From Ocean7: “The OCEAN7 Watch Company has released one of the most affordable handmade Swiss ever made available on the market: the Pilot Chronograph. The Pilot Chronograph features a Swiss ETA 7750 chronograph movement and many desirable features:

Sandblasted, DLC coated case
Swiss ETA 7750 Chronograph Movement
44 mm diameter
15 mm height
Swiss Orange Super Luminova
Domed Sapphire Crystal
PU Rubber Sport Strap with Black, PVD Coated Buckle
Water Resistance – 5atm
22mm Lug Spacing”

40mm Solid 18K White Gold Villeret Case with beautiful blue Sunburst Flinque lacquered dial with retrograde seconds and pointer date complications. Flinque is a technique that involves putting on several layers of translucent lacquer on the dial to create an impression of depth. One of the more exciting features of this timepiece is the In-House Blancpain caliber 7663Q featuring 34 Jewels and 3 Day Power Reserve. Crystal is AR coated Sapphire and the case is Water Resistant to 30m.

Hell of a watch – the dial looks absolutely outstanding!

And the movement looks fantastic too!

Since this is such a limited production, I don’t think it will be in my own budget – but I can always dream can’t I!

Here is a shot of the Zenith 5011 in a Pocket Watch from Zenith:

Research: Do your homework. Know what functions you want and which watches have them. If you just buy on a name, like Rolex, you’ll likely pay too much, and end up with a watch that doesn’t suit you as well as it should.

Reputable Dealer: The lowest price isn’t always the best purchase. A reputable dealer will likely cost a little more, but it’ll come with confidence. Reputable dealers don’t sell fakes, and they replace or refund broken watches.

Warranty or Guarantee: Avoid watches that do not include a guarantee or warranty. Even reputable dealers sell watches “as is,” but the consumer that can afford this kind of risk is better off buying a new watch anyway.

Documentation: Pre-owned luxury watches typically come with documents that detail the ownership history, the servicing history and any relevant historical documentation. Be wary of any luxury watches that do not.

Extra Benefits: Many jewelers and watch vendors include free benefits when they sell their most valuable pre-owned watches. These benefits often include lifetime care, maintenance and polishing, but not repair or batteries.

Fake Watches: If you have any doubt at all that the watch you’re buying is the real deal, stop. Bring in an expert assessor if need be. Counterfeit luxury watches are prevalent, and extremely difficult for the non-expert to detect.

There are two sizes available, a full size mens model at 43mm and a women’s sized model at 36mm. They are also available in two colors: Black and Blue. The photos appear to make the ceramic bezel insert on the blue model look glossy, while the ceramic bezel insert on the black model looks to have a brushed finish. Nice distinguishing features I think.

The watches continue with the integral style bracelets with an option for rubber as well. I like that they don’t have the rounded cushion sides that the older TT1 style had. I think that was my biggest dislike of the previous case. While I owned a couple and did really like them, the rounded case sides eventually started to bother me. Retail on the 43mm model is about $1,900US and $1,850 for the 36mm.

Specs:
Case Size: 43mm or 36mm
Dial Colors: Blue or Black
Case Material: Stainless Steel
Strap: Stainless or Rubber
Movement: Selitta SW-200

Beautiful watch. Some of the interesting features on this one are the red “50″ marker on the new Ceramic dive bezel rings.. Yes, Ceramic! Very cool. If you didn’t figure it out already, the red “50″ is to symbolize the 50th Anniversary. This new version has a Helium “He” periodic symbol on the Helium Escape valve, and also a combination of screws and pins now holding the new Bond Bracelet together. The photos seem to suggest that the new Bond Bracelet is a bit more angular and cut a bit better than before, giving it a fresher look.

Awesome caseback, which is the true highlight of this watch in my opinion. The barrel rifling lines that are the Bond signature as well as the back of a bullet, complete with dimpled primer! The view of that would suggest that you are looking from the back of the barrel rather than the business end.

The watch will feature the Co-Axial Calibre 2507 from Omega, and come in two sizes, 41mm and 36.25mm. The 41mm version will be limited to 11,007 pieces, and the 36.25mm version will be limited to 3,007.

I really like the detail and effort put into this 007 watch!

The Module 2.5 Single is a basic model with no cover to protect from dust. This is important to some people, and less important to others. The outside of the winder is a leatherette, with the inside portions made from “silk fabric”. While it doesn’t feel like silk to me, it is nice to the touch. The winder has a single control on the front allowing you to switch between A (Clockwise), B (Counter-Clockwise) & C (Bi-Directional). The winder is pre-set to 900 TPD, which is just the right amount for most single directional winding movements such as the Valjoux 7750.

There is also a green light on the metal front control. From Wolf Designs Website: “A green light indicates normal winder operation. A red light indicates either low battery power or that the drum is incorrectly turning.” The winder is interesting in that it runs through a cycle of charging up the mainspring, and then into a sleep cycle for 18 hours to allow the mainspring to unwind and discharge stored up energy, which is supposedly better for you watch. Operation is almost completely silent, but with the 18 hour sleep cycle, you can time it to be sleeping when you are!

The cuff locked in and can hold a watch with a strap size of up to 10″! That’s definately most people out there. The cuff compresses via a spring inside. When pushed in, the cuff clicks into place and holds the watch firmly. I have heard of some people having problems with the cuffs not staying in after a while with heavier watches, but that the Wolf Designs customer service fixed the problems quickly and easily when it happened.

There’s the butt-shot! As you can see, a compartment for D-Cell batteries as well as a jack for the AC Adapter. They recommend Lithium batteries as they last twice as long as Alkaline. The watch runs great with the AC Adapter and that’s what I use, however, with Batteries the winder can be put inside a safe as well and kept running, also a nice feature.

Overall its a good bang for buck winder with better-than-basic features and superior build quality. The interior structure of the winder is wood-framed, and the electronics do use fairly sohpisticated timing systems compared to basic winders. Wolf Designs sells these for $195 at regular price and occasionally a deal can be had.

I like my Chronomaster just fine, but this 1969 version has some understated, classic lines that just really call out to me. I will be buying one of these in the near future – just a matter of time!

Specs:
Movement El Primero 4061
Components: 282
Jewels: 31
Frequency: 36,000 VpH – (5 Hz)
Case: Stainless steel
Diameter: 42 mm
Crystal: Box-shaped sapphire crystal with anti-reflection treatment on both sides
Case-back: Transparent sapphire crystal