The quartz crisis just about killed Swiss watchmaking. SWATCH saved the industry from Japan’s horological tsunami, then used the cash to hoover-up OMEGA, Blancpain, Breuget, Glashütte and other high-end watchmakers. These days, the expensive side of the biz is going gangbusters, while SWATCH faces death by Apple. SWATCHPay! is their answer . . .
What do you think of the Trump watch? “It’s tacky, tasteless, ugly and you’re supporting a fascist,” my 16-year-old replied. Wrong! Well, somewhat wrong. As far as I can tell, none of the money from the 2016 “Make American Great Again” quartz watch goes to the POTUS. It all goes to some guy named Izzy Genuth (who “hasn’t set up his voice mail yet”). More importantly, the Trump watch is made in America. Well, actually . . .
Hello there and welcome to the second installment of Room For Squares. In this column, I’ll be screeching in Asperger-esque fashion regarding the merits and demerits of various expensive G-SHOCKs, with particular attention being paid to those timepieces which claim direct descent from the 1983 “square” DW5000-C.
In 1992, Bell & Ross launched its first watch: an airplane cockpit-inspired timepiece. Eleven years earlier, Seiko unveiled the Cockpit 2628-0040, born within their Silverwave collection (a Seikomatic and Sportsmatic sub-brand). The similarities are striking, yes? Let’s take a closer look . . .
Rolex is OMEGA’s alpha. Rolex has more money, prestige and fame than its crosstown rival. The OMEGA Aqua Terra will never receive the kudos heaped on the similarly-priced, “entry level” Rolex Explorer or Oyster Perpetual. So what? There are lots of reasons to put the Aqua Terra at the top of your luxury sports watch shopping list. But first . . .
I’ve just wrapped-up my review of the steel-on-steel OMEGA Aqua Terra 41. It’s a babe. The new OMEGA 007? Not so much. Not at all? Don’t ask the mainstream media. They’re too busy pimping the Emperor’s new timepiece, maintaining their supply of OMEGA ad bucks, demo models and junkets. So you can ask me. Yes. Yes the new Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition is ugly. Specifically, the bracelet . . .
My man Franz did an excellent job tracing the genesis of the deeply desirable Audemars Piguet Royal Oak (click here for the 411). Securing an example for your collection isn’t a lot of laughs – especially if there isn’t a money tree in your back yard. Luckily, there are less expensive, easily obtainable Royal Oak alternatives. But first, a quick word about the criteria…
