Article and images contributed by Michael Maximilien:Let’s be honest, Rolex watches are one of the society’s symbol of success around the world. If you want replica hublot watches uk people to know you’ve made it, then get a Rolex. And, this message is universal, it hardly matters where you are on the globe.The Rolex models don’t change much and some are so common that on a recent trip to the http://www.mrjack.co.uk/panerai-radiomir-watches-uk.html US east coast, I counted three of us, in close proximity, wearing Rolexes in the train at Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson airport replica Audemars Piguet uk going from one terminal to the next.

While wearing a Rolex tends to exude this message of “I made it” (intentionally or not), there are however, plenty of other reasons why buying a Rolex is a great investment and will get you on the road to horological satisfaction and connoisseurship When I started my timepiece collection, I consider myself fortunate to have bought a Rolex GMT-Master II (ref. 116713 LN) as my first timepiece. It is one of Rolex’s many iconic designs, and to be frank, it still remains one of my favorite watches to this day.

It’s the measuring stick that I use to compare all of my other acquisitions — those more or less expensive. I love the GMT-Master II for its classic design, its incredible construction, its feel, and of course the impact that it projects when I wear it.Rolex created the first Oyster Perpetual GMT watch in the 1950s for Pan Am pilots who wanted a quick way to check and know the time in different timezones. The classic design has gone through various refinements, but it remains pretty much the same today.

The original Rolex GMT was one of the first watches on the market that could tell time in two timezones at once. Essentially, Rolex added a fourth hand (the green hand with the large arrow head, or the GMT hand) that circles the dial in 24 hours. The great innovation at the time was to create a rotating bezel with 24 hour markers that can be adjusted as one moves to different timezones.

There are two primary ways to make use of the GMT feature. First, with the bezel marker set to 12 o’clock, change the GMT to point to the current Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) which is the same as the timezone in London. Change the hour hands and set it to the current timezone. With the GMT-Master II this is done easily as the minutes move with the GMT hand when the crown (unscrewed) is pulled two positions and the hours hand moves by itself when the crown is in the first position.

When I first saw this Piaget watch almost a year ago it was safely put away behind glass, teasing me with its ‘no-so-thin’ charms. At 43mm wide and just 5.25mm thick, this is a dream come true for people who want a stately looking watch in diameter, but also one that offers an extremely thin profile on the wrist. So thin in fact, that this watch holds the record for being the thinnest automatic watch in the world.

The movement also holds a record for being the thinnest automatic movement (thinnest automatic watch case + thinnest automatic movement). Inside is the Piaget made and designed calibre 1208p – and it is a sexy little wafer. I first wrote about the Piaget Altiplano 43 Automatic watch here.I learned a few things about Piaget when I visited with them in Geneva recently that I didn’t know. I did know that Piaget has been making watch movements for a really long time, but I did not know that they only made watch movements until the 1940s. Piaget would make a movement for other brands to put replica hublot watches uk in those brand’s watches. A lot of the time Piaget didn’t even get to puts its name on the movement. In the 1940s Piaget started to makes its own timepieces and history was made. In fact, some people think of Piaget as only a jewelry maker – when in fact, that division has always come well after their heritage of being a watch movement maker.

It is hard to explain in words just how thin the 1208p automatic movement is. Sure I can tell you that it is 2.35mm thick, but you really need to see it to understand. It literally looks like a replica panerai Radiomir wafer. There is a lot of hard work that goes into making a movement that thin and have it actually work. Part of this is because there is usually some “wiggle” room in a movement for parts to move around. In the 1208p everything is smooshed together. But it is a beautiful sandwich of parts. The solid gold micro-rotor and finishing on the surfaces makes it look like a million bucks.

On the dial side things are more simple. Classic by definition, there is a more designed edge to the Altiplano collection. Sort of like what would happen if a staunch Bauhaus style designer went to live in Paris and then Tokyo for a http://www.mrjack.co.uk/audemars-piguet-watches-uk.html while. This is a minimalist watch in a fine tuxedo. The dial is three stepped with a lowered middle section and done with a matte silvered finish. Hands and hour markers are needle thin batons. The subsidiary seconds dial is a further step lower, off-centered, and contrasts the simple hour makers with Arabic numerals. The only thing I don’t like about the watch is that I feel as though the hour and minute hands should have been longer.

Two significant models that are building a serious following are the military-issue 1945 WWW, RAF 53 and the very rare RCAF chronograph. The RAF 53 was made for a single year for the British air force, and features a 30mm manual wind calibre with centre seconds in a 37mm steel case with fixed lug bars. Dial is a simple black luminescent affair with Arabic numerals and broad sword hands. An earlier series was issued during the Second World War (1945) that had sub-seconds at 6 oclock and a 35mm case. These models are commonly known as W.W.W.s C Wrist Omega Waterproof, as per the military contract. The RCAF chronograph was produced for the Canadian air force, in two issues (1960 and 1962). They were mostly unmarked, featuring a plain white dial with no indication it was made by Omega until you opened it up and checked the movement (some dials do have an Omega logo near 12 oclock). The 1960 edition was 36mm, the 62 38mm. Again, steel cases with fixed lug bars, as per usual military specs. These models are becoming increasingly sought after, but beware C fakes and redials abound!

Then we have the Constellation, Omega s evergreen chronometer series. Beginning in 1952 as the Globemaster (because of http://www.syrauto.co.uk/breitling-navitimer-01-replica-uk.html legal wranglings over the Constellation name), it was an elegant dress model in steel or gold with certified chronometer movements. The earliest models featured modified bumper calibres (3XX series), which were replaced by the now legendary 5XX series automatics. The 5XX calibres are some of the finest movements ever designed, with superb performance and reliability. These are Omega that can run to COSC specs after 40 or 50 years (provided they are serviced regularly). There are a many Constellation variations across the years, but generally the most sought after are the famous pie-pan dial examples (so named for their faceted convex dials) in solid gold, particularly if they have the original gold bracelet. Extreme caution must be exercised, Breitling Avenger II Replica as the Connies are some of the most faked vintage Omegas out there. A casual perusal of eBay will reveal a dozen fake or franken Connies at any given time.

Two lesser-known models that offer a very reasonable entry point for Omega collecting are the Deville and Geneve dress models. The Deville began as a Seamaster model with a monocoque (one piece) case to increase water resistance. The Geneve began as a high-spec dress Omega, but in the 1960s it became an entry level model. By the 70s it was an inexpensive model that used older movements (which is a plus, because the 5XX calibres they used for many years are very good). Devilles are generally very classic with narrow bezels and thin lugs, while Geneves Breitling TransOcean Chronograph Replica are a bit chunkier C later Geneves became sporty watches with beefier cases, and were available with an integrated bracelet. The integrated bracelet versions are one my personal favorites as they have a Gerald Genta-esque look, along the lines of a Royal Oak or a Nautilus C but for a fraction of the price of those models.

As much of a clich as it is, Breitling TransOcean Chronograph Replica we will begin with this note: we are living in the age of the “cyber revolution,” when the content that we consume, read, watch, and listen to is first and foremost produced and made available in a digital form. Even most of the greatest publications of the world have embraced the digital age by publishing their own websites, iPad apps and whatnot; all in an effort to gain back some of the ground they have lost to the digital age.

With all that said, when we do take the time to invest in reading a printed publication C let that be a high-quality magazine, book, atlas or other C we tend to expect something that is beautifully detailed and is presented in a unique, bespoke way. Today, we are looking at something that ticks all those boxes and more, as Theodore Diehl’s large format, 270-page book about highly respected independent watch maker http://www.syrauto.co.uk/breitling-avenger-ii-replica-uk.html Kari Voutilainen provides an in-depth look at not only Kari’s career and awe-inspiring work, but also at what makes independent watchmaking so beautifully intriguing.

Although we have written about Kari Voutilainen a number of times before, for those not entirely familiar with his name, let me very briefly introduce him, so as to show why he is a most suitable nominee to receive a book dedicated to his work and craft. Basically, Kari Voutilainen is noted amongst the greatest master watchmakers in the world as his name has been synonymous with unique movement designs and exceptionally high quality movement decoration.

But let’s not rush so far ahead reitling Navitimer 01 Replica in time: the first of the book’s five chapters is titled “The Watchmaker” and, after a short introduction to the history of Swiss watchmaking, it details the more important dates in Kari’s life and career, starting from his birth in 1962 through his application to the highly regarded WOSTEP school of watchmaking in 1989, until 2002, when he finally set up shop in M?tiers, following a few years of working with Parmigiani Fleurier and teaching at WOSTEP.

The book, however, is by far not just a collection of dates, facts and figures: beyond a more detailed look into the mindset C and the way that develops as a watchmaker proceeds to tackle increasingly difficult tasks up to the point of establishing his own workshop C it also features countless quotes from Kari Voutilainen himself. As anyone who has met Kari will tell you, he is a very modest, humble and honest person, a true introvert C just like most other master craftsmen. And yet, the way that he shares his opinion and experience alone renders this book worthy of our attention.

Chapter two, “The Passion” goes on to tell the story of how the Voutilainen workshop developed over the course of a decade, between 2002 and 2012. It is here where Kari elaborates on how his one-man workshop grew to ultimately become a totally independent manufacture situated in a magnificent chateau, that now provides enough space for Kari and his some dozen-people large team, as well as all machines, offices, and even living quarters. Reading through the pages that told the story of how Kari progressed from his apartment to having this mansion, I felt like I was reading more of a fictional story of an isolated master craftsmen turning out some of the finest items in the world, rather than a biography of a highly professional team that works today… Good thing the beautiful illustrations were there to show that this fantastic story couldn’t be more real.

The Internet is a wonderful thing – it enables all sorts of business and activities, and allows us to more easily gain knowledge on whatever our chosen hobby happens to be. With the watch world, we’ve got no end of sites, personal blogs, and forums to rely on. But sometimes you just want to have a face-to-face chat about watches – and that’s where the Commonwealth Crew comes in.At least, that is, if you are in the Chicago area. The Commonwealth Crew is one of the newest offshoots of the rather popular Red Bar Crew out in New York. For those not familiar, that started out with a couple of guys (Dr. Jeffrey Jacques and Adam Craniotes) getting together to talk watches.

That then turned into a weekly gathering that has seen many people showing up, some amazing pictures of watches out on Instagram, and even some brand participation here and there (the July Chicago meeting saw CT Scuderia sending in some samples). Seeing that success, Paul Lewin and Chase Fancher decided the Windy City needed its own version.

What are these meet-ups about? At the surface level, it just looks like a bunch of watch collectors getting together and showing off their watches – much like you might think about http://www.mrjack.co.uk/omega-watches-uk.html a car show, perhaps. Having attended my first one (and more on that in a bit), I can safely say there is more to it than that. While http://www.mrjack.co.uk/breitling-watches-uk.html it is very cool to see the variety of watches people bring (which can range from Fossil and Disney watches, all the way up to pieces from the likes of Rolex, Audemars Piguet, and Cartier), it is the owners of the watches that are the draw.

If you are like me, you probably do not have many friends who are just all that in to watches. Sure, they might appreciate something you have, but they are not quite immersed in the scene, so to speak. Even with the amazing benefit I have http://www.mrjack.co.uk/hublot-watches-uk.html got corresponding with our aBlogtoWatch team, and people in the industry, it is nice to get out from behind the emails and spend some time chatting over drinks about horology.

Ostensibly, I was a special guest at the Commonwealth Crew event on July 15th (for the record, I had already planned to attend prior to the invite). I went in the capacity of an aBlogtoWatch editor, and I spoke briefly on what it is like to be in that position, and then answered the variety of questions that the crew had. And while, yes, a lot of those questions were aimed at learning more about how watch reviewing works, it was really all in the vein of watch guys wanting to learn more about watches. And frankly, that was plain fun.

Once my short spiel was over, I had plenty of time to talk with others, and learn about their watches and what they enjoy about the pieces. I learned about some details on a Hamilton that you might not otherwise notice, got up close and personal with an Audemars Piguet for the first time, and even saw an iPhone app at work that “places” a watch on your wrist. And those are just a few of the conversations that were had. When you get a bunch of people together who are passionate about a topic, you’re going to find quite a few conversations you can hop into and participate in.

All said, I am rather glad that these sorts of meet-ups have gotten started. While I have attended the Chicago one (and of course there is the New York original), there are also some other groups started up in LA and Toronto, and I have a feeling it will continue to spread. I think if you have an interest in an event like this, try to seek one out in your town (Instagram is a great place to find them, search for flavors of #redbar). And, if they do not have one in your city? Why not start one up? It can be a fun night out, and you will most certainly meet some great people you likely otherwise would not run into.

For those of you who are in the Chicagoland area and are interested in attending, you can get in touch with the organizers at this email address. They do control the membership notification list a little bit, just so they can protect the watch collections showing up (to actually join up, though, it is pretty simple – just an email asking to be on the list). For the Commonwealth Crew, the notices are sent out a few weeks before the upcoming meeting, and then the final details for where and when hit about a week or so prior. I am really glad I was able to get to the July meeting, and hopefully will be a fairly regular attendee, with the next occasion coming up in early August.