In the month of May, we pay a visit to Chopard’s workshops and also check out their new L.U.C Tourbillon Qualite Fleurier Watch, which uses Fairmined gold. Speaking of new watches, we also check out Patek Philippe’s awesome new Reference 5990/1A Nautilus watch; Seiko’s fast-beating Hi-Beat 36,000 GMT watch; and the most affordable Legacy Machine from MB&F yet. That’s not all, we also examine the history of dive watch; analyze the second-hand watch mark; and attempt to engrave the caseback of Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso.
1. The History Of Dive Watches
The dive watch as we know it is one of the most popular types of watches today. Rolex’s Submariner, Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms, Panerai’s Radiomir and Seiko’s Monster are all examples of popular watches that are also bona fide dive watches. However, the history of the dive watch is an interesting one. One that was born out of necessity–because early watches were highly susceptible to humidity and dust–and then later led to greater things. In that sense, one could also say that the history of dive watches is also, partly, the history of watches. If the history of watches, interests you, this is one article you should not miss.
Source: aBlogtoWatch
2. Patek Philippe 5990/1A (5990) Nautilus Steel Watch Hands-On
The Nautilus 5990/1A is one of two high complication stainless steel watches that Patek Philippe debuted at Baselworld 2014 and this watch features the chronograph and travel time complications. Combining these two complications required Patek Philippe to come up with a new movement and powering the watch is the all-new CH 28-520 C FUS automatic movement, which beats at a very modern 4Hz and is made up of 370 components. Power reserve is a respectable 55 hours. It’s a brand new stainless steel Patek Philippe, so you know you want to know more about this watch.
Source: aBlogtoWatch
3. Grand Seiko Hi-Beat 36,000 GMT Watch Hands-On
Grand Seiko is famous for its “hi-beat” movements with 36,000 bph rates. And as we all know, a faster rate can help improve chronometric performance by averaging out errors and allowing the movement to quickly recover from shocks. New for 2014 is the Grand Seiko’s Hi-Beat 36,000 GMT watch, which comes in three references and can be differentiated by their different colored dials. My favorite is the limited edition SBGJ005, which has a unique green dial and yellow GMT hand.
Source: aBlogtoWatch
4. Jaeger-LeCoultre Grande Reverso Ultra-Thin 1931 Chocolate Watch Review
Jaeger-LeCoultre is famous for a lot of things. After all, it is not called La Grande Maison for nothing. That said, the Reverso is arguably the brand’s most famous model, and this year saw the release of the new Grande Reverso Ultra Thin 1931 Chocolate, which features a chocolate brown dial that looks absolutely creamy. If you are looking for a classic dress watch, but with a unique twist, I think this checks all the boxes. Check out our full review here.
Source: aBlogtoWatch
5. MB&F LM101 Wach Is Entry Level Legacy Machine
Any MB&F watch is worth sitting up and taking notice of, and this is even more true when the watch in question is their “most affordable” Legacy Machine watch yet. To be absolutely clear, we mean “most affordable” in the relative sense. The earlier LM1 and LM2 watches were around $90,000 and $150,000 respectively. Still, this new LM101 watch is significantly cheaper and has not lost any bit of the drama and visual flair that its two more costly siblings have.
Source: aBlogtoWatch
6. Chopard L.U.C Tourbillon Qualite Fleurier Watch With Fairmined Gold Hands-On
Corporate social responsibility is something that all companies strive for and Chopard is putting its money where its mouth is, because its new L.U.C Tourbillon Qualite Fleurier Watch is the first watch to use Fairmined Gold. Briefly put, Fairmined gold is gold that has been mined in accordance with Fairmined standards that ensure social development, environmental protection, and economic development for mining communities. It’s a thoughtful thing to do by Chopard. That aside, this gorgeous tourbillon watch also has the Qualite Fleurier seal.
Source: aBlogtoWatch