Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Watches

Three new timepieces are joining the prestigious lineage of Royal Oak Offshore chronographs. Case size, design elements and the choice of materials represent a number of subtle touches that are forging a new path on which control meets strength. These timepieces that have now become a significant part of the collection are indeed distinguished by a perfect balance of forces. The collection’s signature codes are all there, since one simply cannot modify the identity of a legendary collection, the quintessential sports watch combining audacity and performance. The horological substance is also there, housed within a mechanical selfwinding movement with exceptional finishing representing the pinnacle of watchmaking hand craftsmanship. audemarspiguet.com

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Watches

Space Invaders Limited Edition Watches by RJ

By agreement with Taito Corporation, RJ-Romain Jerome is paying tribute to late-20th century pop culture by launching a double limited-edition of Space Invaders watches. The two 78-piece limited series (in allusion to the year they were launched, 1978) are distinguished by their dial. One is composed of three layers of pixelated and shotpeened dies featuring hand-drawn file strokes.

The 3.5 mm-sized Space Invaders are lacquered in different colors (« day » version) or coated with Superluminova (« night » version), each individually machined and hand-applied. The case, in black PVD stainless steel, measures 46mm. It has a sapphire crystal and is water resistant to 30 meters. Movement is the Swiss automatic Romain Jerome caliber RJ001-A with 23 jewels, 28,800 vph and a power reserve of 42 hours.

(via TimeZone)

Space Invaders Limited Edition Watches by RJ

Nixon Raw Steel Watches

In case you've never been inside a Chipotle, Urban Outfitters or one of it's similarly decorated faxsimiles, raw materials are all the rage. If you can get Tex Mex and stupid tchotkes while basking the [...]

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Nixon Raw Steel Watches

imWatch - Get yours here!

imWatch - Get yours here!

Richard Mille RM 033 Watch With Arabic Numeral Dial

I recently wrote about the new for 2011 ultra thin RM 033 watch here. My hands-on review showed you the version of the RM 033 (RM033) with the Roman numeral dial. As promised, here is an exclusive look at the RM 033 with an Arabic numeral dial. The face is cleaned up and large Richard Mille style Arabic numerals are placed at the 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock placements. Personally, I think this is the best look for the RM 033. It will come in the same 45.7mm wide by 6.30mm thick case available in 18k red or white gold, as well as platinum. Inside the watch is a really great looking automatic movement with a micro rotor. According to Richard Mille this RM 033 with Arabic numeral dial will be available in November 2011. See the link to the previous article for more tech specs and pricing.

Written by Mr. Ariel Adams - aBlogtoRead.com, trusted independent watch media.

Richard Mille RM 033 Watch With Arabic Numeral Dial

Omega Hour Vision Co-Axial Skeleton unveiled

No transparency in its brilliance and Omega proves that with its new limited edition Omega Hour Vision Co-Axial Skeleton. The watch comes in a platinum case with dual sapphire crystal displays. The unique thing about the watch is that watch connoisseurs can observe the movement and be amused at its stunning craftsmanship. It uses a Co-Axial Omega calibre 8403 automatic movement allowing you to change the hour hand without the need to stop the movement. To press its uniqueness only eight of these beauties will be made. "Pity"

Omega Hour Vision Co-Axial Skeleton unveiled

Movado Bold Watches Hands-On

I showed you the Movado BOLD a little while ago, here are a few more hands-on shots of this new trendsetter!

There are literally dozens of Movado Bold watches to choose from. The point of the collection is to modernize and hip-ify (just made that word up) the classic and iconic Movado Museum Face watch. Bold watches share a few things in common. First is color - as most of them are colorful. Second is design and material. Bold watches are designed to be less expensive Movado timepieces and so the case is made of a high-quality plastic (some also seem to be in aluminum). Movado calls it polymer or  high-tech composite.

Movado's major claim to fame was the adoption of the Museum Dial (in the 1970s when they bought the rights from Horwitt) watch and making it really popular. The artistic minimalist design is indeed very attractive, but a good example of form over function. Movado continues to play with the Museum Dial design, but since it became super mainstream in the 1990s through today, it is more a continuation of an existing good design than something fresh. So here comes the Bold, a watch that freshens up the often predictable look of the most of the Movado watches we are familiar with. There is an image of one in the article for comparison purposes.

Even though the classic Museum Dial watches aren't my style, I would happily wear a Bold. I really love many of the designs and the (yes, I will say it) bold color schemes. There are two sizes for the Bold available at this time. They are 42mm wide and 36mm wide. The pieces wear large due to the expansive dial. I like how Movado was able to retain the stark look of the pieces while adding textures and other visual interest. There is even a chronograph version in the 42mm wide size.

Get yours here!

Movado Bold Watches Hands-On

Ziiiro has some new gear.

Click above to head over and check them out!

Ziiiro has some new gear.

Revolutio

This simple and modern watch by designer Mickaël Chros presents a new perception on time telling. Minutes and hours are displayed on Revolutio’s rotating rings and are powered by a standard watch engine. The magnetic locking system is perfectly discreet. I’m really digging the center-less design- the loop, versus the standard circle, is an interpretation of eternity and reminds that time has no real beginning or end.

Designer: Mickaël Chrost

Revolutio

Hublot’s €2 million Big Bang watch - DAMN.

Swiss watchmaker Hublot, renowned for its Big Bang line of watches, has brought to the Baselworld a new diamond-covered 18k white gold Big Bang tourbillon watch, which costs a whopping €2 million ($2.8 million). Interestingly, the Hublot €2 million BB watch was finished the day before Baselworld 2011 opened. The exceptional timepiece features 637 baguette diamonds, a rose cut diamond on the crown and a Vendôme Tourbillon movement to appeal to the lovers of fine watchmaking. The watch has HUB 6003 hand-wound tourbillon movement. 

For about a month, 45 gem cutters worked nonstop to create 637 baguette diamonds, totaling just over 141 carats. They took 13,000 hours to cut the stones and another 2,000 hours to set them. The gemstones were selected one by one to achieve perfect uniformity in terms of purity and color. All the diamonds used in the making hail from the same mine. More than 270 carats of rough diamonds were chosen from a lot of 1500 carats, and from these, the stones used were selected. 

A perfect example of the fusion between jewelry and watchmaking, the Hublot’s €2 million Big Bang watch will go on display in the Hublot boutique at 10 Place Vendôme.

Sparkling Specifications:

Case: 18 K white gold set with 72 baguette diamonds, 20.85 carats.

Bezel: 18 K white gold set with 72 baguette diamonds, 11.14 carats.

Crystal: Sapphire with interior and exterior anti-reflective treatment.

Case-back: 18 K white gold with sapphire crystal, interior anti-reflective treatment.

Crown: 18 K white gold set with 24 baguette diamonds and one rose cut diamond, 1.02 carats.

Dial: 18 K white gold, Palladium 150, set with 116 baguette diamonds, 8.87 carats, dial on two levels with 2 Vendôme columns.

Hands: Faceted, rhodium-plated skeleton hands set with diamonds.

Bracelet: 18 K white gold set with 353 baguette diamonds, 102.62 carats.

Clasp: 18 K white gold deployant buckle.

Via: Hublot News

Hublot’s €2 million Big Bang watch - DAMN.

Nixon 51-30 Chrono All Raw Steel

There are big watches and then there’s the Nixon 51-30. With a diameter of 51mm it’s a watch that is so large there’s a very real chance it will eclipse your wrist. If the sheer size alone doesn’t terrify you (it should) just wait until you put it on. In all honesty, you’ll gladly accept a ball and chain as the weighs-a-metric-ton timepiece fights to rip your arm clean from its socket. Then someone will make a comment about how much they like it and all the pointless whining will be dismissed. It’s so big it’s ostentatious and demands attention, but it’s also so perfectly thought out you can’t help but take notice. With a crown at 9:00 (so nasty spills on the pavement won’t amputate your wrist), a hardened metal crystal and more stainless steel than the average junk truck, it’s design perfection. And now you can get it in raw, unfinished, manly steel. $450

Nixon 51-30 Chrono All Raw Steel

Presenting the HM3 ReBel - D R O O L !

Thanks Max!

James Dean was a Hollywood Rebel Without a Cause; Billy Idol had a Rebel Yell; Star Wars had its Rebel Alliance; and now MB&F pokes the establishment firmly in its conservatively-focused eye with the HM3 ReBel.

ReBel: R for right (hand), B for Black (case). The black-coated ReBelis a distinctive, rock 'n roll mirror-image of the HM3 designed to be worn on the right wrist, as a few individualists out there want to do.

And like all true rebels, nothing on the HM3 ReBel is quite as it first appears, especially when you take a closer look behind its nonchalantly cool façade. Under the ReBel's open black leather jacket - or to be more precise, its black PVD-treated white gold case - charcoal-coloured movement plates and bridges form a darkened backdrop to the resplendent flash of the 22K gold rotor as it speeds by.

We think James Dean would have worn one; Billy Idol would have sang about it; and the Rebel Alliance would have fought for it.

HM3 ReBel is a limited edition of 18 pieces in black PVD-treated white gold, blackened movement and 22K gold rotor.

Presenting the HM3 ReBel - D R O O L !

Urwerk UR-110 Torpedo Watch Hands-On

When Martin and Felix of Urwerk wanted to create something new - they had to sit down for a while and think about what they had done before, and what they could follow up with that was unique in the watch world. Doing that is really tough. Even the satellite time telling system that Urwerk is known for isn't unique to them, originating a long time ago elsewhere. Urwerk just sort of adopted the satellite system of telling the time and made it their own. The Torpedo - as the UR-110 is also called - does two things differently. It modifies the satellite system a bit offering a fun new visual spectacle, and put it in a case that is novel, as well as weird.

URWERK - UR110 movie from I-réel on Vimeo.

On the wrist the UR-110 takes some getting used to. It doesn't look like any watch case I've ever put on before. I jokingly described the design as a"mutated ninja star" (which apparently only makes sense in my head). Think of a modified Urwerk UR-103 watch case with wings. I guess that makes sense... torpedoes fly under water right? If you have a giant wrist the Torpedo will probably sit well, though for me the wings stick out like the watch is trying to gain altitude. The "coined edge" around the side of the organic looking case is nice, and the detailing is of course on par with a high-end timepiece.

Dimensions for the case are an awkward 47mm wide by 51mm tall, and 16mm thick - but that all ranges given that the case curves around a lot. While it looks like it is sitting on your wrist as opposed to around it, the watch doesn't feel like it is going to slide all over the place as the bottom is mostly flat. As I said a few times, the titanium case looks a bit bare and "unfinished." Some people might like that look, but I am waiting for the black colored case that is coming out soon. I anticipate that model to frame the design of the watch much better. Naked titanium is not always easy to pull off. I also think that if the wings were angled down to sort of wrap around a wrist, it would make the design of the watch much more manageable.

Urwerk calls the movement their UR 9.01, and it is easily the high point of the watch. The movement is an automatic, and has those cool little "turbines" visible through the rear of the watch that spin when the rotor is spinning. Urwerk also points out that the turbines helps prevent shock damage to the rotor. Back on the dial you have the three satellites that have four hours on each of them. When moving around, they always point "forward" while moving. That is pretty cool, and when they move close to the minute scale, the correct hour on the cube spins around. Telling the time is easy, and the idea behind the placement of the minute scale is so that it is the first part of the watch you see when your arm peeks out from under a sleeve.

The dial also has a subsidiary seconds dial, a "oil change" indicator, and a day/night indicator. The oil change indicator is a sort of service guide that advises you when to send your watch back to Urwerk for a (pricey) service. It is an homage to such indicators on cars. Future variations on the UR-110 are likely to have alternative complications. I feel as though the dial is a bit incomplete. While it is clean, the sandblasted surface under the satellite system for the hours feels a bit bare. Like I keep saying, the Torpedo is pretty nice all around, but it looks like Urwerk could put just a bit more time into polishing the design - which they likely will.

Urwerk UR-110 Torpedo Watch Hands-On

NIXON – The Unit | Available Now

No, these timepieces are not named after the short-lived television series about U.S. Special Forces, though their rugged design makes them quite suitable for some covert operations of your own. The Unit by NIXON takes on their sometime overly expensive counterparts with an affable arrangement to your wallet. Water resistant for up to 100 meters, its polycarbonate bezel and mineral crystal dial face can take a beating as well. A custom digital dial face simplified information access with temperature gauge, dual time zone readouts, countdown timer, and more. The Unit, available in 5 colors, is now for sale at all Nixon retailers worldwide.

NIXON – The Unit | Available Now

Nixon 42-20 Rose Gold Watch

“Capturing everything that is right and right now, this Nixon modern vintage stunner features a 6-hand Japanese quartz with a second sub dial, chrono and date, along with a custom 200-meter stainless steel, hardened mineral crystal bezel with a countdown timer.”

Nixon 42-20 Rose Gold Watch

Invicta Reserve Pro Diver Swiss Automatic Lefty Meteorite Watch

I love writing about Invicta watches because you readers get so worked up about them with your polarizing viewpoints. Some of you swear by Invicta carrying around your collection of 47 'ShopNBC specials' in a duffel bag at all times, while other wouldn't touch them with their worst enemy's wrist. It is true that Invicta has a lot of hit and misses, as well as a broad range prices to go with their watches. Sometimes it is actually not fair, because you can't compare a $1,000 Invicta with a $50 one - but they both have the same name on the dial, so what are you to do?

Here is one of their "Invicta Reserve" models which is supposed to be a higher-end piece with a Swiss movement and more interesting features. This one (model J401063) has a long name and some interesting qualities. This is the black on black version of the Invicta Reserve Men's Pro Diver Swiss Automatic (let me take a breath) Lefty Meteorite Dial Bracelet Watch... with the "diver's case." What seems to be as a following of the smart move issued by Bathys several year ago, Invicta is offering many of their new pieces in Pelican style (not sure if they are actual Pelican like Bathys) cases.

The Pro Diver Meteorite caught my eye because of its use of meteorite for the dial. I have a soft spot for meteorite dials. Just look at this watch and you'd think, "that isn't too bad." No it isn't, but in true Invicta form the thing is frikkin' massive. The (what I imagine is ion plated) black steel case is a whopping 55mm wide and 17mm thick. Invitca calls this "sturdy and masculine." I wonder if it might stop a bullet. The bracelet links alone are 26mm thick! Though it tapers a bit to 24mm thick near the clasp. Use your best Paul Hogan accent, but on a bush Fedora and say "That ain't a watch. This here's a watch!"The case is also water resistant to 500 meters. They use a "Flame Fusion" crystal which is a mineral crystal with sapphire crystal "fused" to the top of it via heat. It is a less expensive way to get close to sapphire crystal scratch resistance for less money - and apparently people love saying the term "flame fusion."

While this version is all black, I think a few others are available as well. The dial is black stained meteorite with applied Arabic hour markers and is pretty decent looking. Invicta could have made the hands a bit longer though. The dial has an opening for the escapement of the movement, which in this case is a Swiss Sellita SW200 (similar to the ETA 2824). Because the watch is so large, the crown is on the left side of the case. This isn't just for lefties, but it also to protect from having the crown jab into your hand (which is gonna happen with a watch this size). Looks like the bezel is fixed and does not rotate.

All in all this is an interesting Invicta watches for people who want something really large. At 45mm wide this watch would have been just fine. In a silly and sort of absurd way, Invitca watches can be fun. They certainly are walking (or worn) statements, and have a lot of personality to them. Quality won't hold up to the best stuff from Switzerland, but they are a lot cheaper. The final point of amusement in the Invicta Reserve Pro Diver is the pricing. Typical of the wildcard pricing schemes ShopNBC is often laughed at for, this watch has a "retail value" (a silly term that means nothing) of $1,575, a "Regular Price" of $604, and a sale price of $548.19! Wow, I didn't even need to negotiate and I think I just saved a bunch of money, lol. Learn more about this Invicta watch or get one here.

Invicta Reserve Pro Diver Swiss Automatic Lefty Meteorite Watch

MB&F HM2 Final Edition Watches Hands-On: Sapphire Visions

These "Final Edition" HM2 Red SV & Black SV watches put the Horological Machine number 2 proudly to rest. MB&F first experimented with the "Sapphire Vision" concept with the original HM2 SV watch that was included in this article here. Using a sapphire plate versus metal as the top of the watch caused a whirlwind of "I want that." MB&F freely admitted that the project probably cost them more than they anticipated given the cost of machining the sapphire plates, but it was worth it for the fans.

The original HM2 SV was limited to only 25 pieces. That is a really low amount given how popular the watch was - and it was popular for good reason. The Sapphire Vision offered not only unparalleled views of the movement, but also created a totally new looking surface for a watch that spoke all too well the language of love for watch nerds. So for the last pieces in the HM2 collection to ever be made, MB&F offers just a few more of these sexy Sapphire Visions for us to enjoy.

I first spoke about the MB&F HM2 Red SV & Black SV watches here. Visit that article for information on pricing, technical specs, etc... This will be about handling the actual watches, and what it means for the future of MB&F. What I will say right off the bat is that the watch are limited to just 18 pieces each.

The black or green colored gaskets really give these watches that extra bit of character that they need to be highly memorable. They are of course there for the functional purposes of water resistance and to keep dust out. For generations we have been interested in looking at watch movements to see how they work. I have a strong feeling that this early desire to peek under a watch's robes influenced watch makers to create such nicely decorated movements. It makes me wonder how some watch makers draw the line between "functional" and "aesthetic." Appreciation of timepieces inherently involves a love of mechanics and gadgetry. To know the items we appreciate are as complicated as our interests helps fuel our ongoing passions. MB&F's founder Max Busser and the team are as much gadgetaholics as they are watch makers. Timepieces such as the HM2 Sapphire Visions are perfect intersections of these two interests.

Read more here!

MB&F HM2 Final Edition Watches Hands-On: Sapphire Visions

Romain Jerome Moon Invader Watch Collection

The new collection from Romain Jerome since taking new leadership under Manuel Emch is the Moon Invader line. Clearly a spawn of the Moon Dust DNA collection, the Moon Invader takes form, and some substance, from moon landers. Specifically, some pieces of the watch are from spare parts for the Apollo 11 craft.

Moon Invader Automatique Black Metal

A new 46mm case with a bevelled, yet rounded, design is made from steel coalesced by fusion with spare parts from Apollo 11 and the 4 ball-and-socket joints surrounding the face are designed to look like the feet of the original lunar landing module. But they’re functional too, holding the lugs of the rubber strap and enabling the watch to adjust and fit almost any wrist.

Another conspicuous feature to remind us of the lunar adventure is the embodiment of the special Moon Silver plate on the stellar case-back of the watch. This engraved plate depicts the lunar surface, and the mineral particles interact on an infra-molecular level with the wearer of the watch. Other details include an automatic movement with 42 hour power reserve.

Two versions of the watch are going to be initially available – each in steel or rose gold. There is the Automatic and the Chronograph. The Moon Invader will be limited to a clever 1,969 pieces of each four model, and while pricing isn’t known, I’m sure it will follow in the extremely expensive footsteps of its predecessors.

Romain Jerome Moon Invader Watch Collection

Nixon Rubber Player Spring 2011

The popular Nixon Rubber Player watch returns for Spring 2011 in three new colorways – green/navy, black/pink and seafoam. The all black/pink colorway is by far the strongest in the new line-up. You can purchase the watches directly from Nixon now.

Nixon Rubber Player Spring 2011

Hublot Masterpiece MP-01 watch for those who like grand complications

It’s not a Big Bang watch this time from the house of Hublot. Renowned Swiss watchmaker has now announced the new Masterpiece Collection, which seems to be the brand’s answer to its fans and collectors asking for a non Big Bang or King Power-inspired watch for a long time. Pictured above is the Hublot Masterpiece MP-01 watch, the first Hublot barrel-shaped watch that has been developed and manufactured by the Confrerie Horlogere Hublot (a team of 30 of the skilled watchmakers within Hublot). 

The dial of the watch has been ingeniously open worked to reveal the stunning mechanisms of the watch. The movement is manually wound, has 240 hours of power reserve and a 30-minute monopusher chronograph. The calibre offers a 10-day power reserve owing to its three barrels working in series. The indicator hand is positioned on the back of the watch. 

The Masterpiece MP-01 will be produced in a limited run of 100 pieces, with each costing around $80,000.

Hublot Masterpiece MP-01 watch for those who like grand complications