This is a very cool one-off piece by ArtyA, a watch company that specializes in unique pieces. Since I have a casual interest in firearms, this piece caught my eye. The little bullets inside the case are an uncommon cartridge called a 6mm Flobert. The diameter is equivalent to a .22 and while not designed for that, can be shot from some guns chambered in .22lr. Nonetheless, an interesting cartridge that fits into the case well.

As you can see, the bullets are suspended with copper wire. I would have liked to see the bullets more evenly spaced and more “perfect” in their placement. Perhaps the imperfection is part of the charm for the person who comissioned the piece. The 47mm case features crosshairs to complete the theme.

Above you can see the rotor is also visible, featuring the backs of three .38 Special casings to enhance the look. I wonder how it spins when the weight is so evenly distributed. Would love to see this watch in action. The little movement is quite well contained in the central housing.

As you can see, the back is marked 1/1 Unique. Swiss Made. Notice the lugs have screws inset to hold the strap. The fine machining work on the case is apparent from the rear shot, showing nice crisp lines and nice hand rubbed finishes.

Boys’ toys – fast race cars and exclusive watches are typical status symbols of the mostly male MANSORY clientele. But until now, the refining specialist for luxury cars could only fulfil automobile dreams. Yet, with the presentation of the GRAHAM Chronofighter Oversize MANSORY, MANSORY changes this big time. And the name says it all – with 47 mm steel case diameter and the left hand fast-action start /stop trigger which is so iconic for GRAHAM watches, the Chronofighter Oversize MANSORY chronograph impressively accentuates its features. This instinctive mechanism activated by the thumb, guarantees a great precision with the most direct response of the chronograph functions.

Kourosh Mansory, CEO of the MANSORY Holding & Design GmbH: “The co-operation with GRAHAM-LONDON derives from my long-term friendship with Eric Loth, founder and board member of GRAHAM-LONDON. His passion for dynamic automobiles and my enthusiasm for high-quality chronographs are perfectly combined. The GRAHAM MANSORY Chronofighter Oversize confirms this in a very impressive way.“

Following the automobile core competences of the MANSORY Group, the dial is made of carbon, a material typically used for sports cars. The “Clous de Paris” decorated steel bezel echoes the artistic performances of MANSORY concept cars. On the case back, a smoked see-through sapphire crystal with MANSORY logo, allows an insight into the clockwork Calibre G1734 with 48 hours power reserve. The black rubber strap is “Clous de Paris” decorated and adorned with the GRAHAM and MANSORY logos.

Limited to 50 watches, the self-winding automatic chronograph developed by GRAHAM, is exclusively available from MANSORY or one of its world-wide sales partners.

Functions: Chronograph (seconds, 30 minutes counter), Date at 7 o’cloc, kHours, Minutes, seconds
Calibre: Calibre G1734, automatic bi-compax chronograph, 28’800 A/h (4Hz), Incabloc shock absorber, 27 jewels
Power reserve : 48 hours
Case: 47 mm steel case Steel with black PVD left hand fast-action start / stop trigger and steel reset pusher with “Clous de Paris” high grip pattern, Steel bezel with “Clous de Paris” decoration, Domed sapphire crystal, anti-reflective coating on both faces, Smoked sapphire crystal case back with MANSORY logo and serial number
Water resistance: 330 feet / 100 m / 10 bar
Dial:
Black carbon dial with black snailed minutes and seconds counters
Black minute scale rim with red numerals
White MANSORY inscription at 5 o’clock
White Super-LumiNova hours and minutes hands, red chrono, minutes and seconds hands
Strap: Integrated black rubber with “Clous de Paris” decoration and GRAHAM and MANSORY logos
Limited edition of 50 Watches
Price: 8,900 € incl. German VAT

I picked up a Glycine Airman World Timer a while back, and actually put it up for sale. I figured I’d do a quick review of this before sending it off. I’ve always liked the Glycine Airman watches, especially the world timers. The 46mm version here was really interesting to me because it has 24mm lugs, allowing for the use of 44mm Panerai Straps to be swapped in, and the exposed lug holes allow for you to use tubes in the straps as well.

This example has a beautiful blue brushed dial with standard indexes as well as a 24hr chapter ring for the GMT hand and an additional 24hr bezel that can be adjusted to allow for a third timezone. This means that you can see three timezones at a glance, a very nice feature that most GMT watches don’t have. The second crown at 3:30 unlocks the bezel and it spins freely once its been unlocked, rather than having ratcheting.

Movement is a base ETA2892 decorated very sparsely with little more than a Glycine signature, but is nonetheless visible through the exhibition caseback. The watch also has a screwdown crown and features 200m water resistance and sapphire crystal. The casework on the Glycine watches that I have owned are decent, but not up to the standards of watches such as Rolex, Breitling or Omega, as as such I find the case build to be a bit less exciting than the overall style and heritage behind the watch. The Airman is an iconic aviation watch that has been around for a long time and therein lies the charm.

I apologize beforehand for the photos, as they were meant to be for selling the watch, not reviewing it. The Box that accompanies the Glycine is the one that I’ve gotten with most of my Glycine watches, aside from the Limited edition Glycine SST D24. Its a spartan looking thing, with barely enough room for the papers that come with it! At any rate, its not about the box, its about the watch, right? I think Glycine watches are great, and for the second-hand prices they command, they are a great watch. I wouldn’t pay retail, but if you can score one you like used – they’re good for the money!

Chronoswiss, contrary to what the name might suggest, is a German-based watch manufacture founded by Gerd R. Lang. While the company is German, the watches are all hand made and finished completely in Switzerland. Ever since I saw my first Chronoswiss, I’d wanted one.. I didn’t care that the watch was a smallish 38mm, I just loved the case and dial work. Which lead me to the purchase of my Chronoswiss Kairos!

Look at at that beautiful hand guilloche dial! Amazing solid sterling silver dial, with absolute attention to detail. Even the blued steel hands show absolutely perfect. In the price that you can get the Chronoswiss watches used, there is probably NO watch that is finished quite as nicely. The Kairos has been in production around 10 years, so its no spring chicken.

So nice I had to post two photos of the dial. The case is a three-piece design with a knurled bezel and sapphire crystal front and back. I remember reading somewhere that the polished breguet style hands on the Chronoswiss are hand-polished and take several hours to finish.

The onion crown is absolutely perfect, with its finely cut and machined grooves perfectly formed without any machining marks you see on inferior levels of finish.

The lugs screws are also perfectly fit and require two screwdrivers to remove. Since the watch has fairly wide 20mm lugs it gives the impression of being a bit larger than its 38mm case diameter might suggest. The Chronoswiss Alligator straps are also padded and of extremely high quality, adding to the luxurious feel of the watch.

And then there’s the movement! While its a relatively common ETA 2892 base movement it has a fantastic look and level of fininsh to it as well. The beautiful cut rotor looks amazing set against the steel bridges. One of the prettiest 2892’s I’ve ever seen.

And here’s the requisite wrist shot. 38mm Chronoswiss on my 6 3/4″ wrist. Not too shabby… looks pretty darn good if you ask me! I absolutely adore the Chronoswiss watches. While their larger timemaster seems to be more popular with the crowds these days, I still love the 38mm watches and wouldn’t hesistate to add another to my collection!

Frederique Constant is a relatively young watch manufacture, formed in 1988 by Aletta Bax & Peter Stas. The company is based in Switzerland and produces luxury Swiss automatic and has been very forward thinking with manufacturing silicon escapement wheels and creating a tourbillon movement. This Persuasion Automatic isn’t one of these iconic award-winning masterpieces from Frederique Constant, but it is a fine, entry level luxury Swiss Timepiece in its own right.

The beautiful white, textured dial is reminiscent of Cartier’s due to the oval Roman Numeral layout, but still retains some sense of identity without looking like a copy of some sort. The double-beveled Persuasion case is classic, yet has a touch of modern to its overall look.. not much, but just a touch – enough to let you know it was made in the last decade.

The stainless steel, 40mm diameter watch come mounted on a faux Crocodile leather strap, which is appropriate for this price range. With a retail price around $1800, Crocodile usually isn’t supplied. Otherwise, its a great quality strap, with a good buckle on it. Handles are blued steel, and there is no lume to be found on the dial. Date is located at 6 o’clock, and the crown at 3. The Swiss Made marking is also located at 6 o’clock under the date.

The watch features a curved AR-coated sapphire crystal front, and an exhibition back. Water resistance is 60m, and the crown is not screwdown.

The movement is an ETA 2824-2 base, with 25 jewels. It isn’t really decorated and has a gilded rotor, engraved with the Frederique Constant signature.

Here’s the watch in the oversized leather-look box, which is quite nice for a watch of this price. These can be found online for around $1100, and seems like a decent price given the quality. The casework is excellent and the deep engraving on the caseback is a nice touch. Overall an excellent watch for those looking for a dress watch from a slightly more obscure brand that you won’t see on too many other people’s wrists.