corbyswatches-blog

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Review: Excelsior Watch Company

  For me, being a watch lover encompasses many different things. One of those is the obvious, being a watch collector. I own several watches that I am proud to have in my small and ever growing collection. All my watches are mechanical, which means that they are either hand wound or automatic (wound via a spinning rotor and set in motion by the wearers wrist movement). Like most watch enthusiasts, I am always looking for my next special piece. Watch lovers know what I am talking about; that unique watch that you really haven’t seen that hits all your, “I gotta have that” buttons.

In life, one gets many opportunities (if they’re lucky and a bit vigilant) to meet people that are doing amazing things. Today, I met one of those people and he just happens to have started his own watch company, Excelsior Watch Company. When I met, Mat today at Dunn Bros coffee in Excelsior, Minnesota, I really didn’t know what to expect. Originally, we connected on Facebook, and I could see from his watches that he understood the passion for mechanical watches. We agreed to meet after the first of the year when things had finally slowed from the holiday season. However, to say that I was looking forward to today would be an understatement.

Mathew Coyle, was looking for a unique present to give to his father in honor of his retirement. His wife suggested a watch. Mat thought that was a great idea and wondered how hard it would be to make one and even wondered if he could do it. Now I only met, Mat for a short time today but it is easy to tell (I’ll have to make an inference here) that he is a person who doesn’t attempt anything unless he is sure that it can be done well. In other words, he has high standards. I might be a bit off on some of my numbers, but I believe, Mat said that he spent around a year researching where to find all the parts and pieces that fit his criteria for making his first watch for his father. I don’t know about you but this is what is usually referred to as dedication and perseverance.

Mat completed his father’s watch around 2015. In fact, it turned out so well that his wife suggested that he try to do a few more; hence, Excelsior Watch Company was born. When we were talking over Dunn Bros coffee, Mat made it clear that he is not a trained watchmaker in the classical sense. He did not attend a watch making school to be formally trained. He launched, Excelsior Watch Company with a clear vision of believing that through careful and tenacious research he could find all the components needed to construct a watch of his design parameters and hand assemble them himself. For me, this is even more remarkable. Mat brought his line of watches to our meeting today and I was completely blown away. Let’s talk about some of the details that go into an Excelsior Watch Company watch. His line of watches includes; Paragon, which basically means excellence, EOS, which is the Greek goddess of dawn, a Pilot watch and the Field watch. The Paragon, EOS and Pilot watches are all 44mm and the Field watch is 42mm. All of Mat’s watches use some version of the ETA hand wound 6497 and 6498 movements (the difference being the placement of the seconds sub dial). The bands are all leather have a vintage look and come from an American made supplier. The leather bands are superb. They are exactly the right thickness and have an opulent look and supple feel to them (22mm for the Paragon, EOS and Pilot…20mm for the Field). Mat has them in black, brown and camel colors.

The 44mm cases on the Paragon, EOS and Pilot watches come from a supplier that gave Mat the right look he was going for and he spent a significant amount of time searching them out. The cases are brushed on the flats with a high polish on the top of the lugs and on the bezel, which is fluted. This detail I really enjoyed, because it reminded me of sweeping upwards to present the sapphire crystal and watch dial. The watch dials on the Paragon and EOS are finely decorated with guilloche. The EOS has a seconds sub dial at 9 o’clock (6497) and Arabic numbers whose design is well thought out. The Paragon uses Roman Numerals on its hours scale with Arabic numerals on the seconds sub dial at 9 o’clock. The hands on both the Paragon and the EOS are a type of thin Baton or Leaf style.

The Pilot watch has a black dial with Arabic numerals around it. Absent are the 3, 9 and 12, which is replaced with a pyramid symbol with two dots on each the left and right side. Just under the pyramid is Mat’s Excelsior Watch Company logo. At 6 o’clock sits the seconds sub dial giving the watch a nice balance. The hands are a sword style and the watch is luminous. It’s a nice uncomplicated variation of the characteristic pilot watch and one that has really caught my eye. The crowns on all three watches can be varied (onion style or standard) and all three watches have exhibition case backs letting the client see the exceptionally pleasing engine that powers their watch. Mat hand assembles each watch and polishes some parts of the movement while leaving other parts untouched to give each movement a nice contrast. This element also demonstrates the attention to detail that a client can expect when purchasing a handmade watch from Excelsior Watch Company.

The Field watch is a slightly different and is 42mm. The case is custom and designed by Mat; although, he had some help from an engineering friend. The Field watch case is surgical grade 316L stainless steel and is polished on a CNC machine. The laser etching on the case (and on the Paragon, EOS and Pilot) were done from a company that Mat spent months trying to find, and I believe is in the medical field. Because the surface on the back of the cases is curved Mat had to work with his supplier to fine tune the process that produced the ideal look he desired. The Field watch is an excellent example of a tool watch, which is very desirable to the watch collectors of the world. The custom case is brushed and the bezel is thin and continues with a slight downward angle until meeting up with the case flats. It has an interesting crown protector allowing the user to still wind the watch…a very nice custom touch. The white dial carries somewhat traditional Arabic numerals with train tracks behind and around the perimeter. The seconds sub dial on this example (at 6, 6498) had a very interesting propeller design (3 blades) for the hands with one of the hand tips colored in yellow. The hour and seconds hand are blue with luminous paint on their insides and are a baton style. The case back is exhibition. 20mm between the lugs held a thicker camel leather strap, which Mat says will be changed to his thinner leather strap sourced from one of the oldest tanneries still operated in the United States. I can only imagine the patina the leather achieves after years of wear…wonderful stuff.

Mat offers a two-year warranty on all his watches and includes nice touches with each watch, like date of production stamps on a card, information cards explaining the operation and care of each watch. As they sit now, each watch comes in a beautiful leather case but Mat explains that he wants to move to more of a leather pouch so that even this can be useful to the client when they purchase an Excelsior Watch Company watch. The Paragon, EOS and Pilot are $795 and the Field watch is $895 since it has a custom designed case. These prices are extremely reasonable for what the client receives.

Excelsior Watch Company makes unique hand assembled watches with mechanical hand wound Swiss movements that should stand the test of time. In my humble opinion, the owner of an Excelsior Watch Company watch will have an easy to wear handsome time piece that if cared for properly can be one of those watches passed down for generations. Every Excelsior Watch Company watch is meticulously hand assembled by Mat making each piece special. Mat emphasized that it is important to him to keep, Excelsior Watch Company a small boutique brand. As a result, Mat can ensure that he keeps the quality and uniqueness of his brand just that…unique.

[corbyswatches-blog]

Changing Straps Gives Your Watch Several Looks

Some of you out there may agree with what I am about to say; however, some may not. I am simply offering a way to give your watch many different looks by just changing your strap or metal bracelet. In my opinion, this one simple thing can give you the ability to wear one watch for any kind of fashion statement you are trying to make.

A lot of you out there are bracelet people. Some could never imagine taking off the stainless steel girthy bracelet on their Rolex or Deep Blue Ocean Diver and putting on a leather or nato strap but I can. Some really like the feel of that heavy and secure stainless steel bracelet and believe that anything else will ruin the look of the watch. This is where I digress.

For me, part of the joy of watch collecting is the ability to change how my watches look. Not only can I give each of my watches a different look or several different looks but it is genuinely fun for me. I gain a lot of joy out of changing straps, because I feel like I am more a part of each watch. Part of the joy is changing a strap then trying on the watch and seeing if your choice was a correct one or an incorrect one. The other part of the fun for me is either shopping on line via any of the outstanding watch strap websites, such as; Clockwork Synergy, Panatime, which is still owned, I believe, by the owners of Deep Blue Watches, Crown and Buckle, All Watch Bands, Strapped For Time, Shinola, Worn and Wound and even the famous Hodinkee. 

I have even gone to my local Macy's, in a pinch and looked through their straps when i want a quick change. However, Macy's staff can sometimes be a bit snobby when you tell them that you don't need them to do the watch band change for you and that yes you do know exactly what size you need. And, in fact, you can very well do the watch band change yourself.

Recently, I have become smitten with nato straps because they offer such a wide variety of color combinations at a very reasonable price. What's more, nato straps seem to be a bit more comfortable on my wrists and when worn with any of my dive watches give the watch such a cool almost vintage feel. Needless to say, I enjoy their versatility. I have spent upwards of $175 for a genuine crocodile strap that was hand made. When it arrived on my door step, I was so excited to hold it and see it that when I finally picked out a watch that I thought it would go nicely with... it didn't. As a result, it is one of the more expensive straps that sits in my box of straps and one that I barely use.

In conclusion, changing straps on my watches is another way to further enjoy the wonderful world of mechanical watch collecting. Like my ever growing and refined collection, my watch strap collection is growing and becoming refined as my tastes mature and change, and I grow both collection's into something that I can continue to enjoy for many, many years.

[corbyswatches-blog]

Challenger ONE, A Wonderful Journey

I met, Torsten Nagengast, through the wonders of social media after being amazed at the beautiful watches he was creating from his home in Baden-Baden, Germany. Torsten hand crafts his unique one of a kind cases and uses Swiss movements to complete each watch for limited production runs of each design. He was kind enough to send me his Challenger ONE watch, which will be the subject of my review.

When I received Challenger ONE, I was incredibly excited to see it in person after several conversations with, Torsten and viewing the watch on his website, https://www.torsten-nagengast.de. Slowly and carefully opening the cardboard shipping box did little to calm my excited and anxious nerves. For watch lovers, opening a new watch after waiting for it to arrive is like the ultimate delay of gratification.

Cutting through the taped cardboard box and carefully peeling away the packing reveals three straps, one beige nato strap, one black nato strap and one beige leather nato strap. Then I see the black case that will hold what I've been waiting for. It's quite small square-ish and black with a red zipper around the middle and the logo TNT embossed on its top. As I unzip the red zipper I catch a glimpse of the Challenger ONE. Its resting on its side nestled in a perfectly formed foam rubber bed.

I reach for the watch and catch myself gasping, as I see a wonderful piece of watch art before me. I mutter the word, "Unbelievable", as I take the watch off of the oval piece of foam rubber and turn it over looking at the beautiful craftsmanship and elegance of the watch. The technical specs are as follows: 43mm case without crown, 13.1mm from top to bottom. Sapphire crystal, ETA 2824 automatic movement, coin edge around the case, black dial with soft brown hands and markers with soft lume, ceramic bezel with crown at 12 and 24mm angled lugs. Exhibition case back marked with Torsten Nagengast Timeline, B-Uhr-10 ATM Automatik, and Edelstahl Schweiz.

The watch is really something special. It is part of a limited run of a 100 pieces, and I am looking at one of 25 that carries the logo, "TNT" just below the number 12 on the dial. Torsten has placed the numbers 12, 3, 6 and 9 on the black dial. Just above the 6 is the word "Automatic" in cursive. The indicies as well as the numbers are made up of a soft brown or beige. The seconds hand is also a soft beige and reaches out to the outer edges of the dial, which I really appreciate. The short end of the seconds hand has an oval, which balances out the hand. The hour and minute hands are soft beige with a white outline and finish their pointed tips in white. The black ceramic bezel shines with luxury and is cleanly marked with a beige triangle at 12, 15 at 3, 30 at 6 and 45 at 9. Two beige indicators lie between each numeral.

As I view the watch, I enjoy the look of its timeless, simple design and clean black dial. Its look is refreshing with the black shiny ceramic bezel contrasting nicely against the matte black dial sitting beneath sapphire glass. The crown placed at the top of the watch is one of those little details that help make this watch extra special. What's more, the coin edge around the case gives the watch an old world feel. We watch lovers enjoy viewing the little machine that powers our watch and the Challenger ONE's exhibition case back satisfies that need. At 43mm, the watch fits my wrist comfortably and the angled lugs sweep down to comfortably hug the wrist. Once on, its hard to keep my head up and stop staring in amazement. The black leather strap has two screws, which grasp the angled lugs and give the watch a stately look. I would love to throw on one of the nato straps, but I don't dare because darn it the watch isn't mine!

Torsten seems like one of us, a true lover of all things mechanical that one can wear upon the wrist. He was kind enough to ship this watch to a, as of yet, unknown blogger to give me the opportunity to view a piece of his art. And, I am both honored and humbled. The Challenger ONE is an exciting one of a kind watch that if owned can be a star in a collection for a lifetime.

[corbyswatches-blog]

Bulova Accutron Curacao, Rose Gold

I'd like to talk about a very cool watch, in my opinion. Today, I'm going to talk bout the Bulova Rose Gold Curacao. What first attracted me to to this beautiful watch was the look, which is really how I buy most of my watches. The watch has to look cool and have something kind of different or unique and it has to be either an automatic or a mechanical watch. The Curacao checks all of those boxes for me.

First, let's talk about the case and dial and the over all look of the watch. The case size is 42mm, which for me wears really well on the wrist; in fact, it might be the perfect size for my wrist. The bezel has a chapter ring, which has kind of a frosted look to it and could be mistaken for a dive bezel (watch) if your name has a "Sir" in front of it and you happen to be wearing a tux while your diving. The outer edge of the chapter ring has small notches cut around it with a high polish giving the bezel a nice contrast of frosted and polished. 

Moving to the dial this is what really caught my eye when I viewed the watch at an on-line retailer. Working from the inside to the outer edge of the watch is a black waffle pattern mirroring the band, which I will talk about later. The indices are brightly polished and have a slight bevel on the edges. Behind each marker are additional white indices, which are painted with super luminova. Between 2 and 3 o'clock and overlapping the inner waffle pattern is a half moon ring, which highlights the date window at 3. This half moon ring is also frosted with three simulated flat head screw heads, which are polished. I really enjoy this simple touch because it draws the eye to the date very naturally. The date window at 3 has a polished rose gold border. At 12 o'clock the Bulova Accutron tuning fork sits and leaves no doubt that this is an Accutron time piece. And, if you have doubts the Bulova Accutron name sits just below that, as well.

The hands of the watch are polished rose gold and graduated pointers that are hollowed out towards the center and painted white super luminova at the ends. The seconds hand is polished rose gold, too and shaped like an arrow with super luminova. The short end of the seconds hand has the Accutron tuning fork, which again is one of those really nice touches included for the watch lover.

The rest of the case that the watch sits on is all polished rose gold and the crown is screw in oversized and carries the tuning fork, which is nicely frosted against the high polish of the crown. The outsides of the case carry a beautiful sweeping curve that draws the eye to the lugs that curve downward. Between the lugs measures 18mm but the band that goes with this watch is stepped and graduated and they carry the band between the lugs and to the outer edge of the lugs. Speaking of the band it is a lovely black rubber waffle patterned strapwith a rose gold buckle that carries the tuning fork logo and is comfortable to wear.

The back of the watch lets the mechanical lover view the decorated Sellita SW200. The movement has a custom rotor with the tuning fork logo and and Bulova Accutron name done on blue. The movement is a 26 jeweled automatic ball bearing unit with a 38 hour power reserve and stop seconds. This is a nice movement used by several companies and is the twin to the ETA 2824. So far the accuracy has been okay, which is to say that it runs just a titch fast.

The Curacao is one of those watches that you wear when you're trying to get a bit of attention, which is not to say the only reason why I wear it. It's comfortable and great looking and can be worn really with any outfit. The sapphire glass shows off the unique features of this time and date watch very well. The Bulova Accutron Curacao automatic is a great looking watch that I am proud to have in my ever growing collection!!

[corbyswatches-blog]

Seiko's New Presage Line of Affordable Mechanical Watches

Seiko has a long history of producing watches; however, quartz watches. More so now than in recent history, Seiko is going back to its roots of producing fine mechanical watches. Some would say some of the finest mechanical watches available today.

Seiko showcased their watchmaking prowess at this years Baselworld 2016 with their Credor brand Tourbillon, which is Seiko's highest label luxury offering. This incredible watch demonstrates Seiko's traditional understanding of Japanese metal engraving and lacquer finishing.

However, Seiko has launched its Presage line which is to be their leading line of mechanical watches. There are to be some 60 different offerings ranging in price from $500 to just over $2500. The movements to be used in the Presage line will be Seiko's tried and true 4R and 6R movements with the higher priced Presage watches using the 8R movement. All watches within the Presage line will also carry sapphire crystals.

I am a huge fan of Seiko and wanted to see for myself what the new Presage line looked like in person and on the wrist. Being that I am just a simple blogger not endorsed or able to convince Seiko to send me an offering from each tier level of the line, I actually had to buy one!! What a problem to have!!

I purchased the Presage SARY055 with a white dial and blued hands and carrying the 4R36A movement from Island Watch for a price of $329. Island Watch is a great source for truly unique watch brands and they seem to have the pulse of the every-man watch collector, like me! The watch came very quickly, which is a good thing being that I was in excitement mode waiting for it to arrive! Ripping apart the cardboard package once I got it safely in from outside revealed a thing of beauty.

The watch is incredible! First the stats on the watch; 40mm, 22mm between the lugs, stainless bracelet, day and date windows (day is in both English and Japanese symbols), hand wind, and ability to hack. The white dial is stunning with SEIKO in bold just below twelve o'clock and automatic in cursive just above six o'clock. The outside border of the dial is slightly raised and marked neatly in blue hashes every 5 minutes with double blue hashes at 12, 3, 6 and 9. The sword hands are blued, as well contrasting wonderfully against the stunning white dial. The seconds hand reaches just to the beginning of the raised outside border. The indices are brightly chromed and are doubled again at 12, 3, 6 and 9. Except at 3 o'clock the chromed indices are shortened to allow for the chromed border which goes nicely around the day and date windows. The day window carries both English and Japanese symbols in black and on Sunday the Japanese symbol is done in a red, which gives a nice additional splash of color.

The stainless bracelet is very comfortable and is brushed except were the middle links meet, which in this case they are polished giving the bracelet a way to reflect the light. The bracelet meets the case in a half moon shape allowing the polished side between the lugs to be revealed. The very outside slats on the watch are brushed all the way to the bottom of the lugs and the middle slats are polished highly as is the outside border of the bezel.

As soon as I sized the bracelet and wore the watch for the day I knew that I had to have its sister, which is Presage SARY057 in black. I needed to see what the watch looked like in this most classic of classic colors. Once I arrive home from the days work I ordered the watch; however, this time I went with Amazon because I could save a few dollars and not blow my entire watch budget. The black version is so breathtaking that it is the one I prefer. I am not exactly sure why that is because both version are incredible. Maybe it has more to do with tradition than anything else.

If you're a true watch lover of the mechanical watch one of the best parts is the movement. Both of my watches carry the Seiko 4R36A automatic. Flipping these sisters over reveals an exhibition case back which is simply decorated but stunning nonetheless. The rotor is gold colored and carries the Seiko time corp stamping along with the movement number and jewels (24) on the outside edge.

I wear these watches frequently in my rotation and they wear very comfortably. The bracelet fits my wrist perfectly and I really love the 40mm size. This is almost the perfect size for me. I plan on buying more offerings from the Presage line because Seiko makes some of the most clean looking dials in the world in my humble opinion.

[corbyswatches-blog]

Share Your Love of Fine Mechanical Timepeices

If you’re like me you enjoy anything and everything that has to do with mechanical watches or watches in general. I am very fond of mechanical watches, and one of my goals is to share this love with others!

When I first jumped into the world of beautiful watches, I began to search out others who had the same passion for fine timepieces that I did. I wanted to talk about watches with someone, anyone who would listen. However, bringing your love of watches to a non-watch loving person is like explaining the theory of relativity to a monkey. They just didn’t get it nor did the care to! Subsequently, I began to look for people and/or Internet sites that shared my passion and enthusiasm.

What I found, with a little leg work, was watch forums where there were other watch collectors and watch lovers just like me. I also discovered several watch sites on the Internet that shared my obsession and they talked about the things I enjoyed discussing in the world of fine timepieces. In addition, I found a few really cool watch forums with watch fanatics that appeared to be like me and had similar collections. However, a few of the fellas on the watch forums have exceptional collections, such as watches from Richard Mille, Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet. I found that we all loved showing off our collections no matter if it’s a watch from Rolex or from Deep Blue. We share our watches on a daily basis, which we call our Watch of The Day (WOTD) and celebrate the forum member who has a new and exciting watch on the way.

I believe that this concept is a key component in having a shared hobby or passion in that your passion becomes a whole lot more fun and interesting when you have others to share it with. A few of the watch sites that I follow on a regular basis have an incredible wealth of information for the watch collector. Furthermore, a few watch sites do incredibly well conceived videos that either show off a world class collection or talk about a few key pieces and explain their significance. They will also meet with a collector and discover when and how they became passionate about watches. Once the interview begins you can clearly see how passionate they are about their collection and the joy they have for the art of watchmaking. These are the kind of things that make watch collecting so utterly satisfying for me. Especially when I hear another collector talk about a significant piece and know that I recognized the same types of wonderful design characteristics that they did.

I also wanted to mention the enjoyment I get from frequenting a local Barnes and Noble for good coffee and the newest issues of WatchTime or International Watch. Here is where I can follow the world of watches on an international level while drinking coffee and relaxing. These wonderfully arranged watch magazines with world class writing and photos that show incredible detail are for me a fundamental and important aspect of my passion for watches. I kind of think of them as fuel for my passion.

In conclusion, I sincerely hope that you folks appreciated this article and hope that whatever your passion may be please never let it go because it is a way for us all to add one other wonderful thing to a life well lived!! And, share your passion with others!!

[corbyswatches-blog]

My Review of my Orient Monarch Mechanical Watch

 Hi everyone! I just received my newest watch today from Long Island Watch! I’ve been looking on the Long Island Watch website at their newest Orient watches. One Orient watch in particular kept catching my attention; the Orient Monarch mechanical. There were two choices available (at the time) in the Monarch line, the all black mechanical with silver hands and the all-white mechanical with blue hands. I decided to purchase the all black Monarch mechanical based on my love of black faced watches.

When I first opened the brown cardboard package, I was immediately struck with the beauty of the watch. I remember thinking that the picture on the long Island Watch site did not do the watch justice! This watch was simply amazing. So let’s get into it shall we!!

To start, the Monarch is 40mm and 13mm thick, which is a really nice size. 40mm seems to be the standard size across the watch community board and for good reason; it feels and looks great! The round silver high polish case is slightly stepped as is meets the crystal, which IW says is mineral; however, it sure feels and looks like sapphire. It’s also slightly domed. The black dial has white Arabic numerals that have a really cool font type. White railroad tracks marked with Arabic white numerals in increments of five surround the outside of the dial. This Monarch mechanical has a power reserve indicator below the 12, which swings with a small silver indicator hand from 0 to 40 hours.

The Breguet silver hands work around the dial in hours and minutes and the sweep seconds silver hand is very smooth. Pull out the well sized crown and the seconds hack or grab onto it and wind the watch all the while watching the power reserve work its magic all the way to a full wind. Between the silver curved lugs sits a simple black calfskin strap sized to 19mm. Turn the watch over and you are treated to a view of the 21 jeweled mechanical movement (48C40) decorated with perlage and a clear view of the balance wheel.

The really great thing about Orient watches is they offer watches in a wide variety of prices that come in many desirable styles. Orient also makes all their movements in house, which helps to keep a sharp eye on quality control and on price. They have just about everything for everyone!

In conclusion, the Monarch mechanical is another great looking watch from Orient that fits my style of acquiring watches that are unique, comfortable and amazing looking!!

[corbyswatches-blog]

My Review of my Orient Monarch Mechanical Watch

 Hi everyone! I just received my newest watch today from Long Island Watch! I’ve been looking on the Long Island Watch website at their newest Orient watches. One Orient watch in particular kept catching my attention; the Orient Monarch mechanical. There were two choices available (at the time) in the Monarch line, the all black mechanical with silver hands and the all-white mechanical with blue hands. I decided to purchase the all black Monarch mechanical based on my love of black faced watches.

When I first opened the brown cardboard package, I was immediately struck with the beauty of the watch. I remember thinking that the picture on the long Island Watch site did not do the watch justice! This watch was simply amazing. So let’s get into it shall we!!

To start, the Monarch is 40mm and 13mm thick, which is a really nice size. 40mm seems to be the standard size across the watch community board and for good reason; it feels and looks great! The round silver high polish case is slightly stepped as is meets the crystal, which IW says is mineral; however, it sure feels and looks like sapphire. It’s also slightly domed. The black dial has white Arabic numerals that have a really cool font type. White railroad tracks marked with Arabic white numerals in increments of five surround the outside of the dial. This Monarch mechanical has a power reserve indicator below the 12, which swings with a small silver indicator hand from 0 to 40 hours.

The Breguet silver hands work around the dial in hours and minutes and the sweep seconds silver hand is very smooth. Pull out the well sized crown and the seconds hack or grab onto it and wind the watch all the while watching the power reserve work its magic all the way to a full wind. Between the silver curved lugs sits a simple black calfskin strap sized to 19mm. Turn the watch over and you are treated to a view of the 21 jeweled mechanical movement (48C40) decorated with perlage and a clear view of the balance wheel.

The really great thing about Orient watches is they offer watches in a wide variety of prices that come in many desirable styles. Orient also makes all their movements in house, which helps to keep a sharp eye on quality control and on price. They have just about everything for everyone!

In conclusion, the Monarch mechanical is another great looking watch from Orient that fits my style of acquiring watches that are unique, comfortable and amazing looking!!

[corbyswatches-blog]

Gnomon Watches (Gnomonwatches.com)

I wanted to talk a little about GnomonWatches.com. This is an incredibly well thought out site where one can find quality watches constructed by companies with stellar reputations for impeccable watches at very affordable prices. For me, Steinhart Watches is a brand that rises to the top of the brands that Gnomon represents. Here are watches with crisp tight construction that correctly display the wonderful art of watchmaking at its finest. GMT dive watches, limited edition Ocean watches, and beautiful hand wound chronometer's. Gnomon also added the great Peter Speake-Marin who is an independent brand with watches that have an incredible aesthetic appeal and watches that really are horological works of art. Check out the Velsheda Titanium with a nautical feel. 

Gnomon carries German brands, such as Laco and Dievas and the re-launched Squale Swiss brand, as well as other wonderful and storied brands. Gnomon also carries a great extra warranty for the watches they represent and carries accessories, like Rios straps and some watch tools and more!! So check them out give them a try and enjoy wearing watch brands that will expand your collection with a flair for the unique and beautiful!! 

[corbyswatches-blog]

Frederique Constant Runabout Moonphase

Frederique Constant is a wonderful Swiss brand owned by Peter and Aletta Stas, since 1991. Their tag line, "live your passion" has served them incredibly well. As a result, the Runabout Moonphase is definitely a watch filled with passion as a beautifully designed watch. Price for the rose gold version is a sum what affordable $3,195 compared to other watches with this level of refinement. This FC caliber 365 is housed in a 40mm rose gold case (stainless with PVD coating) with 28 jewels and beats at 28,800 vph and has a 42 hour power reserve. Under the sapphire crystal the functions are hours, minutes, sweep seconds, full calendarwith date, weekday, month and moon phase.

This FC Runabout Moonphase is truly a work of art at a reasonable price.

[corbyswatches-blog]

FP Journe Tourbillon Souverain

FP is a true watchmaker who learned his craft from an uncle after getting kicked out of watchmaking school because he couldn't concentrate. This piece is a manually wound FP caliber 1403. It has 26 jewels, vibrates at 21,600 vph, has a 1 minute tourbillon, an escapement with dead-beat seconds and jumping second display. In addition, it has a patented constant force mechanism with plate and bridges made of pink gold. The case is platinum, 40mm and 9.9mm high. The crystal is sapphire front and back and transparent out back. Functions are hours, minutes, which are off center, subsidiary seconds with a power reserve indicator. This is a true master piece....

[corbyswatches-blog]

Review of My New Seiko Neo Sports Kinetic Watch

 As a watch collector, I am always looking at new and interesting watches to add to my collection. However, I am not a person with unlimited income so when I add a watch it must be something that fills a void in my collection and is money well spent.

I was looking for a watch that fit my aesthetic need for something good looking, too. And, it had to have something new, like a complication or new way of winding. This is when I stumbled upon Seiko and their Kinetic line of watches. Kinetic is really an auto quartz watch which uses a rotor to power the quartz movement of the watch. I don’t have any quartz watches in my collection so auto quartz would be the closest I would come.

I decided to visit the Jomashop website because they seem to have the most extensive line of Seiko watches that are Kinetic. I set my budget at around $150 for the new watch, as I began my search. I have several dive type watches and really was not looking to add another so I looked more for a good looking dress or sport watch or a combination of the two.

I found what I was looking for in Seiko’s Neo Sports Kinetic in black. I placed my order and the watch arrived 5 days later. This watch is a real beauty, simple and stylish but rugged, as well. The specs are 43mm case size and 20mm between the brushed lugs. The case is a high polish with a crown that is protected. Just above the crown is a really neat feature to see the reserve of the wind of the watch. Hit the button and the red tipped seconds hand will move between 5 to 15 with 15 being fully wound. The dial is handsome and simple with vertical lines running throughout. Seiko is under the 12 o’clock marker and Kinetic and 100mm is above the 6 o’clock dial marker. Markers are high polish slats with railroad tracks around the outer edges of the dial and superluminova white squares at the top of the polished slats. The 12, 3, 6 and 9 white squares are outlined in red, a nice touch. The hands are hollow at the ends and are painted white with superluminova. There is a date window at 3 o’clock outlined in high polish silver. The bezel is a thinly bordered black with diver intervals starting at 05 all the way to 60. The band is a 20mm black leather with white contrast stitching. The buckle is high polish with Seiko embossed on it.

I’ve worn the watch for the last few days. I wore it to work for a day and it looked and worked well. I really like the watch, especially the winding system. The back of the watch has an exhibition window to show off the winding system. There is a rotor just like on an automatic watch except this rotor winds the battery of the quartz movement. Very cool.

In conclusion, I’ve managed to meet my criteria for adding another interesting watch to my collection at a very reasonable price! The Seiko Neo Sports Kinetic is a real beauty with an interesting winding system that makes the watch very accurate and a wonderful new member to my ever growing watch collection.

[corbyswatches-blog]

Watches Everywhere!!

 So I have these watches that I adore and enjoy. One could call me a collector because I have more than one watch. I have watches that follow my aesthetic and mechanical way of thinking…a theme, so to speak. But one of the problems that I have with having so many mechanical and automatic watches is where do I put them all?

When I started out many years back, I had one really cool dive watch that I spent almost two months researching and ogling before I finally bought it. My first really cool Swiss made dive watch was a Deep Blue Ocean Diver, which I still own and adore to this day. That’s when the bug began to take hold and soon after I was hooked. So I bought another watch and another and my collection started to grow. With having automatic watches you either have to keep them wound or let them wind down, which really isn’t a big deal; however, an unwound watch has to be re-wound and then set. One of the things that I did to help was to buy a watch winder (it was actually given to me as a gift). My winder has a nice blond veneer with felt trim and has four slots for four watches and more slots to store watches. It works great and keeps four watches always fresh and ready to wear.

This winder solves one problem, but I still have many more watches. So what do I do with the rest of my watches? Some of my nicer Swiss made Bulova Accutron watches come in a very nice wood presentation box. So I use these boxes with very nice felt watch pillows to house more of my watches. They work great and keep my watches looking great. However, if I want to keep them ready to wear I have to hand wind them every day, which I do (most of the time).

For me this brings up a very cool and interesting point; hand winding my watches lets me spend time with each one of them and enjoy them for what they are, incredible works of watch art. As I work through my collection and wind them up I get to revisit each one and discover the things that drew me to them in the first place. For a watch lover, this can be as good as it gets!  Joy is such a hard word to correctly define; however, for me joy is what I feel when I look at each of my watches and spend time winding them, looking at them and feeling them in my hands. Now, if I could only find places for them all!!

[corbyswatches-blog]

Watches Everywhere!!

 So I have these watches that I adore and enjoy. One could call me a collector because I have more than one watch. I have watches that follow my aesthetic and mechanical way of thinking…a theme, so to speak. But one of the problems that I have with having so many mechanical and automatic watches is where do I put them all?

When I started out many years back, I had one really cool dive watch that I spent almost two months researching and ogling before I finally bought it. My first really cool Swiss made dive watch was a Deep Blue Ocean Diver, which I still own and adore to this day. That’s when the bug began to take hold and soon after I was hooked. So I bought another watch and another and my collection started to grow. With having automatic watches you either have to keep them wound or let them wind down, which really isn’t a big deal; however, an unwound watch has to be re-wound and then set. One of the things that I did to help was to buy a watch winder (it was actually given to me as a gift). My winder has a nice blond veneer with felt trim and has four slots for four watches and more slots to store watches. It works great and keeps four watches always fresh and ready to wear.

This winder solves one problem, but I still have many more watches. So what do I do with the rest of my watches? Some of my nicer Swiss made Bulova Accutron watches come in a very nice wood presentation box. So I use these boxes with very nice felt watch pillows to house more of my watches. They work great and keep my watches looking great. However, if I want to keep them ready to wear I have to hand wind them every day, which I do (most of the time).

For me this brings up a very cool and interesting point; hand winding my watches lets me spend time with each one of them and enjoy them for what they are, incredible works of watch art. As I work through my collection and wind them up I get to revisit each one and discover the things that drew me to them in the first place. For a watch lover, this can be as good as it gets!  Joy is such a hard word to correctly define; however, for me joy is what I feel when I look at each of my watches and spend time winding them, looking at them and feeling them in my hands. Now, if I could only find places for them all!!

       Watches Everywhere!!

 So I have these watches that I adore and enjoy. One could call me a collector because I have more than one watch. I have watches that follow my aesthetic and mechanical way of thinking…a theme, so to speak. But one of the problems that I have with having so many mechanical and automatic watches is where do I put them all?

When I started out many years back, I had one really cool dive watch that I spent almost two months researching and ogling before I finally bought it. My first really cool Swiss made dive watch was a Deep Blue Ocean Diver, which I still own and adore to this day. That’s when the bug began to take hold and soon after I was hooked. So I bought another watch and another and my collection started to grow. With having automatic watches you either have to keep them wound or let them wind down, which really isn’t a big deal; however, an unwound watch has to be re-wound and then set. One of the things that I did to help was to buy a watch winder (it was actually given to me as a gift). My winder has a nice blond veneer with felt trim and has four slots for four watches and more slots to store watches. It works great and keeps four watches always fresh and ready to wear.

This winder solves one problem, but I still have many more watches. So what do I do with the rest of my watches? Some of my nicer Swiss made Bulova Accutron watches come in a very nice wood presentation box. So I use these boxes with very nice felt watch pillows to house more of my watches. They work great and keep my watches looking great. However, if I want to keep them ready to wear I have to hand wind them every day, which I do (most of the time).

For me this brings up a very cool and interesting point; hand winding my watches lets me spend time with each one of them and enjoy them for what they are, incredible works of watch art. As I work through my collection and wind them up I get to revisit each one and discover the things that drew me to them in the first place. For a watch lover, this can be as good as it gets!  Joy is such a hard word to correctly define; however, for me joy is what I feel when I look at each of my watches and spend time winding them, looking at them and feeling them in my hands. Now, if I could only find places for them all!!

[corbyswatches-blog]

Worn and Wound

  Please take a look at Worn and Wound a great reviewer of incredibly affordable mechanical watches and they also happen to have some very cool watch accessories, such as some very cool vintage type watch bands!

http://wornandwound.com/

[corbyswatches-blog]

Check out Long Island Watch!!

This is Long Island Watch a place where the watch lover can discover their new piece for their collection! LIW, has some incredibly unique brands and their customer service is second to none. Sign up for their email alerts to keep abreast of great sales on a wonderful new watch!!

  http://www.longislandwatch.com/

[corbyswatches-blog]

Picking the Right Watch to Wear

  As the owner of a very small but coveted collection of pretty cool watches (IMO), I always struggle with which watch to wear for the day. So, how does one choose? Well…for me it’s not easy, but I have come up with a few ways that I use. Maybe this will help all you watch freaks out there who struggle, like I do, with which watch to wear!!

To start, I have a collection of around 20 watches, give or take a few. I like all of my watches; however, I do have a few favorites and some that I just don’t wear that much for a couple of reasons. So how do I choose?

Some of you watch dudes and dudettes may stick to a strict rotation schedule so you won’t favor one watch over another. You start with number one and work your way through your collection until you reach the end and then you start all over once again. Maybe this works for you, but what if you happen to buy a new watch (like that ever happens!!)? Where do you slot that one into your collection? Does it go into the number one spot because it’s shiny and new or last because you desire to build anticipation?

This is something that I actually spend time thinking about, don’t you? Here I am assuming that people are actually reading my blog so I hope that some of you out there concur! That new watch that you just bought after saving for over a year is just calling your name. You can’t stop looking at it with loving appreciation and you admire how beautiful it looks on your wrist. You swear to yourself that you’ve never seen something so striking! And, then you catch yourself wearing it on Monday then on Tuesday and darn if it doesn’t stay on your wrist for the week! So what gives?

In my humble opinion, this behavior is nothing more than a watch lover admiring their new wonderful time piece. This new watch has thrown a wrench into your rotation schedule. But it will eventually work its way in there once the shine wears off and you re-discover all your other gorgeous watches that enlisted the same emotions when they were new.

I tend to really have no sure system for wearing my watches, I must confess. I go more with what I am feeling on that particular day. Sometimes, I will look at my collection and maybe make a few band changes and then one watch will work its way into my heart. Then I wake up for work and pick out something completely different for the day. Honestly, with me it just really doesn’t make any sense. I just seem to go with what’s in my heart.

I do have some watches that are limited editions that I rarely wear because of their scarcity but if it’s a nice day where I don’t have much going on I will put one on. I think that this is the joy of watch collecting at least for me; the luxury of wearing what I want when I want. What’s more, I will sometime change watches twice a day. This is the pleasure of watch collecting.