Cabot Watch Company Royal Navy Divers Watch

Off the beaten path. If you are looking for watches with an interesting history, the offering of the Cabot Watch Company might just be what you are looking for. The CWC Royal Navy Divers Watch is the watch officially issued to Royal Navy Divers. In the early 80's a CWC manufacturer divers watch started replacing Rolex Submariners as official issue to Royal Navy Divers. The automatic version was the official issue watch for just one year. It is still in production and can be purchased for around US$850. 

The watch has a 45 mm diameter bezel, and is water resistant to 300 meters.

Cabot Watch Company Royal Navy Divers MOD current issue. The Cabot Watch Company Royal Navy Divers Automatic Watch was replaced by a quartz version without a date display. It features a battery life indicator.

This is watch is priced at US$540. 

The Smartwatch Could Revolutionize the Watch Industry

Agence France-Presse reports that Swiss watchmakers are eyeing the rumored Apple smartwatch with some concern. There are already numerous smartwatches in the market, ranging from the more traditional professional tools like the Suunto and Casio offerings, to more contemporary designs which are being offered as smartphone accessories like those being offered by Sony and Pebble. But the smartwatch has not really caught on with mainstream buyers. The concern is that an Apple smartwatch might start to change peoples perception as to what a watch should be. 

Cooler than a Swatch?

A successful Apple smartwatch would not be too likely to have a significant effect on Swiss luxury watch sales. About 87% of Swiss watch exports are made up of watches priced at over US$1050 and cater to buyers looking for luxury or premium accessories. An Apple smartwatch would likely be priced much lower, most likely less than US$500, and target a wide consumer base. I do not see someone swapping a Rolex or IWC for an Apple smartwatch. At best, the watch buyer might add an Apple smartwatch to the collection, and use them for different occasions. 

However, a successful Apple smartwatch would affect lower priced Swiss watches like Swatch, as well as non-Swiss watch makers like Casio, Fossil, Bulova, Timex, Suunto and the plethora of fashion branded watches. Should an Apple smartwatch gain prominence, it should actually help boost the sales Android based smartwatches, the latter bringing smartwatches to lower and lower price points. 

Casion G-Shock GB-9000: This watch connects to your
 smartphone and notifies you of incoming calls, emails and messages. 

So while the smartwatch is not likely threaten the Swiss mechanical watch market, or higher end Japanese watch luxury models it could be devastating for low cost watch manufacturers.  More prominent companies like Casio, should make a comfortable the transition. It's G-Shock technology is sought after by buyers, and Casio is already dabbling in Android phones and smartphone connected watches. However, the companies other offerings, like its Edifice and Sheen brands would also have to make a transition, and this transition will be rougher. Suunto should also make a comfortable transition, with smartphone compatible smartwatches just adding to the company's line-up. 

But for many manufacturers of low cost watches, mainly US and Asian based manufacturers, the smartwatch could see a changing of the guard with smartphone manufacturers dominating the low cost watch market. While these companies can try to make the transition, this is a radical shift in technology and know-how. A successful Apple smartwatch will see many quartz watch manufacturers shuttering their doors.

Ulysse Nardin Limited Edition Maxi Marine Diver Game of Thrones Watch

Nights Watch. Ulysse Nardin has produced a Game of Thrones themed version of its Marine Divers Watch. The watch is a stark black with red accents. It has the word "I am the Sword in the Darkness" and Knights Watch printed on the rubber strap. Game of Thrones is etched into the sapphire crystal case back.  Only 25 pieces of this watch will be created with a selling price of US$10,500.

The watch has a mechanical movement, uni-directional rotating bezel and 45.8 mm case which is water resistant to 200 meters.

BaselWorld 2013: OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean GMT GoodPlanet

Planet Ocean. OMEGA's Seamaster Planet Ocean series of watches needs little introduction. Ever since being adopted as the new Bond watch in Quantum of Solace, it is probably one of the most easily recognizable OMEGA watch models.

OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean GMT GoodPlanet. The Seamaster Planet Ocean is a divers watch, with a 600 meter water resistance rating and a helium gas escape valve which is needed by deep sea divers.  The new variant released at BaselWorld 2013 also includes a dual time function, with a second orange hour hand which rotates once every 24 hours and is read in conjunction with the rotating outer bezel. This will allow you to keep track of a second, and even third time zone. The watch has a 43.5 mm case and comes in either a steel bracelet or blue rubber strap. 

Inside is a OMEGA Co-Axial calibre 8605, a self-winding movement with a three-level Co-Axial escapement and Si14 silicon balance spring. The design reduces wear and tear and to back up its claim, OMEGA offers the watch with a full four-year warranty.

GoodPlanet Foundation. What makes this watch particularly interesting is that it is issued in support of the GoodPlanet foundation. A portion of the proceeds of the sale of each OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean GMT GoodPlanet will go towards the protection of mangroves and seagrasses in South East Asia. A good reason to buy this watch I would think. 

About Omega SA. The forerunner of Omega was founded 1848, by Louis Brandt. The name Omega was first used in 1894. It was used as the name of one of the Louis Brandt brother’s watch movement calibers.

Officine Panerai's New for 2013 Luminor Submersible 1950's

Officine Panerai announced three new Luminor Submersible 1950's as 2013 Special Editions. As special editions these watches will all have a limited production run. All three watches are large, with 47 mm case diameters, and come with in-house 3-day power reserved automatic movements. The most distinctive feature of the new Luminor Submersible is that they come in three different materials.

The Officine Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days Automatic Titanio (PAM00364), as the name indicates has a case made from Titanium. The super hard case is designed to give this watch a water resistance rating of 2500 meters.

More interesting, in my opinion, is the Officine Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days Power Reserve Automatic Bronzo (PAM00507). This is Panerai's second watch with a case made from Bronze, a rather unique material to make a watch case from. The first Panerai watch with a Bronze case was the PAM 382, the Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days Automatic Bronzo. This watch has a, still impressive, water resistance rating of 1000 meters.

Finally, you have the Officine Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days Automatic Bronzo (PAM00508). This is Panerai's second watch with a case made from Bronze, a rather unique material to make a watch case from. This watch has a, still impressive, water resistance rating of 1000 meters.

All these three watches will be limited to production runs of 1000 units each. 

James Bond 007 50th Anniversary Collector's Piece Seamaster Co-Axial 300M in two sizes

OMEGA has released two limited edition Seamaster Diver 300M to commemorate the 50th anniversary of one of the James Bond movie franchise.

Fifty years have passed since the release of Dr. No, starring Sean Connery as Her Majesty's Secret Service agent 007. SKYFALL, out on 23 October, marks the 23rd film in the franchise.
 
To celebrate fifty years of James Bond in the motion pictures, OMEGA is releasing a update of the Seamaster Diver 300M James Bond watch which was worn by 007 in movie GOLDENEYE and the next four films.


The James Bond 007 50th Anniversary Collector's Piece has been created in two sizes, 41 mm and 36.25 mm.

A lacquered black dial features a 007 monogram. The 41 mm version has 11 applied indexes while the 36.25 mm watch has ten with a diamond index at the 7 o'clock position, something we have seen before.  Its screw-in case back is stamped with a gun-barrel design. There is a "bullet" decoration on the rotor that can be viewed through a central sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides.

Both versions feature OMEGA's calibre 2507 self-winding movement fitted with the Co-Axial escapement.The watch has a unidirectional rotating bezel and helium escape valve allows helium atoms to escape during decompression, particularly necessary for professional divers operating from diving bells. As its name suggests, the watch is water resistant up to 300 meters. The 41 mm versions production run is limited to 11,007 pieces. The 36mm version is limited to 3,007 pieces.

About OMEGA SA. The forerunner of OMEGA was founded 1848, by Louis Brandt. The name OMEGA was first used in 1894. It was used as the name of one of the Louis Brandt brother’s watch movement calibers.

Andy Murray and Rado enjoy a moment in the sun

In a way, Rado and Andy Murray feel like they were made for each other. After years of languishing in the shadows of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Noval Djokovic Andy Murray won the 2012 US Open Tennis Championships. Coming us as a follow-up to his Olympic Gold Medal performance, I think we can say that Andy Murray has arrived. He has more championships to try to win, but whatever happens next, Andy Murray's career is a unqualified success. He has nothing more to prove. Any more wins, well, they will just be gravy.

While Andy Murray proudly held the US Open trophy over his head, he also proudly displayed his Rado D-Star 200 Automatic Chronograph. The two are a perfect match.

Rado, a maker of fine Swiss watches RADO differed from the traditional Swiss watch makers in that it leaned towards innovative uses of high tech materials in distinct designs. This focus led to the creation of the first scratch proof watch in 1962. In 2004, Rado created Ia 'high-tech diamond', by the transformation of carbon into a nanocrystalline diamond with a Vickers hardness number of 10,000. The watch was named the V10K. It is the hardest watch on Earth, certified by the Guinness Book of World Records. Along the way, Rado picked up 20 prestigious RED DOT awards. Still despite this Rado languish in the shadows of other watch makers who followed the same direction and focused on the use of high tech materials.

Andy Murray's Rado D-Star 200 Automatic Chronograph is a rather conservative design by Rado standards. It combines a traditional chronograph watch with a divers watch bezel.  The case 44 mm wide case is made of stainless steel, with a black ceramic insert in the bezel. The case is water resistant to 200 meters. The bracelet is made of stainless steel and ceramic.

Inside is a ETA A05.H31 movement which has a small seconds sub-dial and a 30 minute timer used in conjunction with the chronograph. A date is displayed at the 6 o'clock, with a magnifier integrated into the sapphire crystal. It's a nice touch. The buckle adds another material to the mix. The 3-fold buckle is made of Titanium.

The History of the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner (1953 to 2012)

I'm often asked, "which Rolex should I buy?" If you plan on buying one and only one Rolex, this is the one to buy. It is without question the most popular of the sport models, and about the most versatile model Rolex sells. --- John B. Holbrook, II of the Rolex Reference Page.

This article was originally posted on April 30, 2008. This article has been updated to include the revisions in the submariner in the past four years as well as adding more general information.

The first Submariner

First Submariners. The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner went into production in 1953. It was first introduced to the public in the Swiss Watch Fair of 1954 (Ref. 6204 and 6205). It featured a rotating bezel with 5 minute markers, and ushered in a new look for Rolex. In 1954, the distinctive "Mercedes" hands were added to all Submariners.

The Submariner look, later adopted by the Rolex GMT Master and Rolex Yatchmaster, is a design commonly  associated with Rolex. The basic Submariner design is so popular it has become the basis for almost all the divers watches in the world.

The iconic Submariner design did take inspiration from another watch. In fairness, though the original Submariner design was based on a specifications made in 1952 by two French naval officers, Commander Robert Maloubier and Lieutenant Claude Riffaud who were tasked with setting up a special operations unit of the French Navy, specializing in underwater operations. These two officers needed a watch for their divers, and not finding one on the market suitable, contacted Blancpain Rayville SA, in Villeret, Switzerland. Together they created the the Fifty Fathoms. The Rolex Submariner, takes it design ques from this watch.


From 180 meters to 300 meters. The Submariner was built for diving. The early Submariners had water resistance ratings of 180 meters (Ref. 62xx). There is some doubt as to whether these early Submariners met their stated ratings.

In 1955, after just two years in production the first Submariner models were replaced by the Ref. 6536 (Small Crown) and 6538 (Large Crown) Submariners, with water resistance ratings of 100 and 200 meters, respectively. The watches featured Rolex's Cal. 1030 movements with improved rotors which could wind the watch rotating while in either direction. The Ref. 6536 and 6538 were later certified as chronometers. The Ref. 6536 was renamed 6536-1 while the 6538 retained its number. In 1958 the Ref. 6536-1 and 6538 were replaced with the Ref. 5508 and 5510 with the same water resistance ratings as their predecessors.

In 1959 Rolex released the Ref. 5512. Submariner and in 1962 released the Ref. 5513 submariner. Both submariners now sported the big crown and had "shoulders" to protect the crown. The difference in reference numbers was that the Ref. 5512 was certified as a chronometer while the Ref. 5513 was not. These watches both had water resistance rating of 200 meters. Unlike the early Submariners, the Ref. 5512 and 5513 had long production lives. The 5512 remained in production for nearly twenty years, until 1978, while the 5513 stayed in production till 1990.

Late Model 5513 Submariner

In 1965, Rolex released the Ref. 1680, the first Submariner Date, which was essentially a Ref. 5512 Submariner with a date display. The Ref. 16800 Submariner Date was introduced in 1977 featuring a sapphire crystal glass and a water resistance rating of 300 meters. This was the last improvement in the water resistance rating of the Submariner to date.

A Ref. 16610 Submariner

In 1989, Rolex released the Ref. 16610 Submariner Date and Ref. 14060 Submariner, which was the first Submariners with movements which generated 28,800 vibrations per hour (vph). Movements in previous models produced 21,600 vph. Notably only the Ref. 16610 Submariners are certified by the COSC as chronometers. The non-date Ref. 14060 are not.

The Ref. 14060 Submariner remained in production till 1999, when it was replaced by the Ref. 14060M Submariner, which had an improved movement movement. However, it was not COSC certified. In 2007, some of the later production Ref. 14060M's were sent to COSC for certification, the first non-date Submariners to be certified as chronometers since the 5512 stopped production in 1978.


In 2003 a all stainless steel Submariner with a green bezel was issued to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the watch.


The Comex connection. In 1961, the COMPAGNIE MARITIME D'EXPERTISE', or COMEX, was formed by its President Henri Delauze in Marseille France. The company specialized in industrial deep sea diving. From 1970 until 1997, Rolex diver watches were the issued to COMEX divers. This partnership between Rolex and Comex led to evolutionary developments in diving watches.

In order to carry out their work, COMEX divers spent prolonged periods in diving bells under pressure breathing a gas mix that contains helium. Helium molecules are the second smallest found in nature an thus works its way even water resistant watches. When a diver resurfaces, the helium which built up inside the watch starts to expand quicker than it can escape, leading to an increase in pressure inside the watch. The pressure in the watch would blow the crystal straight out of the case.

In collaboration with COMEX, Rolex developed a helium gas release valve. This would allow the built up helium gases to escape. The first watch Rolex developed for COMEX was a Submariner Ref. 5513 outfitted with a helium gas release valve. In 1972, Rolex built the Ref. 5514 exclusively for COMEX.

In 1977, a new Submariner was developed for COMEX with a 600 m. water resistance rating. This became known as the Rolex Sea Dweller. Until 1997, Comex divers were equipped with an assortment of Rolex watches, the Sea Dwellers were used on "saturation" dives while the Submariners both date and non date were issued for use in "atmospheric" dives.

The current Submariners. In 2008 Rolex released the new Ref. 116618 and Ref. 116619 Submariner, in yellow gold and white gold, respectively. The new model incorporated a series of changes:

1. CERACHROME Bezel. The new Submariners sport a new ceramic bezel made of the same material used in the GMT Master II released in 2005. The new bezel replaces the older aluminum bezel. The ceramic bezel is reportedly very scratch resistant.
2. MAXI Dial. I am not a fan of the Maxi dial. Basically, fatter hands and larger indices/markers. The Maxi dial was first seen in the Rolex Yatchmaster.
3. SUPER Case. Wider lugs and probably a slightly larger dial just like the GMT Master II released in 2005.
4. Glidelock Clasp. A new clasp similar to that used in the Rolex Daytona and GMT Master II but allowing for easy small adjustments in size.

The Glide Lock Clasp

In 2009, the bi-metal Rolex Submariners received the same updates as the all gold version with the Ref. 116613.

A new Ref. 116610 Submariner

In 2010, the CERACHROME bezel, maxi dial, super case and glide lock clasp made their way to the all stainless steel Submariners with the new Ref. 116610.  What was left out from the migration was the "no-date"Submariner. But in 2012, a new 114060 was released brought the updates the no-date Submariner.

Submariner in Hollywood. The Rolex Submariner is probably best known for being the original 007 watch. However it was seen on the wrist of other actors in several other movies: Roger Moore (North Sea Hijack [1975]); Robert Redford (All the President's Men [1976]), Nick Nolte (The Deep [1977]), Donal Sutherland (The Disappearance [1977]); Robert De Niro (Deer Hunter [1978]), Steve McQueen (The Hunter [1980]); Mel Gibson (Tequila Sunrise [1988]); Kevin Spacey (Outbreak [1995]); Denzel Washington (Courage Under Fire [1996]); Bill Paxton (Titanic [1998]): and Cameron Diaz (Knight and Day [2010]).

About Rolex. Rolex SA is a Swiss manufacturer of wristwatches and accessories founded in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis. Rolex is the largest single luxury watch brand by far, producing over 2000 watches per day. Rolex is the best known and most sought after watch brand in the world.

Rolex Submariner Ref. 114060 retail price

The new for 2012, Rolex Submariner Ref. 114060, affectionally called the No-Date Submariner, should be hitting you local authorized dealer in the next few weeks. The new Ref. 114060 migrates the watch to the new heftier Maxi case, with a "Maxi" dial (larger hands and markers), brings a new more premium clasps and comes with the now standard ceramic bezel.

The suggested retail price is US$7,500. That is a little over US$1,000 lower than its sibling with a date display, the Ref. 116610LN.  Since you can probably negotiated a small 4-5% discount on the Ref. 116610LN, the price difference between the two should be about US$700. If you wait a bit, you can probably save a few hundred dollars if you are willing to wait a few months. Still, being one of the first to get one is really cool.

The US$7,500 retail price puts the Ref. 114060 about US$1,200 higher than the list price for the older Rolex Submariner 146060M. You can still get a small discount on the 14060M, the price difference will be more like US$1,500. If you have been sitting on the fence, it might be a good time to pick up the Ref. 14060M. If it the last of the Rolex watches with the old style clasp, non-SEL bracelet, the aluminum bezel and lug holes. The last of the Rolex modern classics.

OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M SKYFALL Limited Edition

For nearly two decades now, with each new James Bond, we can expect a new limited edition James Bond watch from Omega. Omega has announced its seventh James Bond watch, the Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M “SKYFALL” Limited Edition, to coincide with the new James Bond Movie.

The new limited edition watch is based on the 42 mm Planet Ocean. At the 7 o’clock position, the watch has a 007 logo and the bracelet is engraved with “007”. Inside the watch you have the OMEGA's Co-Axial calibre 8507 with SKYFALL 007 marking is rotor in black-varnished engraving. The movement is visible through sapphire crystal caseback. 


The watch is a contemporary divers watch with a rotating bezel which is used for measuring elapsed periods of time. The watch comes with a decidedly attractive matte structure dial with applied indexes and hands coated with white Super-LumiNova emitting a blue light as are the polished. The minute hand emits a green light, as does the dot on the diving bezel is a nice touch. This quickly identifies the starting point of the time being measured, as well as prevents the second hand from being confused with the hour and minute markers. 





The Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M SKYFALL wristwatch is being produced in an edition limited to 5,007 pieces and is delivered in a special presentation box.

BaselWorld 2012: OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean Ceragold

Ceragold. Ceragold is a process that allows the decoration of ceramic watch parts with 18 Ct gold. A nine-step process used to create a ceramic bezel with gold numbers and scaling results in a finished product that is absolutely smooth to the touch. At BaselWorld 2012, OMEGA announced the first watches to use this new manufacturing technology. OMEGA has a thorough explanation of the nice step process. 

Here’s how it works:

1. Forming of the ceramic ring:

• A specific mixture of zirconium oxide and bonding materials (called “binders”) is prepared in a granular form the form of granulates; the raw material is referred to as the feedstock.
• These granules are then heated to their melting point, resulting in a paste which is injected into a mould containing the desired ring shape. This moulded part is called the “green body”.
• The binders that were initially used to stabilize the parts in their injected form are then removed from the ring using a chemical/thermal treatment. This process is called debinding.
• The rings are finally subjected to a high temperature treatment process called sintering. At this stage, the ceramic granules are joined together to form a "fired" – or "sintered" – part with the definitive properties of ceramics, including hardness and resistance. 
  During the sintering process, there will be a shrinking effect that results in the reduction in size of the rings by approximately 30%.

2. Preparation of the ceramic ring:

• Sintered rings are machined to obtain their final geometry. Thickness, diameters, special shapes (e.g. bevels) or the hole for the SLN capsule are obtained by machining with diamond tools.

3. Engraving of the scaling:

• The scaling is engraved on the top of the bevel using a laser beam. A depth of 0.15mm is reached with successive removal of very thin layers of ceramics.     

4. Micro-drilling:

• To improve the adhesion of the decorative gold elements, micro-holes are drilled through the rings from the bottom of the engraved cavities. These holes will be partially filled with gold during electroforming process, forming bonding points and increasing adherence.

5. Sandblasting:

• A short cleansing operation is necessary to remove burnt ceramic material resulting from engraving and drilling. This operation is done with a sandblasting process that also smoothes the edges and standardizesthe  surface aspect.

6. PVD:

• The final decorative gold elements are obtained by an electroforming process. It requires a surface which conducts electricity to allow the growth of gold (galvanic process).
• As zirconium is an isolator, it is necessary to deposit a conductive layer on the top of the bevel. This can be done either by PVD technologies (successions of conductive nano-layers) or by electrolysis (a single conductive layer).

7. Electroforming:

• Engraved cavities from the scaling are filled with gold, with galvanic growth. Ceramic rings with an additional conductive layer are plunged into a bath containing gold particles. An electrical current is then applied and gold particles are directed onto the ceramic rings and fixed at the surface. After a certain time a thick crust of gold is formed, covering the ring’s entire bevel.
• The color and thickness of the electroformed gold are guaranteed by adjusting sensitive parameters in near-continuous assessment.    

8. Removal of surplus gold:

• Most of gold deposited onto the surface of the ring must be removed to recover the ceramic surface and to leave a solid gold layer in the scaling.
• The gold is removed mechanically with an abrasive material.

9. Final finishing:

• Residual gold on the ceramic material is cleaned with fine machining process; a tight line is given to the bevel.
• Rings are then polished to give a perfect shiny aspect to ceramics.
• Finally, the gold scaling is circularly brushed to improve its contrast with the ceramics.

OMEGA has released two Planet Ocean watches using the new Ceragold technology. One is a 45.5 mm Chronograph and the other the 42 mm White Planet St. Moritz.

OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean 45.50 mm Chronograph Ceragold.  Focus on this watch will surely be the polished black zirconium-based ceramic bezel ring with the Ceragold diving scale sitting on top of the 18 Ct red gold case. But  no less impressive is the OMEGA Co-Axial calibre 9301 which powers the Seamaster Planet Ocean Chronograph Ceragold, the same movement used in the De Ville Chronograph OMEGA. This movemnts features a unified 60-minute and 12-hour counter in a single dial at the 3 o'clock and the ability to adjust the hour hand independently of the minute hands

The watch also has the feature you expect to see on a premium deep sea divers watch, with a 600 meter water resistance rating and a helium gas escape valve.

OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean Ceragold 42 mm White Planet St. Moritz. The OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean Ceragold White Planet St. Moritz combines a 42 mm 18 Ct red gold case and a white ceramic bezel with a Ceragold diving scale. Inside is the OMEGA Co-Axial calibre 8501movement.

Interestingly enough, the watch is dedicated to the Swiss mountain resort town of St. Moritz where each winter, a venue for world’s most prestigious bobsleigh races. A chrongraph may have a more appropriate watch to dedicate to St. Moritz.

About OMEGA SA. The forerunner of OMEGA was founded 1848, by Louis Brandt. The name OMEGA was first used in 1894. It was used as the name of one of the Louis Brandt brother’s watch movement calibers.

BaselWorld 2012: Tudor Pelagos

 

Deep Sea Diver. The Tudor Heritage Black Ray will probably wind as my favorite watch announced at BaselWorld 2012, though the red bezel throws me off a bit. The watch looks like a vintage Rolex. Those looking for a more contemporary, and distinctively Tudor design may prefer the Tudor Pelagos. The Tudor Pelagos still follows the classic divers watch design, but with a Titanium case, 500 meter water resistance rating and helium gas escape valve it incorporates the features found in a modern day mechanical divers watch.

Tudor Pelagos. The Tudor Pelagos has a distinctively Tudor snowflake dial, with the square hour markers. The dial displays the date at the three o'clock position. The case is 42 mm in diameter and is made from titanium. The watch also has a helium escape valve.  

Helium Gas Release Valve. In order to carry out their work, COMEX divers spent prolonged periods in diving bells under pressure breathing a gas mix that contains helium. Helium molecules are the second smallest found in nature an thus works its way even water resistant watches. When a diver resurfaces, the helium which built up inside the watch starts to expand quicker than it can escape, leading to an increase in pressure inside the watch. The pressure in the watch would blow the crystal straight out of the case.

In collaboration with COMEX, Rolex developed a helium gas release valve. This would allow the built up helium gases to escape. The first watch Rolex developed for COMEX was a Submariner Ref. 5513 outfitted with a helium gas release valve. In 1972, Rolex built the Ref. 5514 exclusively for COMEX.

Inside the titanium case is a self-winding ETA 2824 movement which produces 28,800 vibrations per hour and has a 38 hour power reserve. 

The Tudor Pelagos is supplied with a steel bracelet and and a rubber strap. 

 

Tudor. Tudor is the second brand of Rolex. Both brands, Rolex and Tudor, were fathered by Hans Wilsdorf. Rolex was founded in 1905 while Tudor was established in in 1946. In the 1990's a decision was made to allow Tudor to develop its own brand identity and Tudor watches today are distinctively different in appearance from their Rolex counterparts.

BaselWorld 2012: Tudor Heritage Black Ray

Tudor does it again. It is rare in manufacturing industry for a sibling to outshines its parent, but Tudor has done so twice in recent history. At BaselWorld 2010, as interesting as Rolex releases were, the Tudor Heritage Chrono stood out, and many would say was a more interesting design than the new Rolex Explorer or Submariner. The Explorer looked too much like the previous version, and the Submariner was predictable. And Tudor has done it again. Rolex, with a new Yacht-Master that really does not look very different from the previous model, a no-date version of its Submariner, and the new Sky-Dweller, which caused one one reader to comment "nice complication, poor execution..." looks like it has been outclassed in design prowess by its subsidiary brand, Tudor.

Without further ado, here is the Tudor Heritage Black Ray.

Tudor Heritage Black Ray. Tudor writes that its new Tudor Heritage Black Ray was inspired by a model that first appeared in 1954, and that model, or rather models, were the Rolex Ref. 6204 and 6205 Submariners (See: History of the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner). Except for the red bezel and the distinctively Tudor snowflake hour hand, the watch looks like a vintage Rolex Submariner.

The case of the watch is actually a bit bigger than the Submariner, at 41 millimeters. Water resistance is rated 200 meters. The crystal protecting the dial is very interesting. Initially, I thought it was an acrylic crystal, but is actually a domed sapphire crystal.  

Inside is an ETA 2824 movement which produces 28,800 vibrations per hour and a shorted than average, 38 hour power reserve.The watch is supplied with a black fabric strap, and a choice of either a steel bracelet or aged leather strap.

Hopefully, Tudor will get around to building another Heritage divers watch, this time around the Rolex Ref. 1680 Submariner.

Tudor. Tudor is the second brand of Rolex. Both brands, Rolex and Tudor, were fathered by Hans Wilsdorf. Rolex was founded in 1905 while Tudor was established in in 1946. In the 1990's a decision was made to allow Tudor to develop its own brand identity and Tudor watches today are distinctively different in appearance from their Rolex counterparts.

BaselWorld 2012: Rolex "No- Date" Submariner Ref. 114060

Rolex Submariner Ref. 114060 - Yes, "No Date".  People expected to see this watch last year at BaselWorld 2011. When it did no come, many feared it would never appear. The No-Date Submariner lives on as the Ref. 114060. 

Keeping in step with the rest of the Submariner line the new No-Date Submariner gets a super case, maxi dial, ceramic bezel and the glidelock clasp. The case diameter is still at 40 mm and the watch is still rated at 300 meters waterproofness. Those hoping for a larger 42 mm Submariner have to wait longer.

The rest of the watch is what you expect from a Rolex. The case and bracelet are made of 904L stainless steel which is especially resistant to salt water. The self winding movement, is COSC certified making the watch a chronometer, and beats as the 28,800 vibrations per hour giving the illusion of a smooth movement of the second hand. 

Oh yes, this Submariner has no date on the dial. A year late, but it is here.

About Rolex. Rolex SA is a Swiss manufacturer of wristwatches and accessories founded in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis. Rolex is the largest single luxury watch brand by far, producing over 2000 watches per day. Rolex is the best known and most sought after watch brand in the world.