1. REVIEW: SEIKO PROSPEX DIVER 300M HI-BEAT SLA025: THE ULTIMATE COLLECTIBLE SEIKO DIVE WATCH?
Look up archives. Reissue. Profit. This seems to be the formula that Seiko is following. Not that we can blame them of course, seeing how well received last year’s SLA017 (based on the 62Mas) was. This year, Seiko is giving us the SLA025, which is also based on a vintage Seiko diver, specifically the Ref. 6159-7001, which, interestingly, was released three years after the 62Mas. At any rate, many Seiko fanatics are calling it the best Seiko dive watch ever. And I can’t blame them, not with that fantastic case, gilt dial, and hi-beat 5Hz movement.
Source: Monochrome Watches
2. IN AN ERA OF SMARTWATCHES, ONE COUPLE WANTS TO REVIVE BENGALURU’S HISTORY OF WATCHMAKING
Bengaluru (or Bangalore) is a city in southern India and is often called India’s Silicon Valley. Before it became the tech capital of India, it was the home of Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT), who used to be the biggest watch company in India. It was forced to shut down in 2016 after years of making losses that amounted to millions. Watch enthusiasts Nirupesh Joshi and Mercy Amalraj, who lived in Hong Kong (the world’s biggest market for watches), heard the news and decided that they should bring watchmaking back to their home country. This led to the Bangalore Watch Company, one of India’s very first micro or boutique watch brands.
Source: Quartz
3. INSIGHTS: SECRETS OF THE AUDEMARS PIGUET ROYAL OAK DIAL AND CASE FACTORY
I say this often but the word ‘iconic’ really gets thrown around too loosely by watch journalists today. This iconic that iconic, gah! The Royal Oak, however, is a true and irrefutable icon of horology. Thanks to the benefit of hindsight, we can say, without question, that the design of the Royal Oak is pure genius. That guilloche dial, that octagonal bezel, that angled case, that tapering and finely finished bracelet, are all hallmarks of what is easily one of the most important watches in the history of watchmaking. Learn more with this behind the scenes look at how Audemars Piguet make the dials and cases of its Royal Oak watches in the link below.
Source: Deployant
4. #TBT THE CITIZEN CHRONO MASTER – A VINTAGE ALTERNATIVE TO KING SEIKO
There has been an increased interest in vintage Seiko watches over the last few years and prices of certain models have been steadily climbing. It is worth remembering that Seiko isn’t the only Japanese watch company around, there’s also Citizen. Vintage Citizen watches, however, have been largely unappreciated thus far and that means there can be some great deals to be found. The Citizen Chrono Master is a good example. It is an elegant and classic-looking watch that is a great alternative to the King Seiko. The best thing about it is that a nice piece would cost about half that of the King Seiko.
Source: Fratellowatches
5. WATCHMAKER’S BENCH: ARE ALL CHRONOGRAPHS CREATED EQUAL? INTEGRATED VERSUS MODULAR CHRONOGRAPHS
The chronograph is regarded by many to be one of the most complicated complications. Consider this, the self-winding chronograph was only invented in the late ’60s, which makes it a relatively young complication. There are two main types of chronographs: modular and integrated. Modular chronographs are those where a chronograph module is installed on top of a base movement. Integrated movements, on the other hand, are those where the chronograph complication is built directly into the movement itself and the two are inseparable. What other differences are there? And what should you consider when deliberating on a chronograph purchase? This article sheds some light.
Source: Worn and Wound