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Had a pretty crap time trudging through the Mud at the Lincoln Antiques show (UK) on Tuesday. I did however come away with two token Replica watches. Total price £20.

One an alarm mechanical, keeps good time....made by Jura watch Co, anyone heard of them?....with Ebauche stamp RL

the other a smiths mechanical, sporting the famous 27 C.S popular in the Smiths militaries.

Both working fine:

Keywords:Sarpaneva watchesReplica watches|omega Chopard Breitling Rolex

Don't blame yourself if you've never heard of Sarpaneva watches. That is ok, I didn't know of them until recently myself. Stepan Sarpaneva started Finland's first mechanical watch company in 2003, and the boutique watch maker has released an impressive array of complex and intriguing watches in just a few short years. One of the newest mechanical creations is the Korona K3 (shown in its 'Red Moon' iteration here).

The influence behind this interesting moon phase watch is Stepan's view of the moon through a metal fence across forested trees. He liked what he saw so much, that the image stuck in his mind forcing him to sketch out his ideas for a new watch face featuring a new type of skeletonized display of a moon phase complication.

There is something organic about the seemingly industrial montage of lines and materials used in Sarpaneva watches. The Korona features 4 layers in the face, which need to be painstakingly hand sculpted for each watch. The materials on the face are mostly steel, but there is also the rose gold moon (on some models) and "diamond coated black" finishing on some of the steel. There are actually a lot of customization options here for interested parties, and various finish combinations can be ordered. First you have to like the watch itself, then you can nitpick over the small details with the watch makers.

Bypassing ETA movements altogether, there is a modified Soprod A10 11 automatic mechanical movement inside which is decorated on the back with a customized rotor (with the moon face again), and the stylized grating over the movement. It is a nice effect that I have not seen before. The case itself is 44mm wide and quite thin at about 9mm. Further, the case comes in the standard steel finish, or again with the diamond coated black. The front and rear crystals are obviously sapphire, with anti-reflective coating on the inside. Also, it is nice to note that the Sarpaneva moniker on the dial is actually on the rear of the sapphire crystal; done in the modern trend, but not too overly executed as I believe is the case in watches such as what Richard Mille puts out.

I cannot decide whether I have concerns over the precision of the Korona dial. While the movement should be accurate enough, I speak to the ability to easily and accurately read the time. The many linear indications around the face are not precisely set up to the five minute increments between the twelve indexes. While you can get to the "five" minute precision, beyond that, there might be some confusion. I'd really have to live with the watch for a while to make a more qualified determination. Overall, this is a small issue given the bold looks of the watch that are otherwise very nice to look at.

Lots of people have had things to say about the grimace on the face of the moon. Frankly I don't have a problem with it. They think it is angry, I see it more as being serious. What else would the Moon feel given the state of the Earth right now and environmental change? A reminder that no matter how much of the Moon we are able to see, the celestial monolith still presides over much of what keeps Earth eco-systems alive, and if sentient, would probably not approve of our treatment of the only habitat we have. Overall, you don't have to love the application of the moonphase complication in the Korona K3, but you should still appreciate the unique approach, and the creativity behind the design. Keep your eyes on Sarpaneva as an up and coming brand to pay attention to in my humble opinion.

Keywords:Mido watches Replica watches|omega Chopard Breitling Rolex

Mido has had a long history of Multifort watches over the years. I don't really get the name, and the people at Mido I spoke with don't really understand it either. Some combination of the world "multi" and "comfort?" Which means what? It provide multiple types of comfort, OK.... Anyhow, the Multifort name has now been applied to yet another watch, and one that is really cool. So cool I wish they would have given it a better name. There are are two versions of the new 2009 Multifort. the three-hand day-date Multifort Gents with an automatic ETA 2836-2 movement, and the Multifort Chrono Valjoux with (you guessed it) an automatic ETA Valjoux 7750 chronograph movement.

The watches are 44mm wide in steel cases and 11-14mm thick (depending on the version). The crystal is sapphire and there is a mineral crystal as the caseback exhibition window. The case is 100 meters water resistant, and you can get the watch on a leather strap with deployment or a metal bracelet. The images you see are ones that I took of preproduction models, so the final versions that should be available now might have minor differents and more polish and quality all around.





Style for the watches is interesting in my opinion. I see three major types of themes that come together. The dial reminds me of a classic dive watch, while there are distinct classic sporty elements as well as a formal qualities to the design. For me it was my favorite new Mido watch for 2009, by far. The dial and hands are applied with SuperLumiNova lume as well as a a nice level of decoration. You might recognize the Cotes de Geneve decoration as the type you'd find on watch movements. Mido has taken the attractive vertical patterning and cleverly applied it to the face of the watch. The dials come silvered, black, or in anthracite (dark gray). In my opinion both the Multifort Gent and Chrono Valjoux are attractive and desirable timepieces. The best part is that they are well priced. Mido is priced just a bit over Tissot (both are Swatch Group brands). Retail prices start at $770 and go to about $1,750 depending on the style and strap option. Mido watches have always had a unique and quirky character to them. I am not a fan of each new design they present, but this new Multifort line really makes a good impression on me, and I think it sets a good tone for the brand that is newly refocusing on the North American market.

Keywords:Red8 watches Replica watches|omega Chopard Breitling Rolex

While the Asians are taking steam away from the Europeans when it comes to manufacturing watches, the power houses of design and style remains in the West. True style innovation and experimentation on the most unique levels perseveres in the talents of those people who first made the watch industry what it is today. Still, it is impossible to view the modern Replica watches making world without seeing the East, and those who physically make most of the watches, or at least parts of the Replica watches that we buy.

A new watch from a new company called Red8 celebrates this concept. The idea comes from a European man with deep experience in the watch making world, while the watch is produced, proudly so, in Asian, and with a Japanese movement. The Red8 watch is more than just some new style of watch, it is a statement and closer to new concept of watch. One thing in recent pop culture reminds me of what the Red8 watch is all about. Remember the craze that Lance Armstrong's yellow "Livestrong" rubber bracelet made. You saw just so many people wearing them. Then you saw legions of other companies take the same concept and make it their own. It was a fun way of accessorizing your look with a message.



Part of the message of the Red8 Replica watches is written right on the bezel, and there are several messages to choose from. Better yet, the company holds monthly competitions for the best new four words to place on the bezels. The winner receives a free watch as I understand it. It is a cute concept, and the bezel, being a diver's bezel, still rotates. So you have a watch with many colors and message combinations to choose from. It is further one of the only true "unisex watches" insofar that depending on the color, it will look good on a man or a woman.

Red8 is brought to you by Christian Bedat, former of the luxury watch company Bedat & Company. I believe that his role at the company ended when Gucci acquired the brand earlier this decade. Bedat & Co. is now owned by a Malaysian outfit. Bedat wanted to do something different and he wanted to sell them differently. For most of you reading this, there is nothing exotic about having a watch that is sold online, but it is a 'crazy thing' when you suggest it to European watch companies. Online you can browse the collection, get more information, check out their virtual design center, and buy a watch by visiting the Red8 website here.



The timepiece is a fun idea in a cheeky sort of way. You have an easy to live with watch that has some unique qualities you won't find anywhere else. The watch is meant to be a new type of fashion accessory, just like the Livestrong bracelets of a few years ago. And just like those silicon rubber bracelet the Red8 watch is available in a slew of colors. Not to mention that the Red8 does comes with an easily removable... silicon rubber bracelet. See this one here in red. The little elements on the Red8 watch are done in a quality manner. I am afraid that fashion forward types getting one of these may not be able to appreciate some of the more minor touches, but they are there. You can tell that effort went into the watch being able to satisfy even snobs like me. Staying on the topic of the strap, you'll notice the well designed PVD metal buckle with double pins. The metal has nice sharp edges and feels quality made. You get a nice Red8 logo engraved in it as well.

The strap attaches to the case sort of like a NATO strap. It is a cute gimmick and makes it easy to swap out straps. The strap width is 20mm wide, and the watch does comes with standard pins. This means you can attach traditional straps to the watch case if you like. The Red8 watch is a diver's Replica watches in style and is 42mm wide (with the crown). The steel case is black PVD coated and water resistant to 200 meters. The PVD is done not in the standard matte finish, but instead in an attractive glossy look that is harder to find out there when it comes to PVD black. Other versions of the watch come in other PVD colors or just polished steel. Same goes for the cherry red colored aluminum bezel. It will be a different color based on the model you choose. There are currently 11 variations of the Replica watches.


The bezel on this watch has four animals on it. Three real ones, and one mythical one. You'll probably recognize that these are animals important in Asian cultures. You don't hear Americans talking about oxen that much. These are also animals of the zodiac. The lettering on the bezel is done nicely. Instead of just being printed, they are engraved into the bezel and then crisply painted - nothing cheap looking here. In fact nothing about the watch looks or feels less than (dare I say) European standards.

Notice the caseback of the watch and the Asian side of the timepiece comes out even more. Again, the watch is made in Asia, and Red8 is proud of that fact. It is almost a message to other watch makers that they should not hide the fact that they have components made in Asia. By Asia I mean mostly China, but not just China of course. As such, the caseback read "Designed in the world by Red8. Produced in Asia." I don't really get that former part to well, but you get the message. The center of the caseback has something written in Chinese. I don't know what it says, but if I had to guess, I would say "red eight."
The Red8 name is also part of Chinese culture. Red being associated with wealth and prosperity, while 8 being a lucky number of sorts with special meaning associated with it. Red8 did something that I've never seen before. That being the use of the large red ABS plastic crown. ABS plastic is very hard and solid feeling. It also looks like tasty red candy. The number "8" is done in relief on the side. Sure I worry a bit about the crown scratching, but that is just part of the character of the watch. Realize that the entire crown is not actually plastic. There is a standard metal crown that has a red plastic cap over it. It is a fun style and certainly goes with the theme. No complaints here.



Inside the watch is an interesting use of a movement. Essentially the watch has one of Seiko's Kinetic quartz movements inside - though it is not called that. The movement is instead called an "I-Matic" and is made by Epson (which is Seiko's parent company). For those of you not familiar with this movement, it is a quartz, but does not require battery changes. Instead, it has a rotor just like automatic mechanical movements which is uses to charge the internal battery that powers the watch. The watch will run for 180 days on a full charge. The Red8 watch expresses some of these details clearly on the dial. Features like this keep the cost down, as Red8 intends for its watches to be of a high quality, but not unaffordable.

Lastly, I wanted to talk about the dial. The most important part of the watch. It is covered in a gently curved sapphire crystal that has been anti reflective (AR) coated on the inside. Each of the hour markers is large and has a rich amount of SuperLumiNova applied on top of a highly polished steel base. It make for a good look. I would have however liked the hour indicator at 12 o'clock to be different looking, but that is a personal preference. The hands are also easy to read and share the high level of polish and luminant coating. I would have liked the the luminant to extend a bit further down the hands though - a small issue. Overall the dial is very easy to read, and has individual minute markers. The center of the dial has a slightly depressed ring that is normally for the hour hand to follow. This is a curious part of the design that frankly took me a while to figure out. At first glance I though the numbers scale was upside down. Meaning that the top of the ring shows "30" and the bottom shows "0." It seems as though it should be the other way around, and then I realized that this scale is meant to be followed by the counterweight arrow on the seconds hand, not the front of it. Using that end of the seconds hand to follow the center ring, it makes sense. Accordingly, the red lightning bolt with arrow as the counterweight of the seconds hand is a nice touch that I enjoy.

Together you have an enjoyable watch that is fun and functional. Retail price without shipping is $880 for a Red8 watch. This model is the Red8 CB-008. It isn't the least expensive Replica watches around, but there is really nothing else out there like it - and it is positioned as a luxury fashion watch that really sacrifices nothing given what it is. You can enjoy the character and thought that went into the watch, and the fact that it does not take itself too seriously. The hip dance music on the Red8 website seems to sum that up well. It is a great watch for people that want something different without any hassle and a watch that can better sum up their lifestyle than most of the stuffy Replica watches that are out there.

Keywords:Pierre DeRoche watches Replica watches|omega Chopard Breitling Rolex

I have to applaud a new grand that releases relatively sober and legible timepieces. The Double Retrograde from the new Swiss watch brand Pierre DeRoche is an obvious "homage" to Gerald Genta, but well done nonetheless;making for a legible watch that strays from the norm.

A retrograde watch is one that has a hand that moves along a liner arc. Once it reaches the end of that arc, it simply jumps back to the beginning position. This is as opposed to traditional cyclical nature of watch hands. Retrograde hands are often used to emulate gauge meters, but can serve a very good purpose when it comes to legibility. Being a new twist on analog time telling, a double retrograde would have two such retrograde hands. According the Pierre DeRoche double retrograde have one hand for the hours and another for the minutes. It maintains a traditional cyclical subsidiary dial for the seconds.

The Double Retrograde is powered by a Dubois Depraz automatic mechanical movement (one of the fancier names in watch making). Pierre DeRoche boasts that they use materials and finished often saved for movements on the dials of their watches. This give them more of an industrial look, but nothing can remove the designer quality of this timepiece.

Available in handful of color choices (and with diamonds) the Double Retrograde is likely to be one of Pierre DeRoche's more memorable timepieces, although I seriously doubt it will be priced to be a bargain Gerald Genta (quite likely the opposite). Look for them soon at your continental Pierre DeRoche boutique or similarly rare store.

This watch is a self-admitted combination of luxury Replica  watches making and the "art" of graffiti from watch maker Pierre DeRoche. What is charming is that the Swiss watch maker sought out a Swiss based graffiti artist - who'd a thought right? The artist they worked with is Sigi ��Dare�� von Koeding, who takes graffiti art and makes it into fine art. I like his work, but think that it might be hard for lots of people to take it too seriously depending on the role that graffiti has played in their life. I for one being born and raised in Los Angeles have a perception that while graffiti is a cool art form, it has a strong association with vandalism - which is true when you think about how it all started. You should check out the link to his site (click his name above) for views of his work.

If you look below, you'll notice one of his paintings called "Dare." It takes the word "Dare" and writes it many times in graffiti text. The same term is applied to these three limited edition Pierre DeRoche Split Rock Dare Collection watches - each in a slightly different style. The three watches will come in a limited edition of just 11 pieces. Each dial is hand painted (not using a spray paint can). The term "Dare" also brings up another memory of growing up in LA in the 1990s - the Dare program. Who could forget that? "DARE To Keep Kids Off Drugs." In California this was some mandatory program in elementary schools. It was really silly - but actually was done well. It would never fly to day. The message was "yea drugs are out there, lets learn about them and tell you why you should say no." Better than all that "just say no shit without telling kids what it is all about. Curiosity will defeat dogma any day. Lots of t-shirts and bumper stickers were handed out (like the one pictured below). For a while it was actually quite trendy to wear the t-shirts, especially with the high-schoolers smoking weed in the corner at gym class. Oh irony. While the Dare collection of watches from Pierre DeRoche has no formal connection with the DARE program, it does in my mind given that both adopted an "urban font" for the message.





The Split Rock collection watches are pretty cool and feature as 12 hour chronograph complication all put into one three hand subsidiary dial. Pretty cool right? The pushers are located on the right and left side of the case in a unique fashion. I like how it looks, and it appears pretty easy to use, just don't mistake it for another watch face. The watch itself uses skeletonized orange-red hands and a subsidiary seconds hand at the top. The watch isn't exactly the epitome of easy to read, but this is for style, and you can make out the time. Plus, the orange stitching on the black crocodile strap is always a chic sporty touch.

Although the collection is pretty cool, it will appeal to mostly a niche audience of mostly existing Pierre DeRoche watch lovers. I do feel that while there are three different pieces in the collection, they are too similar to each other. Mr. von Koeding could have easily mixed it up a bit giving each version of the Dare watch collection its own style and personality. The movement inside the watch is a Dupois Depraz mechanical automatic, and the case is done in stainless steel. An interesting timepiece with a mixture of luxury and contemporary urban art.

 

Seiko SARB031 is a popular watch among Seiko fans and has been since its release in late 2007. It features conservative styling that’s a hallmark of Japan’s No. 1 watchmaker. In fact, it’s reminiscent of watches Seiko sold during its Golden Age in the mid-to-late 1960s. In many ways it reminds me of a Lord Matic.

The watch makes many nods to the past. Kohei Saito (GMT+9 interview here), moderator of the Seiko forum on Timezone, notes (here) the word “Automatic” on the dial above 6 o’clock uses a font taken from a model released in the late 1950s. The signed “S” mark on the crown also uses a font from Eisenhower-era Seiko models.

I’ve read a lot about this watch over the last three years. I’ve read about how the watch wears big on the wrist, and it does. I’ve read about the domed Hardlex crystal that is so hard to photograph, and it is. I’ve read about how the big hands are always easy to read, even in dim light, and they are.

One thing I haven’t seen anyone comment on is the whisker-thin second hand. It provides a delicate contrast to the bold hour and minute hands, and compliments the word Automatic written in cursive text.

I purchased my watch from my friend Seiya (here) at SeiyaJapan.com (GMT+9 interview with Seiya here). Seiko SARB031 has a perfect 5-star rating on Seiya’s site. And that’s with 23 people reviewing the watch. It’s unusual for so many to be so completely satisfied with any watch, at any price.

One blog comment I read said Seiko SARB031 should have been powered by a handwinding-only movement. I disagree. In the instruction booklet, Seiko calls this watch an “Automatic Mechanical.” That means it’s an auto, but also handwinds. Best of both worlds with the 6R15 caliber movement, released in 2005. The hacking second hand and 50-hour power reserve are pluses. And you gotta love those “Tokyo stripes.”

If the mid-to-late 1960s was the first “Golden Age” of Seiko automatic and mechanical watches, then the mid-to-late 2000s, continuing to the present, is the second. All eras come to an end, so let’s appreciate this one today while it’s still ticking along.

Keywords:Other watches watchesReplica watches|omega Chopard Breitling Rolex

I wrote about these watches individually on watchestrade.net but wanted to discuss the Boucheron Bestiary Ronde Seconds Folle collection as a whole here. I had a distinct thought when I first saw this collection. It took me back to being a child at Disney Land here in California. Disney had (and I don't know if they do anymore) the ability to create a distinct type of fantasy character often via anthropomorphic with the ability to create a fond sense of some type of ambiguous nostalgia. In a nutshell, that means classic Disney cartoon characters have a way of making you feel good and friendly, and you are not always sure why. I see a bit of of this sentiment in these cartoon-like animal character in the Boucheron Bestiary collection (really they could have used a better term that bestiary - seriously not friendly enough a term, plus we are talking about only three animals). This is especially evident in the frog and the owl. Is there not something a bit Disney-esque about them? Then there is what you cannot see in the images, the "crazy seconds" eye of the latter two models or the flying...fly of the Chameleon model. If you aren't familiar with the watches, here is what that is. Inside the watches is an exclusive Girard Perregaux GP 4000 automatic movement that has a small disc for the subsidiary seconds as opposed to a hand. This disc is used as the left eye on the frog or the owl (and the fly) which means that the pupil will be seen to spin around - like a googly eye. I get a reminder of the animatronic characters on Disney Land rides that had such simple movements I recall enjoying being able to spot as a child while in a boat surrounded by water and theme music. Maybe you agree with me, have no idea what I am talking about, or just don't see it. Regardless you have to enjoy the bright friendly colors used and the different application of luxury in these women's watches. Though at 42mm wide, a daring man could sport any of the Bestiary Ronde Seconde Folle collection watches withouth it looking petite on his wrist. There will be the girly colors to deal with though. With cases made of 18k gray gold, and use of a universe of precious stones including many diamonds, there are serious luxury jewelry watches. Still, there is such a tender and simple tone that is easy to appreciate about the watches. I see the choice of having two styles for each model interesting. It is as though Boucheron watches a crazy seconds watch, and a crazier seconds watch. The choice seems simple. The designers originally had a serious vision with a whole scene for the dial. Someone decided that the "scene" approach was too much, so there was a more sober model crafted for a more practical daily wear. The models with the dial design flowing onto the bezel captures the character and the environment. You can consider it one of those metaphors about being "outside of the box," but it is really a way of imbuing the most amount of character into the watch collection - the passion of the designer showing through. All made possible by the land of luxury where these things can be done because price is much less of an issue. What type of woman would wear these watches? Certainly not ever type of woman. I am not here to predict who would wear it, but I think it is clear that these watches are not for everyone, and that is likely how Boucheron likes it. Me too, because the richness of the watch world has room for models that some lust for and others loathe. Aside from the gray gold cases and many types of jewels the watches have either satin, galuchat (sting ray) straps. Overall, I appreciate this Boucheron lady's watch collection because it is able to be humorous about luxury. This is not the first time that Boucheron has had a Bestiary collection, or that they have does animals mixed with jewelry. But the humor is there and so is the fantasy. So I like these watch. Check out the invidiual articles for more information about each model via my Luxist articles here: -Boucheron Chameleon Ronde Seconde Folle Watch -Boucheron Frog Ronde Seconde Folle Watch -Boucheron Owl Ronde Seconde Folle Watch See Boucheron watches on eBay here. See Boucheron items on Amazon here.