Here is the last of the Formex’s that I’ve had the privy of inspecting. The Formex 4Speed TS 375 Chrono. Velly nice. I recently picked up a Breitling Chronomat Evolution, so that will be up soon too! Keep reading
So this is one loud, yellow and titanium watch. With the traditional Formex ‘hunky chunky’ bracelet… cuz out here, we’re all about the hunky chunky big watches.. Formex, Breitling, Bell & Ross, you name it.
Quartz chrono again, and with that odd non-quick set date that seems to be all the rage right now. Why? I don’t know. I believe this one may be changeable by moving the hour hand back and forth past midnight to advance date quickly. But being a quartz watch, changing the date large increments isn’t that common a task.
Nice matte, yellow dial. Sharp lettering, none of that cheap fuzzy lettering you get under a loupe with cheap watches.. but its Swiss Made, so its expected! The yellow is not to my taste.. a bit strong. I like the yellow dial on the Breitling Avenger M1 a bit more than this.. paler and less austentatious. The yellow Omega Speedmaster schumacher edition isn’t really a fave of mine either. Not too many yellow watches are.
Check out the fantastically large and thick Titanium bracelet on this Formex TS 375. Far thicker than the one on the GT 325 series, and the AS Series as well. Though I’ve been told the AS Series can have hunky chunky clasps added.
Same back as the others.. but this model is all matte, no polished bits. Nice suspension as always and looks larger than life on your wrist. GUARANTEED to get noticed! Enjoy!
I picked up a Versace Madison automatic a week or so ago, and have been wearing it for a couple of days over the last little bit. This is a very nice watch that deserves a mention in my blog. It won’t be getting too much wrist time for the next little bit as I’ve picked up a Chronomat Evolution and just got it in yesterday! But enough about the Breitling
The Versace has a stainless steel case, stainless bracelet and everything. The bracelet uses screws, not push pins, so it is a nice touch. Multi-link style reminds me of IWC Fleiger and Movado Horwitt bracelets, among others. The dial is very nice, with a matte white finish, and the sapphire crystal is domed and AR coated on the inside.
Nice steel hands and small seconds complication, with date window at 3 o’clock. The word “Automatic” appears on the dial in a somewhat chunky type. Not sure the exact diameter of the watch, but I would put it around 38-39mm. Not small, but not big either. A good size for a dress watch.
The way the bracelet connects to the watch is unique, and gives it a extra “style factor” making the watch seem more of a design-based watch than a movement based product. It does indeed look very good on the wrist, even with the smaller face that I am not used to. The
wide bracelet helps.
The clasp is a friction lock double butterfly clasp, similar to the Breitling Rouleaux bracelets. Holds pretty good, and has the versace typeface deeply engraved on it. Very nice!
Caseback is also engraved with the model number and serial number as well as Versace logo. Four micro-screws hold the caseback on, and beneath it hold the swiss made movement… can you guess which it is?
ETA 2895-1. Not bad. Movement looks stock, and likely has no modifications to it at all. Still a nice movement, 30 jewels, Swiss made ETA, based on the 2892. It kept within about 10 seconds/day… good enough for me. For what this watch is, a designer timepeice made for the fashion concious, not the WIS, this is a fantastic watch. Looks great with edgey clothing styles and that metro-sexual look.
The second Formex watch on the choppin’ block, exposed for all to see! This is the Formex 4Speed TS350 Quartz Chronograph. Unlike a standard Chronograph however, this watch has a “speed tester” type of mechanism. It is basically a chronograph with a different readout and only a seconds counter.
The small dial at 6 o’clock is for the seconds indication, and the center mount seconds hand is for the chronograph. One complaint I’ve heard is that at “idle” the CHronograph hand obscures the date window. Very annoying, and a design flaw. But the watch has a beautiful blue carbon fiber dial, and nice crisp lettering. The watch bracelet is HUNKY CHUNKY! Solid Titanium, and the watch case is a combination Ti and Steel like most Formex watches.
Overall, This is a nice huge watch at 47mm, and sticks out lots with it’s hunky chunkiness. Great for a guy who wants a BLAM BLAM watch without the classiness of say a Breitling. Sportier in it’s look, and much more colorful!
Cool video animation of the inside of a JLC Reverso watch… neat stuff! Check out the other videos on the Blog’s Youtube page… we have all sorts of neat videos up!
Check out the two new Breitlings introduced at Baselworld, The Super Ocean Heritage and the Flying B No.3. The SuperOcean Heritage is much more Omega Seamaster looking than current Rider-tabbed Breitlings… not really my taste, but i really like the Flying B… but prefer the jump hour version myself.
Check this out! My Hunky Chunky buddy shipped off his Formex to a new home the other day and it arrived there via Canada Post (which was delivered by USPS, so who knows who’s to blame) and received in what can only be described as DESTROYED condition. This boggles the mind on how someone could even deliver a package that is so destroyed… Take a look at these pics.. a beautiful Yellow dialed Formex TS 375 Quartz Chronograph watch taken to the cleaners. This is the same Formex that will be reviewed shortly. The owner decided to upgrade to an Automatic Formex (much to my pleasant surprise)!
Look for upcoming ‘Quick Looks’ at the Formex TS 375 and TS 350 Swiss Quartz chronographs. Also have a couple of incoming watches, one of which is the Versace Madison with small seconds, swiss automatic watch. I will also be posting reviews of some Breitlings such as the B-1 and perhaps the Headwind.
Look for upcoming more in-depth reviews of the Orbita Sparta Watchwinders, and the Rapport winders as well. Now’s the time to tell me if what you guys would like to see? I will be posting up dissection of a replica Chrono Avenger as well… a very GOOD replica. The Chrono Avenger is possibly the most accurately faked watch in the Breitling line, not including the recent fakes of Breitling for Bentley Models… without having seen the actual models in real life one could be easily duped, even one that is familiar with Breitlings.
In the future I will also be doing a series in general on spotting fakes, which will inform the casual buyer of things to look for when trying to spot fake Breitlings. There should be more soon!
The Formex 4Speed AS1500 Automatic watch is a very nice looking watch from the new watch company. It uses a Valjoux 7750 movement, and is unspecified as to whether it has been modified or not, which likely means that it is stock aside from the addition of their logo to the rotor.
It is a massive watch at 47mm, and has incredible wrist presence. Like the smaller formex however, this watch is not really a favourite of mine. It does hold appeal to the ‘hunky chunky’ crowd, and stands out several feet from your wrist (well, more like 20mm or so) but that is a lot of stand out! Watch is set up as a bullhead, so the pushers and crown are on the top. Not personally a layout that I like, but it really appeals to some people. Formex is a watch for the few, not the many.
A nice shot of the exhibition back, and shows the suspension system as well:
The bracelet is a multilink 5 row deal similar to the Breitling Pilot bracelet but does not appeal to be nearly as well made. It has phillips screws and a foldover clasp.
Hope this quick look gives you some more info about the watch and can further your decisions on making a choice!
