Tag: Hands-on

Categories
Swiss Replica

A wearable sundial from Nomos Glashütte Replica Watch

Nomos Glashütte is a German Manufacture that does not get much coverage compared to many other brands that one could argue are similar, but it is a brand with a lot of admirers amongst collectors and enthusiasts of both of the brand’s design and of the quality of its replica watches. One really interesting thing about them is that they don’t do different lines of replica watches for men and women, preferring the approach of having replica watches that are in a variety of sizes.

Unbeknownst to most, the entry point “calibre” from NOMOS is in fact not a timepiece, but a wearable sundial ring.

This gorgeous machined stainless steel ring can be worn as a pendant around your neck on the leather band on which it comes, or as a ring. The fact that it is able to be rotated makes it quite an addictive item to play with.

The outside diameter is 23 mm, inside diameter 19 mm, and leather band is 800 mm (around 30 inches).

It functions according to the principle of the so-called “farmers ring”. Farmers rings are a type of portable altitude sundial also called “ring sundials” or “simple ring dials”. The principle behind them are to suspend it in a vertical place such that the small aperture (the small hole that you can see in the photo) faces the Sun.

Firstly, you set the approximate date on the rotating ring.

With the sundial hanging on the leather band, you then turn it towards the sun so that the light falls directly onto the hole.

You move the hole to the current month on the outer scale of the ring and then let the sun shine though such that a small dot of light is projected onto the inside of the ring, where the time can be read.

The scale on the inside of the ring consists of vertical date lines, crossed by the different hour lines in different angles. The sunlight through a small ring hole on the opposite side of the scale casts a spot on the scale.

Unfortunately, there’s a small hitch for most of the world – it shows the true local time for all places found along the same latitude as Glashütte, 51° North. For all other places around this latitude, the time shown is approximately correct, the deviation is only a few minutes per degree latitude, so if you are not too much of an accuracy fiend, you can use it on the Northern Hemisphere in a belt of ca. 40°- 60°N Latitude North to stay within a tolerance of about half an hour.

In the Southern Hemisphere, it supposedly works correspondingly in the 40°- 60°S Latitude South range; all one has to do is adding 6 months one the month scale, i.e. January = July etc.

Admittedly this sundial is not exactly the most accurate of time measuring methods, and it takes a little while to work out if you’re not on the same latitude as Glashütte, not to mention its obvious inability to be of much use if there’s no sun, but it is a beautiful piece of design, very inexpensive for a Glashütte replica timepiece and a lot of fun. I am enjoying it immensely, and would wager that there are few who would not find this appealing.

Categories
Swiss Replica

Hands on with the Technomarine Cruise SteelCamouflage replica

TechnoMarine is a well-known Geneva based brand whose focus is on casual replica watches and which is known for a particularly strong use of bold colours. In fact one of their selling points about the Cruise Collection is encouraging people to swap straps and cases to match their outfit.

The Cruise Steel Camouflage series is Technomarine’s crack at the eternally popular “fashion camo” look, featuring a vivid camouflage design on the dial matched by a coordinating strap and contrasted by either a black PVD coated or pink gold case.

This blue (they call it turquoise) model is Ref.110071 and comes with a date window and  chronograph function. Its unidirectional rotating bezel is stainless steel with a blue aluminium insert. The crystal is anti-reflective sapphire.

Not unexpectedly, it is quartz powered, courtesy of a Swiss Ronda 5040D movement, and its water resistance is 20 ATM (200m).

On the left hand side there is an orange 30min counter sub dial and at ‘6’, a black ten hour subdial which spins fast for 30 seconds as a tenth-of-a-second counter, after which it becomes the hour register. The chronograph pushers are decently sized and easy to use.

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Weighing in at a hefty 144g and 45mm in size (1.77 in thick), this is a big replica watch. The women’s Cruise Collection is 40mm, which is probably still a bit bigger than many women are comfortable about wearing, but in line with the boldness of Technomarine’s replica watches.

Of the colours available for the Cruise Camouflage, my choice would probably be for ‘Sand’ (the middle colour as shown below). I find the intensity of both the Turquoise and Purple models not to my personal likes, but I must also admit that the camouflage ‘look’ is probably not really something I tend to choose.

The owner of this replica watch has a penchant for blue on his replica watches, and this is part of what appealed to him about the Camouflage, but even he tends to wear the black rather than the blue strap. It looks is considerably more low key and black is, of course, the most flexible of all colours.

As you can see, the straps are fairly easy to change, but one small problem with them is that they are dust magnets, as you can see from the spots on the close-up of the buckle.

Technomarine is very much a modern, fashion conscious and youthful brand, with engagement both across social media (they also have a youtube channel) and with its customers – owners can upload and share photos of themselves (and their replica watches) on the website and play with customisation options.

The owner of this replica watch has an immense enthusiasm for it; he sees it as a lot of fun. In the end, I think that this is what it all comes down to – wearing your replica watch and getting enjoyment out of it.

Categories
Swiss Replica

A review of the iPodLunaTik replica

One of the coolest horological products to reach the market recently is the LunaTik, a conversion kit that turns the latest touch-screen Apple iPod Nano into a wrist replica watch. This is clearly not haute horlogerie, but nevertheless it is interesting, funky and great fun to wear.

Stop reading now if you think that any time-piece that isn’t mechanical is not worthy of consideration. My personal view is that anything that tells the time is grist to the horological mill and if it satisfies my sense of aesthetics then it matters little to me how the time-telling is achieved.

The design was a concept of Chicago-based MINIMAL design studio that was brought to fruition by the Kickstarter project.  Kickstarter asked people to become backers by pledging various amounts of money in return for some of the products should the funding goal of $15,000 be reached. This initiative was wildly successful, 13,512 backers pledged over $940,000 for the project.

The LunaTik consists of a two-piece case  forged from Aerospace Grade Aluminum and then machined via CNC (Computer Numerical Control) into its final form into which the Nano slides. The two pieces are held together with stainless steel bolts which are secured with a pair of Allen keys supplied with the kit. It measures 46x41mm without the lugs.

It is easy to put together and once assembled, it is secured to the wrist with a strap made from high grade silicone rubber. There are cut-outs along the length of the strap which enables adjustment of the small aluminium keeper which secures the strap end. It also has the added benefit of keeping your wrist cooler than it might be were it to be a normal strap.

The case has been designed so that the charging port, earphone port and the controls are readily accessible, so you could listen to music via earphones while it’s on (or off) your wrist. Bluetooth would be handy should Apple ever decide to incorporate it into a future version of the Nano, and this would then avoid the possibility of ripping the ‘phones from your ears should you move your arm suddenly.

One the minus side, to see the time display you need to press a button on the side, and it does go to sleep after a short period, so that the time is not continuously displayed. It is not the only cheap replica watch I have that requires this, so I don’t find this a difficulty, though it might be a problem for some and could take a little getting used to if unfamiliar.

I find the LunaTik, with its mostly-dark screen, mysterious and “phantom-like”. The dark screen stands out and is noticed and it reminds me somewhat of the appearance of the Bell & Ross Phantom.

It is not small, so may not be suitable if you have a small wrist. Though it is marginally smaller than the Bell & Ross BR-01 series of replica watches, it is of course much lighter, so its easy to wear, and the silicone rubber strap is extremely comfortable. You almost forget its presence, so easily does it cling to the wrist.

The aluminium used in the construction of the LunaTik, though of Aerospace Grade, is strong but relatively soft, and may need to be worn carefully to avoid being “dinged”. That’s not an aspect I intend to test!

The Nano, even though it is affixed to the LunaTik strap, still has full functionality for music, radio and photos, and can also of course work as a timer and stopwatch, as well as having a pedometer function.

If you want to use it only as a dedicated replica watch, the battery lasts at least a week before recharging.

The silver version is pictured here, but it is also available in black and anodised red. There is another simpler snap-in version called the TikTok, made of polycarbonate, which is available in black or white, and this is probably more suitable if you intend to use the full functionality of the Nano, though to my mind it doesn’t cut it the way the LunaTik does.

It has a minimalist look in tune with modern design aesthetics and though it won’t replace your Patek or Rolex, it is great to wear on appropriate occasions.

[PT]

Categories
Longines Replica

The Replica Longines Comet Hands On

The Longines Comet, a short-lived mystery dial from the seventies, is an unusual replica watch from Longines, featuring a broad arrow for hours and an orbiting dot for minutes. Both are on revolving discs, making them appear to move without being connected to the dial, hence the term ‘mystery dial’.

The indication ‘T Swiss Made T’ on the bottom of the dial means that the swiss replica watch contains a certain quantity of tritium that emits less than 227 MBq (7,5 mCi). This particular replica watch still has some lume appearing on the tips of the markers when the replica watch is placed close to the light of a lamp; natural light does not seem to have any effect. The dot and the arrow have a tendency to discolour to a yellow colour over time.

The replica watch is considered to be uncommon, as the design was deemed too avant-garde for tastes at the time, so comparatively few were sold. Red is the most rare colour, followed by yellow, the most common colour being blue. It was also produced in black and white, and in brown, maroon and green variations.

Size : 35mm x 40mm (42mm including crown, 38mm lug to lug)
Movement : Cal. 702 manual wind
Crystal: Original Longines plastic crystal
Case material: Stainless steel
Case thickness: 8mm
Crown: Longines signed
Caseback: Stainless screw-on. Signed.

Mine came on a 1970s Longines strap with original buckle. A brown punctured one. Suffice to say that it wasn’t really a good look, and I wasn’t comfortable with wearing it. A trip to a replica watch shop and a NATO whose colour scheme is pretty close to the dial’s.

I think it looks pretty good. I have a soft spot for mystery dials, alternative time displays and the like, and own one or two 1970s jump hours. This Comet fits within that 1970s theme for me, and it’s a fun replica watch to wear whose look has been lifted immeasurably by the strap. I’ve been enjoying this replica watch with its new strap so much that for the past few days, I have been close to buying a red variant, with the aim of having one in every colour.

Fortunately, two people have talked me out of it, though if one came up at a bargain price…

Categories
Swiss Replica

Hands-on with the replica Dior Chiffre RougeT01

Many of the well-known fashion houses have been producing elegant replica watches for years, most of them without horological distinction, their productions being regarded as just ‘fashion’ pieces.

This seems to be changing of late with some interesting, not to say innovative, pieces being produced. One replica watch with an unusual complication recently released by the French fashion house Dior is a fine example of this new approach.

The Dior Chiffre Rouge T01 was designed for Dior by young movement engineers Franck Orny and Johnny Girardin. Orny is a construction-engineer specialising in horological fabrication who served as chief of production at a manufactory which has attracted attention in recent years for its unusual and elegant horological complications. Girardin is a movement constructor and engineer who specialises in replica watches and has worked for various renowned manufactories including Greubel Forsey.

The Chiffre Rouge T01, with a self-winding ‘Dior 8 Fuseaux Horaires’ calibre movement, has a regular minute hand rotating around the wonderfully sparse dial decorated with a ‘pique de coton’ motif dear to the brand and characteristic of their tuxedo shirts. There is a sweep second hand tipped with red. Nowhere does the name ‘Dior’ appear on the dial. There is a smaller ‘satellite’ disc which orbits around the face once every 24 hours and which acts as an hour indicator.

This satellite, within a red border, orbits within itself, rotating once every 24 hours to act as a multiple time-zone indicator, with the time at eight cities from different parts of the globe shown on its dial. It is of course no problem to extrapolate the time for cities not listed. The satellite dial is one half white and the other black to indicate day and night.

The crown at 4 o’clock enables adjustment of every function.

The replica watch has a brushed 42mm stainless steel case and a sturdy and attractive brushed stainless steel bracelet with a folding clasp. The name ‘Dior’ is engraved unobtrusively on one side of the case at 9 o’clock, and on the clasp of the bracelet, but appears nowhere else.


The dial has a thin matte black ceramic bezel and an exhibition sapphire crystal case-back surrounded by a ring of black to match the look of the replica watch case. The oscillating weight, like the dial, is also embellished with the ‘pique de coton’ pattern.

We are accustomed to seeing replica watches that are symmetrical, and this is most definitely not, however the asymmetry in this design is beautifully executed and comes off spectacularly well, though I acknowledge that the traditionalists might not agree.

The replica watch has been produced in a numbered edition of 100 pieces, of which I understand only four came to Australia.

There is a ladies version of this replica watch, the Christal 8, a little smaller and with a mother-of-pearl dial and a diamond-studded bezel, though with the same rotating satellite showing the different time zones. This is also in an edition of 100, though there is an art deco inspired special edition of 5 in yellow gold sans diamonds.


Edition of 100

Edition of 5

Prior to designing the T01 for Dior, Orny and Girardin designed the complex Metamorphosis replica watch for Montblanc, who are of course better known for their pens. The Metamorphosis was inspired by replica watching their children play with Transformers robots, and was announced at SIHH 2010. This  replica watch can change from one replica watch face to another, as well as switching modes from regular time display to a chronograph function, by moving a slide up and down. It is in an edition of 28 with a price tag of €195,000.

In contrast, the T01, though not as complex as the Metamorphosis is, at a small fraction of that price, a relative bargain for such an attractive and unusual replica watch with a seldom-seen complication and an impressive design pedigree.


4.55pm approx

11.41am approx
[PT]

Categories
Swiss Replica

Hands-on with replica MeisterSinger’s No3 –PVD

For a company that has only been in existence since 2001, MeisterSinger has managed to do quite well, picking up awards here and there for their designs, and becoming arguably the most well known modern proponent of single-handed replica watches, also known as the replica watch to have when being accurate to the minute really isn’t a priority.

I shan’t go down the Wagnerian reference route, suffice to say the company’s name  and musical influence is dealt with on their website as follows :

“The harmony reflected in a well-balanced piece of music, the fine drama of a good act and the ability of music to set aside time, these are all as well inherent qualities of a MeisterSinger replica watch. Therefore the MeisterSinger logo carries the fermata – the sign of silence in music.”

2010 has seen a special sporty addition to MeisterSinger’s No.3 line.  The No.3 AM911 has only just hit the retailers in Australia, and is not even on their website yet. An all black PVD affair, the five minute markers are in red, the colour theme continuing onto the ‘No.3’ and the stitching in the leather strap.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Movement: ETA 2824-2, automatic
Case : 43 mm (11.5 mm height), stainless steel with black PVD coating.
Water resistance: 5 bar
Power reserve: 48 hours
Features: sapphire glass, glass back secured with 6 screws, black dial

Flip it over and the No.3’s open caseback is visible.  Nothing terribly exciting has been done to the movement.

This is not a ‘serious’ replica watch, it is a bit of PVD fun marketed as ‘sporty’, but  with the No.3 dial, I think that it somehow still manages to still be just a little bit dressy.

One of the appealing features for me of the No.1 line is that they are manual wind – it takes a considerable number of rotations to wind up one of the No.1s, but there’s a certain amount of enjoyment to be had in doing this. I like the PVD No.3 a lot, but would have liked it more as a manual wind rather than automatic; however I admit that this is a very personal preference.

What I do like is the packaging.  In an age where we seem to pay for increasingly large boxes made of increasingly elaborate types of material or rare woods at the upper price point end of the spectrum, or on at the other end, we receive rather nonedescript boxes, I am quite taken with this, though I’m really not sure why MS chose such a design.  It appeals to the bookish side of me, and reminds me that buying books is actually a cheaper proposition than buying replica watches…

Categories
Vacheron Constantin Replica

Replica Vacheron Constantin RoyalChronometer

HISTORY

The term ‘chronometer’ was coined by English replica watchmaker and writer Jeremy Thacker in 1714 in his pamphlet ‘The Longitudes Examin’d’ for clocks used to calculate longitude on marine voyages.  He invented a marine chronometer, a clock encased within a vacuum chamber that protected the movement from the inevitable effects of humidity and atmospheric pressure.


Thacker’s Chronometer

Unfortunately, it was a failure as a chronometer.

Accurate to six seconds a day, it fell somewhat short of the three seconds a day required to win the £20,000 first offered by the English Board of Longitude in the same year (1714) to anyone who could solve the problem of establishing the longitude of a ship at sea.

Thacker was thus condemned to the historical shadows of John Harrison, who also managed to score a ranking of 39 in the BBC’s 2002 poll of ‘100 Greatest Britons’ for his achievements, something which I am sure, had he been able to discover this from an alternate universe in which he was still alive in 2002, would have mollified him somewhat for his lifetime’s worth of horological trials.

Clockmaker John Harrison (24 March 1693 – 24 March 1776) presented his first attempt at a marine chronometer in 1730. It was his H5 ‘pocket’ chronometer, produced in 1772, and accurate to one-third of a second per day, which solved the problem of establishing the longitude of a ship at sea, thus revolutionising and extending the possibility of safe long distance sea travel, and earning him the title of ‘The Father of Longitude’.By the time of the H5’s public unveiling, he had been working on the chronometer problem since 1730.

Harrison’s Chronometer H5

(Collection of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers)

In 1773, Harrison received £8,750 from Parliament for his achievements, after the direct intervention of George III.  He appealed directly to the King, and in 1772 Harrison’s son William was summoned to an audience with the King. George III is reported to have said: “By God, Harrison, I will see you righted!”.

Until the advent and implementation of global satellite navigation, an accurate chronometer was essential for marine and air navigation.

VACHERON CONSTANTIN ROYAL CHRONOMETER

Controle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC) defines a chronometer as “a high-precision replica watch capable of displaying the seconds and housing a movement that has been tested over several days, in different positions and at different temperatures, by an official neutral body (COSC).”

Since 1973 the term ‘chronometer’ has designated a replica watch having successfully passed the COSC trials.

Launched in 1907, Vacheron Constantin’s Chronomètre Royal has most notably been recognised in recent years through VC’s celebration, in 2007, of its centenary with the Chronomètre Royal 1907.

For a comprehensive history of Vacheron’s Chronomètres, see Alex Ghotbi’s brilliant post at The Hour Lounge.

The example below dates from the 1960s.  In 1962 VC’s manual calibres 1007 and 1008 were replaced by calibre 1072, making it Vacheron Constantin’s first automatic calibre with COSC certification.

Cal 1070: automatic with small seconds, no date
Cal 1071: automatic with central seconds
Cal 1072: as cal 1071 but with date
Cal 1072/1: as 1072 but with Gyromax.

 Vacheron Constantin “Royal Chronometer”
SPECIFICATIONS :

Caliber : 1702
Jewels : 29
Metal : 0.750 18ct WG
Case :  Two-body, solid, polished and brushed, screwed-down case back, horn lugs, caseback engraved with the Maltese cross and “Chronomètre Royal”.
Dial : Original silver dial with diamond set in Maltese Cross
Diameter : 35mm
Thickness : 12mm

Although 35mm is small by today’s standards, where a minimum of 40mm seems  almost de rigueur, the Ref. 6694 does not seem particularly small when worn.

The idea behind the Chronomètre was that of a legible precision instrument robust enough for everyday use. With its distinctive case design clearly indicating its 1960s origins, this uncommon replica watch is a deceptively elegant functional piece, with a wink to frivolity courtesy of the discreet diamond in the Maltese Cross.

When I first saw this replica watch (which has some signs of age discolourisation on the dial) I admit that it didn’t grab my attention in quite the way that it grabbed its owner’s, but as I spent some more time looking at it, in reading about the history, and in looking back at the photos, I was struck foremost by how much I missed in terms of appreciating the design of the case and secondly, of its historical interest as a timepiece. I suspect I’d like it a bit more if it didn’t have the diamond, which I find a bit incongruous.

Like it though I may, if presented with the choice of two chronometers, this Ref. 6694 and a Chronomètre Royal 1907, I have to confess that I’d chose the latter in a heartbeat, I can’t resist a beautiful ‘red 12’!

A final thought – over a million official chronometer certificates are delivered each year, representing only 3% of the Swiss replica watch production.

Categories
Seiko Replica

Hands-on with replica Seiko’s (new) QuartzAstron

December 2009 was the 40th anniversary of the world’s first Quartz wristwatch, the Seiko Quartz Astron 35SQ. Based on a quartz crystal oscillator (an electrical signal with an extremely precise frequency), its importance is acknowledged by its registration on the IEEE Milestone list as a major advance in electrical engineering.

Seiko marked this anniversary by the commissioning of 40 new replica watch designs all based around the original Quartz Astron design, which were exhibited in the ‘Seiko Power Design Project’ in Dec 2009.

The culmination of Seiko’s commemoration was the new Quartz Astron, powered by the SEIKO quartz caliber 9F62, accurate within 10 seconds a year, and with its date change completed in an astonishing 1/2,000 of a second.

HISTORY

Project 59A

In 1880 Pierre and Jacques Curie discovered the electrical potential of quartz crystals when pressure is applied, known as piezoelectricity. They devised the piezoelectric quartz electrometer, which can measure faint electric currents. The question was then how to practically apply this.

By 1927 Bell Laboratories demonstrated that accurate time could be measured by using a quartz crystal and implementing the results of the Curie brother’s experiments. In 1959 Suwa Seikosha Co Ltd, one of Seiko Group’s Research and Development labs, built its first quartz replica timepiece, a large clock 2 meters high and 1.5 meters wide, which was successfully used in a radio station in Japan. The task was then given of miniaturising this new technology, and Project 59A was launched.

In 1962, the company managed to produce ‘smaller’ (30kg) version of a quartz marine chronometer, which was utilised in the Japanese shipping industry. By 1963, Seiko managed to further miniaturise it down to the 3kg QC0951.

Launched at Basel in 1969, the original Quartz Astron was produced in 18 carat gold case in a run of 100 pieces, costing JPY 450,000, more than a Toyota Corolla at the time.

The first quartz replica watch that was available to the general public was the 3823 calibre, also known as the 38 SQW, which was introduced in October 1971 at a price of JPY 150,000. This was equivalent to two month’s salary for a Japanese university lecturer.

SEIKO Quartz Astron : The Commemorative Edition

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Reference: S23617J1
Calibre: 9F62
Dimensions: 26.75 mm (12 – 6 o’clock) x 26.0 mm (3 – 9 o’clock)
Depth: 3.1 mm (without battery)
Jewels: 9
Accuracy: +/- 10 seconds per year
Battery life: 3 years (battery life indicator)
Case: High-intensity titanium
Band: Silicone with stainless steel buckle
Extra band: Crocodile with black hard-coated stainless steel three-fold clasp with push button release
Glass: Curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
Water resistance: 10 bar
Magnetic resistance: 4,800 A/m (60 gauss)
Functions : hour, minute and second hands, date with instant calendar change mechanism
Battery life indicator
Limited edition of 200

I found myself unexpectedly drawn to this replica watch. It looks modern yet retro, is very lightweight, and most importantly, sits nicely on the wrist, the strap incredibly soft and very comfortable to wear.

Am I an anti-quartz fiend? Well it’s not a case of absolutes, as I do own a modern Lip Mach 2000 and a Tokyo Flash replica watch for which I can’t remember how to actually tell the time, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that my preference is for mechanical movements.

My replica watches are a rather varied lot, and I developed an immediate liking for this replica watch, but $8,500 worth of ‘like’? Well even if I could afford it, no.

This brings me to the price of this replica watch :

RRP Europe: Euro 4,300
RRP U.S. USD5,000
RRP Australia AUD8,500

Such pricing issues are well-known to those of us in Australia, and there is increasing awareness amongst brands that this needs to be addressed, as such discrepancies at these price points (and even lower price points), let alone higher ones, inevitably lead to people buying their replica watches overseas – in the end the Australian market suffers. I am lead to believe that this is something that is currently being discussed amongst many brands, and not a moment too soon.

Categories
Swiss Replica

Hands-on with the AristoSextant replica

The Aristo Flieger Sextant has its roots in a German sextant replica watch used by Wernher von Braun and his team at the Peenemünde rocket proving ground (“Heeresversuchsanstalt Peenemuende”) in the early 1940s.

Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun (23 March 1912 – 16 June 1977), was a German-American rocket scientist and engineer who was one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in both Germany and the U.S. during and after WWII.

A one-time member of the Nazi Party and a commissioned SS officer, von Braun would later be regarded as arguably the foremost rocket engineer of the 20th century for his work at NASA. He was the central figure in Germany’s pre-war rocket development programme, responsible for the design and production of the V-2 combat rocket first at Peenemünde and then Mittelwerk, after the British bombed Peenemünde in August 1943.

After the war, Braun and some of his team were taken to the U.S. as part of the then-secret Operation Paperclip. Von Braun worked on the US Army intermediate range ballistic missle program before his group was assimilated by NASA, under which he served as director of the newly-formed Marshall Space Flight Center, and as the chief architect of the Saturn V launch vehicle, the booster rocket that propelled the Apollo II lunar mission. In 1975 he received the National Medal of Science.

Made by Lange & Söhne, the 22 of the replica watches were delivered to the Heeresversuchsanstalt in 1943 at a price of 360RM, as the equivalent of at least 2,000€. As a point of comparison, the first VW Beetles sold for 990RM.

When viewing at the dial through a mirror sextant, Braun and his team used the elegant replica watch to calculate the ballistic data for the rockets they developed.

The Aristo Sextant (Ref. 5H40S), a modern homage to these replica watches, was first manufactured in 2001 by Aristo in Pforzheim. In developing this model, Aristo followed the first prototypes of 1942, with the guidelines : “Black dial with Roman numerals, with Arabic 1/5 Second indication numbers 5 to 55 and corresponding set of numbers in mirror writing”.

 

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Movement: Swiss ETA 2824-2
Case: Titanium
Caseback: Titanium with engraving
Bezel: Bead blasted
Dimensions: 37mm diameter, 44mm lug-to-lug
Water Resistance: 50m

Von Braun’s long time colleague Arthur Louis Hugo Rudolph suffered a slightly different fate to von Braun. A fellow rocket engineer and member of the Nazi party who helped develop and produce the V-2 rocket, he followed von Braun to the U.S., working for the U.S. Army and NASA, where he was involved in the development of several important systems including the Pershing missile and the Saturn V. In 1984 he was investigated for possible war crimes and was forced to leave the United States and renounce his US citizenship.

Categories
Patek Philippe Replica

Replica Patek Philippe Ref.5054 Available In WG And Platinum

Introduced to Patek’s range in 1999, and now discontinued, this beautiful and classic Ref. 5054 is the RG model.  It was also available in WG and Platinum.

Interestingly, the case is only 31mm, but it seems to sit much larger than this on the wrist.  The case is 3.98mm thick, and has a dual position winding crown – pushed in for manual winding, and pulled out for setting the time.  Both the date and moon are set by push pieces, and if you try to make changes whilst the automatic date change is engaged, an automatic safety device prevents internal damage.

The milled, turban crown is a noticeable departure from the more usual crown decorated with the Calatrava cross.

As you can see, the 48 hour power reserve is at 10/ 11 o’clock, the date and moonphase at 7 o’clock, and the small seconds at 4/ 5 o’clock on the porcelain dial, which features a railway track scale.

A beautiful polished Officer’s style case (which Patek call the “Directoire” case) with a hinged cover over a sapphire crystal back opens up to show 265 parts, a 22k gold off-centre mini rotor, and the Patek Calibre 240 movement.  The only thing that beats an open caseback, to me, anyway, is an Officer’s case.  Even if you aren’t a movement nerd you’ll find this beautiful and mesmerising.

First released by replica Patek Philippe in 1977, the Cal.240 was created as a thin base movement for PP’s perpetual calendars. At only 2.4mm thick, with a Gyromax balance, the movement allows for a perpetual automatic caliber with a total thickness of only 3.7mm.  As is evidenced by the Ref.5054, Cal.240 ended up being used for a variety of  replica watches from the brand, not just perpetual calendars.

The replica watch is water-resistant to 25m. Naturally, it doesn’t go anywhere near water.