Grail Watch

Always watching for holy grail timepieces

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Swatch Sistem51: Ironic Plastic

April 1, 2018 By Stephen Leave a Comment

I’m going to kick off my “watch a day” series with a most unlikely timepiece: Swatch’s 2014 Sistem51. Now that the newness has worn off, I see my little red plastic wonder for what it is: A traditional plastic Swatch with a nice little secret inside. It’s not a revolutionary timepiece or really all that special at all. But I enjoyed learning about it and hunting for one of the first in the USA. And, most importantly, I enjoy wearing it.

Filed Under: Collection, Watch A Day Tagged With: Sistem51, Swatch, Watch A Day

Two King Seiko Hi-Beat “56KS” Chronometers

January 16, 2018 By Stephen 3 Comments

The classic King Seiko 56KS, with its Cal. 562x movement, is a lovely daily-wear watch and a highlight of my own collection. What stands out about the King Seiko is its elegant and timeless design and the excellent performance of the 5626 movement. It is reminiscent of the legendary 1967 Grand Seiko “44GS” but perhaps even more attractively rendered with long, elegant lugs that draw attention to the dial rather than the case.

Filed Under: Collection, Grails Tagged With: 5625, 5626, 56KS, 7040, 7060, chronometer, King Seiko, Seiko, Seiko 5600, Suwa Seikosha

The Revolutionary Smart Watch from Apple’s Designers (Circa 1990)

March 9, 2015 By Stephen 2 Comments

Apple will today detail their Watch, ending years of speculation. But Jony Ive and Marc Newsome are not the first Apple designers to create a watch, and the first one out of the gate was truly revolutionary. Pushed by legendary designer Hartmut Esslinger of FROG Design, the Junghans Mega 1 was the first miniaturized atomic clock receiver and sported a distinctive ceramic case.

Filed Under: Collection Tagged With: Apple, FROG Design, Hartmut Esslinger, Junghans, Junghans Mega 1, smart watch

2002 Paul Picot Firshire Chrono

September 29, 2014 By Stephen Leave a Comment

With so many brands making watches it can be difficult to track down some of the oddballs you run across. Such was the case recently when I stumbled on a lovely tonneau-cased Paul Picot Firshire Chrono for sale at auction. I had never heard of the brand or model, and the description was less than helpful. So I set about learning more.

Filed Under: Collection Tagged With: 2002 Paul Picot Firshire Chrono, Camille Fournet, Chronograph, Di-Modell, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Lemania, Lemania 1872, Paul Picot, Paul Picot Firshire, Paul Picot Firshire Chrono

1970 Breitling Datora 592: My Fixer-Upper

August 4, 2014 By Stephen 4 Comments

This is a web site about grails: Watches people spend their lives looking for. Approximately zero people will spend their lives looking for a beat up, common, 1970’s Breitling like this Datora 592. But I bought it, and I thought it might be interesting to my readers to know why and what I’m doing next.

Filed Under: Collection Tagged With: Breitling, Breitling Datora, Breitling Datora 592, Datora, Valjoux, Valjoux 7734

Fame and Fortune, or Why Some Vintage Watches Are Worth More Than Others

March 1, 2014 By Stephen 2 Comments

Today, a vintage Rolex Explorer or Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic can command $10,000 or more, yet I just purchased a beautiful Nivada Antarctic at auction for just € 450.

Filed Under: Collection, Commentary Tagged With: Buren, Croton, Enicar, Grenchen, International Geophysical Year, Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic, Nivada Antarctic, Nivada Grenchen, Rolex Explorer, Rolex Milgauss, Vulcain

The Last Buren: High-Beat Calibre 82 Revival

February 26, 2014 By Stephen 4 Comments

We recently ran across a mystery: This Buren Calibre 82 wristwatch boasts an unknown 36,000 A/h movement and ambiguous date of production. What is it? We unravel the mystery and recommend a buy!

Filed Under: Collection, Grails Tagged With: Buren Calibre 82, Calibre 82, Comor, Hamilton, High-Beat, Schweizer Uhren-Editionen

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