I’ve always liked a few of Baume & Mercier’s designs, but never thought I would end up with one of the Flagship Magnum XXL’s with the Rose Gold and PVD Case. While its not a brand that commands the respect of some of the others, its still a luxury watch company that has quite a bit of brand penetration and awareness.
The Magnum XXL 8825 in 18K & PVD is one of their most expensive watches, and features some nice combination of Rose gold and PVD, which is a popular color combination these days.
The watch is a generous 48 x 37.4mm, and wears like a 44mm round-cased watch. This is an imposing watch with some serious color combinations that really makes an impact. Beautiful crafted case and Rose Gold inset pieces are really impressive.
As you can see there is a 18K Rose Gold insert on the side that is screwed in. Nice extra touch on an already beautifully crafted watch. This watch certainly isn’t everyone’s taste, but there is a certain charm to it that I really find compelling. When I strap it on I do find that it is a bit harder to match than other watches I have due to the PVD and Rose Gold.
The Deployant Clasp is PVD and blends right in with the Alligator pattern strap – both of which suit the watch wonderfully. The strap construction is quite well done on this watch, and has a nubuck finish to the leather, which I cannot seem to find a concensus on whether it is Leather or Alligator. If I had to guess, I would say Leather.
Movement is a modified ETA/Valjoux 7750 with a signed Baume & Mercier Rotor. I would have liked to see at least a DLC’d rotor in this watch. The half-moon window is a nice touch, however. The movement works well and is an established work horse that just about any competent watchmaker can fix blindfolded.
The watch is well made and I am quite happy with mine. I received it in a trade and it is fun to wear. The Rose Gold portions are generous with the large crown and the full Rose Gold bezel that goes past the dial as evidenced by the inside of the watch under the crystal. The weight of the watch also does not let you forget it! A nice piece by a company that I don’t usually consider.
Been loving the Dievas Vortex since it came out two years ago, and this new Vortex Professional Diver is even more awesome! The Dievas Vortex Professional adds several new features over the original Vortex.
A few of the new features of this Dievas Professional include a DLC Black Rotor, even though its hidden beneath a solid caseback; the same German-made titanium Fricker case, but this one featuring a scratch resistant Plasma Finish; and a killer off-white fully SuperLuminova’d dial!
Specs:
Caliber: ETA 2824-2 automatic w/DLC Rotor
Jewels: 25
Power Reserve: 42 hours
Case Metal: titanium w/scratch resistant Plasma treatment
Diameter: 44mm
Height: 14mm
Finish: Waterproof: 50 atm/ 500m
Crystal: sapphire with anti reflective coating
Dial: off-white with Full SuperLuminova
Lug Width: 22mm
Here is the video review finally of my Eterna Soleure Moonphase that I reviewed a while back. This is one of my favourite “off-brand” watches, meaning brands that are not well known with the majority of people. I love the single pusher Chronograph function and I love the clean subdial for the moonphase. Instead of putting the Chronograph Hour counter there, its a clean moonphase complication. Fit that onto the nice 42mm Soleure case from Eterna, and you have an outstanding timepiece.
Graham has partnered with the new 3D Documentry TT3D: Closer to the edge. The Isle of Man TT is a grueling set of Motorcycle road races that take place in the Isle of Man since 1907. Graham is currently the official timekeeper for the race, as shown by the photo below:
The movie is narrated by motorcycle enthusiast and movie star Jared Leto, and focuses primarily on two TT Racers, Guy Martin and Ian Hutchinson, who is a Graham Ambassador. Here’s his smiley mug:
At any rate, should be a good watch as the Isle of Man TT is a very exciting race if you are into motorcycle racing.
Aviation enthusiasts and Breitling devotees now have the chance to take flight with Breitling. The brand, who has shared the finest hours in aviation history, wants to share its passion for flight by launching a Facebook contest like no other. Submit a photo that best captures the spirit of aviation for a chance to win your pilot’s license or the ride of a lifetime with the Breitling Jet Team. Prepare for take off.
Submissions will be voted on by Breitling Facebook fans and by a panel of extraordinary judges including actor and pilot John Travolta, professional air-to-air photographer Katsuhiko Tokunaga, and aviation pioneer Yves “Jetman” Rossy.
Well, I finally got my first Bell & Ross. After hemming and hawing over them, at first liking the BR01, then finding it too big, I picked me up a BR03 and just got it today. Its significantly smaller than the BR01 on the wrist, and feels just about right. I’ve been leaning more towards the 42-44mm size of watches in the last year or so, and the BR03 fits just right. The square case and wide, flared strap make the watch fit a bit larger than the 42mm might suggest.
Shot these photos with my new Sony Alpha 500 camera, which has been doing an amazing job of photos. Here’s the BR03-92 mounted on a Gunny strap, which was included from the fellow I picked up the watch from. Bell and Ross watches are quite interesting as they are front mounted, and don’t have a removable caseback. ECW is another company that makes watches this way.
Here’s a shot of the BR03 laying on the box, which is very well made. The watch is sold with the Factory Rubber strap and a Nylon and Velcro strap. The “92″ in the BR03 model number signifies the movement/complication level of the watch. In this case it is a basic model with the date at 4:30. I’ve always felt that B&R does a good job of making the date discreet but not awkward on these models.
Combined with the extremely legible dial and relatively slim form factor and the watch makes a great daily wearer.
A Close-up of the matte dial shows the four mounting screws on the dial. Lumed portions of the dial include the arabic numerals, hands and hour indices. The B&R lume initially was not very good when I charged it with a flashlight. Oddly, I happened to step outside for about 30 seconds and when I came in, the watch was glowing much more brightly. Perhaps the natural light charged it more efficiently than a superbright LED flashlight shining directly into it? Either way, the Lume has a nice blue hue to it.
Very nice signed crown. Surprising to me is that its not screwdown. You can also tell from this photo that the case is very nicely finished. Bell & Ross did a fabulous job of finishing the case and it looks spectacular in person. The quality is apparent immediately.
And finally, the wristshot. There she is, mounted on my 6.75″ wrist in all her glory. Fitted to a beautiful gunny strap, the BR 03-92 just looks outstanding. To be honest, I like it better than I thought I would and I think I will be keeping this one for a long time.
Specs:
Movement: ETA 2892 Automatic
Case: Stainless Steel
Case Size: 42mm
Dial: Black Dial
Strap: Rubber and Nylon
Here’s my video review of the Doxa SUB 750T Caribbean, with the Limited Edition Scuba mask. This is similar to the SUB 750T GMT version that I reviewed previously without the GMT function. It features that unique Doxa bezel and trademark Doxa case that you either love or hate. I personally love it. Enjoy.
