The Grey Nato - Episode 05 - "The Baselworld Jet Lag Megasode"
Published on Tue, 29 Mar 2016 08:49:29 -0400
Synopsis
Jason Heaton and James Stacey discuss their experiences at Baselworld 2017, sharing their thoughts and impressions on new watch releases from various brands like Tudor, Rolex, Tag Heuer, Zinn, Glashütte Original, MB&F, Oris, Omega, Rado, Doxa, Zodiac, Breitling, and more. They highlight their favorite pieces like the Tudor Black Bay Steel "Dark", Rolex Explorer updates, Zinn 910th Anniversary chronograph, Omega Speedmaster CK2998 Limited Edition, and others. They also share some non-watch related recommendations.
Links
Transcript
| Speaker | |
|---|---|
| Jason Heaton | Welcome to Episode 5 of The Grey Nado, a loose discussion of travel, adventure, diving, gear, and most certainly watches. I'm Jason Heaton, a Minneapolis-based freelance writer for a number of gear, travel, and timepiece publications including Gear Patrol, Hodinkee, Revolution, and Men's Journal. |
| James Stacey | And I'm James Stacy. Based in Vancouver, I call myself a professional enthusiast, and I write about watches, cars, and almost anything else that catches my eye for a blog2watch.com, Nouveau Magazine, and more. We're back from Basel, and that's today's main topic. I feel like we've aged a couple years apiece, and I have literally no idea what time it is right now. So we're gonna call this the jet lag special, and we're gonna get right into it. Jason, you had a couple extra days in Switzerland. How are you feeling? Coming down off the high that is Baselworld, or are you just kind of crashing as you got home? |
| Jason Heaton | Well, I'm just sort of clinging to being awake these days. It's good to be back to Curry and the cats and a normal bed. I was on an air mattress for six or seven nights there. So definitely good to be home. But, you know, I personally I thought it was a fantastic Baselworld. It was it was grueling. It was a lot of walking. From my perspective, it was a it was a great show. This was my third Baselworld. And I thought it was a really strong showing from a lot of brands. And I don't know, what was your what was your kind of initial takeaway from from the whole show? |
| James Stacey | I thought it was an amazing show. You know, I was there with, uh, with a blog to watch you there with gear patrol. And, uh, we had a great team this year with a blog to watch huge coverage, lots of success on Instagram. People seem to really be excited about quite a few of the watches. I don't think there was necessarily like one major winner, but the general level of watches, both in terms of. Companies that have tried something new and companies that are further kind of iterating on something that was successful. I think we saw both sides of that coin. Lots of new colors and versions. Certainly, that seems to be the popular theme right now. Yeah, there was a lot of red and black this year. Yeah, exactly. A lot of red and black. We're still seeing a lot of blue. Obviously, bronze is a thing. |
| [No speech transcribed] | Yeah. |
| James Stacey | We're going to get into all of this. And before we get in too deep, for those maybe just getting to the show for the first time, we're going to talk about a lot of stuff coming up. It's almost all watches. If you have no idea what we're talking about, swing by SoundCloud.com. and check out the show notes for this episode. Everything we mention will be listed there so you'll be able to see what we're talking about and get more details and things like that. |
| Jason Heaton | Be sure to check out both of our Instagram feeds as well as Gear Patrol's and a blog to watches as well because a lot of the watches that we talk about today are we took photos of and they are probably in our Instagram feeds. |
| James Stacey | Yeah, no doubt. The show didn't feel as busy as it has in past years as far as the general crowd. You know, I spent my entire show in Hall 1 and 2, almost exclusively in Hall 1 this year, because there was just a lot of meetings to take. And it just didn't feel quite as packed as it did in previous years. I agree. I don't know if that's necessarily fair, and if we want to go even further into unfair information, an Uber driver told me that this is one of the only years where the hotels weren't slammed. |
| Jason Heaton | Well, I think a lot more people were using Airbnb or some sort of apartments this year. That was the impression that I got as well. |
| James Stacey | Yeah, the Airbnb thing works perfectly for that city because you don't have to move around very much. Like you can get the city centers relatively small. Yeah. You know, with exception, I thought that the show seemed a little lighter this year, but the brands came out in full force and we saw a lot of really exciting product. Right. It was it was a fun week. You know, overall, I guess we'll start with the first night that we both landed in Zurich and then made it to Basel was a Tudor party. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah, that was fun. That was a really fun night. |
| James Stacey | Yeah. So, you know, we, we met up at a, at basically like a hotel and everybody got together and then we walked down to the river, the Rhine, and got on boats that were all kind of camoed out like skiffs. I guess it's fair to call them a skiff. Yeah. And an internal, you know, there was like a room inside the boat and we all kind of clambered in and it was really dark. Like you couldn't see anything. We knew essentially everybody that was there. It was all kind of well-known journalists from all the big blogs and websites and magazines and such. And then they ferried us down the Rhine to like a secret location, which is like kind of a warehouse dinner event. And, uh, yeah, they had, uh, you know, it was a fun dinner and a fun event with lots of people. |
| Jason Heaton | And that's where they showed off the new bronze, which wasn't much of a surprise, uh, given the, all the, no, it was fully leaked all the leaks, um, which, which Tudor didn't seem too unhappy about, but, uh, I, you know, I think they took it in stride. Yeah. Um, but yeah, that watch was, was definitely the star of that night. But I think what was kind of interesting is, You know, they knew that it had been leaked, but there was sort of a high-ranking guy from Tudor in Switzerland who, towards the end of the evening, stood up and said that he had another surprise that he was withholding just for us in the room there, and he pulled out of his pocket the new Black Bay All Dark, which was the PVD case, all black version, which I felt, just personally, I preferred it to the bronze. I don't know about you, James. |
| James Stacey | Yeah, for me, Well, let's let's dig right in. So as far as product, the the bronze is larger. It's 43 millimeters. And it uses a obviously a bronze case uses a PVD treated case back so you don't have any of the kind of skin irritation issues with bronze. I'm not wild about the watch. People seem really excited about it. So I definitely understand why they made it. It's the brown coloring for the dial and the bezel that just doesn't work with kind of my taste. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah, and I'm not too keen on the Arabic numerals on the dial as well. I think that's sort of a love-hate sort of thing with a lot of people, sort of a polarizing feature. Sure. I know a lot of people like that sort of quote-unquote explorer style dial, but I tend to prefer the Black Bay with just the typical hashes and circles and the triangle. |
| James Stacey | Yeah, and then keeping in with kind of personal taste, I also felt that the case in 41 millimeter, which is the normal Black Bay size, I actually think that's a very big 41 millimeters. It sits, it has a very chunky profile with very, you know, the specifically that left flank that you see when you're wearing it on your left wrist is very vertical and it's large and thick. And the watch is, I think about, I want to say 14, 5, 14, 7 millimeters thick, which isn't bad for a dive watch at all. And it's not a dress diver per se. But I think when you bump up the case size to 43, the watch just feels really big, which is going to, like, I don't think it's necessarily to say that a big watch is worse than a small watch. It just comes down to taste. If you wanted a bigger Black Bay, now you've got it. And I applaud them for offering a kind of a wider range. Right. It's just that size, it overpowers my wrist. And then the bronze and the brown, not really necessarily to my aesthetic. But like you said, with the Black Bay Dark, 41mm steel case, it's PVD, you have a new dial design on all the Black Bays, and they've all gone in-house, aside from the new 36mm, which we'll get into in a moment. But the Black Bay Dark is essentially all black, but they already used the name Black Bay Black, and it has some red accents, so you get the red triangle at 12 on the bezel, and you get... You've got that red on the dial, it's fantastic, yeah. Yeah, so you have a red, I believe it's the name, is in red on the dial, which is a nod to past watches from the Rolex lineage. And I think it's a really effective watch. The black wears a little smaller, which is really exciting for me because it just doesn't feel exactly like a Black Bay Black or a Black Bay Blue. And obviously, it's miles different from the original Black Bay with the maroon bezel. It feels like an entirely different watch, but you get all those nice characteristics are still there. I'm a big fan of the black base. I had a blue one for a while, and I think the dark is really cool and a successful design. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah, I'm usually not a fan of all black watches, but between that and the Monza, which we'll talk about in a little bit here from Tag Heuer, I just felt like immediately when I put it on, it was like after looking at the bronze and sort of being sort of, eh, you know, not too thrilled with it, when he pulled out the dark version, it just felt right. And especially You know, they have it on a kind of an aged black leather strap or, um, and it also comes with, with sort of a dark gray or, or almost black NATO strap or nylon strap. They are offering it with a black bracelet, if I recall correctly, which I don't think, um, I think that's a little too much black on the watch, but, um. |
| James Stacey | It's also the straight end link, that vintage style end link, which is going to be kind of divisive in its. Right. In its appeal. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah. Yeah. But all in all, it was, it you know, the standard Black Bay with the snowflake hands and then the hash marks on the dial. The size is cool. I mean, without the dive bezel, it wears a little bit bigger than you'd expect for a 36 millimeter watch. I don't know. It kind of straddles that line of could be a woman's watch or it's sort of a vintage style, sort of field watch style. I don't know. I like that one as well. |
| James Stacey | Yeah, it definitely ports their aesthetic, the Black Bay aesthetic, into something that's really not the same as what they have currently. And it wears nicely. It's really good on the bracelet. Yeah. It seemed overpowered by the leather straps that they had on site. I mean, you could just fit a thinner leather strap, so that just is what it is. On the bracelet, I thought it was great. The proportions are strange. A lot like we've talked about how you knocked the bezel off your sub on a sailboat. And that's the first thing I thought of when I picked up was that photo of your sub without a bezel. And there is a certain appeal to it. There's lots of people, you know, there's guys on Watch You Seek that use dive watches with the bezel popped off and it kind of gives them like a field watch vibe. And this watch, obviously you have a proper, there's a steel, a polished sort of steel bezel. So it's not like there's just a gap, right? But it's the same thing. All of a sudden the watch looks a lot different because you have no balance for the markers in the hands. And of course the markers and hands on a black bear quite large. So you have this really kind of blown out dial hugely legible. Um, and, but then in a case size, it's going to appeal to an entirely different set of buyers than the sorts that are going to flock towards a Black Bay. Yeah. So I think when you read or see that on, on, uh, on social media, consider, you know, the voice of the person is this some, or if they're saying it's too small and it's weird, maybe they're the type that would have bought the Black Bay bronze. Cause it was big or, or, or already owned a Black Bay and don't understand why you would make one without a bezel. |
| [No speech transcribed] | Yeah. |
| James Stacey | I personally would miss having a watch with the dive bezel, but then, you know, that's, very similar in appeal to something like an Explorer, which I like quite a lot. So I think it's just a question of kind of your perspective and what you want to compare it to. If you compare it to a Black Bay, it's a strange piece. But if you compare it to a Field Watch or even a Ranger, it's just a little bit smaller. It's a little bit more wearable. It still has a great crown, a great dial. And it's also the last of the Black Bays that's going to use an ETA movement. And I think that's something to consider with all the Black Bays going in-house is kind of the simplicity of something that still has that ETA base. It's the, you know, Chev small block. Yeah. It goes in all sorts of stuff. It runs a long time, even if you mistreat it and don't get it serviced properly and those sorts of things. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah. And it's kind of, in a way, it's Tudor's heritage. I mean, it's taking a, you know, high quality, quote unquote, in-house case, or what they used to use as Rolex cases, and they'd put ETA movements in them. Now they're kind of moving in this in-house direction, which I can't fault them for. And what's great is that they're keeping prices low or affordable. They're very similar to what they were with the edit movements in them. And it felt like a really sort of an evolutionary year for Tudor in a good way. It certainly wasn't a boring year for Tudor. You can tell that they're hitting the Black Bay hard. It's a winning family for them. It's obviously their most popular piece. And to come out with you know, the new smaller version, the bronze version, the all black version. Um, and then they tweaked, you know, bracelets. They've got the riveted bracelet on the, on the watches now dialed, but tweaked. |
| James Stacey | Yeah. So they completely revamped the entire black Bay. So if you're looking, there's now like a 2016 black Bay that includes the maroon, the blue and dark and the black. Um, obviously the dark is brand new, but for the, the three existing, Black Bays now have a new dial with straight text and a shield logo. Right. We have an in-house movement. And if you option the bracelet, you now have an entirely different bracelet that uses kind of rivet styled. So you actually have a visible rivet on the side of the link, which is, you know, suggestive of a certain generation of Rolex and Tudor bracelets from, I want to say the early seventies. Yep. And the overall package now, if you compare the old versions, the ETA versions to the new ones follow their format of adding $275. Right. And you're getting an in-house movement from, uh, from Tudor. So, I mean, there's, there's lots to like there. And the other great thing is, is they sold a ton of the ETA versions. So if you don't want the in-house or you want a really sweet deal on a Black Bay, hit up Watch Recon, they're going to be there. And as the in-house models start to actually hit retailers and get on people's wrists, you will see a correcting value in that market. I don't think it's going to be very much. It wasn't much for the Pelagos when it went from one to the other, but there is a difference. So if you're sitting on buying a Black Bay, I would say sit a little longer, set up a reminder or an alert on WatchRecon and actually see what happens to the market in the next six months or so. Because there's not exactly a limit of those three original SKUs out there. There's lots of trading hands. |
| Jason Heaton | Well, we should probably move on to Rolex, huh? That's kind of the logical next step, sort of just next door, if you're looking at a map of Hall 1 there. I think it was more of an evolutionary or iterative year for Rolex, with the exception of one piece, which maybe we can start with, and that is the Air-King, which really is a polarizing watch. The Air-King made a comeback. Rolex had not had the Air-King in its lineup for a few years. It used to be sort of the entry-level watch for somebody that wanted a Rolex sports watch. They brought it back this year with a fair number of changes. It used to be a smaller watch with, you know, stick hands. It was sort of a, I don't want to say dumbed down, but sort of a simpler version of like an Oyster Perpetual or an Explorer, that sort of model watch. But this year they sort of just blew it up. It's 40 millimeters, it's anti-magnetic, it has green and gold on the dial, and a real mix of interesting Arabic numerals on the dial. And I just think it was kind of all over the map. I personally didn't It didn't resonate with me at all, and I think you probably feel the same, don't you, James? |
| James Stacey | Yeah, I think. I've heard a lot of people say that they like it, so again, kind of like the bronze Black Bay, I'm willing to accept that it will find an audience, certainly, and in my opinion isn't going to change that in any metric. It doesn't I don't understand the design. I don't understand the aesthetic. I'm all for Rolex, maybe moving in a more interesting or wild direction. They have their core lineup of very much kind of stoic, unchanged weather designs. And they really don't mess with that formula. But then with the Air King, I would say the biggest thing that stands out to me is you have a mix of both minute numerals, kind of two digit minute numerals, not unlike a lot of the Tag Heuer Carreras. And then you have Explorer style 3, 6, and 9 polished numerals, which are our numerals, all in one dial. Right. And I understand why they couldn't just go with the Explorer ones, because then it's very much a 40 millimeter anti-magnetic Explorer. And that doesn't quite make sense, especially with what they announced this year alongside the Air King. But I also don't understand why they couldn't have just gone with minute numerals. I think they want it to be a bit of a pilot's watch. |
| [No speech transcribed] | Yeah. |
| James Stacey | Um, and, and look, I love that they went with a 40 millimeter case. That was a size that of course the Explorers 39. And, uh, and, and, and it's nice to see them make another 40 millimeter. Everything's nicely made about it. I just don't understand the, I don't understand the design and what their, what their goals were. It seems like they had a bunch of things they wanted to do and they put it all on one dial. There's a, you know, you have, you have two colors, so the crown is a different color than Rolex. And it'll be interesting to see what, say, the next five years has for the Air King. I don't know. I'm not a watch designer and I temper the fact that I didn't care that much for the Air King. You have to consider how much I really love the new Explorer. Yeah. So that threw a shadow on pretty much anything else. I was so happy to see them essentially tweak the Explorer to be exactly what it could be. Right. We now have a 39 millimeter steel Explorer. Um, it'll be 5,000 euro. So that's going to be roughly 5,000 us as well. And they've extended the hands. So we now have a full size minute hand, which was kind of the weak spot of the old version had a short, the minute hand was a little short and the proportions were off. And then in another kind of twist that I would really applaud them for, they've removed the three, six, nine numerals that were polished. They're like full metal and they're now chroma light luminous. So you have a fully loomed display, larger hands with more loom, and a longer minute hand, and otherwise they stuck to the formula, and I think it's awesome. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah, it's now become the perfect, you know, sort of the perfect all-purpose watch. If you were just to wear one watch for everything, the Explorer, you know, it is that watch, and I think the last edition, you know, the previous iteration of it was a little disappointing. It just was missing just that little bit, and they've really corrected it. |
| James Stacey | Yeah, and they didn't change the reference number, but it is very much the same. They've now kind of made the 36mm in 39mm and they've added the lume. And I think the overall effect is awesome. You can swing by my Instagram to see a lume shot. It looks great. It's just like, you know, the same sort of lume that you get from a sub or the updated EXP-2s. And at €5,000, that's a significant difference between, say, that and something like the sub. I think that Explorer is like eminently wearable. You could easily put it on a number of different straps. It's very, I think it's very stylish. Yeah. And for me, it's always kind of been there. Iconic attitude of a sport watch in one piece with no extra frills. Right. And that's a killer watch for a very fair price. It'll roughly hold that price in the used market, you know, not, not perfectly, but very close to. And, and I think that's a really exciting thing to see. And it was entirely, of course, overshadowed by their main event. |
| [No speech transcribed] | Yeah. |
| James Stacey | Which is the, you know, a new ceramic bezeled Daytona. What did you think? |
| Jason Heaton | Well, you know, I love the new Daytona. I'm actually not a huge fan of the Daytona. I mean, I love the vintage ones. I think they just have more of a clean look to them. You know, I'm talking the ones from the 60s and 70s. But it always amazes me how Rolex You know, they can make these small tweaks, and it creates the biggest buzz, like the Explorer. I mean, those changes are so minuscule. They're significant, but they're so small. And same thing with the Daytona. They took the steel Daytona, and they basically took the ceramic bezel that they were using on the platinum and the gold versions, and they just put it on the steel version. But it makes all the difference. The watch looks great. Finally, it has that, you know, the black tachymeter scale bezel. And it just sets off both the white and the black dial just so nicely. I particularly liked the white dial version, which now has black surrounds on the sub-dials, and it just sets off nicely against that black bezel. It carries a bit of the legacy, sort of that vintage Daytona vibe, but of course you get the high-tech engraved ceramic bezel, which I think everybody was kind of waiting for that watch. And people were sort of surprised a few years ago when it was the 50th anniversary of the Daytona and everybody thought this was going to be the watch they were going to release, but they didn't. And, um, you know, it's, it really is a, a, a fantastic sports chronograph. It's got the screw down pushers, the oyster case. Now it's got a ceramic bezel. Um, and I think it's going for 12,400, I think was the price. Um, you know, which is, it's a high price, but I think it's such a, it's just such a high quality watch. Are you a Daytona guy? |
| James Stacey | I'm not a Daytona guy simply due to what they cost. Yeah. but I adore the aesthetics, has a fantastic history. If you like sport watches, it's hard not to like a Daytona. And I think the new one, especially, I thought it was interesting that they stuck with the original, with the case from the last generation. So it's still a 40 millimeter, kind of the slim case. It didn't get the quote unquote maxi case that the sub uses for the sub ceramic. Yeah. Thank goodness. Yeah. It would have been interesting to see what that looked like. And I'm sure that there's some, you know, CAD drawing somewhere. where they put that together. But I think what they delivered was the smallest amount of change they could make to a watch that was already working. |
| [No speech transcribed] | Yeah. |
| James Stacey | So they literally took a platform that was set and then put a modern updated bezel on it. And it changes it from the last generation, but it's still like instantly recognizable as a Daytona. Yeah. And they did not mess with that formula. And I think unfortunately that's what it takes. with things like a Sub or a Daytona, they really can't mess with that bread and butter. Right. Because even if they, even if it doesn't account for their, the Daytona doesn't account for the biggest chunk of their sales, it is like an icon within Rolex, let alone the watch world. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah. It's, it's almost like a halo piece for their sports watch line, you know? |
| James Stacey | Most definitely. And it ties back to a bunch of things that Rolex is still involved with, like, uh, endurance racing, and Right. And if it's not already on a wait list, like all those dealers that all met the same within a couple days of you and I, they all ordered whatever Rolex would give them. Yeah. There's no chance that anybody said, well, I can only, I only want a couple. |
| Jason Heaton | Now the other, um, you know, sort of switching gears. I mean, I think if along the same lines, uh, but on a very different level, both financially and otherwise the, the other sort of vintage motorsports watch or reissue, um, that I really liked was across the hall at Tag Heuer, where they reissued or sort of created a tribute piece to the Monza. And the Monza is, it was sort of a mid-70s watch that Heuer at the time created to commemorate Team Ferrari's victories during, I think it was the 1975 season. And, you know, it's sort of a cult classic in terms of vintage Heuer watches, certainly not like the Carrera or, say, the Monaco. It always had that sort of cool appeal. It was an all-black watch with a sort of a slightly square case to it, or I guess you'd call it a tonneau-shaped case. And this year, you know, Heuer or Tag Heuer just, I think they nailed it. I think they hit it out of the park with the reissue. The case is a little bit different than the original, and the dial is a little more symmetrical, but it still has the great red and black accents. They put a killer strap on it. And I don't know, that was one of the watches at the show this year that when I clicked on my wrist, it just felt, you know, The strap was even sized for my wrist and I clicked it on and it just, it just felt like such a cool, fun watch to wear. |
| James Stacey | Oh yeah, no doubt. I think I had the exact same reaction. Um, if you want to know a little bit more about the history, I actually wrote a piece during Basel. I like this watch enough to dedicate one of my evenings to writing about it. I think they stuck with the design brief of the original watch, but in many ways they looked at it and said like, well, we could probably like tune this up a bit. And, and I think in some ways the new design is dictated by the movement that they're using. Yeah, the caliber 17. So the original watch had much less of a bezel, different case shape, but was still black. And they've also upgrade upsize the watch to 42 millimeters. I don't think it wears that big because it's black. So it's a full titanium case with a carbide titanium coating. So it should be fairly scratch and dent resistant better than standard titanium anyways. And while the name Monza has come and gone over the last few decades, and certainly if you Google Tag Heuer Monza, you probably won't instantly get a photo of the one, the original we're talking about. You'll see a bunch of these other designs. And the middle designs actually informed the case of this new reissue, which has this kind of raised bezel and these kind of floating curved away lugs. But on wrist is awesome. It's the, again, the movement is being a caliber 17. So the base of that's an ETA 2894. So you're paying mostly for the design and the fact that it's a tag and that it's referential to like easily the one of the gold, maybe the end of the golden era of sports chronographs, 1976. Yeah. Um, you know, this is still, this is one of the final ones that Hoyer would have made before quartz became a huge problem for all these companies. And there's a few little nods to the original. So you get the same sort of hands on both sub-dials. You also still get bare steel pushers and crown. So while the original model had the crown and the pushers on opposite sides, because of the movement they used, it's all centralized now. You get a little bit more of a, we'll call it symmetrical design for the movement. But all things said, I have to say exactly what Jason said. It's just like, it feels so good on wrist. Yeah. And it's a really appealing design. I'm not crazy about black watches, but I think it's awesome. And they will, uh, it's a numbered edition, but not limited. So they're just going to keep producing them in a numbered fashion. And you're looking at a 50 to 50 USD swing by your retailer. When you get a chance and try it on, it has the same sort of like instant charm as a Monaco. Yeah. Really cool watch. And one that, uh, one that I like quite a bit, we can move on to another almost similar watch, completely different price point. I'm happy to say I have a Bulovo that I actually like. This is a brand that I've never really understood, but now they have this Moonwatch, so a reissue of a design from their past that actually went with an astronaut to the moon. Jason, was that Apollo 17? |
| Jason Heaton | It was Apollo 15, actually. Dave Scott was the astronaut, and what I found really amazing is His watch, it was sold at auction last year for something like 1.8 million dollars. And I thought for sure when I saw this Moon watch at the Bulova booth this year that they were capitalizing on this hubbub about this watch that was auctioned. But they said it had been in development for a fair amount of time before the auction last year. So it was really just great timing for them because I think everybody still had this Dave Scott watch on their minds. And yeah, you're right. It's a Bulova that I can get behind to the point where you know, for five or six hundred bucks, I'd almost plunk down the money for that. It's a cool watch. |
| James Stacey | Yeah, so you're looking at a, I want to say it's a 45 millimeter steel case. It uses their, they're now calling a high precision quartz, but it was called their UHF. So it's, I want to say 262 kilohertz. So it's a hugely accurate quartz movement. It's within two seconds, two or three seconds a year. a really nice style. The base model has a Velcro strap that I tried on and is awesome. You're looking at 550 bucks in the store, depending on where these watches are actually sold. That means they'll probably be at, you know, like it's Bulova. They'll be discounted to some extent, Amazon or, or, you know, whatever. Like I think in Canada, they'd probably be at Sears for a Bulova, but I think Sears is kind of a different jam in the States. So I'm not sure what retailer would carry them. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah. Kind of the mall stores, I think. There's a few mall stores that carry. |
| James Stacey | Yeah, so I think there'll be a rush on these to start. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah, I think so too. |
| James Stacey | But I think once that settles down, either way, like 550 is not unreasonable for this watch. There's lots of high accuracy quartz watches that cost way more. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah. And I don't even mind that this watch is a quartz watch. I mean, it keeps the price down, but it's a really cool quartz movement. And it doesn't detract from the aesthetics of the watch. Um, you know, it still functions like a, like a chronograph and it's a very accurate chronograph. And they kept the, you know, they kept things like those weird sort of thin blade lever style pushers that they had on the original. Um, they just did a really nice job. It has a nice case back design. Bulla was one of those brands that they've got such an archive of great designs that, that I hope this is kind of a, an indication that they're going to start looking back into their archives and pulling out some, some cool watches from the past. |
| James Stacey | With the Moonwatch, when I picked it up in my hands, I knew you knew for in a split second that they were really serious about doing it right. But the there's something with that moonwatch. And I guarantee there's no way they could have taken that watch from a drawing or an idea or the original reference to Basel in the span of time that the original one sold. Yeah. So I fully believe them when they say, you know, it's luck. |
| [No speech transcribed] | Yeah. |
| James Stacey | This watch has the evidence of care and thought. Right. And you fancy having a maybe a nice a really great tool chronograph. to add to your collection of divers or whatever. I think it's great. By all means, swing by wherever sells Bolva Nearby You and take a look at it because I think you'll be really pleasantly surprised by what they've put together. Yeah. Let's move on to Oris if you like. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah, definitely. I mean, Oris is a brand that we both like. |
| James Stacey | Yeah, definitely. And I got my first chance to see the Carl Brasier limited edition in person. Really nice. By far my taste in a bronze watch because the case is very slim. The case design is very similar to that of the 65. Just kind of upped a little bit and great bezel, amazing dial. Unfortunately, you know, they did a 2000 unit LE and those are all sold to retailers. Yeah. So if you want one, you would have to source it through your retailer. Want to say it's just a hair over two grand? |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah, I agree. I, you know, bronze is, is definitely having its moment these past couple of years. And, uh, you know, we talked about the Tudor a little earlier and it was sort of, uh, uh, not my, not my favorite. Um, I know a lot of people will like it, but I think Oris, I think with this one, the Carl Brashear, I think, I think they nailed it. I think it looks good. I think that blue dial sets it off nicely. Um, and the other thing is if you like that design and as James mentioned, it's, uh, most likely sold out or will be shortly from all the retailers that it went to. They came out with this Diver 65 in a 42mm size that has the same blue dial with those hashes, but in a steel case. And I thought that watch, if you like that similar aesthetic to the Carl Brashear, that was one that really kind of stood out and surprised me when I first saw it in the case. They also did that one with a riveted bracelet, kind of similar to what we talked about with Tudor earlier. And I almost feel like there's this weird, you know, sort of Tudor Oris competition going on in terms of vintage dive watches. Both brands are just doing such a great job with vintage dive watches. |
| James Stacey | Yeah, I feel like the 65 last year, I think Oris knew that they had something there. Yeah. But I don't know that they knew it was going to be what it was. Like the enthusiast watch group, specifically online, really took to that design and the execution and the price point. Yeah. And that 65, 42 millimeter is easily one of my favorite watches of the show. I just think it's amazing value. The dial's fantastic. With the bigger markers and hands, that tendency for that crazy bubbled sapphire crystal to magnify the edges of the dial is exaggerated. So it still has that really charming element that the normal 65 has, despite not having those kind of wild markers. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah. And I think the design, You know, the original 65, which most people loved, I think to a certain degree, it has such a funky dial style that I think they, by going to this one, it kind of tames that down a little bit while still keeping that vintage appeal, you know, and a little pop of color, you know, and the vintage look. So I, I think it, it will please a lot of, you know, probably the minority of people that didn't like the original Diver 65. |
| James Stacey | Yeah, and they're also offering, so yeah, like you said, the bracelet, and then there's kind of a suede vintage leather strap, which was pretty nice and really comfy. Beautiful, beautiful. Yeah. But they're doing something that I haven't seen anyone else do. So their NATO uses a push button deployant. Yeah. So it's a single wrap under the watch. And then where the buckle would normally connect, it goes, it threads under the deployant. But this way, when you close the buckle, there's no metal touching your skin. And then it's this really nice push-button deployant brushed, and it's remarkable, and it's a big upgrade over kind of your standard NATO strap, and it's two-color, this dark blue and black, and it looks awesome on the watch, and it's really comfortable, and I think the added value of that deployant, where even very expensive watches like a Bathyscaph or the Omega NATOs are still using a pin buckle, that deployant just takes it to a different level, and it shows them that, like, ORUS is fully prepared to just kind of do their own thing. At two grand, this is a really compelling watch and one that is fully worth your time to try out on wrist. Definitely. And then the other one we saw, and I'll only mention it quickly because it is something that, again, if you end up at an Oris retailer, pick it up and just feel it in your hands, is this Williams Chronograph Carbon Fiber Extreme. It's kind of a large watch, very modern, you know, from their Williams F1 connection, but the case is made out of carbon fiber and has no rigid subframe. which is how a lot of these brands kind of cheat their carbon fiber cases is by using a steel subframe of some sort. Right. Because to go without the subframe, you really have to have your carbon fiber game on lock. And it's a it's a layup kind of milled carbon fiber case. And it's really cool. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah, that one caught me by surprise. That was, you know, I was fully prepared to just kind of, you know, gawk over all the dive watches. But that one was like, wow, you guys are doing a full carbon fiber, beautiful chronograph. And I'm sure you remember the price, but I don't recall it, but it was quite reasonable. |
| James Stacey | Yeah, it was really reasonable, and it really does kind of throw a shoulder at what everybody else is doing. |
| [No speech transcribed] | Yeah. |
| James Stacey | Jason, you feeling Bremont next? Lots to see there, too. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah, you know, moving from, we're kind of hitting all the high points here, going from one of our favorites to another. Bremont was a brand, you know, I was really excited to see this year. I feel like this was a real high point for them, almost in terms of, you know, compared maybe of the past few years where they've kind of kind of hit hard on the on the Jaguar on the Boeing connections whenever this year they you know they played on some of the same themes but but they did some iterative stuff like with the um the white dial mb2 that we talked about last episode that we were looking forward to seeing but to me the star of the show uh for bramoth this year was um and it's no secret because i've been going gaga over it on the social media are the regatta pieces that they did to commemorate their america's cup partnership with with Oracle Team USA. They came out with these two Regatta chronographs, one in a bit more of a dressy case style without a rotating bezel and a polished steel case, the ACR, and then it's some acronym like OTUSA, Oracle Team USA Regatta watch, which, you know, rotating bezel, titanium case, but of course the real highlight of these pieces is the Regatta complication that's fitted to it. And, you know, it's the rotating disc, blue and red, color scheme that does the regatta countdown to help sailboats cross the start line at just the correct time. And I don't know, the whole watch, I mean, the complication is one thing, but I just feel like they nailed the whole sort of sailing aesthetic while staying within kind of the Bremont language, design language that they've had for, well, forever, basically. That was definitely, I would put both of those regatta watches in my top five or ten watches of the whole show. |
| James Stacey | Yeah, I would entirely agree. I think it's really interesting that Bremont now, and it was a very strong year for them, is fully recognizing that their existence kind of has two pillars. The really sporty stuff and the kind of classically marine chronometer, Britishy sort of aesthetic. And in the AC, we have both. So you have the AC-R again, is kind of based on the Alt-1C polish. you know, kind of loosely from that case. And then the OTUSA models are based on like the Boeing 247. |
| Jason Heaton | 247, yeah. |
| James Stacey | Two entirely different cases, but they're sharing 95% of the functionality. Yeah. And they're able to bend the aesthetic in either direction. They're using a proprietary module on top of a 7750. So the module's made for them only by Le Jouperet. And they're obviously very proud of this module. And it does some fairly interesting things. I have a write up on a blog to watch. So you can certainly check that out if you want more details, but beautiful watches on both sides, both something I would be really interested in being able to own. And you know, the price points are sitting, uh, you're looking at about seven grand. And then if you wanted the, you know, the kind of dressier model in gold is at 16 grand. And that's something that they've been offering an alt one C polished in gold for a little while. And this kind of extends that same thing. The other side of it is that the non-gold models, so the three, uh, other models are limited to 235 units and there'll be 135 pieces in gold. So these are a limited edition and to Braymont effect, uh, the crown on the OTUSA models actually features a little piece of the foil, the carbon fiber from a foil from one of the 2013 boats. Which is a cool addition, especially if you're drawn to this watch because you like OTUSA and the America's Cup series. Yeah. Along with that, they launched a ladies' lineup of 32mm Solos, which feature kind of a polished case, new dial designs, and an automatic movement. They will not be going quartz. I'm really interested to see where that will go as far as being able to bring in a female audience that maybe saw the 37mm Solo but didn't buy. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah, no, I agree. It's hard for me to kind of weigh in on a women's watch because, um, you know, you can, you can kind of go in two different directions. You can do women's watches where you, you know, you go with a kind of the lazy approach where you put a white strap on it and encrust the bezel with, with diamonds, or you can, um, kind of do something maybe a little bit more sporty. Maybe I don't want to say masculine, but you know, I think what Bremont did here is they took a true Bremont watch, which is, you know, chronometer certified mechanical movement and put it in you know hardened steel triptych case with their same design language and you know great legibility and I think I'm really glad to see that they did that for women. |
| James Stacey | Yeah obviously we're not the direct market for these but I am really excited to see what kind of success they have with that because so many brands have tried and didn't find the traction and I think it's interesting that they're very steadfast about sticking with automatic and maintaining that it's part of the greater Bremont lineup with it being a solo versus starting a brand new lineup just for these new sizes. What did you think going with another brand that has kind of a similar overall love of aviation and boating and such with Breitling? How did you think there? |
| Jason Heaton | You know, Breitling, you know, they've kind of charted a couple of different directions. They've definitely gone their own way in terms of size because they've kept a lot of really big watches, which I think is sort of counter to a lot of the trends in the industry of kind of starting to creep down from the 46, 48 millimeter stuff to smaller stuff. And they've kind of held firm to some of the big stuff. I think they had a big 50 millimeter watch this year. I can't remember which one it was. But the one Breitling that really did appeal to me this year was they did a black Navitimer, which, you know, it was a black case. And then they have this kind of cool black rubber strap that has striations in it that are supposed to mimic the tires of an airplane. And it was just cool. It took this Navitimer, which, you know, typically when you see them, they have that quaint sort of very vintagey look to them. And just to kind of do it in all sort of a matte black, I thought it really kicked it up. |
| James Stacey | I really, I really liked that one. That's cool. I didn't, I didn't get a chance to see that watch, uh, during, during our Breitling meeting. And yeah, I would say that obviously they're very good at what they do, but all of everything I saw at the meeting this year was so huge. I think the smallest thing I even saw was 46 millimeters. Right. With kind of the Avenger class chronographs. Yeah. They're very, very good at what they do, but what they do is very large watches. Right. And certainly the Breitling I remember when I was getting into watches was making 40 and 42 millimeter Colts and Super Oceans and Steel Fishes and things like that. Yeah. It's a shame I missed the Black Navitimer. That sounds really cool. Yeah, it was cool. |
| Jason Heaton | What did you think of Xen? Well, Xen, you know, we're kind of on this aviation trend here the past couple with the Bremont and Breitling. Zinn obviously has a big history in in aviation watches and you know it was it was actually my first this is my third Baselworld it was actually my first time taking an appointment with Zinn and what a just a refreshing fun little appointment you know it's just a small booth and the guy pulls out watches you can tell there's sort of this mutual enthusiasm about their designs and kind of what Zinn is all about you know they're kind of known for these bomb-proof high-tech tool watches but the one that just totally stole my heart, almost over every other watch I saw at Baselworld this year, was the 910 Anniversary, which was this sort of classic style case with the pump pushers, tachymeter scale on the dial, it had sort of this creamy off-white dial. But what's really cool about it is it's a split-seconds chronograph, which is a complication that I happen to love. And, you know, it's, it's going to be a limited edition, I think 300 pieces or so, but it's, it was up there. Like I said, I think it was probably, if not my favorite watch of the show, you know, within the top five. I know you liked that one too, right? |
| James Stacey | Yeah. Zinn is a great meeting. Like you said, I love that company so much, a huge fan of their watches and they never really failed to surprise in some metric. They'll stick with their form without a doubt. And they always release things throughout the year. So we don't only see what they have at Baselworld. But yeah, with this, you're looking at a steel case. It's 41.5 millimeters, 22 millimeter lugs. You get a display case back. So that allows you to see the, you know, it's a column wheel split second chronograph movement, which is awesome. Yeah. They're selling it for, you know, this is through the guys at Watch Buys who do all their US retail for $5,940. And to be honest, if you hear that price and you kind of balk at it, I don't know what to tell you because they're making 300. Yeah. And in the, in the span of time that you just glossed over the fact that it was a $6,000, you know, chronograph from Zen, which isn't crazy. Those watches are selling like the watch buys guys will only get so many of them. Yeah. It would be a watch that I would absolutely love to own and would probably consider saving up and buying, but it'll be gone before I get that option. So maybe someday in the future, I'll be able to buy one pre-owned, but What a cool watch from a really fun brand. Yeah. And easily one of my favorite pieces from the show. Super impressive. Yeah. Really successful design from Zinn. Sticking briefly with the German element, there is one I would like to bring up from Glashütte Original. I've been going through Feedly and I'm not seeing a lot of attention for this watch, but Glashütte Original launched their Senator Excellence, which is a three-hander available in kind of two more classic light, you know, like a white off-white silver grain dial. in gold and steel and then a kind of Senator Observer style black dial with Arabic numerals and loom. And this watch is a $10,000, but it uses an entirely brand new movement from them, which is four Hertz for a hundred hours and has to pass a number of tests way beyond that of COSC. So if you go to the fastest way to get the information on this, cause it would take me too long to explain it in a podcast is if you go to the blog to watch YouTube channel, you can actually see Glashuta Original's video about this movement. And it has like three pillars. So it was obviously accuracy, temperature resistance, and I can't remember the third one, but it uses a silicon balance spring. And it's really a really interesting direction for that watch. Obviously, this is an expensive piece, but it's so very much indicative of Glashuta Original. The dial is fantastic. If you swing by my Instagram, you'll see kind of a three piece shot of a wrist shot and the case back in the loom shot. Really cool watch specifically in that Senator Observer style and one that I wanted to make sure a few people at least heard about because I think it's exciting and the movement looks to be fantastic and it's just the kind of thing you expect from high-end and German. Yeah. I was really excited by it and it was a watch I thought was really awesome. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah, deceptive too because it's, you know, it's a three-hand unassuming sort of looking dressy sort of classic looking watch, but then they load it up with all that great technology with the new movement. Really, really nice piece. |
| James Stacey | Yeah. Yeah, definitely. And, you know, moving in a different direction, sometimes odd for us to go kind of significantly up market. I think both of us really liked the MB&F HMX Black Badger. |
| Jason Heaton | You know, I like MB&F anyway. I just think it's such a fun brand. For a brand that sells watches that are well above, you know, yours and my budget, they're just doing it to have fun. They're unassuming, they're unpretentious, and they just, uh, they make such cool watches. They're like reinventing how time is told, and I love that. The reason I really love the HMX Black Badger, or one of the reasons, the form factor, you know, it's not to my taste. It's probably not a watch I would wear, but, you know, I follow Black Badger on Instagram. You can find him at Black Badger on Instagram. The guy's name is James Thompson, and he's this sort of He's, I think he's Canadian, but he lives in... Vancouver boy. Yeah, he lives in Gothenburg, in Sweden, and he's sort of a wizard when it comes to composite materials and luminescence. And he, if you check out his Instagram feed, he posts a lot of photos of, he makes accessories like rings made of, you know, composite materials that, you know, glow in the dark. I mean, it sounds a little gimmicky, but it's cool stuff. He's partnered with Sarpaneva in the past, and with Schofield watch company, and now with MB&F. And so MB&F approached him, and he provided his proprietary luminescent materials, and they incorporated it into this watch. It was clever, it was well done, and just really fun. It was fun and just really cool to see. |
| James Stacey | Yeah, so it's based on the HMX, which is one we saw last year, which is a Sellita-based MB&F that kind of opens up a more entry level market for them. And with Black Badger, you know, his main claim to fame is that he can, he has a luminous material that's quite bright and effective as lume, but can be milled. So it's not painted. Yeah. And so what they've done with the HMX is to stick with kind of the car theme. They've made rocker covers, not unlike on an older engine in this luminous material. And the watch itself, actually, there is a little reservoir of lubricant right there. So not unlike a rocker cover, it is a reservoir, a cover for a reservoir for lubricant in an engine. I think it's a really cool design. They glow really nicely, really cool stuff. You should definitely be following Black Badger on Instagram. What did you think moving on to, let's say, Squalor? We can go in a different direction entirely. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah, well, Squala, you know, as if anyone's listened to our past podcasts, they know that, uh, that it's one of our favorite brands, both of us. Um, great, you know, great history making dive watches, really good, well-made stuff. That's, that's quite affordable. I didn't have an appointment with Squala, but I swung by their booth, I think on my way back from, from my Zinn appointment. And I just briefly had a peek at the, the Squala-Matic, which is, um, they're, it's actually a 60 Atmos watch, which, you know, if you're familiar with their model line, They made one called the 50 Atmos, which this looks very similar to. But it just had, it had this beautiful dial and some color accents to it. Nothing, nothing groundbreaking from them, but it just felt like, you know, once again, just, just a great watch. And I, you know, great price point. I think it was, I don't know, maybe 900 bucks right around there. Just great stuff. I mean, the cool thing about visiting Squall at Baselworld is, you know, they're in the back of a tiny booth and a guy kind of walks out of an office and shook my hand and pulls out a little watch roll with, with the watches on them. You know, just a really sort of simple, you know, no-nonsense appointment without all the fluff and stories, which I certainly appreciated. |
| James Stacey | The other one I saw, and I had a really, like, positive reaction to, just because it's so much fun, is their tiger. So the tiger's kind of like Squalla's plow prof, sort of. So it's like a classically kind of strange dive watch, but they've updated it with a ceramic bezel that's loomed, but it doesn't look like ceramic, it still looks like steel. And the lume is fantastic. The watch is going to come in three versions, a lume dial, which is very bright, a blue dial, which is lovely, and a black dial, which looks perfectly hardcore in sort of like a 60s dive watch. And it has a button in the lower lug to actually unlock the bezels, not unlike the Ploprof, but entirely unlike the Ploprof. This watch is, I want to say, 40 or 41 millimeters wide and maximum 10 millimeters thick. Uh, it's using a 28, uh, 92 A2. So a very thin movement. This is the same movement that's in Omega's 1120 that they used to make, which is in my Seamaster, which allows a dive watch to be a very thin watch. The Seamaster is like 11 millimeters. And the Squally just, you put it on and it's surprisingly thin for like a dive watch. Sure. The bezel button lock is silly and unnecessary, but there's something kind of like fun. that I really liked about the watch, like it's full on charm. Just some really, really cool stuff. I think we should probably move on to another one of the big guns, which is Omega. Yeah. Because man, did they have a lot of SKUs. A lot of Speedmaster stuff this year, but I would say largely what stood out to me is we predicted the possibility of kind of the PO line being updated with the master coaxial stuff. And that came true. What did you think of those in person? |
| Jason Heaton | Well, you know, I have to say, I mean, the Planet Ocean, I have a soft spot for it. It was kind of my first high end dive watch, and I still think the first generation aesthetically got it right. I feel like with the new one, they've got some new colors. They've got a lot more orange going on in the bezel, which they've actually incorporated rubber into the bezel with the liquid metal. They've changed the font on the dial and done a lot more with orange and sort of a lighter gray color. put some new straps on it. I wasn't entirely thrilled with the aesthetics. I can certainly appreciate the upgrades to the movement. The master coaxial movements are wonderful. Aesthetically, it didn't quite do it for me. And it's still a big thick watch. I wish they could kind of bring down the height a little bit on those watches. |
| James Stacey | I'm inclined to agree. What I would say is that I think because it's Basel, they're bringing out the most colorful ones. Yeah. So I would expect in the next year, the standard black You know, the ones that you would see now, if you went into the store, the POs, I think we'll see those colors reined back into the main lineup. |
| [No speech transcribed] | Yeah. |
| James Stacey | The story here is, yeah, there's a lot of color. It's a lot of orange. They are all very thick, which I think is becoming a trend within the PO. It used to be just kind of the GMT and the, um, the chronograph were the really thick ones, but I found even the three-hander to be quite thick. It's a lot of case, but the movement is, you know, they're attempting to make one of the best mass produced movements in the world as far as day to day wearability and service intervals and magnetism and all these things. And I think that should be applauded. But I agree that what I want to see is the reander with a black dial and a black bezel, the one that that has the most mass appeal. But what I saw was like a really intense focus on details. Yeah. an attempt to work with new materials. So that like 15 minute scale in that bezel on the chronograph is this kind of rubber. I'm not sure of the exact pronunciation for the type of rubber they used. And I really like that they're trying these different things, but the overall implementation, especially with the GMT, which uses a bicolor bezel, a black white bezel now, but otherwise really no use of color. It's a very monochrome sort of, but it's 17 millimeters thick. And it's just borderline, for me, unwearable. It's just, they're very, very thick watches. As a brand, that's not the direction they're going. Certainly the Speedmaster isn't like that. It is just in the POs. So I don't know if it's necessarily the movement or if this is just the design language they've decided to go with for the Planet Ocean line. The one that really stood out to me, and I actually have trouble getting it out of my brain, despite being maybe even a little bit too dressy for my day to day, is their CK-2998. Oh, beautiful. Limited edition. So this is a any of you that that recognize the first Omega on the moon LE's that they made. Now it's in a panda dial with kind of an off white base and blue sub dials and a blue bezel. And it's just fantastically beautiful. It's just the right size. It wears really well. It's on a blue leather strap, just a really locked in proportion and design, and it was a real treat to see in person and one that I thought was really cool. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah, I think the Omega kind of wanted the Planet Ocean upgrades to be the big story this year. And I feel like the Speedmaster game was a little stronger with the Moonphase ones that they came out with as well. And then the CK2998, which I think across the board, you ask anybody what their favorite Omega was this year, and if it wasn't the Moonphase, it was definitely the CK2998. So yeah, great, beautiful watch. |
| James Stacey | Sticking within the Swatch family, I don't think you got a chance to check out Rado, but there is one that I'd like to touch on because I don't think many people are going to see it. That's the Hyperchrome Ultralight. So this is a really cool watch. 56 grams is what it weighs. It comes on a Grenado, looked awesome. It uses a 43 millimeter silicon nitride case with titanium inserts. And then it actually uses an ETA 2892, which is again, that thin higher end version of the 2824. But Rado actually has Swatch build that movement for them with aluminum bridges just to make the watch as light as possible. And it's super legible. And I could absolutely see the type of person who doesn't necessarily care for sports watches or dive watches, definitely looking at this as like an ideal go-to like sport watch. It doesn't weigh much, has definitely a sporty appeal on the NATO strap. And you get quite a lot of technology as far as the case and the movement and the, uh, the overall fit and finish. And it's under three grand it's 2850. I think it's a really cool watch. You should definitely Google that one. I've got photos on, on the blog to watch account. Jason, I didn't get a chance to go to Doxa. |
| Jason Heaton | So yeah, Doxa was, was really exciting to me. Uh, I'm a big fan of the brand. Um, And, you know, I wandered into their booth. I had, I had a short appointment with, with their marketing guy and he proceeded to pull out this roll and, and tell me that, that, uh, 2017 is the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the sub 300, which was their first, I don't know that it was their first dive watch, but it was certainly their most iconic dive watch. And the one that everybody recognizes based on the, the orange dial and the, and the no deco, uh, engraved bezel and that, that familiar, beads of rice bracelet. So for 2017, they're creating a 50th anniversary edition and it's probably one of the best sort of reissue vintage style watches, you know, when we're talking about an Oris or a Tudor, kind of that family. They just nailed it. It has the exact same case dimensions and thickness, which is actually quite thin. I'm not sure the exact dimension, but you know, they basically took the 1967 Sub 300 and duplicated the case right down to the millimeter. And the only concession to modernity that they really made was they're using a domed sapphire crystal instead of the acrylic, which I was initially disappointed by. I thought if you're going to go that far with everything else, why not just use acrylic? But they managed to get a domed sapphire crystal that mimics the acrylic almost perfectly. And I think they're even going to sort of have it tinted or colored slightly so that it takes on that warmth that you get with plastic crystals. The dial has the same font as the original. They're using a tapered beads of rice bracelet just like on the original. And it's only going to be 300 pieces in each of the dial colors. They've got the professional, which is orange, the seed rambler, which is silver, and the shark hunter, which is black. And they're making 300 in each color. And I just briefly swung by the the Doxa forum this morning and they're already kind of people lining up to pre-order that. So if you're a Doxa guy or you just want a cool sort of vintage style reissue piece, I think that's going to be a real winner. So definitely, definitely a good one. And I think, you know, just quickly, you know, kind of going along with sort of vintage inspired dive watches, which is certainly all the rage these days. I had an appointment with Zodiac and You know, if you listen to our past episode, I talked about my review of the Super Seawolf 68, which is a reissue of Zodiac's famous watch from the early 70s. This year they added to that line with a bronze version that actually uses a bronze bezel insert, which is kind of unique compared to a lot of other bronze watches. And then they added another Super Seawolf 68 that has some orange accents on it. It was just a nice sort of addition to their existing lineup. And then they also introduced a Sea Dragon chronograph. The Sea Dragon is their sort of tonneau shaped. It's very seventies looking. It has sort of a sunburst dial and contrasting color sub-dials. And they're making a limited edition that has one of these steel cuff style bracelets that has the big holes in it. Really, really kind of cool. You know, I'm not, it's funny because the Zodiac appointments are done in the fossil building and you have to walk past all of these, you know, really kind of chintzy, cheap, you know, less desirable brands and then you get into the Zodiac area and they're just, it's like a different company. They're just so passionate about their heritage and it was really a nice sort of refreshing appointment to go and talk to them. |
| James Stacey | I think just looking exclusively at what they talked about at Basel, undoubtedly a brand to keep your eye on in the thousand dollar space. They're just making some really interesting stuff and they have a lot of power behind them because of the fossil connection, but I don't think they've lost that flavor, that formula from Zodiac. I owned a Sea Dragon years ago, when I was first getting into watches at Chronograph, and I thought they were just a bunch of fun. Yeah, I agree. Very cool. Well, as you can tell, we've definitely gone over our normal length, but I think there was a lot of here that we wanted to talk about. There was a lot that we had to cut, and there's a lot of these that, no doubt, Jason and I are planning to check out in person over the coming year. Where we want to settle on this, because everybody's going to do best of show, etc., etc., or big lists, is We wanted to offer a few that we actually feel we would spend our own money on. And Jason, where did you land on that sort of a concept? Something you would actually consider buying, whether it's pre-owned or brand new? |
| Jason Heaton | Well, for me, as you might have told from our discussion today, the Doxa 50th Anniversary Sub 300 is definitely on the short list. I'm a huge Doxa fan. It's such a seminal dive watch. It's a great value. I think they're selling it for less than $3,000, maybe even less than that if you get it on the pre-order. Another one would be the Bremont MB2 with the white dial, which, you know, it's just a tweak to an existing watch, but to me it made all the difference. |
| James Stacey | Yeah, it was my first time seeing that in person and it's awesome. The white dial is so, so good. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah. And then the Zinn, the 910 anniversary chronograph, it just grabbed me. I love that watch. Probably narrow it down to those three in terms of watches I would actually plunk down my money for this year. |
| James Stacey | Yeah, and despite not seeing the Dockside, I definitely understand the appeal. I'm really excited to see that one in person. I entirely agree with the Zinn. And the Bremont, the MB2 White, would be one of the ones I could definitely see sitting alongside. I already have a White Solo, so it would be overkill, but a really cool watch. Felt great on wrist. We've got a picture on a Greynado on the website. It was perfect. Um, I would definitely consider the new Explorer with my own money. I just think that such a versatile design has a great history. It's no less and no more than you need from any watch. And it could easily be the sort of watch you could wear for 30 years and pass on to a kid. I would say a kid of either gender, but I don't think that would matter. The one that I can't get out of my head is that AORUS 42mm 65. I just, that's at $2,000, it's going to be a huge value brand new. It's going to be a great value pre-owned. And I think that's going to basically crush it for Baselworld. I'm really happy to have it behind me and to be back home. But just some really great watches. And I want to say a special thank you to everyone we got a chance to hang out with. Jason, I got a chance to see you face to face, which is always a treat. And a bunch of our friends from all the other blogs. Basel's just a real treat. And I'm really thankful to have a chance to share our favorites from the show. |
| Jason Heaton | I agree. And I also want to send a little shout out thanks to all the folks that we've met at Baselworld that that are fans of the, of the, of the podcast. And we really appreciate the support we, I heard from, you know, brand CEOs and, and, uh, PR reps and just fellow writers, people were walking around the show. Uh, it's, it's been really encouraging to get that kind of feedback on the podcast. So thanks a lot. And, uh, hope you keep listening. |
| James Stacey | No doubt. Thanks very much. All right. And we're back. I hope everyone had a chance to, you know, grab a bite to eat, maybe use the bathroom, take a nap, rest up as we move on to new business. Jason, I know that you spent a few extra days in Switzerland. What did you do with your time there? Let's, let's hear about it. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah, I'm a glutton for punishment. I, uh, I caught a train, uh, the day after the show and I went to, to Beale, which is where Omega has its headquarters and their museum. And, uh, then I took a little side trip from there up to Villaret, which is where Omega has one of their new factories. Got a quick tour of their assembly facility there, and then back down to Beale where I got a tour of the Metas Lab, which is where they do the testing for the master chronometer movements. But to me, the real highlight of that day was I got a quick tour of the Omega Museum with the curator that runs it. His name is Petros. And for anybody that loves watches, and particularly someone who likes Omega, it was just a dream come true to see all these great old Apollo flown Speedmasters and Jacques Cousteau you know, plow profs and really exotic stuff, you know, high beat omegas and old rail masters. It was, that was a real highlight. So the, the Omega Museum, I highly recommend it. It's open to the public. Uh, it's actually in one of their original buildings there. If you happen to get over to Switzerland, you can make a little side trip up to, to Beale. Definitely worth the trip. In terms of other new business, when I was at, at Basel, I was, uh, given this, um, watch strap that actually inspired the, the NATO strap that's on the new Tudor Black Bay Bronze. I put some photos of it up on my Instagram feed and I can't believe the popularity it garnered. People were asking where they could get them. What the strap is, it's actually a nylon elastic strap that was used by some French military, I'm not sure which branch, but they had it on, it was used to clip their reserve parachute onto their backpacks. And so it's just a length of elastic strapping and sort of an olive green color with a yellow stripe down the middle. Apparently in the 70s, the French Navy divers would sort of requisition these straps and then turn them into watch straps. And they do make a great watch strap. I've used it on my old Tudor Snowflake Submariner. I've got it on my Speedmaster right now. And, you know, you can kind of adjust the length and then you just sort of leave it set and it slides on over your wrist. You don't have to open up the buckle or anything. I wasn't sure, you know, people were asking where you could get it and somebody did comment on one of my Instagram posts that There is a woman in the Netherlands who makes these straps. She actually requisitions or finds these old French military parachute straps and sews them, stitches them into NATO-style straps. So we'll put a link in the show notes so you can check that out. Really cool strap. That was kind of my post-Basel news. James, anything new in your world? |
| James Stacey | Yeah, post-Basel. So we're now entering the End of March, early April. So for me, it's really the start of hiking season, the very opening days of hiking season around Vancouver. There's still a lot of snow in the Alpine, but some of the lower folds, the valleys and such offer some pretty nice hikes this time of year. And obviously the temperature is nice, so you're not going to get too sweaty. I'm always hunting for the best way to carry a camera in, let's say, less than ideal conditions or terrain. And over, it's got to be the better part of a year ago, I backed a Kickstarter from a brand called Migo, M-I-G-G-O, for what they call the Agua Quickdraw Stormproof Holster. And I received it in December, which I had almost no use for it then. And it's kind of a weird shape and I didn't really fully understand the ergonomics and I put it on my shelf and I figured I'll try it hiking later. And I got out for a hike yesterday with some family around Easter. And, uh, we went out to a spot in North Vancouver called Norvin Falls. It's a really mellow walk in the woods, basically, but you end up at a big waterfall and a beautiful stream. And there's lots of chances to take nice photographs. So I packed up with this Agua and it's kind of a, uh, you know, hit the show notes and you'll see what I mean, but it's kind of a triangular bag, only a little bit bigger than an SLR with it, with a lens. And then it has a strap to wear it over your shoulder. But the bag itself is IPX3 storm proof, so you can't submerge it. But short of that, it's going to keep the camera safe from water, rain, you know, splashing, things like that. I was skeptical of the design until I actually put it over my shoulder and then walked for it with four hours. It's really cool. You have really easy access to the camera itself. It's under kind of a zippered flap that can be folded back. If it's not actually raining, it's way more comfortable and sensible than your average strap. It wears very similarly to like a Black Rapid or the Peak Design sling straps. You also get to stow the camera in the case without a lens cap. So you don't have to worry about taking the lens cap off every time you want to shoot. You simply pull it out of this kind of neoprene housing and you have full access. It doesn't retain on the camera at all. And then it uses a little, you know, D-clip strap to connect the camera to the actual bag. So let's say you were to slip while holding the camera, the camera is only going to fall about six inches away from the bag itself. So it's a really interesting solution for carrying, for protecting, and then for actually, I don't know, keeping the camera at a ready. So when they say quick draw, I kind of rolled my eyes at that, but you can operate the zipper with one hand because the neoprene is quite rigid. And it has overall the kind of build quality of those kayaking bags. And I'm really happy with it. I'm actually excited to try some stuff in the Alpine with it to see how it sticks to, you know, it'll stay under, kind of under your arm, near your armpit. It's not especially heavy, but I like the level of protection and the kind of compromise for accessibility. I think there's a lot there to take a look at and I'm going to leave it at that. We've talked a lot about watches. I've got lots of other stuff to talk about in future episodes for new business. But if you're looking for an accessible way to manage a camera in lesser terrain and lesser weather, I think this is a really neat solution. It's not hugely expensive. So be sure to check out the Migo Agua. And we will be back with our final notes. |
| Jason Heaton | Well, we're back nearing the end of this special Baselworld episode, which ran a little bit long, but we'll close out here with our final notes. This is the section of our show where we, James and I, recommend different things that have caught our eye in the past couple of weeks, typically videos, books, movies, anything that we might want to pass on of interest. James, what have you been checking out between traveling to and from Basel? |
| James Stacey | I've got two things. Unfortunately, neither are free, but neither are that expensive. So first up is a documentary that I've waited well over a year for. It actually launches the day that this podcast episode will come out. Documentary is called Apex, the history of the hyper car. And it's basically a group of guys that I know from the drive YouTube channel had started producing a really high quality documentary about the hyper car. So these are cars above your standard, say Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche supercars. So think Koenigseggs, Paganis, the really, really high end of, uh, of cars that are out there. And it's a very much like a beautifully shot interview style documentary about the reason that these cars are made from their actual creators and the people who drive them and the people who buy them. You can definitely check out the trailer. So if you go to apex-the-movie.com in the show notes, You can check out the trailer. By the time you're listening to this, you can watch the movie and I already will have. I'm very excited for it. I like the stuff produced by these guys in the past. So I think this is going to be really good. It's been at a couple film festivals already, and people seem to be kind of buzzing about it. If you like cars, I think this is an easy choice. Second one is also going to be fairly cheap for you, but also a lot of fun. So I bought a UV flashlight. from ebay to charge the lume on watches and i used it at a bar the other night and man do you get some weird looks but this thing is a lot of fun there's like a hundred or maybe even more like a thousand available on ebay of these uv lights so you just pick one that you care for this one cost me four dollars and it's a little aluminum light that uses three triple a batteries it has 21 uv leds and a simple clicker switch at the back. It's great if you're the type of guy who likes to take loom shots for Instagram, or for a watch review, or just because you like to see your watch glow. Hit the show notes for the exact model that I bought, or just go on eBay and search UV flashlight. There's so many of them to choose from, and they're a lot of fun. And I think if you're into watches and sport watches, then you're probably also into loom, a flashlight like this that's fun. |
| Jason Heaton | Nice. Well, on my end, I also have a couple of recommendations. One is It was an article actually I read in the New York Times and it was sitting on a table while I was waiting for my appointment at the Rolex booth at Baselworld and the article was called The Secrets of the Wave Pilots and it was really just a fascinating read. It was a kind of a long form classic sort of New York Times journalistic piece that looked at or was examining this culture of Pacific Islander people that for centuries has been navigating the waters, this wide open blue of the Pacific Ocean between these tiny little islands, uh, using, you know, no external sort of tools like a, like even a compass or obviously not GPS. They weren't even, they weren't using a sextant or navigating by the stars. They were using, um, what the scientists were, were hypothesizing. They were actually using the movement of the waves and almost like a sonar technique where, you know, as the, as the, this, the, the waves move across the ocean and bounce back off of the different islands at different distances, these sailors could actually detect very subtle differences in the pattern of the waves so that they could tell in which direction they should go to reach these other islands. And it was just one of these great sort of science, sort of geeky mix of adventure and outdoors and science. It was just a really wonderful article. You can certainly search for The Secrets of the Wave Pilots, New York Times. We'll put a link in the show notes. It was really, really a great piece. And then, uh, my second recommendation is I was on the, the, the long flight coming back from Basel. And, uh, I checked at one of the movies that was on offer in the plane was, was the movie called, uh, the man in Lamont, which was about, uh, Steve McQueen's borderline obsessional quest to make the, the, the famous movie in, I think 1970 or 71 called Lamont. in which he really was attempting to capture the true essence of the endurance racing that goes on at Le Mans. And to kind of put in the watch geek angle, of course, that's the movie in which he was wearing the first edition of the Heuer Monaco. It was really an excellent movie. It was a documentary. If you're a McQueen fan, which I know a lot of people are, or a motor racing enthusiast, just a really good Sort of a little bit dark, I guess. You know, it certainly had its darker moments in the making of that film. But I highly recommend The Man and Lamont. You can probably find it on Netflix or iTunes. Very cool. Sounds great. So that does it for our final notes. As always, thanks so much for listening to The Great NATO. Be sure to hit the show notes for more details about anything that we talked about. We'll put links into the articles and movies and the watches and everything else that we talked about on today's long show. You can follow us both on Instagram. I'm at, at Jason Heaton and James is at, at J E Stacey and follow the show at The Graynado. If you have any questions for us, please do write to thegraynado at gmail.com or you can hashtag thegraynado on Instagram and we'll certainly do our best to, to get back to you or mention you on the next show. Please do subscribe and review program wherever you find your podcasts on SoundCloud or iTunes or grab the feed from thegraynado.com. The music throughout the show is Siesta by Jazzer via the free music archive. |
| James Stacey | And until next time we leave you with this quote from U.S. Navy Master Scuba Diver Carl Brashear who said, It's not a sin to get knocked down, it's a sin to stay down. |