Blake & Mortimer “By Jove”

From RESERVOIR -

Courtesy of RESERVOIR Watches

Now I would be less-than-forthright if I did not share with you, gentle reader, that until yesterday I had not heard of Blake & Mortimer. But I did a little research (something that used to come standard in watch coverage) and learned that this brave duo spent many of the early post war years (starting in 1946) battling the machinations of Colonel Olrik -

Courtesy of Wikipedia

Okay, admit it, you're interested ; )

Shamelessly Borrowed from the World Wide Infoweb

I am a Tintin fanatic, and therefore I do find it interesting that I had never heard of these guys.  But for those of you as under informed as myself, you can read more about them here on their Wikipedia page.  And for those of you with better French language skills than yours truly, you can check out their official page here -

https://www.dargaud.com/bd/blake-mortimer?/

But back to the watch itself -

Courtesy of RESERVOIR Watches

To mark the 75th anniversary of Blake & Mortimer, RESERVOIR has created this fun jumping hour / retrograde time machine.

The dial and hand pay tribute to the heroes of Edgar P. Jacobs comic series. The case is of stainless steel and measures 41.5 mm in diameter.  The movement is based on ETA's 2824-2, with a patented module to enable the jump hour and retrograde functions.

This watch is slated to deliver in December (only a few months away).

Read all about it here -

https://www.reservoir-watch.com/en/watches/partnership/blake-and-mortimer-by-jove/

Ocean Star Decrompression Timer 1961 "2 Electric Boogaloo"

So Mido has once again caught most of us by surprise with another unexpected drop. In fairness, one intrepid soul at Fratello got his hands on a review sample and provided a good outline which you can find here -

https://www.fratellowatches.com/mido-ocean-star-decompression-timer-1961/

For me, this one is much closer to the sweet spot than the black dialed predecessor.  In fairness, your mileage may vary, but this one is a bit special.

Courtesy of Mido

Rolex, Omega and Breitling all make mighty fine dive watches. But there is a certain constancy, a certain vanilla factor to them. They tend to play it safe rather than go deep. There is something almost contrary about this one. 

Courtesy of Mido

Yes, it is a "tribute" and that certainly comes with its own share of baggage. That being said, I have always preferred pistachio ; )

Courtesy of Mido

The case is of stainless steel and measures 40 mm in diameter. Water resistance is rated to 200 meters. The movement is listed as the Mido Caliber 80, otherwise known as an ETA C07.621

Courtesy of Mido

This one is limited to 1,961 pieces (if I have understood correctly) and is set to drop in November. Priced at a tantalizing CHF1,130.00

The Diplomat

From Hager Watches -

Courtesy of Hager Watches

This is a new release/pre-order 5 years in the making. In speaking with Pete, the owner of Hager Watches, he made it clear that this is something that he has wanted to make for some time, but one thing or another always got in the way. Until now!  Finally, at long last the Hager Diplomat is available for pre-order, and I thought I would focus on my personal favorite.

You can secure yours now with a 50% deposit.

Here are the pertinents for the small second version -

Technical Details Small Seconds

Case  

40mm Diameter: Thickness: 9.3mm; Length: 48.5mm

AISI 316L polished steel with exhibition casebook

Scratch resistant domed sapphire crystal

Dial

Convex Gradient Fumé sunburst dial

Movement

MD7081 (American Clone of the 2824) Assembled in the US

Functions

Hours, minutes, small seconds (Seconds at Six) hacking

Bracelet

20mm leather strap with a stainless steel tang buckle that matches the dial of the models.

Water Resistance

5 atm = 50 meters