Automatic Wrist Watches |

Here is a nice, close-up video of a Panerai Luminor movement.

Technorati Tags: Italian watch, Luminor. Mechanical, Manual Wind, Panerai

Yes, I am a watch geek. Yes, I get a charge out of watching close-up video of tiny mechanical watch movements. I can’t help it, it just makes me tick. And yes, I do intend to continue to post these video’s when I find them in the hopes that other people will be converted to the joy of these tiny mechanical marvels.

Here’s my new watch. In case you have not read any of the other pages in this blog I will reiterate that I am a fan of the Orient Watch Company. I got my wife an Orient Star with a salmon colored face for her birthday last year and it has taken the place of her funky retro Hamilton as her favorite watch. This one is not one of the high end Orient Star models, but it is an inexpensive nod to understated elegance. It has a patterned white/silver  face and a bit of a retro aesthetic. The brown leather band is as functional as it is attractive. It’s got a mineral crystal window, and a stainless case. The case is 36 mm wide making it a nice midsize watch and 11 mm thick, not ultra thin, but a nice width. I bought this to wear with a suit as my Breitling Chronometer is too chunky. The band width is 20mm which is pretty standard and opens up a lot of possibilities for after market bands. The movement is Orient’s in-house movement made in japan. Mine has been tremendously accurate so far.  Best part of this watch is I got it for $90. I got the idea that I needed a thinner watch with a brown band from this guy on the awesome sartorialist blog.

Here is the Manufacturer Blurb:

“This classic timepiece is a watch that should truly be treasured. This model follows the motif of classic looks throughout the history of mechanical watches. There are, however, a few minor changes that add to its traditional theme. This may be the perfect gift for your father or for yourself if you enjoy traditional watches.
Although there are many watches that follow the same design, this watch’s feature are truly exceptional. If you look closely at the surface of the dial, you will notice the checkered patterns that gives the dial extra texture. On the 6 o’clock indicator, there is the date indicator so that you are able to view the day of the week.

There are two different levels to the crown (time-setting knob). The first level adjusts the day indicator located on the 3 o’ clock position. The second level adjusts both the time hands and the date of the week. To change the date on the watch, you have to first rotate the hour hand forward in time until you notice the change of the day i.e. from Monday to Tuesday.

You will see that the crown comes with the official Orient logo engravings. Another feature for this watch is its luminescent hands. This allows the owner to enjoy the watch during the night. Also, the watchcase is water-resistant up to 50 meters.

This series of watches comes in either a solid stainless steel band or a genuine leather band. The metal band comes with a combination of matte and finished links. This adds a two-tone shine to the metal of the watch. You will notice that the leather bands have white stitching on the edge. Metal bands come with a deployment clasp, which protects the watch from inadvertently falling off.

There are 5 variations to this watch, 3 of which are in metal bands and 2 of which are in brown leather bands. The metal bands have three different dial colors: black, blue, and white. For the leather band models, the watch comes in either a black or white dial.”

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated in any way with Orient Watch Company–or any other watch company for that matter–although I wish I was so someone would give me some free watches.

Technorati Tags: automatic, brown band, Orient Watch, White face

Here is a good video that discusses the differences between three basic types of a watches.

Technorati Tags: automatic watch, Manual Wind Watch, Quartz Watch

Check out this beauty from the Japanese market. I grabbed this pic from Seiya Japan. One of the few online retailers you can purchase Seiko’s made for the Japanese market. This particular model features:

• Movement: 6S28 34J Automatic (with Manual winding)
• Case: Stainless steel
• Strap: Crocodile
• Crystal: Sapphire with non-reflective finish
• Lumi Brite: Available (Hands & Index)
• Accuracy: -15-~+ 25sec per day
• Waterproof: 10 ATM
• Anti-magnetic: Available
• Power reserve: 50 hours
• Diameter: 44 mm (without the crown)
• Weight: 120g
• Thickness: 15.0 mm
• Non screw-down crown
• Instructions, worldwide one year warranty and original Seiko box

This one retails for around $2500.

Here is a youtube video of another model. Check out the cool power reserve indicator on this one.

Technorati Tags: automatic watches, Brightz, Japanese Watches, Phoenix, seiko

Given the success of my presidential wristwatch article I’m going to do a whole series of them. Let’s start with Joe Biden. He wears an Omega Seamaster 300m watch– it’s the Bond Watch. It features:

SCREW-IN CROWN
UNIDIRECTIONAL ROTATING BEZEL
HELIUM ESCAPE VALVE
DATE
CHRONOMETER

Pretty bad ass watch Joe.

Technorati Tags: automatic watch, Joe Biden's watch, Omega, Seamaster

Want to be like James Bond? If you buy an $300,000 Aston Martin DBS this year, then for a modest additional $35,000 you add a Jaeger LeCoultre wristwatch that can do everything the key fob on your hyundai can can do. Sarcasm aside it’s a sweet looking watch and the version that Bond has can shoot missles and other cool stuff.

Technorati Tags: Astin martin, Jaeger LeCoultre, James Bond

New to collecting automatic wrist watches? Here are five great watches to kick off you collection with.

5) Vostok Amphibia: Get behind the iron curtain with this hefty chunk of Russian steel. These great collectible watches can be had for as little as $50. Vostok (means East in Russian) is a Russian watch company founded in 1942 to supply defense parts to the government. They started producing automatic wrist watches in the 1950’s and In the 1960’s the VOSTOK brand name was created and used to market mechanical wrist watches. The Vostok Amphiba was first released in 1968. It is a diving watch designed to resist 2000 meters of water, but I’m not sure I’d test it.

The Amphibia is a thick and inelegant watch, but it exudes a ruggedness that you won’t find in it’s more delicate counterparts. This is a man’s watch, meant to be worn on a thick wrist that has just slapped the vodka bottle back on the table.

4) Seiko Samurai: Another cool Seiko (they are all pretty cool) not so dissimilar in features to the Seiko Monster that I reviewed below, but certainly distinct in it’s styling. This watch is a large, heavy, diver available in stainless or titanium. These retail for about $250, but have become harder to get since collectors like this one. Like all Seiko’s the fit and finish of this watch is superb, rivaling watches that cost three times as much. It has a fine Rolex-style bracelet. It’s powered by a variation of the same great movement as the Monster so you can be assured of having an accurate time keeper. This one will be a fabulous addition to any collection.

3) Hamilton Khaki Field Automatic: Hamilton Khaki is a fairly large product line, and some of the watches are nicer than others. It is a mixed offering of automatic wrist watches and quartz watches. The watch shown (the Hamilton Khaki Field Automatic H70455733) is a great pilot-style watch with a simple distinct face. Hamilton never seems to be a favorite among watch collectors, but I’ve always felt that they had some really distinctive and elegant designs. There is also a chronograph version of this watch that cost substantially more, but adds a bunch of features. Personally I prefer the clean look of this one and at around $250 it is a great addition to any collection.

2) Seiko Spirit: This is a Japanese market watch so you will have to buy it from Ebay or from on of the Japanese retailers that will ship to the US like Seiyajapan. Available for $330 , the spirit is a study in understated elegance and quality. It has the looks and quality of the Grand Seiko line without the price tag. It features a real sapphire glass face, a display back with hardlex glass, and 100m water resistance. With the leather strap is a gentleman’s watch, made to be worn to a business meeting or a night on the town. Get the stainless bracelet and this watch takes on a more sporty personality. The 6R15B 23 movement is hacking and hand winding- basically unheard of features in this price range. If you can own one watch get this one– It versatile, beautiful and functional.

1) Orient Star: Orient Watch Company is the third largest watch company in Japan. It is not well known in the US, but that doesn’t mean they don’t make some fantastic watches. Orient Star is the high end product line of Orient Watch Company. I’m not recommending a specific model. You should check out all of them. Like Seiko–who partially owns them now–Orient manufactures it’s own movements, and man are they good at it. The watch shown features a power reserve complication which lets you know how much power is left in the main spring. This is a feature you usually don’s see in watches costing less than $3000, but this one is about $300. You’ll need to do some internet shopping or head to ebay, because theses watches are made for the Japanese market and not as readily available in the US.

Technorati Tags: amphibian, automatic, hamilton, hamilton khaki field, mechanical, men's automatic watches, orient, orient star, seiko, seiko samurai, seiko spirit, self-winding, swiss automatic watch, swiss automatic watches, vostok, vostok amphibia, wrist watches

A tiny machine on your wrist, no battery, no solar panel, no LED’s, powered by the motion your body makes while you live your life. Intricate and precise, automatic wrist watches have a symbiotic relationship with you that no other time keeper has. What? Your cell phone keeps perfect time? I don’t want to hear it. The weight and heartbeat of a good automatic wrist watch has the power to make the wearer happy. A mechanical Breitling chronometer makes whirring, clicking, clunking and ticking noises that sooth my soul and relax my mind. It brings you back to a time when craftsmanship was what mattered and the things we bought were not disposable. I personally have trashed at least five cell phones, but I have every automatic watch I ever bought (and a couple of quartz watches as well–don’t tell anyone).

Automatic wrist watches, also known as self-winding watches are watches with a winding mechanism that is powered by the movement of your arm. This does away with the need to wind the watch. They have a small weighted rotor in the shape of a half-circle that spins on a center pivot. Wearing the watch causes the rotor to spin. This motion is translated into power through a series of gears that wind the mainspring. A clutch keeps the watch from becoming over wound. For serious detail on how this works check out this article on wikipedia.

Technorati Tags: automatic watch, automatic wrist watches, mechanical, self-winding, swiss automatic watches