1. The Seiko Spring Drive – A Look Back
Seiko’s Spring Drive movement is regarded as one of the most innovative around. And if you think about it, it really does combine the best of mechanical and quartz movements. For the most part, it works like a regular mechanical movement. It uses a traditional mainspring for energy, but uses a quartz regulator in place of a conventional escapement. The result is a unique electro-mechanical movement that is accurate to a second per day. The Spring Drive movement can be found in a variety of different models, and one of the most striking – and my favorite of them all – is the limited-edition Spring Drive Golden Tuna.
Source: Fratellowatches
2. England players didn’t shine on the pitch but at least their wrists are sparkling!
The UEFA Euro 2016 tournament is on now, and the English team, which was one of the favorites to win, got unexpectedly dumped out of the tournament by Iceland. It was one of the biggest upsets in the tournament’s history, especially when you consider that Iceland only has a population of roughly 335,000 people and have no history, much less experience, in tournament football. The English media were relentless in shaming these players and one of the most damning articles was this one about the expensive watches the players wore. It must be said that their tastes in watches are actually quite decent, pity they didn’t play with the same conviction on the pitch.
Source: The Daily Mail
3. How to Spot a Knockoff Watch, as Explained by Instagram’s Horological Batman
Some of the best watch deals can be found online or from grey market dealers, but there’s always the fear that you are buying a fake. This issue is even more pressing today because the guys making fake watches are getting better and better. These days, there are really good fakes out there that look almost like the real thing. This can be problematic especially if you haven’t done much research on a piece and have no clue what you should be looking out for to determine its authenticity. An Instagram user who goes by the handle @fakewatchbusta has developed a cult following for calling out fake watches posted on Instagram, and here he shares his tips for spotting fake watches.
Source: Gear Patrol
4. Review: STP 1-11
Over a decade ago, the Swatch Group decided that it wanted to cut the supplies of ETA movements to brands outside of the group’s umbrella. The reason for this, ostensibly, was to protect the Swiss Made label and to promote innovation amongst watch brands. As a result of this, other movements jumped in to fill the void left by ETA and one of the newest ones is a company called STP, which happens to be owned by the Fossil Group. Here is an in-depth look at STP’s 1-11 movement, which was designed to be a direct replacement for ETA’s much vaunted 2824 movement.
Source: Watch Guy
5. An Excursion into the Concept of Value in Mechanical Watches
It’s no secret that the watch business is facing tough times. The latest numbers from the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry show that watch exports have fallen again. Watch exports have fallen for the past 9 or so months. As a result, watch brands have come up with ways to boost sales, and one of their strategies is creating more value-for-money pieces. But what exactly is the concept of value? How does one determine it and what should we really think about it? It’s well worth a ponder, especially if you are in the market for a new watch now.
Source: Watches by SJX