Divers Marc & Apeks

Always on the lookout for affordable Divers watches, I was pleased to come across this offering from the German brand Marc & Sons. They usually deal exclusively from their online shop and pride themselves on value for money with this direct approach. Casting my eye over their range I liked this one as it manages to show a classic look with no frills, a good specification and good value too.

Marc & Sons Professional Diver, 300m MSD-033

This is the Marc & Sons Professional Automatic Diver model 300 M MSD-033 in Stainless Steel.

Technical data
– Reference Number: MSD-033
– Case: 316L stainless steel
– Stainless steel bracelet
– Lug width: 22.0 mm
– Double safety clasp with engraved logo
– Screw down crown
– black ceramic bezel – 120 clicks
– Automatic Movement Miyota caliber 8215
– Date at 3:00 clock position
– Dial: black
– Luminous hands and hour markers
– Indexes with Superluminova
– Helium valve on 10:00 o’clock position
– Scratch resistant sapphire crystal
– Screwed stainless steel back with engraved logo
– Pressure tested to 30 ATM

Strong luminous hands and markers, give good clarity. — Strong luminous hands and markers, plus clearly defined datum bezel marker.

Dimensions
– Diameter of the case: 42.5 mm (excluding crown)
– Complete case: 42.5 x 50.0 mm
– Height of the watch: 13.5 mm
– Total length: 25.5 cm
– Weight: 205 grams

The Miyota 8215 movement I suppose is a real workhorse and one of the most robust on the market, albeit not as refined as the ETA 2824-2 and it is NOT hacking, but personally this omission doesn’t cause me a problem. It’s still a good all round and solid performer and ideal for the Diver’s purpose. The power reserve on the Miyota is better than the ETA at some 45hrs and accuracy wise it’s fine for the job. I like the dial layout with the broad hands and combination of numerals, markers and color touches works just fine. Also impressive is the Dot second hand, a feature I’ve always liked. Look at the night image and the dial clarity is something else, very good with no distractions at all. Others should really take note! A good 120 click single rotation black ceramic bezel with clear markings makes for a very practical watch and at 300 m Water resistance the Helium valve becomes a useful feature.

Screwed Stainless Steel back , 300m Water Resistance and decent bracelet, shows quality. — Screwed Stainless Steel back , 300m Water Resistance and decent (Breitling like) bracelet, shows quality.

The inclusion of a Sapphire crystal is a nice bonus and overall the build quality is pretty good, so in the end you get a decent amount for the very affordable price of around £183.00 and I’d certainly be happy with this as an addition to my little Diver’s collection.

So one to watch – Marc & Sons and one that I confess I knew little off, so pleasantly surprised and good to see a solid performer at such a good price.

Mind you . . . . . . .
These days I look for the best possible value in Divers watches (my favorite Diver is the Apeks 200 m which I reviewed back in December 2013).
However if you’re in the market for a deep water watch, this model will take some beating – with believe it or not, another Apeks – the 1000 m Professional Mens Divers model.

Bargain Diver! The Apeks 1000m Mens Diver.

With a similar style to my older 200 m version this has a slightly heavier construction. In fact it has a bit of the Seiko Monster look about it and comes with a Helium escape valve that opens when the internal pressure is 4.5 Bar +/- 1.5 Bar higher than the external pressure. Also like the 200 m quartz powered and sports this time the Seiko-Epson VX42E date Quartz analogue movement. It also sports one of the better bracelets around – a Breitling-like solid stainless steel affair of excellent quality.

Now OK this may not quite have the same quality as the Marc in absolute terms, but this has a custom built quality specifically engineered to meet practical criteria and is totally fit for purpose. I have to think that for a sheer “value to purpose” ratio, there’s not much around to challenge it.

And once again this represents terrific value for money and available at the low price of £96.30 – and for that it just has to be a bargain!

Junkers Bauhaus classic

Well I’ve got it at last – the incentive being the Black Friday/Monday discount. The Classic Junkers 6060M-5 Bauhaus.

Time, Date, Power Reserve and 24 hr sub-dial from Junkers.

Bauhaus bridging the gap between art and industry by combining crafts and fine arts, this model absolutely fits the bill for me. The Bauhaus movement began in Germany in 1919 and was a style template for great things in all walks of life and a fusion of the practical and the aesthetic.

Here the concept is displayed in a rather stylish model and it has always attracted me and as I already love the Art Deco look, this suits my idea of what I want to wear. With a Stainless Steel 40 mm diameter case and around 11/12 mm height with a cream colored elegant dial, under a proprietary domed Hesalite crystal, this looks rather good.

Personally I would have preferred the watch to be thinner, but saying that, it’s OK. And this is not the first model I’ve had with Hesalite crystal which is actually quite good, glare free and extremely shatterproof, though conversely soft enough to scratch. The upside is that any scratches you do pick up can easily be polished out (if not too deep).

This Junkers Bauhaus version comes with a modified Citizen 9132, 26 Jewel Automatic movement,

Citizen 9132 Automatic with +40 hours reserve

beating at 28,800 vibrations per hour with Date aperture @3 and a decent Power Reserve of over 40 hours. An ultra smooth running center sweep Seconds hand in black and a 24 hr sub-dial featured @6 with a Date aperture @3, plus a Power Reserve indicator @12. The Date is adjusted by the center crown and features hacking (the watch stops whilst the crown is out to the second position) so accurate time setting is easy. Dot markers at 3, 6 and 9, are green luminescent, as is the infill area on the small Logo @12. The fine gold colored stick Hour and Minute hands are also luminous filled. Overall the dial is as Classic as you can get. The modified Citizen movement is a good choice in my opinion and in my experience can be remarkably accurate. Some reports indicate the rotor can be noisy, but this particular movement is no better or worse than my other automatics. This model features an exhibition back through which you can see the silver textured rotor movement and gives that little bit of added interest.

Chunky look accentuated by the Hesalite crystal.

The watch appears to have a close resemblance to the Max Bill series that I also like n that it shares the elegant yet simple dial layout which is uncluttered and practical. The 20 mm strap is slightly thinner than my previous Junkers and is good quality, though it’s a close run thing regarding the holes available and my 170 mm wrist. As I like to wear my watches snug to the wrist I might yet punch another hole.

Wearing the watch –
Even with original strap this watch is comfortable (at 40 mm diameter it’s just about the ideal dimension for a watch in my opinion). The watch being rather chunky also looks a little larger than it really is once on the wrist. Due mostly to the height of the case and also owing to the quite thick and rounded Hesalite crystal, easily 2 mm above the case (my wife thought it rather like the icing on top of a cake). However I like the general look of the watch and pleased to see that the large Logo which is prominent on many Junkers, is replaced with the name only plus a smaller Junkers logo as a marker @12, which is very unobtrusive.

Luminosity –
With green luminous paint applied just to the Logo @12 and the dot markers @3, 6 and 9 plus the infill on the very slim hands you would be forgiven thinking the watch was not so good at night. And you could not be more wrong. I found I could still read the time in darkness some 5 hours later and this was managed without artifice. Watch sitting under my bedside light table while I got ready for bed – perhaps 10 minutes? In other words in a very normal situation. I was very impressed.

Automatic in use –
As an automatic mechanical model the Citizen 9132 is very efficient and doesn’t take much wrist movement to wind it. Basically as soon as you put it on – it starts. If it’s been off the wrist for some time however it’s always a good thing to give it a wind or two with the crown to get it fully running.

Just to go back to the quietness of this movement –
I’m pleased to say that I don’t hear it at all on the wrist and only when pressed against my ear and I also don’t feel the rotor moving in normal wear. The movement itself via the exhibition back actually looks quite refined and not as utilitarian as they sometimes show.

So any down sides?
I suppose if I was picky I’d have to say I would like the watch to be thinner – I mean it looks as if it should be thinner, but it is chunky. In some images it looks really elegant – until you turn it sideways. Now I know it’s a silly point, but it really should be . . . . saying that I still like it and I have no real complaints at all and I’m very glad I have it. 🙂

Accuracy – I’ll report on this after a few days against my Radio Control watches, though it appears so far to be very good indeed and as expected.

Accuracy report –
As I guessed with the Miyota 9132 movement, it lives up to expectations for a movement that came out as an alternative to the Swiss ETA 2824 calibres. The Miyota 9100 series was introduced as an affordable alternative a while ago and as the Swiss maker ETA policy was to cease supplying movements/arts to all and sundry, somebody had to fill the vacuum – and very successfully too. As for time keeping this Junkers Miyota movement manages between 3 and 5 seconds (fast) per day and that’s straight out of the box. Unsure whether Pointec (Junkers Agency) have time adjusted it at all, but I’d say it’s easily as good practically as the old ETA 2824 and certainly in this limited complication.

Can’t help but think ETA made a bit of a misjudgment ( could even be suicidal) with this Policy, as it was inevitable that the Asian/Japanese brands would step up to the plate and produce not only a movement to rival ETA, but at a fraction of the cost. In my view the customer benefits tremendously, certainly on new models. My sympathies go out to pre-owned collectors and existing owners regarding the cost of repair and replacement parts for original ETA movements.

Quote –
Competition is always a good thing. It forces us to do our best. A monopoly renders people complacent and satisfied with mediocrity.

Nancy Pearcey

How true . . . . . . . . . . . . . 🙂

Junkers GMT Chronograph

As I like luminous watches and with World timer data on the dial, this Junkers model looked of interest. This is the very new Junkers 6892-5 GMT Chronograph, which manages to have that Classic look about it, but perhaps a little more modern than many in the Junkers range. It also seems to promise some sort of travel practicality that might be useful to me as I still travel quite a bit these days. This particular model unfortunately is not mechanical but does feature the highly accurate Swiss ETA G10-962, 4 jewel Quartz movement, which I can more or less set and forget.

Junkers 6892-5 Worldtimer, Date Chronograph. — Junkers 6892-5 ‘Worldtimer’, Date Chronograph. GMT sub-dial with Time Zones index.

The satin finished Stainless Steel case is well sized at 42 mm diameter (45 mm including crown) x 12 mm height, with a cream dial and a decent Water Resistance of 10 ATM or 100 m and comes across as a practical dress watch in function and looks.

However, as I found out this in not what we call a “world Timer” model. Basically this model shows a time zone index (time zones as + 1, + 2 etc.) inscribed on what is really a GMT (or local time list) sub-dial. Incidentally this information is duplicated on the watch back, so other than a piece of time zone data, it has no mechanical function whatsoever. Unlike some other World time models there isn’t a WT complication feature ie; to move the hands instantly to another time zone using a pusher.
Indeed you could be forgiven for mistaking the “Red” coloured upper right pusher for such a complication, but alas it is simply the usual start/stop chronograph function and a hands reset feature.

You can alter the GMT dial to show your home Zone, by pulling the crown out to position 2, press the red pusher and use either it or the lower pusher to move the pointer in single stages or 15 minute increments.

The Chronograph function is quite decent, with split time and so on, (minutes are indicated by the Local time dial @2) and is started and stopped by the top “Red” pusher – I suppose just to highlight the chrono function start.

So, overall whilst a nice Date and Chronograph watch, don’t mistake this for a word timer.

Junkers with alternative deployment strap - Note RED pusher? — Junkers with alternative deployment strap – *Note* – RED chrono start pusher.

The next feature highlighted in the specification is the luminous cream coloured dial. It advertises two forms of luminous ability. Firstly the broad luminous and elegantly shaped Hour and Minute hands are apparently Super-Luminova coated and the entire dial surface is coated in Super-luminova. This, according to the advertising should give this model outstanding readability in total darkness. Note the numerals/indices are made of contrasting black Anthracite.

However, knowing the often lack-lustre luminous quality of previous Junkers watches (I have three older models) I’m curious to see if it does in fact live up to the luminous potential.

So, as usual I performed my usual at home practical test – which is – Just before retiring I set the watch on my bedside table and shoot off the the bathroom for a wash and get ready for bed (I know this is mundane, yes? but that’s life!). This perhaps takes around 10 minutes and during this time the watch is sitting under and facing dial up towards my bedside table lamp and the luminous dial is being charged.
And sure enough with lights out, the entire watch face is lit up brightly and the hands are silhouetted black with a good contrast against it and you can read the time perfectly. Really impressive and so far so good and the time was 01:30am.

However, at 02:40 in the morning, whilst the dial still had some luminescence, the Hand contrast was much reduced and though I could still make out the time, it wasn’t that easy. However, at 03:45 I could not make out the time at all, the hands effectively having the same tone as the now, very faint dial background and it was not possible to read the time. So the effective night use is only about 1½ hours and after that it’s unreadable.

The problem is that the hands are not black, but only black edged and have an infill, which is supposed to be luminous but don’t actually appear to be. So, if after a night out you leave the bright lights inside and walk out in the dark to your car, the watch is fine and you’ll see it OK, as your talking minutes here, not 2 hours. But as an all night job, forget it.
The watch seems to have an issue – either make the hands decently luminous against a normal dial or 2, or make the hands solid black against the luminous dial and here Junkers have managed neither very well.

Note -As regards the dials – just a note – it is really quite complicated to set and reset hands and dials. You will need to refer to the instructions.

I do wish when Brands promote a luminous quality, they would do it properly so the luminous effect works for a decent period of time. Under 2 hours is not, in my opinion, good enough today.

I attach some real photos of the GMT Chronograph for you that show the watch as it is, rather than web page style images, which can be so misleading.

Note, this watch came with a very good quality leather strap and buckle, and is full size (made for large people) and I’m just a 170 mm wrist. On the very last hole it’s still too big and as a consequence doesn’t tighten effectively, unless you start punching holes in it, which I’d rather not do.
In my case I replaced the strap with a silicon deployment which better suited me. The watch then fits neatly against the wrist and the strap is as it should be, unobtrusive and neat.

So OK, a nice watch, Date Chronograph with centre seconds hand, a GMT subsidiary (data only) dial with some (very small) City Zone time markings around it and that’s about it. No real “World time” functionality and the much vaunted luminous features not as expected and ultimately disappointing. Which is a shame as it is a very good looking watch.
In short, had the luminous feature come up to scratch and the GMT featured a genuine world time function that moved the Hour hand to a selected Time Zone for example, then this would have been a really good buy.

As it is, it didn’t and it wasn’t . . . . . . . BUT of course, if you simply want a nice looking, good quality and accurate watch, with a decent movement that shows the date as well – then you’re in business. As I say, it is a very good looking watch.

Infantry value?

Once again I delve into the world of really cheap watches with this second model of the Infantry brand I’ve acquired. The last one was given to me by a friend a year ago (I featured it in August 14) and has proved OK and hasn’t let me down, is accurate and actually looks pretty good. My pal doesn’t often give gifts, but at $12 he wasn’t killing himself! LOL . . . .

Infantry Model IN-044 - clear display Day & Date. — Infantry Model IN-044 – clear display Day & Date.

It will be interesting to see if this one which I’ve found recently is as satisfying – and on first impressions I’d say it looks not too bad. A bit lightweight, with a coated metal case but offered at a price of just £14.24 including FREE delivery to the UK from Hong Kong, it might be a bargain.

The Maker’s description says – IN.044 model Infantry Day/Date Quartz Nite Luminous with nylon strap, images are as shown. With a round 40 mm x 11 mm matte black colour resin case, good sized crown @3, luminous Arabic numerals, Hour, Minute and centre Seconds plus a 24 hr dial set and a good sized Day/Date window @3, the watch has very much a classic look.
Note the Day & Date feature has a quick set Crown adjustment on the first pull out click point. The crystal is flat, described as anti-scratch glass, which it might or might not be? It is however very clear and with barely any reflection. The crown action seems VERY light, so I have to assume the Quartz movement is a very small one sitting, probably looking a bit lost in this case. And so it was, my assumption being correct.

Good size at 40 mm diameter and just 11 mm thickness makes for a neat watch.

Note the dial markers are on a second level to the numerals and there is a white arrow datum mark within the dial@12.

The screwed back however, isn’t – it looks like it is with the indents for a tool suggesting it’s screwed, but so obviously a simple and rather thin “snap” back, hence the quoted Water Resistance of just 3ATM – and after unsnapping that back – I would doubt even that so I’d stay away from water.

Conversely a nice OK quality 22 mm wide nylon fabric strap is supplied and it has a solid and signed steel pin buckle completes the look, which overall is quite pleasing.
The movement is listed as a precision Japanese Quartz and appears to be a generic Seiko/Epson or lookalike type and as these day they rarely have issues, it seems accurate enough.

Stainless screw back - 3ATM Water Resistance - note the spelling of model? — Stainless “screw” back? – Don’t be fooled! – it’s actually a rather thin metal snap back and at 3atm no swimming please!

So overall I’m OK with this watch, and although cheap made, it works as it should. In reality it looks far better than it is, but without gimmicks and for value it’s pretty matchless.

Quality wise, OK the back is a bit thin and the “snap” is weak, so water resistance is minimal. The Luminous quality – which I thought at first was probably not good enough – was in fact quite reasonable – and that did surprise me!
It manages ‘a good few hours’ though does lessen as the night goes on, but maybe my old eyesight has a portion of the blame.

So how I do rate it?

Well it’s VERY cheap, but it looks remarkably good and it works. It’s Quartz, so is reasonably accurate, the Day and Date operate as they should – and at £14.00 is about as cheap as you can get. The watch back has never come off inadvertently, so the snap back holds and has never fallen off, so . . my verdict.

I rather like it.

“Keep it forever” watch?

So what’s your “keep it forever” watch? Do you have one? Are you even lucky enough to have one?

Mine is a no brainer – it’s my old 1999 Breitling Aerospace Titanium – and for me there’s nothing to touch it. Some of my other models come close, true, but nothing beats it.

Breitling Aerospace Minute Repeater 1998 vintage — Breitling Aerospace Minute Repeater 1999 vintage

For me it has one of the best dial layouts you will ever see. Easy to read analog with that so clever overhang minute hand, but also superb clarity of digital (and not many watches manage both I can tell you). Still after 16 years a decent luminous analog even with such narrow and fine hands and on wrist is both light and slim (later models are larger and thicker). And I can’t agree with those that say Titanium doesn’t last or it scratches badly, as this watch shows today as good as it was when I bought it. It IS smooth I admit so there is obviously some wear there, but it’s simply smoothed those brand new edges and has mellowed with wrist/clothing wear and time. Like that old penknife that’s worn smooth in your hand, but always with you.

I love the fact that under that extreme anti-reflective Sapphire crystal and clear window, sits that highly unusual LCD screen with it’s a polarization-sensitive dichroic filter. This allows the LCDs to display in “inverted mode”, which in turn gives that wonderfully clear and bright “gold” text on the dark background – so good in any light. And as quartz movements go this Breitling customized ETA module is very accurate.

The solid link Ti bracelet still operates perfectly even after 16 years and is so smooth to wear it’s the most comfortable watch I own. Whether used as a dress watch or a practical outdoor watch it fits the bill every time and looks good!

OK It’s not Solar, but to change the battery every 5 or 7 years is no big deal and with a small amount of lubricant on the rubber seal, during the change, the 100 m Water Resistance remains intact.

This is absolutely my No.1 “keep forever” watch.

Of course we all have different ideas on what features a watch should have, though many folks go for the latest, or the most complicated function wise, regardless of the basic requirements that perhaps more honestly we actually might use.

A good tip (I think so anyway) is that for a “keep it forever” watch you would be well advised to look at Diver’s models, as these can easily be the most practical watches you will ever buy AND at reasonable cost.

Lot's of Divers - all super clear, Water Resistant, Tough, luminous and difficult to beat. — Lot’s of Divers – all super clear, Water Resistant, Tough, luminous and difficult to beat.

I have over a dozen models and quite a few meet not only my personal criteria (Easy to read, good Water Resistance, Luminous, Tough), but could well be that “once in a lifetime” model that never leaves your wrist. These can be mechanical or quartz, Solar or not, some with Date and Day and some you could knock nails in with!

My Breitlng Areospace - taken today where it usually is - on my wrist. — My vintage 1999 Breitlng Areospace – image taken today where it usually is – on my wrist.

Now just to sort out you doubters about the condition of my old Breitling – just to be clear – this image above was taken 2 minutes ago on my wrist and as I Post. Still looking good and probably if being entirely honest with myself and considering I collect watches (why do I do it?), maybe and truly this is the only watch I should have. It suits me and does everything I need (and more actually), and does it all subtly and without fuss and fits my wrist size perfectly – What more can you ask?

Analog value

For pure value there’s not much to touch the digital range from Casio, but of course they also make Analog watches too – or had we forgotten.

Casio MRW200H-BVEF 100m Water Resistance Day and Date with lume - pretty good! — Casio MRW200H-BVEF 100m Water Resistance Day and Date with lume – pretty good!

And here they offer quite incredible value AND a reliability that probably no other Brand can achieve at this price point. Here’s one that caught my eye – the MRW-200H-1BVEF, basically as it is a Day AND date display watch AND it features luminous hands (another feature that so many of the cheap alternatives out their can’t seem to offer).

Casio have a few different color/style options of the same basic watch (MRW-200HC-4BVEF etc), so can just about match anyones preferences, which has to be good marketing.

Same again but with Red Resin strap. Also available in black/green combination.

This model also manages a decent 100 m Water Resistance, which reinforces their very sound resin case, seal and metal back set up, which is both simple and effective.

And at these prices it’s difficult (I’d say impossible actually) to see what if anything offers better value.

These are presently on offer for around the £15.00 mark!

Now be honest – that’s just incredible value for a watch that is NOT a junior effort, but a decent 44.6 mm diameter with a rather neat 11.6 mm thickness – should look great on any wrist.

Vector – It’s about time.

Smart watches are becoming the “must” item to wear and the technology is sweeping forward despite the severe battery limitations, which have sadly not yet been resolved.

Vector Luna - the discrete Smart watch — Vector Luna – the discreet Smart watch

However a different approach has been championed by the Vector smart watch brand as in the case of the Luna model shown here. Sticking with limited functions and a monochrome display, no touch screen and conventional “watch” pushers, this model manages 30 days easily.

It also displays the Time permanently, so is a proper watch, a discreet Smart watch if you will and that’s a concept that appeals to me. I also love the fact it looks like a watch, behaves like a watch and doesn’t need charged every few days. The fact that within the top (the CEO no less) management of the company is ex Timex, explains much of the “this is a watch” concept and means a watch at 42 mm diameter by 11 mm depth should fit most wrists. A hardened mineral crystal and 50 metres Water Resistance also adds confidence on the model’s longevity.

Vector Luna - bracelet or strap versions — Vector Luna – bracelet or strap versions

Smart applications include Notifications from your Smart Phone, be it iPhone, Android or indeed Windows and such a choice is highly commendable in comparison to others. A few different alternative watch faces, calendar reminders, basic activity tracking and basic alarms and so on are available and can be customized to a certain extend by the Vector App which resides on your phone. In short it manages to provide you with features that you might actually use and not a silly mass of images and functionality that you a) don’t really need and b) drain your battery.

Vector App stream for Phone - easy to use and operate. — Vector App stream for Phone – easy to use and operate.

A refreshing change I’d say and shows us a Company with a clear vision of what they want from their product, unlike some, who throw in the kitchen sink regardless of practicality or battery usage concerns.

It’s also early days with Vector and I’m sure that subsequent versions will refine the functionality, features and display capability, hopefully without endangering the usability of the watch.

I like it.

Prices range from around £200 to £340, which seems to me to be pretty competitive – and there’s nothing to touch it out there for battery life – so Hey! it’s not a bad deal!

Note – As you will no doubt have figured out, I’ve not been a great advocate of the so called “Smart” watches and in particular at the stage these seems to be at. I’ve always been of the opinion that we the buyer are financing development costs for products that are still at the “work in progress” stage. However with the Vector some sense has prevailed and this is a watch which manages to give the wearer firstly a watch, then some sensible connectivity to most cell Phone systems with functions that we might actually use.

But as ever technology marches on and in the case of Smart technology the march has turned into a rush – so what next? Tomorrow, next week . . . . . Time will tell.

Brit design

Nick Munro studied engineering and design at Nottingham University, Imperial College of Science and Technology and The Royal College of Art, London and in 2011, Nick launched his first collection of fashion accessories – the 12:19 watches inspired by the precision and accuracy of the Tokyo railway system.

The 12:19 Nick Brown watch — The 12:19 Nick Munro watch

Found these neat models whilst looking at what was on offer from the “design” aspect of watches available and came across Nick Munro’s range. Quite impressed with the simplicity and neatness of the range and the tidy range of color variations available. Red, Yellow, Green and Blue, with either mesh or leather bracelets.

The dials are simple with good clarity, black hands against the lighter dial background, black seconds hand and a small date aperture @3. A clear view Sapphire crystal, Japanese Quartz movement with date.

Not for night reading but simple a neat pleasing fashion watch for day use that has something rather pleasing about it. Not mainstream, not overly designed, perhaps slightly quirky, but only just and will I’m sure get a few looks from your friends.

The models shown here – are the Square Yellow (or Green, or Blue, or Red) braid Strap Watch series which were inspired by the accuracy and elegance of the Japanese station clock apparently.

Dimensions are 35 mm diameter, Water Resistance – 30 metres and finished in brushed Stainless Steel.

Priced at £125 in the UK they are not unreasonable and just that bit different.

The range can be seen HERE.

Yachting colors

Unfortunately I’m not into yachting, but if I was there are quite a few different styles of yacht “timer” watch models around that might well tempt me.

Timex Yacht Timer - great for showing off your colors! — Timex Yacht Timer – great for showing off your colors!

The smartest of all at the moment seems to be this Timex TW2P73100 from their Intelligent Quartz® Yacht Racer PRO series and it comes in a few different colors, possibly to match the sails of your yacht? (note – I did feature this briefly in March earlier this year, but now after seeing it – I like it and the video says it all!)

This seems to have everything the yacht enthusiast would want, such as direct 5, 3 and 1 minute countdowns after which the Chronograph starts. (Note it’s a 1 hour chronograph). The last 5 seconds of any countdown features audible alerts. Not being a “yachty” however, I’d have to rely on others as to these functions usefulness – but Hey, they certainly look the part and are relatively inexpensive as are most of the Timex range.

Yacht Racing Mode
Count-Down Timer to Auto Start Chronograph
Perfect Date (Perpetual Calendar)
Silicon Strap
100 Meter Water Resistance.
Color options aplenty!
Attachment Buckle/Clasp Type: Buckle
Attachment Color: Black
Attachment Material: Silicone
Attachment Type: Strap
Case Accent Color: Black
Case Color: Black
Case Finish: Brushed
Case Height: 14 mm
Case Lug Width: 22 mm
Case Material: Stainless Steel
Case Shape: Round
Case Size: Full-Size
Case Width: 47 mm
Crystal/Lens: Mineral Glass
Dial Color: Orange
Dial Luminant Hands: Luminant Hands
Dial Markings: Markers (Full)
Features: Chronograph
Warranty: 1 Year Limited
Watch Movement: Quartz Analog
Water Resist: 100 meters
Want a touch of gold? the smart dress option.

Most of the data here apart from color and so on will be shared across all the models shown and I like the fact that the models are not too large – a failing of some I’m afraid, but Timex have managed a reasonable compromise of function to size. Each model features their “perfect date” where the calendar is programmed to 2060 and is always correct and visible on selecting the appropriate pusher. The unique bi-direction center hand provides the countdown starts, chronograph and a perfect date you’ll never have to set. I love it when a watch model is geared specifically to a certain task and this one seems super cool.

Here is a nice video shown below that explains the operations better than I can –

See more at: http://www.timex.co.uk/watches/intelligent-quartz-yacht-racer-pro-tw2p73100au#sthash.thG9hgWe.dpuf

Colourwise I probably prefer the multi-color dial version (yellow strap (as video) or the dressy version) as the dial colours seem to work very well clarity wise.

Incidentally I love the way the indicated function lights up in the video – just video license I’m afraid and this doesn’t happen in reality – but Hey you can’t have everything!

So do I need one? – not really.
Am I into yachting? – nope.
Should I get one? – well I time my eggs in the morning . . . . . will that do?

Any excuse – every time!

Wenger Commando Day Date

There’s something about the Wenger Commando (quartz) that does it for me every time I see it. It just looks right and whilst I love the classic look of the chrono, for me as I hardly ever use such a feature, the button-less Day and Date version I feature here, has to be a sure fire winner – and at reasonable cost.

Swiss made and basically what you see is what you get – no gimmicks, no extraneous stuff, but a watch that will live with you and give great service, day or night.

This watch has a dial that others envy I’m sure as it is clarity, clarity, clarity! Wonderful bright green Super Luminova hands and indices with a Day and Date window @3 and a reasonably large easily operated crown and all set in a smooth black Ion plated stainless steel case with a silicon rubber buckle strap. The dial under the Sapphire coated crystal seems larger than it really is, as it takes up most of the 40 mm diameter case and with a depth of under 12 mm the watch also manages to be a really neat wrist fit.

Water Resistance is pretty good too at 100m with a polished stainless steel engraved screw back.

Like the Swiss Army Knife, the Wenger Commando Day Date model is also dependable and practical and does it’s job very well, no more, no less and with all the stuff that appears one minute and gone the next today, there’s something comforting about that.

A Victorinox Group company yet with their own independent model range including of course the Swiss Army Knife.

I confess to having a Commando model some years ago and as a collector it happened to be one of those I moved on, to facilitate my new collections ideas. A decision I did regret I have to say even at the time. However as with all “good” things, it’s still available and as pleasing now as it was then, so I’m pretty sure as it’s priced around £170 in the UK, I’ll be wearing one in the not too distant future.