The QUICKINDICATOR

From Nord Zeitmaschine -

Courtesy of Nord 

And now, gentle reader, I share with you a watch from a watch maker who I greatly admire and respect.

Daniel Nebel represents what is good, and what is right in high end watch making. No glamorous friends of the brand. No crazy partnerships with F1 teams or America's Cup wannabes, just a guy who makes cool stuff. If you find him at a watch show, you will find him and his watches.  Not a retinue of staff, not a flashy goody bag, not hyperbole.

Now, to be fair, these are not for everyone, and with the level of work, attention and craft that goes into them, they are priced accordingly.  So while I can admire Falling Water, I live in the real world where I accept that amazing things sometimes cost what they are REALLY worth, and Mr. Nebel's watches are just that - REALLY WORTH IT.

Whether you have the means and of a mind to purchase, or like me, you just want to marvel at something wonderfully cool, here are the pertinents on the QUICKINDICATOR -

MOVEMENT :
NORD N3, Minutes / hours decentralized / date / 25 jewels and integrated precision-microballbearings / symmetrical 360° winding rotor with integrated winding weights, which are not visible by looking trough the bottom / 28800 vibrations per hour / power reserve to 42 h / basic ETA 2824

VERSIONS :
V1 mechanical parts coated:
white rhodium / blackgold, hand and arrows blue
V2 mechanical parts coated:
blackgold / white rhodium, hand blue
V3 mechanical parts coated:
blackgold / yellowgold, hand and arrows white rhodium
V4 mechanical parts coated:
blackgold / black DLC hand and arrows rosegold / Case black DLC

CASE:
Steel
Bezel and sapphire crystal back secured with 10 screws
Crown with double o-ring seals

DIMENSIONS:
Diameter: 44.3 mm
Height: 15.6mm
Weight: 115 grams (without strap)

GLASSES:
Top: sapphire crystal curved-flat 1.6mm to 2,7mm both sides antireflective, laser engraved numbers. (inner side of the glass)
Bottom: sapphire crystal flat 1.8mm

LIMITED:
V1 limited to 97 pieces, from N° 01 to N° 97
V2 limited to 97 pieces, from N° 01 to N° 97
V3 limited to 97 pieces, from N° 01 to N° 97
V4 limited to 97 pieces, from N° 01 to N° 97

STRAP:
Calf leather strap, with croco-texture, wide 22mm

A Contrarian Choice

Now a few things to bear in mind as you read this - I suffer under no illusions as to the level of esteem that the head of North American communications/PR at Tudor holds me.  But despite that, credit is due when there is something cool out there to share.  And believe it or don't, it's not the latest release that you can read about at all of the other outlets that are apparently in more favor (as they actually receive press releases).

Courtesy of Tudor

This one is pretty dope!  This is the Tudor Style. I appreciate that at the moment there are two schools of thought for men's sport watches.  They either need to be divers, or they need to be thinly veiled Royal Oak/Nautilus/Overseas homages with integrated bracelets.  And hey, if that turns your crank, then on you go! I personally like what I like. And this little wrist bound time-machine speaks to me. 

Just one suggestion to the folks responsible for naming conventions at Tudor - the name Style is really a clanger.  Maybe call it the Prince?  Just throwing it out there.  I am sure now that I've raised the concern they'll jump right on it ; )

If you are similarly contrarian leaning, here are the pertinents -

• 

  Five year Guarantee

  Five-year transferable guarantee with no registration or periodic maintenance checks required

• 

  Case

  41 mm steel case with polished and satin finish

• 

  Movement

  Self-winding mechanical movement, Calibre 2824

• 

  Power Reserve

  Power reserve of approximately 38 hours

• 

  Winding Crown

  Steel screw-down winding crown adorned with the TUDOR logo

  • 

    Waterproofness

    Waterproof to 100 m (330 ft)

  • 

    Bezel

    Fluted bezel in steel

  • 

    Dial

    Burgundy
    
    Date at 3 o’clock

  • 

    Crystal

    Sapphire crystal

  • 

    Bracelet

    Steel bracelet with folding clasp and safety catch

The Arceau Pocket Aaaaaargh!

 From... Hermès?!?

Courtesy of Hermès

So I'm not gonna' lie, this one was more than a bit of a surprise. Typically Hermès has very beautiful enamel work, but usually with more subdued subjects like ponies.  

Courtesy of Hermès

So, it's a T-Rex. And I have to be honest here sports fans, I am conflicted. For those with shorter memories, you may not recall the flap that blew up regarding exotic (Crocodile and Alligator) leather and how it is frequently not-so-humanely obtained. Such was the level of upset that none other than Jane Birken (yes, that Jane Birken, of whom the Birken Bag was named) asked to be disassociated from it.  Per Wikipedia -

In 2015, Birkin wrote a public letter to Hermès requesting her name be removed from the bag,^[41] stating she wanted the company to "debaptise the Birkin Croco until better practices in line with international norms can be put in place," referring to the cruel methods used to acquire the skins for the bags.^[42] Hermès announced soon afterwards that it had satisfied Birkin with new reassurances on this.^[43]

The choice of what could be considered a (albeit distant) relative of the aforementioned animals as the muse was clearly tongue in cheek, but probably not the most self-aware choice.

For the record, I am the proud and happy owner of an Apple Watch Hermès with 2 Hermès replacement straps which I can assure you, I paid full price for. I am an Hermès fan, and I sincerely hope they've learned from the whole experience. So while this is my opinion (i.e. "Sorry, too soon?" the answer is "yes"), I fully appreciate that I am one voice out there, but this one cut too close to the fossil for me.

Courtesy of Hermès

It is a beautiful, and singularly wonderful timekeeper, and the dial is beautiful in its composition. I truly appreciate the attention to detail and work that has gone into creating it.

For those of you looking for that something different, this could be in your wheelhouse.

Here are the pertinents -

One-of-a-kind creation

MOVEMENT

Manufacture Hermès H1924 movement Mechanical self-winding movement, crafted in Switzerland
Diameter: 30mm

Thickness: 8.89mm
Power reserve: 90 hours
Frequency: 21,600 vph (3Hz)
Functions: Hours, minutes, minute repeater, flying tourbillon

CASE

Shape/size: Round, 48 mm in diameter
Material: White gold case and cover
Watch glass: Anti-glare sapphire crystal and caseback Caseback engraved with the inscription “Pièce unique” Water resistance: 3 bar

DIAL

White enamel on a white gold base

COVER

“Aaaaargh” marquetry and leather mosaic motif. Grand Feu enamel eye

LEATHER CORD-STRAP

Medium - green alligator leather