BLANCPAIN Fifty Fathoms BARAKUDA ONLY WATCH

Blancpain has created a one-off Fifty Fathoms Barakuda for Only Watch 2019.

The unique piece is inspired by the new Fifty Fathoms BARAKUDA, and has been created especially for the Only Watch charity auction in Geneva on November 9th 2019.

Launched in 1953 for the frogmen of several of the world’s largest marine corps units, the FF soon became a key piece of equipment in their standard-issue kit.



The French were the first to equip themselves with Fifty Fathoms models for their underwater missions. Other military elites followed, including the German Bundesmarine in the 1960s.

These models were supplied by Barakuda, a specialist company dealing with the production and marketing of technical scuba-diving equipment.



In addition to the mil.-editions, Barakuda introduced a civilian variant into the German market that had a distinctive style characterized by its two-tone rectangular hour-markers, white-painted fluorescent hands, as well as a highly visible date display at 3 o’clock.



Some watches in this series were fitted with a TROPIC-type rubber strap that was very popular with divers at the time and particularly renowned for its durability as well as its comfort.

The new Fifty Fathoms Barakuda for Only Watch faithfully reinterprets the aesthetic codes of this watch from the late 60s, while incorporating the brand’s latest technical innovations.

Its black dial is punctuated by broad white hour-markers in SuperLumiNova with blue luminescence, like the hands and bezel.



The pencil-shaped hands are white-lacquered and the seconds hand is rimmed with light blue, while the date – a key element of the original model – returns to its favorite position in a prominent window.

Blancpain has teamed these vintage attributes with its iconic unidirectional bezel featuring here light blue graduations, along with a scratch-resistant domed Sapphire inlay – an innovation first unveiled by them in 2003.

The Stainless steel case of this unique piece, water-resistant to 300 meters, has a diameter of 40mm, a size typically reserved for Fifty Fathoms models that are released in limited series.



It houses the 1151 automatic movement equipped with twin barrels, which can be admired through a Sapphire case-back revealing an engraved rotor with the inscription ONLY WATCH.

This rotor has the particularity to present a cut-out shape, in reference to some of the collection’s antique watches.



This now atypical geometry formerly served to enhance the suppleness of the oscillating weight in order to protect the movement from potential impacts.

Paired with a tropical rubber strap identical to that of the historical models, the Fifty Fathoms Barakuda for Only Watch is expected to fetch between 13,000 - 20,000USD.

DOXA Watches SUB 200 T. GRAPH REISSUE

2019 has been a big year for DOXA Watches, who earlier this year celebrated their 130th anniversary with THIS and THIS solid gold head scratcher;



and who had just recently made a big announcement with regard to an upcoming new chapter in their long history that will not only see the brand fully returning to the original founding, Jenny family,

but perhaps even a bit of a new brand identity - all to be revealed along with their new website – doxawatches.com.



The slightly off brand 18k gold Sub 200 T. Graph was in fact a prelude to this, the Sub 200 T. Graph Reissue in Stainless steel which celebrates the watch’s 50th anniversary.



Special features of the 1969 reissue include a fully refurbished 17 jewels vintage, hand-wound Valjoux 7734 caliber plucked directly from the Jenny family’s inventory.

The 30 year old movement has a beat-rate of 18,000 vph and power-reserve of 45hrs. It also has a date in addition to its chronograph function.



The hands and dial markers of this 300 piece special edition are with beige Old Radium-style SLN lume.

In addition to the special features all the beloved Doxa features are present in the Sub 200 T.Graph reissue: an orange pro dial, saw-tooth bezel with no-deco. scale and BOR bracelet.



Basic spec. includes: a 316L Stainless steel case, measuring 43mm in diameter with a lug-to-lug measurement of 46mm and a thickness of 15mm.

Divers features include: an AR-treated Sapphire crystal, a screw-down case-back and crown, 200m of water-reticence and bead-of –rice bracelet with diver’s security clasp and wetsuit extension.



The Doxa SUB 200 T.GRAPH has an MSRP of 4,900 euro and will be available from Doxa’s new website as September 2nd.

CERTINA DS Action Diver TITANIUM

This, the latest diver’s watch from Certina is a true featherweight thanks to its Titanium construction.

One of eight models in Certina’s DS Action collection it meets all the requirements of the demanding ISO 6425 standard and is water-resistant to 300 meters.

Extremely robust, corrosion-proof and skin-friendly, its case and bracelet are in Titanium combing durability and lightness.



Barely half the weight of steel, Titanium also lends the watch a dark gray hue, enhanced by a unidirectional aluminum bezel and gray dial with a sun-ray finish.

The 43mm Titanium case features a screw-down case-back and protected crown. Power comes from the current Powermatic 80 automatic movement which has a power-reserve up to 80hrs.

The dial displays hours, minutes and seconds as well as the date at 3 o’clock. The hands, indexes and the arrow mark on the bezel are all coated with SuperLumiNova.



The watch’s three-link Titanium bracelet is fitted with a fold-over security clasp with double pushers and an integrated diver’s extension.

Thoughts? Imho you, can’t go wrong with Titanium as long as it’s Grade 5, but man that’s an in ya’ face red seconds hand; also quite lot of dial text.

DOXA Watches NEWS

As of August 1st, Swiss National Day, Doxa Watches HQ in Switzerland officially regained 100% authority over the name and website ‘’doxawatches.com’’, which now manages all of its activities.

With centralized management in Switzerland, and still 100% owned by the second generation, Jenny family, Doxa has been consolidating its positions and business activities globally since August 1st, to offer the best possible service to its customers.

In the meantime, for transactions and sales made by third parties and/or independent companies before August 1st, 2019, and in the event of a dispute, Doxa Watches Swiss HQ will do everything in its power to help and assist customers.



The current Doxa website has been completely redeveloped by Doxa Watches Swiss HQ. It is still under maintenance, but will return soon offering a new experience along with the brand's new graphic identity as well as many new features.

Doxa’s team in the US who are under the direct management of Doxa HQ in Switzerland will be happy to help and answer any queries that you may have – please don’t ask me!

Thoughts? I wonder what this means for the spurious Doxa In Asia? Surely this sketchy outfit will be binned. BTW stay tuned for some special news this Friday!

BULOVA Oceanographer GREEN

Bulova’s flagship diver’s watch, the Oceanographer AKA Devil Diver has officially been joined by a new GREEN variant.



Ref. 96B322 which has an MSRP of 795USD will join existing refs. 98B320, a Special Edition Devil Diver as well as 98C131 an orange Limited Edition Devil Diver.



Where is ref. 96B320 with its lovely blue dial and yellow 15-min scale or indeed the one with an orange 15-mins, I hear you ask.



It seems that, while Bulova have reveled these good looking new variants, their releases onto the market have perhaps been staggered.



Basic spec. includes: a Stainless steel measuring 44mm x 15mm with AR-coated Sapphire crystal and 200m (666ft) of water-resistance.

Power comes from a Japanese Miyota automatic caliber 821D with 21 jewels, 21,600 vph and a power reserve of 42 hours.

OROLOGI DINO ZEI Todaro Submersible

Here’s a bold new diver’s model from Orologi Dino Zei which in fact has been available since last month.

Very much in a traditional Italian military style, its large 49mm case is in Stainless steel (with either frosted, Ox-Pro, WC/C finish), Marine Bronze or Titanium.



Power comes from an automatic movement, a COSC-certified Sellita caliber with GMT function The second time-zone can read from the center of the dial. The movement can be viewed via a porthole in the case-back.



Special diver’s features include: a patented “Automatic Compression Chamber’’ AKA HEV, a military-grade scratch-resistant Sapphire crystal and a rotational bezel “controlled and locked” by a patented crown-system.



Screw-on push button BUTTON (decagonal) in Stainless steel (Polished, Ox-Pro, DLC), Marine Bronze or Titanium. Water-resistance 50 BAR AKA 500m, tested.



Todaro Submersible boasts a milled dial with LUMINOL in the milled portions as well as the hands.

It comes on a leather strap with a dovetail-style buckle in Stainless steel (frosted, Ox-Pro, WC/C), Marine Bronze or Titanium signed with DINO ZEI logo.



Thoughts? While my heart really wants me to like this – my head’s telling that perhaps this sort of watch is a little dated. What do you think?

PANERAI Submersible 42MM GOLDTECH™

Introducing Panerai’s utterly pointless yet sublimely beautiful 26,700USD golden show pony, AKA the new Submersible 42MM Goldtech™ AKA PAM00974.



It only has 100 meters of water-resistance; it lacks typical Submersible diver’s features such as a Helium Escape Valve –



yet thanks to its Goldtech™ construction it boasts the same kind of durability that you would expect from military-grade diving equipment.



Its case measures 42mm in diameter 42mm with a gleaming polished finish which is matched to matte black ceramic-inlayed Goldtech™ diver’s bezel.



The dial is in matte black with a matte black sub-dial at 9 and a date window at 3. This accented with gold: hands, Submersible and WR text and sub-seconds hand.



Power comes from an in-house OP XXXIV caliber which can be viewed through a Sapphire exhibition case-back.



The Submersible Goldtech™is delivered on a handmade black calfskin strap with or one of Panerai’s iconic articulated rubber diver’s strap with a Goldtech™ buckle.



Thoughts? Panerai say of this gleaming new addition to the Submersible collection that it offers a new gold standard in watch-making with –



a confluence of style, sophistication, and strength being a paradigm of modern luxury!



Sure, if they say so but seriously who’s gonna’ pony up almost 27K for what is otherwise a subpar Submersible?

SEIKO 5 Sports NEW for 2019

Seiko has unveiled a newly redesigned Seiko 5 Sports collection for 2019 and in no less than 20 odd references.

Here’s a quick look at the initial refs. that will land next month; coming out in 5 distinct styles.



Basic spec. for the Seiko 5 include: a 42mm in diameter case with a thickness of 13.4mm.

The case is in Stainless steel, however it is offered in several finishes from classic brushed to matte black PVD as well as RG.



Check out the green model which boasts a stamped and texturized dial. Speaking of dials; these feature large applied luminescent indices.



They are equipped with sword hour and arrow minute hands which are joined by a red-tipped seconds hand with a lollipop counter-weight.



Power comes from a Japanese made automatic caliber 4R36 with 24 jewels, a power-reserve of approx. 41hrs and a beat-rate of 3Hz.

While the movement is Japanese – most of the watch’s other components are manufactured in China hence the competitive 300USD or so price point.



Diver’s features include: a Stainless steel unidirectional bezel with an aluminum inlay, screw-down case-back and crown, a Sapphire-coated Hardlex mineral crystal and 100m of WR.



Thoughts? In isolation the new Seiko 5 looks pretty nice, especially the classic black with beige index and mesh bracelet;

however when compared to its 1968 ancestor, is a little characterless – nevertheless a nice entry level watch. What do you think?

STOP WHALING in JAPAN

DELMA New Website + ONLINE STORE

DELMA has launched a brand-new website that now welcomes visitors, worldwide offering streamlined e-commerce as well as intuitive navigation.

The new site will also communicate the Delma’s news and activities in a fresh and engaging format.



The introduction of a modern, easy to navigate online store means DELMA watches are now readily accessible to customers without access to a bricks and mortar retail location.

In addition to the website will also host a digital magazine “Beyond the Dial” which will feature insights and perspectives on technical components of watchmaking and examine the essential role timepieces play in sport and leisure.



Collaboration with related professionals and industry experts as well as insights into Delma’s internal process and new releases will afford readers the opportunity to understand the brand’s reach and mission.

The stories will be shared by way of a monthly newsletter affording readers with advance access to exclusive content. Subscribers will also have premier access to pre-order new models.