Boldr Supply has a new GMT model, the Venture, which is out now.
This 38mm wide, titanium case watch features a quartz movement, sapphire crystal, screwdown signed crown and 200m of water resistance. It comes with a NATO style strap too.
The UK price is £217 but you will need to add on import duty and VAT on top. That could be another £60 or so.
More here at Boldr Supply website.
Torgeon have a handy 20% discount code on their website right now, which can be applied to the orange strap/dial versions of its 45mm T18 model.
Powered by a Swiss ETA quartz movement, it’s a striking, modern watch that is aimed at the younger consumer. And KTM owners.
Here’s the blurb from Torgeon;
Designed in partnership with Team Pelfrey Star Mazda racers, this watch brings flight speed to the race track.
Equipped with a wide range of functional tools for race car and aviation enthusiasts living in high speed, this watch includes a Swiss Made ETA G10.212 quartz chronograph movement. With large, clearly displayed orange digits that add a hint of colour, a blue carbon fibre dial, a blue silicone strap and a heavy duty stainless steel buckle, this is an elegant timepiece with a thrilling edge.
Northern Watch Co magazine misses the old days when you could sit in a pub debating all kinds of things, such as why do most Lib Dem candidates all have dreadful hair?
Another Alan Partridge topic is that only rubbish watches like Bench, Henleys and similar car boot dross can be had £10 or so. You have to pay about £25 to get a simple timekeeper that will last you a couple of years.
So in spite of pubs now pretending to be field hospitals that serve alcohol and chicken wraps as a sideline, we took up that challenge last week.
The winner of our ebay search was a near-mint Casio dive style quartz, which cost £10 exactly, plus £2.99 postage. This MRW 200 model is available online from as little as £14.99 at Argos, although other outlets are trying to get over 30 quid for it.
You can’t blame them because it’s a decent watch for the money, with 100m water resistance, a moveable bezel, some OK lume on the hands and markers, plus a resin strap and day/date feature.
Unpacking the watch I was surprised at how clean this used watch was – hardly a mark on it and set to the right time, date and ticking away. It even had the original docs in the groovy 1990s style see-thru box.
On the wrist it feels super light and not too big, with a 42mm case diameter. The caseback screws down and the only way water can sneak in is via the crown, which has little protector lugs next to it. The white dial lets the markers stand out and after holding the watch under a kitchen light for a few minutes, the lume was bright for around 20 mins. Not bad at this price.
No, you would not scuba dive in this watch, and the docs state that quite clearly. But a little dip in a hotel pool should be fine.
Like every Casio, this one feels well made and durable. The black paint on the case will probably withstand a few knocks better than most budget watches and the painted on white numerals on the bezel looks nice and thick under a loupe.
The clasp even has a Casio logo indented into it, which is a neat touch on a low cost watch. Most are unsigned.
This is a sharp looking everyday watch that you can wear when giving your vintage stuff a rest inside its case, or winder. You could lose it and not worry too much because at this price it’s cheaper than a gastro pub meal with a couple of drinks.
There is a difference between cheap, and great value. Any Casio offers that value, plus a little bit of respect from watch collectors and the general public alike. People see it and say `It’s a Casio so they last for years.’
When you buy that kind of brand rep for a tenner, you’re winning.
When you have an older watch it’s important to give it a clean. Same goes for something that you bought pre-owned too, as old bits of skin and dirt can be lurking inbetween bracelet links, pins, deployment clasps etc. Not nice.
So I set to with this decent looking Seiko 5 SNKL model I’ve owned for about three years. It was a daily beater when I worked in a watch shop replacing batteries, polishing jewellery and all that jazz and it’s suffered a few scratches to the crystal.
Just for fun I used metal polish and Polywatch on the hardlex to see if it made any difference and the answer is yes, up to a point, as you can see from the photos. But it is a trick of the light, the scratches are still there, just not holding so much dirt after being polished
TAKE IT APART
You can only really clean a watch by taking it apart and I have to own up here, I didn’t separate all the bracelet links. Instead I used an old hard toothbrush to scrub washing up liquid, then hot water, then a cold water rinse into the various nooks and crannies.
I removed the clasp to get at the push button actuator and clean where the pins go in, as you can see dirt under a loupe.
The case itself cleaned up very well using the metal polish, with a little bit of Polywatch to finish. I needed to poke at the dirt by the lugs with a cocktail stick and some petrol-ether to shift years of clag. Lugs just attract it, nasty.
The end result is pretty appealing and I really should buy a replacement crystal for this Seiko as it still looks good for something about 15 years old.
If you look at the before and after pics of the lug shields, you can see how muck creeps in and never gets removed unless you pop the bracelet off and clean it thoroughly. Very satisfying and just like cleaning a car, it makes you glad you bought something nice when it looks its best.
We are fans of the LIV watch brand here at NWC mag. They offer great value, build quality and vibrant styling too. Especially if you prefer bigger 43mm sized watches. Bad news though, prices are going up on June 1st, so here’s the word from LIV.
Since 2017, we have not had a price increase on any of our watches. Today I am announcing a modest increase in both the GX-AC and the P-51 collections. This increase is due to material and production costs going up.
The GX-AC will go up by $100:
The P-51 will go up by $100:
One way you can transform the look and feel of a Seiko or Orient watch is by upgrading the strap. Whether it has a steel bracelet or a silicone rubber factory fitted, it’s a quick Mod that can really add some Swiss style to your watch.
Here’s the word from Strapcode on the Orient Kamasu bracelet, which has the classic beads of rice design.
The new Goma BOR watch band with curved end link was designed for Orient Kamasu Green diver watch RA-AA0004E19A and its variants. Goma BOR is the contemporary and hi-tech version of the classic “Beads of Rice Bracelet,” with a remarkable soft drape and smooth bending characteristics.
The ovally shaped links of the Goma watch band is echoing the classic Beads of Rice Bracelet and the actual shape of the rice grain. Goma stainless steel watch bands have solid links; five small staggered well rounded polished beads in the middle and two brushed outer beads, the very iconic “beads-of-rice.” Making the links in the best proportion, the exquisite shape of a rice grain, tighter with a solid feel but still bent softly, was the most challenging.
This well-built replacement watch band was assembled using screw-in adjustable pins instead of push-in link pins. Watch band is tapering to 18mm buckle width. Accompany with V-Clasp double lock buttoned diver’s clasp.
V-Clasp was made from solid 316L stainless steel with extra 6 micro holes for flexible fine tune length adjustment. Featured in V shape safety lock, streamlined form & chamfer edged design to giving a more massive look.
Chamfer double locks diver’s buckle is ideal for a watch band with thickness approximately 3.5 – 5.0mm thickness. This isn’t a cheap option at US$99 but it really looks the biz.
More here.
Zenith has released a fresh take on its El Primero Chronograph to celebrate 55 years of Cohiba cigars. They did a brown edition five years ago, but this one has a wild Ducati 748 eyllowness about it which we kinda like.
You get a five pack of cigars included in the deal, which costs £7600 approx (limited to selected retailers by the way). It won’t actually be available until October this year however. Here’s the press release;
From Havana to Le Locle and all over the world, cigar aficionados are celebrating 2021 as the 55th anniversary of one of the most distinguished and revered Cuban cigar makers, Cohiba. Now marking its fifth year of collaboration with Habanos and the sixth special edition with Cohiba, Zenith is joining the celebration with a delectable and highly exclusive commemorative edition of the Chronomaster Open.
Zenith has reimagined its emblematic Chronomaster Open in a manner that immediately evokes Cohiba’s unique aesthetic. Taking on the striking design codes of the packaging and paper bands that wrap each of its entirely hand-rolled and exquisitely blended cigars, the dial of the Chronomaster Open Cohiba 55th anniversary edition is done in the distinct saffron-yellow tone and white on black checkered motif. A yellow chronograph seconds hand with a star-shaped counterweight completes the look, while the black alligator leather strap harmoniously accentuates the checkered pattern of the dial.
Limited to just 55 pieces, the Chronomaster Open Cohiba 55th anniversary edition is completed with a special display back with the special Cohiba 55 logo printed on the interior side of the sapphire crystal. To enjoy the full epicurean experience, each watch will come with a set of 5 special Cohiba cigars presented in an exclusive
cobranded porcelain jar.
The Chronomaster Cohiba 55th anniversary edition will be available exclusively at Zenith boutiques and select retailers around the world from October 2021.
Namoki Mods have solved one of the big problems for a great many novice watch customisers and Modders. Namely, the fear of the cracking crystal in the press!
You see it isn’t easy fitting a crystal, and when you have paid decent money for a sapphire crystal, that can really spoil your day.
Often it’s a lack of experience combined with cheap crystal presses that leads to cracking. Cheaper plastic dies and poorly engineered press arm actuators tend to move slightly under pressure, or can be a micron or three out of alignment – and that causes the crystal to crack.
Always buy expensive – the best you can afford – tools if you are going to attempt to fix, or customise watches. It just makes the job harder using cheap stuff, and confession time, I’ve been there and seen the damaged casebacks when £10 case openers slipped from their tabs or the clamp holding the watch didn’t have four nicely chamfered tabs gripping the movement.
So Namoki now has a 38mm case, 3pm crown position, that comes complete with a crystal fitted. Blue or clear AR coating options too.
We think that’s the right way to go for your first few MOD watch projects, as it lets you tackle jobs like say fitting the hands and dial properly in your time. And you will need time to fit hands correctly, it’s difficult even with the right tools. Don’t forget the dial protector.
Prices start at $128 which includes a sterile crown and a chapter ring pre-fitted too. Great way to rehouse a reliable Seiko or Swiss movement that’s languishing inside a damaged case, where the plating has long since flaked off.
More here.
Every brand is doing smartwatches now, including one of the biggest names in Japan, Citizen. It is a wide watch at 46mm and that might not suit everyone with a slim wrist, just saying.
Here’s the blurb from Citizen on their new CZ Smartwatch;
The new CZ Smart smartwatch is designed for every moment. Inspired by the rich design of Citizen’s iconic sport technical timepieces, CZ Smart marries modern technologies with the style and quality you expect from Citizen.
The sport edition features a colour touchscreen dial and black anodized aluminum top ring, framed and finished with a silver tone stainless steel case and comfortable blue silicone strap. CZ Smart also features a 46mm three-piece case construction and a rugged blue bezel design.
Powered with Wear OS by Google™, CZ Smart is compatible with both iPhone® and Android™ phones to fit your lifestyle. Plus, the customisable menu of dials and technology that provides the information you need at your fingertips.
It’s an interesting question because even if you have nine or ten grand lying about spare, you may well struggle to buy a Rolex Sub or GMT homage this side of Renata battery expiry date. That’s 2024 by the way.
So if you just want the Rolex look, and don’t care about the Chinese assembly or build quality, here are some alternatives we spotted online.
BENYAR MILGAUSS-A-GO-GO
We actually placed an order for this Milgauss lookalike from China recently, so watch out for a review of this quartz watch which costs a mere $25 including shipping on Aliexpress. At that money it is gonna be hard to find fault even if the second hand falls off after 3 months.
LOREO SUB
This one is one eBay in various dial/bezel combo; Pepsi, all black, blue/black etc at about £95. You get German tech it says, which could be the sapphire crystal? Seagull movement inside, nice steel bracelet too – VAT and customs duty on top of the ebay price though. We saw a couple of pre-owned examples in the UK if you want to save all that mither.
PAGANI DESIGN DAYTONA DEMON
Pagani are one of the best known Rolex tribute acts around, with some positive reviews online. Priced at about £80-£110 in the UK the Daytona lookalike is undeniably good value with a Seiko movement inside.
Pagani even have their own UK based ebay store, which is handy as regards back-up if things go wrong, plus avoid the import duty racket. Great looking Subs and GMT models too.
REGINALD, YOUR ROLEX IS HERE LUV
The Reginald is another China brand, with this quartz Submariner copy retailing at just over £35 plus taxes on ebay. You get 30m water resistance and…oh come on, do you care? It’s under 50 quid.
CADISEN DATEJUST
The Cadisen Datejust sells for about £70 on ebay or Amazon and again, the dependable Seiko NH35 automatic movement in inside the case. Thinking ahead, that movement is worth about 30 quid, assuming you wanted to build a MOD watch one day.
Anyway, you get a steel bracelet, 100m of claimed depth rsistance and a range of dial colours. Aliexpress has this on for about £50 plus import tariff n VAT, so not too pricey. See-thru caseback as well.
Happy shopping!
