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The Neo-Classical Watches of Naoya Hida

May 3, 2022 By Stephen Leave a Comment

Naoya Hida & Co. is a Tokyo-based independent watch atelier producing a small number of classically-inspired watches. The company recently released their 2022 line for application. This article gives an overview of Hida, the watches, and their movements.

Filed Under: Commentary, Grails, Reviews Tagged With: Calatrava, Habring2, Japan, Naoya Hida, NH Type 1, NH Type 2, NH Type 3, Paul Gerber, Valjoux 7750

The Original James Bond Watch Was Not What You Think!

April 17, 2020 By Stephen Leave a Comment

James Bond, Agent 007, has been linked with gadgets for decades. From the Aston Martin to the Rolex to that mini jet, the Bond movies have cemented these images in our minds. But the very first official James Bond watch didn’t come from Rolex, Omega, or even Seiko: It came from an obscure company called Moeris, which has a surprising connection to those companies!

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Blancpain, James Bond, Licensing, Moeris, Moeris James Bond 007, Omega, Rayville, Rolex Submariner, SSIH, Tissot

The Nadir of Jaeger-LeCoultre and the Reverso

April 15, 2020 By Stephen Leave a Comment

Most enthusiasts could instantly name the watches pictured below, but they’d be wrong: This isn’t a Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, its an Eska Sesame! By the 1980s, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s signature model was forgotten and the company was struggling to survive. Yet just a decade later, the Reverso would lead the entire industry back from the brink. This is the story of the fall of Jaeger-LeCoultre and the resurrection of the Reverso.

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Eska, Eska Sesame, Günter Blümlein, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Grande Complication à Triptyque, LMH, Royce, Royce Mexico

Chronotechna Ultimate Black Hands-On Review: Black? Yes. Ultimate? Not Really.

April 5, 2020 By Stephen 1 Comment

After over a year delay, I finally received my Chronotechna Ultimate Black watch, with its NanoBlack coated dial, cut-out luminous numerals, and black case and strap. It’s really black, but was it really worth the wait? Yes and no. It’s a good watch with a cool dial, iffy lume, and a horrible strap. But at least I got mine!

Filed Under: Collection, Reviews Tagged With: Chronotechna, Kickstarter, NanoBlack, Sellita SW200-1

Jean d’Eve Samara: The First Automatic Quartz Watch

April 3, 2020 By Stephen 2 Comments

Browsing through the archives of Europa Star, I came across a groundbreaking watch I had never encountered. The Jean d’Eve Samara was not just the world’s first automatic-winding quartz watch, it was also a remarkably novel design! My research rabbit-hole lead me to learn not just about this watch but about an entire dark corner of horology.

Filed Under: Collection, History Tagged With: ETA Autoquartz, Le Phare, Renley, Seiko AGS, Seiko Kinetic, Sultana, Ventura MGS

Where’s My Watch? The Ongoing Chronotechna Saga

February 16, 2020 By Stephen Leave a Comment

Chronotechna promised “the blackest watch ever made” but hasn’t delivered on their promises. Or, in my case, hasn’t delivered at all!

Filed Under: Collection, Reviews Tagged With: Chronotechna, Kickstarter, NanoBlack, Vantablack

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Gran’Sport: The First “Beefcake” Reverso

January 23, 2019 By Stephen 1 Comment

Given the clever retrograde chronograph movement, the Gran’Sport Chronograph is the pick of the Gran’Sport lineup today. It’s really too bad that gorgeous Reverso Chronographe Rétrograde is out of the price range for most people.

Filed Under: Grails, History Tagged With: 829, 859, Chronograph, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Chronograph Retrograde, Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Gran'Sport, Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Gran'Sport Chronograph, retrograde

Surveying the 2018 Seiko x Giugiaro “Speed Master” LCD Reissue Series (SBJG)

January 18, 2019 By Stephen 6 Comments

Seiko has been collaborating with Giugiaro Design since the 1980s. The most famous fruit of this collaboration was the “Aliens” watch line, which have been reissued in recent years. In late 2018, Seiko introduced another reissue: The SBJG multi-function digital models we will discuss today.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: A825, A828, Giugiaro, LCD, quartz, SBJG, Seiko, Seiko Giugiaro, Speed Master, SSBA

The Curious Case of the Seiko SARA and 4L25

December 21, 2018 By Stephen Leave a Comment

Despite an amazing history of producing excellent watches and watch movements, Seiko never seems to get the respect it deserves. But perhaps the most curious attempt by Seiko to challenge the Swiss came in the form of the SARA watch and the 4L25 movement inside.

Filed Under: Grails, History Tagged With: 4L25, Brightz, SARA005, Seiko

Movado 1891 Ultra-Slim “Museum Watch”

April 29, 2018 By Stephen Leave a Comment

Despite the sketchy history of the design, Movado’s “Museum Watch” remains an icon of horology. It’s one of the very few watches that is instantly recognizable even to the uninitiated, and thus belongs in any serious collector’s watch box, if not on their wrist.

Filed Under: Collection, Watch A Day Tagged With: dress watch, ETA 956, ETA 956.032, Movado, Movado 1891, Museum of Modern Art, Museum Watch, Nathan George Horwitt, quartz, ultra thin, Vacheron Constantin

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