Categories
Calendar Watch Hands-on Men Watch Sinn Replica

Take A Look At SINN 910 Anniversary SplitChronograph

Basel2016Sinn910AnniversarySplitSeconds1

 

For those who may not know a splits-second function has two chronograph hands that both start in alignment when the chronograph function is actuated. Then another pusher, which in the case of this replica watch is at 8 o’clock, is depressed to stop one of the hands as as the second continues to advance. Pressing the pusher a second time makes the ‘stopped’ hand jump to the position of the moving hand, and they continue in unison.repliques montres

So what is the anniversary to which the name alludes? Well it’s Sinn’s 55th birthday. Both the limitation number (x/300) and ‘1961 – 2016’ are engraved on the case back.

Although I acknowledge that it is (pardon the double negative) not an inexpensive chronograph, it is nonetheless a good looking one.

Sinn have used the ever reliable Valjoux 7750 with a La Joux Perret mod to create a ratchet colunn wheel chrono with split seconds function. The chronograph actuation is very smooth.

Back to the cream dial. In keeping with their ‘vintage look’ approach for this replica watch they’ve gone for black applied indices and a classic use of red for counter hands and on the tachymeter.

At Baselworld 2016 Sinn, a favourite German ‘tool replica watch’ brand of many, came out with a number of new releases including one or two rather dressy pieces as well as a camo dial that is probably something you will love or not (I don’t), but the clear winner for me was the limited edition 910 Anniversary Split Chronograph, and so I shall talk about it first.

Their first split chronograph, the dial is not perhaps ‘groundbreaking’ in its design, but you don’t always need something adventurous, and the rather pure old school classic chronograph look of this one, with its creamy dial, is just spot on and attractive.

Size wise it is a 41.5mm stainless steel case and comes with both a bracelet and a shell cordovan strap. My vote goes to the strap. Also included in the kit are a strap replacement tool, spring bars, a loupe, and a polishing cloth.

 

The RRP is 5,500 EUR and in Australia, AUD 7,863.64 ex. GST and AUD 8,650.00 incl. GST from Define Replica Watches in Brisbane.

Categories
Calendar Watch Cartier Replica Hands-on Swiss Replica

Reviewing The CARTIER road tosuccess

So we’ve decided to have a bit of a cushion case week this week. Meet the new cushion-cased Drive de Cartier collection, which was launched at SIHH 2016 with three inaugural models (plus one colour variant of one).orologi replica omega

 

The three models that have been launched are the entry level model utilising the Calibre 1904-PS MC with the time, small seconds and a date window, the Calibre 1904-FU MC which has a day/ night indicator, second time zone indicator, date and small seconds, and at the pointy end of the collection, a flying tourbillon with the Calibre 9452 MC.

The dials of all of them are quintessentially Cartier, with their Roman numerals, guilloché dial and blue sapphire winding crown. With these first models the new cases are available in pink gold or stainless steel, and come with black, grey or white dials.

 

I don’t yet have the Australian prices but as a general indication, USD prices are $6,250 for the stainless steel time only model, $19,300 for time only in 18K rose gold, $8,750 for the time zone model, and $89,500 for the Flying Tourbillon.

The new Cartier Drive comes with its own hashtags and a request by Cartier to “Share your drive with @Cartier on social: #DrivedeCartier #WhatsYourDrive”.

Secondly we have the model with he retrograde second time zone, day/ night indicator and large date. It uses the in-house Calibre 1904-FU MC, created in 2014 and launched in a Rotonde case. As I noted at the time, that the functions are all operated by a single crown will be appealing to many, and for those who prefer their cases in non-round shapes, you may find this more appealing than the Rotonde version.

The base model first. Inside the 40.00mm x 41.00mm case is the automatic in-house Calibre 1904-PS MC movement that was launched in 2010 and most notably, made its inaugural appearance in the highly successful Calibre de Cartier collection. With a 48-hour power reserve, this is now a solidly road tested movement and one of Cartier’s ‘backbone’ movements of today.

Lastly we come to the Drive de Cartier Flying Tourbillon replica watch, in which resides the manual wind Calibre 9452 MC. If you seem to recall Horologium writing about a Cartier Flying Tourbillon not so long ago you are not mistaken. It was in the form of a diamond bedecked Clé, 2015’s new case shape from Cartier. This one is obviously a bit more versatile to wear, not to mention a good deal cheaper, than that version.

If you look at the link above, you will see that the large date, retrograde and small seconds are no longer ‘eating into’ the numerals – they have now done away with the half numbers. To my mind it looks a lot cleaner and better this way.

 

So, bearing in mind my comment from the earlier post about the positioning of that other cushion-shaped replica watch, what do you think?

The Cartier Drive collection will be available from May 2016. Keep an eye out at your local Cartier boutique/ authorised dealer or at this link for updates.

Categories
Omega Replica

OMEGA : Globemaster Master Chronometer AnnualCalendar

Basel2016OmegaGlobemasterAnnualCalendar3

At Baselworld 2015 Omega introduced the 39mm Globemaster in stainless steel, Sedna, platinum and bi-coloured version.s A year later and at Baselworld 2016 they launched a new Globemaster Annual Calendar to add to the family.

Movement-wise, it is a Co-Axial Master Chronometer powered by the in-house developed and manufactured Calibre 8922 (and 8923 for the limited edition model, which has a Sedna gold rotor). As it is METAS certified, it is labelled as ‘Master Chronometer’. For those who do not know, this newish certification was established by Omega and METAS (the Federal Institue of Meterology) because they wished to go beyond COSC-certification. Click on the link above for all details. Sixty-two references are now Master Chronometer certified and Omega hopes to certify nearly all its mechanical replica watches as Master Chronometers by 2020.

At a larger 41mm, it comes in stainless steel with a tungsten carbide bezel and blue dial, Sedna, bimetal (stainless steel and Sedna), and also a platinum version.

When the first photos of this came out the responses online were mixed, and these focused on the writing on the dial. There is little question that in terms of legibility, it leaves nothing to be confused about, but the placement and typeface of the writing caused a lot of animated discussion. As always, I had a response but not a definitive one, as replica watches are mostly objects about which it is best not to have a definite opinion until you can see them in the metal. I was in the camp of those who didn’t find myself drawn to the writing, and I wondered why they decided to do it that way. Sometimes, even if something is not to your taste, if you are able to ask why something was done and understand this reason, then things are different.

So when I got the chance to see them I asked the question. The answer was continuity; they wanted to have the text there and the choice of font was on the basis of it being the same as the ‘Globemaster’ text on the dial. Which is totally fair enough, having too many typefaces on a dial can get a bit tricky and messy. The month indicator hand on the dial for the calendar function is nice and discreet, and if the goal of the pie-pan dial’s design is legibility of functionality and to make it basically as foolproof as possible for someone buying it (bearing in mind that many who buy it may not be familiar with annual calendars) then it meets those goals. The one thing I would note is that it is interesting that the decision was not made to make the month indicator hand another colour, for contrast.

The platinum Globemaster Annual Calendar (shown at the top) has both a platinum case and platinum clasp and has some heft, as you can imagine. The platinum case and clasp are milled from an alloy of platinum (950Pt) and gold (20Au). The dial is also (sandblasted) platinum with 18 carat white gold markers filled with burgundy enamel. On the reverse you can see that the burgundy theme is carried through to a burgundy enamel Central Observatory medallion on the movement, which also has a Sedna gold rotor and balance wheel.

As mentioned at the outset, the new Globemaster Annual Calendar comes in stainless steel, Sedna gold, bi-metal (stainless steel and Sedna), and platinum. The platinum version is limited to 52 pieces only and comes on a burgundy leather strap which I was told is inspired by Chesterfield chairs. Australian RRPs are as $11,300 for stainless steel, $14,200 for the bimetal model, $31,150 for the Sedna, and $63,000 for the platinum edition.

Categories
Laurent Ferrier Replica

HANDS-ON : Replica Laurent Ferrier Galet Traveller Boreal in StainlessSteel

Laurent Ferrier is a brand about which we’ve not written much here; in fact the sum total of posts to date has been a rather spartan one in number. This has not been the result of any deliberate decision but more a case of it being a brand that somehow, I felt that I needed more ‘hands-on’ experience with, or at a very minimum see ‘in the metal’ more than fleetingly through an authorised dealer’s window. Not having been to Baselworld, and somehow not having managed to find the connection to make an appointment to see them in Geneva in January, the opportunity simply hadn’t come up. Until SIHH 2016, when it was one of the new independent brands exhibiting at Palexpo for the first time.

For a quick introduction to Laurent Ferrier, go to this link. Now let’s jump straight into today’s elegant replica watch, a new travel replica watch which is at a lower price point of the Galet Traveller. With a vintage ‘sector dial’ chapter ring and two choices of SuperLumiNova, green (as per this post) and what is meant to be a more vintage nod, a sort of pale sandy colour, this is Laurent Ferrier’s first foray into luminous territory, its replica watches generally tending towards the classic dress style. This replica watch is definitely more on the informal/ sporty side. Even the traditional Ferrier Assegai hands are larger than normal, to accommodate the lume.

It is the same 41mm size as the gold versions and also equipped with the same Calibre 230.01 with its two time zone functionality. The disc at 9 o’clock shows home time (i.e. where the traveller came from), the central hands indicate local time (at where the traveller now is). A pair of pushers on the case side set the hour hand back/ forth at one hour intervals, and the date disc moves forward and backwards in sync with the local time. At 3 o’clock is the date window.

The dial is black nickel-coloured with vertical satin-brushing, snailed small seconds and slate-grey transfer.

The Laurent Ferrier logo is in a colour so close to that of the dial that from certain angles it’s not visible, and the seconds sub dial are markings are also similar. Whether a seconds sub dial should be prominent/ visible or not is of course purely a personal preference.

The Calibre 230.01 has Ferrier’s renowned levels of hand finishing and a 18k gold mico rotor, also something for which Ferrier is known. Côtes de Genève on the bridges, circular-graining of the main plate, sides hand chamfered.

With the luminous aspect a key part of this new model and distinguishing it from your classic Laurent Ferrier ‘look’, whether it appeals or not may come down to factors such as how you see the brand and if you can place a fairly sporty dress (especially the leather and composite material strap with contrast green stitching replica watch combination of the green lume version) replica watch within it. The one with the more faux vintage lume version and light brown barbialla calf strap will probably appeal more to the Ferrier classicists (and is the one I prefer) but the green lume one is an interesting modern look from this ‘new old’ brand. At any rate in terms of a travel replica watch, you really can’t get something much easier to use than this.

The Galet Traveller Boreal is priced at 54,000 CHF.

Categories
Sinn Replica

Replica SINN : 910 Anniversary SplitChronograph

Basel2016Sinn910AnniversarySplitSeconds1

At Baselworld 2016 Sinn, a favourite German ‘tool replica watch’ brand of many, came out with a number of new releases including one or two rather dressy pieces as well as a camo dial that is probably something you will love or not (I don’t), but the clear winner for me was the limited edition 910 Anniversary Split Chronograph, and so I shall talk about it first.

Their first split chronograph, the dial is not perhaps ‘groundbreaking’ in its design, but you don’t always need something adventurous, and the rather pure old school classic chronograph look of this one, with its creamy dial, is just spot on and attractive.

For those who may not know a splits-second function has two chronograph hands that both start in alignment when the chronograph function is actuated. Then another pusher, which in the case of this luxury replica watch is at 8 o’clock, is depressed to stop one of the hands as as the second continues to advance. Pressing the pusher a second time makes the ‘stopped’ hand jump to the position of the moving hand, and they continue in unison.

Sinn have used the ever reliable Valjoux 7750 with a La Joux Perret mod to create a ratchet colunn wheel chrono with split seconds function. The chronograph actuation is very smooth.

Back to the cream dial. In keeping with their ‘vintage look’ approach for this replica watch they’ve gone for black applied indices and a classic use of red for counter hands and on the tachymeter.

Size wise it is a 41.5mm stainless steel case and comes with both a bracelet and a shell cordovan strap. My vote goes to the strap. Also included in the kit are a strap replacement tool, spring bars, a loupe, and a polishing cloth.

So what is the anniversary to which the name alludes? Well it’s Sinn’s 55th birthday. Both the limitation number (x/300) and ‘1961 – 2016’ are engraved on the case back.

Although I acknowledge that it is (pardon the double negative) not an inexpensive chronograph, it is nonetheless a good looking one.

The RRP is 5,500 EUR and in Australia, AUD 7,863.64 ex. GST and AUD 8,650.00 incl. GST from Define Replica Watches in Brisbane.

Categories
Swiss Replica

BASELWORLD 2016 : Replica Nomos Glashütte TetraNeomatik

Basel2016NomosTetra1

At Baselworld 2015 Nomos launched the hugely popular neomatik replica watches. This year, they have extended the neomatik range into the Tetra collection and in so doing, updated it.

Previously only available in 27.5 mm and 29.5 mm square cases, is is now in a 33mm x 33mm steel case and with the in-house automatic Calibre DUW 3001 inside. The DUW3001 is the tenth calibre Nomos have produced in Glashütte. This movement was first used in the inaugural series of neomatik. Nomos has upgraded its new and thin automatic caliber DUW 3001 by replacing the ETA regulator with its own.

With a movement height of a rather slim 3.2mm, the case is 7.2 mm. This new Tetra neomatik comes in two dial variants – either a deep blue ‘cyan’ or with a white silver-plated dial. Hands are oxidised black with a red lacqured and rhodium-plated red, or neon orange lacquered. With a water-resistance to 30m, it comes on a Horween strap.

RRPs are Tetra neomatik CHF 2,900 and Tetra neomatik tiefblau CHF 2,980.

Categories
Hublot Replica

BASELWORLD 2016 : Hublot Classic Fusion xBerluti

Basel2016HublotBerlutiScritto2

Watch brands can sometimes surprise us with unexpected partnerships, and Baselworld 2016 was the place at which Hublot announced two limited editions in partnership with LVMH stablemate Berluti, renowned purveyors of men’s (formal) leather footwear (although in more recent times they have segued into the luxury sneaker game as well).

The babies of this collaboration are the limited edition Classic Fusion All Black and Scritto, the second more obvious-at-first-glance Berluti influenced.

Both are 45mm but for those unfamiliar with this sized Hublot case, it actually sits a little smaller, so don’t be afraid of the size, and as they are less ‘bright’ than some of Hublot’s other pieces, they also give an impression of being smaller than 45mm.

Both limited editions come with a Berluti Venezia leather for the straps (called ‘nero’ and ‘tobacco blis’ respectively) and, more significantly, for the ‘pressed leather’ dials. This being a highly unusual material for a swiss replica watch dial, it will be interesting to see how it fares over time with regards to the colour of the dial vs the colour of the strap, given the latter will be more exposed to the elements and so forth.

Limited to 500 pieces, the All Black features a polished and satin finished black ceramic case, sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment, and display case back through which you can see the automatic 42-hour power reserve HUB1100 movement. Because of how dark the dial is, its stamped features are quite discreet. The strap has a distincitve feature – what is called a ‘Gaspard’ incision by Berluti.

The Scritto Berluti piece has, not unexpectely, a smaller limitation number of 250 pieces. The basic differences lie in the case material, which is polished and satin-finished 18k King Gold, and the leather type, which is the calligraphy-inspired Venezia Scritto calf leather synonymous with Berluti. Otherwise it contains the same movement as the All Black.

The pieces are interesting and come in rather fittingly designed boxes which include a leather treatment kit, as per shoes. Because of the unexpected nature of this collaboration I spent time pondering their target market (I have a habit of doing this when I come across new collaborations) – it is Hublotless Berluti wearers? Hublot-wearing Berluti people? Berluti-wearing Hublotless folks? Those who don’t yet have Berluti or Hublot in their footwear and wrist closets? None of the above but someone else entirely?

They have been well received and to my knowledge customers started putting their orders in quickly, so I await with interest to see owner photos online to see if people are buying them to match their shoes.

I secretly hope that they are.

Categories
Zenith Replica

BASELWORLD 2016 : Replica Zenith Elite 6150 RoseGold

Basel2016ZenithElite6150RG2

You may recall that a year ago at Baselworld 2015 Zenith launched Elite Calibre 6150 (‘6’ for ‘Elite’, ‘150’ for their birthday of the same), a movement with 195 components, a 100 hour power reserve, 3.92mm high, and released in a time-only eponymous 42mm stainless steel piece.

As I noted at the time, this appeared to be a better looking release than the Zenith Ultra Thin that in a way preceded it. One thing that did make me ponder was their decision to increase the case size to 42mm, 2mm more than their previously existing Elite collection.

This year at Baselworld 2016 not unsurprisingly, Zenith have added to the Elite 6150 range with a new rose gold model.

Now it was only recently (due to them not having been available in Australia) that I had even had the chance to look at the (highly successful) stainless steel model but now I have, and with it this new rose gold model.

My conclusions?

Well I have been asked in the last few days about how the cheap replica watch wears, by those who prefer their dress pieces smaller than 42mm.

Firstly, it looks big at first glance. The dial seems expansive, due to the small curved bezel (there is also a rounded crystal, old acrylic-style). If you are used to or prefer smaller dress replica watches then your first response may be to think that it is too big for you.

However, appearances are deceptive. The rounded nature of the model mean that if for example you put it side to side with another 42mm Zenith (I compared it with the 42mm Chronomaster case) it looks smaller. It also sits, in that comparison, smaller on the wrist as well. Which is all just reinforcement of what I know I bleat on about a bit – don’t get hung up on the mm numbers, try if you can, try a replica watch before forming an opinion about whether you can wear it or are comfortable wearing it. Each replica watch sits differently according to case curvature/ shape, and lug length/ design.

As I noted before Elite replica watches are characterised by conservatism, but there is an important role for this in the Zenith range. I must confess that I had really liked this replica watch in the press photos but been concerned that I might not like it as much (or at all) ‘in the metal’; a plain time-only design can look elegant on paper (as it were) but in real life perhaps a bit well, ‘flat’ as it were, if that make sense.

It is with some relief that I have discovered that it’s actually better than in the photos, with the proportions on the dial in terms of the lengths of the hands and markers in relation to the size of the dial etc spot on. If you are looking for a slim elegant time-only dress replica watch on the other side 40mm plus then this is worthy of your consideration.

The RRP for the Elite 6150 Rose Gold in Australia is $17,800.

Categories
Cartier Replica

Replica CARTIER : the road tosuccess

So we’ve decided to have a bit of a cushion case week this week. Meet the new cushion-cased Drive de Cartier replica collection, which was launched at SIHH 2016 with three inaugural models (plus one colour variant of one).

The dials of all of them are quintessentially Cartier, with their Roman numerals, guilloché dial and blue sapphire winding crown. With these first models the new cases are available in pink gold or stainless steel, and come with black, grey or white dials.

The three models that have been launched are the entry level model utilising the Calibre 1904-PS MC with the time, small seconds and a date window, the Calibre 1904-FU MC which has a day/ night indicator, second time zone indicator, date and small seconds, and at the pointy end of the collection, a flying tourbillon with the Calibre 9452 MC.

The base model first. Inside the 40.00mm x 41.00mm case is the automatic in-house Calibre 1904-PS MC movement that was launched in 2010 and most notably, made its inaugural appearance in the highly successful Calibre de Cartier collection. With a 48-hour power reserve, this is now a solidly road tested movement and one of Cartier’s ‘backbone’ movements of today.

Secondly we have the model with he retrograde second time zone, day/ night indicator and large date. It uses the in-house Calibre 1904-FU MC, created in 2014 and launched in a Rotonde case. As I noted at the time, that the functions are all operated by a single crown will be appealing to many, and for those who prefer their cases in non-round shapes, you may find this more appealing than the Rotonde version. If you look at the link above, you will see that the large date, retrograde and small seconds are no longer ‘eating into’ the numerals – they have now done away with the half numbers. To my mind it looks a lot cleaner and better this way.

Lastly we come to the Drive de Cartier Flying Tourbillon replica watch, in which resides the manual wind Calibre 9452 MC. If you seem to recall Horologium writing about a Cartier Flying Tourbillon not so long ago you are not mistaken. It was in the form of a diamond bedecked Clé, 2015’s new case shape from Cartier. This one is obviously a bit more versatile to wear, not to mention a good deal cheaper, than that version.

I don’t yet have the Australian prices but as a general indication, USD prices are $6,250 for the stainless steel time only model, $19,300 for time only in 18K rose gold, $8,750 for the time zone model, and $89,500 for the Flying Tourbillon.

The new Cartier Drive comes with its own hashtags and a request by Cartier to “Share your drive with @Cartier on social: #DrivedeCartier #WhatsYourDrive”.

So, bearing in mind my comment from the earlier post about the positioning of that other cushion-shaped replica watch, what do you think?

The Cartier Drive collection will be available from May 2016. Keep an eye out at your local Cartier boutique/ authorised dealer or at this link for updates.

Categories
Swiss Replica

HANDS-ON : Replica H.Moser Cie Swiss AlpWatch

Remember this video? As a piece of low cost guerilla marketing it was inspired, with its coverage far and wide amongst tech press, many (most?) of whom didn’t really seem to get the point, or humour.

So yes the video is an err ‘homage’; the shape is the same, the size similar (38.2mm x 44.0mm x 10.3mm), the lugs similar (although wire lugs are hardly new to replica watches) to the Fruit Replica Watch, but it is made of white gold, and otherwise vastly different.

Inside is something that doesn’t have an inbuilt obsolescence – the in-house manual wind Calibre HMC 324 (18,000 VPH) with hacking seconds and four days of power reserve (a power reserve indicator is visible on the back). This is a movement that measures 32.0mm x 36.0mm x 4.80mm, made to fit snugly into the case, and hand finished and decorated.

With its signature Moser fumé sunburst dial with leaf-shaped hour and minute hands and coming on a kudu leather strap in ‘Moser green’, the Swiss Alp is limited to 50 pieces and priced at USD 24,900.

If nothing else, the dial makes it unmistakably Moser but when I held it, did I think of the Fruit Replica Watch or the Swiss Alp? Interestingly (to me), the latter. When it came out, when I posted the video, all I could think of was this replica watch as a ‘statement’, but it’s really more than that.

I found that I was not thinking that this is one brand’s playful message to the Fruit Replica Watch when I held it, when I tried it on. I was simply on what was before me. As one would expect of a well made white gold replica watch it feels solid, enduring. This isn’t a wrist piece with a very short shelf life, and as a replica watch (versus as a ‘reaction’) it does stand on its own.

Would I wear it? Possibly.