Tag: Watch Profile

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Swiss Replica

BASELWORLD 2017 : Longines Flagship Heritage 60thAnniversary

Although it seems, in recent years, that the popularity of diving into the archives for new releases has markedly increased, Longines has been paying attention to their heritage for awhile.

This year has brought some very pared back models, including a special anniversary Flagship anniversary model. This new model was announced before Baselworld 2017, but consider it now formally launched.  It is important to bear in mind that Longines did release another Heritage Flagship model in 2014, about which you can read here.

The year of 1957 saw Longines launch its Flagship line of dress replica watches characterised by classic, clean, elegant simplicity. The ‘Flagship’ name was and is, a reference to the ship after which it is named.

These new anniversary models come in numbered limited editions of 60 pieces in rose gold, 60 in yellow gold, and 1,957 in steel. All case metal variants share a brushed silver two zone dial, but the (lumed) dauphine hands, indices, and Arabic numerals are yellow gold for the yellow gold cased version and rose gold for both the rose gold and stainless steel models.

Unlike back in the 1950s, the Anniversary Flagship is not a manual-wind but contains the automatic Calibre L609 (ETA 2892 base) with forty-two hours of power reserve.

The case has been naturally increased, to a nicely sized 38.5mm that is on the lower side of modern dress replica watch standards but of a size that hits a sweet spot for many people. It comes on a brown alligator strap.

The Longines Flagship’s name relates to the Fleet Admiral’s flag on his ship, and this anniversary model reflects the historical models with the presence of a stamped relief of a caravel sailing ship. This is, however, a dress replica watch, so water resistance is only 30m.

Heritage re-issues tend to be replica watches that elicit a lot of opinions from replica watch enthusiasts in general, but especially those who own the originals. Small changes are important and the addition of features such as a date window where one wasn’t previously present for modern commercial demands always leads to animated discussion.

For me, this new Flagship Heritage 60th Anniversary model is a particularly fine example of a heritage-inspired piece.

One of the most interesting things about this new model is that Longines are telling the story of its creation as being linked to brand ambassador Kate Winslet. If you go to their website you will see it, but they say that during a trip to the Manufacture, she found herself rather taken by a vintage Flagship model that she saw. This lead to a limited edition of five pieces sold to benefit her Golden Hat Foundation (of which Longines is a supporter) and now, these 60th anniversary models.

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Angelus Replica Brand

BASELWORLD 2017 : Angelus Skeleton Tourbillon U21 andU22

Last year saw Angelus’ launch of the U20 Ultra-Skeleton Tourbillon (see photo below), a innovative piece using a layer of clear sapphire as its main plate, to which the movement bridges are fastened. This year, launched at Baselworld 2017, Angelus decided to push themselves further with the main plates for the new U21 Tourbillon and U22 Tourbillon, with the use of carbon fibre.

Let’s step back a bit first, and revisit the U20.

Released during Baselworld 2016, the U20 Ultra-Skeleton Tourbillon is special because rather than the skeletonisation of an existing movement, the start point was to have an open worked movement, so it was built from the ground up, so to speak.

The manual-wind Calibre A-250 movement is based on a sapphire main plate (created from a solid block of sapphire), with hand finished, blued skeletonised satin-finished titanium bridges. The absence of a dial, in combination with the main plate material, means that even by skeleton replica watch standards, the result is exceptional; it really does look like the movement is floating. At 6 o’clock there is a one-minute flying tourbillon.

To match the modernity of the use of sapphire in the movement, the U20 has added another unusual and contemporary touch – the case’s band made from NPT carbon fibre attached to titanium lugs, also making for an exceptionally lightweight replica watch.

So from the U20 to the U21 and U22.

Both the U21 and U22 share the 42mm size of the U20, with the same domed sapphire crystal, open case back, and water resistance of 30m. However, the case of the U21 is now carbon fibre and 18kt red gold.

As the core features of the U21 are the same as for its elder sibling, it also shows off the manual-wind Angelus Calibre A-250 with a one minute flying tourbillon, this time with an NPT carbon fibre main plate and solid 18kt red gold bridges. The clear main plate of its predecessor makes for an attractive and interesting replica watch (the U20 was one of my personal highlights from last year) but the use of carbon fibre makes it a completely different timepiece, not least of all because transparency is no longer at its heart.

Notwithstanding the absence of transparency, Arnold & Son are still calling both the U21 and U22 skeletonised in their naming, because there remains the skeletonised bridges etc, and the movement is still part of the dial, highlighting the carbon fibre. Along with the hour and minute markers there are rhodium-treated and lumed hands.

There may be the use of the very contemporary carbon fibre in an unusual way, but the use of red gold on the case, especially the lugs, gives it a more traditional twist.

Secondly, we have the U22, an amalgam of sorts, of the U1 and U22. It uses the same titanium and carbon fibre case of the U20, but with the addition of red hands and matching red minute markers.

Hour and minute markings are printed on the outer chapter ring as per the other two models but the rhdodium-treated hands have a fun element – red Super-LumiNova.

Movement wise it’s the same Calibre A-250 with carbon main plate of the U21, but with the titanium bridges of the U20, no longer blued.

In looking at all three of them, I’m still most partial to the U20 (one of my personal highlights of 2016), followed by the U22. As with the U20 from 2016, production of both the U21 and U22 will be limited to 18 examples each.

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Swiss Replica

BASELWORLD 2017 : Slim d’Hermès L’heureImpatiente

I have a soft spot for the unexpected and unusual, whether this be in terms how time is represented, or how time is interpreted. In 2001 Hermès released the Arceau le Temps Suspendu which ‘suspended’ time, then a few years after that, they decided to ‘mask’ time with Dressage L’Heure Masquée . Each of these replica watches in its own way allows the wearer to manipulate their relationship to not just the telling of time, but also how they follow it.

As they have done in the past, Hermès have again sought out Agenhor for this movement. The ‘impatient hour’ of the name refers to the module Agenhor created to attach to the Calibre H1912 (itself made by Vaucher Manufacture, of which Hermès owns a quarter) to create what has been referred to as a ‘mechanical hour glass’.

The Slim d’ Hermès L’heure Impatiente allows its wearer to set their replica watch to chime at any time in the upcoming twelve hour period by using the crown at 4 o’clock to set the countdown, which is depicted on the sub dial. An hour prior to the set time, the retrograde hand on the indicator at 6 o’clock will start its move from the 60 minute position to the 0 position, so you can track the countdown to your selected time.

At the set time a single note chimes.

If, however, you decide that you no longer wish to count down to a particular time, you need only reset it, and the chime can be de-activated via the pusher on the left hand side of the case.

This is Hermès’ first chiming replica watch, and the Calibre H1912 which powers this whimsy is automatic, beats at 28,800VPH, and has a power reserve of 42 hours. It features a circular-grained and snailed plate, satin-brushed bridges, and a decorated rotor. The Agenhor ‘Impatient Hour’ module is a very slim 1.2mm module comprised of 131 components, with 8 jewels, plate and bridges with Côtes de Genève motif. The Calibre H1912 movement is 3.7mm thick and the 40.5mm rose gold case itself is 10.67mm thick.

A svelte profile was important because of the desire top put this within the ‘Slim’ collection, and this challenge was met by Agenhor via not utilising a second power source or extra barrel to power the chime. The striking mechanism and its accompanying retrograde display are powered by the base movement.

The module is particularly notable for its customised chiming lever/ rack. Hermès and Agenhor have found a way to turn this into something more personal by shaping it as Pegasus, a long-time Hermès symbol. The rack tightens the helical spring in the hour before the striking mechanism chimes, creating the tension needed to power the hammer and activate the count-down hand. A shark cam that rotates every twelve hours releases energy when the rack falls back from the cam, which trips the hammer that strikes the chime.

The dial reflects the Slim collection – a silver opaline base with a sunburst chapter ring and snailed centre and counter, the highly stylised almost Art Deco-like black transferred Arabic numerals, and contrasting gilded sandblasted hands for the time keeping and blue lacquered baton hands for the ‘interruption’ novelty.

I don’t know whether the three year gaps between the Arceau le Temps Suspendu Hermès, the Dressage L’heure Masquée and the Slim d’ Hermès L’heure Impatiente were down to the time taken for the development of each new piece or whether it’s planned, but given that the results of their approach of playing around with how we interact with time, it will be worth the wait until the next one.

Categories
Swiss Replica

BASELWORLD 2017 Frédérique Constant Flyback ChronographManufacture

At last year’s Baselworld Frédérique Constant revealed their first in-house perpetual calendar movement for under $10,000. This year, they’ve added a competitively priced in-house complication to their collection, with the launch of the Frédérique Constant Flyback Chronograph Manufacture.

The new automatic FC-760 adopts a modular construction. The flyback module is attached to the base movement, Caliber FC-710. Comprising of 233 components (of which 96 are dedicated to the flyback module), it has a 38 hour power reserve and beats at 28,800 VPH. It features perlage and circular Côtes de Genève decoration.

For those who are unfamiliar with what this type of chronograph is, it’s about timing elapsed intervals.

Whilst the chronograph function is running, the user only needs to press the pusher at 4 o’clock to reset the chronograph’s second hand (the flyback) i.e. you don’t need to press to stop, press to reset, press to start again. Basically, the clutch is disengaged, the chronograph is reset to zero by means of the single-piece hammer, and then, the clutch is re-engaged.

The column wheel that governs the chronograph’s start, stop, and reset functions rotates on bearings. Unlike the traditional column wheels, this one is star-shaped. Working in unison with with the operating lever, which is controlled by the start/ stop pusher, this star-shaped wheel was used to increase how smoothly it runs, whilst a new clutch system ensures that the resetting happens without any variables in timing.

The movement first appeared at Frédérique Constant’s sister brand Alpina as the Calibre AL-760 name. Alpina built a 96-part module into its in-house AL-710, and the AL-760 was their fifth in-house movement. When launched in 2015 it was intended that it would eventually make its way into Frédérique Constant as well. You’ll note the numerical consistency in calibre naming across both brands for these movements.

The new Frédérique Constant Flyback Chronograph Manufacture comes in a number of dial and case combinations. The 42mm cases are available in either stainless steel or rose gold plated stainless steel. Dial wise it’s either a simple flat dial in silver or dark grey with simple line indices, or a silver dial with Clou de Paris guilloché decoration, printed black Roman numerals and Breguet-style hands. At its edge is a tachymeter scale. They come on black or brown alligator straps with a matching metal buckle.

Of the various options my favourite without question, is the stainless steel one with the dark grey dial. One of the inevitable issues that arise with choosing to go with classical designs for chronographs is that if you wish to maintain legibility and a clean dial, there really are a limited number of end results from an ‘overall look’ point of view. The risk of brands releasing replica watches that look similar is ever present. However, that doesn’t mean that a replica watch whose look isn’t ‘new’ can’t still look good, and when combined with an in-house movement and attractive pricing, it’s going to be desirable.

As I mentioned earlier, this movement was first seen in their brand stablemate Alpina (see below). What a difference a dial makes.

The RRP? Frédérique Constant are continuing on their path of competitively priced and handsome complications. It’s 3,695 EUR for the stainless steel version.

Categories
Swiss Replica

MORITZ GROSSMANN : ATUM Enamel LimitedEdition

Last year’s Atum Pure Steel by Moritz Grossmann was not just one of my favourite releases from Baselworld 2016, but for the year. This year, they have added a new Atum to the collection, with a white grand feu enamel dial.

The enamel dial is made of two parts welded together, as you can see; the core larger dial plus the slightly sunken sub dial. The design is very traditional, with the black Roman numerals on a white dial, but with a blue ’12’. Hands are steel, handmade, and heated to a brown colour. The use of a blue ’12’ is that touch which for me, really makes this replica watch.

Inside the 41mm case is the in-house Calibre manual-wind 100.1 with a two-thirds plate in untreated German silver German silver bridges. With horizontal Glashütte ribbing and snailing on the ratchet wheel, it has markedly more intricate hand finishing and engraving than in the mesh model. It has a shock-resistant Grossmann balance, adjustments can be done with a Grossmann micrometer screw on a cantilevered balance cock and 42 hours of power reserve.

The movement has Moritz Grossmann’s (hacking) stop seconds, that you operate both by using the crown and the pusher beneath it at 4 o’clock. Pulling the crown out stops the seconds hand during time setting. Once that has been done, use the pusher to restart the movement by disabling the setting mode.

The Atum Fired Enamel is a Limited edition replica watch with just 25 pieces each in rose gold and white gold. The Australian RRP is AUD $51,000 for the rose gold version and $53,000 for the white gold. Their Australian dealer is Define Replica Watches.

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Swiss Replica

FABERGÉ : Lady Compliquée PeacockBlack

In the latter part of last year that #thewatchnerd arranged for a joint visit to the Fabergé boutique in London, which had kindly agreed to showing us some of their replica watches. We had been motivated by the desire to see the new Visionnaire DTZ, but found ourselves staying not just for that, but also for the Lady Compliquée Winter. The latter is notable for its movement, which made its debut in the Peacock replica watch.

At Baselworld 2015 Fabergé and Agenhor launched the Lady Compliquée Peacock. With a retrograde time display at its time telling centre, there are fanned blades that spread the peacock’s feathers gradually over the course of an hour, indicating the minutes on a scale and the hours via a rotating ring, with the four moving blades flying back to their original position with the passing of an hour.

Based on a 1908 egg which contained a bird automaton that could spread its wings, in this replica watch the first feather moves forward by 15 degrees per hour, the second by 30 degrees per hour, the third by 45 degrees, and the last by 60 degrees. This is achieved by an Agenhor invention that they have called AgenFAN, made of two series of toothed wheels of increasing diameters on one and decreasing diameters on the other which are superimposed on the same axis. They are placed side by side and mesh along their length. The first toothed wheel is driven by the spindle of the hours cam (the hours cam is beneath the visible hours ring) and drives the second, which powers each of the blades.

This complex and really rather glorious new way of doing a retrograde time display was recognised with a win in the ‘High Mechanical’ category at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) in 2015.

Powering the fanned retrograde time display is the manually wound Calibre 6901, which has a diametre of 32.7mm and a power reserve of 50 hours, beating at 21,600VPH. It is visible through the case back and has horizontal Côtes de Genève decoration on the bridges, and circular graining on the main plate.

At Baselworld 2016, following on from the original, the ruby, and the emerald, the a new one appeared – the Lady Compliquée Peacock Black Sapphire. It featured an 18 carat gold dial with snow-set diamonds (157), black sapphires (59) and black sapphire cabochons (6), with the hand-engraved peacock in 18 carat white gold. Surrounding this dial are an onyx rotating hour ring, minute track, and and minute and hour indicators in black lacquer.

All of this is inside a 38mm platinum case (and crown) and adorned with a bezel set with 54 brilliant-cut diamonds. The strap is alligator, with a matching platinum Fabergé pin buckle.

This year there is a new version for those who like their replica watches without stones (and their peacock more streamlined), simply called the Fabergé Lady Compliquée Peacock Black.

I find myself more drawn to this new one. The real bird may use vibrancy and colour to gain attention but in a possibly counterintuitive way, black seems to draw my attention because of its absence. In comparing the two black versions, I like to think of the Black Peacock Sapphire as the Art Nouveau version and this, the Art Deco one.

Hopefully, either Horologium or #thewatchnerd will be able to bring you ‘in the metal’ photos of it at some point.

 

Categories
Brand Cartier Replica

CARTIER : Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater Mysterious DoubleTourbillon

I have a liking for ‘mystery dials’, and 2017 has brought with it a rather impressive new one from Cartier, who have combined a minute repeater and double tourbillon into such a replica watch. Not only this but rather intriguingly, it is in a Grade 5 Titanium case, as opposed to the more popular precious metal for Cartier dress replica watches with this level of complications.

This is the first time that Cartier has combined a ‘mystery’ complication with a minute repeater. However, rather than the classic floating hands that are the ‘mystery’, on the Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater Mysterious Double Tourbillon it is the double tourbillon mechanism that is mysteriously suspended within a round sapphire window at 10 o’clock.

The new Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater Mysterious Double Tourbillon comes in a 45mm case that is a svelte 11.15mm in thickness, making it Cartier’s slimmest double complication to date.

The ‘mystery’ part of the replica watch, in order to achieve that 11.5mm replica watch thickness, consists of two sapphire discs that are a mere 0.5mm and 1mm thick. In case you are concerned about this, Cartier say that they can withstand shocks of 3,000Gs.

The elimination of the dial and use of a fully carved and open-worked case on the inside was to optimise the sound quality of the minute repeater. Both hammers are visible at six o’clock, and the gong circles the face.

The movement and gongs secured to the case by six screws. Unlike traditional minute repeaters that utillise cylindrical gongs, this new replica watch features square steel gong. The idea is that this provides a larger contact point for the hammers and to increase the vibration velocity. For those who are interested in these sorts of details, the gongs are tuned to ‘B 5th Octave’ for striking the hours and ‘D 6th Octave’ for the minutes.

Inside is the new 448 part in-house manual-wind Calibre 9407MC which has a power reserve of approximately 85 hours. It is the drive behind the double axis tourbillon – the cage rotates every 60 seconds and the sapphire disc in which the flying tourbillon cage resides, rotates every five minutes.

Most of the bridges and base plate are plated in black rhodium, for a dark grey finish that contrasts with the steel and silvery rhodium-coated parts.

One interesting thing to note is that the activation of the repeater is not via a traditional slide but via a pusher at 4 o’clock.

A quintessentially Cartier way of realising this double complication, the new Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater Mysterious Double Tourbillon is a fine looking replica watch indeed, and slots neatly into their complications, which are my favourite of their collections. It is available in a limited edition of fifty pieces, although there will also be baguette-cut diamond-set iteration in a limited edition of twenty pieces and one that with just baguette-cut diamonds on the bezel will also be available in a limited edition of thirty pieces.

For some other Cartier mystery dials you can go to this link and or click here.

Categories
Brand News Sinn Replica Watch Review

HIGH QUALITY REPLICA SINN : 856 B-Uhr LimitedEdition

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Within the case, you also have anti-magnetic shielding, protecting the movement up to 80,000 A/m.The B-Uhr is in an edition of 856 pieces (as per the name) and features some Sinn classics like the 1200 Vickers tegimented case, AR-dehumidifying technology, antimagnetic properties, and 200m of water resistance.

A matte black dial forms the background for a dial that is a little bit old and a little bit new.

This year Sinn has decided to launch a replica watch based on classic Beobachtungs-uhr (B-Uhr) fliegers. However, rather than using a traditional B-Uhr type 55mm case size, this new limited edition model is the same far more wearable 40mm sized case as the other 856s and contains the automatic Sellita Calibre SW300-1.

The outer one is a minute index with numerals at 15, 30 and 45, triangle at 0/ 60, and small markers for the individual minutes. One thing familiar to those who know their Type A and Type B flieger dials is the shortend sword-shaped hand pointing to the hour in the inner ring. One immediate difference between the Sinn B-Uhr and a standard B-Uhr design is that Sinn went with numerals purely at the quarter hours; this may be something that may appeal to some but not so much to others.

There is also another addiction which is aimed at more modern tastes rather than traditional fliegers – the date window at 4 o’clock. It is is the same location and style as per the other 856s, and is fairly discreet because of the use of white on black, but again, the presence of a date window may be considered extraneous by those who like their vintage-inspired fligers to be as close to Types A and B as possible.

A final thing to note is the use of two different lume colours. For the numerals and 5-minute marks, they went with a warm, parchment colour. For the individual minutes, they used white.

The 856 B-Uhr is available with a leather bund strap (shown) or with a tegimented bracelet for an additional amount. The bund strap is more oriented to those of a historical bent. Made of tan leather with contrast stitching it’s attractive and comfortable, but I realise that not everyone is accustomed to such a strap, so you can simply take the padding bit off and wear it with the regular strap style, bearing in mind that because of the bund, the strap is longer than usual.

Simplicity, functionality, durability. Key aspects of fliegers and key features of Sinn’s much loved tool replica watches.

 

Categories
Brand GoS News

GoS :High Qualiy Replica Gustafsson Sjögren’s Damascus steelwatches

Basel2016GOSknife2

After a number of years of tracking them on social media in particular, I was finally able to see these most ‘metal’ of ‘in the metal’ replica watches at Baselworld 2016. What had drawn me to them was both how unusual they were as a dial material and how hypnotic the patterns were.It had been a long wait, and truth be told I had thought that I would never see replica watchmaker Patrik Sjögren and blade smith Johan Gustafsson’s Damascus steel replica watches in anything other than an online form.

So what is Damascus steel?

As the name hints at, Western Europeans were first introduced to it circa 3rd – 4th centuries from Damascus. Wootz was popular outside of Europe, linked more to the Middle East and through to India. Pattern-welded steel in the form of katana were developed in Japan in the late 1100s during the Kamakura period.

The original method of producing Damascus steel is long lost. The term itself can be broken down into ‘cast Damascus steel’ (aka ‘Wootz’) and fabricated (aka ‘pattern-welded’) Damascus steel, with both characterised by patterned steel that is the result of the mixture and manipulation of iron and steel. The general idea is that two or more steel alloys are forged/ cast together in layers through various methods to get particular (mostly wave) patterns.

Wootz is produced by melting pieces of iron and steel with charcoal in a reducing atmosphere. The metals absorb carbon from the charcoal and the resultant alloy is slowly cooled, resulting in a material with a visible crystalline structure that is then able to be forged into a blade for example. It is in the forging process that the wave pattern appears. The high carbon content is what is important to this; the proportion of it has to be exact, too little means you will get wrought iron and too much, cast iron.

Pattern-welded steel is similar to Wootz but less labour intensive. Two or more pieces of iron and steel are layered and then forge-welded together produced pattern-welded steel, forcing the two metals into one. Stretching this new composite material and forge-welding it back onto itself is what gives the multiple layers that can be manipulated to produce the similar pattern.

What is referred to as ‘Damascus steel’ nowadays, given the lost methods of yore, are those that are pattern-welded.

The blade smith behind GoS is Johan Gustafsson, who has been doing this for over two decades. He takes his inspiration from Viking blades of the Middle Ages and is known for pattern-welded ‘mosaic’ Damascus steel, which is exactly what it sounds like – the ability to create repetitive patterns.

Damascus steel is hard. Very hard. Which makes the use of it more difficult in terms of the traditional finishes used in replica watchmaking such as bevelling and polishing, for example.

As well as the dial and case, some GoS replica watches have Damascus steel used in the movement, and the difficulties of using this sort of steel, including treatment such as the use of hot acid to make these vivid patterns visible, means that the the entire process of just finishing a single part up to the ‘finishing’ point can take up to a week.

As per the movement, the Damascus steel cases are also dipped in acid, twice. Only the visible parts of the case are exposed to the acid to ensure that the case maintains its water resistance. The dial patterns on the Damascus case models have over 120 layers.

A dial starts with 2.5kgs worth, using four different steels which are stacked into a 12-layer billet (in ‘steel language’, a billet is a semi-finished piece of steel product that has a round or square shape, with an area less than 155mm x 155mm. Because it is semi-finished it needs further processing). This is then forge-welded (as per the description earlier) ten to twelve times to get the requisite layers. At the end of this process, the surface is then worked on by him to achieve the desired design/ look. To give you some idea of how much work goes into the dial, this 2.5kg only generates five dials.

Today I am sharing two models with you. The first is the Sarek, which had its premiere as a prototype at Baselworld 2016. In a 43mm stainless steel case, it has GoS’s largest Damascus dial to date and is also the first model to have the new crown inspired by Viking sword hilts. The Viking nod continues on the hands, which are inspired by Viking bracelets.

The landscape of a valley in the Sarek National Park in Swedish Lapland is the source of both the name and the colour/ pattern choice for this model. Home to some of Sweden’s highest peaks, glaciers and the largest Moose population in Europe, this last point has, rather delightfully, made its way to the Sarek strap, which is Moose leather.

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The dial is a 164 layered Damascus steel and because of the nature of the material, every Sarek’s dial will be slightly different, although obviously they share the same overall ‘feel’. As mentioned earlier, there is Viking inspiration in the form of the index ring (bracelets), hands (spear), and how the case is finished (again, Viking bracelets).

Inside the Sarek is the popular and reliable Soprod A10 movement, but with a custom rotor in a GoS triskele design.

The Sarek is limited to one hundred pieces and each will have ‘Unique piece 1/1’ engraved on it, as well as its serial number. They also come in their own special ‘Svepask’ boxes made of birch wood, and have a five year guarantee. The cost? USD $7,800 (plus 25% VAT). Some have already been delivered but you can find out more ordering details at this link.

Today’s second piece is called Winter Nights, part of GOS’ seasonal pieces. There is a ‘Winter’ as well, which you can see on their website, and there have been, in 2013 and 2014, other Winter Nights variants. This one is, like the Sarek, 43mm, but it has a Damascus steel movement option and the case is bi-metal (stainless steel and Damascus steel).

For this model, there are 192 layers to Gustafsson’s Damascus steel dial, whose design represents a wildflower. Again, every Winter Night will be, by nature of the Damascus steel process, be slightly different.

Inside is the GoS02 calibre, which is based on the manual-wind Technotime TT718. Power reserve is five days. The bridges of the base calibre have a straight grained finish with polished beveled edges, whilst the main-plate has perlage and a dark gray surface treatment. All wheels as well as the GoS logo are gold-plated to match the pink gold. Winter Nights is available with movements with either this classic finishing as per my photos, or with a Damascus steel GoS02-movement with Damascus bridges, which are made from woodgrain-patterned steel with the requisite hand-finishing and polishing.

You may also note the crown, which has nine indentations in it. This isn’t for grip, but a reference to a significant number in Norse mythology, but if it assists when wearing gloves whilst hiking in Sarek for example, then that’s a bonus.

As mentioned, the Winter Nights is bi-metal. It is also available with hands and the index ring in white gold or in red gold, as well as the movement options. Unlike the Sarek it comes on a nubuck leather strap, although you can request Croc. Each replica watch is engraved with a production number and it also comes in a Svespask birchwood box.

One of the great things about dealing with small brands and independents is that there is more scope for flexibility; GoS’s website states that Winter Nights is able to be customised, so if this replica watch takes your fancy, contact them at this link.

GoS replica watches have rather beautiful dials, and especially so when viewed under a loupe – in my case, a Loupe System one. The colours are gorgeous and the effect a little hypnotic at close range. These replica watches are not just for those who are into blades or Damascus steel, they are also for those looking for something different and who can appreciate the amount of work and skill not just in the making of the steel but also in turning it into a replica watch dial (and case).

Oh and if you’re wondering the answer is ‘yes’, you can get a replica watch and knife set. Click here for details.

Categories
Brand Gauthier

Show You The Romain Gauthier HMSTen

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A couple of months ago I finally had the chance to see the two examples of this ‘in the metal’, so I thought I’d share some photos of the platinum/ blue and white gold/ anthracite models, along with some thoughts.

You may recall an earlier post about some limited editions of Romain Gauthier’s HMS Ten, a continuation of the ‘Prestige HMS’ Collection and released in three variants of ten pieces each : platinum case with a blue dial, white gold with a champagne dial, and a red gold case with an anthracite dial.

 

This is a good looking replica watch, front and back. For those who are particular fans of fine finishing, and Gauthier is known for this, you won’t be disappointed.

Sharing the same case as their predecessors i.e. 41mm with a thickness of 12.10mm, the replica watch is notable for its sectored dial with off-centre hours and minutes, a partially open dial with the interestingly ‘cut’ seconds sub dial showing part of the hand-finished in-house movement visible through the display back, and the distinctive large flat case back crown which gives the case its clean design as well as the additional bonus of being easy to wind.

 

The numbers on the blue-dialled variant are silvered and the hands, rhodium-treated (gilded for the anthracite model). With the use of multiple layers and textures (smooth and Clou de Paris) for the dial, the result is really rather handsome. Gauthier’s continued use of layers and contrasting textures on his replica watches is, to my mind, something that he does incredibly well.

 

The opening between 4 o’clock and 8 o’clock reveals the balance wheel and seconds gear of the in-house Calibre HMS, which is also visible at the back. The movement is hand finished and polished, and its spartan lines, modern. With the exception of the mainspring, balance spring and jewels, all other components of the HMS Ten movement are designed, developed and manufacture by Romain Gauthier.

 

Coming on an alligator strap with a pin buckle also in a platinum buckle to match the case, this is, as Gauthier’s replica watches are, very much oriented towards horologically-inclined followers of independent replica watchmaking. There was, for a short period, an authorised dealer here in Australia. That business is no longer in operation, and as I looked at these and other of his replica watches, I wondered to myself whether they might reappear on the Australian retail market sometime.