I had been drooling over the Graham Chronofighter watches ever since the first time I saw them… even with their ridiculous espresso machine levers mounted on the side, and fairly standard Valjoux 7750 movements, the design of the watches really enticed me. For the retails prices of near $10,000 a pop, these are pricey watches given their modest innards.

This model is the Chronofighter classic model in the 42mm case size. It actually measures closer to 43mm but with the lever on the size the watch wears like a 44-45mm watch easily. The bezels on all the Graham watches are an concave shape and are one of the defining features of the brand.

I’ve mounted this Graham on a Nubo Straps ammo leather strap, 22mm lug width, and it looks amazing. Much better than the boring black leather strap that it came with. Unfortunately I can’t wear the 20mm buckle with this strap. I picked up a Di-Modell Bali that works very well with the stock buckle since it has slotted holes which are important since the OEM Tang is very big.

As you can see from the dial the Valjoux 7750 inside is COSC certified. A nice feature. It has been modified to remove the date and use only two registers. The Chronograph is operated using the espresso lever, and has some mechanics inside to move the start/stop pusher to the crown position.

The machining and craftsmanship of the espresso lever is very well done, and completely flawless. Everything about the casework and dial are extremely well made. The case back is deeply engraved with the serial number of the watch deeply engraved as well. Lume is very good also.

The proverbial wrist shot – As you can see, quite large on the wrist. The large crown device is noticeable with a short sleeved shirt, but under the cuff of a dress shirt it looks like any other watch, allowing this watch to pass for dress or casual. From a style standpoint, this is one of the most satisfying watches I’ve owned.

Glashutte Original is a German watch manufacture along the lines of A Lange & Sohn. While not up to the technical prowess or level of finishing and handwork that A Lange is known for, Glashutte Original makes a very high quality watch, comparably to Swiss Brands such as Jaeger Le Coultre.

The watch that I purchased is the Glashutte Original Senator Sixties. This watch appealed to me because of the vintage/classic styling and pie pan shaped dial. The classic appearance is subtle, understated and extremely elegant.

The silver dial has the Glashutte Original logo on it, and GLASHUTTE I/SA written at the 6pm. The domed Sapphire Crystal is very curved, and shows very nicely, adding that classic old world charm with new world reliability and clean lines. The 39mm case wears a bit small, but when worn with a dress or casual shirt this watch looks amazing.

I have the strap on an aftermarket Brown Hirsch Classic Gator, but the watch came on a dark blue classic style belly gator strap of similar proportions and style. The strap in my opinion goes very well with it, but I think this is one of those styles that either you love or hate, as it is quite different from Breitling, Rolex and Omega.

The back of the watch is absolutely beautiful. The beveled sapphire crystal back allows you to see the side of the 21K Gold Rotor, as well as a very clear view of the in-house Caliber 39-52 movement, which is decorated very nicely. As you might notice, this movement differs from most swiss movements in that it uses a 3/4 plate, which is characteristic of German movements from Glashutte.

There it is on my wrist… before a day at the office. Works extremely well with the shirt and jacket, not quite as well with shorts and t-shirts.

I just received a press release from Gustafsson & Sjogren, or GoS, a watch company whom I’ve reveiwed before. They have released a new customized watch called “Ice”. If you recall, their watches were of interest to me because of their use of Damascus in the production.

The partnership between the bladesmith Johan Gustafsson and watchmaker Patrik Sjögren aims to provide truly unique watches with inspiration from the cold north of Scandinavia.

GoS proudly presents Ice – a customized watch designed in collaboration with the customer, who requested a clean Damascus steel look. The watch is based on a large round case with a combination of different finishing techniques with large diameter bezel and case back as unusual design elements. Etching gives additional contrasts to the wood grain pattern Damascus steel dial. All index positions have gold fitted diamonds and the Damascus stainless steel crown has a spectacular diamond inset.

The watch is equipped with a beautifully finished Unitas/ETA 6498 pocket watch movement. The finishing has been done by the swiss company Soprod, that also have further improved the movement to chronometre grade standard with a screwed balance.

Specifications:

• Case: 44mmx12mm
• Lug width: 22mm
• Glass: Flat sapphire glass (case back mineral)
• Movement: Swiss manual movement ETA 6498-1
• Modifications by Soprod
• Cote de Geneve finishing
• chronometre grade adaptations, screwed balance
• Dial: Hand forged Damascus steel with all indexes in gold fitted diamonds
• Crown: Oversize in Damascus stainless steel with large gold fitted diamond
• Polished stainless steel mesh strap

If you’ve been following my blog, you guys might know that I’ve got a thing for Pilot watches. I’ve been collecting them for the past several months, and one of the ones that I have kept is the Eklund Pilot Watch. This watch uses German and Swiss parts, with the Swiss ETA 2824 workhorse movement. Glass is sapphire and the dial I believe is from Germany. Retail price on this watch is $650US from GNT Watch.

Dial is a simple Pilot dial with the Dots and Triangle 12 o’clock marker. Lume is good, but not fantastic – the luminous material is SuperLuminova. Matte black finish, with a 41mm case diameter, which makes it very wearable without being too large and uncomfortable. This is a great beater watch!

The Sapphire Glass is not AR coated, but it is curved so some reflections are noticeable. The case is brushed and the bezel is polished. Hands are polished stainless steel with SuperLuminova. There is a Date feature with quick-set and hacking seconds, which is standard with the ETA 2824 movement. I have mounted the Eklund Pilot watch on a Hand Made in Germany Jurgens pilot watch strap which looks great with the watch and is extremely comfortable.

As you can see, the watch has a Gilt ETA 2824 movement, and it is accurate at the moment to about 10 seconds a day. This could possibly be regulated to be slightly more accurate. The case back is exhibition and polished. I think having the caseback bushed like the rest of the case would have been better as it sometimes seems to cheapen the look of a watch a bit when they do not match.

The proverbial Wristshot. Shown on my 6.75″ wrist, the watch appears smaller from the angle that I’ve taken the picture, but I feel the 41mm diameter looks fine on my wrist. It does seem to wear more like a 40mm, however. The thickness is 11mm, and feel just about right. Not a bad watch if you can snag it for half price used, though at the retail price you have some more recognizable German and Swiss brands that would be a better choice.

The Museum dial of Movado, which has been a great identity icon for the company has also become their crutch, as the dial symbolizes a recognizable “high” end brand, but also firmly sits it as the bottom of the luxury brands. Often considered by many to be the top of the low-end watch brands, Movado has been trying to reclaim a spot as one of the innovators in horology.

They have done some amazing casework with their new offering, the Movado Master Automatic. This 44mm Automatic watch has a very unique and articulately designed case in stainless steel. Crystals are sapphire, and it is water resistant to 300 meters, thus the rubber strap. It uses a ETA 2824-2 Movement, with a blackened and laser-cut Movado logo rotor.

My personal opinion on this watch is that the case is beautiful, and the dial is recognizably Movado, but not too much so, allowing their designs to break free of the mold but still maintain their iconic identity.