Watching the Web for October 8, 2016

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.

WristWatchReview.com

Check out the Best Watches For Men.

Find more on dive watches.

Chopard L.U.C XP Esprit De Fleurier Peony Watch

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.

        

aBlogtoWatch


Visit here for more cool watches for men .

Komrade Watches | Video Review

Komrade Watches Urban | Watch Review

Watches vs. Wallstreet — Why the values of rare collectors watches don’t follow the stock markets

Why the values of rare collectors watches don’t follow the stock markets

— Collectors are buying vintage watches, first and foremost, because they like them, and not to make money.

 WorldTempus - Swiss Watch Authority by Aurel Bacs

 Whenever stock markets go up one may assume that, with all the gained profits, investors will treat themselves or their beloved ones with something special, something luxurious. And, if stock prices drop, that the appetite for a new handbag, bigger car or valuable watch diminishes.

This may well be true but I leave the calculation of these correlations in the more capable hands of the CFOs of the world’s leading luxury groups as they have a far better idea than me what the effect on their sales will be when the Dow Jones gains 1%.
But when it comes to rare collector’s watches, especially vintage pieces with history and provenance, I am a firm believer that their values don’t follow the market indexes. On the contrary, there are many more factors involved that are not tied to the health of the world economy.
It is my naïve understanding that stock prices are the result of rational factors, either linked to the specific company or its market environment. Analysts study both at length, and investors then either buy or sell, always following some rationale. Even more extreme, today we have automated trading where computers make the decisions on our behalf, being more disciplined and quicker than any human being can ever be.
But when stock markets violently drop within days, up to 10 percent or more, I hear often that this was the result of algorithmic trading, executed by computers. And I wonder “have I ever seen a computer selling a watch collection just because it has been programmed to do so?”.

This self-winding quarter repeating watch with equation of time, day, month and power reserve, acquired in 1817 by Charles-Louis Havas, founder of the famous press agency AFP, will be on sale at Christie's on May 16th 2016, in Geneva. © Christie's

Collectors are buying vintage watches, first and foremost, because they like them. Sometimes even madly love them. And this is the first, huge difference. It is the emotion to own and possibly wear - not the mindset to make money. Furthermore, an all-original 1950s chronograph may be unique in its condition and the collector will likely be aware that he will never find another, identical one. This can surely not be said of shares where, the next day, one can buy back what one has sold on the previous day.
The values of the most historic collector’s watches, no matter if they are worth a few thousand dollars or several hundreds of thousands, are more a consequence of the number of players and the relative shortage of supply. And the world of educated watch collectors is constantly increasing, day-by-day. It is true, however, that a vanishing middle-class has an impact on our market, but it is the middle-class in watches that is vulnerable, not the rarest and finest. And I don’t mean medium-priced watches, I am instead referring to quality.
This is why I am firmly believing that record low interest rates, unsatisfying portfolio performance and an overall great level of instability are all factors further supporting the values of vintage watches and greatest, hand-crafted and limited contemporary masterpieces.
It is too early to say what the leading auction houses will present this coming spring season in Geneva, Hong Kong and New York, but I am advising all of them to think twice if a watch is really a rare and high quality collector’s item or “just” another expensive commodity. Because whereas the latter group will likely suffer in such times of turmoil, the first group will likely outperform and fetch record results.

WorldTempus - Swiss Watch Authority by Aurel Bacs
 
Source from: http://en.worldtempus.com/article/industry-news/watches-vs-wallstreet-why-values-rare-collectors-watches-don-t-follow-stock-markets-2453662

Find more about watches for men here.

Chopard — L.U.C Perpetual Chrono

— The new L.U.C Perpetual Chrono from Chopard combines a hand-wound chronograph and a finely crafted perpetual calendar within an unprecedented L.U.C movement, Calibre 3.10-L.  

Entirely developed and produced in the Chopard Haute Horlogerie workshops, L.U.C Calibre 03.10-L is built around a column wheel that controls all chronograph operations including the flyback function. The zero-reset system for the counters and the central sweep seconds hand is handled by progressive-contact hammers guaranteeing optimal precision. It ensures smooth yet firm activation of the timing-related components via a vertical coupling clutch.

The perpetual calendar of the L.U.C Perpetual Chrono is recognisable by its large twin-aperture date display, complemented by indications of the day, the month and the leap or non-year nature of the year, while the finishing touches are set by a day/night indication and an orbital moon-phase display. The latter guarantees graphic and accurate readings of the age of the moon, with a mere one-day deviation in 122 years. Since the original configuration of this calendar uses the same areas as the chronograph – both involving indications at 3 and 9 o’clock – the architecture of the perpetual calendar had to be adjusted to offset the day/night indicator by a few millimetres.

Read more...


Source from: http://en.worldtempus.com/article/new-watches/chopard-luc-perpetual-chrono-2453683

At the heart of Louis XIV’s kingdom of clocks

At the heart of Louis XIV’s kingdom of clocks

  

1715-2015: it has been exactly three centuries since the Sun King, Louis XIV, departed this life for the star he chose as his emblem. Yet the monarch left behind an enormous collection of clocks. WtheJournal went to investigate this exceptional legacy at the Château de Versailles.

News from Wthejournal

Visit here for more watches for men.