Write Ups

1 of 25 Chopard LUC QF for Revolution

1 of 25 Chopard LUC QF for Revolution

Wei Koh & crew know what makes a beautiful watch. Nowhere has this been more evident than their three collaborations with Chopard, of which this recent scientific dial is the third entry as an LE of 25 examples. This is the best of Revolution’s eye, Chopard’s high-end Qualité Fleurier movement (more on that later), and heavy dose of vintage appeal for good measure. All of these tasty ingredients were then interpreted through a philosophy which was to avoid being an explicit dress or sport watch, but a perfectly balanced hybrid of the two categories in steel.


Value Prop: SBGH037 Grand Seiko Hi-Beat

Value Prop: SBGH037 Grand Seiko Hi-Beat

The names Grand Seiko and Hi-Beat harmonize together better than Lennon and McCartney. But not all are created equal. This SBGH037 hails from a (currently) largely-unsung stretch of the Japanese manufacture’s history, what I like to call the double-signed era. This nascent stage I define as after the birth of the modern Grand Seiko reference system, but before dials became signed with Grand Seiko alone at 12 in the SBGR305. This was pre-watch-instagram, but post what we traditionally call neo-vintage. It is a timeframe many enthusiasts gloss over, but that really should not be the case. For...


Value Proposition: 145.8.31 Jaeger Lecoultre Master Control

Value Proposition: 145.8.31 Jaeger Lecoultre Master Control

Blancpain once ran an ad campaign stating ‘Blancpain has never made a quartz watch and never will.’ That’s convenient, as the house had gone bankrupt well ahead of the quartz crisis and Biver only restarted production once mechanical watchmaking was trending back to strength. Jaeger Lecoultre, on the other hand, had some confused years. However, those confused years allowed Switzerland’s grande maison to claim continuous production, an ad campaign they were never boastful enough to run. Moreover, I find it rather telling that even in troubled times, JLC’s approach to quartz watchmaking was some of the most...


1 of 140 SBGW275 Grand Seiko 'Genbi Valley Iwai'

1 of 140 SBGW275 Grand Seiko 'Genbi Valley Iwai'

This is a watch which, I think it’s fair to say, we’d all been hoping for for some time. Grand Seiko’s SBGW line is mainly comprised of elegant three-handers. Their restraint and simplicity is the line’s strength. However, up until last year, the only dials available were whites, blues, and black. None of the outrageous texturized finishes or outrageous seasonal narratives GS has now become synonymous with. That all changed last year.

Grand Seiko are fond of region-specific releases; they cater well to enthusiast markets world-round. America has been a huge and relatively untapped resource...


Introducing Oris Diver 65 Calibre 400 Hodinkee Limited Edition

Introducing Oris Diver 65 Calibre 400 Hodinkee Limited Edition

The vintage diver is something that most watch enthusiasts call a ‘must-have’ in the collection. It’s a type of watch that, when executed correctly, perfectly combines charm, utility and wearability. Oris and their Diver Sixty Five collection have touched on all these things consistently since its introduction in 1965. We’ve seen the evolution of the entire line, from an introduction to new case sizes and dynamic dial colors, to the implementation of contemporary in-house movements and limited edition collaborations. The Oris Diver Sixty Five Calibre 400 Hodinkee LE...