches but probably has the best reasons to use multiple logos across product collections.
To serve the needs of various customers (including women), Breitling made the correct decision to offer what is essentially the same watch in three different case sizes. It is true that some dial color configurations are only available in some sizes, but for the most part, Breitling makes sure that the 41, 43, and 46mm-wide Breitling Navitimer B01 Chronograph watches are more or less the same in terms of style and look. Having worn all three sizes, I would say that my personal preference is the 43mm wide version, but I would gladly wear any of them. The cases are water-resistant to 30 meters, and 13.6, 13.69, and 13.95mm thick, respectively. Watch size is a matter of taste and not a matter of correctness. So the correct size for you will depend on your anatomy and, to a degree, the watch dial colors that you prefer.
seiko king seiko review
In late 2020, Seiko announced something very special, at least to people with some knowledge of the brand’s history and evolution through the decades. While Seiko was founded in 1881 and through the years saw immense prosperity, it has many fascinating chapters in that long history. Today it is one of the biggest watch manufacturers in the world, with a vast collection housed under various sub-labels or even as separate brands. The introduction of the King Seiko KSK SJE083 towards the end of 2020 revived the fabled internal rivalry with Grand Seiko. That watch left us wondering whether Seiko would do more with the King Seiko legacy than just this one-time limited edition? Surely not! So with a resounding “Long live the King”, we formally welcome back the King Seiko collection and the introduction of five new references. And they are non-limited, more compact and more accessible.
Like various other brands, Seiko has often relied on a sub-branded range of watches to target new audiences or present a substantially different style. By now, we’re all very familiar with Seiko, Grand Seiko and probably, to a lesser extent, King Seiko. The fact that this name returns in the permanent collection is a testament to the importance of King Seiko to the Seiko Corporation. Without it, the brand simply wouldn’t be where it is today.
As we explained in the hands-on review of the King Seiko KSK SJE083, both the Grand Seiko and King Seiko sub-brands result from the internal rivalry between the Daini Seikosha and Suwa Seikosha factories. We’ve said it then, and we’ll say it again: competition leads to growth, evolution and ultimately change. The first product following Seiko’s decision to put the Suwa Seikosha factory in charge of creating a luxurious, more precise type of wristwatch was labelled Grand Seiko. A year later, and not to be deterred by Seiko’s aforementioned decision, the Daini Seikosha factory would present their own under the King Seiko name.
Soon after, both would follow suit with design guidelines determined by Taro Tanaka. Mr Tanaka set apart Seiko from the traditional (read Swiss) style by defining a simple yet effective set of rules, the so-called “Grammar of Design”. In essence, this meant cases had to be shaped and finished free of distortion, bezels had to be simple, and hands had to be sharp and mainly flat. This is still very much part of Grand Seiko’s watchmaking language and philosophy today and applies to King Seiko as well.
The King Seiko KSK SJE083 Limited Edition from late 2020 was modelled directly after the 1965 King Seiko 44-9990, albeit in a slightly more modern execution. While the shape of the case and the overall look and feel very much has that distinct 1960s style, Seiko has taken a few liberties with the SJE083. Liberties that are now more or less corrected with this King Seiko collection. The new range comes in five references, all featuring a 37mm sized case very close to the original King Seiko 44-9990. The sharp and angular case, with a height of 12.1mm and brushed and polished finishings, looks very close to the original. The faceted lugs, for instance, are directly taken from the 1965 model. The boxed sapphire crystal gives it that quintessential style of the 1960s. Both the crown and the caseback are finished with the King Seiko emblem that was introduced with the original one.
The King Seiko comes in five different dial colours, each with its own flair. The most accurate one in relation to the 44-9990 is the silver dial with sunray brushing, which is reference SPB279. Next, there’s also a silver, or actually light-grey dial with straight brushing, the SBP281. And then, there are three darker dials: charcoal grey (SPB283), brown (SPB285) or burgundy red (SPB287). All dials are finished with applied, polished indices. Just like the 44-9990, the marker at 12 is double the width of the rest and given a fine pyramid-like pattern on the top surface. And like the original, it lacks a date indication, keeping the dial clean and balanced. In line with the “Grammar of Design”, the hour and minute hands are flat with a Zaratsu-polished, faceted finish (without the high-end bevels found on the limited SJE083, however) combined with a needle-thin seconds hand.
The King Seiko is outfitted with the in-house calibre 6R31, which is closely linked to the 6R35. Using the same mechanical architecture, the 6R31 has 24 jewels and runs at a frequency of 21,600vph. The only difference between this and the 6R35 variant is the absence of the date indication, and as a result, the number of jewels is reduced by two. The movement is accurate to run within +15/-25 seconds per day, just like its dated cousin, the 6R35.
To complete the very retro-like appeal of the new King Seiko collection, it comes on a stainless steel multi-link bracelet, very much like the one on the original 1965 model. The faceted links, tapering from case to folding buckle, have a brushed finish with polished bevels. As an alternative option, each reference is also supplied with vintage-styled leather straps with a pin buckle bearing the King Seiko name. Where the King Seiko SJE083 was a bit pricey, the new King Seiko collection retails for a more reasonable EUR 1,700. This puts it directly between the average top-end of Seiko and below Grand Seiko’s entry-level models. Simply put, we love the fact Seiko has brought the King Seiko philosophy back from the past. And to do it in such a faithful and respectful way is all the more reason to be excited. Even on a wrist as big as our editor (Robin has a 19cm wrist circumference), the 37mm sized case looks well proportioned. The dials are fun and offer an appealing variety of colours. Go for the traditional silver one of the original, or a more daring burgundy red, and you will not be disappointed. The only slight complaint we have regards the accuracy of the automatic movement. As King Seiko, much like Grand Seiko, stems from the idea to build the best and most precise watch possible, the precision of the calibre 6R31 is a bit of a let-down. Running within +25/-15 seconds per day means there’s a lot of room for improvement. Other than that, very well done, Seiko! Long live the King!
