July has been a rather exciting month because Tudor has finally announced the highly anticipated follow-up to the first Black Bay 58 of 2018. I am, of course, referring to the Black Bay 58 “Navy Blue.” It’s nothing groundbreaking, but it’s Tudor giving fans what they want, and it will no doubt be one of the hottest watches of the year. Still on the topic of dive watches, we also asked a trained commercial diver if saturation divers absolutely need a watch with a helium escape valve to go diving.

From around the Web, we go behind the scenes to learn about the art of making Milanese bracelets by hand. Apparently, only one workshop remains in Geneva that still does this. And we take a look at some of the most iconic and interesting watch boxes that have accompanied watches. Admittedly, most watch boxes are a waste of resources, but there are others that totally elevate the watch. You see some of them here in this roundup.

1. HANDS-ON: TUDOR BLACK BAY FIFTY EIGHT ‘BB58’ BLUE WATCH

The hottest new watch of the past month must be Tudor’s new Black Bay Fifty Eight Blue. Considering the popularity of the first Black Bay Fifty Eight, a follow-up model was always going to be a no-brainer. Everything we like about the first Black Bay Fifty Eight is here — the vintage-inspired 39mm case, iconic Snowflake hour hand, in-house COSC-certified in-house movement — the only difference is that all the glitz is gone and, in its place, we have a rich blue dial, bezel, and more contemporary silver hour markers and hands. Take a closer look at what is sure to be another best-seller for Tudor.

Source: aBlogtoWatch

2. CONFESSIONS OF A COMMERCIAL DIVER: THE FINAL WORD ON THE HELIUM RELEASE VALVE

Ah, the helium escape valve. Is there anything more controversial in the world of diving watches than this little contraption? As a quick recap, the helium escape valve is a device found in dive watches designed for saturation diving. Its sole purpose is to prevent helium gas from building up in the watch. It was developed in the Sixties by Rolex for the earliest saturation diving experiments. So, the million-dollar question is: Do we really need it for saturation diving? Let’s hear the answer from a trained commercial diver.

Source: aBlogtoWatch

3. WATCH REVIEW: CASIO G-SHOCK MOVE GBD-H1000 GPS HEART-RATE MONITOR

Whether you like it or not, smartwatches are a thing now, and the GBD-H1000 is Casio’s and G-Shock’s take on this genre. Like all G-Shocks, the GBD-H1000 is one tough cookie. It’s water-resistant to 200 meters and highly shock-resistant. And apart from showing notifications from your smartphone, it also has a built-in heart rate sensor, GPS, altimeter, compass, thermometer, and accelerometer. All this means it can track your workouts accurately, as well as display your VO2 max calculations. There’s a good chance this is the world’s toughest activity tracker/smartwatch. Read the full review in the link below.

Source: aBlogtoWatch

4. SEIKO CREDOR DEBUTS LIMITED-EDITION LINEALX IMARI NABESHIMAYAKI

One of the fascinating things about high-end Seiko watches is how they often incorporate some facet of Japanese history and culture. This is especially appealing if you are a Japanophile. The latest watch to do this is the Credor Linealx Imari Nabeshimayaki. It’s based on Credor’s ultra-thin Lineal X watch and it’s so-called because the dial features Imari Nabeshima porcelain. Little flakes of gold, platinum, and white pearl are then arranged in a pattern that resembles the plume of a waterfall. And that’s not all — the leather strap comes from a tannery based in Kyoto and also features an ultra-thin in-house hand-wound movement that’s just 1.98mm-thin.

Source: aBlogtoWatch

5. WATCH REVIEW: ZELOS HORIZONS V2 GMT 200M TEAL

In a short span of a couple of years, Zelos has firmly established itself as one of the most prominent watch microbrands. One of its reasons for success, I think, is because the brand listens to customers. They take feedback seriously, and the brand’s new Horizons V2 GMT watch is a fine example of that attitude to business. The watch features a contemporary 40mm case, a boxed sapphire crystal, a lumed sapphire bezel, and a Swiss-made ETA 2893-2 movement with a GMT complication. These are features that are much appreciated by enthusiasts. Hit the link below to take a closer look at the watch.

Source: aBlogtoWatch