By TLex Here’s a preview of the latest generation of the LIMES Endurance. LIMES have just finished prototype testing of the new Endurance II. Compared to its predecessor, it remains technically pretty much the same but has however received a few cosmetic enhancements. The dial has a new set of polished hands with a larger surface area allowing for a more lume and greater levels of contrast. The case and caseback have been given a brushed finished while the bezel which now has a higher profile has been polished. The Endurance II has been produced in Germany by Ickler. Follow the link to see how Ickler’s BLOG to see their new machining center where the divers cases have been milled.
MSRP for the LIMES Endurance II will be 865euro. It will be available very shortly! Read my in-depth review of the Limes LEVIATHAN . . .
By TLex The KonTiki is ocean bound once again as it prepares to join a team of adventurers on board two vessels that will set sail from Easter Island this November on an epic 6 week / 6000+ kilometer voyage across the Pacific Ocean. Stay tuned for the full story . . . Read up on the NEW 2015 Super KonTiki and the Super KonTiki BLACK Edition . . .
By TLex Ball Watches honor one of the fast men in the air, USAF Colonel Robert Stephens AKA the Silver Fox, who on 1st May 1965 flew the experimental YF-12, at a speed of Mach 3 & 80 at 257 feet becoming the fastest and highest flying man on earth. The Limited Edition of the Hydrocarbon Engineer features Micro gas tubes that glow up to 100x brighter than conventional luminous paint. It has a Swiss COSC-Certified movement, anti-magnetic resistance of up to 12,000 A/m, shock resistance of up to 7,500Gs and a water resistant to 333 meters (1,100 feet). Special features include the red Blackbird motif on its dial at 6 o’clock as well as special caseback with Silver Fox himself in his flight suit. Very cool!
By TLex Here's another look at the upcoming Triton SUBPHOTIQUE, which has been produced by a newly reborn TRITON Swiss watch company. An official launch in Belgium, France and Switzerland should have already gone ahead by now. However the WEBSITE is still not ready. Subphotique is a re-edition of sorts of the Triton Spirotechnique from the 1960s – at least it takes a number of its key design elements from that watch. Technical updates include a water-resistance of 500 meters – as well as the automatic Helium release Valve, which we can see sat, just below the beautifully polished coin-edged bezel. While there are some similarities with the lug and crown set-up of the newly reborn ZRC GRANDS FONDS, the Subphotique is clearly of a completely different design. It would be interesting to see them side by side.
By TLex After great successes in Europe and the US, RALF TECH have finally entered the Japanese watch market. The Japanese take their watch collecting very seriously and are among the most meticulous and passionate that there are. For several years, Japanese collectors have ventured to Europe to buy the WRX and WRV models. Now they can do in their home country, especially if they live in Tokyo; as RALF TECH has just moved into WATCH MAISON, a luxury watchmaking subsidiary of TAKASHIMAYA major stores. Located in the city center in the district of Nihombashi, close to Ginza, the WATCH MAISON occupies the first two floors of a beautiful building filled the most prestigious Swiss and Japanese brands. On the second floor of the WATCH MAISON, RALF TECH exhibited for the first time in Japan a complete collection including the Torpedo Manufacture model. WATCH MAISON is now the fourth point of sale to RALF TECH World for Manufacture parts with, MARTIN PULLI the United States, Italy and Cristilli and COLETTE in France.
RALF TECH should rapidly extend its network and will soon move to other Japanese cities including Kobe, Osaka and Kyoto.
By TLex The award winning TUDOR Heritage Black Bay is now available in three colors; first came RED, then came BLUE; then Tudor teased us with a special one of a kind BLACK version of the Black Bay that was made for ONLY WATCH 2015. Now, the Black Bay is the back once again celebrating over 60 years of divers, this time proudly showing off its true colors and looking even more stunning than ever with a new black colorway and a special feature borrowed from the ONLY WATCH version that gives it its most complete look to date. Tracing its roots back to the TUDOR Submariner reference 7922 that was launched in 1954, the Black Bay has become one of the most coveted of vintage inspired divers released in recent years. I am of course referring to the famous red triangle of the unidirectional bezel from the TUDOR divers’ models of the late 1950s making it closer than ever to the pioneering spirit of TUDOR’s first divers’ watches. Like its sibling it can come on either a brushed steel bracelet with folding clasp or on aged leather strap, also with a folding clasp. In addition to this, the Black Bay Black is also accompanied by a second strap in a black fabric strap, woven using traditional techniques. Burgundy Red, Midnight Blue or Black Bay black, which is your favorite version?
By TLex Five years, five fantastic dive watches - each with its own historical reference. They form an eclectic mix of retrospective models that have been equipped with modern day divers features created using the latest in dive watch making technologies. From their debut model, the Le GRAND that was inspired by the one of the most iconic dive watches; it set a precedent for the way in which the Spanish watch company would continue to revisit, update and upgrade past models making them relevant today while retaining much of their vintage appeal. The TEKTITE, harking back to the epic underwater Tektite Missions of the 60s and 70s that saw four of the participating aquanauts establish new SAT diving world records. The CAYMAN 3000 with its standout features such as its 3000 meters of water-resistance, its stunning highly domed bezel and striking lumed ceramic caseback. More recently, the L’OCEAN 1200, a tribute to the legendary ZRC Grands Fonds. It pipped the ZRC re-edition to the post by a year. And so, after a longer development time than usual, CREPAS have finally unveiled their 2015 model, the new DECOMASTER, a professional divers watch that is the culmination of the past half a decade’s work in the field of dive watches. Instead of looking for inspiration off the known pages of history, CREPAS have revisited a prototype watch. In this instance, the particular model is little known, as it never went into full production as it was an experimental model with only three pieces that were ever made of it. The way in which CREPAS approached the construction of the DECOMASTER compiled everything that they have achieved during the past five years. Five full years spent learning and experiencing; a journey that begun with the Le Grand yet unavoidably resulted in the divers model that you see before you, today. In this regard, CREPAS have been working for many months to build a watch from scratch, in which all of its components were absolutely new, paying attention to every detail and trying to improve what they have manufactured thus far. The DECOMASTER is this watch; an extreme diver, with a water resistant of 4000 meters, a user friendly interchangeable bezel system that includes a chromatic depth gauge, a simple yet effective means of measuring depth by use of color. Both the crystal and the caseback thickness had to be increased to improve the watch’s water-resistance, so for this reason, CREPAS have called upon an ETA 2892-A2 caliber to power their newest dive watch. Keeping the watch’s 15 reasonable millimeters of thickness was no mean feat. The key to a successful increase in water-resistance is the ability to improve upon or at least maintain the watch’s degree of comfort and ergonomics, which CREPAS have achieved with great success with the new DECOMASTER. My congratulations to CREPAS for reaching their 5 year milestone, and on the release of what promises to be another wonderful addition to the CREPAS dive watch family. Interested parties should CONTACT CREPAS Watches directly. New to CREPAS – wondering what a CREPAS diver look like in the steel? Check ‘em out: the TEKTITE and the L’OCEAN 1200M DIMENSIONS: - Diameter of the bezel: 44 mm - Diameter of the case with crown guard: 44,65mm - Thickness: 15mm - Length: 55mm - Thickness of the crystal: 5mm - Diameter of the crystal: 31,00mm - Space between lugs: 22mm - Diameter of the crown: 7,50mm - Thickness of the bezel: 4,70mm - Thickness of the case back cover: 3,20mm MATERIALS: - Case, bezel, crown and case cover made of stainless steel 316L with brushed finished; straight, circular and radial effects. - Crystal and bezel inlay made of sapphire. - Gaskets made of Viton and Tefzel. - Rubber for diver strap and nylon for ZULU strap. - Hands, dial and bezel with yellow Superluminova. FEATURES: - Swiss ETASA 2892-A2 TOP grade. - Water resistant 400 atmos. / 4000 meters/ 13120 ft. Screwed crown and case back cover. - Antimagnetic. - Inside AR coated anti scratch crystal. - 120 positions bezel with screws system to extracting. - Three bezels available with different functions: 60 minutes counter, no decompression limits and chromatic depth gauge. - Two minute hands available with different shape. - Automatic helium valve at 2 position. KIT: - DECOMASTER with a bezel to be chosen among the three available designs. - Minute hand to be chosen, factory assembled. The other design is included in the kit. - Rubber strap available in: black, orange, dark red or blue. - ZULU two pieces. - Airtight packaging case. - Allen tool and tool to change straps. - Chamois cloth, brochure, warranty card, stud-bolts and extra screws. - Water-resistance certificate provided by an independent laboratory. OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES: - Bezels. - Rubber in different colors. - ZULU two pieces. - Mesh bracelet - Bracelet PRICING: Until the launch of the prototype, approximately by the end of November, it will have a promotional price of 743 euros + 21% VAT. Non EU residents will be exempted from VAT payment. Shipping cost not included.
Once the first images of the prototype have been shown, the price will increase up to 908 € + 21% VAT. Non EU residents will be exempted from VAT payment. Shipping cost not included. PAYMENT: 249 euros to book your unit and after that, you decide how you pay the balance. PROTOTYPE: Available end of November. LIMITED EDITION: Available from October 15th until December 31st 2015. ORDER: Email to info@crepaswatches.com DELIVERY: May 2016.
By TLex Crepas Watches of Spain introduce their latest divers model, the DECOMASTER along with an explanation of all of the watch’s key divers features including its chromatic depth meter divers bezel. Read the full story about CREPAS Watches DECOMASTER, HERE . . .
By TLex See the new Omega Semaster 300 SPECTRE Limited Edition watch in 30 seconds of adrenaline charged action as 007 puts his new diver through its paces in the upcoming James Bond flick, SPECTRE. The sequence is then beautifully finished off with a little dialogue and a classic one-liner from Q! See what James Bond was wearing in SKYFALL!
By TLex No Body Does it Better! Here’s another look at the OMEGA Seamaster 300 SPECTRE Limited Edition watch played to the sultry tones of Carly Simon! Read up on the Seamaster 300M James Bond 50th Anniversary Edition made to commemorate 50yrs of 007 films. Did you know that James Bond’s Planet Ocean was a once featured in the gaming title, BLOOD STONE!
