Ali & Co Innovates With The Mysterali

Ali & Co Innovates With The Mysterali

News
At Watchisthis?! we are always looking for watches that surprise and innovate, yet are still keeping it on a budget. A watch that checks all these boxes is Mysterali by the Swiss brand Ali & Co. It actually innovates on many different levels, but the very first surprise is that the watch is designed by Eric Giroud. Being one of the most prominent watch designers of this time, it is always good to see that despite his great success he doesn't shy away from designing more affordable watches as well. By the way, you can find an interview with Eric in the Winter 2015 issue of Watchisthis?! Magazine here. [caption id="attachment_929" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Watch-designer Eric Giroud[/caption] But that is not where the fun ends. Thanks to a patented, round quartz…
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MK II Expands Its Ready-To-Wear Collection With The Hawkinge

MK II Expands Its Ready-To-Wear Collection With The Hawkinge

News
MK II has come a long way. When I just started in the watch business, they where offering parts and customization options, yet now they are a brand of their own. This especially becomes clear when we take a closer look on the latest addition to their ready-to-war collection: the Hawkinge. The Hawkinge is inspired on the MK11 wrist watch that the UK government issued to British military, Commonwealth and BOAC pilots, starting in 1948, and all the way up to the 1980's. The MK 11 is in many ways the ultimate pilot's watch, it's legible design is legendary, and many watch brands have used it as an inspiration to watches of their own. So why would go for the MK II version of this watch? [caption id="attachment_908" align="aligncenter" width="632"] In…
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Helson Dives Into Forged Carbon

Helson Dives Into Forged Carbon

News
Forged carbon is an awesome material to make watch cases from. However, until recent it was only the elite of the watch world that used it, creating watches with equally elite price tags. With forged carbon, slowly but surely entering the affordable watch scene, it is now time for Helson to use it for their Shark Diver 45. As the name indicates, does the Shark Diver have a diameter of 45mm. Combine this with a height of 18mm, and you know that you have a substantial watch in our hands. However, by crafting the case and bezel from forged carbon, and the case back out of titanium with a DLC coating, and fit it with a rubber strap, the total weight is only 138 grams. That makes you Seamaster Professional…
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Kaventsmann Introduces Triggerfish II

Kaventsmann Introduces Triggerfish II

News
An unusual name for an unusual watch, was the original Triggerfish by Kaventsmann already a bold statement, the new version of this watch actually goes beyond what the threshold established by its predecessor. When reviewing the Triggerfish II it is important to take into account that Kaventsmann is a German company, and that in essence, the watch is a German watch. Yes, its powered by a Swiss-made, automatic ETA 2824-2, or Sellitta SW-200 when the ETA stock runs out, but they are made in Berlin, Germany. Their style can best be described as "gründlich", a German word that can best be translated as "thoroughly". Why is this important to know? Because it explains the time and effort that went into the watch, as well as that the way the watch…
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Mühle-Glashütte Presents The New ProMare Chronograph

Mühle-Glashütte Presents The New ProMare Chronograph

News
Yes, we admit it, the new ProMare Chronograph by Mühle-Glashütte is pushing the limits of Watchisthis?! highest price barrier, but we decided to include it as an exception to our rule. Why? Because of what it has to offer, and it might be worth for some watch connoisseurs to save up to get this watch. The ProMare is a nice all rounder. With a diameter of 44mm it's large, but the beautiful carbon coated black dial makes it wear slightly smaller. Depending on the light does this dial have a greyish hue to it. The design is very clean, yet it has small details that make it very interesting to look at. Like the applied indices that not only reflect the light quite well, but are also topped off with…
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Hamilton Fights Aliens In Independence Day: Resurgence

Hamilton Fights Aliens In Independence Day: Resurgence

News
Time to go to the cinema! 20 years after the first Independence Day, the aliens are back! And that means out hero's also need a new set of watches, and this time they are by Hamilton! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCe_JshWOZ0 Watches in movies are always kind of a sensitive issue, since they need to fit the character. Omega was always a good match with James Bond, but I remember watching a certain movie in which some undercover cops where wearing half a million dollars worth of perpetual calendar. Even in Miami that might be a tall order. For Independence Day: Resurgence the whole cast is fitted with Hamilton watches, and they are a great match with the characters that are wearing them. Pilot Jake Morrison (Liam Hemsworth) wears the Khaki X-Wind automatic Chronograph,…
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Finn And The Giant’s Causeway Of Watches

Finn And The Giant’s Causeway Of Watches

News
The Giant's Causeway, famous for its polygonal columns of layered basalt, is the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Northern Ireland, and quite a sight! The story behind is an old tale, where a hero named Finn scares a giant away by being clever. This tale, and the Giant Causeway itself, where the inspiration for a new watch brand appropriately called....Finn! The fun of Finn (pun intended) is actually that the case of the watch is shaped like one of those huge blocks of basalt that make up the Giant's Causeway. What is especially cool, it how they have been able to integrate the lugs of the watch into the design. Most designers would probably go for hidden lugs with this one, but visible lugs are actually better suited, because…
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Citizen acquires Frederique Constant; Some Insights

Citizen acquires Frederique Constant; Some Insights

News
The watch world was shaking, as yesterday Citizen announced that they where taking over Frederique Constant. It is always a touchy subject when a Swiss company is being taken over by a "foreign entity", especially when its coming from Japan. It might help that Peter and Aletta Stas, the founders of Frederique Constant, are not Swiss by birth but Dutch, and spend a long time in Asia. Their road to success been an interesting watch, where they worked themselves up from a quartz-only brand to a full blown Manufacture, earning the respect of the Swiss brands, but more importantly, that of the consumer. [caption id="attachment_855" align="aligncenter" width="632"] Peter & Aletta Stas[/caption] Frederique Constant has shown a stable grow in the last couple of years, mainly by keep pushing the envelope.…
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The Patina Project With Regia Timepieces: Episode I

The Patina Project With Regia Timepieces: Episode I

Projects
At Watchisthis?! we love special projects and we have just the thing for you! A lot of brands, large and small, have released copper and brass cased watches in recent years. These cases look stunning when you buy the watch, but will soon start to develop a unique patina. The metal is influenced by the elements, how harsh or mild they might be. Each one of these watches will develop a unique patina, and that probably explains the popularity of these type of watches. We were interested how this patina develops, so we took a Skull dial by Regia Timepieces and see if we could get it ready for Halloween, monitoring the development of the patina along the way. The Regia Skull Dial has a brass case and buckle, and…
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Ferro Watches: Displaying Time 911 Tachometer Style!

Ferro Watches: Displaying Time 911 Tachometer Style!

Uncategorized
At time of publishing there is just about 2 days left to get your Ferro watch through Kickstarter. The question is; should you? With its single hand configuration its original, but at the same time, this has been done before. What makes it unique is that it combines this single hand configuration with a dial inspired by Porsche tachometers. The result is quite stunning. Most watches that are inspired by car tachometers still have two hands, but the single hand configuration looks so much nicer. Also because Ferro made it like a thin needle in a contrasting color. This also helps greatly to tell the time with a great degree of precision. By making the case 44mm, not only the overall theme of the watch better comes together, but also…
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