General Posts


Check out the new Corum Golden Tourbillon Panoramique!!! That is a pretty sick watch, and a really slick movement. Very low parts count as well at 168. The movement is a Corum 382, which is a modified LaJoux Perret 7951. Definately the right direction to take with the series! This one down here is technically a “platinum panoramique” I suppose.

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This watch matches well with the Golden Bridge watches offered by Corum:

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They are all beautiful watches featuring sandwiched Sapphire Crystals, Anti-reflective coated both sides. All Manually wound as well.

Some specs on the Tourbillon Panoramique:
Size: 38mm X 53mm (its a big one!)
Water Resistance: 30 meters
Optional: Diamonds – 225 Pave Set 8.4 Carats
Strap: Croc with Folding Clasp

So Cool! The first time I saw a micro rotor, I thought it was the coolest looking thing I had ever seen, and I still really would like to have a watch with a visible micro rotor. For those of you that may not know what a micro rotor (or a 3/4 rotor) is, its a rotor that does not cover the entire circumference of the movement. Most traditional rotors encircle the whole back of the movement like so:

full rotor

But micro rotors allow the movement to be thinner, and also look pretty cool to boot! One recent micro rotor design are the ones used in some of the L.U.C. Movements by Chopard, particulary the ones in their 1.96/3.96 movements. These movements have an incredibly high power reserve as well.

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There was an article in WatchTime several months ago debating the pros and cons of micro-rotors and why each company selected the ones they did for a given movement. The results are interesting, and I’ve summarized some of the points that the watchmaker’s made for and against the micro-rotors.

1. Micro-Rotors allow for an overall thinner movement.

2. Central-Rotors allow for an overall smaller diameter movement.

3. This third point allows for some debate among some watchmakers… physics tells us that a centrally mounted rotor would reated the greatest oscillating mass, ergo, more efficient winding. However, some watchmakers argue that in practice, this efficiency is negligable. Thierry Nataf from Zenith has even provided the mathematical calculations to prove that the microrotor has less static torque. Approximately a -76% loss of static torque when going from a full-sized central rotor to a half-sized micro-rotor.

4. Shock absorbancy is at it’s best when the rotor is mounted concentrically around the periphery of the movement and shock absorber.

5. It is argued that the Microrotor allows for easy addition of complications, however there are plenty of central rotor designs that complications are easily added to as well.

6. Chopard claims that the reason other manufacturers opt for centrally mounted rotors is because they have not been able to design mechanisms that can use a microrotor without compromising winding efficiency, any maybe he’s correct, albeit a bit arrogant!

7. Chopard is also able to position twin barrels one on top of the other without sacrificing thickness because of the use of the microrotor.

8. The Microrotor allows for an unimpeded view of the beautiful jeweling and finishing work that goes into a high-end movement, especially when you have an exhibition back. This is one of the best reasons for having a microrotor in my opinion!

So there you have it folks.. some of the reasoning behind the choices that some of the companies have made regarding central and micorotors. Ultimately its not a huge concern to me, but I would definately like to own a nice micro-rotor watch someday, maybe something like this A Lange and Sohne:

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When we think of large watches.. some of the names that come to mind are Breitling, Panerai, Zenith, maybe Bell & Ross with the BR01 instrument watches. Is the big watch trend here to stay? Sure looks like it to me… watches are only getting bigger and bigger, with Omega’s 49.2mm Railmaster leading the pack (i think).

Other Factors that Affect Perceived Size
Keep in mind that sometimes bigger isn’t always better, and its not always about diameter. Wrist presence is a combination things including Dial Color, Case Thickness and Bezel Thickness. Take for instance.. a Breitling Super Avenger.. perhaps one of the most famous and popular Big Watches out there currently. Two identical Super Avengers, one with a white dial and one with a black dial when worn on the wrist, have a completely different presence. The white on my small 6.75″ wrist looks overwhelmingly big, while the black suits me.

This can happen with so many different watches out there. Recently I purchsed a Breitling for Bentley Motors with a white dial. This watch is actually slightly larger than the Super Avenger (48.7mm over the SA’s 48.4mm) but the watch seems much less obtrusive on the wrist. This is due to the thickness of the watch and the presence of the bezel. The sunken dial gives it more depth and the height of the case makes the watch stick out a mile from the wrist.

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Above is a Bentley 48.7mm and a Chronomat 44mm

44mm, 46mm or 48mm? Which One is Best?
Like anything out there, its personal Preference. One thing I’d like to say however is that you shouldn’t base it on diameter only. There are many watches out there like the Chrono Avenger, the SuperOcean Steelfish and The Chronomat Evolution that are all 44mm watches, but each of them wears differently. And remember, just because the black face seems to look good, doesn’t mean the white face will too.

Panerai’s and Breitlings and Omegas are all available in many different sizes, so don’t just go with the bigger is better philosphy. For example, I’ve always liked the Omega Seamaster watch, and having seen the Planet Ocean, I wanted one. I figured that it would look great at ~45mm, since other 45mm watches looked good on me and so did the 42mm Seamaster. I was wrong!

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The Planet Ocean has a very long Lug-to-lug length, which gives it a very elongated profile on my wrist, making the endlinks ont he bracelet stick out oddly from my wrist. The 42mm Planet Ocean suits better, however still has that elogated look that I’m not so fond of.. so for me its the Chunky Seamaster Chrono.

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Panerai’s at 44mm wear very large. You will find that a 44mm Luminor Marina wears bigger than a 44mm Chronomat Evo. This is partly because of the thin bezel and partly because of the somewhat square face, giving it a bit more wrist presence. The Crown protector also adds a bit of width to the overall look of the case. The 45mm Radiomir’s are even bigger looking without the crown protectors.. but I am not a fan of the wire lugs.

Your best bet if you plan to buy online is to go to a dealer and try on the difference sizes and brands of watches, taking note of how they feel and look on your wrist.. and remember switching between a bracelet and a strap changes the presence of a watch as well. A bracelet will make a watch wear slightly bigger as well quite often… and will also make a heavy watch feel heavier.. obviously.

Happy Big Watch Hunting!

It’s been a couple years now since the Seiko Spring drive has been unveiled, and there are many ardent followers of the brand. Seiko’s higher end line Credor is much sought after by collectors as well. Having seen the Spring Drive in person I can attest to it’s appeal… the watches are VERY well made easily the equal of more expensive Swiss watches.

In case you are unfamiliar with it, the Spring Drive is a revolutionary new movement from Seiko with many special characteristics that I’ll be talking about.

Seiko Spring Drive

What makes the Spring Drive Special?

Having seen the literature on the Spring drive on their website, I could not find anything that really told me what made it special at first glance. There were some videos and such but I wanted to find a one liner that said “Springs Drive is a revolution because…” But I just got some marketing talk about how it moves the way time really moves or something.

Looking deeper and watching the videos, it explains that there is no escapement like a typical mechanical watch. Oh? That’s very interesting. Everything in the watch moves in one direction, unlike an escapement which bounces back and forth under the strength of a mainspring. It has some sort of magnetic component inside and of the 280 components, 4 of them are electrical, so this is not an entirely mechanical watch as far as I can tell. That is unfortunate.

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The movement has a 72hr power reserve and the rotor winds about 30% faster than traditional rotors due to the efficiency of the mechanism.

My personal concern lies in whether a company like Seiko will ever mass market this technology and make it very affordable, thus devaluing the Spring Drive? Obviously the Spring Drive will not displace the Kinetic in the market place as the Kinetic offers much more electronic features which are desireable to a large market segment.

Still, the beauty of the timepeice is evident, and the perfect sweep of the second hand, unlike that of traditional mechanical watch movements which tends to be a bit choppy, is a very nice feature. Enough to convince buyers to part with $4000+? Perhaps. For the time being, Spring Drive is here to stay. I should hope so, seeing as Seiko claims that this is the culmination of 28 years of advancement in their own movement design!

A video:

I’ve been conversing with a lady named Margaret about a watch that she got from her Father around the 1950’s. I am not a vintage watch expert, so I turn to you, my readers. This is the initial email she sent:

Breitling SuperOcean Heritage 46 and 38 Models

“I am trying to trace history of a Breitling Watch purchased by my Father around 1950
It is a stainless steel watch with stopwatch facility which I believe he purchased for use in his job after the War which involved time study.

The watch has a number 63832 4 with another number of 176 underneath.

I would be very grateful if you could give me information of anyone who might be able to let me have any history or any info at all on watches from this period”

To me it probably means that the movement is a Venus 176 Chrono, but I dont really know what else to tell her. If you can provide any info that would be great… pics have been attached.

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