Deployant
Review: Ball Engineer II Volcano
Review of the Ball Engineer II Volcano with hands-on analysis and live high resolution photographs.
Results for Rolex Explorer II
3,098 articles · 117 videos found · page 65 of 108
Deployant
Time+Tide
IN-DEPTH: The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Flyback Chronograph Ocean Commitment II
The story in a second Blancpain has upped the ante on last year’s excellent Ocean Commitment watch, with a second – even bluer – limited edition. These days it’s not unique for a watch brand to have a corporate social responsibility program, usually tied in with a limited edition product. Few, however, do it with … ContinuedThe post IN-DEPTH: The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Flyback Chronograph Ocean Commitment II appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
GONE IN 60 SECONDS: Blancpain makes a splash with the Ocean Commitment II
[su_vimeo url=”https://vimeo.com/192993206″] There are a few things everyone in the Time+Tide office can get behind 100 per cent: coffee, classic ’70s rock and blue watches. In fact, we spent a good portion of 2015 quietly losing it over how stunning Blancpain’s Bathyscaphe Ocean Commitment was, with its lustrous blue dial and grey ceramic case. So when … ContinuedThe post GONE IN 60 SECONDS: Blancpain makes a splash with the Ocean Commitment II appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
Review: Credor Eichi II
Review: Credor Eichi II. A hands-on analytical review of the elusive watch from Seiko's Micro Artisan Studios. High res pics, comparisons, specs and price.
Deployant
Modestly priced watches: Hamilton Jazzmaster Face to Face II
A close look at the fascinating, yet modestly priced Hamilton Jazzmaster Face to Face II. Is it an alternative to the revered Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso?
Deployant
Review: Oris Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition II
Hands-on analytical review of the newly launched Oris Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition II, with comparative landscape survey and live high res photos.
Deployant
Product Launch: Oris Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition II
Product launch of the Oris Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition II in the Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of Queensland, Australia.
Deployant
Pre Baselworld 2016: Oris Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition II
Another Pre Baselworld 2016 novelty from Oris: the Great Barrier Reef Limited Edition II.
Deployant
Unusual Rolex Daytona Cosmograph 116520
A showcase of an unusual Rolex Daytona Cosmograph 11650 equipped with an after market sapphire caseback to show off the C.4130 inhouse chronograph.
Revolution
Baselworld 2015: Breitling Updates To Superocean II With New Dial Colours And Sizes
For Basel this year, Breitling updates its SuperOcean line with the introduction of Superocean II, a bolder, better and more option varied range for diving watch fans out there. The main changes that have been implemented are a complete design refresh, partly based on feedback from customers of the previous Superocean line, with little tweaks to […]
Revolution
BaselWorld 2014: Omega Relaunches The Speedmaster Mark II
Well, it’s only January and already Omega fans and Speedmaster lovers have something to get excited about: Omega is re-launching the much-beloved Speedmaster Professional Mark II. The Speedmaster Mark II was first introduced in 1969, with the same movement as the existing Speedmaster, and was, like the original Speedmaster, marked “Professional.” It used the same […]
Hodinkee
Bring a Loupe: A Movado Polyplan, An Impossible Rolex 1680, And A Full Set Patek 3970
William Stafford wrote, "I'd just as soon be pushed by events to where I belong." While I wouldn't claim it is great or wise to have a single line from a single poem weigh too heavily on anyone's life, those dozen words have exerted a monumental pull in my own existence. I'm not by nature much of a planner, and the line offered itself as a little sophisticated rejoinder I could tell myself when confronting my chaotic life, but I also think the wisdom the line offers is useful. And you're sitting there at your computer or on your phone going "Dude, I came here to see watches, not some diatribe about poetry or chaos or whatever," but the line, oddly, has played out in my own life in watches more than anywhere else. If you're familiar with Bring A Loupe as it has existed over the years, you've maybe noticed I include fewer dealer picks than was common in the past, and I am 100% blaming a line from an old poem for that. While I know there's nothing inherently better or worse about buying watches through auctions or dealers, auctions are most interesting to me because of their inherent unpredictability. Over a decade ago, a vintage Tudor Ranger popped up on eBay. It was cheap enough that I wouldn't lose money selling it if I didn't like it, so I bought it. I thought nothing at all of whether I loved the watch, had never had any deep desire for that particular model—it's just what was there, that day. Most of the watches I've fallen hardest for—a '69 Speedmaster on Craigslis...
Hodinkee
In-Depth: The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Reference 126502 In Rolesium With Enamel Dial And Grey Bezel
I'm not sure anyone saw this one coming...
Fratello
Hands-On With The New Oris Aquis New York Harbor Limited Edition II
We know Oris as a watchmaking company dedicated to reducing its environmental impact and supporting good causes around the globe. Today, I got a chance to go hands-on with the brand’s latest effort in that spirit. This is the Oris Aquis New York Harbor Limited Edition II. This 2,000-piece limited edition supports the Billion Oyster […] Visit Hands-On With The New Oris Aquis New York Harbor Limited Edition II to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
A Collector’s Retrospective: Two Years Wearing the Arcanaut Arc II
I purchased my first Arcanaut, the Arc II Fordite, on April 29, 2023. I know the exact date thanks in part to Instagram, where I documented the acquisition, as one does, at that year’s Windup Watch Fair in San Francisco. In the two years and change that I’ve owned the Arc II, my fondness for it has only grown, and Arcanaut has become, to put it plainly, one of my very favorite watch brands. I wrote a pretty thorough review of the Arc II a few months after buying it, and scrolling through it today I really can’t see any particular assertion I’d take back now that I’ve lived with it for even longer. But I thought two years would be a good time return to the watch and evaluate it again, this time in context with another Arcanaut that I added to my collection at the end of last year: the Experimental Arc II Tiger Sh’arc. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Zach Kazan (@zkazan) The first thing I’ll say here about the Tiger Sh’arc is how unlikely, under normal circumstances, that I’d choose to own one. I don’t have a strict “no duplicates” rule when it comes to keeping multiple watches from a single brand in my collection, but it’s something I’m a bit leery of. As someone who generally speaking prioritizes variety and originality in my watchbox, owning two or more watches by one maker ultimately seems like a waste of (my) resources. My philosophy has always been that I want to experience as much as possible. How different could one Arc ...
SJX Watches
Insight: Hairspring Materials and Evolution Part II
Part I of our story on the evolution of hairspring materials covered temperature compensation along with the development of the first specialised balance spring alloy, Elinvar. The story brought us to the 1920s, when scientist and horologist Charles-Edouard Guillaume (1861-1938) finished his work on nickel-iron alloys and watchmakers begun embracing Elinvar springs paired with mono-metallic balances. In this second part we turn to newer hairspring alloys, like the now-ubiquitous Nivarox. Then we look at today’s landscape and the future, touching on research done by the Swatch Group with alternative, niobium-based alloys and also the specialised but obscure Seiko SPRON 610 hairspring. Lastly we discuss silicon springs, which are growing more prevalent across a range of timepieces. Elinvar’s weaknesses Elinvar was by far the greatest breakthrough in self-compensating alloy hairsprings at the time. Guillaume considered Elinvar good enough and not needing further improvement - unsurprisingly since he was its inventor - but other watchmakers and engineers continued to experiment with iron-nickel compounds because Elinvar’s inherent properties made it a good, but imperfect, material. Even though the alloy behaved predictably with temperature changes, its physical properties were not ideal to begin with. Elinvar was a soft metal, which posed its own suite of problems for spring applications. The importance of softness in terms of hairspring performance is not related ...
Worn & Wound
Hands-On: The MK II Fulcrum 39
One of my favorite games to play when visiting family is something I like to call “Guess, That, Price!” Here’s how it works: I excitedly dump out my rolls and pouches to reveal to the group what watches I have in for review at that time. They then pour over the details, proudly identifying the features of each watch, and then guess the retail price of each piece to see who comes the closest. On my most recent episode of “Guess, That, Price!” I had with me a trio of watches, one of which being the new MK II Fulcrum 39. As it made its rounds, they began calling out features such as the bezel action, the weight of the watch, and the overall rugged visual appearance. When prompted, the three contestants gave me their estimated MSRP of $22,000, $26,000, and finally $31,000. Yes, they are pretty bad at this game. However, what they lack in accuracy is made up for in providing an interesting data point for me. This watch has the potential to carry a higher perceived value than its actual asking price which is not something that typically happens. It pushed me to explore the watch further. From the outset, I’ll admit I was a little disappointed with the new Fulcrum. A massive fan of MK II and Tornek-Rayville, I had inflated expectations that this piece would blow me away. To put it bluntly, this is my least favorite watch they have produced to date. I hate that I am writing that, and I hate that I am admitting that, but at the end of the day sometimes things fall sho...
SJX Watches
Chronicles of Precision: The Quest for Equation of Time Part II
Continuing from part I of the history of the equation of time. In the late 17th century, London’s clockmaking landscape experienced a remarkable surge of innovation and collaboration, fuelled by interactions among prominent horologists and the broader scientific community. Among this period’s leading figures were Christian Huygens and Robert Hooke, who made substantial strides in crafting clocks that could precisely display solar time without the need for cumbersome equation tables. This era marked the advent of the equation cam, a revolutionary mechanism designed to reconcile the disparities between solar time and mean time. Inspired by the analemma-a figure-eight pattern illustrating the Sun’s varying positions in the sky throughout the seasons-these mechanisms featured a distinctive mathematically calculated kidney-shaped cam, symbolising a pivotal step forward in horological precision and accuracy. At the heart of this innovation lies the cam and lever mechanism, an integral component of the invention. It comprises a shaft propelled by the clock’s mechanism, completing a full rotation annually. Affixed to this shaft is a meticulously crafted kidney-shaped cam, tailored precisely to match the annual fluctuations outlined by the equation. This cam engages with a follower and a connected lever, facilitating the seamless translation of its rotational motion into practical adjustments within the timepiece. Drawing of an equation pendulum by Ferdinand Berthoud (1...
Hodinkee
HODINKEE Radio: Talking Vintage Rolex And Offbeat Finds With Fred Savage
Ben and I catch up with the actor and director on what he's collecting nowadays.
Monochrome
Introducing – Chinese Indie Watchmaker Qin Gan Releases The Delectable Pastorale II
I’ve been saying it for years now; watchmaking is a universal trade. Gone are the days when it was for the Swiss only, or even Europe for that matter. These days, with virtually no boundaries thanks to the online world, there’s surprising and exciting watchmaking to be found all over the globe. Take China for […]
Worn & Wound
Rolex, Cartier, and the Competitive Edge: the Watches of Challengers
Before I hop into the watches in “Challengers” and how they play into the movie, I want to establish an important fact about me - I am not a sports fan, much less a tennis fan. However, this movie wasn’t really about tennis, was it? This is more a movie about the loss of innocence to the nature of competition. Now that is something I can understand, and I’d wager you can too. Many of us are pushed to be competitive from a young age. Whether it be through sports, academics, the competition over jobs, success in the arts, or even in love, the spirit of competition is implanted early, and if you’re not careful it can take over. And yes, when it comes to the consumption of competition, watches can play a role. We all start out wide-eyed and accepting of others, the concept of “prejudice” or an “enemy” is not innate but instilled through slow infiltration. At the start, the characters in Challengers are exactly this - hopeful and innocent. Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) and Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor) are former boarding school friends and roommates turned tennis teammates. They are close friends whose relationship extends both on and off court. Patrick is established as the naturally better tennis player at the beginning of their careers, but his love and respect for his friend Art is evident. In an early scene the two win a doubles match, but are then discussing a singles match they have the next day against one another where Art asks if Patrick woul...
Hodinkee
Introducing: The Rolex Deepsea Goes Full Gold (And Blue)
A new Ringlock system in ceramic plus an RLX titanium caseback underscores this new pro diver of the deep.
SJX Watches
The Ulysse Nardin Freak – The Saga of a Scientific Timepiece Part II
Having explored the origins of the Ulysse Nardin Freak, from its concept by Carole Forestier Kasapi to its realisation by Dr Ludwig Oechslin, we now turn to the Freak’s more recent innovations, starting with the Dual Ulysse Escapement. [This story explains the evolution of the unique, high-performance escapement of the Freak. Part I, covers the origins of the Freak, from its conception to realisation, as well as its distinguishing characteristics, namely the inventive movement construction and innovative escapement. Part III details the history of silicium, the proprietary Ulysse Nardin silicium hairspring, and the patented Grinder rotor.] A new and improved version of the Dual Direct escapement in the original 2001 Freak, the Dual Ulysse made its debut in 2005 inside the Freak 28’000 V/H, colloquially known as the Freak 2. Slightly larger than the original model but otherwise very similar, the Freak 2 operated at 28,000 beats per hour (4 Hz), a higher frequency than the 21,600 beats per hour (3 Hz) of the original Freak. One of the factors which made possible the increase in frequency was the revised escapement christened the Dual Ulysse Escapement. A diagram showing the key parts of the Dual Ulysse Escapement. Image – Ulysse Nardin The Dual Ulysse Escapement Another creation of Dr Oechslin’s, the Dual Ulysse departs from the classical natural escapement à la Breguet that the original Dual Direct Escapement was based on, but it still bears some resemblance to its...
Quill & Pad
Commissioning a Watch: My Journey with the Kari Voutilainen Masterpiece Chronograph II – Reprise
An informal group of Northern California watch collectors, all owners of at least one Kari Voutilainen watch, met for lunch. One of the members of the group nonchalantly mentioned, "I've been talking with Kari about something . . ." It was a set of bespoke Kari Voutilainen Masterpiece Chronograph II models. GaryG's response two seconds later: "I'm in!"
Hodinkee
Auctions: A Lifelong Enthusiast Is Selling His Collection Of Panerai And Rolex
Alan "Hammer" Bloore on selling his watches – "When I hold these watches, the last thing I think about is what time it is, but rather the stories they tell."
Worn & Wound
Arcanaut Introduces the Arc II D’Arc Matter Colours Collection
Regular readers are likely familiar with (or perhaps deeply bored by) my personal affection for Arcanaut, the Copenhagen based brand that is responsible for what is certainly my own personal favorite watch acquisition of the year. I wrote about how the Arc II Fordite kind of broke my brain and changed my perception of what’s possible when it comes to accessible creativity mixed with real craft back in July, and I’m happy to say that watch is still a regular part of the rotation and continues to be deeply rewarding to own. So I was excited to see a press release find its way to my inbox recently for the latest release from Arcanaut, the Arc II D’Arc Matter Colours Collection. If your reaction to an Arcanaut like mine, with a sterile but psychedelic dial made of reclaimed car paint, is that the case looks great but you just need something to clearly delineate the actual time, these new watches might be worth taking a look at. Even though they clearly have a very different presentation than the Arc II Fordite, they still convey all the charm that makes the brand so interesting. The Colours Collection returns to a motif that Arcanaut first shared in 2021, with a clean slate dial that couldn’t be more different than the wild and unpredictable Fordite dials they’ve been dabbling with over the last year. The dials have a subtle texture, and are finished in Sweden by James “Black Badger” Thompson, whose title at Arcanaut is Chief of Materials Research. A fitting ti...
Quill & Pad
Seiko Credor Kumakawa Worldtimer: a genuine Rolex beater for under $2,000
Quentin R. Bufogle has always been a Swiss watch snob. Yeah, I know Grand Seiko turns out some truly excellent timepieces. But for all of Grand Seiko’s lofty achievements, impeccable engineering, and craftsmanship, for this watch enthusiast, the brand has always lacked something in spirit. Until he discovered the Kumakawa Worldtimer GMT Limited Edition.
Worn & Wound
Owner’s Review: The Arcanaut Arc II Fordite
It’s a simple fact that the longer we’re involved in this hobby, the more difficult it is to get really excited about any particular new watch. It doesn’t mean we love the hobby, or watches, any less, but it’s a natural side effect of constantly being exposed to new stuff. I wouldn’t say I’ve become blasé or jaded about new watches as a whole, but let’s just say that over time, I’ve found it easier and easier to reach a point of objectivity when evaluating something. I was already perhaps a little less inclined to be emotionally attached to a watch, and with several release cycles under my belt as a “professional” in the industry and being fortunate enough to handle some of the coolest watches that have been made over the last several years, it’s easier, not harder, to see them for what they are, and to look beyond whatever marketing, Instagram, or collector hype is associated with it. So, for me, it’s notable when I take a step back from a new watch and realize I’m getting excited about something the way that I used to, when I was new to the hobby and felt like every new watch I handled (or just read about) was a great new discovery. As I’ve seen others enter the hobby since I’ve gotten involved, I’m frequently jealous of that feeling – I think it’s something all of us, regardless of our experience level – are chasing. Why wouldn’t we? If it’s a healthy intellectual curiosity about the history and stories behind these objects t...
Revolution
The Ele Series: Meeting with Stephen Silver Part II
In the second part of this captivating series (catch up on Part I here), Stephen delves even deeper into his intriguing collecting philosophies, explores the fascinating relationships between some of the most esteemed watchmakers, and unveils some of his personal watch collection. As we bid farewell to this captivating season one of The Ele Series, […]
Time+Tide
The MKII Stingray II Keroman is a true military diver, recreated
We don’t need more dive watches. According to some anecdotal data, divers are the most popular type of watches because they are robust, versatile, and can sometimes be handsome to look at, considering personal preference and all. Don’t get me wrong – I love dive watches – and wear them on a mostly daily basis. … ContinuedThe post The MKII Stingray II Keroman is a true military diver, recreated appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.