So you want a watch with touchscreen functionality and classic good looks? Timing is everything with Q Founder. This best of both worlds digital display smart watch, in refined steel, tracks activity and connects seamlessly to your phone.
Welcome back to Watching the Web, where I take a look at watch
related posts that have caught my eye on other sites, as well as point
out some of our own more popular recent posts. This week, I am going to
point you to three affordable automatic/mechanical watches. From our
pages, we have a high end Breguet, a Scandinavian smartwatch, and
leather straps out of Russia.
I will start off with A Blog To Watch’s coverage of the Martenero
Edgermere. Clean face, a little color, a little quirk with the sub dial
at 5:00, a reliable Miyota automatic movement, no date window, and a
price tag of$ 550. OK, I may want a bit more size than the 40mm here,
but it is a sharp looking sporty weekender fora very reasonable price.
AVI-8 is a brand I like quite a bit, and Watch Report has a review of
the Hawker Hurricane Battle of Britain special edition of the watch.
It is a nice looking vintage military inspired looking watch. Again, a
nice casual piece that is perfect for weekends. Again sporting a
Japanese Miyota movement and clocking in at under $ 500, it has a nice
customized rotor design visible through the exhibition caseback. Lastly,
I have Worn & Wound’s review of the Archimede Pilot 42 KS, with the
hand wound Unitas 6498. I really like the look of this movement
through the exhibition caseback, and I like the feeling of connection
you get when you hand wind your watch. The design is a clean Flieger
style with the classic oversized crown.
So, with ABTW and Worn & Wound highlighting some affordable
watches, you guys made the $ 13,900 Breguet Type XXI our most read
post. John looked at this lovely watch and wants you to know that he
wants one.
I am not a fan of smartwatches, but if I were to pick one up, it
would be something like the Skagen Hagen Connected watch. Yes, I wish
they used automatic movements, but I generally like Skagen watches, and
the connected watch option here fits in nicely with the line. It is a
clean look and offers some connectivity without advertising that you
have to be tethered to your phone.
Lastly, we have Victor’s take on a pair of aftermarket straps from
Difues. A strap change can really refresh the look of an existing
watch, and it is way cheaper (generally) than picking up a whole new
watch. For generally less than $ 50, these are nice looking options.
Did you know that John Biggs’ book, Marie Antionette’s Watch, is free
to read with Kindle Unlimited, or you can buy a paperback from Amazon.
Oh, and even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can always read via their
free apps or their cloud reader (check those out here). The book is also now on Wattpad. You can even check out a snippet of the book.
Want to be more than just a visitor to our little corner of the
internet? How about pledging some support for us over on Patreon. There
are some compelling funding levels (including site redesigns and
removing ads, and getting a copy of the Marie Antoinette book), but
really, we just want to ensure we keep this lean ship running and the
lights on. You can check out John’s latest post right here. This is a
fun thing we get to do on the side, and we want to keep bringing you the
content that you have come to rely on from us, and work to make it even
better.
Here we are, nearing the end of October, with a bit more than a week
left to enter our monthly drawing. This month is is for the Spinnaker
Del Sol Chronograph, a sporting looking solar-powered quartz watch.
There is a two-part entry process so head to the contest page and get
started. We
also want to put the call out for wrist shots of our reader’s favorite
(or at least favorite of the moment) watches. Put together an email of
your wrist shot and tell us a little about the watch and why you love
it. If you happened to be introduced to it through our site (or won it
through a give-away), even better. Just make sure the image is a JPEG
and at least 800 pixels wide. And as always, if there’s something you
think we should be covering, feel free to drop us a line. If you bring
something up that we end up writing about, we’ll be sure to tip our hats
(electronically, if not literally) in your general direction.
Gold cuff bracelet by SabreFor
more than a century New York City has played home to jewelry designers.
The vibrant night life, the city skyline and the hustle bustle of every
day life have inspired the finest designers to create exceptional
jewelry. The city has played home to some of the finest names, including
Barry Kiesetlstein-Cord, David Yurman and others. Multi-tiered Gravity ring in gold and diamonds by Xiao WangNow,
the New York City Economic Development Corporation, along with the
Designers & Agents show, have joined forces to promote Made in New
York jewelry via the “Made in NY Collective.” The show was recently
held in New York, and is now traveling to Los Angeles for mid-October
display. It is a collection of spring/summer 2017 jewelry from
different New York designers. Gemstone brooch with vintage appeal by Xiao WangThe
Spring/Summer 2017 Collections, mostly inspired by New York lifestyles,
include whimsical feminine pieces from Christine Alcalay, open, airy
pieces by Elise Ballegeer, highly textured cosmic pieces inspired by the
universe by Xiao Wang Jewelry, hand-carved gemstone pieces by Dan-yell,
and unusual gold pieces inspired by nature and history by Sabre
Jewelry. Hand finished rough gold and gemstone earrings by Dan-yell.Additionally,the
“Made in NY” initiative — started nearly a year and a half ago, is
suing official “Made in NY” certifications to firms that pass all the
criteria. The first such jewelry company to be certified is Carelle,
which makes all of its jewelry, from concept to production in the City
that Never Sleeps. Thus, “Made in New York” jewelry items set the tone
for the spring 2017 fashion season. Carelle diamond, gemstone and gold ring.
Part of the Marine Star collection. Stainless steel case. Silver-tone
stainless steel bracelet features a fold-over clasp closure with
push-button release. Round face. Three-hand analog display with quartz
movement…
The unrestrained use of floral motifs on ladies' watches
continues, and despite my objection to this feminine cliche, I
acknowledge that it is really well-executed in some cases, resulting in
watches that actually appear to be made for adult women. The best floral
applications on timepieces are applied in either abstract or unexpected
ways, and the Chopard L.U.C XP Esprit de Fleurier Peony does both.
The article Chopard L.U.C XP Esprit De Fleurier Peony Watch first appeared on aBlogtoWatch and was written by Carol Besler.
The still newly relaunched Waltham watch brand recently released their second major model family with the Waltham AeroNaval AN-01 43mm collection. Smaller and lower-priced than the brand's beefier 47mm-wide AeroNaval collection, the Waltham AeroNaval AN-01 43mm also comes in a range of colors.
The article Waltham AeroNaval AN-01 43mm Watch Hands-On first appeared on aBlogtoWatch and was written by Ariel Adams.
It has often been said (by yours truly, and others), that Frederique Constant offers affordable, well-built Swiss watches. Those tend to the more conservative, or dressy style; if you are in want of something sportier, then you need to look to stablemate Alpina. They just recently released two new watches in their Alpiner 4 collection, and both are sharp.
The first one is
the Alpiner 4 Automatic (of note, the 4 refers to four essential
features: anti-magnetic, anti-shock, water resistant, and stainless
steel). As you might imagine, this is a “simple” automatic watch, a
clean three-hander with date and a sunray dial set into a 44mm case.
When you look at it, it has a solid look to it, albeit not one so
overbuilt that you’d feel out of place wearing it to the office or with a
suit. No, the Alpiner 4 Automatic is what I’ll call the “gentleman’s”
sport watch. The handset looks to be reasonably sized, and stands out
in contrast against the darker dials. On the lighter,
silver dial, they did opt for darker-filled indices. Surprisingly,
though, the handset does not take that same tactic, so I’m a little
concerned about readability. Past that, though, the Alpiner 4 Automatic
looks like it’s built to take on most anything. It’s got shock and
magnetism resistance built in (generally a good thing for mechanical
movements), as well as 100m WR, all keeping that AL-525 caliber safe
during it’s wearing time (or not, as it has a 38-hour power reserve as
well). If you like the road
the Alpiner 4 Automatic is taking, but find yourself jetting across
timezones, then you may want to consider the Alpiner 4 Business Timer
instead. The Business Timer (for when you’re getting down to the
business of business) features the same case and resistances that the
Automatic offers. Via it’s movement, it brings a GMT complication into
the mix, and the bi-directional bezel is swapped from a 60-minute (on
the automatic) to this 360-degree one (useful as a compass). Perhaps
not quite as useful (in daily wear) as another 24-hour scale, but it
still has utility. Speaking
of 24-hour scales, the Alpiner Business Timer does bring some Pepsi to
the party, albeit not in the spot you’d expect it (i.e., not on the
external bezel). Instead, it shows up around the dial, for the inner
GMT indication. This follows the same sort of day/night indication that
most two-tone bezels would bring, but with a twist. Rather than a hard
demarcation for 12-hour splits, this instead is indicating the normal
business hours (well, more like bankers hours, as it’s 9-5) in red,
white bands on either side of the work day (to encompass the hours that
most work) and then blue to indicate non-work hours. Perhaps this is a
good watch for those workaholics who could use a reminder of when they
should go home?
I do rather like
both of these new Alpiner 4 watches. They are sportier while still
retaining some elegance, and seem to be fairly robust designs. Both are
currently available, with the Alpiner 4 Automatic coming in at $ 1,395 and the Alpine 4 GMT Business Timer commanding a price of $ 1,995,
still quite within the realm of affordable Swiss watches. We are
working to get the Automatic in for review; in the meantime, let us know
in the comments what you think about these new additions. alpina-watches.com
Watch Overview
Brand & Model: Alpina Alpiner 4 Automatic & Business Timer
Price: $ 1,395 (Automatic), $ 1,995 (GMT)
Who we think it might be for: You’re looking for an affordable Swiss watch, yet want something a bit sportier
Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen?: Probably, but I’d be torn as to which model
If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: Test out that
galvanic blue dial on the GMT, and take a look at darkening the hands on
the silver-dialed Automatic
What spoke to me the most about this watch: Dial designs aside, I really like the shape and compact feel of those 44mm cases
Tech Specs from Alpina
44mm stainless steel case
Sapphire crystal
Bi-directional bezel (60 minute on the automatic; compass on the GMT)
As you may have noticed we’ve updated the WWR theme considerably, opening up the text and images in a way that can truly showcase the watches we cover. It was a change that was a long time coming and I’m pleased we got it done so quickly.
Special thanks goes to my lovely wife and advertising director, Joanna, for finding the theme and updating it to match our needs. She made sure that everyone – the writers, me, the advertisers, and you – would have something to gain from the new design and nothing to lose.
So welcome to the new WWR. Let us know what we can change/fix/improve and here’s to watches.
In honor of the new update I’m giving away Marie Antoinette’s Watch for free for Kindle users this weekend. You can grab it below. Enjoy!
Lastly,
I have Worn & Wound’s review of the Archimede Pilot 42 KS, with the
hand wound Unitas 6498. I really like the look of this movement
through the exhibition caseback, and I like the feeling of connection
you get when you hand wind your watch. The design is a clean Flieger
style with the classic oversized crown.
). The book is also now on Wattpad. You can even check out a snippet of the book.
We
also want to put the call out for wrist shots of our reader’s favorite
(or at least favorite of the moment) watches. Put together an email of
your wrist shot and tell us a little about the watch and why you love
it. If you happened to be introduced to it through our site (or won it
through a give-away), even better. Just make sure the image is a JPEG
and at least 800 pixels wide. And as always, if there’s something you
think we should be covering, feel free to drop us a line. If you bring
something up that we end up writing about, we’ll be sure to tip our hats
(electronically, if not literally) in your general direction.
Speaking
of 24-hour scales, the Alpiner Business Timer does bring some Pepsi to
the party, albeit not in the spot you’d expect it (i.e., not on the
external bezel). Instead, it shows up around the dial, for the inner
GMT indication. This follows the same sort of day/night indication that
most two-tone bezels would bring, but with a twist. Rather than a hard
demarcation for 12-hour splits, this instead is indicating the normal
business hours (well, more like bankers hours, as it’s 9-5) in red,
white bands on either side of the work day (to encompass the hours that
most work) and then blue to indicate non-work hours. Perhaps this is a
good watch for those workaholics who could use a reminder of when they
should go home?
