A Visit To The OMEGA Museum In Bienne

Nov
18

A visit to the OMEGA Museum was on my ToDo list as soon as I bought my first vintage Omega watch in 1999. In the past, I had mailed several occasions with Marco Richon (former curator of the museum) and John Diethelm (archives of Omega), but it never came to a visit to their museum in Bienne.

Just recently, the Omega museum has been refurbished and a new curator (Brandon Thomas) has been appointed. Omega invited me over to come to visit their new museum and two factory visits to see how their Co-Axial movements are manufactured.

Together with the guys from aBlogtoRead, Hodinkee, Les Rhabilleurs and WatchingHorology we headed to Bienne, Switzerland, to see these treasures of one of my favorite brands. This blog article only covers the museum visit, more on the factory visits will follow soon.

The original museum (it was totally refurbished early 2010) opened its doors in 1984, being the oldest museum dedicated to a single watch brand. The location always was the same, right across Omega’s HQ in Bienne. Our guide, Brandon Thomas, introduced himself and started the tour in a room that was packed with historical watches and movements. It even included the work bench of Louis Brandt, where he began in 1848, over 160 years ago.

The center display on the picture above was packed with Omega movements, from the first Calibre 19″ that gave the name (Louis Brandt & Frere – OMEGA Watch Co) to their company in 1903 via the  popular caliber 55x and 56x movements to their current Co-Axial in-house movements.

This first room also includes a number of historical wrist watches like the Omega Centenary, the predecessor of the Constellation, the water resistant Omega Marine (pictured below), 30T2 chronometer watches and enamel dialed watches from the 1950s.

Besides a long history on mechanical wonders, Omega is of course also famous for their Olympic Games time measuring, the Speedmaster being the watch worn on the Moon and the Seamaster being a sporty and professional diving watch. The main room of the museum is packed with watches that were in space, under water (there is even a display with COMEX equipment and an official COMEX Seamaster), on the wrist of several James Bond’s and timing equipment used for the Olympic Games.

One of the things that impressed me most was the number of watches that were actually used by astronauts, movie actors, royal family, presidents and other people. What about President Nixon’s watch? It was number One of the gold Speedmaster Professionals (out of 1,014) that we reported about before (click here to read that article).

Perhaps more famous are the Speedmasters worn by astronauts. Below you’ll see the Speedmaster watches of NASA astronauts Richard Gordon (on a glove) and Eugene Cernan, where Gordon wore a ref.105.012 and Cernan a ref.105.003 model. As you can see, the 105.003 Speedmaster pre-Professional of Cernan was put on a JB Champion bracelet. Gordon’s Speedmaster was worn on the official NASA Velcro strap.

Besides these NASA watches, the Omega museum also features a part of an original NASA control room center. Lifting the top, all we saw was a few wires and electrical circuits, in total less power than a modern Apple iPhone has.

Modern Speedmaster watches are also presented in the museum of course, like the skeletonized Speedmaster as pictured below or the X-33 prototypes. On the opposite of the museum’s reception, there was a room filled with watches from the current Omega collection. We are pretty sure though, that your visit will be mainly about the historical models.

Although we have a lot more photos of the Omega museum – more on that later – we would like to end this blog post with the Omega Seamaster Professional featured in The World Is Not Enough. Yes, the lights are real and flashing. How it works? You need to check Fratellowatches Facebook album. : )

In total, I shot 125 photos in the Omega Museum,buy watch, all can be viewed by visiting the Fratellowatches Facebook album. Make sure to ‘Like’ the Fratellowatches FB page! More on the factory visits soon, these visits have made me even more enthusiastic about the brand from Bienne.

Furthermore, I would like to thank Omega for organizing yet another great event (like the Capri event earlier this year). I can recommend a visit to the Omega museum any time, even for the people or collectors who are lesser focused on this brand, it will be an interesting experience.

The OMEGA museum is open Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. except on public holidays. Entrance is free of charge and guided visits are available in English, French or German. More information can be found at:

omegamuseum.com

facebook.com/omega

twitter.com/omegawatches

youtube.com/omega

Click here to go to the Fratellowatches Facebook Photoalbum for the complete photo report.

• 乱乱的

Fill in the Blank The Nancy Gonzalez Croc & Fox Tote is…

Nancy Gonzalez Croc & Fox Tote, $3950 via Neiman Marcus

Nancy Gonzalez usually wows the fashion crowd with her simple, wearable, exotic bags. But even the best fall down sometimes, and I’m afraid this is one of those times for the queen of exotics.

How is this bag on back order? BACK ORDER. That means people already paid $3,950 for this crocodile and fox fur tote and are anxiously awaiting its arrival. I’m trying not to knock it,cheap designer purses wholesale, but I simply cannot get on board with this design. Brown crocodile skin peeks out from behind the Pomeranian-esque fox fur. What better way to describe this bag then to turn to you and ask you to fill in the blank for us. Order via Neiman Marcus for $3,950.

Fill in the blank: The Nancy Gonzalez Croc & Fox Tote is ___________.

• New Site Dedicated to Fossil Wrist PDA Software_468

New Site Dedicated to Fossil Wrist PDA Software_468

New Site Dedicated to Fossil Wrist PDA Software

BEIKS, developers of applications
for various mobile platforms, recently announced
a new site specifically
for the Fossil Wrist PDA. Fossil launched the long-awaited Wrist PDA in early
January,u.s. handbag factories, and as of the time of this writing, is completely sold out. The Fossil
Wrist PDA already comes with standard personal information management applications
like Address Book, Date Book, To Do List, Memo Pad, and Calculator, however since
the watch runs the Palm OS (version 4.1), users can install third-party software
to extend its functionality. Although Fossil claims that the Wrist PDA will run
most Palm OS applications, they also recommend sticking with software "designed
to take advantage of the special features of the Wrist PDA such as the Rocker Switch
and the larger font sets."

So far, BEIKS only has two applications listed on their new Fossil Wrist PDA site: A+,
a suite of five productivity and functionality enhancements for the Wrist PDA,
and Karateka,
a remake of an old Commodore fighting game.

Fossil is apparently expecting other third-party vendors to start offering software
specifically for the Fossil Wrist PDA as evidenced by the Wrist
PDA Software "Coming Soon" page on their site. For those of you who can't wait
for long software development and testing cycles, or simply prefer to build rather
than buy, Fossil offers the Wrist
PDA Software Development Kit (SDK) for free.

• The New Rolex Yacht-Master II_330

Review of the MTM Special Ops Watch_389

Review of the MTM Special Ops Watch

View the Special Ops Watch photo gallery.

The MTM Special Ops watch is a nice-looking, rugged, functional timepiece. Apparently having previously only been available to the military and to law enforcement agencies (the Secret Service, Navy Seals, Air Force, Delta Force, Army Rangers, Special Forces, Swat Teams, FBI, DEA, Police Officers, SAS, and Special Forces worldwide), Multi Time Machine, Inc. is now making the Special Ops watch available to the general public.

The fist thing you will notice about the MTM Special Ops watch is its weight. If you prefer light-weight, inconspicuous timepieces, the Special Ops is not for you. If you like your watches substantial and solid, keep reading. The watch isn’t so heavy that you will eventually lose the use of your left arm, but the Special Ops is a dense and solid piece of stainless steel.

The next thing you will notice,rolex 8570f price, after removing the watch from its packaging, is that the MTM Special Ops is a pretty nice-looking watch. It’s not Rolex or Breitling good-looking, but it’s unique and handsome. All three hands are easy to see against the black dial, and the Arabic numeral hour markers are large and clear. The 12, 4, and 8 are interrupted by the watch’s lighting system (more on this topic below), but if you don’t know where the 12, 4, and 8 are on your watch, you should probably just be wearing a digital, anyway.

The next thing you should notice about your new watch is that you won’t have to take it to a jeweler to get it resized. This is something I really have to commend MTM for. Having to get a watch sized at a jeweler is extremely inconvenient. More and more watches are available over the internet, so having to take them somewhere to get them sized after they arrive in the mail can be a huge downer. And I’ve found jewelers can be compete jerks about sizing watches that weren’t purchased in their shop, or they will charge ridiculous amounts of money (or both). The MTM Special Ops watch, on the other hand, is simple to size right at home. It comes with a small hex key that you use to easily remove pins from links. And if you gain or lose weight, give the watch away, or eventually sell or trade it, it can easily be readjusted. (The only other watch I’ve come across that the owner is encouraged to resize himself is the YES watch. I should also say that I can resize most watches myself, but that’s because I’ve had no choice but to learn. Unless the watch is designed to be sized at home, I always recommend taking it to a nice and cooperative jeweler, if you can find one.)

One subtle characteristic of the MTM Special Ops watch that I like is that the second hand stops when you set the time. It drives me crazy when second hands don’t stop when the crown is fully extended because I like to set watches down to the second. The Special Ops watch is not amazingly accurate (±20 seconds per month — pretty standard for a mid-range quartz watch), but I don’t mind resetting a watch each month or so to keep it accurate to within a couple seconds. I was also impressed with how easy the crown is to unscrew and pull out. The crown is large and textured, making it easy to grip and maneuver, most likely so that it can even be operated while wearing gloves.

Features of the MTM Special Ops Watch

Dial illumination. Press the button above the crown once, and the three LEDs at the 12, 4, and 8 o’clock positions bathe the face of the watch in a gentle blue hue, allowing you to easily read the time in complete darkness for about 5 seconds until it fades out. The hour and minute hands of the watch, and the hour markers, are coated in luminescence paint for additional readability in low light, but the dial illumination feature is really the way to go for quick and easy reading in the dark. External illumination. This is really the feature that makes this watch special. Press the illumination button above the crown a second time, and the LEDs at the 12, 4, and 8 o’clock positions turn orange and increase massively in intensity to turn the face of your watch into a miniature torch which can be used for reading things like maps or notes, or for signaling other parties up to a full mile away. In this mode, the watch will remain illuminated for up to 20 seconds, or until you press the button again. Make sure you aren’t looking directly into the face of the watch while in external illumination mode or you will be seeing three bright orange dots whenever you close your eyes for hours. In fact, an undocumented use of this watch might be blinding assailants. Rechargeable. The MTM Special Ops watch contains a rechargeable battery. The watch recharges by being placed on a sort of pedestal or a dock where the back of the case rests on the charger, and the bracelet hangs down below. The watch does not charge through metal contacts, but rather through an elegant electromagnetic charging system, which means the battery is actually charged through the caseback (some Seiko Kinetic watches can be charged this way, as well as the Fossil Wrist Net watch). It takes about 8 hours to fully charge (plan ahead and charge it while you sleep), and will run for approximately one month on a single charge, assuming you use the dial illumination and the external illumination systems an average of once per day. Rotating bezel. The MTM Special Ops watch has a unidirectional rotating bezel to allow you to use the watch for timing purposes. Double locking clasp. The clasp on the MTM Special Ops watch has a double locking mechanism which feels very secure and robust. Low power indicator. The Special Ops watch uses the second to indicate that the watch needs to be charged. When the second hand starts jumping ahead 2 seconds (every two seconds, which means it is still keeping accurate time), your watch is telling you that you have a few days worth of juice left. Once the second hand starts jumping ahead in increments of four, you have a matter of hours to get the watch recharged. Once the watch stops, well, I think that’s pretty self-explanatory. You waited too long. Water-resistant to 100 meters, or 330 feet. The crown screws down and the caseback locks down to keep the case water-tight.

If you like what you have been reading, you are probably wondering how to get an MTM Special Ops watch. They are only available online, and only from the Special Ops Watch site . There are two models available: The Thunder Hawk, and the Black Hawk (pictured here), and both models go for $395.00, or $404.95 after shipping. If you have a need for the external illumination feature, and you want a nice, solid, heavy stainless steel watch, I think you will be very pleased with the MTM Special Ops.

Additional Resources

Special Ops Watch photo gallery. Review of the MTM Black Seal Xtreme Dive Watch. Special Ops Watch home page. About MTM.

By Christian Cantrell

• 汤怀原 我与超级QQ共同成长

Review of the Casio Edifice EQW-M1000DB-1ACR_182

Review of the Casio Edifice EQW-M1000DB-1ACR

Today's review is of the Casio Edifice EQW-M1000DB-1ACR, introduced at Basel 2009. It's a multifunction analog quartz watch with an unusual dial.

Specifications:

Six-band atomic set (Japan, US, UK, Germany and China – state of the art). Tough solar power. This is Casio's G-Shock technology, meaning its shock-resistant solar power with a rechargeable battery.   Five motors driving the various hands and dials. World time (29 cities, as seen around the chapter ring).  Daily alarm. 1/20th of a second stopwatch. Countdown timer. PVD-plated tachemeter bezel. Stainless steel case, and solid-link bracelet with push release. Mineral crystal.

Keep reading for the rest of the review and pictures.

In my opinion, this watch represents Casio's competition to the Oceanus models. It's got a very similar feature set and a list price of $450. What sets it apart immediately is the striking two-level dial. As you can see, the lower left portion is about 3mm lower than the rest, showing an asymmetric 24-hour dial that mostly looks cool. It also resembles the structure of a balance wheel in a mechanical watch, which I suspect was deliberate. The upper dial level is translucent, showing a bit of the under-structure,rolex replica, and the overall effect is pleasant and intriguing.

There are several design touches around the dial to note: the applied hour markers at 2, 4, 8 and 10 o'clock that resemble slotted screw heads, the nice even PVD finish on the contrasting bezel, the unusual use of a marker-on-dial for the indicator at 10 o'clock, and the deeply inset 24-hour dial at 2 o'clock. A lot of thought and effort went into how the watch presents, which is something you'll appreciate as you wear it long-term.

In terms of function, this Casio is, as you'd expect, a laundry list of awesome. No one does quartz like Casio, Citizen, and Seiko — as of this posting there isn't another manufacture that has radio-reception, solar and multi-motor analog. The triple play of solar, atomic, and quartz means that you never have to change the battery, never have to set the time, and never have to sweat when daylight savings takes effect. OK, you might need to if you're outside radio reception. However, six-band receive means that even less of the Earth is in that category. Rounding out the feature list with alarm and countdown means there's nothing to miss here.

I think Casio aimed this watch at someone who travels and wants a single watch. It straddles the border between dressy and sporty quite well; I consider it unobtrusive in both settings. The low-profile shape and sleek bezel let it slip without effort under dress shirts, and the stainless steel and 100m (330ft) water resistance mean it's good for everything short of a full SCUBA dive. The bracelet is solid, comfortable, and has a simple two-button side release, which lacks the flip lock of more sporty watches. Since it has standard lugs,quality replica watch, you can also change it out for a strap if you like. Given the dial complexity, the hands are easy to read at a glance. The dark red seconds hand also presents a nice bit of color without being too obvious. The 2 o'clock dial, used for the second time zone, countdown timer and stopwatch, is a bit small to read precisely,replica rolex watch for sale, so if you really need exact timing, you might be better off with a digital dial. The dial indicator at 10 o'clock spins once per second in stopwatch mode, making a interesting whirl of light from the grooves before stopping after one minute elapses. (When you stop the stopwatch,replica rolex submariner, it spins to the final reading.) Weight is reasonable at 160g, and the watch is well-balanced by the mass of the bracelet.

From the sides, you can see the button guards and buttons. The right-side button has the Casio logo on it — a nice touch.

Overall, this is an excellent maintenance-free watch for those who want a bit of style without trying to show off. The 3D dial gives you something to appreciate in a unique style, and the solid Casio movement means never having to worry about the timekeeping. The list price of $450 is good value, and you can probably find it online for even less. Casio for the win!

Our thanks to Casio PR for the loan of this review unit. Much appreciated.

By Paul Hubbard

• Sinn Finanzplatzuhr Modell 6000 Anniversary II an
• The Ultimate Rolex Daytona Book

HourTime Show Watch Podcast Episode 64

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We discuss the interesting story of the terrorist's Casio, my hands-on review of the Devon Tread 1,discount rolex watch,replica fake rolex,rolex replica, and some other flights of fancy.

Listen to the HourTime Show watch podcast episode 64 here.

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Tissot T-Navigator Automatic & Chronograph Watches

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Tissot offers up a new T-Navigator watch for 2011 and it is a very desirable collection of timepieces. Relatively affordable and good looking, this range is going to find itself on a lot of wrists. The first thing that I noticed, aside from the aviator style dial, is the amount of detail that went into the case. Most aviator watches have rather blase, ho-hum cases that aren't very exciting. Offering a more technical and modern interpretation of the classic aviator, Tissot ensures that the cases themselves are as interesting as the dials.

Whether or not you like the cases is a matter of taste, but the crisp cut lines and alternating finishes is interesting. The crown and chronograph pusher designs aren't bad either. Coming in two versions, the cases are 43mm wide in steel. Tissot gives these T-Navigators rotating navigational bezels - the style of which is good, but I would have preferred 60 minute dive-style counters as I find those to be more useful. The bezels are well-designed and in black PVD coated steel.

Each of the models will be available with black and white or black and orange dials. Choosing one is going to be a hard choice. The orange is more bold and fun while the white is better as a daily wear. An interesting design feature on the back of the watch showcases a turbine style exhibition caseback allowing you to see the automatic rotor between the blades. The effect is cool and it is impossible to not compare it with Perrelet's Turbine collection of watches.

The Swatch Group is all hot and bothered for their still new ETA caliber C01.211 automatic chronograph movement. Designed on a Lemania 5100 base and positioned as a more entry level Valjoux 7750, the C01.211 is a 6 hour chronograph with 45 hours of power reserve. These movements are being heavily featured in higher-end Swatch pieces and well as a lot of Tissot watches. The new Seastar 1000 Chronograph for this year also has one. The design of the T-Navigator Chronograph dial is interesting, though not everyone loves it. Aside from the standard subdials,rolex replica watch wholesale, there are black on black lines that burst out from where the hands are placed in the subdials. Not a necessary feature, but Tissot designers were trying to spice things up a bit.

Over on the Tissot T-Navigator Automatic, things are much cleaner on the dial. Here, Tissot uses an ETA 2836 automatic movement with the time,swiss rolex replica, day and date. This is really my favorite version of the T-Navigator even if the hands are a tad short. Further, while very legible, it would have been sweet to see the tone of the day and date discs in black with white or orange text.

Tissot offers the T-Navigator watches on either steel bracelets or rubber straps. The rubber straps have folding metal clasps and are neatly integrated into the case. The bracelets, however, are beautifully designed and I highly recommend it if you get one of these watches. Not totally sure if you can get the bracelet on the Automatic models,replica watch, they may only be available on the Chronograph. Prices for the 2011 Tissot T-Navigator collection are $895 for the T-Navigator Automatic and from $1095 - $1150 for the T-Navigator Chronograph.

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