Hublot is celebrating the return of Formula 1 to the United States by unveiling their latest King Power luxury fake watch. The penultimate Grand Prix of the season will take place in the new “Circuit of the Americas” built in Austin, Texas, so Hublot, as the Official Watch of Formula 1, has named their new watch the F1 King Power Austin. Like the previous King Power Great Britain model, the design of this watch is inspired by Formula 1, with its carbon and titanium bezel having a perforated effect resembling a high-tech brake disc. The strap is made from black Hornback alligator leather, with red stitching to match the color of the dial. The top quality replica watch is powered by the Hublot HUB4100 automatic movement and has a power reserve of 42 hours. It will be limited to only 250 numbered pieces.
For many years, Omega has served as the official timekeeper of the Olympic games. In addition to its timing duties, Omega often releases timepieces celebrating the games and the nations that host them. For last year’s Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Omega introduced the Omega Sochi Petrograd, which we covered here. Below, we take a look at five other Omega discount fake watches (in most cases, exclusive and extremely limited) made specifically for the Olympic games.
Among Omega’s other new models commemorating the 2014 Sochi games is the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean “Sochi 2014.” The men’s version, shown here, comes in a 45.5 mm stainless steel case. As a tribute to the Russian flag, minutes 1 through 5 are lacquered in blue; minutes 6 through 10 are lacquered in red.
Among its collection of watches marking the London 2012 Olympics, Omega released the Seamaster 1948 Co-Axial “London 2012″ Limited Edition. In addition to honoring the 2012 games, the luxury fake watch commemorated the 1948 Olympics, which were held in London the same year that Omega launched the first Seamaster.
For the 2010 Vancouver Games, Omega released this limited-edition Seamaster with a bezel in maple-leaf red.
As part of its collection for the 2008 Beijing games, Omega released the Countdown 0 – Seamaster XXIX Limited Edition. The watch was a Beijing exclusive, available only during the Olympic Games. Only 88 were sold per day during the games.
Part of the Limited Edition Torino 2006 Olympic Collection, this Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Column-Wheel Chronograph featured the five Olympic rings as the counterweight on the seconds hand. The top quality replica watch was a limited edition of 2006 pieces.
Omega has already introduced its special watch for the upcoming 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro.
Watches in TV series, we all know you have been trying to identify Jerry Seinfeld’s Breitling (or Cartier), Kim Kardashian’s AP Royal Oak (or Scott Disick’s), Dexter’s Timex, Charlie’s Rolex Yacht-Master and Tony Soprano’s Rolex Day-Date. And although Don Draper wore a Rolex Explorer in HBO’s Mad Men TV series, Jaeger-LeCoultre recently released a Mad Men special ‘Mad about Reverso’ that features a Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce logo engraved in the reversible back side of the best sale replica watches. So it seems that watch manufacturers are pretty aware of the fact that you are eagle eyeing the watches in TV shows.
Was this always the case? One of our avid readers – Johan – sent us a screen shot of the second part of A-Team’s pilot episode Mexican Slayride from 1983. Tim Dunigan plays ‘Faceman’ instead of Dirk Benedict (who started from the 3rd episode) and wears an OMEGA Geneve f300Hz (tuning fork model), which – I guess – was already out of production by that time.
Lt. Templeton ‘Faceman’ Peck next to Sgt. Bosco Albert ‘B.A.’ Baracus. Faceman is setting the watch on the next picture.
I am pretty sure that the watch featured in A-Team wasn’t sponsored by OMEGA or a jeweler. The same goes for a German 1980s and 1990s krimi called Derrick. Inspector Derrick always wore a fine watch (Rolex and in some occasions an IWC DaVinci). We did a special report on Derrick and his watches in 2005 already, click here to read it. I am not sure whether this TV show (with +180 episodes) aired outside Europe though. I am convinced that Inspector Derrick (Horst Tappert) was wearing Rolex watches from his personal collection.
Another famous TV show from back in the days is Miami Vice. Although Don Johnson is well known for wearing a (fake) gold Rolex Day-Date, he also wore an Ebel 1911 chronograph with a Zenith El Primero movement. In gold/steel of course, that’s how they rolled in the 1980s. Sponsored? I don’t think so. To demonstrate how these things change during the years, The Miami Vice movie that was done just a few years ago though, had IWC top quality replica watchesall over the place and was clearly sponsored.
Is this product placement a bad thing? Of course not! Times are just changing and people pay attention to these details. Watch brands can exaggerate a bit, but in the case of Jaeger-LeCoulte and their Mad Men special (restricted to 25 pieces only, to be released in February), this isn’t the case. They didn’t overdo it. Although I have seen all episodes, I did not spot a JLC Reverso though, but I am assured it was in there.
Although watches in movies have been covered a lot on various websites and watch forums, it seems that information about swiss replica watches in TV Series are a bit scattered. Luckily, the guys from the Watches in Movies website have a special section for TV shows.
Every time a watch brand lands a deal with an actor or a studio, and every time a watch is prominently featured on screen, the best quality replica watch online community immediately recognizes and responds to it. We know exactly which star wears what watch model — and also which ones immediately change their preferred watch brand as soon as the shooting is over. Of course, most of us can spot it if an actor wears a fake, regardless of how beautiful she looks next to Nathan Fillion and his Omega DeVille. But it seems that a hero has to be “real” to draw interest from the watch industry.
Allow me to explain what I mean. As a huge fan of comics and graphic novels, I rarely see anything that tells time on the wrist of a comic book hero – a fictional character that I usually have a much longer and intimate relationship than with any movie star playing that character. I basically grew up with Tintin, Asterix, Spider-Man, Batman, and other such icons. I lived in the Marvel and DC Universes for a considerable amount of time during my youth, I witnessed the rise of Image Comics, and I consider myself an honorary “Watchman” in every way possible. I also know that I was not the only one who made regular visits to the Far Side. But despite the huge influence and circulation of graphic novels (and let’s not even start with all the anime in Japan), the best cheap replica watch industry seems to ignore this entire segment of literature, while continuing to pursue product placement not only in films but occasionally in books and even in computer games (e.g., James Bond’s Omega Seamaster 300 in “GoldenEye 007” for the Nintendo 64) — not to mention some toys, if you remember our last article on that topic.
Linde Werdelin did at least use a graphic novel-style visual approach for one of its an ad campaigns a couple of years back, but in the sense of a proper product placement, we longtime fans now face the strange situation that we know that Robert Downey Jr. wears a Jaeger-LeCoultre as Tony Stark/Iron Man, but we have no idea not what the original Tony Stark — the one in the comics — wears on his wrist.
One of the few exceptions: Tanguy and Laverdure, a French/Belgian comic about the adventures of two military pilots that was first published in 1961. In one of the more recent stories, a Breitling Emergency is introduced into the story, though the brand isn’t mentioned by name. Imagine how easy, comparatively cheap, and — most of all — unbelievable cool it would have been for a brand like Breitling to throw their support behind the great artist(s) behind the comic in exchange for this exposure. Or if IWC, for instance, convinced Buck Danny (another military flying ace character from a Franco-Belgian comics series) to wear a proper pilots’ tag heuer replica watch. It certainly would not require super powers to do a deal like that… and none of the heroes would switch to a different brand after the bad guys were defeated.
A moon-phase complication simply brings a watch’s dial to life. The (usually) blue or black disks, with an elegant gold moon on them, are just awesome to glance at every now and then, especially when the sunlight catches them as you’re driving your car or sitting in your living room.
There are a lot of best sale replica watches with moon-phase indicators out there, ranging from fairly cheap to only affordable by a privileged few. As complications go, it is accessible to a wider range of watch enthusiasts than some others. For this list, price, materials, and availability were not factors. I just picked what I liked best.
1. Arnold & Son – HM Perpetual Moon
One of the brands that surprised me the most this year was Arnold & Son, with its beautiful collection of classical-looking watches that would suit a gentleman in his seventies as well as a young executive in his thirties. The moon disk on the HM Perpetual Moon is relatively large and enables Arnold & Son to put a very large Moon on it. The moon on the moon disk is hand-engraved and made from either silver or gold, depending on the version you choose. More about this watch can be found here on Fratellowatches.
2. Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Calendar
Although this watch’s name doesn’t immediately reveal the presence of a moon-phase complication, but its inclusion makes sense, since we built our calendar around the moon. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Calendar has a beautiful moon-phase indicator at 6 o’clock, one element of this timepiece’s calendar complication. The watch includes day, date and month indicators in addition to the moon-phase. It is a very flat watch, with an elegant diameter of just 39 mm. More information about the JLC Master Calendar can be found here on Fratellowatches.
3. Patek Philippe Nautilus 5726/1A
How Patek Philippe arrives at its reference numbers remains a big mystery, but one thing is certain: the Nautilus Ref. 5726/1A is an incredibly sporty moon-phase watch! Like the Jaeger-LeCoulte Master Calendar, it has day, date, and month indicators as well. Patek’s in-house Caliber 324 serves as a base movement for these extra features. This model was introduced in 2012 as an addition to Patek’s already impressive lineup of Nautilus watches. More about these new Patek Philippe 5726/1A models can be found here on Fratellowatches.
4. Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonphase
Is this the best of both worlds — the Moonwatch with a moon-phase indication? Purist fans of the Speedmaster Professional might get a bit nauseous when seeing all these variations on the original Moonwatch, but I certainly like it. The fourth subdial at 12 o’clock on the Speedmaster Professional Moonphase shows the date and moon-phase. In the past, there have been several variations on this discount fake watch (white gold, broad-arrow hands, et cetera) but this model comes closest to the original Speedmaster design, in my opinion. Click here for more on Speedmaster watches with a moon-phase.
5. Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre à Quantième Lunaire
Another Jaeger-LeCoultre? Yes. The JLC Duomètre à Quantième Lunaire is one of the nicest introductions in recent years by Jaeger-LeCoultre, in my opinion. I would need much more space to explain precisely how the watch’s “Dual-Wing” concept works, but the main thing to know is that one barrel is dedicated to precision timing while the second barrel is dedicated to the other functions on the dial. This Duomètre is a very complicated watch, able to display the moon-phase for both hemispheres. More on this JLC Duomètre à Quantième Lunaire can be found here, by WatchTime’s Mike Disher.
The watch’s full name is a mouthful — Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra-Thin Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon — and it not only grabbed the record for thinnest repeater when it was introduced at SIHH 2014, but also manages to include a flying tourbillon and automatic winding (by means of a peripheral rotor) in its ultra-complex movement, which is just 4.8 mm thick. The case of the Hybris Mechanica 11 measures 41 mm in diameter and a mere 7.9 mm in thickness, an unprecedented size for such a complicated timepiece. The repeater mechanism is also equipped with silent-time-lapse reduction system that eliminates pauses between the chimes. The watch, for which Jaeger-LeCoultre has obtained eight patents, is limited to only 75 pieces. Click here to read more on the fake tag heuer watches for sale from our reporting at SIHH 2014.
A milestone timepiece first shown at the Hong Kong “Watches and Wonders” fair and unveiled to most of the watch world at SIHH 2014, this new Vacheron Constantin has a case that is slightly thicker than that of the Hybris Mechanica 11 (8.09 mm) but a minute-repeater movement that is a tad thinner (just 3.9 mm). Calibre 1731 is a manual-winding movement, as opposed to JLC’s automatic one, and it carries a 65-hour power reserve and bears the Geneva Seal. The movement also incorporates a flying strike governor, an innovative device that controls the speed and spacing of the repeater’s chiming tones and reduce the audible whirring sounds that can accompany the chimes. The watch comes in a rose gold case and retails for $369,300. Click here for more on the watch and here to watch a video presentation of it from SIHH.
It should surprise no one that Piaget is on the list: the brand has long been associated with super-thin watches and holds records for thinness in several horological categories. The latest world-first is the Altiplano 900P — the slimmest mechanical-movement watch in the world, bar none, at a case thickness of just 3.65 mm — that’s right, the case is thinner than the movements of the previous two watches. Piaget accomplished this feat by merging the movement with the case so that the inner caseback serves as the mainplate. The Piaget Altiplano is 38 mm in diameter and comes in rose gold ($26,200) and white gold ($27,800) cases. Click here for more interesting details on the watch.
World’s Thinnest Tourbillon (2013): Arnold & Son UTTE
Introduced at Baselworld 2013 by the revitalized Arnold & Son brand, the UTTE (initials are for “Ultra Thin Tourbillon Escapement”) quickly garnered attention when it became — without necessarily meaning to, according to Arnold & Son head of movement development Sebastian Chaulmontet — the thinnest tourbillon fashion swiss replica watch on the market. The watch’s case, available in either rose gold ($69,050) or palladium ($59,950), is just 8.34 mm thick and 42 mm in diameter. The flying-tourbillon movement, Arnold & Son’s A&S8200, is just 2.97 mm thick (not counting the height of the tourbillon cage, which rises above the dial) and packs 90 hours of power reserve into two barrels. Click here to see a video of the Arnold & Son UTTE shot exclusively for WatchTime and here to listen to Chaulmontet discussing his challenges in developing the movement.
Arnold & Son held the thin-tourbillon record for only a brief time. Breguet — a brand named for the tourbillon’s inventor — previewed its Classique Tourbillon Extra-Thin Automatic 5377 discount fake watch at Baselworld 2014 and released it to the market last year. The watch’s 42-mm-diameter case is an astoundingly slender 7 mm thick, and its movement, Calibre 581DR, is just 3 mm thick. The movement is also notable for its “high energy” barrel, which provides a 90-hour power reserve; its 4-Hz frequency (exceptionally high for a tourbillon movement) and its peripheral winding rotor made of platinum (yes, this watch also has automatic winding.) The off-center tourbillon (whose carriage and balance are made of titanium) is protected by two patents. The dial and case are emphatically Breguet: engine-turned dial, Roman numeral hour markers, open-tipped blue Breguet hands, and fine fluted caseband.
Linde Werdelin is a brand that we’ve been covering from their (and our) early days on. Not only because Jorn Werdelin, Morten Linde and their entire team are great people, but also – of course – because they truly have something to show with their modern sports high quality replica watches for sale.
This time – and we already had a little sneak preview – Linde Werdelin presents the SpidoSpeed Titanium. A watch that was made based on the original Linde Werdelin design code: a sturdy sports watch that has a clear focus on construction and functionality. Everything unnecessary has been cut away from the Grade 5 titanium. To what’s left, Linde Werdelin makes sure to finish it in the best way possible. Using industrial-style satin, polishing and microbillé finish techniques for the case. These different type of finish methods result in a watch that gets the best contrasts from light reflection.
Linde Werdelin’s hunger for weight reduction is clearly inspired by the racing industry, without compromising on function. We also can see this in the dial of the SpidoSpeed Titanium. The fully skeletonized dial unveils the caliber LW06 movement. A chronograph movement from the Jaquet Family that consists of 273 parts. Some of these parts are individually skeletonized as well. The monochrome appearance of the SpidoSpeed Titanium replica watches online received some blue detailing by screws that underwent heat treatment and of course the skeletonized hands. Linde Werdelin let us know that their Rock and Reef instruments (in-house developed add-on digital modules for rock climbers and divers) are now also available in matching colors for the Spidospeed Titanium: both are available in blue and natural anodised aluminium.
The “R” on the 6 o’clock sub-dial may be understated, but it holds a significant function for the adventure-seeking owner. After a full day’s skiing with The Rock, place the instrument on charge and start the SpidoSpeed’s chronograph. When the sub-dial meets the “R”, The Rock is fully charged and ready to go again.
The SpidoSpeed Titanium will be exclusively available at Martin Pulli from 1st June 2015, and will go on general release at a number of select retailers as of 8th June 2015. The SpidoSpeed Titanium comes in a limited and numbered series of 99 pieces worldwide
Without further ado, here are the technical specifications of the SpidoSpeed Titanium:
OUTER CASE
– Three-part case construction; Titanium Grade 5; satin, polished and microbillé finishing
– Sapphire crystal, anti-reflective on the inside
– Crown: Titanium Grade 5; screw-down; rough circular satin; engraved with a spider icon
– Case dimension: 44mm (w) x 46mm (l) x 15mm (h)
BEZEL
– Titanium Grade 5; satin on top surface; polished facet; microbillé in grooves
MOVEMENT
– LW06, movement skeletonised and customised by Linde Werdelin
– 48 hours power reserve
– Balance frequency: 28,800vph (4Hz)
– Jewels: 27
– Movement plate: rhodium; circular satin
– Linde Werdelin-developed chronograph pusher system; Titanium Grade 5 with rough circular satin
BACK CASE
– Titanium Grade 5; circular satin
– Sapphire crystal, anti-reflective on the inside
– Limited edition number laser engraved from 1 to 99
– Rotor: rhodium; logo and logotype printed in blue; “winding direction” printed in red
– Water resistant to 100 metres
INNER CASE
– Titanium Grade 5; vertical satin
– Engraved with “start/stop” and “reset” around pushers
STRAP
– Interchangeable natural rubber strap in LW-blue
– Titanium screws; circular satin on top
– Black tension discs
– Titanium Grade 5 buckle; satin, polished and microbillé finishing
DIAL
– Skeletonised dial
– Réhaut and dial: titanium colour, circular satin finish
– Hands blued by heat treatment; polished; cool grey Luminova
– Cool grey hour indexes
– Black minute indexes
– Logo and logotype printed in black
– Sub-dials: Titanium with graphics printed in black
– R: charge-indicator printed in red on 6 o’clock sub-dial
– Wheels: rhodium, with circular cut-outs; matte treatment
– Screws: visible screws blued by heat treatment
It’s a few days before Mother’s Day and you still haven’t found the right gift for the woman who raised you? Read on. We offer a sampling of new women’s watches to make your last-minute shopping a snap.
The Dior VIII Grand Bal Fil de Soie has an 11 1⁄2-ligne automatic caliber that’s inverted so that the rotor is on the dial. The rotor itself is highly unusual: the rose-gold oscillating weight is woven with a single 1.5-meter-long pink silk thread and set with diamonds. The dial is made of black mother-of-pearl. The 38-mm case is made of ceramic and rose gold with a diamond-set bezel. The discount luxury replica watches has a 42-hour power reserve. It comes on a black patent-leather strap with a rose-gold buckle, also set with diamonds. $46,500.
Chanel’s Mademoiselle Privé collection features design motifs associated with Coco Chanel, like the camellia, on artisanal dials. The Mademoiselle Privé Décor Caméllia Maki-e employs an ancient Japanese technique to outline the flowers on the black lacquer dial. In maki-e, the artist applies metal powders or decorations (like gold, mother-of-pearl or quail eggshell) to the lacquer before it dries. Here, the camellias are made of yellow-gold paillons. The watch has a yellow-gold case with a diameter of 37.5 mm. The bezel is set with 60 brilliant-cut diamonds and the yellow-gold crown has an onyx cabochon. The watch has an automatic movement with a 42-hour power reserve. It comes on a black satin strap. $40,000.
The dial of the Hermès Arceau Millefiori 41 mm was made by the same technique used to produce the well-known Millefiori paperweights. It involves slicing rods of colored crystal glass into thin cross sections and arranging the pieces next to each other, so that they form what looks like a dense bed of small flowers (millefiori means “1,000 flowers” in Italian). The watch’s case is made of white gold. The movement is the automatic H1837, which Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier makes exclusively for Hermès. The aaa grade swiss replica watch has a transparent sapphire caseback. Price upon request.
The new Lucea collection from Bulgari contains 12 models, all with round cases and cabochon crowns set with diamonds, but with a variety of dials and different combinations of rose gold, steel and diamonds. There are two case sizes, 28 mm and 33 mm. The smaller models have quartz movements and the large ones are automatic. The price as shown is $27,400; the others range from $4,200 to $41,600.
This timepiece is from Piaget’s latest collection, Extremely Piaget, which was inspired by jet-set glamour and the 1960s and ’70s, when Piaget introduced hard-stone dials on watches. The watch shown was influenced by a Piaget watch from 1965 that had an oval jade dial set with diamonds and emeralds and was owned by Jacqueline Kennedy. The new model has a natural turquoise dial set with 20 brilliant-cut diamonds and four natural turquoise cabochons. It has a rose-gold case and a supple, gold-mesh bracelet that is similar to the original version. Price available upon request.
A collection of yellow-gold medallions showing the signs of the zodiac was introduced by Van Cleef & Arpels in the 1950s and continued to be popular through the ’80s. Today Van Cleef & Arpels is renewing this tradition with 12 limited-edition Lady Arpels Zodiac Extraordinary Dial timepieces. The top quality replica watches have 38-mm white-gold cases, manual-wind mechanical movements, diamond bezels, and dials that feature translucent enamel, mother-of-pearl, hard-stone marquetry and diamonds. The Sagittarius model is shown here. The zodiac sign is also engraved on the back of the case. Price available upon request.
The Harry Winston Avenue Classic Diamond Drops has 129 brilliant-cut, snow-set diamonds on its rectangular anthracite dial. This quartz watch is 21 mm wide and 36.1 mm long. On the bezel are 29 brilliant-cut diamonds. The case is white gold, as is the folding buckle. The Avenue comes on a black alligator strap. It is also available on a white-gold bracelet or with a rose-gold case and mocha brown dial. As shown here, it has a total carat weight of 2.71. Price upon request.
Bovet Fleurier introduced the first two pieces in its Complications collection in 2014. The third makes its debut at this week’s JCK Watch and Jewelry show at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
The new discount fake watches has a mouthful of a moniker — Bovet Amadeo Fleurier Virtuoso VII Retrograde Perpetual Calendar— and its complexity is as deep as the name implies. Like its predecessors in the collection — the Monsieur Bovet and Virtuoso V — the watch is outfitted with Bovet’s Virtuoso II Specialty caliber.
Also like previous Virtuoso models, it is essentially three timepieces in one thanks to its convertible Amadeo case, a concept pioneered by Bovet and first introduced in 2010, which enables the wearer to change it from wristwatch to pocketwatch to portable table clock with the push of a few buttons and the use of detachable straps and fasteners. And it can actually be considered nine replica watches in one when you consider that in each of these forms, the Virtuoso VII offers two distinctive reversible dials.
On one side, the luxury replica watch displays the hours and minutes on a small central dial (black or white, polished and lacquered, with applied Roman numerals), as well as a seconds hand at 6 o’clock and the various perpetual calendar indications. Unlike traditional perpetual calendar timepieces, most of which display the calendar information centrally on the dial, the Virtuoso VII displays these indicators on the dial’s periphery. The names of days and months are printed in white or black on transparent sapphire disks that allows the subtle details of the movement (made up of no less than 489 pieces) to be viewed underneath.
The date numerals of the retrograde calendar display are printed on a ring that surrounds the hours and minutes dial. To enhance the legibility of the display, Bovet’s watchmakers chose to place the date pointer hand under the hours and minutes dial. Only an arrow is visible, peeking out from under the central dial to point to the current date and snap back at the end of each month. Completing the perpetual calendar indications is a leap-year cycle disk at 12 o’clock. A true perpetual calendar, the Bovet Amadeo Virtuoso VII requires no adjustments for 400 years.
Flip the case over and you can see the second dial, with the hours and minutes represented on an off-center subdial at 12 o’clock and an even more expansive view of the complicated, manual-wound movement, notably its côtes-de-Genève-enhanced co-axial “seconds chassis,” a mechanism patented by Bovet that enables the running seconds to be displayed on the same axis and on both sides of the movement. As on the opposite-side dial, the seconds are indicated by a hand at 6 o’clock. This dial also features a power-reserve indicator that displays the Virtuoso’s astounding five-day energy supply.
The Bovet Amadeo Fleurier Virtuoso VII Retrograde Perpetual Calendar is available with either an 18k rose fold or 18k white gold case, 43.3 mm in diameter (there are also version with diamond-set bezel, like the white-gold model that we photographed above). It is fitted with a full-skin alligator strap with an ardillon buckle in matching gold. Each tag heuer replica watches also comes with a gold or rhodium-plated silver chain for pocketwatch conversion. Prices are $79,000 for rose gold ($88,600 with diamonds) and $82,800 for white gold ($92,000 with diamonds).
Admittedly, I do not dive. In fact – and this has been a secret until now – it took me a lot of effort to even get my swimming diploma when I was a young boy. For my parents, this must have been hell; I hated water and didn’t want to be near it. Things have changed a bit, however. Although I am still not much of a swimmer, I do like to take a plunge in the pool when I am on holiday. And being a best sale replica watches enthusiast, and a very modest collector, I like to have the right watch on my wrist when I do. Perhaps I’m a bit predictable, but that is most often either a Rolex Sea-Dweller 16600 or an Omega Seamaster Professional.
Today, I take a look at the divers’ watches I would consider buying these days if I needed one. (The word “needed” is relative, of course, since, as I’ve said, I am a lousy diver.) If the number of divers’ watches on the market represented the number of actual divers in the world, it would be very crowded in the water, that’s for sure. Just so we are clear, my choices are based on far different criteria than a professional diver would apply. To me, anything water-resistant to 300 meters or more qualifies.
1.Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean GMT GoodPlanet
Even though James Bond is a fictitious character (hard to believe, I know), he is probably one hell of a diver. And he probably wears an Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean simply because it is a true divers’ watch. To me, other factors make the Seamaster Planet Ocean GMT a perfect choice for the holidays. It’s a solid discount fake watches with no fear of water and with a practical, useful GMT hand — for those of us who have to travel to other time zones to find comfortably warm sea or ocean water. The water-resistance of 600 meters will easily fit the bill for diving, although you’re more likely to find me wearing one at the bar. On Fratellowatches,.com we did a write-up on this particular GoodPlanet here.
2. Rolex Sea-Dweller
No, I am not talking about the newer DeepSea but the previous Sea-Dweller model that Rolex has made for decades. The Sea-Dweller Reference 16600 is my preferred model, and the one I have owned for more than 10 years now. Although it doesn’t have the fancy clasp, glide-lock bracelet system and whatnot, it represents the ultimate diving watch for me, personally. The Sea-Dweller Reference 16600 is a simple and cleanly designed watch with the charisma of the older “plexi-crystal” models. And while this watch is not as comfortable to wear as a basic Submariner or GMT-Master (due to its thickness), this Sea-Dweller model with a water-resistance of 1,220 meters (4,000 feet) is up to the task of deep diving. Since it is out of production, I wrote an article some time ago urging people to grab one while they can (here).
3. Longines Legend Diver
Who said a nice mechanical diving watch needs to be expensive? I simply love this elegantly designed Longines Legend Diver, not only because of its reasonable price, but also because it is similar to one of Longines’s historical diving watches from the 1960s. The super-compressor case, two crowns, and black dial and strap really make it look like it is a vintage watch, even though it is, in fact, a modern watch that can be taken in the water at any time. To be honest, I preferred the model without a date, but Longines ceased production of that particular reference. An in-depth review on this watch can be found here.
4. Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver Ref.15703
I am no particular fan of the Offshore collection from Audemars Piguet. I am much in favor of AP’s more toned-down Royal Oak models like the Extra-Thin (or “Jumbo”) models as well as some Royal Oak chronographs, preferably in 39-mm cases instead of the more recent 41-mm models. The Royal Oak Offshore models are highly in demand though, so I may be in the minority. One of the Royal Oak Offshore models I could see myself wearing, however, is this Diver watch. Audemars Piguet made a few special divers’ editions in the past (the Scuba and a special edition for Wempe’s 125th anniversary), and a few years ago introduced a similar model into its regular Royal Oak Offshore collection. The Offshore Diver is an impressive watch with lots of rubber. Besides the strap, the traditional octagonal bezel and the two crowns (one for winding, one for operating the inner diving bezel) have a clearly visible rubber seal. The caseback does not show the movement of this watch, but I had a Royal Oak in my personal collection with the same movement, and a transparent caseback, so I can tell from my own experience that it is a wonderfully finished movement. A hands-on review on this watch can be found here. To be completely honest, I wouldn’t take this watch near the water, even though it’s obviously suited to be worn there. Again, you could find me at the bar wearing this one.
5. Omega Seamaster PloProf 1200M
Another Omega? Well, yes. I actually love the vintage PloProf from the early 1970s, the one that Fiat boss Gianni Agnelli was wearing so stylishly over his cuffs. But, to be honest, I wouldn’t dare to take a vintage piece into the water. So, a few years ago, I got my hands on Omega’s re-edition of the PloProf and reviewed it for Fratellowatches (here). It is a hyper-modern replica Omega watches but clearly the offspring of that first PloProf 600M model. I like the fact that Omega used its new in-house Caliber 8500 in this model, and that it used a metal (rather than plastic) button to turn the bezel. One of the things that clearly had changed was the construction of the case and crown. Perhaps for the better, but I love the old monocoque (one-piece) case. I do not believe it is a best-seller from the Omega collection (probably due to the large size and outspoken design), but I wouldn’t mind wearing this one during the holidays near (or even in) the pool.
