Yet another guilty pleasure watch.. the U-Boat Thousands of Feet Chronograph LE. The flightdeck was big and obnoxious, but the Thousands of Feet is EVEN MORE so. Think of U-Boat meets Bell & Ross, and then juice it up with some steroids and you have it. Is it cool? Yes. Is it practical? No.

The Thousands of Feet Chronograph is a limited edition, much more rare and limited in production than the regular Thousands of Feet which is a manual winding model. It features a gigantic 50mm case, and is quite thick, affording the wearer a lot of wrist presence. The watch also stands out and can sometimes skirt the line between Fashion Watch and Horological Timepiece… and that is often the predicament I find myself in when selecting the timepiece of the day. Sometimes I find certain watches just look too much like Fashion Watches and that’s just not the statement I want to make.

From an overall design perspective, the watch is not loud, and it features a fairly balanced overall appearance. The black matte sandwich dial and PVD coated stainless steel case are all features that would generally minimize attention. However, put all that into a 50mm Square watch, and you have about as much elegance as a bull in a china shop.

The crown is the pushdown type, but still allows the watch to achieve 100m water resistance. Pushers and crown are located on the left hand side of the watch, which is always a welcome change for me. While its harder to adjust, I just find it adds a subtle layer of interest to the watch. Also, it means sometimes you forget and start to put the watch on backwards, which keeps your mornings interesting.

Here’s a shot of that side-mounted sapphire exhibition window that lets you observe the side of the movement, which also has the U-Boat logo and some horizontal lines printed on the inside of the glass. The serial numbering for the model is also etched in here next to the viewing glass.

And there is the exhibition back, which is tinted, but still clear enough to see the ETA/Valjoux 7750 chronograph movement inside. The movement is with little decoration, and is mostly bone stock aside from the signed rotor. The back interesting, and though you barely see it in the pics, it has the Overall Diameter (50mm), Water Resistance (100m), Made in Italy, Steel Type (316L), and the movement (ETA 7750) inscribed on the back in case you forget. Handy!

And finally the all important wrist shot as seen on my 6.75″ wrist. For a square 50mm watch, it wears pretty good. One of my problems with this watch is the strap to head size ratio. I find that the strap is too thin and weak for such a big and bold watch head. It cries for something stronger… perhaps digging into my Panerai strap drawer will yield some positive results. It has a lug width of 24mm, and I have a lot of 24mm straps! Perfect.

Specs:
Movement/Caliber: ETA 7750
Power Reserve: 44hr
Case Material: Stainless Steel PVD Coating
Case Diameter: 50mm
Waterproof: 100m

Hexa Watches is another boutique watch company with its roots founded in the online watch forums. I do like the marketing and style that Hexa brings to the table, however, and feel like it brings something a bit more unique and out of the ordinary than your run of the mill boutique Dive watch.

Here’s the K500, with its beautiful tool-like bead-blasted 44mm stainless steel case. Its a meticulously crafted piece of kit, and very well engineered. The flat sapphire crystal is AR coated in the inside and 3mm thick. It almost disappears in the right light. I’ve got the Hexa K500 mounted on a DaLuca Chromexcel NATO strap, and I think it looks fantastic!

The unidirectional dive bezel has chunky sprocket-like knobs around it and has 60 clicks. The only complaint I would have about the bezel is that it moves accidentally all the time… while I’m not a diver, I do like keeping my bezels centered because I’m just OCD like that so when it moves a few clicks by accident almost every time I wear it It kind bugs me.

The screw-down crown is uniquely placed at the 10:30 position and looks pretty cool, but because it has very chunky crown guards around it its somewhat difficult to use. However, you’re not often changing the time, so its not a huge deal. The sharp, angular lines that surround it make it look really cool and more than worth the trouble.

I couldn’t get a shot of the whole back because the NATO strap covered most of it, and it doesn’t move easily without removing the pins because they’re very tight to the watch case. I think certain thicker watch straps might not fit on the Hexa K500 because of this. The movement within this awesome dive watch is a Sii NE15/Seiko 6R15 Automatic Movement which features handwinding and hacking ability. They’ve also adjusted it to 5 positions in-house for maximum accuracy. All Hexa K500’s are also assembled by hand in the USA.

Overall this is an incredible watch, and at $625US for the strap model, its not too badly priced. While I won’t say this is the bargain of the century, its affordable but offers a very unique and identifiable design that is distinctly Hexa. Throw in the kick-ass Lume by Lum-Tec and the very reliable Seiko 6R15 automatic movement in a bomb-proof bead-blasted case, you have one of the coolest looking military styled dive watches on the market.

Watch discount retailers have been liquidating these Eterna Soleure automatics like mad for the past couple years, and I have had my eye on them since they started in around $1100 and have been dropping steadily. Now they can be had for around $800 or a touch less depending on where you go. An absolutely smashing deal considering what a beauty this watch is. Make no mistake, while this watch is priced in Hamilton Territory, case and dial work are far above and compete with Swiss brands matching the true MSRP of this watch, which is around $3000.

As you can see, my version here is the black dial with silver applied indices. There is also a arabic numerals version as well, but I prefer this one due to the cleaner, more classy look. Seems to suit this watch better. I actually have a moonphase version of the Eterna Soleure with the silver sunburst style dial. I like that dial as well but now having both of them I think if I had to choose one, I’d take the black. You can clearly see the blue tinge of the AR coating as well in the above photo.

The watch is housed in a beautifully crafted 316L three-piece stainless steel case, measuring 42mm in diameter and 9.5mm in thickness. The casework is fantastic and at street prices around $800-900, it is an incredible deal. The machining and polishing are top notch. Indices and hands are beautifully crafted and polished as well, giving the watch a quality appearance. The date is located at 6 o’clock, and is quickset.

The case back is mostly polished with some finely sandblasted edges, and solid steel not revealing the Selitta SW-200 movement beneath. I had a photo of the caseback opened on another example of this watch but I seem to have misplaced it. It is a nicely finished version of the movement with a signed and jeweled rotor. The Selitta SW-200 is a near exact reproduction of the ETA 2824 movement, produced by Selitta to service the needs of the Swiss Watch industry since ETA’s announcement to stop selling its movements outside the Swatch Group.

The strap is a wonderfully clean and immaculately hand-crafted Genuine Crocodile affair, with lug attachment side curved to fit the contours of the watch. I love watch straps that have curved ends, but they are hard to find replacements for without paying relatively high prices. That’s one of the things about watches like these that are highly discounted is the straps are often not discounted as much as they should be.

Here’s a shot of the cool Stainless steel deployant that Eterna uses. It is a single butterfly, push-button style deployant with the Eterna logo deeply machined into it. I really quite like it as its easy to use and very comfortable, something that can’t be said for all deployants.

I saved the best for last – a wrist shot of the 42mm Eterna Soleure on my 6.75″ wrist. It actually shows a bit smaller in the photo in relation to my wrist than it does in real life. I’ve had trouble getting accurate looking wrist shots depending on the type of lens I use. Most either make the watch look too big, or too small. Nevertheless, its always good to see what it looks like on the wrist. I would say that it wears in-line with other 42mm watches. Hope you enjoyed the review!

Specs as Reviewed:
MSRP: $2995
Brand: Eterna
Model 8310.41.41.1175
Polished Stainless steel case (316L)
Strap: Genuine Black Crocodile Strap w/Deployant
Lug Width: 22mm
Water Resistant 5 ATM / 50 meters / 165 feet
Sapphire crystal
Case diameter: 42mm
Case thickness: 9.5mm
26 jewel Movement Automatic self-winding movement, Sellita Calibre SW 200
Swiss Made

AEROSPACE EVO
A new look for pilots’ favorite instrument.

Breitling has redesigned its electronic multifunction Aerospace chronograph in a style that is even more powerful and dynamic, yet as technical as ever. A highly professional design combined with peerless functionality.

First launched in 1985, the Aerospace has asserted itself as one of the stellar models in the Breitling Professional range. Equipped with a chronometer-certified SuperQuartz™ movement, ten times more accurate than standard quartz, it is distinguished by its particularly simple and logical control system. Simply rotating, pressing or pulling out the crown is enough to operate the entire set of functions that are all especially useful to aviators: 1/100th of a second chronograph, countdown timer, 2nd timezone, alarm, audible time signal (minute repeater) and calendar. The Aerospace also features an extremely effective and NVG-compatible display backlighting system.

Breitling now combines this peerless precision, readability and functionality with a new design clearly cut out for great accomplishments. Its distinctive features include a slightly larger diameter, an engraved bezel with integrated rider-tabs, redesigned hands and numerals, and a beveled glass. The light yet sturdy case in titanium – a favorite metal in the field of aeronautics – is entirely satin-brushed, while its back bears a conversion scales for Anglo-Saxon and metric measurements. The new Aerospace Evo is available with three dials – black, blue or grey – and comes fitted with a leather, crocodile leather or rubber strap or a titanium bracelet. It may also be equipped with an optional auxiliary Co-Pilot electronic module integrated into the metal bracelet.

Aerospace Evo: a new look for every mission.

It was only a matter of time – Breitling would be launching a Blacksteel Cosmonaute that looks awesome with its all-black dial and subdials to go with the brushed blacksteel case. Breitling’s successful Blacksteel watches have now invaded the Navitimers! When it was revealed at Basel, the watch was mounted on a Ocean Racer rubber strap, which I’m not sure if I personally liked the presentation. Perhaps with the inevitability of the Navitimer Blacksteels to come, they should make a blacksteel oriented strap or bracelet that suites the Navis.

From Breitling:

“Intersidereal darkness

The first spacegoing wrist chronograph enters a new orbit with an exclusive and technical all-black version issued in a worldwide 1,000-piece limited series.

On May 24th 1962, Lt Commander Scott Carpenter orbited the earth three times aboard the Aurora 7 capsule. On his wrist was a Navitimer featuring a 24-hour graduation serving to distinguish day from a night – an absolute necessity in space. This space conquest pioneer joined the Breitling collections under the name Cosmonaute. 50 years after its first flight in 2012, the Navitimer Cosmonaute is pursuing its odyssey in a new and highly original version featuring a case in black steel created using a highly resistant carbon-based coating. The dial and counters of this high-performance chronograph are in the same black color, enhanced by luminescent indications and small red hands. The Manufacture Breitling Caliber B02, chronometer-certified by the COSC (Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute) features two key characteristics true to the original model: a manual winding system and a 24-hour display.The famous Navitimer circular slide rule enables pilots to perform the entire range of calculations relating to airborne navigation directly on the wrist. The engraved caseback bears the official Aurora 7 mission insignia. Issued in a numbered 1,000- piece limited series, the Navitimer Cosmonaute Blacksteel is fitted with a black rubber strap further enhancing its tech-savvy, masculine appearance.”