08Déc 2016 by Martin Green No Comments
Lundis Bleus: The Elegance of Excellence

Lundis Bleus: The Elegance of Excellence

News
Many new micro brands pop up every year, and we cover quite a few here at Watchisthis?! Although many of them are quite refined, few reach the level of Lundis Bleus, especially not with their very first watch. Perhaps also not a fair comparison, because Johan Storni and Bastien Vuilliomenet are veterans of the Swiss watch industry, with experience working with brands that charge for a strap what Lundis Bleus wants for an entire watch. They poured all that experience into Lundis Bleus, but fortunate for us they also gave it a far more accessible price tag. The first thing that strikes you when you see the watch is that everything is custom made. Lundis Bleus is very straight forward in where their source their parts from, and which of…
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08Déc 2016 by Martin Green No Comments
Smart Watch Wars: Fitbit Acquires Pebble

Smart Watch Wars: Fitbit Acquires Pebble

News
Pebble, once a Kickstarter favorite is no longer. Competitor Fitbit bought the company. In essence, this is not strange. Fitbit has been anxious to make an impact on the smartwatch market themselves but cannot put up a significant fight yet against Apple and Samsung. By acquiring Pebble, they can assimilate its technology, experience, and people while at the same time eliminate a smaller competitor. [caption id="attachment_2315" align="aligncenter" width="1080"] Fitbit Blaze[/caption] Fitbit seems to make haste with taking advantage of its latest acquisition because it has immediately stopped the production and support of all Pebble products. That means that the Pebble Time 2, Pebble Core, and Pebble Time Round Kickstarter Editions will never be produced and the people that bought one will get a refund. Also, all repairs, software update, and…
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07Déc 2016 by Martin Green No Comments
Boston & Stewill Tourer: British Understatement

Boston & Stewill Tourer: British Understatement

News
Boston & Stewill is putting the final touches on their latest model, the Tourer. Sounds familiar? Yes indeed, in 2015 they successfully funded the Tourer II on Kickstarter. Originally this model would have come out first, but the tides in micro brand world sometimes force you to make a different decision. Good call on the part of Boston & Stewill, because the Tourer II was quite a success and the new Tourer seems to have more than enough potential to live up to the same expectations. The key to that potential is the movement. Typically we find in watches at this price point Miyota and Seiko movements. Fine and reliable choices, but not Swiss. The Tourer is actually fitted with ETA's 2895-2. A rare movement to find in a micro…
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06Déc 2016 by Martin Green No Comments
Limes Introduces The New NightFlight

Limes Introduces The New NightFlight

News
Fliegeruhren, or pilots watches, Limes has always had its own perspective on them. When they introduced their first pilots watch in the early 2000's they did something just a bit different. Stil very recognizable as nothing but a pilot watch, yet with a distinct signature of its own. This is a tradition that Limes continues now with their latest version of the Nightflight!   At first glance, this NightFlight might seem to be more in line with what one expect from a pilots watch than the previous versions. However, closer examination will proof that this is not at all the case. Indeed the sword hands seem to be slightly more elegant. The dial has two levels and features bold applique numerals, but the secret is the chapter ring. It goes…
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05Déc 2016 by Martin Green 3 Comments
Unit 7: A Solid Diver

Unit 7: A Solid Diver

News
What happens when you put a group of watch industry professionals together to create a dive watch? You get a real solid product like the diver Unit 7 has created. In fact, they were probably so busy with all the technical and cosmetic specs that they even apparently forgot to give the actual watch a name. And that is okay because that seems to be the only flaw of this diver. With a diameter of 45.5mm, it is a substantial watch, but the designers of Unit 7 went for a more cushion shaped case which keeps the watch wearable, even when you have a smaller wrist. It also gives them the real estate to underscore some of the details on the watch, such as the lugs or the polished edge…
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04Déc 2016 by Martin Green No Comments
Undone Urban Chronograph: Customizable Retro

Undone Urban Chronograph: Customizable Retro

News
It seems to become a trend on crowd funding: customizable watches. Not too long ago Memomem introduced their concept of it, and now it is time for Undone to show theirs. With their Urban Chronograph, they focus on the great watches on the past and offer you the opportunity to recreate a vintage styled chronograph. That is of course if you want to since there are enough customization options to also create quite a modern chronograph or some with a crazy color dial. In fact, it is all up to you but to help some indecisive customers a bit they also made a collection of pre-composed watches. These carry names like "Speedy," "Navi" and "Killy" making it quite obvious to see where their inspiration comes from. It is important to…
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01Déc 2016 by Martin Green No Comments
How To Weather The Storm: Micro Brands In Turbulent Times

How To Weather The Storm: Micro Brands In Turbulent Times

Opinion
These are turbulent times for watch brands. Breitling and Maurice Lacroix are up for sale, Technotime, and Pequignet were forced to close their doors, and ETA is raising prices because quite a few brands canceled their orders for next year. Depressing news in general, but especially when you just invested your hard earned money in finally founding your very own microbrand. Time to worry? Yes and no. I would be lying if I said that this was the best time to start your own microbrand, but I believe it is not the worst time either. As a micro brand you have some advantages that larger and more established brands don't have, and when you flex those muscles with some sense, you might get far. Be Focused When the time arrives…
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30Nov 2016 by Martin Green No Comments
Affordable at Auction: Paul Picot Atelier Technicum

Affordable at Auction: Paul Picot Atelier Technicum

Affordable at Auction
Determining the estimates of watches that are about to be auctioned is not always easy, or straightforward. Sometimes a lower estimate can create more demand, resulting in a higher sales price, but in general, auctioneers try to be right on the money. That makes one thing what went through the mind of the auctioneer at Sotheby's when they set the estimate for the Paul Picot Atelier Technicum at US$ 1.000,- - US$2.000,- [caption id="attachment_2257" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Image of the movement of the Paul Picot Atelier Technicum, yet not of the watch at auction[/caption] Of course, Paul Picot is a niche brand with a manufacture in Le Noirmont, Switzerland. They have a style of their own, and the Atelier is perhaps the most expressive line in their collection. What is unique…
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29Nov 2016 by Martin Green 1 Comment
Minus-8 Titanium Diver: Industrial Delight

Minus-8 Titanium Diver: Industrial Delight

News
Divers are among the most popular types of watches. Perhaps it is because even without visiting the gym, they make you look good. Of course, not all dive watches are created equal, but the majority of them is a good looking bunch and among them is the Minus-8 Titanium Diver, now available on Indiegogo. The name of the brand refers to the time zone in which they live and develop their watches: -8 GMT, making it the west coast of the United States. One of the things that I truly appreciate about this diver is that they are very straightforward in their communication. There is very little fuzz, and the watch is served straight up. It is powered by a Seiko NE15 automatic movement, and even says on the dial…
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28Nov 2016 by Martin Green No Comments
X-Frame Seer Chronograph: A Bold Statement

X-Frame Seer Chronograph: A Bold Statement

News
On of the great things about microbrands is that they have much more artistic freedom than more established brands. Their design language is often more fluid, and there is also room for this. They are far more customer involved, and many of them have daily contact with people who wear their watches or are just watch enthusiasts. This is also what the people at X-Frame did when they developed the Seer Chronograph. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48w0iCZtVY4 https://vimeo.com/183590770/c8abfd8e21 X-Frame already had a nice run on Kickstarter with the X-Frame Vulcan, so they have some experience in making successful watches. This shows in the Seer Chronograph. It is a large watch, and weighing 179 grams, you do have something substantial around your wrist. Some might argue that the Seer Chronograph has some design cues from…
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