Breitling has announced a new pair of limited edition Navitimer watches. Both models feature the same Breitling-made Caliber 01 with COSC certification. The difference lies in the case material and number of pieces produced of each one. There's a polished steel model with a production run of 2,000 units, and a rose gold version with only 200 pieces being made.

Stainless steel version - 2,000 pieces

This Navitimer aviator watch features the classic circular slide rule around the dial, and the overall design stays true to the 50+ year heritage of the line. It contains the first mechanical chronograph movement designed and manufactured entirely by Breitling. The case measures 43mm in diameter and features a transparent case back.

Red Gold version - only 200 pieces

Both watches are due to be released in the Spring 2011 season. The pricing and availability have not been released at this time. Stay tuned for updates, especially if you plan on adding the rose gold version to your collection.

Case back view

The Grieb & Benzinger watch company has unveiled the latest masterpiece to come out of their workshop. The Blue Wave is a special chronograph that's been carefully skeletonized by hand. It took true craftsmen to create this one-of-a-kind work of art out of raw metal.

The 46mm case is made of solid 18-karat rose gold. Inside is a vintage Minerva mechanical movement that dates back to 1925. The watch is placed on a black alligator strap with a matching 18-karat rose gold buckle. Notice the Rhodium-plated bridges and guilloché. The hand-engraved balance cock is rhodium and rose gold-plated. There's also a blue platinum coating on the base plate. It's an elegant design full of detailed flourishes.

The sapphire case back gives a clear look into the inner workings with 17 jewels. There's not one millimeter of this watch that hasn't been carefully crafted. It's the pinnacle of watchmaking craftsmanship. Only one of these watches has been made, so it's the ultimate limited edition. The high price pushes this watch out of the reach of many, but you can't help but admire its beauty.

Continue reading The Blue Wave Skeletonized Chronograph by Grieb & Benzinger >>

Nixon has introduced the Nixon Gunship chronograph watch (reference 51-30). The watch is a big one, measuring in at 54mm in diameter.

Nixon Gunship 51-30 Chronograph Watch

This model has a three unique aspects. First, the crown and pushers are located on the left-hand side. There's also a special paint/coating applied to the surface of the watch. And lastly, the watch is fitted with a countdown bezel instead of the more common elapsed time bezel.

The color of this watch is a naval blue-gray hue. The outer coating is intentionally designed to show wear over time, giving the watch a richer worn-in look. I guess Nixon is into the 'wabi' concept.

Naval-inspired design

The watch is powered by a 6 Hand Japanese Quartz movement. It has the following functions: hours, minutes, seconds, date and chronograph. The main hour and minute hands are rendered in red. The watch is water resistant rated to 30 ATM and comes fitted with a hardened Mineral Crystal. The watch will comes with a custom solid stainless steel bracelet with brushed finish and a double-locking clasp. It retails for about $500 USD.

For more information: http://www.nixonnow.com/gunship

James Stacey has posted a new review of the Orient Mako XL over on watch Report. This diver has the iconic Orient look and feel. The solid stainless steel case and bracelet give it a ncie heft. And it's a great deal with the full retail price only being $250 USD. The CEM75001B model features Orient's 46943 movement. Take a look and see what you think.

Link

Orient Mako XL CEM75001B

Ivan has posted a great tutorial for how to adjust a watch bracelet over on his blog. There's lots of photos of the entire resizing process. Bergeon makes some great tools for the job. This basic procedure can be applied to most brands of watches, but the bracelet construction and pin types do vary.

Link

Remove the pins with the proper tools

Check the fit before finishing up

The FLUD THN001 is an interesting watch. It is an analog watch, but the difference is in the way the time is displayed via an opening in a rotating disc. The watch features a dual disc time-keeping technology. The hour is indicated via the opening, the minutes via the bar around the inner disc and the second is displayed via a sweep hand. There's a backlight that shines through the opening, and it's operated via a button at the 2 o'clock position.

FLUD THN001 watch

The watch comes in at a large 43mm diameter and is 13mm thick. The lug width is an odd 23 mm. The watch case is not stainless steel, but rather is made of color-injected polycarbonate. The watch is powered by a Japanese quartz movement. It comes fitted with a colored silicone link-look band. It has a water resistance rating of 3 ATM. The watch retails for about $80 USD.

FLUD case back design

A little about the FLUD watch company. It was established in 2007 by a group of businessmen who loved the street-wear scene. They decided that the watch must play its part in the scene and be an ultimate accessory. The goal of FLUD Watches was to create watches for the casual and street-wear scene, without the pretentiousness or the price tag. FLUD is all about watches.

For more information: http://www.fludwatches.com/catalog/

Omega has updated their Speedmaster collection of watches. The new watch, called the Omega Speedmaster Broad Arrow Co-Axial, gives an iconic twist to the original Speedmaster from 1957.

This watch introduces some very stylish new updates to the classic design. The new dial, available in both black and silver finishes, features the unique Geneva Waves pattern. The chronograph counters are surrounded by applied rings encompassing a beehive structure background. This look updates the watch to the next century. The rings of the sub-dial are black on the silver dial and vice versa on the black dial.

Omega Speedmaster Broad Arrow Chronometer

The watch comes in at a large 44.25mm, but still retains the case shape that we are all familiar with. The case is still made of stainless steel. The watch is powered by Omega-exclusive Co-Axial calibre 3313. The movement is a COSC-certified column wheel chronometer. The unique aspect of the movement is the fact that the hour hand can be adjusted independently of the minute and second hands. This is ideal for those who travel between time zones.

The movement is a robust movement and as such Omega is able to offer a three year warranty on the watch. Even the time between scheduled service has been increased.

SP54 Speedmaster Broad Arrow 321.10.44.50.01.001

The watch features a sapphire crystal display back and has a water resistant rating of 100m. It is comes with a choice of black alligator strap or stainless steel bracelet. The watch is expected to retail at about USD 6,000 for the alligator and USD 100 more for the steel bracelet.

For more information:
http://www.omegawatches.com/press/press-release-detail/1526