July 2008


What’s the latest gotta-have-it Rolex on the market? Well the Milgauss GV of course!

This is a 2008 Anniversary watch of Rolex’s Milgauss carries the reference number of 116400, and measures 40mm in diameter. The watch has the signature lightning bolt second hand, but a few added features make this watch unique. First of all, the sapphire crystal is tinted green! Also, the 3, 6 and 9 markers are an orange luminova, and the outer ring of the dial has arabic second in increments of 5. Movement is the same 3131 as the regular Milgauss encased in a faraday cage.

People are calling this one of the most collectable modern Rolexes ever, so get your hands on one while you can. A trip to my local AD says there’s a LONG waiting list and likely next year is when I would get one. So.. the Milgauss GV – get it if you can! 🙂

Here’s a video that’s been long overdue.. one of Breitling’s more popular models, the Breitling SuperOcean. A classic diver that has been compared to the Rolex Submariner and Omega Seamaster time and time again, but offers the benefits of a significantly improved depth rating over the other two.

The SuperOcean is a great watch. I hope you enjoy the review. Some quick stats:

Movement: Breitling 17
Power Reserve: 42 Hours
Water Resistance: 1500m
Diameter: 42mm
Thickness: 15mm
Weight: 99.7g

Video:

Looks like watch brands are trying to get in on some of the retail action as well as direct promotion of their own brands. Breitling has some Brand Boutiques in Japan and other places in the world, but none in North America unfortunately. However, Jaeger LeCoultre has opened its first North American boutique and Piaget has opened it’s first west coast boutique, already having several boutiques on the east coast and in Hawaii.

JLC continues to be one of the most sought after wristwatch manufactures out there, with over 1000 people working in their workshops in Switzerland. As their catalog states, their personnel span over 40 different professions masterings more than 20 different cutting-edge technologies required to design and produce over 40 different calibres.

Very impressive.

I really look forward to owning my first Jaeger LeCoultre soon. The catalog is indeed a work of art in itself, with over 270 pages of beautiful pictures explaining the watches and their brand. The pinnacle of their achievement is the Gyrotourbillon:

One of the things about Panerai’s that draw me towards them are the numerous strap options and how nice they look. My tastes likely lean towards the rougher, ammo looking straps which don’t go well with dress shirts and suits, but for those occasions, I switch to an OEM Gator strap of some sort usually.

I don’t know if I qualify as a Strapaholic, but I own about a dozen or so aftermarket straps, give or take. They are cheap to buy, and adds some fun to your watch collection without having to shell out the cash for a whole new watch to satisfy the I-need-something-new addiction. I am actually in the process of building an aftermarket strap directory complete with reviews of all the straps I have purchased. This should be a useful resource in the future for new Panerai owners.

From browsing the Paneristi forums, I’ve seem some Strapaholics collect hundreds of straps, and some of them of the rare Pre-V Variety that costs in the thousands of dollars.. for a single strap. I couldn’t afford to do that even if I wanted to!

I’ll be posting a brief informational video on straps on youtube soon, keep your eyes peeled 😉 Straps are a great way to add some diversity to your hobby without spending an arm and a leg. And its not just Panerai collectors that can get in on this strap stuff… any watch is suitable for a change of pace by adding an aftermarket strap!

Here is a sampling of some of my straps:

I just posted a video of my Doxa GMT SUB750T Sharkhunter watch. A very unique 44mm watch from Swiss watchmaker Doxa. This is a very cool diver’s watch with a unique look. The Writer Cliver Cussler made this watch famous by outfitting his character Dirk Pitt with the Doxa watch during his adventures throughout his series of books.

I have some photos as well as a video review for you guys to check out… here is a nice pic of the dial:

The watch, though somewhat awkward and vintage in it’s look, is actually quite cool. Though I was a complete naysayer as far as the look is concerned, I quite liked its uniqueness when I first got it. The beads of rice bracelet you can see below is probably the only part of the watch I do not like. It looks like they have a more modern bracelet on their higher end 5000 models.

As you can see, the watch looks pretty good on the wrist, and has quite a decent presence on a wrist just under 7″ like mine:

And here is the video, and hope you enjoy it!

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