The @Shinola Runwell, now with an automatic transmission #review #builtindetroit #over$1000

When it comes to products coming out of Detroit, most turned their noses up when something with the word “automatic” came on the scene. Nowadays, those manual gearboxes are going the way of the dodo (or will we simply call it the CVT crisis?) When it comes to watches, though, many a-folk is pretty happy to hear automatic. So, for those folks (and me), we’re happy to here about the new automatic…

Lining up the @Diefendorff Cornelius 1776 #review #under$1000 #shiny

Your eyes do not deceive you – this is the second time, in fairly short succession, that we’re talking about the watch brand out of New York, Diefendorff.  The last time around, John really took things on the New York angle.  Our second look comes from the Second City, and will let you know what a Chicagoan thinks of the Diefendorff Corenelius 1776.

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S.Albert, cette marque ne vous dit surement rien… et pourtant il a déjà quelques modèles au catalogue. S.Albert vient du nom de son créateur : Stephane Albert un jeune (et talentueux) créateur horloger belge dont voici sa dernière création, la Cosmos. Je reviendrai bientôt sur les autres modèles dans un prochian article.

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De la première ébauche à la conception finale, il pense et dessine chacune de ses créations dans les moindres détails et va jusqu’à réaliser lui-même les plans techniques qui assureront la fabrication. Ce qui lui vaut le “label Artisan certifié” reconnaissant officiellement le savoir-faire de l’artisan par le gouvernement belge.

COSMOS, inspirée par les space watches des années 1970.

A première vue la forme ovoïde de L44 x l40mm de la S.Albert Cosmos, son bracelet et le cadran me font penser aux Oris, Bretling, Tag Heuer, Longines ou Omega (pour ne citer qu’eux) sorties dans les années 1970 et qui avaient cette forme. D’ailleurs en la regardant je pense à une une Omega Speedmaster Mark II (Ref. 145.014) sortie en 1970, mais sans chrono et avec une date…

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Le cadran Ruthenium sobre n’affiche que le minimum : une date sur fond blanc à 3h permettant une lecture aisée, un chemin de fer pour les index accompagné de chiffres arabes sur l’extérieur et la mention “Made In Belgium”.

La marque S.Albert est placée à 12h, le “COSMOS” possède une typo rappelant le logo de la NASA des années 1970 (tiens encore un clin d’œil a cette période…) ainsi que des aiguilles bâtons pour les heures. Cette montre neo-vintage est clairement inspirée par les space watches des années 1970 !

Elle est animée par un mouvement automatique Sellita SW200-1, 38 heures de réserve de marche, 28’800 vph – 4 Hz.

Il s’agit ici d’une série limitée à 10 exemplaires au prix de 1 595 €

S.albert

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Now, I am not a diver.  I know plenty of folks who are (in fact, my dad was certified once upon a time), but I haven’t even been snorkeling for over a decade.  So, why do I like dive watches?  Well, of course, there’s the implied reliability in adverse conditions.  More than that, these days, though, it’s the look of the watches.  There are plenty of new examples out there, but heritage – or vintage – designs are certainly popular.  And if you’re going that route, something like today’s Oris Divers Sixty-Five is what comes to my mind.

You of course have the domed crystal (sapphire here, rather than plexiglass) surrounded by a simple 120-click uni-directional bezel.  The insert there is narrow, though glossy so it looks like an extension of the crystal.  For lume, you’ve got the single pip at the 12 o’clock position.  And while I may prefer a fully-lumed insert, there is no doubting that the single pip fits the vintage style.

And really, who’s looking at that lume pip?  I mean, when the lights go down, it’s those ginormous indices at the compass points on the dial of the Oris Divers Sixty-Five that you (or anyone else) are going to be looking at, any ways.  Even with the lights up, the eyes are drawn to that paint.  Aside from the size, I like the sort of retro-futuristic font that’s used for the numbers.  The rest of the hour markers are simple bars, working with – but not detracting from – the big numbers.

The dial on the Oris Divers Sixty-Five is a bit different in this 40mm configuration as well.  While the 42mm version had a fully-blue dial, here, the center portion is a flatter black, while the outer ring has a glossy, metallic blue sheen to it.  While I dug the blue on the 42mm, here, the blue really stands out.  It’s because of that contrast to the center portion, and it really helps to make the dial the star of this particular show.

Given the smaller case, it should be no surprise that this Oris Divers Sixty-Five has a smaller lug width (20mm here, rather than the 21mm of the 42mm version), though we are seeing it with a similar blue-and-black seatbelt style NATO strap, complete with the deployant clasp.  I must be more used to how the latch catches the strap, because I did not have any issues with discomfort like I noted on the prior review.

Even though the case of this Oris Divers Sixty-Five is smaller, it houses the same movement as we’ve seen in the rest of the collection – the Oris Caliber 733, which is based on the Sellita SW200-1.  That also means that we’ve got the cleverly (almost) hidden date display at the 6 o’clock position (here blending in to that matte center section.

What this means is that, for me, this Oris Divers Sixty-Five is a great everyday companion, even more so than the one I reviewed in December (LINK).  The smaller size makes things more compact, and the dial design makes for a look that fits in just about anywhere.  Of course, on the strap, you won’t be wearing this watch with a suit – but with 20mm lugs, you can swap things in pretty easily.

I spent my time with the Oris Divers Sixty-Five at the office mostly, as well as over the weekends.  If the vintage diver look is your bag, I think you’ll find the watch at home in these situations for you as well.  It’s easy to read at a glance (day or night), and with the inclusion of the date display, you’ve got most information you would want or need, right on your wrist.

Of course, with a price tag of $1,850, this version of Oris Divers Sixty-Five is far from an impulse buy (and, again, my eye would stray towards the Big Crown lineup (with it’s great textile straps and GMT options).  That said, this price bracket is a reasonable way to dip your toe in the water, so to speak, of a higher-end Swiss brand.  And, as with my prior Oris Divers Sixty-Five review, all the better if you’re into the vintage dive watch look.  Just remember that 100m WR rating before you jump into the ocean.  Us desk divers, though, wear it with wild abandon, and feast your eyes on that oh-so-sweet dial.  oris.ch

Watch Overview

Brand & Model: Oris Diver Sixty Five

Price: $1,850

Who we think it might be for: You’re a desk diver, but you like the looks of old dive watches

Would I buy one for myself based on what I’ve seen? It’s tempting, but again, that Big Crown lineup would call me more

If I could make one design suggestion, it would be: Not even sure what I could suggest here – perhaps mix up the handset a touch to differentiate it more from the rest of the lineup?

What spoke to me the most about this watch: The dial – those large, lumed indices over the top of the two-tone dial, that just sings.

Tech Specs from Oris

REFERENCE:  01 733 7707 4035-07 4 20 18

CASE:  Oris Divers, 40.00 mm, 1.575 inches, Stainless steel

MATERIAL:  Multi-piece stainless steel case, minutes scale top ring

SIZE:  40.00 mm, 1.575 inches

TOP GLASS:  Sapphire, domed on both sides, anti-reflective coating inside

CASE BACK:  Stainless steel, screwed

OPERATING DEVICES:  Stainless steel screw-in security crown

WATER RESISTANCE:  10 bar

INTERHORN WIDTH:  20 mm

MOVEMENT:  Automatic winding date

NUMBER:  Oris 733, base SW 200-1

DIMENSIONS:  Ø 25.60 mm, 11 1/2’’’

FUNCTIONS:  Centre hands for hours, minutes and seconds, date window, instantaneous date, date corrector, fine timing device and stop-second

WINDING:  Automatic winding, bi-directionally rotating red rotor

POWER-RESERVE:  38 hrs

VIBRATIONS:  28’800 A/h, 4 Hz

JEWELS:  26

DIAL:  Blue

MATERIAL:  Blue dial

LUMINOUS MATERIAL:  Indices and hands Superluminova light old radium

STRAP/BRACELET:  Rubber

MATERIAL:  Black rubber strap, stainless steel buckle

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Are you ready for the #Rebeltime Diver contemporary #watch coming soon to #kickstarter

Its great to keep in touch with micro brand owners, to follow their progress with releases, and to get the heads up when they have another new exciting product coming to market soon.

When Shneur Lakein from Rebel Time Watches hinted about a diver I made him promise to get back in touch closer to the time, if you don’t know Rebel Time Watches you can read the last story here.  but back the to…