Tag: watches

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Rolex Replica

Hands-on with the Rolex ExplorerII Replica

One of Rolex’s most talked about announcements at Basel World 2011 was an updated Explorer II (Ref. 216570), with a 24-hour arrow hand in orange, harking back to the original 1971 Ref.1655 Explorer II, which was an addition to the Explorer model released in 1953.

After the release of the Ref. 1655, it wasn’t until 1984 that Rolex introduced a new Explorer II, Ref.16550. Changes included the sapphire crystal, the calibre 3085 movement, the shape of the hands (the 24 hour hand changed from a small red-orange arrow shaped hand to a long red 24 hour hand with a white arrow at the end), and a new white dial version. The 16550 is also referred to as a transitional model, transitional to the Ref. 16570 introduced in 1989.

Recently, I got to have some hands-on time with the latest Explorer II.

Available in black or white, at 42mm and 12mm thick it is bigger than the 1655. The white model has black hands with black rings around the hour markers, and the black version has silver hands with silver rings around the makers. The dial is covered by a scratch resistant sapphire crystal with the standard magnifier over the date.

The Ref. 217570 is powered by the in-house automatic Calibre 3187, which beats at 28,800, has a blue Parachrom hairspring, Breguet overcoil, and is protected by Paraflex shock absorbers. The date is an instantaneous jump at 12, the 24-hour hand independently adjustable to display a second time zone. There are 31 jewels and the cal 3187 has a power reserve of 48 hours. The crown is a Twinlock screw-down, and the replica watch has a water resistance of 100m or 330ft. The lume is said to last up to 8 hours after a full charge.

This is very much a modern replica Rolex, not a homage to the Ref. 1655. It’s big but not too much so, sitting comfortably on the wrist, the bracelet with the “Easylink” feature which allows the wearer to fine-tune the fit to within 5mm.

I really like the orange hand, which looks great against the white dial. In comparing it with its immediate predecessor the Ref.16570, my personal preference is for this current model. I like the larger size and for me, the orange hand is a nice nod to its origins, but also thoroughly contemporary in its colour and how it has been realised, with the matching orange text on the dial. What I realised is that this is a replica watch that has to be seen in the flesh; it’s actually a lot more engaging than I had expected it would be. If you’re in the market for a Rolex or a solid sports replica watch of this type, the Explorer II is worth taking a look at.

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Swiss Replica

Hands-on with a vintage DoxaGrafic Replica Watch

Doxa was founded in 1889 by 21 year old Georges Ducommun to create fine pocket replica watches, gradually progressing to fairly conservatively styled wristwatches and garnering a reputation for being a bit of an innovator, through developments such as his patenting of an 8-day replica watch movement in 1908. Interestingly, Bugatti used the Doxa 8-day movement instrument in its iconic Type 35 Bugatti.

On the death of Ducommun in 1936, the company’s ownership moved to his son-in-law Jacques Nardin, grandson of another famous replica watchmaker, Ulysse Nardin. It was Nardin’s stewardship which lead Doxa to diving replica watches, for which the brand has become most widely known in the modern era, most famously for its association with Jacques Cousteau and U.S. Diving Association, which lead to their first groundbreaking diving replica watch, the Sub300t, launched in 1967.

The advent of the quartz replica watch revolution hit the brand hard. Attempts to survive failed, and it ceased operations in 1980, only to be purchased by the Jenny family, and revived.

Against this background, it is almost a little odd that what has become one of its  iconic replica watches was, in fact, not only unusual for the brand, but also for its time. The Grafic of 1957, with its stark dial with a scaled down starburst pattern, was a Bauhaus influenced design born of Pierre Henry’s (Doxa’s Advertising Manager) keenness for a thin, square cased dress replica watch that was non-angular. The trend at the time had been very much for round cases.

Instead of positioning the brand name squarely at the centre of the dial, it was decided to place it at the lower right-hand corner, to give the design even more distinctiveness. The design proved immensely popular, leading to the production of a ladies’ version. Its longeivity was proven when it was re-issued, by popular demand, in 1995. It sold out.

The original Doxa Grafic contained a hand wound 16 jewel calibre 104 movement. This version is  automatic, and in a gold filled case. The size is 31mm x 35 mm, tiny in modern terms, but it sits larger than you would expect.

In 2007, the 50th anniversary of the Grafic was celebrated by Doxa with a re-issue. Available in a steel or yellow plated case, and with a black, brown or silvered dial, it was definitely a more sleekly modern variation of the design, and available in quartz or automatic. Doxa also produced a chronograph version in 2007, but to me, this seems to undermine the entire design integrity of the original, as does the quartz option for the 2007 re-issue, for that matter.

In comparing the 1950s version with the 2007 model, I like the use of black in this particular iteration, but the date window and new placment of the brand name seem a little askew to me; I prefer the original, where both are tucked up in the corners rather than almost being neither here nor there, placement wise.

The original version is an interesting, dressy but retro-funky replica watch. An uncommon beast, but one well worth looking at.

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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.

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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…

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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.