ZENITH SNEAK PEAK AT A NEW CARBON CASED WATCH

This photo was lifted straight from Zenith's FB page.

Seems like using carbon fibre as a case material is the hot thing at the moment.

AP uses forged carbon which is more unique in looks.

This looks more like the usual molded carbon fibre.

Looks good too nonetheless.

From the little picture, I can see that the hands and markers looks like the ones from the Zenith Stratos... but this is without a turning bezel.

Chrono pusher shapes also look new as is the case shape.

Could it be? An iteration of a smaller wearable Stratos in the pipeline?

I would rejoice if it turns out to be true...

No carbon fibre for me though... it will probably cost and arm and a leg.

Bring on the stainless steel!!

LONGINES HYDROCONQUEST REF: L3.642.4.56.6

Since my friend have gotten his Rolex Explorer II, his previous daily wear watch, the Longines Hydroconquest immediately went into cold storage.

Not being a WIS like me, they do not grasp the concept of rotating watches to wear.

So, he decided to loan me the watch for a week just to keep it company, so I took the chance to photograph the watch and also write a simple review.

The watch, Longines Hydroconquest Ref: L3.642.4.56.6

This Longines offering is one of the many in the crowded entry level dive watch market.

A very fiercely contested battleground with brands like Oris, Ball, Hamilton, Tag Heuer and such.

I really like the dial.

Monochrome save for the little red tip of the seconds hand.

Maximizing legibility while keeping a the design original is the order of the day.

Huge 6, 9 and 12 numerals adorned the dial while luminova dots with steel surrounds for the rest.

The hands are fat and sports a unique shape for the hour hand.

The dial is actually sunburst black.

Bezel is 120 clicks uni directional.

Rotating it feels firm and precise.

Bezel insert is aluminium.

Case size is 41mm.

Close up of the hands.

Well polished and sharp angles.

Numerals are filled with luminova as well.

Loving the little red tip on the seconds hand.

Bracelet is 22mm with no taper.

Clasp is single fold with double flip lock.

It also has a diver's extension.

Water resistance rating is etched on the clasp of all places.

Nothing fancy but it will serve it's purpose well.

Middle part of the bracelet is polished.

Signed screw down crown.

The crownguards are pretty prominent.

Very sharp angles.

As with most dive watches, screwed solid back is preferred for the sake of keeping the water resistance rating high.

With that said, this Longines caseback is one of the nicest I have seen in this price point... and higher.

The iconic Hour Glass on wings is ever present.

Engraving is deep and crisp.

The EFCo actually refers to the founder... Ernest Francillon Co.

Hidden behind the caseback is an elabore grade ETA 2824.

Longines being under the Swatch Group umbrella, it makes perfect sense to use a tried and tested ETA movement.

Again, nothing fancy but it gets the job done with minimal fuss.

After wearing the watch sparingly for a week, I must say the watch is really comfortable.

A Swiss Made diver sporting a respectable brand name at their asking price is really enticing.

Big thanks to my friend Albert for loaning me the watch.

I do feel sorry for it if he were to keep this watch in cold storage without rotating it with his Rolex Explorer II.

AD VISIT

A good friend came down from KL recently for the Borneo International Marathon.
Managed to catch up with him and visited an AD for some window shopping.

The Tudor Pelagos.
Still thinking should I or shouldn't I? :-)
Very toolish looking watch.
Just wondering where this is going to fit in my rotation if I were to pull the trigger.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Panda Chronograph.
Also a very nice piece.
Side by side with the Royal Oak 15400.

Surprise surprise... The Audemars Piguet 15202 Jumbo in rose gold.
A very solid and beautiful piece.
The dial in really nice... the Petite Tapisserie dial makes a world of difference compared to the 15400's Grande Tapisserie dial.
Who would've guessed?

I must admit that after wearing the 41mm 15400 for almost a year now, this 39mm jumbo does feel kinda smallish.
Does not tickle my fancy yet... who knows? Maybe in the near future.

All 3 together.
Not bad for an impromptu visit.
And no, I did not buy anything... :-)

FINALLY ARRIVED!!

This box finally made the travel from Taiwan to Kuala Lumpur, then to Kota Kinabalu to me...

Nice big and heavy box protecting the contents...

Plenty of bubble wrap... can you see the content?

Yup... it's the Wotancraft Ammiraglio Vintage MKII Metal Box.
Limited to 100 units.

I must say that I am really impressed by the workmanship of this case.
Metal case is intentionally been made to look vintage.

The results are really magnificent.
The box looks like it's a ammunition cache box that have been transformed into a watch box.
The aged look does not resemble anything like it's intentional.
More like natural... a great feat by Wotancraft.

The inside is nicely constructed with wood and microfibre.
Slots for 6 watches.

A polished metal plate with nice and deep engraving.

The top part of the watch case can be removed revealing a lower compartment for straps, tools and stuff.

A very nice engraving at the bottom of the metal case.
Almost missed this.

A nice gesture by Wotancraft to include a Brass coloured SLC Keyring as a gift.

Overall, it is my opinion that this watch case is worth the USD449 asking price.
The amount of work in the detailing and materials used are all top quality.
Before this, I was using a generic 5 slot watch case... which is all filled.
With this 6 slot watch case in, do I need to fill the empty slot? :-)
If yes... with what?
Well... only time will tell.

ROLEX EXPLORER II NOIRE Ref: 216570

Recently helped a friend to pick up a Rolex Explorer II Ref:216570 black dial.
He was kind enough to let me keep the watch for 2 days just to photograph the watch and also get a general feel of the watch for a simple review.

The watch, Rolex Explorer II Ref:216570

Case size have been upped from the previous 40mm to 42mm now.
Guess there's no turning back from the "watches getting bigger" trend.

The dial is expertly done. Usual Rolex standards.
Glossy dial, Maxi... or should I say "Super Maxi" markers and hands since it's even bigger then the Maxi Submariner and GMTIIc.
It does look proportionate to the 32mm dial size I must say.
The splash of orange on the Freccione 24 hour hand pays homage to the Rolex Ref:1665
Likewise to the Explorer II font, also done in orange.
Very much welcomed and it looks good.
Movement powering this watch is the caliber 3187.
Blue parachrom spring.
Unlike other manufacturers that like to stuff small movements into huge cases, Rolex actually upsized the existing 3186 movement and called it caliber 3187 just for this watch.
With the 3186 being as robust as it is, I can imagine the 3187 being more so since tolerance levels is less rigid if the movement is bigger. (That's just my opinion)

The bezel is sunburst brushed with 24 hour markings.
Bezel is fixed, non rotatable.
Black filled fonts on the bezel cavity looks fat and clear. Highly legible.

The crown is the Rolex Twin lock crown.
Similar to the one found on the Milgauss.
Water resistance rated to 10atm or 100m / 330ft
My friend was really lucky to have a watch that the crown lined up when screwed in. Cool!!
In my ownership experience of my Rolexes, none of them lines up.
They should be standard IMHO.

Bracelet is the usual oyster bracelet with solid links.
Measures 21mm form the lug side to 16mm to the buckle side.
By upsizing the bracelet on the lug side, and also not using the chunky lugs found on the Submariner Ceramic and GMTIIc, the case now looks more in flow with the bracelet.
It also features the easylink extension for those hot and humid days.

The watch does have a bigger wrist presence due to the case upsize.
When worn, it hugs snugly... the flatter caseback helps.
Some side by side shot with my Submariner Ceramic.

Here's a customary wristshot.
Overall, the watch is really beautiful, perfect for daily wear.
With the design moving away from the previous iteration ref: 16570 which is akin to a GMTII minus the rotatable bezel.
Now with a bigger case, differrent 24 hour hand, movement that is exclusive to this model, it can finally stand on it's own.