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The first Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Compressor I laid my hands on was a Master Compressor Memovox in 2004 and as far as I recall, there were no other Compressor models at that time. I really liked it – and still do – but it seems that the Master Compressor models in general are not as well received by collectors and enthusiasts as the more conservative Reverso and Master collections. I’ve tried and tested Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso and Master watches in the past, but never gave the Master Compressor really a chance.

In the past, we’ve reviewed a couple of Jaeger-LeCoultre watches, like the Gyrotourbillon, the Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2, the Master Minute Repeater, Master Tourbillons and the Reverso Classique. The Master Compressor only got a bit of attention with this photo essay on the Navy Seals Alarm Beverly Hills Boutique edition. However, we never did a hands on review on the Master Compressor before.

Jaeger-LeCoultre was able to hand over a Master Compressor Geographic that I could test and try for a few weeks. The Geographic has always been one of my favorite Jaeger-LeCoultre complications as I have this weak spot for world timer watches. It is a very useful complication, especially when you are traveling through different time zones for business or just for fun. Just to keep track of your home time (to try fight the jet lag) or to stay in touch with people that are in different time zones than yours during their (and your) ‘normal’ hours.

In the past, I’ve been looking at the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Geographic a couple of times, but found it a bit too small for me (diameter = 39mm). This made me even more curious about the Master Compressor Geographic, with a diameter of 41.5mm a perfect modern time companion that will fit most men.

One of the first things you will notice when putting on the JLC Master Compressor ref. Q1718170 are the two large crowns. Jaeger-LeCoultre uses a ‘compressor’ system to make these watches water resistant. In the case of the Geographic, two crowns are being protected and need to be ‘secured’ or ‘unsecured’ by turning the first part – let’s call it the wings of the crown because they are shaped that way – of the crown 180 degrees. You will see that the white arrow on the crown will become a pair of red arrows instead, meaning that it is unsafe to use under water.

Unscrewing the lower crown will rotate the city disc. You can choose (for example) New York and the small hour hand on the sub dial will change to that time zone, this way you don’t have to know the difference in time zones by hours when setting the time zone but just select the city of the country or part of the country you are in. Other time zone watches require you to exactly know the time zone (in hours) of a certain city or place, the Master Compressor Geographic makes it a lot easier for you. The city disc aperture at 6 o’clock is large enough to see some other cities besides the selected one. Perhaps this is done for design reasons, but I also like the fact that you see some other time zones as well, to give a bit of a reference or orientation.

The upper crown sets the ‘regular’ time and the hands of the second time zone sub dial will change along, however, the difference (if any) between the hour hands will remain as set (by having used the lower crown). It may sound a bit complex at first, but it is a very easy system to use and prefer it above some other world timers I’ve seen that require you to do the calculation yourself.

Besides being a very functional and useful watch for travelers, it is also a watch that can be used for displaying time in an elegant way for those who stay at home or don’t travel at all. The AM/PM aperture on the left side of the center indicates whether it is before or after Noon of course. This feature is quite useful for a world timer as you might get confused whether it is earlier or later in the other time zone.

The back of the watch is perhaps just as impressive as the wonderful black dial. Although Jaeger-LeCoultre’s caliber 923 movement would probably be impressive to look at as well, they chose to show that this watch has been tested for 1000 hours with respect to the accuracy of the movement. You are probably all familiar with the COSC (chronometer) certification for movements, but Jaeger-LeCoultre takes the extra step in tightening the range of deviation (-1/+6 seconds per day instead of -4/+6 seconds per day). Furthermore, Jaeger-LeCoultre is testing the movement for accuracy, temperature changes and shocks where the movement is already fitted in the watch case. COSC is only testing the spare movement, which is later on fitted into the watch case by the watch manufacturer again.

Jaeger-LeCoultre develops and manufactures their own movements, as they have done for many many years. They also provide some of their movements to other brands as well. Jaeger-LeCoultre is a true manufacturer and take pride in what they do and have accomplished. Their movements range from time-only function to very impressive complications, as referred to in the beginning of this article (f.e. Gyrotourbillon, Minute Repeater etc).

After two weeks of wearing this watch on a daily basis, there are a few things I can conclude. First of all, the size is perfectly balanced for a sports watch. I also wear my 40mm Rolex Sea-Dweller some times, and that is starting to look a bit too small these days whereas my 39mm Royal Oaks fit me perfectly (they look & feel bigger due to the large lugs and integrated bracelet). So, for a round case, 41.5mm is definitely making sense to me.

Something else that I really enjoyed during these two weeks is the beautiful dial. The black dial with large white numerals and hour markers are great and the sub dials – although not positioned symmetrically – seems to be in balance. The dial still looks clean to me for a world timer watch. The AM/PM and city disc aperture are also very well positioned on the dial and provide perfect readability.

The Master Compressor has two things that made me wonder (before wearing it) whether I would like them or not. The stainless steel bracelet is the first aspect. Although I love bracelets, this bracelet is polished and looks a bit too shiny for my taste. The construction of the bracelet is perfect though and the clasp did not fail during the review period. Personally, I would pick this JLC Geographic with a leather strap (which changes the reference number into Q1718470). Brown calf or an alligator strap, I think both are available at Jaeger-LeCoultre.

The other aspect are the compressor setting crowns on the right side of the case. At first I thought they would be a bit too big or ‘out there’. However, they suit the watch perfectly, are easy to operate and they didn’t have the habit of sticking into my hands (something that other large crowns do).

Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Master Compressor Geographic comes in a few versions. The version as reviewed here, with stainless steel bracelet, has a price tag of 11.200,- Euro. The version that I’d prefer, with a leather strap, has a price tag of 9.900,- Euro. Then there is a beautiful Master Compressor Geographic in rose gold, with a price tag of 36.500,- Euro. The watch I reviewed here doesn’t come cheap, but compared to other world timer watches of true watch manufacturers it is not that steep.

Thanks to Jaeger-LeCoultre for providing the watch. Make sure to visit their Facebook page as well.

From:FratelloWatches RSS

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Urwerk is almost a normal watch manufacturer, because just like many other brands, they’ve included a pocket watch to their collection of impressive timepieces. However, Urwerk wouldn’t be Urwerk if it wasn’t something really special. The UR-1001 Zeit Device is, in their own words, an über complication both measuring and quantifying our era, from a solitary second all the way to a monumental 1,000 years. A 1,000 years? Yes, you’ve read it correctly.

During our visit to BaselWorld 2012 we were able to see this beautiful UR-1001 Zeit Device in the flesh. The first thing you’ll notice when picking up this pocket watch is the weight and the size. The dimensions of this Urwerk 1001 are a whopping 106mm x 62mm x 23mm. The watch is made out of AlTiN treated stainless steel and is restricted to 8 pieces only. AlTiN stands for Aluminium Titanium Nitride and is a perfect alloy for a timepiece as it has an increased resistance against oxidation and is harder than normal stainless steel.

Just like the Urwerk wrist watches, e.g the UR110 and UR202S that we discussed last year (click here), this UR-1001 pocket watch works with the satellite system as well. The whole dial is a play field of orbiting satellites for hours and the day, retrograde hands, day/night and oil indicators and then we didn’t even turned around the watch (yet).

This 340,000.- CHF Urwerk UR-1001 houses 10 complications which are satellite hours and months, running seconds, indicators for minutes (retrograde), date, day/night, power reserve (39 hours), oil change (every 5 years), 100-year and 1000-year.

The 100 and 1000-year indicators are – like the oil change indicator – something similar to the kilometer (or miles) counter in a car. It shows how long a watch have been running in total. Useful? It would be more than interesting to know how long a watch has been running from the start. It is something people (at least we would) wonder when buying a vintage watch for example. Where has it been, how long has it been in use, has it been serviced? The 100-year/1000-year indicator and the oil change indicator give at least some answers to those questions.

The UR-1001 Zeit Device comes with a heavy chain, crafted from the same material as the watch and a desk stand that includes a winder to keep it running. One can argue whether it would make sense to have an automatic movement (caliber UR-10.01) inside a pocket watch, but the winder takes care of that.

And just to demonstrate how large this watch is, we’ve included some photographs here of the Urwerk UR-1001 Zet Device ‘hands on’. Both the front and back are shown on the pictures below, notice the protective cover for the sapphire crystal on the back.

More information about the Urwerk UR-1001 can be found at the offical Urwerk website. Make sure to visit their on-line photo gallery as well, as it has amazing pictures of this watch from every angle and a blow-up diagram of the entire watch as well.

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When you think of Zenith, odds are, you think “El Primero.”  One of the first automatic chronographs to come to market (and certainly the first high-beat, integrated chronograph to come to market) the El Primero is something of a cult movement and certainly the backbone of Zenith, who has enjoyed strong success in the past few years based on the launch of some very complicated pieces like the Striking Tenth Chronograph and Captain Winsor at very reasonable prices. 

While every movement Zenith makes is indeed their own – they are a true manufacture from top to bottom – not every movement they make is an El Primero.  Their Captain line, for example, uses a Zenith “Elite” movement with a VPH (vibrations per hour) of 28,800.  One of the defining traits of the El Primero is that it has a VPH of 36,000.

So, while Zenith did put much of its attention pilots watches and continued with chronographs this year at Basel World 2012, one of the most interesting relases came in the form of a brand new time-only watch called the Espada featuring a time-date movement that they are calling an El Primero, despite the fact it is not a chronograph movement.

The El Primero 4650 B was in fact built to spec of the traditional El Primero chronograph, and beats at 36,000 BPH as one might expect – it just happens to be missing the chronograph function.  What the new Espada offers is the chance to own part of the El Primero history in a three-handed watch.

Sized at 40mm and available in steel, rose gold, and two-tone steel/rose gold in a few different dials, the new Espada will sit above the Elite collection and below the El Primero Chronograph collection in terms of pricing and prestige.  Pricing is expected to start at just above $ 6000 in steel and $ 15,000 in gold.  Does Zenith need two three-handed movements?  We will find out soon enough, though we do expect Zenith fans to be clamoring for this one.

Click through for live pics.

From:HODINKEE

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The Prodigal Fool and Straight-Six sit down to discuss the brand new Transocean Chronograph, a very welcome return to form for Breitling.
Video Rating: 4 / 5

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In the world of the one-handed watch, Meistersinger is king.

For a good few years now they have dominated the (admittedly niche) market of single-handed watches for those after a more relaxed approach to timekeeping. A little while ago Blake got his hands on their Singular – a chronograph with an interesting juxtaposition of to-the-second accuracy in timing and lack thereof in timekeeping.

Of course, if the whimsy of a one-handed watch appeals to you,  you don’t have many options.  And, aesthetically speaking, you’re stuck with the modern dress watch looks that dominate and define the Meistersinger brand.

The Meistersinger we’ve stumbled across today was released earlier this year and represents a pretty significant change in usual visual vibe for the brand. The Neo is Meistersinger doing a vintage watch, and we’ve got to say it looks like they’ve done it very well. Coming in at 36mm and wearing very thin this watch is on point for a look and feel straight out of the 1950s. The only design cue that mars the vintage vibe is the design of the hand, which is a little more modern, and in keeping with other watches from the brand.

From:HODINKEE

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This watch has no hands.  Ressence was launched just last year by Belgian Benoit Mintiens, a revered industrial designer.  He describes his “platform watches” as presenting time in a way that avoid superimposed information and enhances readability based on traditional cognitive patters applied in watches with hands.

What does that mean? It means that instead of having hands that rotate around the dial, Ressence watches have a dial that rotates itself.  The revolving dial indicates the minutes, the sub-dials indicate the hours, seconds, and am-pm.  The sub-dials orbit around a virtual axis similar to the moons around Saturn. 

Each Ressence is based on a modified ETA automatic movement (although you’d never know it) and is sized at 42mm.  The Type 1001 seen in here sells for roughly 9900 euros (excluding VAT).

For more information on Ressence, click here.

Click through for more photographs of the Ressence Type 1001.

From:HODINKEE

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We received a Speedmaster Moonwatch Omega Co-Axial Chronograph to go hands-on with it for a while. Although Omega refers to it as ‘Moonwatch’, it is not of course. When it was introduced during BaselWorld 2011, we covered it as soon as we could (click here) and could not wait to give it a try. It’s here since today and we will test drive it for a while before giving you a detailed report about it.

First impressions are great! The size is good (44.25mm), the bracelet is massive and tiny screws have been used to keep the links in place instead of pins, the caliber 9300 movements looks awesome and we actually like the two registers.

More to come.

Larger versions of these pictures can be found on our FratelloWatches Facebook page. Do not forget to Like! us

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Ask any watch collector to name a few classic chronographs and no doubt that there will be a IWC Flieger Chronograph between the Speedmasters and Daytonas. It is one of the chronographs with the most readable and clean dials available out there, and it has been for years. The only thing about this watch that changed ‘recently’, is the diameter of the watch case and the color of the small seconds hand, it turned red. The diameter was 39mm and has grown to 42mm, a bit more into the ‘here and now’ of watches.

IWC Flieger Chrono ref. 3717-01

Over the last few months, I had the opportunity to try and wear an IWC Flieger Chronograph (or Pilot Chronograph as you wish) that has been treated with the ever so popular Diamond Like Carbon finish. Besides the DLC finish, they also changed the color of the small seconds hand from red into blue and a matching black strap with blue stitches. Although the responses on this particular leather strap from fellow collectors who’ve seen this watch were quite variable, I really loved it.

IWC Pilot Chronograph DLC

The sapphire crystal of the IWC has this blue glare on these pictures, but that’s because of the Anti-Reflective coating that IWC uses for (all) their crystals. With regards to the case of this watch, as you can see above, the DLC finish is not too dark, just enough to make the watch a bit more hard core tool watch than it already was. The blued small second hand doesn’t add anything much, but I think I prefer it over the standard red one.

The size of 42mm sounds actually bigger than it is. I am not familiar with wearing their previous 39mm model, but this one suits me perfectly even though I am used to wearing watches smaller then this. The finish of the watch case is superb and reminds me how fond I was about my IWC Ingenieur ref.3227-1 a few years ago. IWC really does a magnificent job regarding the finish of their watch cases.

IWC Flieger Chronograph DLC

I clearly didn’t follow-up the tips Ming Thein gave in his watch photography tutorial about cleaning watches before photographing them. One thing you’ll notice on this picture and the one below, is that the DLC is quite sensitive to [greasy] finger prints and water stains. You will keep polishing the case with your cuff or shirt if you pay too much attention to them.

This is what I love about this Flieger, a clean and closed stainless steel case back. Although IWC really puts some effort in finishing their movements, I am not very interested in seeing the movement in a watch like this. It would be something different when discussing their 7-days Portguese automatic, but this movement is a work horse. IWC refers to it as their 79320-calibre, based on the famous ETA/Valjoux 7750 movement. When wearing this watch, you will immediately recognize it as a ’7750′ based watch because of the wobble. This wobble is being caused by the heavy spinning in its free direction, as the rotor of this calibre only winds when it is moving in one direction. Movements that have a rotor that winds the spring when turning into both directions, don’t have this effect. Some people like to feel their watches wobbling a bit, others don’t.

The folding clasp has also been finished with the DLC-procedure as you can see. It is one of the nicest and most comfortable folding clasps on a leather strap I’ve experienced so far. The length of the clasp is just fine for me, shorter clasps tend to stick into the backside of my wrist. The satin brushed finish and polished edges of the clasp perfectly match the watch case.

I also would like to pay some attention to the strap on this watch, crafted by Rhein Fils. A very soft and comfortable strap, perfectly suiting the sporty characteristics of the IWC Pilot Chronograph with DLC finish. Personally, I am also very fond of IWC’s stainless steel bracelets, but I am not sure whether I would like it in ‘DLC’.

And here is the wrist shot of the Pilot’s Chronograph. As I wrote earlier, it is one of the classic chronographs and certainly one of the most legible out there. That, combined with the DLC finish makes this particular watch a very pure and functional tool watch. The IWC Pilot Chronograph ref. IW371701 retails for 4.500,- Euro and comes [standard] with an alligator strap and a classic pin buckle. The owner of this watch had it modified by a third party and added a folding clasp to it as well.

More information: www.iwc.ch

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Yesterday in New York, we get a special early look at a watch just announced and shown to the public for the very first time today.  Called the Toric Oval Watch, Parmigiani-Fleurier has designed this exceptional piece as an homage to a famous pocketwatch dating to the early 19th century designed by famed British watchmakers Vardon & Stedmann.  This unique piece was designed with telescoping hands that shortened near 3 and 9 o’clock and lengthened at 12 and 6 o’clock to remain exactly the same distance from the bezel of the oval shaped piece.  Only one of these exceptional watches is known to exist, and it belongs to the Sandoz foundation (more on that to come).  We photographed this original piece along with the new limited edition from Parmigiani. 

The Toric Oval watch from Parmigiani is cased in either white or rose gold and made in an exclusive limited edition of 30 pieces in each metal.  This is the first wristwatch to feature the telescoping hands complication, which is powered form PF’s existing Caliber 111 (comprised of 269 components).  Retaining an eight day power reserve, the cal 111 (dubbed caliber 114 with telescoping hands, which adds an additional 30 components to the movements) pushes the blued titanium hands out and retracts them with little loss of power.  This is a subtle feature of the watch (as seen in the video we shot above) but a rather cool one. 

The cost for this piece will be $ 95,000 when it hits retailers in the coming months.  Click through for more lives pics of both the original pocketwatch with telescoping hands plus the new watch from Parmigiani.  You’ll also find the official image of the new piece below.

From:HODINKEE

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WTF Alpina? Seriously, is this a joke? Does this watch suffer from hereditary dwarfism? Can you even call a 44mm wide watch a dwarf? Oh, I am sorry, I meant “little watch.” No, the watch is the right size, but the hands, those sad pathetic looking hands, are shrunken at the least. Look at them looking all sad? Even the chronograph subdial hands feel bigger.

I have no clue what Alpina was thinking when their designer approved the hands on this Startimer Classic Automatic Chronograph watch. More like TinyTimer. This is exactly the type of crap that pisses me off. This watch makes me want to yell obscenities. Everything else about this watch is fine if you are going for that retro chronograph watch look – but those hands, what the hell is up with those stupid tiny hands? This isn’t just a mistake, this is horological abuse.

Do I need to even explain to anyone why or how the hour, minute, and chronograph seconds hands are small beyond excuse? Maybe this is a joke. Maybe Alpina is just messing with me. I can see them in Geneva giggling like 7th grade pranksters. “E-mail it to Ariel, make sure he thinks it is serious! Huh hu, he is gonna flip!” It wouldn’t be the first time…

The watch dial even has a pulsograph for measuring pulse. Pretty worthless with those hands. The chronograph seconds hand only goes so far as the start of the hour indicators. WHY?! Screw it, I don’t even want to be nice or attempt to figure this out anymore. If you are the person who designed this dial then please never be in the same room with me. You not only embarrass an otherwise decent brand, but you display with incredible clarity just how inept you are a watch or industrial designer. Go back to making dollhouses. Repugnant. This watch gives me vertigo and makes we want to give up analog watches altogether and buy a digital Casio.

If you haven’t had enough short-handedness or simply don’t get the point of what I am saying, click over here for more.

From:aBlogtoRead.com

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